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Dec. 16, 2014
Daily summary- Friday, January 24, 2014
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Main News
ABED RABBO REVEALS DETAILS OF KERRY PLAN: JEWISH STATE; CAPITAL IN PARTS OF JERUSALEM; NO RETURN OF REFUGEES
PLO executive committee secretary Yasser Abed Rabbo revealed yesterday the details of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s ideas in an interview with the London-based Al Hayat. He said that the plan is based on a Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state; the establishment of a capital for Palestine in parts of East Jerusalem; resolution of the Palestinian refugee problem according to the vision of former US President Bill Clinton; maintaining of settlement blocs under Israeli control and leasing the other settlements; Israeli control over borders and airspace; a four-way presence of American-Israeli-Jordanian-Palestinian forces at the borders; and Israel retaining the right of hot pursuit inside the Palestinian state. Abed Rabbo said Israeli PM Netanyahu rejected these ideas because he wants to be able to take as much land as he wants; he also refuses to discuss the file of Jerusalem and does not want any shared security, even if American.
Abed Rabbo also said that they were rejected by the Palestinians, saying they refused to recognize Israel as a national homeland for the Jewish people. He said no Palestinian leadership could accept any of these points. He said that the Palestinians were up against a real predicament. “We do not have two options – that is accepting or rejecting a formula like this. We are not even before the option of modifying this formula, because any candy-coating of it through improving the language but without dealing with the core issues will only lead to disaster.” (http://alhayat.com/Details/595915)
NETANYAHU: WE WILL KNOW SOON WHETHER WE CAN MOVE FORWARD IN NEGOTIATIONS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday during his speech at the Davos Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Switzerland that “we will know soon whether it is possible to move forward in negotiations with the Palestinians.” He added that a settlement must be based on a ‘mutual recognition” between the Jewish state and the state of Palestine along with ‘tangible security arrangements.” (http://safa.ps/details/news/121185.html)
AID INTO YARMOUK CAMP HALTED; 7,500 FAMILIES WAIT FOR FOOD; UNRWA: 540,000 PALESTINIAN REFUGEES DISPLACED IN SYRIA
Head of Fatah foreign relations in Syria Mohammed Abul Qassem said yesterday that the food assistance into Yarmouk had come to a halt because of ‘logistic and technical’ problems, including those related to armed groups and others related to the huge dirt barricades that still block the entrances to the camp. He also said there were issues with the committees which deliver the assistance and those that receive and distribute them. Abul Qassem said that discussions were taking place currently led by armed Palestinian factions inside the camp with other factions in an attempt to remove the obstacles and allow the entry of aid convoys into the camp. He said armed groups were still holed up in the camp even though there had been promises for them to leave, adding that the armed Palestinian groups were the link with foreign armed groups in terms of getting aid into Yarmouk. He said only 100 food packages in two convoys had been allowed entry, with each food package weighing about 30 kilograms, adding that around 50-100 sick people from a total of 500 had been able to leave. Abul Qassem went on to say that according to their lists, there are approximately 7,500 Palestinian families in need of immediate assistance. (http://maannews.net/arb/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=667788)
In related news, UNRWA held a meeting yesterday in Jordan with a number of donor countries during which the agency said that about 50% of Palestinian refugees inside Syria – 540,000, were internally displaced, while around 80,000 were displaced in and outside of the region. (http://maannews.net/arb/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=667768)
RESIDENTS OF THE YARMOUK CAMP FILL OUT APPLICATIONS FOR ‘HUMANITARIAN ASYLUM”
Amid the ongoing siege on the Yarmouk camp, dozens of residents have resorted to signing their names up on a list entitled “humanitarian asylum” in a plea to people of conscience to secure a way out of the camp and into any country that honors human rights. The petition was hung on wall of the Falouja school and said: “In the name of humanity, we are calling for our return to our homeland Palestine or to any country that respects human rights.” Those who are seeking asylum are listing their names, social status and the number of family members who wish to escape. (http://www.alquds.co.uk/?p=126416)
JORDAN RECONFIRMS ITS RJECTION OF AN ISRAELI AIRPORT NEAR THE AQABA
Spokesperson for the Jordanian foreign ministry, Sabah Rifa’e, said yesterday that Jordan completely rejected the establishment of an Israeli airport near the border between the two countries north of Aqaba, citing multiple technical and legal considerations. The joint Jordanian-Israeli transport committee held a meeting yesterday to discuss the subject of Israel starting the construction of an airport near the border. Rifa’ee said that building an airport in this location would violate the sovereignty of Jordanian airspace and also of international law, citing the Chicago civil aviation accords of 1944. She also said that such an airport would threaten the safety of aviation in the entire region, referring to the close proximity of the Israeli airport to the King Hussein Airport in Aqaba. Israel approved the plan back in June 2011, saying this new airport would take the place of the current airport in Eilat. (http://maannews.net/arb/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=667791)
PRESIDENT HOLDS TALKS WITH PUTIN: RUSSIA SHOULD HAVE A MAJOR ROLE IN THE PEACE PROCESS; ABBAS DISCUSSES PLANS TO EXTRACT GAS IN GAZA WATERS
President Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday that “Russia should have a pivotal role in the peace process for many reasons, one of which is that Russia is a superpower and friend, and has interests in the region. For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin called n Abbas to strengthen economic relations between the two countries and said they would promote the bilateral relationship at the political level, including in terms of issues related to the peace process.
Also during his visit to Moscow, President Abbas discussed with Russian official s ways to deepen cooperation in the field of energy, especially regarding the $1 billion project to extract gas in the Gaza Strip. The group “Gazprom” is planning to extract gas from a field in the Mediterranean for the Gaza Strip in cooperation with the Palestinians. The gas reserves in this field have been estimated at 30 million cubic meters. (Al Ayyam)
ISRAELI HOUSING MINISTER: WE WILL CONTINUE BUILDING SETTLEMENTS; EUROPEAN THREATS ARE ‘UGLY’
Israeli housing minister Uri Ariel responded yesterday to European threats and warnings of isolation to Israel if the negotiations failed because of settlements, saying that ‘we will continue settlement building.” Ariel described these threats as ‘ugly behavior” calling on the government to halt all forms of boycott. (Al Quds)
GERMANY CONDITIONS OMITTING SETTLEMENTS FROM GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL
Germany conditioned the signing of a global partnership agreement with Israel and giving any grants to Israeli companies that work in global technology, with not giving any company or body working in the settlements or in East Jerusalem, any of these grants. According to the Hebrew-language daily Haaretz yesterday, an official from the Israeli foreign ministry said Israel fears that “this escalatory German step will become the example followed by other countries in the world.” The European Union warned Israel two day ago that it would face isolation if it continued to build settlements and hinder the peace process.”
Meanwhile, the PLO praised the German position yesterday. PLO executive committee member and media file official Hanan Ashrawi said that the German stance was “moral and practical and promoted chances for achieving peace in the region.” Ashrawi called on all EU countries and the world to take more initiatives and active steps of solidarity with the Palestinian people to isolate the occupation and ban settlement products from their markets. (Al Ayyam)
ISRAELI ARMY RESORTING TO ‘PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE’ AGAINST BOYS IN ARROUB
According to the Hebrew-language website Walla last night, the Israeli army has recently resorted to using psychological warfare techniques on Palestinian boys in the Arroub camp north of Hebron in a bid to intimidate them into not throwing rocks and bottles at the Israeli army. According to the website, the army has begun using various forms of psychological warfare, including distributing flyers in the camp threatening the boys with arrest and fines worth thousands of shekels. The flyers are being signed by “Abu Salem” from the Israeli army command and aims to curb the incidents of rock and fire-bomb throwing at soldiers at settlers on the main road near the camp. The site also said the army distributed flyers throughout the camp with pictures of the boys’ parents, urging them to stop their sons from resisting so that ‘their interests are not harmed” and their boys thrown in jail. (Al Quds)
WASHINGTON PUTS ISLAMIC JIHAD’S DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL ON ‘TERRORIST’ LIST; MOVEMENT CONDEMNS
The United States announced yesterday that the deputy secretary general of the Islamic Jihad Ziad Nakhala was a ‘global terrorist” for his alleged role in attacks on Israel. The State Department move against Nakhala, who resides in Lebanon, includes the imposition of sanctions against him, prohibiting American citizens from doing business with him, and freezing all of his assets within the jurisdiction of the US judiciary. Washington claims that Nakhala is responsible for attacks on Israel and establishing ‘strong ties’ with the Iranian government. The Islamic Jihad movement has been on the US’s list of terrorist organizations since 1997. The Jihad condemned Washington’s decision, warning against any Israeli targeting of Nakhala, saying this gives Israel an excuse to try and liquidate Jihad leaders. (Al Ayyam)
EGYPTIAN AUTHORITIES CLOSE THE RAFAH CROSSING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Egyptian authorities closed the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip in both directions yesterday, until further notice. An Egyptian security source said at the end of the third day of operations at Rafah, it was closed in both directions until they received further instructions from Cairo. The crossing was opened for three consecutive days for a limited number of humanitarian cases after pressure from the Palestinians (Al Ayyam)
YEDIOTH AHRANOTH: HAMAS IS PREPARING FOR THE NEXT WAR, IS HIDING ROCKETS UNDER TALL BUILDINGS
According to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahranoth yesterday, Hamas is preparing for the next round of confrontation with Israel and is hiding long-range missiles under tall buildings in Gaza. The daily also said the movement was digging underground tunnels at a cost of over $1 million each. It said that Hamas had a huge stockpile of M-75 homemade rockets and is hiding them in buildings far from sensitive areas where Israel may strike, so they do not get damaged. It also said that it had installed security cameras in mosques and water towers, claiming that Hamas would use this to show the world if Israel bombed these places. As for the tunnels, the paper said Hamas was continuing to dig underground tunnels in order for activists to move freely and to hide Hamas leaders if necessary. (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT ABBAS TO BE SHOWN AT OPENING OF ISRAELI NATIONAL SECURITY CONFERENCE
Fatah central committee member Mohammed Al Madani said yesterday that a recorded interview with President Mahmoud Abbas would be aired at the opening session of the Israeli national security institute conference, to be held in cooperation with Tel Aviv University at the end of the month. According to Madani, the interview with the President will clarify the Palestinians’ positions on core issues for a final solution being posed in the negotiations between the two sides. Madani also debunked rumors that Abbas would make a live speech at the conference, saying a recorded interview would be sent. He also said this step was part of the Palestinians’ efforts to infiltrate Israeli society in favor of establishing a Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel, adding that Abbas “does not oppose the idea of addressing the Knesset” but that this had to be according to Palestinian conditions and not Netanyahu’s dictates. (http://www.qudsnet.com/news/View/263796/)
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Headlines
*Occupation commits ‘massacre” against trees in Wadi Qana (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*Tel Aviv foreign ministry holds Livni responsible for growing calls for boycott (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*Maariv: US army allows soldiers to wear the kippa and grow their beards (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*Majdalani: we want to end the workers’ dispute between the Arab workers union and UNRWA (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*Majority of Druze do not want the compulsory recruitment law (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*Occupation opens fire at homes of residents east of Khan Younis (Al Ayyam)
*Geneva: behind the scenes talks to alleviate tension between the Assad and opposition delegations during peace conference (Al Ayyam)
*Erekat to meet with Kerry in a few days in Washington: we have not received any American proposals; no extension to negotiations (Al Ayyam)
*Hamas leaders Hasan Yousef: Hamas is heading towards reconciliation; we call on Fatah to respond (Al Quds)
*Two Palestinians killed in Syria (Al Quds)
*Jordanian parliamentarians call for a popular lobby to reject Kerry’s plan (Al Quds)
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Front Page Photos
Al- Quds:Moscow: President Mahmoud Abbas during his meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin
Al-Ayyam:1) Putin, during his reception of President Abbas in Moscow; 2) Citizens prepare to plan dozens of olive saplings in place of those uprooted by Israeli forces
Al Hayat Al Jadida:1) Presidents Abbas and Putin during their meeting in Moscow; 2) Citizen in Wadi Qana holding two saplings uprooted by Israeli forces; 3) Ahmad Al Jarba
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More Headlines
MORE NEWS________________________________________________
Settlers attack a woman and youth east of Yatta
Jewish settlers attacked a woman and youth this morning in Khirbet Um Khayr east of Yatta in the Hebron district. According to village council head of Susiya Jihad Nawaj’a, around 20 settlers attacked 27-year old Bilal Hathalayn and Maleeha Hathalyan, 57 while they were going to their sheep shed. The settlers beat both of them, causing them injuries. (http://maannews.net/arb/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=667805)
Jordanian parliamentarians call for creation of a popular lobby to reject Kerry’s plan
Several Jordanian members of parliament called for a general session to hear and discuss the viewpoint of the government over US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to the region and its impact on the Palestinian cause, Jordan and the region. MP Mustapha Yaghi also said that a popular parliamentary lobby should be created to stand alongside the political leadership in rejecting any solutions at the expense of Jordan or the Palestinian cause. Yaghi said the entire Jordanian street rejected Kerry’s proposals for a final settlement including those on the right of return, water and borders, saying they must unify their efforts to foil this plan. He also said Jordanians rejected the idea of any foreign troops on the Jordanian side of the Jordan Valley. (Al Quds)
Israeli minister calls for building the Temple in place of the Aqsa
Israeli housing minister Uri Ariel called today for the construction of the so-called “Third Temple” in pace of the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. In a statement made to the Israeli website “Israel my Homeland”, Ariel said that: “The first temple was destroyed in 586 BC and the second in 70 AD. Since then the Jewish people have been without a temple.” He said the Jewish people have been “bereaved” since then and have been living on the temple’s ruins, saying that Israel is now the land of the Jews and there are ‘those who are calling for the construction of the Third Temple.” He pointed out that the location of this temple is where the Aqsa Mosque is, “even though the temple is far more sacred,” he said. “The Aqsa is only the third holiest place in Islam.” (http://safa.ps/details/news/121194/.html)
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Arab Press
Released Palestinian detainees struggle with life outside prison
By Asmaa al-Ghoul
Liberated prisoner Oweida Kalab, 50, closed all the windows and turned on the radio to listen to Hebrew-language stations. He locked himself inside his room and refused to see visitors or go outside, except for the rarest of occasions, as he relived his 25 years in prison. For 18 of these years he was in solitary confinement, unable to hear anything but the voices of his Israeli jailers.
His brother’s wife, Ferial Kalab, who takes care of him with her family, told Al-Monitor, “The [Israeli] occupation forces arrested him in 1988. We used to go visit him when he was still a young man. But in 1992 he began refusing to come out and meet with us, so we stopped going to see him. We got word from other prisoners that his mental state was deteriorating.” She explained that his comrades attributed this deterioration to the solitary confinement and interrogation methods used inside the prison.
Oweida is not the only detainee who has continued suffering after his release pursuant to the Shalit deal. Liberated prisoner Mohammad Karim, 31, who was incarcerated for nine years and released in the same deal, expressed his frustration to Al-Monitor. He said, “I feel that everyone is better than me. They all can plan for their futures, but I cannot. Despite my smile, this freedom pains me. I would rather remain alone and away from people.”
The same holds true for liberated prisoner Hanaa Shalabi, who famously went on hunger strike while in Israeli custody and was released on condition that she be deported to the Gaza Strip. She told Al-Monitor that anxiety and stress caused her to lose her unborn child. She said, “I lost my baby when I was seven months pregnant. The doctor told me that my constant nervousness and stressed condition were to blame.”
Shalabi affirmed that all the prisoners needed psychological rehabilitation. She added, “No private nor official entity gave this matter any attention, and we were never asked to attend emotional treatment sessions.”
Ferial, another relative of Kalab, agreed: “All the relevant parties knew how bad Oweida’s psychological condition was. Yet, no one helped him.”
Around 1,000 Palestinian prisoners were released as part of the 2011 Shalit deal. Exchange deals reached with occupation forces since 1948 number approximately 38, not including the one brokered by President Mahmoud Abbas in December through US Secretary of State John Kerry.
The reply
Concerning psychological care, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Prisoners in the Gaza government, Bahauddin al-Madhoun, told Al-Monitor that the ministry coordinated with a mental health hospital and offered free medical insurance to all prisoners.
The head of the Committee of Deported Prisoners from the West Bank and Jerusalem, liberated prisoner Abdul Rahman Ghneimat, said in an interview at the committee’s headquarters that the body is present during all events held by released and deported prisoners to compensate for the absence of family members and to relieve their loneliness. He explained, “There are no prisoners suffering from mental states requiring psychological treatment. As a result, we never thought much about providing such programs.”
Bassam al-Majdalawi, head of the Gaza office of the Ramallah government’s Ministry of Prisoners, told Al-Monitor that the ministry and its services had once had a presence, before Hamas took over the Gaza Strip. He said, “There was a psychological rehabilitation program in partnership with the Gaza Mental Health Program. That program no longer is available.”
Frustration and isolation
Psychologist Dr. Fadel Abu Hein believes that all prisoners are in need of psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation because in prison, they grew accustomed to a certain institutional lifestyle — behaviorally, psychologically and mentally. The life that they return to is very different.
He cautioned that when a small number of liberated prisoners came to see him at his clinic, “I noticed that they suffered from acute depression when faced with a reality that thwarted their great hopes. They also suffered from anxiety, stress and an inability to integrate into their new lives, particularly considering that most of them come out and get married. In truth, I tell you that I heard some of them wish that they had remained in prison.”
In an interview with Al-Monitor at his office, Abu Hein stressed that the first thing that should be done after a prisoner is released is to refer him to a specialist for treatment. He added, “Prisoners feel ashamed and are reluctant to disclose details about their ordeal, despite the fact that their emotional trauma is all part of their resistance efforts.”
Financial destitution
After the joy of freedom ebbs and the raucous receptions by families and political parties are over, liberated prisoners are shocked by the discrimination they are subjected to, depending on their affiliations.
Shalabi said, “The reality faced by prisoners after their release is catastrophic and sad. For the Palestinian National Authority provides care for prisoners from Fatah, while the Gaza Ministry of Prisoners takes care of prisoners from Hamas and the Committee of Deported Prisoners those from the West Bank. As a result, someone like me, who is a member of the Islamic Jihad, finds herself deprived of many benefits such as jobs and educational grants.”
Shalabi added that as soon as she was released and arrived in the Gaza Strip, thousands gathered to take photos with her and interview her. But everyone disappeared once she started re-establishing her life and got married. She said, “When I sought my lost rights among the different political factions, every one of them told me to go to Islamic Jihad, for I was one of its members. It would have been much better if all prisoners were considered the offspring of the country instead.”
A. B., who spent more than 20 years in Israeli jails before being released as part of the Shalit deal, told Al-Monitor, “Upon my liberation, I received many promises from the Gaza government, the president and the factions. Accordingly, I made plans for a business project and a house once I got married. But I now find myself in debt to the tune of $35,000.”
In contrast, the Ramallah government Prisoners Office in Gaza and the Gaza government’s Ministry of Prisoners both said that they do not differentiate between prisoners and offer every one of them services and salaries.
Madhoun added that pursuant to Palestinian law, every prisoner who spent more than five years in custody receives a job, a salary and a grant from the president, in addition to access to training programs and grants for small projects under the supervision of the Association of Liberated Captives. He explained that the program is currently reduced due to the blockade imposed on the Gaza government.
Mohamed al-Dirawi, who was himself imprisoned for 11 years, is the director of the Association of Liberated Prisoners. He said that a growing number of prisoners face large debts, resulting in psychological stress.
He added, “Prisoners are only respected when they are interviewed in the press. All promises, including providing them with apartments, dissipated when the United Arab Emirates refused to complete the residential city project. As a result, prisoners have to carry the burden of paying rent for the rest of their lives in addition to other expenses, such as those associated with childbearing.”(http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/01/palestine-released-prisoners-challenges.html#)
Jordan and Palestinian refugees
By: Daoud Kuttab
An interesting development is taking places in Jordan: Forty years after the Rabat Summit, which declared the PLO as the "sole legitimate representative" of the Palestinian people, one aspect of representation is being challenged.
Jordanian officials, including the prime minister, the speaker of the Parliament and the foreign minister, were recently quoted as demanding a greater role for Jordan in the peace talks.
In addition to insistence on a role on the future of Jerusalem, Jordanian officials are saying that no final status agreement regarding refugees can be finalised without Jordan's say.
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has over two million registered Palestinian refugees, and many more unregistered.
According to the Parliament Speaker Atef Tarawneh, since Jordan gave these Palestinian refugees citizenship, it should have a say in their future, whether in terms of return or compensation, or both.
Jordan also insists that as a host country to 42 per cent of the world's Palestinian refugees, its decades old effort must be recognised and compensated.
Perhaps the official Jordanian position on the Palestinian refugees was best summarised by Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh's statement when he chaired the UN Security Council this week: "Most of the refugees on our territory are Jordanian citizens in addition to their status as refugees, and it lies at the heart of our responsibilities to protect and restore their legitimate rights recognised by the international terms of reference pertaining to the peace process. As a host country, we, in turn, have rights for the burdens we have shouldered."
A closer look at the profile of Palestinian refugees produces a much more complicated picture.
They include Palestinians who came to Jordan before the 1949 armistice agreement, refugees after 1948, Palestinians who came from the West Bank to the East Bank in 1967 and finally Gazan refugees.
The first three groups are Jordanian citizens, the latter, who came from a territory that was not part of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (said to be around half a million) are not Jordanian citizen although they carry a temporary Jordanian passport.
The heightened Jordanian interest specifically in the refugee issue is more financial than political.
The repeated visits by US Secretary of State John Kerry and the narrowing of the gap on many issues between Israelis and Palestinians exposed Jordan's isolation in the talks.
While Jordan can claim a direct role in talks about Jerusalem, in accordance to Article 9 of the peace treaty with Israel, there is no avenue for Jordan to seek its national interests when it comes to resolving the Palestinian refugee problem.
The Palestinian refugee issue has been widely written about.
Perhaps the most consistent and comprehensive coverage was carried out by a group of Canadian academics and former diplomats, which is generally referred to as the Ottawa group. A website, http://prnn.org, has collected all relevant documents, ideas and suggestions for solving the refugee conflict.
Included is a political solution between the parties, and individual solutions.
Palestinians insist that Israel should recognise its historical and moral responsibility for causing the Palestinian refugee problem and allowing a good number of Palestinians (especially those from Lebanon) to exercise their right of return as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.
Israel has so far refused to accept responsibility, but previous governments agreed to support any international fund to compensate refugees and to accept a small number of returning refugees, based on humanitarian needs, possibly within a gradual process of family reunification.
The Ottawa experts, who base their work on historical experience with cases of refugees, recommend dealing with the Palestinian refugees on the basis of a two-step approach: initially, a commitment from the refugees that they agree with the process and then, choosing one of four locations where they agree to be permanently settled.
These include staying in the country they already are in, moving to a third country, returning to live in the Palestinian state and, a smaller group, returning to live in Israel.
The Ottawa group recommends cash infusion for the initial step and a comprehensive compensation based on international standards for the second.
While generally acknowledged, the financial benefits of host countries have been least discussed.
Jordanian officials are said to be working privately on documenting the investment and cost that Jordan has incurred by accommodating the largest group of Palestinian refugees in the world.
These numbers and the formula upon which they are based have been kept under wraps.
The current more intense interest in Jordan in the refugee issue is perhaps a reflection of a high level of confidence that the current US-led peace efforts might produce a lasting agreement.
Jordan wants to make sure that its interests on all front (Jerusalem, borders and refugees) will be given proper airing and attention.(http://www.amin.org/articles.php?t=ENews&id=4355)
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Opinions
Leaking and forging is threatening Palestinian land
Al Quds Editorial
The threat to Palestinian land is not confined to Israeli measures of confiscation for the purpose of settlement expansion, bypass roads and other occupation terminology. No, it goes beyond this, to some who are considered part of the Palestinian people who forge and leak these lands for a few cheap coins, which no matter how many they may get, will finish eventually.
The right of every citizen to their land is a permanent right that has no statute of limitations or can be cancelled by temporary absence from the homeland. Even so, there are some who are under the impression that they can steal other people’s lands – people who are abroad or the elderly – by giving in forged documents to the land registry through a so-called ‘power of attorney.”
These powers of attorney have increased recently. Some are real and many are not. And because the two have become so intertwined, it has become difficult to know whether the ownership claimed on some of this land in the powers of attorney are authentic. Some even contradict with one another a lot of times.
What is so strange is that some of these forged powers of attorney are on behalf of landowners who passed away decades ago. They give them false Israeli ID numbers that that they never received simply because they passed away before the Israeli occupation began. Furthermore, the names of the notary publics that stamp the powers of attorney are either unclear or fake. There are usually others involved in one way or another in this fraud and deception, mostly for monetary purposes or rewards from the forgers.
What is more dangerous than all this is that these fake powers of attorney find their way to the hands of settlers and settlement organizations, which open their mouths wide to devour more and more Palestinian land. The defense of people who were duped by these forgers is that the powers of attorney used by the settlers to take their land are fake and that records from the land registry should be the only documents used to confirm the legal ownership of the land over the generations.
Forgery is religiously, tribally and legally prohibited. It is an assault on the rights of others and blatant theft. Those who do the forging are devoid of any national or religious sense of morality. The Palestinian Authority must stand in the face of this criminal activity and deter stop or deter anyone who has committed this crime against their society and homeland.
Furthermore, the parties that partake in this despicable behavior must take responsibility for what they have done. This is something that not only harms the landowner but its consequences are farther-reaching into the national dimension of the issue. But since those involved have lost their sense of belonging to the homeland and to their society, they must be woken up, warned and deterred so that this destructive and immoral behavior can be stopped. (Al Quds)
Boycott or a state?
Al Khaleej Editorial
What is more dangerous to the state of Israel, an international boycott or the establishment of a Palestinian state? The answer to this question was address by Israeli economy minister Neftali Bennet, who clearly said that the dangers of a Palestinian state far surpassed any boycott here and there from world countries and organizations. He believes that the state has been subject to a boycott since it came into being and has, since then, been able one way or the other to overcome boycotts and their consequences. A Palestinian state is another story. Its establishment is a fatal danger to Israel and, therefore, it would be better for the state to risk the consequences of boycott rather than risk the outcomes of a Palestinian state.
The reasons given by Bennet, are fictitious and false and the reason he did not disclose are much more sincere. He said that standing on the mountains of the West Bank overlooking Israel would make Tel Aviv vulnerable to Palestinian rockets. This is a complete falsehood since a condition for the establishment of a Palestinian state is that it is demilitarized. It is also a lie because firing rockets is not contingent on the establishment of a state – it is also possible in its absence, not to mention that the absence of a political solution make this even more of a possibility.
The hidden reasons behind this Israeli official’s words are two kinds: the first is ideological. Bennet belongs to a party that considers all of historical Palestine and everything around it as the sacred property of the Jews. Second, the establishment of a Palestinian state on the West Bank would mean a relinquishment of many of Israel’s economic perks, some related to inside of Palestine and some outside of it. the Israeli occupation usurps natural resources such as water and others and would then have to surrender these if a state is established. It also realizes that much of its agricultural activity depends on these resources. The Israeli occupation also prohibits any industrial or financial development in the West Bank, which allows it to have a monopoly for its own products and financial services.
The Zionist minister knows that the end of the occupation would lead to huge economic losses, much more than any boycott imposed on it would generate. This is especially because its economic ties are with countries that have a primary interest in not allowing a break in Israel’s economic life. However, he also realizes that those who have supported his state economically throughout the occupation, may not find reason to continue this support in the long run should a settlement be reached. Bennet sees the occupation as means of enabling economic theft of the occupied territories and is also a way of maintaining continued western support for it.
Nonetheless, the ideological reasons are the most powerful, which is the Zionist ideology which sees it as a renunciation of the faith to give up one piece of Palestine. (http://www.alkhaleej.ae/studiesandopinions/detailedpage/0993b816-2762-4508-a816-916c9a435890)
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