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Dec. 16, 2014
Daily summary- Sunday, February 02, 2014
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Main News
Kerry is "confident" of achieving peace and "Jewish Home" consider him as “Illusion seller” "
Israeli economy Minister of extremist “Jewish Home”Naftali Bennett, said "it never happened that a people abandoned their land because of threats, no for a terror State near Ben Gurion Airport (Lod)."We expect from our friends in the world that stand with us in the face of anti-Semitic efforts to boycott Israel." Israeli Housing Minister,Uri Ariel, also from the “Jewish Home” said: “illusions are only the slogans of peace that Kerry is trying to sell to Israel, slogans that hide the existential threat to the State of Israel. The Palestinians do not believe their luck for getting such a broker (fair).” Bennett and Ariel’s remarks came in response to Minister John Kerry’s statements yesterday, saying“currently Israel is experiencing temporary economic prosperity and security, but this illusion would be changed if negotiations failed," noting that boycotting Israel will increase. Kerry said he still hopes that the administration of President Barack Obama's efforts to reach a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians will succeed; Kerry said "I am sure of the success. I don't think we are deluding ourselves. We work hard sine the consequences of failure are unacceptable."(Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
Ashton: unprecedented support for the PA and Israel if an agreement reached
EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Affairs, Catherine Ashton, said that the European Union and the Quartet will provide unprecedented support for Palestinians and Israelis if they reach an agreement.Ashton said in a press statement following the meeting of the Quartet in the German city of Munich yesterday evening, the members of the Quartet are committed and make tremendous effort, and that US Secretary of State John Kerry and his team are trying to gather the Palestinians and Israelis to reach an agreement.Ashton praised the efforts of President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and their commitment to the peace process, and praised the efforts of the Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Saeb Erekat, and Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livnifor the work they are doing to advance the peace process.(http://safa.ps/details/news/121790/%D8%A3%D8%B4%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%B9%D9%85-%D8%BA%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%82-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%A5%D8%B0%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B5%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A7-%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%82.html)
Popular resistance activists establish new village "Al-Awda" (Return) in the Jordan Valley
Palestinian activistsestablished yesterday evening a new village in the northern Jordan Valley, "Al-Awda", after their success on Friday in establishing the village of EinHijlah near Jericho,rejecting Judaizing the Jordan Valley.The activists began preparation to set up tents for activists and international solidarity during the night.Khaled Mansour, Member of the political Bureau of the Palestinian people's Party, who participated in establishing this village that energetic activists arrived in the area and began working at full speed to establish their village before dawn, adding that the activists are here to confirm the Arab identity of the Jordan Valley, and confirm that River Jordan is a Palestinian Jordanian border, and that we cannot accept any Israeli presence at this border. (http://qudsnet.com/news/View/264641/%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%B7%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B9%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%8A%D9%82%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%BA%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1/)
"Israel" admits its inability to confront European Boycott
And official in the Israeli Foreign Ministry admitted that it is not possible to prevent the phenomenon of economic boycott of Israel, following warnings from US Secretary of State John Kerry of its increase in case of failure of the peace process.Sources in Israeli Foreign Ministry told Yediot Ahronottoday morning, they are following with concern recent developments in Europe regarding the accession of more companies and institutions to the boycott wave, saying that Israeli diplomacy has limited means to cope with commercial companies that decide to cut ties with Israeli businesses.A source in the Foreign Ministry said that it is "not possible to fight the urge to boycott us", following the announcement of the Danish Bank "Danskebank" withdrawal of its investments in a number of companies and stop its dealings with some Israeli banks.(http://safa.ps/details/news/121801/%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%91-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AC%D8%B2%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B7%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9.html)
Activists insist on staying in "Ein Hijlah" surrounded by occupation in preparation for storming the cite and evacuating activists
Nearly 200 Palestinian and foreign activists stayed in the village of Ein Hijlah in the Jordan Valley, which they entered on Friday, despite the existence of an occupation army camp and an Israeli settlement in the area.Israeli occupation forces imposed a strict siege on the village established by Palestinian activists in the territory of the Hijlah monastery church in the Valley. Eyewitnesses said that hundreds of Israeli soldiers and military vehicles imposed a military siege on the village in preparation to storm it, explaining that soldiers advanced toward the village, firing dozens of tear gas, sound and lighting grenades.Sources from within the village said Israeli soldiers arrested nine youths and detained others who left the village to supply some necessities.Fatah Central Committee member Mahmoud Aloul told Reuters: “this campaign aims to emphasize that the Jordan Valley is part of the Palestinian State.” (Al-Ayyam)
Newspaper: Kerry threats President Abbas with Arafat's fate
The London-based newspaper “Ra’y Al-Yawm” quoted informed sources as saying that US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with the fate of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, if he rejectshis plan, which will be presented to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, based on protecting Israel and ignoring Palestinian rights.The newspaper said Kerry plan met with shock and rejection by President Abbas, especially given that Kerry’s plan does not include what Abbas aspired to achieve as the minimum of what he promised his people, to be remembered as a hero that achieved what major Arab powers failed to achieve in their wars against Israel. (http://paltoday.ps/ar/post/189198/%D8%B5%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%81%D8%A9-%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D9%87%D8%AF%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%B3-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3-%D8%A8%D9%85%D8%B5%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%84-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AA)
Lapid orders to stop funds for settlements
Israeli Finance Minister of the Israeli Government, Yair Lapid,decided yesterday night to stop all transfers of funds to settlements. According to Israeli media the resolution comes after Israeli Channel 2 revealed Friday evening that the Israeli Government transfers funds to settlements as compensation for the period of ten months announced by the Netanyahu Government in 2009 to freeze construction in settlements.(http://www.alquds.com/news/article/view/id/486616)
President met Alp-Sha’er and discussed serious steps towards reconciliation
Informed sources said that President Abbas met on Friday evening with Deputy Prime Minister of the ninth Palestinian Government Dr. Nasireddin Al-Sha’er, and that both agreed to take serious and important steps in the coming days to push forward the Palestinian reconciliation.The sources said that the two discussed during a three-hour meeting details of practical steps to be taken to achieve national reconciliation. Sources disclosed that Fateh and Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip will take important steps concurrently ending with agreement on the legislative and presidential elections on a date to be agreed by the two sides. Al-Sha’er told “Ma’an” that "the two sides agreed to push forward reconciliation and that the coming days will witness serious steps,” refusing to go into details.(Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
The biggest two banks in Northern Europe announced they will boycott Israeli banks dealing with settlements
Management of two European banks considered among the largest banks in Northern Europe announced their intention toboycott Israeli banks "Mizrahi-Tfahot", "Poualem" and "Leumi", for their activities in the settlements, which the European Union classifies as illegal and harmful to the settlement process. “Walla” website said yesterday afternoon, that Swedish Bank “Norda”, the largest in Scandinavia, and “Dendka” Bank biggest in Denmark, servings 16 million customers throughout Europe with property valued at hundreds of billions of dollars, are among the world's top 500 companies, have decided to impose a boycott on Israeli banks and place them on the black list in light of their involvement in activities in settlement contrary to European law.(Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
Livni: it is "Judea and Samaria" and stop saying Jaffa and Haifa… Erekat: we will not allow the removal our history
Chief Palestinian negotiator Dr. Saeb Erekat verbally clashed with his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni when considering the West Bank as Judea and Samaria and demanded that the Palestinians of Jaffa and Haifa, naming the cities in their Arabic names, and that Palestinian refugee stop dreaming of their return. Erekat criticized the Israeli policies in the Palestinian territories, saying:“Israel is a strong State with3,000 tanks and war planes, and the full support of Congress and the US Senate, so what are my chances, but Israel has 3 options: my option of the two-State solution, the second is if Israelis want to call Jericho (Yericho), Jerusalem (Yeroshlaym) and Nablus (Shkhim)the solution would be one state, the third option is that today, in 2014, there are streets in the West Bank that I cannot use it as a Palestinian, and now the word security is use to justify apartheid in the West Bank."Erakat was speaking at a conference on peace in the Middle East within the framework of the Munich Security Forum in Germany on Friday evening, with the participation of US peace envoy Martin Indyk, Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Quartet Special Envoy Tony Blair.(Al-Ayyam)
Israeli Minister threatens to invade the Gaza Strip
Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs, Yuval Shtainets, said that if rocket fire continues sporadically from Gaza, Israel would have to study the possibility of invading the strip, eliminate Hamas and enable the Palestinian Authority to take control of Gaza.Shtainets, who participated in a seminar held yesterday afternoon in Kfar Saba, expressed his opinion that the continued control of the Jordan Valley is essential for maintaining the security of the State of Israel.(Al-Quds)
Historians participating in the project "open Jerusalem" to set the urban identity of the Holy City
Historians from various disciplines will work together for the first time on the identity of Jerusalem between 1840 and 1940, to analyze the daily life in the Holy City regardless of religious and sectarian divisions and nationalism. European project “Open Jerusalem”waslaunched Saturday by an international panel of historians.(Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
Latest occupation trends… Screwdrivers are prohibited in vehicles!
Israeli soldiers confiscated on Friday large amounts of screwdrivers and car tools at sudden checkpoints at the entrances to the villages of Kharbatha Al-Mesbah, Beit Leqia, Beit El Ur Al-Tahta, Saffa, Beit Sir and Bil'in.Driver Ali Musa told “Al-Hayat Al-Jadida”:“soldiers insisted on confiscating screwdrivers from private cars, and when asked about the reasons someone pointed out that screwdrivers are used for stabbing Israeli soldiers.” (Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
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Headlines
** The evacuation of 450 health cases of Yarmouk and the distribution of food aid to thousands of those trapped (Al-Ayyam)
** Beirut: 4 dead in the fourth bombing targeting areas of influence of Hezbollah in less than a month (Al-Ayyam)
** Hagel: Washington will focus on diplomacy rather than military force in foreign policy (Al-Ayyam)
** “Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdes” adopts firing rockets at Eilat (Al-Ayyam)
** Three martyrs in Yarmouk and evacuating hundreds from the camp (Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
** Al-Qaradawi: Fatwas prohibiting visiting Jerusalem might be right or wrong (Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
** Israeli occupation arrests two children and raids a number of stores in Hebron (Al-Quds)
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Front Page Photos
Al- Quds:1) Jericho – citizens and peace activists move a palm tree in Ein Hijlah established on Friday, 2) Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah
Al-Ayyam:1)Jericho – citizens and peace activists move a palm tree in Ein Hijlah established on Friday, 2) employees distribute aid in al-Yarmouk
Al Hayat Al Jadida:Activists in Ein Hijlah prepare bread.
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Voice of Palestine News
Hebron:
Q: with regards to the occupation aggression in Hebron, can you provide us with details?
Yes, the occupation aggression continues, tens of youth were injured at Al-Arroub camp from tear gas yesterday during clashed between occupation forces and youths, the occupation forces attacked with rubber bullets and tear gas. At the same time, the occupation stormed Biet Ummar and searched a house belonging to citizens from Wahadin family; this house is close to the settlement of Karmy Tzour. Also in Biet Ummar, tens of settlers attacked farmers in eth village protected by the army and destroyed trees, and prevent farmers form working in their lands. Eyewitnesses told us that tens of settlers attacked the farmers with stones under protection of the Israeli army. Citizens Mofid Khlayyel from Beit Ummar was attacked by Israeli soldiers, at the checkpoint at the entry of Beit Ummar.
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Voice of Palestine Interviews
** Abdallah Abu Rahmeh, Activist, on Ein Hijlah.
Q: With regards to the siege on the village what is the situation now?
After midnight. Almost at 2:00 am, the occupation withdrew big part of its forces, only some vehicles are present now in the area, yesterday night was very difficult, we were attacked by tear gas, sound and light grenades, anyone trying to get inside or outside the village were threatened of arrest, and they were threating us of storming the site and arrest everyone. Only now some of the activists slept.
Q: with regards to your next moves?
We started yesterday working in the village, cleaning the area, we will continue today, but we need more activists and volunteers, this is a large area, we have a lot of work to do before the army storms the area, we call on all to join us in our efforts.
** Issa Qaraqe’, Minister of Prisoners Affairs, on revealing an arrest by the occupation of two citizens from Abu Dies after being attacked by occupation digs.
Q: with regards to this issue, what is their health condition now?
This was barbarous attack without any reason, the two, Adam Jamous and Adham Halabeyeh, were shot at in Abu Dies by occupation army without any reason, they were injured, in addition to be attacked and pulled form 300 meters by occupation army dogs. The two were then attacked again by the soldiers. This is very dangerous, their health situation is very difficult now, and they are currently hospitalized in Hadasa hospital and are detained now until February 4th. This incident show the Israeli recklessness of citizens’ lives, and how easy it is to shoot citizens, as if this is an execution operation. Our attorney will issue a suit against the soldiers and demand compensation for the two. This is part of the general situation is Palestine, as what happened in Jalazoune some days ago were Israeli soldiers executed a Palestine for no reason.
Q: a report of the ministry say that 300,000 citizens were sentenced in Israeli court since 1990, what can you say about the Israeli judiciary treatment of prisoners?
I wanted to say that there is silent war called the Israeli judiciary when this number of citizens are being sentenced in these courts, Israeli judiciary is trying to provide a legal cover to the occupation, including all its procedures including assassinations, whet the Israeli High Court approves such actions. Israeli courts still don’t deal with Palestinian prisoners in their legal capacity as prisoners of the occupation.
** Ahmad Rowedy, Presidential advisor on the Jerusalem Affairs, on new settlement tenders.
Q: With regards to these nee tenders, what is the situation now in Jerusalem as a Muslim Arab city?
Life in Jerusalem in general is being targeted, so they implement what they call the 202 plan, 40% of east Jerusalem is being dedicated for settlements, and only 12% for Palestinian construction, this of course includes a lot of obstacles imposed by the Israeli authorities, and only last week we saw demolitions in Biet Hanina and Issaweyah. So these new tenders come with demolishing Palestinian houses in Jerusalem, during the last year they built 2015 new units, we see these new numbers this year also, this is to connect settlements and isolate Jerusalem, to prevent having Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital in the future. All of this coincides with arresting children and storming Al-Aqsa… this means that life in general in Jerusalem is being attacked by the occupation. We are left alone without any support by Muslim or Arab countries and our capabilities are very limited. We realize that there is a financial siege on the PA and we need to look for sources for financial support to Jerusalemites.
Q: with regards to the latest meetings regarding Jerusalem, are there any results?
I have to say that in all meetings regarding Jerusalem result usually in nothing. Decision are usually not being translated into action supporting Jerusalem.
** Nassireddin Al-Sha’er, on the meeting with President Abbas.
This meeting came to follow up on previous meetings, we discussed two main issues the first is an update on the current negotiations, in this regards the president reaffirmed his position on the main Palestinian positions through the negotiations, like the Jewish state and the refugees etc...The other issue was the reconciliation issue; we discussed principles that might increase the chances of reaching reconciliation.
Q: are there any steps in the near future to achieve reconciliation?
Of course, this meeting was long and included discussing such steps, knowing that this willalso be discussed with the concerned bodies; the meeting wasveryfruitful and included presenting some ideas and steps to be taken, including bridging the gaps. The president expressed his readiness to start working on eth national government and Haneyah said he is ready to accept those who left Gaza tomorrow morning back to Gaza.
Q: Is there any schedule to start implementing the agreements between Fateh and Hamas, did you discuss this issue?
We said that there is no need for new agreements, and that signed agreements should be implemented, this is a good thing. We talked about a government that will lead the country until holding elections. This meeting as not designed to deal with details, but to push towards the reconciliation. We hope that in the coming days positive steps will be revealed.
Q: are there any practical steps that the parties already began to implement?
What I realized that there are readiness in both sides, we are talking now on when and how. The president was very clear; the parties are ready to go forwards with the reconciliation.
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More Headlines
Abu Marzook calls to reject Kerry’s plan
Deputy Head of the political Bureau of Hamas Mussa Abu Marzouk, called for rejecting the American framework document presented by US Secretary of State John Kerry, adding that the public would put pressure on the Palestinian negotiators to reject this sick and dangerous proposal. Abu Marzouk said in a statement via his"Facebook" account yesterday: "there may be inevitable demonstrations in every location in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and abroad, especially after the failure of the factions and the Executive Committee to prevent the negotiations." Abu Marzouksaid that the recent signals of President Mahmoud Abbas addressing the issue of refugees and the difficulty of their return, and that Lebanese should prepare for this, in addition to the issue of withdrawal from the Jordan Valley over three years, are extremely dangerous, providing the impression that the US. Proposal could be approved".(http://paltimes.net/details/news/58165/%D8%A3%D8%A8%D9%88-%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%B2%D9%88%D9%82-%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%B9%D9%88-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AC-%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%B6-%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%A9-%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%8A.html)
For the first time… Israeli restaurants boycott settlement
Israeli restaurants and bars announcement boycotting wine produced by produced by settlements for its place of production, for the first time. Many settlers from settlements built on private citizens’ land in the West Bank complained that many of the restaurants and nightclubs within Israel refused to purchase the wines they produce in settlements, according to Yediot Aharonot newspaper. Restaurant owners justify not dealing with alcoholic goods from settlement that “they are bad products and they don't want to lose customers as a result of marketing bad products in their restaurants."But the newspaper quoted one of the settler liquor marketers as saying that "when goods are presented in restaurants in Tel Aviv, the owners are thrilled, but when asked about the source and they know that the source are they refuse to buy the products."(http://www.alquds.com/news/article/view/id/486675)
Haaretz: Kerry seeks to achieve a framework agreement before the release of prisoners in March
Haaretz daily quoted an Israeli official on its Web site today, as saying that US Secretary of State John Kerry practices pressure on Palestinians and Israelis to reach a framework agreement before the fourth batchof releasing prisoners, supposedly to be executed at the end of next month.The Israeli official told the newspaper that Kerry had fears of exploding the negotiations if his efforts will not succeed, because of Netanyahu's refusal to release Palestinian prisoners from inside the green line, or because of a new settlement wave as in Israeli response to the release of prisoners, which will lead the Palestinians to withdraw from negotiations.(http://paltoday.ps/ar/post/189208/%D9%87%D8%A2%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%B3--%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%89-%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%82%D9%8A%D9%82-%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%82-%D8%A5%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A8%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B3%D8%B1%D9%89-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B3)
OPINIONS__________________________________________________
We are here...Under the surface of Israeli calmness
Al-Quds Editorial
After the situation deteriorated in general, especially in Syria, Iraq and Egypt, Israel livesa state that was described by Israeli army Chief of staff as one of the best ever, no armies on the borders threating it, the issue of occupation is no longer the important issue of Arab leaders who are busy to the bone with their issues and concerns, and the Palestinian division has increased the temperature of the Israeli relaxation, for all these reasons the Israeli demands and conditions are growing in the negotiations, its leaders areracewith positions and hardly a day passes without newconstruction in settlements, and without statements expressing the Israeli arrogance and intransigence, not only regarding peace buteven in relation to European or American positions sometimes.
Seems like the Israeli surface is calm, either at present or in the near future, in light of current developments and possibilities. But it does not seem this way in an in-depth perception and does not seem to be reassuring, and the current situationsuggests, as many academics, military and political analysts who are not engaged in the political life directly say, they are looking at possible options for addressing potential risks.
Under the surface of calmness there are two certain things: first, that the conditions in Arab States will settle down after five or more years and there may be various new regimes, and the attention to the Palestinian cause, the destiny and common threats facing Arab neighbors will return, because of the occupation and its arrogance.
But the most important thing is that we're staying here and we are committed to our rights, our land and our future. If inside the green line there are about 1.7 million Palestinians and about 2 million in the West Bank, in addition to the population of the Gaza Strip that are more than 2 million too, the continuation of the occupation would lead to a bi-national State that will demolish all the foundations for what they call the Jewish State.
Some think because of this possibility to repeat the experience of unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, but in a different way. However, this possibility carry risks to Israel because of the overlap between settlements and the Palestinian areas on the one hand, and since the areas that might be evacuated will be an issue of dispute with perhaps Jordan or danger to Israel, if wasn’t managed in aright ay or as part of an agreement, and might become a center of all extreme forces that we see in Arab States.
Israel must realize that security and stability are connected to peaceful and acceptable solution,and not occupation and expansion. Israel’s options are tight although calmness, stability and the best conditions ever appear on the surface as they say.(Al-Quds)
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Arab Press
Occupation belies the Hollywood mind
February 01, 2014 12:05 AM
By Rami G. Khouri
If you think the controversy of actress Scarlett Johansson’s relationships with Oxfam and the Israeli company SodaStream is a minor side story about Hollywood celebrities, think again.
This is the latest signal of a major direction of Palestinian and global activism against Israeli settler-colonial policies in the occupied Palestinian territories, which reveals Israel’s weak spot globally and its growing isolation because of its occupation and treatment of Palestinians.
Johansson resigned her post Wednesday as a global goodwill ambassador for the developmental charity Oxfam after coming under intense international criticism for her contradictory role as a spokesperson for Sodastream, which manufactures carbonation machines in the Israeli settlement of Mishor Adumin in the occupied West Bank. The argument against her was simply that she could not feed the jailer and the prisoner at the same time – she could not support the good work of Oxfam in improving people’s lives around the world, while simultaneously promoting an Israeli company whose factory in the occupied West Bank perpetuates the subjugation of Palestinians and their denial of national and personal rights.
This highlights how Israelis and Palestinians confront each other in three principal arenas of conflict and conflict resolution: military attacks; diplomatic negotiations; and, grassroots activism based on legal and ethical principles. The first two modes of Palestinian-Israeli interaction – warfare and negotiations – have continued unabated since the 1930s, without achieving the desired goals of either side.
This is why the third option – populist activism on moral and legal grounds – has emerged recently on the Palestinian side as the most significant new development in decades, and continues to pick up steam and worry the Israelis, as it should. I refer mainly to the movement for the boycott, divestment and sanction (BDS) of Israel for its denial of Palestinian human rights in three related arenas: the second-class status of Palestinian citizens of Israel; the Apartheid-like conditions Israel imposes on Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip; and the structural denial of rights to exiled Palestinian refugees living outside of historic Palestine.
This campaign has continued to win victories in recent years, including decisions by Norwegian and Dutch state investment funds, major European supermarket chains, the Methodist and Presbyterian churches in the United States, and the European Union to refuse various forms of relationships or investments that involve Israeli companies or organizations based in the occupied Palestinian territories. The continuing BDS activism of Palestinians and their supporters challenges any international company, individual, organization or government whose policies acquiesce in or promote the illegal, immoral and oppressive nature of the Israeli occupation and other forms of human rights denials to Palestinians.
Johansson is the most recent example of this trend. When she resigned her Oxfam post she released a statement citing “a fundamental difference of opinion” about the issues raised by her serving both Oxfam and SodaStream. Oxfam said it found Johansson’s promotion of SodaStream to be incompatible with her role as an Oxfam Global Ambassador. It noted: “Oxfam believes that businesses, such as SodaStream, that operate in settlements further the ongoing poverty and denial of rights of the Palestinian communities that we work to support. Oxfam is opposed to all trade from Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law.”
Johansson responded to the criticisms against her by saying she was a “supporter of economic cooperation and social interaction between a democratic Israel and Palestine.” This nice-sounding but ludicrous statement ignored the fact that the “Palestine” part of this happy equation in her make-believe Hollywood mind is an occupied, colonized, subjugated and deeply deprived land whose Palestinian Arab inhabitants live in conditions that closely mirror the condition of American or South African blacks in the 1950s. In other words, they do menial tasks in conditions of total control and confinement, without any prospect of living a normal, full, dignified life, and with strict limits on where they live, work, travel and use public facilities.
Reuters reporter Noah Browning interviewed a mid-level Palestinian employee in SodaStream’s plant who gave a more accurate picture of the interaction between Israelis and Palestinians. “There’s a lot of racism here,” the Palestinian said. “Most of the managers are Israeli, and West Bank employees feel they can’t ask for pay rises or more benefits because they can be fired and easily replaced.
The European Union’s ambassador to Israel, Lars Faaborg-Andersen, told Reuters for his part that, “Of course there are some [Palestinian] people who are gainfully employed by settlements. But the alternative of being able to use more than the 40 percent of the territory which is now open for use for Palestinians could potentially give much, much, much more economic benefit to the people living in the area.”
The important new development in this episode is the ability of the BDS movement to mobilize globally, and to generate greater discussion about the nature of the Israeli occupation and its denial of Palestinian rights.(http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Columnist/2014/Feb-01/245991-occupation-belies-the-hollywood-mind.ashx#axzz2s8ferc39)
Obama not abandoning the Middle East
Ray Hanania
President Barack Obama delivered his 6th State of the Union address on Tuesday and many in the Arab world were left wondering about his commitment to Middle East peace. After all, he barely talked about the topic during his lengthy remarks, which lasted just under one hour. In the Middle East, Arab leaders may speak for hours – they are in love with hearing themselves. But in America, it’s different.
In today’s world, things like presidential speeches are measured by how many Americans watch them on TV. Despite the rise of Twitter and social media, TV still dominates American communications, although the number of Twitter posts continues to increase. With that in mind, the State of the Union and the Middle East are not the most important topics for Americans. Twice as many people watched a recent football play-off than watched Obama’s speech this week.
So how important is the speech? From the standpoint of Middle East policy, it is not very important at all, although when Obama does mention the Middle East, we have to take it as evidence that he believes the Middle East and Israeli-Palestinian peace are still important.
So don’t worry folks. Obama is not abandoning the Middle East or his peace mission, although some believe he really never had a substantive mission to pursue at all. Obama has more important issues to speak about and mend.
During the past year, he has faced several major stumbles and failures including his inability to pass “immigration reform” or “gun control” measures, and the catastrophic public relations screw-up, the launch of a website to help Americans participate in the cornerstone of his administration, which is healthcare reform.
Here’s some background on Obama’s speech and how it fits into the American psyche that might help you relax and not get all upset because Obama didn’t sound like a dictator spouting about the evils of the enemy or ignoring the needs of the people.
Ever since the founding of America, presidents have delivered a speech often called “The State of the Union” at the start of every year. The topics and the length have varied widely, depending on the challenges facing America and speaking abilities of the president delivering it.
President William Howard Taft gave the longest speech, 27,651 words in 1910. America’s first President, George Washington gave the shortest speech, 1,089 words, in 1790.
On Tuesday, President Obama delivered his 6th State of the Union speech since his election in 2008, although technically his 2009 speech was called “An Address to Congress.” Obama’s speeches have followed patterns set by President Bill Clinton and have averaged 7,000 words, compared to President George W. Bush who said far less like his father, President George H.W. Bush, or 5,000 words.
A speech of 7,000 words sounds like a lot, but it isn’t. It’s the equivalent of eight newspaper columns averaging 900 words. Newspaper columnists like myself try to address one topic per column. But presidents address many.
Obama's speech addressed more than 40 topics mostly about the American economy, jobs, education and immigration. That’s what most Americans care about. They don’t really care about the Middle East, the “Arab Spring” or progress toward democracy at all. Americans do have a one-track obsession fearing terrorism and exacting revenge against “terrorists,” a term with a very broad meaning.
Obama also drew a line in the sand on Iran and its drive to build nuclear weapons. He had to. It’s one of his only real successes in the Middle East, if you include Iran as being a part of that region.
Obama’s administration has seen several major failures in foreign policy. He failed to reach an agreement with Afghanistan on troop deployments, and there is no solution to the continuing civil war in Syria. In fact, Syria’s dictator Bashar Al-Assad has taken control of the debate through masterful and strategic public relations spin, better than any other Arab leader or nation. Assad has managed to tone down expectations that he will be defeated, something many predicted when the revolution there began in 2011.
Obama did speak about progress curtailing Iran’s nuclear capabilities. And despite the failure to achieve results, Palestinian and Israeli leaders are not just calling each other names. They’re also still negotiating. Maybe that’s why Obama spoke about it more this time than ever before.
Here are some things to consider that might calm concerns that Obama is being tied up with domestic issues at the expense of his concern for the Middle East, made at length during his 2009 “Cairo Speech.”
In his six State of the Union speeches, Obama used the words “Middle East” one time in 2012, and twice in 2013. He never used the term in his prior State of the Union Speeches. Although it was missing from his most recent speech, he made up for that in other areas. Obama mentioned “Israel” once in 2009, once in 2012, once in 2013, and twice in this last speech.
When it comes to Palestinians, keep in mind Obama is speaking to a joint session of the US Congress, which is notoriously anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian and anti-peace. But Obama said the word “Palestinians” twice for the first-time ever during a State of the Union Speech. It was not uttered in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 or 2013. He didn’t mention the word “Arabs” in this speech. Instead, in 2010, 2011 and 2013 he said “Arabian Peninsula.”
Should we as Arabs worry? I don’t think so. If anything, he increased our presence in a speech where even a few words are significant and the focus is America.
But when Obama did say the word “Palestinians” this time, I thought I saw him wink. Can’t be too careful when the powerful Israeli lobby is breathing down his neck and the weak, non-existent Arab lobby is, well, non-existent.(http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140202194402)
William Hague is still soft on Israel’s war crimes
By Stuart Littlewood
A few days ago we were talking about agent William Hague’s self-proclaimed commitment to smoke out war criminals, bring them to account and support the International Criminal Court in its investigations.
“If you commit war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide you will not be able to rest easily in your bed,” he said.
But knowing his record isn’t that just another case of our brave Foreign Secretary shooting his mouth off? Judge for yourselves.
Last week my MP put forward the following Parliamentary Question:
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times he has made representations to his Israeli counterpart on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in each of the last 12 months. [183766]
Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Mr. Hague), has made four representations to the Israeli Foreign Minister on this issue in the last 12 months.
Only four times in 12 months while Israel’s war crimes sky-rocketed?
The FCO website states: “Our position on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is clear: they are illegal under international law, an obstacle to peace and make a two-state solution harder to achieve.”
That’s not quite enough though. The so-called settlements are not just illegal. Under Article 8.2(b) (viii) of the Rome Statute the transfer, directly or indirectly, by the Occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies is a war crime. The FCO therefore needs to be more explicit.
Preaching to the world
Not long ago, Foreign Secretary Hague was preaching to the world, in a speech at The Hague of all places: “We have to ensure that when we are trying to build peace, we don’t overlook the need for justice…. We also need the will to deter leaders from committing crimes through fear of international justice, and if that fails, to hold those responsible to account.
“There is no doubt where Britain stands: we are with those who say that international law is universal and that all nations are accountable to it…. We are a country that believes in and upholds the Responsibility to Protect, and that is prepared to act to save lives – including through military action as a last resort.
William Hague and his ilk, in their foolishness, have made sure that Israelis take no notice of requests, consultations and urgings
Stuart Littlewood
“We pledge to recommit to the importance of fighting impunity for grave international crimes wherever they occur…. We will be a robust supporter of the International Criminal Court in its investigations.”
This is fighting talk, yet Mr. Hague’s eagerness to end impunity has allowed him to make only four representations in the last 12 months while Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinians multiplied out of control, even during ‘peace talks’. Hague’s opposite number is former bouncer and all-round thug Avigdor Lieberman. Described variously as “a virulent racist,” “neo-fascist” and “certified gangster,” Lieberman is tarred with the war crimes brush by choosing to live in an illegal squat or “settlement” on stolen Palestinian land.
From Hague there have been no actual condemnations, no upholding of the Responsibility to Protect, no action to save lives, no recognition of the need for justice, no activation of the ICC, and no holding of Israeli war criminals to account.
On the contrary, Mr. Hague was recently instrumental in watering down our laws of Universal Jurisdiction to give them safe haven.
Contradiction
This contradiction with the lofty pledges cloaking him in the mantle of international law makes sense only when we understand that William Hague is a long-time admirer and supporter of the criminal Israeli regime and its certifiably bonkers leadership, as are the great majority of Conservative MPs who fly the flag for Israel in the British Parliament.
No wonder the Israelis take no notice of requests, consultations and urgings.
No wonder international law has fallen into disrepute.
Hague and his ilk, in their foolishness, have made sure of that.(http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/2014/02/01/William-Hague-is-still-soft-on-Israel-s-war-crimes.html)
Palestinians in Israel: Trapped in the ghetto
By Jonathan Cook
One more Galilee village is set to be bulldozed, but residents are fighting to save their homes.
Ramya, Israel - Salah Sawaid remembers when this huddle of shacks was surrounded by open fields. Today, his views from the grassy uplands of the central Galilee are blocked on all sides by luxury apartments - a new neighborhood of the ever-expanding city of Karmiel, here in northern Israel.
"We are being choked to death," said Sawaid, Ramya's village leader. "They are building on top of us as though we don't exist. Are we invisible to them?"
His fears for the future have grown rapidly in the past few months, after a court ruled that the Bedouin village must be bulldozed to make way for Karmiel's further expansion. The decision, the culmination of what Sawaid called "betrayals" by successive Israeli governments, ended a decades-old legal battle by the villagers to remain on their land.
Salim Wakim, the lawyer who represents the 45 families of Ramya, said the only avenue left was "popular struggle".
“The apartheid here could not be more apparent. You look at Ramya and the homes in Karmiel and you see how democratic Israel really is if you are not Jewish.” Yoav Bar, Israeli activist
Yoav Bar, an activist from the nearby city of Haifa, is among a small group of Jews who have supported the families. "The apartheid here could not be more apparent. You look at Ramya and the homes in Karmiel and you see how democratic Israel really is if you are not Jewish.
"Ramya is living under a siege, little different from the one against Gaza. It is designed to force them to leave."
Divided neighbors
The contrast between the lives of the 180 inhabitants of Ramya and their neighbors in Karmiel is stark indeed.
Although the modern apartment buildings are now only meters away, the people of Ramya are living in a different era. They are denied connection to the electricity and water grids and other public services. Generators provide power for a few hours a day, and makeshift, above-ground pipes channel in a trickle of water.
Their 45 homes, classified as illegal by the Israeli authorities, are tin shacks or modest breeze-block huts. Anything else would be certain to be demolished, said Sawaid.
And yet the village's purchase of the land was registered in the 1930s - before either Israel's founding in 1948 or Karmiel's creation 16 years later.
"We have the tabu [title deeds] for this land," said Sawaid. "And yet Israel refuses to recognize our right to live here. They have made us criminals. They say we are squatters. It is nonsense."
Confiscated land
Karmiel, today with a population of nearly 50,000, was built in 1964 on agricultural lands Israel confiscated from several communities, including Ramya, that belong to Israel's Palestinian minority - the remains of the Palestinian people who avoided expulsion during the 1948 war.
Today, one in five Israeli citizens belong to this minority, a group that the Israeli historian Ilan Pappe has described as "the forgotten Palestinians".
The official aim in establishing Karmiel was to "Judaise the Galilee", a government campaign to reverse the Palestinian minority's demographic hold on Israel's north by encouraging Jews to migrate and settle. They were offered incentives in subsidized land and housing.
“We have the tabu [title deeds] for this land. And yet Israel refuses to recognize our right to live here. They have made us criminals. They say we are squatters. It is nonsense.” Salah Sawaid, village leader
Palestinian citizens have long claimed they suffer systematic discrimination and are denied basic rights. Suhad Bishara, a lawyer with Adalah, a legal center for the Palestinian-Arab minority, said the discrimination was especially acute in relation to land.
Israel has nationalized 93 per cent of the country's territory for the benefit of the country's Jewish population, taking much of it from the Palestinian minority through mass confiscations, she said. Palestinian communities are left on slivers of privately owned land.
In addition, dozens of Palestinian communities inside Israel, such as Ramya, are not recognized by the state and the inhabitants' "presence in their homes has been made illegal", according to Bishara.
'For Moshe, not Mohammed'
Bar and other activists joined the struggle to save Ramya after Israel's high court ruled last year that the Bedouin must leave within 90 days. The group staged its first demonstration in December in front of Karmiel's municipal building, followed by weekly protests in the city's main shopping area.
The villagers have been handing out leaflets in Karmiel explaining their story to passers-by, in the hope they can win public opinion to their side.
But Dov Koller, a Jewish resident of Karmiel who helped set up a solidarity forum for Ramya, said most people in the city either did not care about Ramya's plight or were opposed to living with the Bedouin villagers:
"The difficulty is that most of Karmiel's residents don't think equality is important for Arabs. Most of them are racist."
The families in Ramya are being evicted so that a new neighborhood of Karmiel - named for former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin - can be expanded. Apartments marketed to the Jewish population will be built over Ramya's homes, as well as the Bedouin goat sheds and a small plot of arable land the villagers have so far managed to cling on to.
Wakim said the racist policy of the municipality and the Israel Lands Administration, a government agency in charge of state land, was especially apparent in this case.
"Often Israel enforces demolitions against unrecognized villages on the grounds that it has refused to zone the land for development," he said. "But here the motive is not even hidden. This land is zoned for development. It is just that the government wants Moshe to live here, not Mohammed."
Eviction dressed as gentrification
Palestinian activists have noted a wider pattern of recent evictions enforced against Palestinian citizens still living in close proximity to Jews.
In the half-dozen so-called "mixed cities" in Israel - rare communities where residence is not segregated based on ethnicity - Palestinian citizens are being forced out under cover of gentrification programs, said Bishara.
The homes of some 30 Palestinian families living in al-Mahatta, a neighborhood of Haifa whose population has been declining for decades under pressure from official bodies, are to be demolished so the city's port can be expanded. The last families in the nearby historic Wadi al-Siyah area are also facing eviction.
Similar stories are emerging in the cities of Acre and Jaffa.
Documents leaked to the Israeli media in December showed plans by the World Zionist Organization - an international umbrella organization of Zionist groups - to step up the Judaisation program in the Galilee. The aim is to bring in 100,000 Jews over the next few years in what WZO officials termed "preserving our hold" on the region and creating a "demographic balance" - code, said Bishara, for trying to enforce a Jewish majority.
The Israeli Haaretz newspaper objected: "A state that encourages members of one people to settle in any region, while at the same time imposing harsh restrictions on the growth of the other, is acting in a racist manner."
Secret expropriation of land
Ramya's land was secretly confiscated in 1976, when the government of the day, led by Rabin, ordered the expropriation of much of the remaining agricultural land held by Palestinian communities in the Galilee.
Large protests led to Rabin sending in the army, which shot dead six unarmed demonstrators, an event still commemorated by Palestinians around the world each year as Land Day.
“A state that encourages members of one people to settle in any region, while at the same time imposing harsh restrictions on the growth of the other, is acting in a racist manner.” Editorial comment, Haaretz newspaper,
Although the general confiscation order was eventually rescinded, Wakim said the secret expropriation of Ramya's lands remained in place.
Sawaid said the villagers first learnt that there was an eviction order against them 15 years later, in the 1990s, when the late Ariel Sharon, who was then housing minister, wanted to rapidly expand Karmiel.
He had decided to launch another wave of "Judaizing the Galilee", using Karmiel to house some of the hundreds of thousands of Jews migrating to Israel following the fall of the Soviet Union. The residents of Ramya were ordered to leave to make room for the new arrivals.
At the time, Adi Eldar, the city's mayor since 1989, dismissed the villagers' claims, suggesting that, even though they had settled in Ramya decades ago, they were still nomads at heart. They were, he said , "used to wandering. They are here today and there tomorrow".
Fearmongering
Leviah Shalev, a spokeswoman for the municipality, said neither Karmiel nor Eldar were responsible for the government's Judaisation policy.
"The official policy was to bring Jews to the Galilee. But we do not take a view about who lives in our city. Jew or Arab can buy a home here," she said. According to the municipality, about three per cent of residents are "Arab".
Koller, however, said Karmiel's claim of treating Jewish and Palestinian residents equality was a lie. "If that is true, where are the Arabic-language schools, where are the traffic signs in Arabic, why is there no mosque here?" he said.
"The truth is that Karmiel officials cannot legally stop Arab families from buying a home here. But they do everything possible both to make sure they feel unwelcome and to prevent Jews from selling to them."
In a sign of the growing opposition in Karmiel to Palestinian citizens buying homes, the issue took center stage in recent local elections, with the main candidates raising fears of an Arab "takeover" of the city.
In 2010, Eldar's deputy, Oren Milstein, set up an email "hotline" on which residents could inform on Jewish neighbors who were intending to sell to a Palestinian family. Milstein claimed he had managed to stop 30 such sales.
In the same year, Milstein also established a group of 150 volunteers called "the City Guard", supported by the local police that was authorized to demand that anyone entering Karmiel present their ID. Leftwing activists described the group as a "racist militia" trying to keep Palestinian citizens out.
'Distortion of the truth'
Shalev, Karmiel's spokeswoman, added that the Bedouin of Ramya had been offered a solution in 1995, when land was set aside for them in a special area near Karmiel. "The problem is not caused by us but by disagreements between themselves about how much land each family owns."
Wakim said the municipality’s claims were a "distortion of the truth".
"The offer was not implemented at the time and is now totally unsuitable for the community's needs. Twenty years on, there is another generation of villagers and they need a housing solution too. Where are they supposed to live?
"The real problem is that Karmiel won't let them live where they already are, as a recognizedneighborhood of the city and with the chance to build proper homes without the threat of demolition."
Koller said that Karmiel had tried to create what he called a "ghetto" for the families. "It is described as 'a special neighborhood for minorities'. No Jewish families in Karmiel would agree to live in those conditions."
The Israel Lands Administration, the government agency responsible for managing state lands, was unavailable for comment for this report.(http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/01/palestinians-israel-trapped-ghetto-201413112128797575.html)
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