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Dec. 16, 2014
Daily summary- Wednesday, February 12, 2014
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Main News
ABU RDEINEH: PALESTINIAN RED LINES: EAST JERUSALEM AS CAPITA,WITHDRAWAL WITHIN FOUR YEARS, NO RECOGNITION OF ISRAEL AS A JEWISH STATE
Presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rdeineh said yesterday that any framework agreement must clearly stipulate that East Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state, also saying that Israel must withdraw its forces from all Palestinian territory occupied in 1967 gradually over a period of 3-4 years. Abu Rdeineh also stressed that the PLO has already recognized Israel within the framework of their mutual agreement in 1993, saying there was no need to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. He said President Abbas had sent a letter to President Obama and also to the Quartet committee in which he outlined these principles:
Solution to the conflict: negotiations to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict must be based on UN resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution.
Borders: the borders of the Palestinian state are the 1967 borders.
Israeli withdrawal: Israel must withdraw from all Palestinian land occupied in 1967 over a period of 3-4 years.
Refugees: the refugee issue must be resolved in accordance to international resolutions and the API, which stipulated finding a just and agreed on solution to the refugee issue based on UN Resolution 194/
Jerusalem: Any agreement must clearly stipulate that East Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state.
Recognition: The PLO recognized Israel within the framework of their mutual recognition in 1993, so there is no need to recognize its Jewish character.
Prisoners: With the end of the Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories, there must be a release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
Abu Rdeineh said these were the president’s “red lines” saying that without these principles there would never be a comprehensive and just peace in the region. (Al Ayyam)
PALESTINIAN SOURCE: ISRAEL WILL AGREE TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TWO SEPARATE PALESTINIAN ENTITIES
Palestinian sources close to the talks with US secretary Kerry told “The Republic” newspaper that Israel was about to make a historical announcement on the Palestinian-Israeli file. According to the sources, Israel would agree to a settlement that stipulates the establishment of two separate Palestinian entities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip where neither of them have the right to build an army. American and European forces would be deployed along their borders. Jerusalem’s internationalization would be ‘left until later” until projects aimed at settling Palestinians is completed. However, air and border sovereignty for the city would remain with Israel.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians would recognize Israel as a ‘de facto’ state, according to Kerry’s terms, as a way out for all, which means the recognition of its Jewish character for Israel and for the Palestinians, it means granting Israel recognition of the end of the conflict with them. As for refugees, the settlement stipulates the preparing of Arab and international countries for the immigration of around 1.5 million Palestinian refugees to a number of countries (http://qudsnet.com/news/View/265657/مصدرفلسطيني-اسرائيل-ستوافق-على-اقامة-كيانين-فلسطينيين-منفصلين/)
NETANYAHU ACCEPTS WITH RESERVATION, KERRY’S PAPER AND REQUESTS THAT IT NOT BE PUBLISHED UNTIL MID-APRIL; EUROPEANS WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY DOCUMENT THAT DOES NOT CONFRIM EAST JERUSALEM AS THE CAPITAL OF PALESTINE
According to media sources, US secretary of state John Kerry has agreed to include the clause of ‘recognition of a Jewish state” in any final solution. The same sources said Israeli PM Netanyahu informed the White House and Kerry that he accepted the framework agreement ‘on principle’ but had reservations, which he expressed to US envoy Martin Indyk. Netanyahu’s office also requested from Washington to postpone the document until the middle of April in order to “avoid difficult discussions in the Knesset” because this coincides with Passover.
Furthermore, European sources have said that the EU was not willing to accept any American paper if it does not include a clause stipulating that East Jerusalem is the capital of a Palestinian state and also one that addresses the right of return. The sources said the Europeans view the American paper as an adoption of the Israeli position, which was why it was so hard for President Abbas to accept.
According to the Israeli daily Maariv, Kerry’s paper does include the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state in a final solution. One American source said this formula expressed ‘mutuality” in that Israel is the national state of the Jewish people while Palestine would be the national state for the Palestinian people. (Al Quds) (see article below)
LIEBERMAN: THE BALL IS IN THE PALESTINIAN COURT!
Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman said yesterday that Israel was doing all it could to achieve peace and that now the ball was in the Palestinians’ court. Lieberman told the “immigration and absorption conference’ yesterday that: “We are doing everything pertaining to us, but I don’t know if we are close to achieving an agreement or not. The ball is in the other side’s court and everybody know it, including the Americans and Europeans.” (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
ANDERSON: EUROPEAN-ISRAELI RELATIONS DEPEND ON THE OUTCOME OF PEACE TALKS
EU Ambassador to Israel Lars Anderson Faborg said European-Israeli relations depended on the outcome of peace talks, during an interview with the Knesset website yesterday and ahead of a speech to be given by head of the European parliament Martin Shultz before the Knesset today. According to Israel radio, Shultz requested to meet with Netanyahu and Lieberman but that a date for the meeting had not yet been set. The radio hinted that the Israeli leaders refused to meet with Shultz because of the ‘EU’s stance to negotiation and settlements, adding that lately there had been a setback in relations between the EU and Israel. Anderson said that the EU was ‘very concerned” with strengthening its ties with Israel and wanted to put it at the same level of non-EU states such has Norway and Switzerland, but said this would depend on the peace talks, since the international community put so much importance on them. (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
ISRAEL REJECTS GAZAN PATIENTS TO TRAVEL FOR TREATMENT, CITING THE ‘STATE OF PALESTINE’ EMBLEM
Israeli occupation authorities decided to bar sick patients from the Gaza Strip from getting treatment in West Bank or Israeli hospitals by traveling through the Erez [Beit Hanoun] crossing because of the words “State of Palestine” on their transfer papers. According to sources in the Palestinian liaison office, the Israeli side has begun from today to prohibit sick patients from the Strip from heading to the West Bank or to Israeli hospitals because of the emblem. The sources said that approximately 70 patients were supposed to leave the Gaza Strip today but that Israel barred them from exiting. Only two patients were allowed to leave because their transfer papers did not have the “State of Palestine” emblem on them. (http://maannews.net/arb/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=672817)
ISRAELI COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS PLANS TO BUILD A JEWISH SCHOOL AND SETTLEMENT CENTER IN SHEIKH JARRAH
The construction and planning committee of the Jerusalem municipality will discuss today for the second time in one year, the decision to approve a plan to build a ‘Talmudic school and a settlement center” in Sheikh Jarrah on the seam line between the eastern and western sectors of Jerusalem. According to the plan, the building will cover around 1.9 dunams of land over an overall area of 4.2 dunams; another 1.3 dunams will be allocated as ‘open space” for the project. According to the Jerusalem affairs department in the PLO, this “new plan is in line with the chain of settlement and Judaization plans hatched by consecutive Israeli governments in the heart of Palestinian neighborhoods in Jerusalem,” adding that this particular plan is part of the “Glassman complex plan”, which includes a huge 12-story building with a yeshiva to be run by the Or Sameh settlement association. The department said this plan was a ‘slap in the face of American efforts and all those who are wagering over peace.” (Al Ayyam)
DRAFT LAW IN THE KNESSET: ANNEXATION OF LAND AND RIGHT OF PALESTINIANS TO VOTE
According to the Israeli daily “Israel Today”, Jewish Home MK Zovlon Kavla is planning to present a draft law soon in the Knesset that recommends the recognition of one state between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, which is Israel. Kalva proposed this in the framework of a plan to grant citizenship to the Palestinians in the West Bank and to give them the right to vote in Knesset elections. Kalva said the goal of the proposal was to ‘take the claim that Israel practices discrimination or apartheid against Arabs off international agendas.” Kalva said that ‘in all cases, Jews would remain the majority in the country.” (Al Ayyam)
CABINET HOLDS ISRAEL RESPONSIBLE FOR FAILURE OF AMERICAN EFFORTS
The cabinet’s weekly meeting yesterday held Israel fully responsible for the failure of American efforts to reach a peaceful solution because of their settlement policies that have been greatly escalated. In a statement, the cabinet warned of the ‘dangers of the Israeli government’s insistence to continue its violations of settlement expansion, through continuous announcements of settlement plans aimed at usurping more Palestinian land and Judaizing Jerusalem.”
The cabinet also expressed its hope for the success of efforts towards achieving reconciliation and regaining national unity in addition to the provision of all requirements for steadfastness and resistance to remain on the land.
The cabinet also praised the recommendations of the South African parliament, which included a call to revive the boycott of settlement products and all those who deal with them. They called on the South African government to take several measures of solidarity with the Palestinians, including recruiting Palestinian students to study in South African universities and to facilitate to entry of Palestinian passport holders into South Africa. (Al Quds)
ISRAELI HOUSING MINISTER HEADS A GROUP OF SETTLERS BREAKING INTO THE AQSA MOSQUE
Israeli housing minister Uri Ariel broke into the Aqsa Mosque compound yesterday morning under heavy police protection and undercover agents. According to Sheikh Azzam Khatib, director of the Waqf and Aqsa affairs department said Ariel broke in with 27 other settlers through the Moroccan Gate and walked around the grounds, leaving from Chain Gate. Six female soldiers in full military garb also broke in along with several other settlers. Muslim worshippers and students protested at the sight of the Israeli minister and were attacked by Israeli police. One female student, Sameera Idrees, was arrested and the ID cards of the others were all taken before they entered the grounds. In all the Waqf Institute said 57 settlers had broken into the Noble Sanctuary yesterday. (Al Quds)
PRISONERS IN SHATTA, RIMON AND NAFHA PRISONS THREATEN PROTEST STEPS AT THE BEGINNING OF APRIL
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said prisoners from the Shatta prison wrote a letter containing five clauses, which will be given to the Israeli prison services director general. A prisoner club attorney conveyed the message from Shatta prisoner Muammar Sabbah, who said the letter included demands and that they would give the prison services an amount of time to implement them. If they do not, the prisoners would begin protest steps as of the beginning of April. Sabbah said the demands included the release of all seriously ill prisoners such as Yusri Masri along with conducting periodic medical checkups for prisoners with a sentence over five years. Another demand was to carry out operations for prisoners who had been waiting for a date for their operations for years. the prisoners are also demanding that prisoners in the Ramleh Prison Clinic be returned to their cells so that the other prisoners could help take care of them. Those who need to be in hospital, should be transported by ambulance and not in the prison truck. Other demands included improved dental treatment and easing restrictions on the personal belongings allowed into the prisons.
Head of the Rimon prisoners Jamal Rjoub also said that they would begin protest steps along with Nafha prisoners at the beginning of April as well. (Al Quds)
HAARETZ: ISRAEL FALSIFIED FACTS IN ORDER TO CLOSE A CHECKPOINT NORTH OF RAMALAH TO PALESTINIANS
The Israeli daily Haaretz reported yesterday that internal Israeli military documents showed a series of falsifications in an official report by the military prosecutor aimed at justifying the continued closure of a checkpoint to Palestinian travelers. The newspaper said the checkpoint in question was the DCO checkpoint outside Ramallah and which has been closed to Palestinians save for the 1,000 people with VIP cards. The residents of Deir Dibwan, Beitin and Silwad, which have all been affected by this closure filed a request to have the checkpoint reopened for these villages, saying its closure has caused material losses of hundreds of millions of shekels. Settlers from the nearby Bet El, however, strongly opposed the opening of the checkpoint and the road because they fear there would be too much traffic leading to their settlement. Haaretz said there were large gaps in the information, saying that some papers from the transportation official in the civil administration said there were no reasons why the road should not be opened. It added that there was no military goal to closing it. However, a report from an army commander said opening the road would ‘put the travelers on this road in danger” because of the traffic jams and friction it would cause between Palestinian and Israeli motorists. Hence, the prosecutor chose to ignore the transportation official’s report. A lawsuit was filed with the Israel High Court to appeal the order and reopen the road. (Al Ayyam)
THE PRESIDENT APPROVES 2014 BUDGET
President Mahmoud Abbas approved the draft budget for 2014 last night, presented to him by the cabinet. The cabinet had approved the general budget during its meeting last Tuesday and had sent it to the President for ratifications. The budget sits at $4.216 billion with a running deficit of $1.279 billion and an overall deficit (including developmental expenditures) of $1.629 billion. (http://maannews.net/arb/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=672790)
ISRAELI REPORT: HAMAS STRENGTHENED ITS MISSILE CAPABILITIES TO STRIKE TEL AVIV
An Israeli report said that Hamas has greatly increased its ability to send missiles that would reach West Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities in the central part of the country. According to the Times of Israel website last night, Israeli sources said that Hamas had ‘invested greatly in M-75 missiles with a 75-kilomter range”, adding that it had an arsenal of dozens of these missiles and would have even more by the end of the year. “This means that the next confrontation with Gaza will be focused on the center of Israel,’ the report said, adding that “it is unclear how much the defense systems will be effective against this kind of missile.” (http://www.alquds.co.uk/?p=132881)
ISRAELI AUTHORITIES DEMOLISH FACILITIES IN JORDAN VALLEY, THREATEN FARMERS WITH EVICTION
Israeli occupation forces demolished this morning a shack and a tent in Khirbet Karzaliya in the central Jordan Valley. Anti-wall and settlement activist Hamza Deriye said Israeli bulldozers and army demolished a shack for sheep and a tent for the third time in the hamlet, belonging to Zahir Rihan. The army also threatened the residents of the hamlet with eviction. The residents said the army tried to confiscate cars but were unable to, instead photographing them.(http://safa.ps/details/news/122530/هدم-منشآت-بالأغوار-وتهديد-المزارعين-بالإخلاء.html)
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Headlines
*Japanese aid to the Palestinians worth $62 million (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*Israeli court decides to re-hold local elections in Nazareth and Beit Shemesh (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*Wataniyeh mobile announces the entry of its equipment into the Gaza Strip (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*Cameron cancels visit to Tel Aviv and Ramallah because of floods in the UK (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*Gaza: warplanes wage series of airstrikes yesterday (Al Ayyam)
*Israel: imprisonment of Arab from Taybeh on charges of joining the Nusra front on Syria (Al Ayyam)
*Algeria: 77 killed and one survivor in military plane crash (Al Ayyam)
*Bank of Palestine achieves $4.4 billion in net profits for 2013; assets increase by 17% and reach $2.35 billion (Al Quds)
*Body of martyr Habash Hinani from Beit Fourik handed over (Al Quds)
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Front Page Photos
Al- Quds:Jerusalem: Israeli housing minister Uri Ariel between bodyguards after breaking into the Aqsa mosque yesterday with a group of settlers; martyr Hinani; 3) Bank of Palestine
Al-Ayyam: Hebron: prisoners’ families during their weekly sit in at the Red Cross in solidarity with their children and calling for the release of sick and isolated prisoners; 2) Gaza: citizen looks at the hole in the ground left by an Israeli airstrike
Al Hayat Al Jadida:.1) Woman cries during a sit-in for sick prisoners in Hebron; 2) The President during his meeting with union heads; 3) Uri Ariel in the Aqsa; 4) Hussini talks to a discussion group
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Voice of Palestine News
Jerusalem:
A lot of developments in Jerusalem today, the local committee for development and construction of the Jerusalem municipality is scheduled to discuss today a plan to build Talmudic school and a settlement center in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, on a land of 4 dunams, this Talmudic school will be added to a series of religious Jewish schools in what was known as the border between east and west Jerusalem, in a central area of settlement construction in Jerusalem.
With regards to the Israeli continuous attacks against Al-Aqsa, Israeli Housing Minister, Uri Ariel stormed Al-Aqsa accompanied by a group of Extreme Jews and under the protection of the occupation police Special Forces, which confronted with worshippers and arrested one worshipper (a woman) and banned her entry to Al-Aqsa for two weeks.
I would also note the continuation of the Water Company “Gihon” with the Jerusalem municipality to dismantle water counter of citizens’ houses in the old city, one of the company’s employee was attacked yesterday by citizens when trying to dismantle a water counter. More than 25 houses are without water, especially in vicinity of Al-Aqsa.
On demolition in Jerusalem, demolition crews of the municipality implemented a campaign yesterday taking pictures of building in different areas of the city, in an act that seems like preparing for demolishing houses, the crews also handed over demolition orders for two houses belonging for two bothers in Jabal Mukaber.
Nablus:
Israeli forces are demolition facilities in Al-Jeftlik in the Jordan Valley at these moments, sources also said that yesterday Israeli warplanes flew above Huwwara while Israeli forces raided the area, and a Molotov cocktail was thrown near Yitzhar. Confrontation also took place in Burin.
Remains of martyr Habash Hanani were handed over in the late hours of last night; the funeral will take place today at 11:00.
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Voice of Palestine Interviews
** Saeb Erekat, Chief Palestinian Negotiator.
Q: the leadership warned yesterday of waiving any rights in the Kerry plan, did you receive anything from Kerry?
No, not yet, we did not receive anything from Kerry yet, but everybody, the EU, Asia, Arab all the countries and the letters sent by President Abbas to Kerry and Obama, called that all Kerry ideas be based on international legitimacy and the references for the peace process, a Palestinian state in the borders of 1967, including Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state, solving the refugee issue according to international resolution 194. These are the international references and the American base also, these are the positions of the whole world, and we hope Kerry will not present anything that is different form these. Since presenting what Netanyahu can or can’t accept will lead to foiling the peace process, especially since Netanyahu tried to foil the negotiation since it renewal with settlement activities and other violations.
Q: Is there any timeframe for Kerry to present his plan?
No, no framework is decided, but as you know the agreed period for negotiations is nine months, and as we said more than once, we will not extend the period.
Q: Yesterday, Israeli Foreign Minister said that Tel Aviv expressed its readiness to provide concessions, but it won’t provide any concessions related to security?
These are only public relations statements, and statements that are in eth framework of lies, I challenge any Israeli official to come out and say we accept Palestinian in the 1967 borders, and we accept east Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, and apologize to the refugees, and accept a solution according to 194, and ending the occupation. President Abbas said in an international interview in eth NY Times, that we accept two states in the 1967 borders, and said that we agree for a third party to be in the state of Palestine, and that we agree that Jerusalem be an open city. I challenge any Israeli official to say to the Israeli public, what is the concession Israel provided in this process. This government refuse accept the two state solutions, refuse to reach a just solution to the refugees issue, refuse to release prisoner, and refuse to evacuate its forces for the occupied land in 1967. So all what we hear form Israeli officials is only to tell Kerry that the Israeli government will be dismissed in case of agreeing to any of these. This is a settlement government and tries to do anything to foil Kerry’s efforts.
Q: An American paper quoted Israeli military sources as saying Israel is preparing a plan for unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank similar to the Gaza case, what would the Palestinian position be if this happened?
These are also public relation statements, but yes, they want their own peace, peace that suits them in case Kerry fails to reach an agreement, unilateral peace. This was also the negotiations behavior of the Israelis. We want peace according to international legitimacy, and we will not accept any other kind of peace and we will not agree for any settler to stay in Palestinian.
Q: Some see that the Jewish state is being presented by Israel and that it will be part of Kerry’s plan only to hold the Palestinian responsible for the failure of negotiations?
Our position is known and clear, we will not agree to a Jewish state, we will not change our history, we are the sons of Canaanites, and this is the truth. They want us to say that this is the Jews’ land, this will not happen.
** Amin Maqboul, Secretary of the Revolutionary Council of Fateh, on the Vice President post.
Q You were quoted that this post is related to threats?
This is not new, creating a Vice President post was proposed some years ago, but it was renewed again during the last Revolutionary Council, and we decided to establish a legal committee to discuss the issue. Threats are what we all hear form Israeli officials, similar to the threats against Abu Ammar; we hear these on daily basis.
Q: DO you feel there is an Israeli plan to get rid of President Abbas?
Yes this is clear, threats are even more that what Abu Ammar was subjected to, and maybe this is part of the reasons for creating the Vice President post. Although this issue is not easy, since we are talking about a Vice President of the state, or are we talking about a vice president of the PNA. In all cases we are talking about legal issues that need to be dealt with.
** Dr. Nabil Sha’at, Member of Fateh Central Committee, on reconciliation efforts.
Ismael Haneye wanted to say to the President that he accepts the implementation of the agreements reached years ago, including forming a national unity government led by the President and prepare for PLC, Presidential and National Council elections within 6 months. During this period, we will unite the institutions. This is the most important action in order to reach Palestinian reconciliation. Haneye also suggest some acts that can be done immediately, like returning some of Fateh members to Gaza, stop media campaigns activating the different committees, like the security committee. We are waiting for Azzam Al-Ahmad to go to Gaza and implement these agreements with Haneye, we hope this will happen in the coming days.
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More Headlines
At press time: Israeli warplanes carry out mock raids on Gaza
Israel: Arab man from Taybeh imprisoned on charges of joining Al Nusra Front in Syria
An Israeli court issued a sentence of 15 months imprisonment against an Arab man from inside the Green Line, who they say participated in a training course with Al Nusra front in Syria. The sources said that 27-year old Abdel QaderTella from Al Taybeh was found guilty of ‘entering an enemy state’ and ‘receiving illegal combat training” as part of a plea bargain with the prosecution in exchange of dropping the charge of “contacting a foreign agent.” The Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet, arrested Tella in July of last year on his return from Syria (Al Ayyam)
Turkey conditions agreement with Israel on lifting the siege off Gaza
Turkish Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan said yesterday that no agreement would be made with Israel unless the siege is lifted off of Gaza. According to the Israeli daily YediothAhranoth, Erdogan’s statements were met with disappointment in Israel given how close the two countries had gotten to reaching a deal and improving relationship after the Mavi Marmara ordeal. During a press conference in Ankara, Erdogan asked Israel to sign a written document on lifting the siege off of Gaza as a precondition to signing a conciliation deal between them and returning relations to normal. Erdogan also condemned the ‘International silence” towards Israel’s crimes, saying he would not remain quiet. Israeli sources have maintained that as long as Erdogan is making these demands, he is not really interested in cutting a deal. (http://qudsnet.com/news/View/265658/تركيا-ترهن-الاتفاق-مع-اسرائيل-بفك-حصار-غزة/)
Wataniyeh Mobile announces entry of its equipment into the Gaza Strip
Executive Director of Wataniyeh Mobile Company Fayez Husseini announced yesterday that the company was able to bring in its equipment to the Gaza Strip after a four-year wait, saying he expected Wataniyeh to begin offering its services in the second half of this year. Husseini said the presence of the company is Gaza ‘was more important the profit-making”, adding that “we were able to enter Gaza in spite of Israel.” (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
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Opinions
Helmi Al-Asmar
A heated debate is going on about the right of return of Palestinian refugee to their ancestors’ and fatherland, a sacred, legitimate and legal right, and consistent with Human rights, no one can argue this right and its justness, but we noted that there is an element missing in this debate going on in more than one place, especially in Jordan and Palestine, the two most affected countries of this debate, and the more interested in it, since its adoption, implementation are options that will decide the future of these two countries in one way or another.
The absent element in this debate, is force, achieving the right of return, needs a realistic platform forcing those who reject it to comply with its implementation, since the right of return will not be achieved through statements, or a protest, or a simpledeclaration announcing rejection, that does not cost more than a limited number of “calorie”, then we turn the page, and nothing happens!
We want to hear, even theoretically, from those who refuse to waive the right of return, and raise their voice condemning those who do, what is their program to subdue Israeli and make it comply with implementing the Palestinian right of return, and what is their program in dealing with those colluding with Israel to bury the right of return, whoever those are, because this right is the embodiment of the whole Palestinian catastrophe, it is a disaster made not only by the occupation, but also by its partners, who sponsored its crimes and sponsored and encouraged it to establish its state on the ruins of another state. This state was no less in its capabilities that any other Arab or Foreign state, of all that was available of land, people and resources, but it was preventedto be built, and its blood was dispersed among the tribes, Arab and Foreign. Then com those who condemn who neglect the right of return, being aware that the implementation of this right requires a miraculousthorn, that no one speaks about, amid the devastating situation of the nation, after snakes and rats moved out of their nests to frustrate the most pure popular revolutions in modern Arab history, turning the spring to ruins and blood storms, a target agreed on bysome Arabs and Foreigners, to preserve the tyrants, and waste the right of return in particular, that is why Israel is considered the most enthusiastic to sabotage the spring, and plant thorns and poisonous herbs instead!
Gentlemen,the right of return is not a rhetorical position, and not an eloquent language, the right of return needs men to implement it, where are they? (http://www.addustour.com/17124/%D8%A3%D9%8A%D9%86+%D9%87%D9%85+%D8%B1%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%84+%D8%AD%D9%82+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%A9%D8%9F.html)
Not just reservations on the Kerry document
Al-Quds Editorial
Seems like the US Administration is determined on what could be described as a framework agreement prepared by Secretary of State, John Kerry, and announce the details probably within the next two months. There is one option before the Palestinians and Israelis, accepting this agreement or suffer the consequences of rejecting it.
Kerry was right in predicting that Israel will reject the document, so he waved with isolation and international boycott will wait for Israel if it misses this opportunity, these statementsinvited angry statements by extremists in Israel who don't want peace to be achieved, even in the scope of this agreement which gives Israel gains it did not dream of, especially the abolition of the right of return for Palestinian refugees, and recognition of the Palestinian Authority, according to leaks related to the document – of a Jewish Israel.
If we can describe the Israeli Prime Minister objections on the agreement as "reservations", then the Palestinian position on any attempt to the abolition of the right of return, and the attempt to impose the recognition of Israel as a Jewish State, are non-negotiable, not just reservations in the sense understood by the objections of right-wing extremists in Israel.
The refugee issue was from the beginning, and still is, the focus of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. UN resolutions, especially resolution 194 confirmed this. And it's not fair and not logical and human that refugees remain in exile and in the diaspora of nearly seven decades, while most villages and towns are displaced or destroyed, there is a possibility to accommodate them in those villages and towns.
The claim that this threatens the Jewishness of Israel contradicts with the modern concepts of States’ component, based on pluralism in religions and races.
And demand Israeli demand for the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state cancels the right of return, and it will consider Palestinian inside the Green line, Christians and Muslims, as foreign communities in their homeland, where they, their parents and grandparents were born. They did immigrate to Israel, but Israel came to them.
Objections or reservations by Israel on the US framework agreement does not affect the fate or reality of Israeli Jews, but is essentially based on expansionist ambitions of settlement in the Palestinian territories. The Palestinian positions take into account the interests of large segments of the Palestinian people, but the vast majority of these people, including refugees in the diaspora and Palestinians inside the green line.
Therefore, these positions which represent justice and international legitimacy are not just reservations to document, but the basic lines that must underlie any solution or resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, whatever party leads this solution, and whatever pressure are imposed by this party are. (Al-Quds)
ARAB AND OTHER PRESS______________________________________
Netanyahu’s erratic behavior widens rift with the US
By Jonathan Cook
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has been increasingly embattled. And the result of his travails could augur well for the Palestinian cause.
The context for his troubles was his commitment in 2009, under great pressure from a newly elected US president, Barack Obama, to support the creation of a Palestinian state. It was a concession he never wanted to make and one he has regretted ever since.
The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has vigorously exploited that pledge by imposing the current peace talks. Now Mr. Netanyahu faces an imminent “framework agreement” that may require him to make further commitments towards an outcome he abhors.
Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, is piling on the pressure. Last week he said Israel could take a leisurely five years removing its soldiers and settlers from a key piece of Palestinian territory, the Jordan Valley. The Palestinian state would remain demilitarized, while Nato troops could stay “for a long time, and wherever they want”.
The Arab League is another thorn. It has obliged by renewing its offer from 2002, the Arab Peace Initiative that promises Israel peaceful relations with the Arab world in return for its agreement to Palestinian statehood.
Meanwhile, the European Union is gently turning the screws. It trumpets condemnation of Israel’s settlement-building frenzy. And in the background sanctions loom, especially over settlement goods. European financial institutions are providing a useful barometer of the mood among the 28 member states. They have become the unexpected pioneers of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, with a steady trickle of banks and pension funds pulling out their investments.
A widening boycott is alarming Israeli business leaders too, who have thrown their considerable weight behind the US diplomatic plan. They believe that a Palestinian state is the key to Israel gaining access to lucrative regional markets.
Mr. Netanyahu must have been disconcerted by the news that among those meeting Mr. Kerry to express support at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month was Shlomi Fogel, the prime minister’s long-time intimate.
Pressure on these various fronts may explain Mr. Netanyahu’s hasty convening at the weekend of his senior ministers to devise a strategy to counter the boycott trend. Proposals include a $28 million media campaign, legal action against boycotting institutions, and intensified surveillance by the Israeli security services.
On the domestic scene, Mr. Netanyahu is getting a rough ride as well. He is being undermined on his right flank by rivals inside the coalition. Naftali Bennett, the settlers’ leader, provoked a chafing public feud with Mr. Netanyahu this month, accusing him of losing his “moral compass”. At the same time, Avigdor Lieberman, the foreign minister from the far-right Yisrael Beitenu party, has dramatically changed tack, cozying up to Mr. Kerry. Mr. Lieberman’s unlikely statesmanship has made Mr. Netanyahu’s run-ins with the US look, in the words of a local analyst, “childish and irresponsible”.
It is in the light of these mounting pressures tearing at Mr. Netanyahu that one should view his increasingly erratic behavior – and the growing rift with the US.
Last week Mr. Netanyahu unleashed his closest cabinet allies to savage Mr. Kerry again, with one calling his pronouncements “offensive and intolerable”.
Susan Rice, Mr. Obama’s national security adviser, tweeted a shot across the bows, saying the attacks were “totally unfounded and unacceptable”. Any doubt she was speaking for the president was later dispelled when Mr. Obama praised Mr. Kerry’s “extraordinary passion and principled diplomacy”.
But despite outward signs, Mr. Netanyahu is less alone than he looks – and far from ready to compromise. He has the bulk of the Israeli public behind him, helped by media moguls like his friend Sheldon Adelson who are stoking the national mood of besiegement and victimhood.
But most importantly he has a large chunk of Israel’s security and economic establishment on side too.
The settlers and their ideological allies have deeply penetrated the higher ranks of both the army and the Shin Bet, Israel’s secret intelligence service. Haaretz newspaper revealed this month the disturbing news that three of the four heads of the Shin Bet now subscribe to this extremist ideology.
Moreover, powerful elements within the security establishment are financially as well as ideologically invested in the occupation. In recent years the defense budget has rocketed to record levels as a large class of military officer, serving and retired, exploits the occupation to justify feathering its nest with grossly inflated salaries and pensions.
There are also vast business profits in the status quo, from hi-tech to resource-grabbing industries. Indications of what is at stake were illuminated recently with the announcement that the Palestinians will have to buy from Israel at great cost two key natural resources – gas and water – they should have in plentiful supply were it not for the occupation.
With these interest groups at his back, a defiant Mr. Netanyahu can probably face off the US diplomatic assault this time. But Mr. Kerry is not wrong to warn that in the long term yet another victory for Israeli intransigence will prove pyrrhic.
These negotiations may not lead to an agreement, but they will mark a historic turning-point nonetheless. The delegitimisation of Israel is truly under way, and the party doing most of the damage is the Israeli leadership itself.(http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/netanyahus-erratic-behaviour-widens-rift-with-the-us)
Boycotts and sanctions towards Israeli-Palestinian peace
By Octavia Nasr
U.S. Secretary John Kerry is close to releasing a “framework agreement” for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Though it is only a “framework,” a beginning of a tedious road ahead, it will probably be the best U.S. contribution to date to a conflict that has plagued a region for way too long and has caused only harm, death, destruction and anxiety to far too many. Particularly to generations of Palestinians living state-less and status-less, most of them in refugee camps across the Middle East, while their fate is decided.
Some of the known details of this framework signal a shifting of positions on several issues and a clear distancing from the powerful Israel lobby AIPAC (The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee) that has been historically successful at dictating U.S. Middle East policy. Under the Obama administration, AIPAC was faced with a more pragmatic approach to the Middle East, one that acknowledges others’ differences and puts more weight on diplomacy and communication rather than military force and bullying.
Dead wrong
The lobby that once muted whom it wanted when it wanted under the allegation of “anti-Semitism” is for once not in the driver’s seat. Not only because it proved to be dead wrong on many occasions, but mainly because it was leading both the U.S. and Israel down destructive paths the two nations cannot afford.
Indeed for the past few years, directed campaigns to boycott, divest and sanction Israel have been spreading steadily worldwide
Octavia Nasr
While most of Kerry’s diplomacy has been taking place under the radar, in recent weeks he demonstrated U.S. tough love for Israel through warnings - public and private - that global sanctions are growing in size and momentum and soon they won’t be contained.
Spreading steadily
Indeed for the past few years, directed campaigns to boycott, divest and sanction Israel (BDS) have been spreading steadily worldwide. In Europe, they have forced major economic sanctions or threats of sanctions at the highest EU levels. They finally made a major impact in the U.S. when members of the American Studies Association voted to endorse the boycott of Israeli academic institutions. The BDS campaigns are powerful because of the diversity of their members, their intellectual non-violent approach and their focus.
Could these clear messages the U.S. is sending Israel about peace or the consequences of not going in that direction with the Palestinians bear fruit? Barring an assassination or major disaster that will deflect the attention and buy extremists on all sides enough time to derail the effort, the Kerry-Obama plan might actually lead somewhere.(http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/2014/02/11/Boycotts-and-sanctions-towards-Israeli-Palestinian-peace.html)
SodaStream controversy continues to bubble
By Patrick Strickland
Despite supporting the call to boycott Israeli goods, West Bank workers can't afford to boycott work opportunities.
Ramallah, occupied Palestinian territories - Scarlett Johansson recently sparked an international uproar by appearing in a Super Bowl commercial for SodaStream, a company that operates in Ma'ale Adumim, a large Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.
Yet there is no end in sight for Palestinians working for SodaStream or other businesses operating in Israel's settlements, which are considered illegal under international law.
Johansson had, for eight years, been a global ambassador for the anti-poverty group Oxfam International. But when the group criticized her decision to appear in the SodaStream commercial, Johansson stepped down.
The outcry surrounding her decision has proved immensely divisive. Pro-Israel groups have defended Johansson and SodaStream by pointing to the comparatively high wages Palestinian workers receive from such companies; others denounced the 29-year-old Avengers star for refusing to respect Palestinian civil society's call to honor the global campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel.
Several media reports have suggested that SodaStream's Palestinian workers do not feel exploited. Yet this assertion was disputed by several people who spoke to Al Jazeera.
"Honestly, we're not thinking about the boycott," said Ahmed Issa, a former SodaStream employee.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Issa explained that the "only thing that compelled me to work at SodaStream was the lack of alternatives".
Fewer opportunities
The 28-year-old worked in SodaStream's Ma'ale Adumim factory from late September 2013 until early December, adding that he frequently worked 12-13 hour days.
Although much of the media coverage has focused on the comparatively high wages of SodaStream employees, Issa claims that, for entry-level employees "there is not much difference in the salaries between [SodaStream] and Palestinian factories. Most of us work there because there are just fewer employment opportunities in [Palestinian] businesses".
With respect to working conditions, SodaStream gives mandatory safety training sessions to employees, but does not always enforce them, according to Issa. The working environment is "a lot less safe than they claim".
“I think most workers support the boycott because they are against [Israel's] occupation. But they cannot afford to personally boycott work opportunities” - Mustafa Balhan, General Palestinian Union
He is presently in a legal battle with the company, he says, because his contract was terminated without reason.
No other workers who spoke to Al Jazeera were willing to go on the record.
According to Mustafa Balhan, the legal coordinator for the General Palestinian Union in Jericho, the majority of Palestinian employees at SodaStream work renewable seasonal contracts that last three months each.
Palestinian workers in settlements are more aware than ever of the growing international boycott movement, he added: "After all this noise about the American actress, everyone knows."
Balhan also commented that Palestinian workers in settlements had few other choices. "As a union, we cannot tell them where to work," he said. "We just try to ensure that they have their proper rights wherever they work. I think most workers support the boycott because they are against [Israel's] occupation. But they cannot afford to personally boycott work opportunities."
A recent position paper published by Who Profits, an organization that tracks Israel's economic practices in the occupied Palestinian territories, found that 82 percent of Palestinians working in Israeli settlements would quit those jobs if viable alternatives were available.
Omar Barghouti is an outspoken Palestinian activist and founding committee member of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. He said the fact that "tens of thousands" of Palestinians work in settlements is the direct result of Israeli policy.
For decades, Barghouti observed, Israel has been "systematically destroying Palestinian industry and agriculture, confiscating our most fertile lands and richest water reserves, and imposing extreme restrictions of movement preventing many from reaching their workplaces".
Under the conditions of Israel's occupation, Barghouti concluded, the Palestinian economy can scarcely produce job opportunities capable of competing with Israeli settlement industries.
Others have pointed out that the legality of businesses operating in settlements is not contingent on the availability of labor rights or the quality of working conditions.
Elizabeth Koek is a senior legal researcher at Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights organization that documents human rights abuses in the occupied West Bank. She explained that the debate surrounding SodaStream had been misguided.
"Neither the working conditions, nor the pay of Palestinian workers employed in settlements negates the illegality of the settlement enterprise," she said.
Israel's economic policies in the West Bank, Koek added, deny Palestinians "the right to economic self-determination" and are "carried out for the benefit of Israeli citizens both in Israel proper and in the settlements, rather than for the benefit of the occupied population, as international law dictates".
Uncertain future
Although SodaStream did not reply to Al Jazeera's requests for comment, the company's future in the West Bank appears to be uncertain.
While Ma'ale Adumim will likely remain under Israeli control in the event of a two-state solution ever being agreed upon, companies operating in the occupied Palestinian territories are facing an increasing backlash.
BDS has spread quickly over the past year, particularly throughout US and European universities and academic associations. As swathes of activists take up the call to boycott, Israeli businesses are quietly fearful. Israel's government has responded by doubling its efforts to encourage commerce in its West Bank colonies.
Daniel Birnbaum, SodaStream's CEO, said it was struggling to establish factories in Israel proper, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz. He accused Israel's government of reneging on its promise to provide tens of millions of shekels to establish another factory in the Negev region of southern Israel, where its 500-person strong workforce would draw significantly from the local Arab Bedouin population.
SodaStream recently issued a profit warning, noting that its net income is projected to fall $12.5m short of its $54m goal. The company's shares on the Nasdaq also reportedly sunk 26 percent in January, though it is unclear how much sales have been affected by the boycott campaign.
Many have debated the extent of the boycott's toll on Israel's economy. Samia Botmeh is an economics professor at Birzeit University and a policy adviser at Al-Shabaka, a Palestinian policy network. She told Al Jazeera that "the boycott has had a significant effect on Israel's settlement economy in the West Bank".
"There is certainly a link between SodaStream's losses and the Scarlett Johansson controversy," she said.
Alluding to the European Union's ongoing debate about boycotting products made in Israeli settlements, Botmeh added that the economic "decline has a magnified immediate, but also long-term, impact".
In January, Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid warned that Israel's growing economic isolation "will hurt the pocketbook of each of us".
Yet for as long as Israel's settlements are present in occupied East Jerusalem and the wider West Bank, Palestinians will feel they have no option but to work in them.
"We would love to apply the boycott ourselves, but our needs are too dire," concluded Issa. "We have to survive.”
(http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/02/sodastream-controversy-continues-bubble-2014210133448473994.html)
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