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Nov. 21, 2013
Daily summary - Thursday, November 21, 2013
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Main News
Imported vehicles with forged customs documents in the West Bank
Official sources in the Ministry of Transport and Transportation revealed an investigation into a big fraud case for customs documents of imported vehicles licensed by the licensing services, the sources told “Al-Hayat Al-Jadida” that the case caused the loss of millions of shekels of public Treasury, which, according to experts in this area might reach tens of millions of shekels, while until yesterday, 134 car were revealed as having forged customs declaration.(Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
President Abbas meets with Saudi Crown Prince
Saudi Crown Prince, Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, renewed the Kingdom's support for the Palestinian people to regain all occupied territories, including Jerusalem.Prince Salman met in Riyadh yesterday with President Mahmoud Abbas, who is visiting the Kingdom.According to the official Saudi press agency Saudi Crown Prince received at his Office yesterday President Mahmoud Abbas, and his delegation, noting that the two sides reviewed the latest developments in the Palestinian territories during the meeting. The Agency said that "the Crown Prince renewed the Kingdom’s position supporting the Palestinian cause, until the Palestinian people regain all occupied territories, including Jerusalem to President Abbas."Prince Salman expressed "the Kingdom’s condemnation of all Israeli plans to build settlements," adding that “such plans constitute an obstacle to peace, and a flagrant violation of legitimate international resolutions, and a violation of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.” President Abbas passed the Palestinian People’s thanks and appreciation for the position of Saudi Arabia and the Prince in supporting their Palestinian brothers in all areas.(http://www.alquds.com/news/article/view/id/474115)
President Abbas briefed Prince Abdul Aziz on Israeli violations against the Holy places in Palestine and rapid settlement operations in the West Bank. (Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
Settlers raid Joseph’s Tomb under heavy military protection
Dozens of settlers raided "Joseph's Tomb", east of the town of Nablus in the northern West Bank, early today, to perform prayers and Jewish rituals, under heavy protection of Israeli occupation forces.Local sources said that several buses transported settlers to the area, amid heavy military escort.(http://safa.ps/details/news/116514/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B7%D9%86%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%81-%D8%A8%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%AF%D8%AF%D8%A9.html)
Livni: negotiations with the authority not frozen
Israeli Minister of Justice and head of the Israeli delegation to negotiations with the Palestinian authority, Tzipi Livni, said that the negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel were not frozen but stopped for ten days due to the resignation of the authority’s negotiations team. Livni criticized what she described as "irresponsible" statements of some Israeli officials about settlement and the Housing Ministry statements building 20,000 units in the West Bank and Jerusalem.On another topic, Livni considered that the interim agreement to be reached with Iran on its nuclear program will become a lasting agreement so that Iran will become a State on the verge of getting a nuclear bomb and world states would rush to resume trade relations with it. (http://paltimes.net/details/news/53094/%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%81%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%85-%D8%AA%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%AF.html)
Fatah Central Committee member, Nabil Shaath said: "the Central Committee of the movement instructed the Palestinian negotiating team composed of Saeb Erekat and Mohammad Shtayyeh to run negotiations pending the appointment of a new team after their resignation due to Israeli violations in accelerating settlement construction."Shaath denied reports in some media outlets about the continuation of the Palestinian negotiations team with the same line-up until the end of the nine-month period, confirming that the Israeli Government continues to obstruct the process of negotiations and the failure of international efforts seeking solution to hold the Palestinian side responsible for the failure.(Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
Israeli occupation forces arrest 33 Palestinians in the West Bank
Israeli occupation forces arrested yesterday 33 citizens in the West Bank. In Nablus, Israeli troops raided with number of military jeeps beta village, South of Nablus, Israeli soldiers raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 9 Palestinians:Mqdam Rebhe Hamayel (21 years old), Selim Mustapha Hamayel (22 years old), Hilal Mustafa Bani Shamsa (23 years old), and his Brothers Nejim (17 years old) and Amer (21 years old).Also were arrested: Yousef Ahmed Hamayel (40 years old), and Nidal Abdullah Saleh Khader(41 years old), and Hamed Bani Shamsa (17 years old), and Ayoub Riad Jaghob (20 years old). Large forces of Israeli army arrested after midnight the young Palestinian AdelSemih Alyan Al-Rifai, a 26-year-old, from his home in Al-Rahneyeh neighborhood in Anata, northeast of Jerusalem.Israeli forces also raided a number of houses in Al-Ta’mir neighborhood in Aruf village. The occupation also arrested 7 citizens from Hebron and ordered another citizen to attend its headquarters for investigations. (Al-Ayyam)
Lieberman: peace is possible only in achieving security for Israel and economy to Palestinians
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said it is possible to achieve peace with the Palestinians but it cannot be imposed, and that it is only possible through achieving security for Israel first, and then secure a strong economy of the Palestinians.Lieberman said, "we’ve already signed peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan, and settlementswerenot an obstacle in the negotiations and the signing of the peace agreements, and today I don’t see that settlements as an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians, we’ve withdrawn from the Gaza Strip and we evacuated settlements, but the result was rockets at Israeli towns, Israel's security is the first condition for peace." Lieberman added that Israel is still going in one direction toward Washington, noting that Israel should open relationships and strengthen ties with many States, especially States that do not have financial obligations and debts, as well as States that are not considered part of the conflicts and disputes in the world, saying the United States is living in difficult conditions, they face many issues in the world, "Iran, North Korea, Middle East, Islamic world, plus internal economic problems, this underscores the need to open new horizons in foreign relations of Israel and not to stay in one direction toward Washington.” (Al-Ayyam)
Jewish preparation to storm Al-Aqsa on 28th of this month; and intensive steps to Judaize Jerusalem
Jewish preparing to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque on 28th of this month for the occasion of Hebrew “Hanoka”, multiple organizations, including the alleged Temple organization, issued statements calling for collective break-ins to Al-Aqsa in “Hanoka”, while the Israeli Government allocated tens of millions of shekels for Judaization and construction in occupied Jerusalem. According to Al-Aqsa Foundation for Waqf heritage, the occupation intensifies construction the Judaization in the vicinity of Al Aqsa Mosque and allocates huge budgets for this aim, the Foundation said that the Ministry of finance allocated additional budget to accelerate Judaization operations, the Ministry of finance submitted a request to the Knesset economy Committee to add 6 million shekels to accelerate the development of projects in the area of the Moroccans’ gate (Bab AL-Magharebah), Al-Boraq yard and in digging tunnels, in addition to increasing the number of visitors to these sites, as well as the request to increase the budget to 150 million shekels for Judaization in Jerusalem. Israeli Interior Minister Gideon sa'ar said he would not freeze steps related to the so-called "National Park" plan near the town of Issawiya in occupied Jerusalem. Sa'ar, who was speaking in response to a question in the Knesset, said that the garden plans are expected to be completed during a month and a half.(Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
Haaretz: Israel will build a settlement on the ruins of "Um Hieran" in the Negev
According to Haaretz Israel is trying to expel the Bedouin village of Um Hieran Northeast Negev to build in the same place a settlement which will be called “Gar’en Hieran”. The paper said the Supreme Court would consider appeals by Palestinian Ibrahim Farhood and Atwa Abu Al-Qea’nissued through Adalah, to challenge the eviction and issued demolition orders.(Al-Ayyam)
"The Israel lands fund” funds planning to build tens of thousands of housing units in settlement
The“Israel lands fund" recently decided to finance planning to build tens of thousands of housing units in the West Bank. According to Israel economic paper "Globus" a meeting was held in late October at the High Commission for the ratification of the Planning Department of the “Israel Lands Fund”, were planning to build tens of thousands of housing units in the West Bank was decided, including in the Nokdim settlement, "Ali Zahav", "Navi Daniel", "Alon", "Kedumim" and other settlements."The Israel landsfund" said it does not push towards construction planning in the West, but it implements a policy decided years ago to participate in the financing expenses of for local authorities planning on what it called "State lands", with the aim of encouraging local authorities for self-planning in "State land", adding that in order to get more details, Globus should approach the Ministry of housing.(Al-Quds)
Bennett: withdrawal from the West Bank will cost us thousands times more than staying
Economy Minister Naftali Bennett claimed that Israeli withdrawal fromsettlementsin the West Bank will cost the Government about 1000 times more compared to staying there. Bennett said during a conference of major Jewish organizations in Jerusalem: "I'm a businessman and I can confirm that the economic cost during the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 reached 1000 times compared to the continuation of settlements."(Al-Quds)
An Israeli female soldier admits killing Palestinian children
More than two weeks passed since an Israeli (female) soldier of Ukrainian origins admitted killing Palestinian children during her compulsory military service, without any Palestinian or official reaction, noting that this recognition was before tens of millions of followers in one of the most famous television shows in Ukraine. Elena Zakosila,afemale soldier of the occupation army, admitted killing Palestinian children without feeling any guilt for what she did.(Al-Quds)
Prisoners of "Ashkelon" continue hunger strike
Poisoners of Ashkelon prison continue their hunger strike for the fourth consecutive, to protest the arbitrary practices of the prison administration.The prisoners said in a letterthat the prison administration isolated more than 15 prisoners, and confiscated their underwear, blankets and all humanitarian needs, and they are completely isolated from the outside world.(http://wattan.tv/ar/news/80356.html)
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Headlines
** Kerry accused the “Brotherhood” of "stealing" the Egyptian revolution (Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
** “Supreme Court” hears today teachers’ lawyers (Al-Hayat AL-Jadida)
** 11 Egyptian soldiers killed and 35 injured in bombing their buss in Sinai (Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
** The President condoles martyrdom of Egyptian soldiers and condemnsthe crime (Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
** Armed robbery of a tobacco distribution truck stealing 100,000 shekels (Al-Hayat Al-Jadida)
** The occupation destroys facilities in Khirbet Al-Tawil in Nablus (Al-Ayyam)
** KuwaitSummit supports the status of Palestine as full member in the United Nations (Al-Ayyam)
** Sisi: we will not allow armed men to destroy this nation (Al-Ayyam)
** Kuwait Summit affirms the need to end Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Raba territories (Al-Quds)
** UNRWA: we will not be able to pay salaries due to shortage in funding (Al-Quds)
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Front Page Photos
Al- Quds:Jenin – Palestinian argues with occupation soldiers during a protest against uprooting trees in Ya’bad.
Al-Ayyam:Jenin – occupation army arrest a citizen during a protest against uprooting trees in Ya’bad.
Al Hayat Al Jadida:1) President Abbas during his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince, 2) Citizen watching olive trees cut by settlers in Jaba’a west of Bethlehem.
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Voice of Palestine Interviews
**Minister for Jerusalem affairs, Adnan Husseini, on Norwegian aid for education in Jerusalem
Q: How will this agreement help support the education sector in Jerusalem?
Education, which is the responsibility of the occupation and levies taxes and tuition from its people, does not meet any of its commitments towards this sector. The money they collect should be used to the benefit of the people under its occupation, but that doesn’t happen. It covers around 55% of education and the rest put on the responsibility of other parties such as the Waqf, the PA, UNRWA and private schools.
This grant was given when the international community realized that there were severe shortcomings in terms of education in Jerusalem; the Norwegians offered this grant, which is aimed at buying property. We cannot build schools on our own because Israel does not give us building licenses and our land is confiscated. So what we are going to do is buy houses that already exist and renovate them and make them into classrooms to cover some of the deficit in schools.
There is a severe shortage of classrooms in Jerusalem schools, so this grant will be very important in terms of adding additional rooms. Education for us Palestinians is very important.
Q: Do you think this grant is going to considerably make an impact on the education sector in Jerusalem and close this gap?
Not completely. This is an initiative which we hope other donors will follow suit. For example, the Islamic Development Bank formed a committee for schools and also has allocated funds to buy houses and turn them into schools. But this is the first time European donors take this approach.
Q: What is the government plan for education in Jerusalem, which they recently mentioned?
The government has said education in Jerusalem is a priority and is trying to give teachers there incentives in light of their difficult circumstances. They are given a ‘Jerusalem stipend” each month to cover some of their costs. They also try to expand schools and renovate them. But there is much that still needs to be done because there is such a huge deficit.
**Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, on the open hunger strike waged by Ashkelon prisoners
Q: How is the situation in the prison after attorney visits there in light of the ongoing oppression of prisoners?
First, the prisoner services banned a team from the Red Cross from visiting the prison two days ago even though they had set a date beforehand. Yesterday one of our attorneys visited the prisoners. The prisoners are still on hunger strike in protest of the series of measures taken by prison services against them – they have put several prisoners in isolation, cut off electricity and water and imposed a one-month ban on family visits. They have beaten prisoners and may impose fines on them. So that is why they went on strike, to force the prison services to the table for discussion.
Q: But it seems that the crackdown is continuing in spite of the strike
This is nothing surprising. This is all part of their plan, to totally exhaust the prisoners and to keep them in that state at all times. This is why they make flash inspections, sudden transfer of rooms, etc. The people who stormed the rooms in Askalan were masked like thieves, just to add insult to injury.
Q: Do you think the prisoners will escalate their measures in Ashkelon prison and will this wave of protest spread to other prisons?
There is nothing more dangerous than a hunger strike. By taking this approach, the prisoners are saying that it is their last resort. Other prisoners will certainly not leave the Ashkhelon prisoners alone because it could happen to them too. The spirit of solidarity is certainly alive.
**Mohammed Al Sayeed, on the Prawer plan and protests against it inside the Green Line
Q:What can you tell us about the tension among Arab communities inside the Green Line because of the Prawer plan and the measures being taken?
The Arabs in the Negev, and not just the Bedouin, which Israel is trying to isolate and separate from the rest of the Arab community inside the Green Line are in real battle. On Sunday, the interior committee of the Knesset is going to make a tour there with the Land Authority and right wing parties along with a very small number of Arabs who will accompany them and who support the Prawer plan. There will be demonstrations as several intersections in protest of the visit. A general strike will also take hold on Sunday. Demonstrations will also at the Knesset during all of its sessions on the Prawer Plan, which has practically speaking already started through the almost daily demolitions in the Negev such as the Aqareeb village for the 62nd time.
**Ahmad Hanoun, head of the refugee department in the PLO, on the general strike in UNRWA offices in the northern West Bank
Q: Are there actually cuts being made by UNRWA and is this a new policy by the agency?
We are following up this issue very closely – in terms of this issue, we have had meetings to discuss the social safety network posed by UNRWA and there was a clear position by us – the allocations granted by UNRWA are not enough and do not meet the needs of the people. There should not be any exclusion of families that are headed by women or which have elderly members. But the real problem arose in regards to the job opportunities program of UNRWA, which is an emergency program. There has been a retreat of the number of beneficiaries in this program; also the agency confined this program to the refugee camps alone. But UNRWA says this is an emergency program and we just don’t have enough money.
**PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi, on her meetings with the Europeans and the message she conveyed to them
The message is clear, which is there needs to be real external intervention to rein in Israel and put a stop to all of its violations and its efforts to kill any prospects of peace – namely its settlement policy and ethnic cleansing in Area C and measures in Jerusalem.
The peace process is suffering from a huge crisis; the resignation of the negotiating team was because of this. Thiers was an impossible mission.
Q: Sir Simon Fraser recently said there was a need to ‘look at what is happening up close”. Do you think the international community is still in the phase of ‘finding out what is going on’ or have we moved to the stage of taking action, after 46 years of occupation?
As usual, knowing something from afar and following up with it up close are two different things. When we talk about the wall – people can imagine it, but when they come to Palestine and actually see it, this is a different thing. They can see the ramifications of this wall and how it is a source of hardship and land confiscation for the Palestinians.
Europe is now feeling this. When it adopted its guidelines, it took a real step, in spite of the pressures on it.
Q: But recently, Fraser visited Jerusalem, where the Israeli government insisted that it would not freeze its project of a national garden on Jabal Al Masharef. Did you talk with this official about the situation in Jerusalem?
Yes, I did and he told me the British and European position, which considers that all settlements are illegal not just ‘illegitimate”, like the Americans say. This also applies to Jerusalem, where they will not be part of any of these settlement plans there.
Q: In your meeting you reaffirmed the right of the Palestinians to join international treaties and agreements. When will this process be resumed, especially in light of the impasse in negotiations and continued Israeli settlement measures?
Israel is in blatant defiance of the international community in terms of the requirements of the peace process and are in defiance even of the Americans, to whom they promised they would tone down their settlement construction. They didn’t do this but have pushed it to the maximum. So, we have all of the right and we should go to the UN. It is my personal opinion that we should have gone to the UN before John Kerry began his initiative because Israel used this process to escalate settlements. We should have secured our entry into these international agencies and treaties to guarantee our rights. Now we should hurry up to do this.
The problem is that President Abbas promised Kerry that he would postpone this move until the rest of the prisoners are released. We know how important this is, but all of our preparations are in place and if Israel continues the way they are, we will certainly go. I think we should at least file complaints, which is different than applying for membership. We need to start this now.
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More Headlines
Expansion to turn an outpost into a Jewish settlement south of Bethlehem
Israeli bulldozers began yesterday night with razing citizens’ agricultural land in mountain Baten AL-Ma’si in Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem. Ahmed Salah, Coordinator of the popular Committee to resist the wall and settlement in Al-Khader, said "that bulldozers of the Israeli occupation forces started to work at the outpost established on citizens’ land in Baten Al-Ma’si preparing to build more settlement units in this region, and the expansion of the outpost.” (http://qudsnet.com/news/View/258122/ )
A Palestinian killed as a result of the continued siege of Yarmouk
The action group for Palestinians in Syria said that Mahmoud Mohammed Al-Obeidi died Wednesday as a result of drought and malnutrition because of the tightened siege imposed on the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp. The group said in a press release today that residents of the Yarmouk refugee camp suffer from severe livelihood crises due to the siege imposed on them by the regular army for 127 days, leading to a depletion of most food. (http://safa.ps/details/news/116519/.html)
120 children prisoners in Israeli jails
“Ahrar” Center for prisoners’ studies and human rights said that the occupation forces continue to arrest 120 children and practice torture and interrogation against them. The Centre said in a statement marking the world children's day that the occupation is arresting every day children under the age of 18, from different areas in the Palestinian territories, bringing them to courts as other prisoners. The center added that there are testimonials of Palestinian children arrested of being exposed to torture, beatings and detention in cells, and that these children continue to suffer shocks of arrests and torture by the Israeli occupation forces. The center noted that the occupation holds in prisons patients children, and children who were shot at during their arrest as the child Yazid Abu Al-Rub from Jenin, who was shot by Israeli occupation soldiers before he was arrested, and that he is still detained. (http://www.alquds.com/news/article/view/id/474158)
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Arab Press
France fails to impress Palestinians
by Daoud Kuttab
France has always been a country that cares first and foremost about itself, which is normal, but sometimes it is so calculating that it comes across as not caring and spineless.
France is a huge economic exporter to the Arab world. Its wheat and military exports to Saudi Arabia are literally in the billions of euros.
At the same time, France is a founding member of the European Union, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a strong member of any Western alliance of which the US is the leader. This means that Paris has to balance its interests with the Arab world with its role in the Western alliance.
A month ago, France was eager to attack Syria for its use of chemical weapons, only to see America suddenly back off as a result of an agreement with Russia.
In the Middle East conflict, the French have been slightly leaning in favour of the Arab position while maintaining its good relations with both Israel and the US. For years, Arab leaders and ideologues have romanticised France’s role as the saviour of Palestinians and the Arab world, only to be disappointed when nothing happened.
France’s political calculation and attempts to be seen as neutral sometimes come close to being absurd.
One foreign diplomat once told me that a French leader felt he had to stay in a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas longer than he wanted just to give the appearance to the waiting press that he was actually conducting business, when in fact he was simply killing time.
This attempt at giving the impression of balance was exposed during this week’s visit by the domestically unpopular President Francois Hollande to Israel and Palestine.
Israel gave Hollande the red-carpet treatment largely for his country’s hardline position in the P5+1 talks with Iran. The president responded in kind, delivering a pro-Israel speech in the Knesset and during all his other outings.
Hollande also made the routine visit to Ramallah, met with Abbas and hit all the right notes at all his press conferences.
He used the word Palestine a few times when referring to his visit to the Israel-occupied Palestinian areas and repeatedly talked about the two-state solution and the need for Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel and Palestine.
But the cold overcalculation and constant attempt to appear balanced and fair to both sides suddenly came apart when he dealt with the issue that Israelis hate to hear about: settlements.
Hollande correctly opposed the latest settlement announcements, including the decision to build in the controversial E1 area near Jerusalem.
Palestinians and even the US have staunchly opposed this particular settlement for its potential to deny any serious contiguity in the West Bank, as it blocks the north-south axis of a future Palestinian state.
In his remarks, Hollande was careful not to criticise settlements as such, but the possibility that the announcements might complicate things.
In his speech at the Knesset and at press conferences alongside Abbas and Netanyahu, Hollande had the same tone.
Speaking to the Knesset, the French president said that settlements “complicate negotiations and make the two-state solution very difficult”.
So despite the fact that the International Court of Justice at the Hague considers settlements illegal, and despite the fact that his own government and the EU, of which France is a founding member, also consider settlements built in occupied areas a violation of international law, and specifically of the Geneva Convention, Hollande is worried that the announcement at this time “complicates” things.
In other words, if it had been made at a different time, not now when talks are taking place, he would not have been so opposed to them.
This overcalculation was caught by a reporter who simply asked the French president if he was willing attribute the settlements US Secretary of State John Kerry’s description during a joint interview with Palestinian and Israeli TV: “illegal”.
It was a perfect opportunity for the European leader to say something serious while being able to hide behind France’s (and Israel’s) ally.
Instead, Hollande repeated that settlements complicate things and that they damage chances for a two-state solution. He described them for what they are: a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
France of all countries should be familiar with the Fourth Geneva Convention, which was produced to deal with prolonged occupations. It came about after (what seemed at the time long) German occupation of France in World War II.
Referring to it, the International Committee of the Red Cross states: “It is unlawful under the Fourth Geneva Convention for an occupying power to transfer parts of its own population into the territory it occupies. This means that international humanitarian law prohibits the establishment of settlements, as these are a form of population transfer into occupied territory. Any measure designed to expand or consolidate settlements is also illegal. Confiscation of land to build or expand settlements is similarly prohibited.”
Instead of talking about “complicating” the peace process, the French leader should have simply said that settlements are illegal.(http://jordantimes.com/france-fails-to-impress-palestinians)
Egypt and Israel spar over Gaza as Sinai crisis escalates
By Geoffrey Aronson
CAIRO — Former Palestinian strongman Mohammed Dahlan was in Cairo recently where, according to a well-informed Palestinian source, he met with Egypt's military leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Dahlan's effort to return to the Palestinian political and security equation — as one, albeit the smallest, of three centers of Palestinian political gravity dominated by Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) — is a measure of both the disarray in Palestinian ranks and, more broadly, the sparring over Gaza being played out between Israel and Egypt.
Since Hamas' bloody ouster of PLO military forces, led by the self-same Dahlan, from Gaza in June 2007, Fatah's leaders, and not they alone, have dreamed of reversing the clock and ruling Gaza once again. Dreaming, however, is all that Hamas' opponents have been able to muster.
Fatah officials hope that the return of the Egyptian military to unchallenged power after the removal of President Mohammed Morsi offers the latest and perhaps best chance to return to Gaza in triumph, with or without Dahlan at the helm. Some believe that Fatah's best opportunity lies in defeating Hamas' rule by increasing broad opposition from within Gaza's population of 1.7 million. Others, among them some opponents of Dahlan, suggest that a Palestinian brigade mustered in al Arish could march on Gaza and, with Egyptian support, defeat the broad array of Hamas forces created in the last decade.
Egypt, however, is in no mood for anything Palestinian, either of the Hamas or the Fatah variety. Not only is Sisi fed up with Hamas, he has more immediate challenges to address than those championed by the PLO. During a recent visit by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), this new line was made clear — Cairo has no interest in mediating Palestinian reconciliation after years in which this dialogue was led by Egypt's security service. Nor will it respond to Fatah's hopes that Sisi's antipathy towards Hamas could be turned to its favor.
With Hamas' beleaguered leadership, there is nothing at all for Egypt to discuss. No one dares mention establishing regular trade relations with Gaza via the border at Rafah, a move that Morsi's government, too, refused to implement. Under Cairo's new regime, Gaza's economic lifeline — the tunnels running beneath the Gaza-Egypt frontier — have been all but shut, at a monthly cost of $230 million to the teetering Gaza economy. Unemployment has returned to 2008 levels of around 43%, and exports are just 9% of production.
Ironically, at a time when the regime in Cairo is more hostile than it has been in recent memory to Hamas, and its concern about the national security challenge posed to Egypt by Islamists there and more broadly throughout Sinai is most keenly felt, Israel has emerged as a key advocate of Hamas' continued rule and has taken practical measures to somewhat offset the harder Egyptian policy line.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Sami Turgeman told Israel's Channel Two in September that only Hamas had the capacity to maintain the commitments agreed to under Egyptian mediation in the wake of the last major eruption of conflict in November 2012.
"What we want is calm and security in the Gaza Strip," Turgeman said. "Hamas, currently the sovereign power in the territory, has the means and the know-how. I see no alternative to control being exercised by Hamas."
Turgeman's comments were new only in the sense that they were declared publicly. Hamas has taken greatest advantage of the opportunities created in the years since Ariel Sharon's 2004 announcement of the departure of permanently stationed Israeli security forces and settlers from Gaza. Israel and Hamas have engaged in an often violent contest over "rules of the game" since then, but they have also established an inherently unstable but nonetheless reasonably successful security dialogue. Turgeman's declaration acknowledges this fact, which is all the more true in light of Israeli concerns that in the wake of Hamas' collapse in Gaza its successors would be the jihadists who are challenging Egypt's rule in Sinai and beyond.
Israel's anxiety about this development established the background to Turgeman's statement, which is only one reflection of Israel's self-interested concern to keep the lid on in Gaza. This concern has also meant that in contrast to Sharon's intention to force Egypt to accommodate Israel's draconian trade and humanitarian policies by opening its borders, since Sisi's offensive in Sinai this summer, it is Israel that has "blinked" — loosening, if ever so slightly, its stranglehold on imports to Gaza.
Mutual agreement between Cairo and Jerusalem on the challenge presented by Hamas/Gaza has not erased the still real and potentially deadly differences of views regarding who will lose most in the event that the understandings — now one year old — of Pillar of Cloud fall apart.
Egypt argues with an insistence rooted in its own national security concerns that it is Israel's responsibility rather than Cairo's to take the lead in attending to Gaza's economic needs. While it welcomes Israel's very limited modifications on its embargo, Egyptian officials also argue that continuing Israeli attacks on Gaza and a broader conflict with Hamas will hurt Israel and its nearby communities more than Egypt. Hamas, for its part, reiterates that Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and beyond are within its missile sights.
But it is Egypt today, more than Israel, that is bearing the main costs of insurrection in Sinai. Here, too, Israel and Egypt have cooperated in unprecedented ways — bypassing treaty restrictions on the battlefield deployment of Egyptian military forces and arms. Apaches and F-16s, albeit inferior to Israeli models, do battle against local and foreign fighters in Sinai. Informed Israelis also speak of unprecedented Israeli-Egyptian intelligence cooperation in the area "beyond anything dreamed of during Mubarak's rule."
The main security challenge from Sinai-based jihadists, however, is moving across the Suez Canal to Egypt proper, threatening to make the Egyptian heartland, rather than the Sinai periphery, the hottest arena of deadly conflict.(http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/11/egypt-gaza-hamas-israel-security-cooperation-sinai-crisis.html)
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Opinions
Hollande between Ramallah and Jerusalem
Al Khaleej Editorial
The recent visit of French President Francois Hollande to the ‘Zionist entity’ and the occupied West Bank during which he met with Israeli leaders and then with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, is first and foremost a visit directed towards Israel and not Palestine. The visit to Ramallah was very shot and the meeting with Abbas was more protocol and a diplomatic nicety than anything else. That is, it was more of a passing visit just to make the point that France opposes settlements, at least in word. However, the real French position that Hollande made was in Israel and the one for which he made his trip, which was to reaffirm his permanent policy towards Israel and therefore gain the content of the French Jewish lobby, which is influential in the political decision making process in France in a number of regional issues.
Hollande’s quick mention of settlements and their illegality means nothing as long as it does not go beyond diplomatic words or get even close to translation of this action on the ground. The core of Hollande’s position was represented in his request of President Abbas to deliver a speech at the Knesset, as if solving the Palestinian problem can be achieved through such a speech, after which Israel will complywith international laws.
Such a request belittles the Arab mind; as if the French President does not realize that Israel does not want to give the Palestinian anything and has a fixed policy in rejecting any recognition of Palestinian rights, thus continuing on with settlement expansion and Judaization. So how would a speech at the Knesset make any difference in this racist and aggressive approach?
France’s real position was made clear by Hollande after his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials when he said: “For decades, we have never stopped saying that Israel and France are linked to one another”, supporting Israel’s right to ‘defend itself”, which translates into aggression, expansion and massacres.
Hollande’s words in Ramallah were tasteless and meaningless. The real ‘butter’ of his stances were made in Israel, a country which he shares mutual interests, benefits and support. (http://www.alkhaleej.ae/studiesandopinions/detailedpage/924d1ce9-3f66-41ac-9179-7f073d924b4c)
Netanyahu is certainly gloating now!
By Khaled Maale
The bombings that took place recently in Lebanon and Sinai in which innocent victims were lost, in addition to the explosions that happened or are happening in the rest of the Arab region, all point towards the region soon going up in the flames of a crushing civil war, the scope of which only God knows. And Netanyahu, he is sitting there gloating.
Netanyahu gloats and takes joy in seeing Egyptian soldiers being killed and he is happy when he sees dead bodies in the southern district of Lebanon. This is because, simply put, he considers all Muslims as his enemies, whether they are from Iran, Egypt or Syria. Netanyahu exploits any disputes among Arabs or Muslims to his favor by encouraging and deepening them.
What is so painful to both mind and heart is that Netanyahu and the west have succeeded in dividing the Muslims into sects and feuding factions, into Sunni and Shiites. We are all Muslims and we should never be divided. Division gives the occupation the upper hand to do whatever it wants.
Whoever is behind these latest bombings are not serving Islam or the Palestinian cause; they are serving the occupation. The truth is, they easily kill and justify bloodshed, contrary to what God allows. There are many other more peaceful and nonviolent ways to work through in order to highlight a cause or achieved results which do not involve unjustified killing or violence at all.
We would have hoped that these victims and soldiers would have died martyrs in a confrontation or war with the Israeli occupation and not through destructive infighting and by tearing each other apart until we are just a spectacle to the entire world, laughing at our ignorance and our backwardness.
In light of the complexities of what is going on in the Arab region, things have gotten confusing. It is very easy for one side to make up events and stories; each side takes responsibility for some action in one way or another where they may or may not be the party that actually did it. But in general, violence, bloodletting, explosions and killing innocent people does not serve any cause. On the contrary it shuts it down, sabotaging it.
It is a fatal mistake, what is happening in our Arab region where the conflict with the occupation and colonialism has turned into a conflict between Sunni and Shiite and between certain political powers and others where the common language between these parties is bloodletting instead of dialogue and understanding. This is a stroke of insanity and irrationality and is sending us all rapidly into the abyss.
It is the right of any country in the world to look for its causes of power. This applies to Iran as well. Contrarily, where are we Arabs in finding our own causes of power and pride? Are we not wasting our money pointlessly? Do we not search for the shortcomings and flaws of the other and then kill one another? Don’t we falsify and fabricate facts? Have we not fallen years behind, all while progressed states search for causes of power, advancement and prosperity?
The occupation represents a historical state of emergency and a temporary defect in the Arab and Islamic body, one which will soon be wiped away. At the same time though, this defect will not go away as long as conflicts and disputes preoccupy us. That is why we must stop all of this fighting and conflict. There are honorable and loyal parties willing to put effort into this – until we are ready and the time has arrived for the occupation to go. Are we up to the task? (http://www.amin.org/articles.php?t=opinion&id=22646)
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