Obama’s Peace Antics in Israel – Four More Years of This?

Mar 26 2013 / 9:08 pm

Barack Obama and Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. (Photo: WAFA)

By Ramzy Baroud

At the precise moment US President Barack Obama’s Air Force One touched down at Ben Gurion Airport on March 20, persisting illusions quickly began to shatter. And as he walked on the red carpet, showered with accolades and warm embraces of top Israeli government and military officials, a new/old reality began to sink in: Obama was no different than his predecessors. He never had been.
On the day of Obama’s arrival, Israeli rights group B’Tselem, released a disturbing video. It was of Israeli soldiers carrying out a ‘mass arrest’ of nearly 30 Palestinian children on their way to school in the Palestinian city of al-Khalil (Hebron). The children plead and cried to no avail. Their terrified shrieks echoed throughout the Palestinian neighborhood as they tried to summon the help of passersby. “‘Amo’ – Uncle,” one begged, “for God sake don’t let them take me.” Nonetheless, several military vehicles were filled with crying children and their school bags. But what made the release of the video truly apt is the fact that it was released on the day president Obama was meeting Israeli children at a welcoming ceremony at the home of Israeli President Shimon Peres.

“Their dreams are much the same as children everywhere,” he said, referring to Israeli children, of course. “In another sense though their lives reflect the difficult reality that Israelis face every single day. They want to be safe, they want to be free from rockets that hit their homes or their schools.”
Many Palestinians immediately pointed out the moral discrepancies in most of Obama’s statements throughout his stay in Israel. Still, his visit was ‘historic’ declared numerous headlines in the US and Israeli media.

However, aside from the fact that it was his first trip to Israel as a president, it was barely momentous. His unconditional support for Israel has been tedious and redundant, predictable even. Those who have followed his unswerving pro-Israel legacy – including his visit to Israel as a presidential candidate in 2008, his talks before the Israeli lobby group AIPAC and many other examples – could barely discern a shift, except perhaps, in the total disinterest in political sensibility and balance.

He truly delivered in Israel. This was to the total satisfaction of the Israeli Prime Minister and his pro-settler government which was assembled shortly before Obama’s arrival. Obama spoke as if he were entirely oblivious to the political shift to the extreme right underway in Israel. Indeed, the new Israeli government is more right-wing than ever before. The extremist Jewish Home party has three important ministries, including Jerusalem and Housing and the ultra-nationalists of Yisraeli Beiteinu have been awarded the tourism ministry. It means that the next few years will be a settlement construction bonanza, ‘ethnic cleaning’ and greater Apartheid.

“It’s good to be back in The Land (Israel),” Obama said in Hebrew, at the Tel Aviv airport. “The United States is proud to stand with you as your strongest ally and your greatest friend.”
It is believed that for four years, Obama has failed to live up to the nearly impossible expectations of Israel. Israel requires a president with good oratory skills – for example, to emphasize the ‘eternal’ bond between his country and Israel, as Obama did – who is able to sign big checks and ask few questions. Obama has of course done that and more. Aside from the 3.1 billion dollars in financial support, he has rerouted hundreds of millions of US funds to bankroll Israel’s air defense system, the Iron Dome, whose efficiency is questionable at best.

Obama’s past transgressions, as far as Israel is concerned, is that he dared ask the right-wing government of Netanyahu to temporarily freeze settlement construction as a pre-condition to restart the stalled – if not dead – peace process. Of course, there is the widely reported matter of Obama’s lack of fondness of Netanyahu, his antics and renowned arrogance. But that matters little, since Israel’s illegal settlements continued to thrive during Obama’s first term in office.

Expectedly, Netanyahu was gloating. He has managed to assemble a government that will cater mostly to extremist Jewish settlers in the West Bank and also masterfully managed to humble the US president, or at least quash his ambitions that the US is capable of operating independently in the Middle East, without Israeli consent or interests in mind.

Now that Jewish colonies are flourishing – with occupied East Jerusalem area EI being another major exploit – Netanyahu is once more aspiring for a war against Iran, one that would not be possible without US funding, support and likely direct involvement. “Thank you for standing by Israel at this time of historic change in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said while standing near the mostly US-funded Iron Dome. “Thank you for unequivocally affirming Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself, by itself against any threat.”

Obama did in fact spare a few, although, spurious thoughts for Palestinians. “Put yourself in their shoes — look at the world through their eyes,” he said to an Israeli audience. “It is not fair that a Palestinian child cannot grow up in a state of her own, and lives with the presence of a foreign army that controls the movements of her parents every single day.”

One would even applaud the seeming moral fortitude if it were not for the pesky matter that the US had voted against a Palestinian state at the United Nations last November and tried to intimidate those who did. And of course, much of the horror that Palestinian ‘eyes’ have seen throughout the years was funded and defended by US money and action. If Obama is trying to resurrect the myth that the US is a well-intentioned bystander or an ‘’honest broker’ in some distant conflict, then he has utterly failed. His country is fully embroiled in the conflict, and directly so. Many Palestinian children would still be alive today if the US government had conditioned its massive support of Israel by ending the occupation and ceasing the brutality against Palestinians.

In a joint press conference in Ramallah, alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Obama even demanded Palestinians drop their condition (proposed by Obama himself) of a settlement freeze in order to return to the so-called peace talks. “That’s not to say settlements aren’t important, that’s to say if we resolve the (main) problems, then settlements will be resolved,” he said. “If to begin the conversation we have to get everything right from the outset … then we’re never going to get to the broader issue,” Obama added. The broader issue, according to the US president is “how do you structure a state of Palestine,” which again, Obama voted against last year, and passionately so.

Aside from resounding rhetoric about peace, Obama is finally towing the Israeli line exactly as Netanyahu and the lobby would expect of him, or of any other US president. He has little to offer Palestinians, or Arab nations, but much to expect from them. Arab states must seek normalized relations with Israel, and Palestinians must “recognize that Israel will be a Jewish state, and that Israelis have the right to insist upon their security,” he lectured in Jerusalem on the second day of his trip, reported CNN online. The obvious danger here lies in the fact that Israel oftentimes conflates ‘security’ and its ‘right to defend itself’ by mass arresting children on their way to school in Hebron, or by inflicting or supporting wars against other nations – Lebanon, Iraq and now Iran.

Obama will eventually get back to his Oval Office desk, ready to resume work as usual. This will include the signing of many papers concerning additional funds, loans, military technology transfers and much more for Israel. Palestinians meanwhile will carry on with their long fight for freedom, without his noted oratory skills.

Meanwhile, the families of the 30 children kidnapped by the Israeli army in Hebron will have many days ahead of them in Israeli military court. But that, of course, is a different matter, of no concern to Obama and his many quotable peace antics.

- Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an internationally-syndicated columnist and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is: My Father was A Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story (Pluto Press).
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New Actors in Middle East Peace Charade

Feb 7 2013 / 2:33 am

John Kerry, new US secretary of state. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

By Ramzy Baroud

Despite much saber-rattling by Israel and the US administration and hyped-up expectations by the Palestinian leadership, the recognition of Palestine as a non-member observer state last November is fast becoming yet another footnote in the protracted conflict.

Only hours after the announcement of Palestinian’s “state” status, Israel had its own to make: the building of a new illegal settlement on Palestinian land (according to international law, all of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are illegal).

The area is called the E-1 zone by Israel. A couple of European countries responded with greater exasperation than usual, but soon moved on to other seemingly more pressing issues. The US called Israel’s move “counterproductive”, but soon neglected the matter. Palestinian activists who tried to counter Israel’s illegal activities by pitching tents in areas marked by Israel for construction were violently removed.

Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority (PA) is at a standstill in the same pitiful possession. It continues to serve as a buffer between occupied, ethnically cleansed and rightfully angry Palestinians. Its existence would not have been possible without Israel’s consent.

Fiery speeches, press releases and conferences aside, the PA has effectively sub-contracted part of the Israeli occupation – as in maintaining Israel’s security for example – in exchange for perks for those affiliated with the PA.

Examples of these privileges include easier access to business contracts or jobs. It is this symbiosis that constantly averts any serious confrontation between Israel and the PA. Both parties would lose if the status quo were seriously hampered.

For Israel to reclaim its responsibilities as an occupying power under international law would be a huge financial and political burden that could impede its settlement constructions in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. In fact, Israel is able to maintain all the benefits of military occupation without much cost. For Abbas, shutting down the PA conglomerate would mean financial and political suicide for the branch of Fatah politicians affiliated with him.

Thus some clever manifestation of the “peace process” show must be found that would help both parties save face – Israel to finish its settlement plans and the PA to sustain its enterprise.
In fact, Israel’s decision on January 30 to release US$100 million of taxes and tariffs collected on behalf of the PA (which it has withheld, some say robbed to punish the PA for its UN bid) was possibly a prelude to the resumption of the same ongoing peace charade.

According to an Israeli official cited by Agence France Presse, the transfer was a “measure to ease the financial crisis faced by the Palestinians,” ironically manufactured by Israel. That gesture of “good will” is likely to be harnessed into some “confidence building measures” in hopes of resetting the entire “peace process”.

An explosion of mass rallies and protests in the West Bank – where most people have not received a full pay check for months – will neither serve Israeli nor PA interests. Scenes of desperate Palestinian men and women marching throughout the territories would be a threat to both Abbas’ already drained political apparatus and Israel’s horribly disfigured image.

But there is evidence that there is more to the plan than averting a crisis. According to a statement made by Muhammad Sbeih, secretary-general for Palestinian affairs in the Arab League, an Arab League delegation will soon to head to the US to “move forward the Middle East peace process”. “The proposal includes specific Arab ideas about Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territory, the establishment of a Palestinian state, “guaranteed security for both sides”.

Moreover, on February 1, the London-based Arabic newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi reported that the UK hosted a conference for Palestinian and Israeli officials to discuss ways of resuming the so-called peace process.

According to the paper, which quoted Palestinian sources, the Israeli delegation was headed by Yossi Belin – known for his role in laying the foundation for the Oslo accords. The head of the Palestinian delegation, prominent Fatah member Muhammad Ishtayya, denied that any negotiations took place. Instead, he told Ma’an the conference – held at the Wilton Park Resort in southern England – “only discussed the Middle East crisis”.

Meanwhile, attempts at wooing Hamas continue. Several Arabic newspapers, including Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the head of Hamas’ Politburo, Khaled Meshaal, had indicated in a recent meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan that Hamas is prepared to the accept the so-called “two-state solution”. Meshaal allegedly asked the Jordanian King to relay the message to US President Barack Obama. However, a Hamas statement denied the reports as baseless.

Israeli politics regarding the occupation and illegal settlement constructions are unlikely to change after its January elections. Despite media enthusiasm over the rise of Israel’s left and center, there are no indications that the new configuration is likely to sway Israel away from its war-driven policies.
However, Israel looks at political events unfolding in Washington with concern. The US administration is assembling its team for Barack Obama’s second term in office and of course, Israeli interests are high on the agenda. Two nominations in particular were of much interest to Israel, that of John Kerry, as secretary of state and Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense.

A Voice of America website commentary poised a mundane question in relations to Kerry’s new post on February 1: “Can Secretary of State John Kerry Bring Peace to Israel and the Palestinians?”
Israeli media however, is far more candid in these matters. “Is John Kerry good for Israel?” asked Yedioth Ahronot on its English website. “He may be a friend of Israel but is not considered the standard bearer for Israel at the Senate,” the Israeli paper quoted a state official as saying.

If Kerry is not good enough, one can only imagine the seething anger of neoconservatives, pro-Israeli pundits and other officials at the nomination of Hagel. Hagel’s past statements on Israel and Iran are neither those of “standard bearers for Israel” or anything that resembles a commitment of any sort.
In an all-day confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, Republican lawmakers pounced on the former Nebraska Republican senator regarding everything he said or failed to say (or sign) over issues of vital interest to Israel. It was frankly difficult to decipher whether Senator John McCain and Senator Ted Cruz were more concerned about genuine US security issues or Israel’s “security” masquerading as vital US national interests.

Hagel is chastised for criticizing the immense power wielded by the pro-Israel lobby in Washington – as if his allegations were mere fantasies and despite the fact that the major campaign unleashed against his nomination was launched by the very forces he criticized.

Few expect a major departure from old policies once the new Washington team is fully assembled, although others underscore a slow but steady shift in US priorities in the Middle East. Even if one adheres to a more optimistic reading of the supposed “shift” underway in Washington, one cannot expect a major change to Israel’s behavior in the occupied territories.

Without a real mechanism to force an Israeli change – which must be accompanied by taming the disproportionately powerful lobby – little on the ground is likely to change.

While American politicians were busy defending their pro-Israeli credentials in Senate hearings, other hearings of great importance, yet, thus far of little consequences, were being concluded elsewhere.

An inquiry set up by the Human Rights Council last March and brazenly boycotted by Israel, had finally concluded that Israeli settlements are a violation of international law while calling on Israel to “immediately” withdraw all of its settlers from East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The UN investigators concluded that Israel’s continued violations of the 1949 Geneva Conventions could amount to war crimes “that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court,” Al-Jazeera reported. “Israel must … cease all settlement activities without preconditions [and] must immediately initiate a process of withdrawal of all settlers”, the report, released, January 31, read in part.

The findings by the well-respected international organization once more accentuate the real parameters of any genuine peace. Bit this kind of peace doesn’t suit Israeli, hence US interests.
Until Palestinians find an alternative to this sorry trio of Israel-US-PA peacemakers, all they can expect is more of the same – a secret conference here, another settlement there and an occasional Israeli handout, oddly enough, taken from Palestinians’ own tax money.

- Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an internationally-syndicated columnist and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is: My Father was A Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story (Pluto Press).
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Jewish Group: ‘No blank check for Israel’

Posted on January 13, 2013

The Jewish Voice for Peace and several Christian, Muslim, atheist and human rights groups are planning to submit a letter to Barack Obama saying “No Blank Check for Israel” during a rally and march to the White House on January 19, 2013.

These and many other patriotic American citizens are supporting Barack Obama’s chioce of former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as country’s next secretary of defense. A decision viciously opposed by pro-Israel groups. Hagel is known for cuts in the US defense budget which has surpassed one trillion dollars – and end to America’s foreign military adventures, most of which were (are) pushed by the pro-Israel war-mongering Zioconservatives.

Last year polls indicated that a great majority of US voters were more concerned with economy, healthcare, jobs creation and social benefits than Israel-Iran conflict.

Some political analyst like British journalist and author, Alan Hart, who believes that Obama displayed some courage by nominating Chuck Hagel against Jewish lobby groups’ character assassination of Hagel is a significant defeat for the Zionist Lobby. “My guess is that Obama will content himself with the thought that Israel is becoming more and more of a pariah state because of its own actions and that Zionism is on the road to self-destruction,” he posted on January 11, 2013.

Netanyahu and his anti-Muslim US lawmakers and media allies fear that as result of military budget cuts, not only Israel would lose its privileged $3 billion annual military aid but a reduction in US armed forces would make it almost impossible for Washington to wage wars against Muslim countries to protect the Zionist entity.
In a recent interview with the New York Times Magazine, Zionist entity’s president Shimon Peres blasted Netanyahu’s policies in the region. He claimed that Netanyahu’s policies have convinced Barack Obama that Israel doesn’t want peace in the region. He fears that if Israeli hawks formed the next government – Israel could lose Washington’s military, finacial and moral support which is very crucial for the survival of Israel. “We must not lose the support of the United States. What gives Israel bargaining power in the international arena is the support of the United States,” said Peres.

Paul Pillar says the US endless pressure on Iran without a genuine effort to engage it – is stupid and mindless. “The Iranians have good reason to be suspicious of ultimate US and Western motivations, and threats of military force figure into that in an unhelpful way too. The Iranians do not have to look far to see ample evidence in favor of the proposition that the primary US goal regarding Iran is (pro-USsrael) regime change. And they do not have to look far into the past to see a recent US use of military force – participation in the intervention in Libya – that overthrew an African regime after it had reached an agreement with the United States to give up all its nuclear and other unconventional weapons programs. What reason would Iranian leaders have to make any concessions if they believe the same thing is likely to happen to them? This is already a problem; rattling the saber only makes it worse,” wrote Pillar on January 10, 2013.

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Don’t…

A PALESTINIAN QUOTE 

From 

مركز أحرار لدراسات الأسرى

النسخة الفيسبوكية لمركز احرار لدراسات الاسرى وحقوق الانسان تحت اشراف الاستاذ فؤاد الخفش الباحث المختص ومدير مركز احرار لدراسات الاسرى

 Don’t call me a Palestinian of the Palestinian Territories because it is called Palestine.

Don’t give me a fraction of my homeland and call it a solution.

Don’t give me oppression and call it peace.

Don’t give me a Bantustan and call it a home.

Don’t give me a prison and call it freedom.

Don’t draw the borders of my existence according to your whims and interests and call it a state.

 My home is not a disfigured result of a till-death-do-us-part-marriage between the occupier and the champions of negotiators-for-life that yields a Bantustan on 20% of my homeland.

My home is not a “lets legitimize the Zionist racist colonization of Palestine and hope they accept us and allow us to live with them one day” tale for the sake of fame and a shoulder pat from “conditional-supporters”, while giving the Zionist usurpers a right to my land which they stole and continue to colonize… a right to my home which they destroyed and continue to destroy…. a right to my village which they ethnically cleansed and continue to do so to the rest of Palestine… a right to Palestine, the Palestine they raped and continue to rape for over 63 years, a rape they are proud of and celebrate very year while denying us even the tears and the memories and the names of the victims they massacred and the villages they erased.

My Palestine is the home that is mine since the dawn of history till the end of history.

My Palestine is the home of my ancestors, the home between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River.

.

What Arabs Did for Gaza? What They Did for Syria?

Eslam al-Rihani

Tens of years during which most of the Arab countries and their summits did not provide anything to the Palestinian cause but words and speeches, while the Palestinian people was the sole victim, and most of the Arab countries made plots against each other and stood up against the resistance in Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. “They (referring to the Zionists) are not wolves, but most of us became ewes,” said Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassem on Saturday during the urgent ministerial meeting of the Arab League in Cairo to tackle the Zionist assault on Gaza. It took long for the Arab leaders to find a suitable description for their fear of the Zionist entity. Their meetings which coincided with attacking Gaza have resulted in nothing but in the first aid which was even insufficient for healing the wounds of victims. Gaza had been under a similar attack in 2008, where peace initiative remained on table besides the first aid. At that time, Arab leaders tried to unify under the Doha summit, but they failed to get Gaza out of its crisis. “In addition to the verbal support, we should make practical moves,” said the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the Doha summit. However, the practical moves that Assad called for, were practiced against Damascus. After Arab leaders’ inability to everything in Gaza, they sharpened their ambitions to overthrow the regime in Syria. “We should mobilize all means of international pressure against the Syrian regime, as stated by his excellency Qatar’s PM,” said Nabil al-Arabi, Arab League Secretary General during an Arab League session in 2012. “I believe that our Council shouldn’t be careless towards the level of serious escalation in Syria,” declared Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faissal during the same session. “We want to impose a tangible economic pressure, perhaps the Syrian regime realizes the inevitability of meeting the demands of its people,” also stated the Qatari PM. Sanctions were not enough; yet, arming the opposition is a more practical means. It is an intuitive initiative by the mind which armed resistance in Gaza with some bandages and medicines. “In this solution Yes, we support the arming of the Syrian opposition,” said Saud al-Faissal. Who said that Arabs are ewes? They are wolves towards each other, but EWES only before what they call ‘Israel’. Report extracted from Al-Manar TV news bulletin of Nov. 20, 2012. To watch the original report in Arabic, click here River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

Jewish terror state killed Jabarie because he was working on a peace deal

Israel Approved Killing of Hamas Commander Amid Talks on Long-Term Truce

Israeli peace negotiator Gershon Baskin said Jabari’s assassination “killed the possibility of achieving a truce.”

Just hours before Israel assassinated Hamas commander Ahmed Jabari on Tuesday, he received the draft proposal of a permanent truce agreement with Israel. But Israel approved the airstrike anyways, choosing escalation over resolution
.
Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin, who helped negotiate the release of Gilad Shalit and maintained contacts with Hamas leaders, said the truce agreement included protocols for maintaining a cease-fire in the case of cross-border violence between Israel and Gaza.

Baskin told Haaretz that senior officials in Israel knew about the pending truce agreement, but nevertheless approved the assassination, presumably knowing it would terminate the truce and escalate the conflict with Gaza.

“I think that they have made a strategic mistake,” Baskin said, “which will cost the lives of quite a number of innocent people on both sides.” He added that Jabari’s assassination “killed the possibility of achieving a truce.”

“This blood could have been spared. Those who made the decision must be judged by the voters, but to my regret they will get more votes because of this,” he added.

“According to Baskin,” Haaretz reports, “during the past two years Jabari internalized the realization that the rounds of hostilities with Israel were beneficial neither to Hamas nor to the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip and only caused suffering, and several times he acted to prevent firing by Hamas into Israel.”

Even when Hamas was pulled into participating in rocket fire, its rockets would always land in open spaces. “And that was intentional,” Baskin said.

 

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THE PEACEFUL AGGRESSION

By Daniel Mabsout, 

Every time the Zionist Jews hit and strike with their weapons , they talk about peace . Just watch the Zionist Jews after they wage war or commit a butchery, they will tell you about peace. You can watch them on Face Book filling their posts with comments about peace, and the necessity to find peace, and have peace and negotiate and talk about peace and reach peace. It is very shocking indeed . If you followed on FB the Israeli posts after the ugly Israeli assault on Gaza, you would have noticed the extensive use of the word peace repeated more than any other word .

Do the Israelis want peace or is peace another strategy of war ? The truth is that -after the war was over- the Israelis start attacking using peace or the notion of peace; and this is not restricted to Israelis for this is a world strategy -as well- followed by all the predator countries who want to exterminate original countries and original people. The strategy of peace- as a means for war- has not started long time ago , it was probably brought by the United Nations and got inspired from the Gandhi example and became encompassing with the process of globalization which catered for one global economy and needed – for that reason- the existence of one humanity.

The peace the predators talk about is not any peace , it is the peace of the predator , the one that the victim should seek and ask for so that the predator enjoys his supremacy and reaps “peacefully” the fruits of the bloody endeavor he has engaged in . It is the peace required by the aggressor in order to get away with the crimes he has committed and not fear any rightful and righteous retaliation on behalf of the victim . One has to make sure that the victim is deprived of the means to transcend this victimization into taking the initiative and retrieving his rights,  because a victim- seeking justice and persevering steadfastly on this path will- sooner or later- find a way to be granted victory and justice  .

This,  the predator knows very well, that his victory is transitional and accidental and will not last. Therefore, the predator works on creating new conditions and new circumstances whereby he offers peace to the victim as a means to deceive him and deprive him of the will and intention to prepare and equip himself and take the necessary precautions and measures to avoid what is planned for him .This ”peace” offered by the predator is again nothing but a means to erase his crime and look innocent again and render his victim powerless and helpless and for this he needs the participation of the victim himself.
When the predator poses as innocent hoping to become one , then we end up with two innocent people -the victim and the aggressor -who can at last form the one humanity that the world order has been longing for . When there is no more a predator and a victim , when there is no more a crime because the crime has wittingly hidden under layers of peace and peace talks and peace negotiations and peaceful humanity, then the predator can resume- the least to say – “peacefully”- the mission of exterminating humanity without being disturbed.

Verily this” peace” notion and “peace” concept and “peace” endeavor carried on by the UN and its multiples institutions,  and carried on by so many organizations – whether governmental or non governmental- and by so many activists- local and foreigners- is the most powerful war weapon that has ever existed . Whenever you hear the word peace- filling the place and occupying the space- know that a bloody war is ahead and more innocent victims liable to fall. This would be  the bloody outcome of Peace.

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Qatar in Gaza: Trying to Buy Peace?

Head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniya (R), meets with the head of a Qatari delegation Mohammed al-Emadi in Gaza City on 25 September 2012 (Photo: AFP – Mohammed Abed)

 

By: Sanaa Kamel

Published Tuesday, October 16, 2012

 

After pouring millions into the Gaza Strip for reconstruction projects, Qatar’s agenda in the region is still unclear, though it is certain that the emirate is attempting to expand its sway in local politics.

Gaza – A visit from the Qatari Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, and his wife Sheikha Mozah – or at least one of them – is expected very soon in Gaza.
This had led to the Strip’s security forces being put on high alert from north to south.
The Hamas government has confirmed the arrival of a high level official delegation in the coming days, in order to inaugurate a reconstruction project, but refuses to confirm who will come.

Qatar recently contributed $245 million to reconstruction projects in Gaza that are to be launched sometime this month.

Palestinian sources have reported that the emir will be arriving in Gaza in the coming week in what will be the first visit by an Arab head of state to the Strip.

The Islamic University television station, Kuttab, reported that preparations are underway for such a visit, pointing out that an advance delegation – lead by the Qatari ambassador Mohammad al-Ammadi – had entered the Strip through the Rafah crossing.

Some sources, however, have told Al-Akhbar that they expect Sheikha Mozah to visit the Strip alone.

Hamas’ security forces have been in a high state of alert, with hundreds of policemen being posted all along Salah al-Din road, which runs from the north of the strip all the way to the Rafah crossing in the south.

Even though many rightly assumed that such steps were being taken in anticipation of the Qatari visitors, Hamas officials refused to comment on the reasons behind these security measures.

Security officials within Hamas’ executive committee are insisting that the deployment of security forces throughout Gaza are part of the police training exercises that started last week and are intended to improve police capabilities.

Gazans aren’t convinced by the government’s story.

Some are saying that the show of force is part of a campaign by the Hamas government to display its strength to the world especially after a recent documentary about Hamas capabilities in Gaza was aired on al-Jazeera.

Gaza resident Mohammad al-Babli speculated that what is happening may have something to do with a visit by the Emir of Qatar, but added that Washington still views Mahmoud Abbas as the Palestinian president and may very well veto the emir’s plans.

Another resident, Numan al-Safi, is primarily concerned with the traffic jams that the security deployment has caused, saying that neither a visit by the emir nor even by the US president will change anything in Gaza as long as Hamas does not want it.

Most of the commentary about the expected visit on social networking sites tended to be sarcastic in nature, particularly in light of the difficult daily conditions that Gazans must bear.

Journalist Sherene Khalifa commented on the possible visit by the emir, saying “it makes no difference whatsoever,” for it will not solve deeply rooted problems like the electricity crisis and water shortages, nor will it bring about reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.

Others simply questioned what Qatar wants from such a visit and “why now, at this particular time? Does it want to rebuild Gaza?”

This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.

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"The Middle East peace process is dead…. it may well go on (decomposing) indefinitely"

“Via FLC

“…”The Middle East peace process is dead. More precisely, the two-state solution is dead; the peace process may well go on indefinitely if this Israeli government has its way.The two-state solution did not die a natural death. It was strangulated as Jewish settlements in the West Bank were expanded and deepened by successive Israeli governments in order to prevent the emergence of a viable Palestinian state. The settlement project has achieved its intended irreversibility, not only because of its breadth and depth but also because of the political clout of the settlers and their supporters within Israel who have both ideological and economic stakes in the settlements’ permanence” …”

Posted by G, M, Z, or B at 11:01 AM

 

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Abbas to Meet Mofaz for First Time in Years

Local Editor
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will meet the Zionist Vice-Premier Shaul Mofaz on Sunday, the first such high-level meeting in years, a Palestinian official said.
The meeting will focus on the prospect of resuming the so-called ‘Palestinian-Israeli peace talks’ that have been stalled since 2010, the official added on condition of anonymity.
The two men will meet either in the occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem) or in the West Bank city of Jericho, the official stated.
Mofaz, head of the Kadima party, joined the coalition led by Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month. Since then, he has been urging a meeting with the Palestinian president.
Abbas is expected to see if Mofaz has any new plans for reviving the peace negotiations, which broke down over disputes on the Jewish settlement activities in the West Bank and east al-Quds.
Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, said the meeting will not be counted as a new round of peace negotiations, since Abbas has set the conditions for restarting the talks, which include releasing the prisoners held by the Zionist enemy since before 1994 and lifting the arms embargo against the Palestinian National Authority.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian  
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