TO WHOM DO THESE PRISONERS BELONG ?

 

It is simply heart breaking and simply revolting to hear that a Palestinian prisoner sick with cancer has not been treated and when he was sent for treatment , the Israelis will keep his hands cuffed and he died with his hands cuffed .Do you want to hear more ? The prisoner -who is the father of four – asked his inmates during his last days never to call the guards to take him to the hospital because this meant that he will be dumped in a car trunk and taken with his cuffs on for an 18 hours drive until he reaches the hospital exhausted.

Of course the Israelis are masters in these kinds of things , they have mastered every art of killing and torturing and all the protests and NGO functions and the demonstrations and campaigns and all this fuss made about prisoners on the internet or elsewhere proves incapable to save or help one single prisoner. It is the prisoners and their families who are paying the full price from their health and their lives and their capacity of endurance .

The Palestinian Authority has forsaken the prisoners’ cause and the HAMAS movement is trading the path of the Palestinian Authority and rushing into normalization and recognition . The multiple NGOs -that have endorsed the cause- make more damage than good and are totally crippled and it is better if they do nothing, they think Israel to be a shy lady who fears for her reputation and hope that Israel will give in to the smear campaigns they carry on everywhere , they are either stupid or infiltrated by Israelis or both !Meanwhile prisoners are dying and starving themselves to death .

May the martyr rest in peace ! Maysara abu Hamdiyya born in 1949 in Hebron , father of four sons , worked with Fateh was arrested in year 2005 and could never be seen by his sons since. Sentenced for 25 years and then for life in year 2007 . Fell martyr while sick and hand cuffed at the 2nd of April 2013. The West Bank witnessed protests that will not turn into an Intifada but will remain controlled . The only thing that can release the prisoners is armed Resistance which the various Palestinian factions have relinquished .

These heroes who paid their lives will not accept less then the full victory over the usurper that they fully deserve despite dubious NGOS and corrupt Palestinian Authority and conspiring HAMAS!

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!

Palestinian Authority ‘Consenting to Its Own Colonization’

Swimming pool in the Israeli West Bank Settlement of Ariel

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By Richard Edmondson
In a way, what’s revealed in this article is not surprising. The Palestinian Authority, which does have some limited control over parts of the West Bank, has been obliged/coerced by Israel to provide water services to Israeli settlements there—settlements which are illegal under international law and which are the main obstacle to any peace agreement. But not only that, this practice has been going on for an incredible 15 years, a period during which the settlements have rapidly expanded and become more numerous.

As the author of the study puts it, the Palestinian Authority has essentially consented “to its own colonization and has not contested Israel’s cynical tactics as forcefully as it might have done.”

Researcher Uncovers Hidden Facts of Israeli-Palestinian Water Politics

Source: University of Sussex

The Israeli government has been forcing the Palestinian Authority into approving water infrastructure for illegal West Bank settlements for the past 15 years, according to research by a University of Sussex academic.

The research by Senior Lecturer in International Relations Dr Jan Selby  published (5 February 2013) in the journal Water Alternatives.¹

It presents the first known evidence of the Palestinian Authority lending its official consent to parts of Israel’s settlement expansion programme.

Settlements and related infrastructure are illegal under international law, and are recognised as one of the major obstacles to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The research is based on minutes of the Joint Water Committee – an Israeli-Palestinian body often upheld as an example of good Israeli-Palestinian relations – and interviews with participants. Dr Selby concludes that:

·         Israel has repeatedly made its approval of improvements to Palestinian water supplies conditional upon Palestinian Authority approval of new water facilities for Israeli settlements;

·         the Palestinians, who face serious water shortage issues and an underdeveloped supply system, have given this approval in almost every case;

·         the arrangement was known about by former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and current President Abu Mazen;

·         international donors have known that Israel’s approval of donor-funded projects for Palestinians is conditional on Palestinian approval of Israeli settlement infrastructures, but have preferred to remain silent on the issue;

·         the Palestinian water crisis in the West Bank has significantly worsened since the creation of the Joint Water Committee.

Dr Selby says: “None of the parties emerge very well from these findings. Israel has been exploiting Palestinian desperation for improved water supplies. The Palestinian Authority has been pressured into consenting to its own colonisation and has not contested Israel’s cynical tactics as forcefully as it might have done.

“And international donors have variously stood by or been complicit in activity which is contrary to international law, and contrary to their own policies on the peace process, and which has helped to undermine the possibility of a two state solution.”

---

Notes for Editors

 ^{1 ‘}Cooperation, domination and colonisation: The Israeli-Palestinian Joint Water Committee’ by Dr Jan Selby is published online by the journal Water Alternatives.

Dr Jan Selby is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations in the School of Global Studies, University of Sussex, and Director of the Sussex Centre for International Security (SCIS).

Dr Selby is widely published on Israeli-Palestinian and Middle Eastern water politics. He is author of Water, Power and Politics in the Middle East: The Other Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (IB Tauris, 2003), and more recently was Principal Investigator on the EU Framework 7-funded project Climate Change, Hydro-Conflicts and Human Security (CLICO), undertaking research on water-climate-conflict linkages in Cyprus, Israel-Palestine and Sudan. Dr Selby has served widely as a consultant and advisor on water policy issues.

For interviews please contact the University of Sussex Press office.

University of Sussex Press office contacts: Maggie Clune and Jacqui Bealing. Tel: 01273 678 888. Email:press@sussex.ac.uk

View press releases online at: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/newsandevents/

Stolen Land and Water: A Journey to Maale

Swimming pool at Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim

By Richard Edmondson

Yesterday after I posted an article about Israel forcing the Palestinian Authority to provide water infrastructure to its illegal settlements—an article which included a photo of a swimming pool in the West Bank settlement of Ariel—a reader emailed me: “I just noted the swimming pool on your blog accompanying the water research article. But that weeny pool is dwarfed by the Maale Adumim central Olympic pool.”

The reader’s email included a link to a web page promoting the settlement mentioned, Maale Adumim, located in the West Bank, approximately 7 kilometers from Jerusalem. If we go to the page and scroll just below midway down we find a photo of what appears to be, sure enough, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and—along with the photo—text informing us this is not the only swimming pool in Maale, but actually is one of four.

Yesterday’s post, entitled Palestinian Authority Consenting to Its Own Colonization, included a report by Dr. Jan Selby, a University of Sussex researcher, who found that the Israeli government “has repeatedly made its approval of improvements to Palestinian water supplies conditional upon Palestinian Authority approval of new water facilities for Israeli settlement.” Furthermore, “the Palestinians, who face serious water shortage issues and an underdeveloped supply system, have given this approval in almost every case.”

Selby additionally reported on something called the “Joint Water Committee,” presumably made up of both Israelis and Palestinians, which regulates water supplies in the West Bank, but which apparently leaves much to be desired—the researcher informs us the “Palestinian water crisis in the West Bank has significantly worsened” since the committee’s creation.

Significantly worsened for Palestinians, that is—but apparently not for the Israelis or their illegal settlements. In fact, water-wise everything seems to be just peachy in the settlements. If you look up Maale at Wikipedia, you find the following photo:

Artificial lake, Ma’ale Adumim

The caption underneath the photo reads, “Artificial lake, Ma’ale Adumim.” So the settlement has not only an Olympic pool (and three other pools as well), but also an artificial lake.

Passing reference to the lake is also made at the aforementioned web page, although the fact that the lake is artificial is omitted:

Maale Adumim has all the advantages of a city: an enclosed mall and several strip malls, a municipal government center, intra-city transportation, an extensive library, health services, an art museum, sports and recreational facilities, a lake, a music conservatory, parks and more. It also has many of the advantages of a small town. It is clean and pleasant, surrounded by palm trees and a breathtaking desert view, and is only 20 minutes from downtown Jerusalem.

I should probably here pause and mention that the website where the above appears is that of Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organization which exhorts Jews to make “aliyah” to Israel. I should also probably mention that Maale Adumim lies in the so-called “E1” area just east of Jerusalem. Last November, one day after Palestine’s successful statehood recognition campaign at the UN, Israel announced intentions to build 3,000 new settler homes in the E1 area. The move was widely seen as retaliation for the statehood vote.

The Nefesh B’Nefesh site provides a sort of virtual guided tour of the illegal settlement:

Maale Adumim’s Matnas (community center) offers dozens of activities for all ages, such as: sports, concerts, music, dance, shows, 4 swimming pools and an outstanding music program. There are also tennis and basketball courts as well as soccer fields. A baseball team for boys ages 8-12 has also started in the city.

The local library has a large collection of English books for children and adults. There is an English book club for adults. There is also an active club for retirees (55+) which offers a multitude of social activities (some of which are in English), as well as a weekly English-speakers’ senior club.

Maale sits at a very high elevation roughly midway between Jericho and Jerusalem. It is an area that is extremely dry and has little natural vegetation. If you look at the map below you can see that this area is strategically located between the northern and southern West Bank. Some critics have charged that the new settlement project will essentially bisect the West Bank, making a contiguous Palestinian state impossible.

 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!

Palestine: Prisoner Torture Ignites West Bank Flashpoints

Palestinian demonstrators wave their flags under a covered passage during a protest in support with Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails in the northern West Bank village of Araba, near Jenin, on 1 February 2013. (Photo: AFP – Saif Dahlah)

 

By: Abbad Yehya

Published Thursday, February 28, 2013

 

Ramallah – In the occupied West Bank, protests took a dramatic turn after Palestinian detainee Arafat Jaradat was tortured to death in Israeli custody.

 

Over the past few weeks, ongoing rallies have protested the mistreatment of hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners, but Jaradat’s death escalated events to the point where many are reminded of the first weeks of the 2000 intifada, when hundreds of Palestinians flocked to Israeli army checkpoints, armed with stones and Molotov cocktails.

“In the clashes taking place near Ofer Prison, the youths only call an ambulance when someone is hit with live ammunition,” said a Red Crescent paramedic. “But for those hit by rubber bullets or tear gas, it is simply not possible to deal with all their injuries.”

The paramedic was referring to the sheer magnitude of the confrontation currently taking place with the occupation forces in Ramallah, the old city of Hebron, and in other parts of the occupied West Bank.

While the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) security forces try to stop protesters from reaching flashpoints across the West Bank, several Palestinian factions are seeking to catch up with the angry street, even if belatedly so.

Yet demonstrators chant slogans that denounce the stances of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestinian factions alike. They have called on Palestinians to engage in efforts to save the prisoners, particularly after Jaradat’s death.

The clashes seem to be fiercest in Hebron when compared to other flashpoints, like the Qalandiya checkpoint south of Ramallah and the Huwwara checkpoint south of Nablus.

One protester remarked that “Oslo was just an attempt to force us to travel several kilometers before we could reach the occupation forces.” Indeed, confrontations are now restricted to the entrances of residential conglomerations in the West Bank where Israeli forces are deployed. This is unlike in the past when the Israeli army was present inside Palestinian cities, as well as refugee camps.

Palestinian Prisoners Fuel Protests

Amid both ominous and hopeful talk of a third intifada, the ever escalating issue of Palestinian detainees held by Israel remains the main driver of protests.

The Israeli army conducts habitual arrest campaigns, detaining Palestinians for long periods of time without disclosing information as to their whereabouts or charges. In many instances, lawyers are barred from visiting their clients.

This has prompted Israeli and Palestinian figures to stress that a failure to address the detainee issue would lead to further escalation.

It is in this context that Qaddoura Fares, chairperson of the Palestinian Prisoner Club, has stated that “the Palestinian side has sought to coordinate with the Israeli Shin Bet to contain the clashes, but to no avail, as Israeli politicians are preoccupied with building a coalition government.”

The protesting Palestinian youths are far removed from the statements being made by the so-called peace camps on both sides. They are also unconcerned by the remarks of PA officials about Israel deliberately provoking an escalation prior to US President Barack Obama’s anticipated visit.

Even as the PNA forces seek to contain any demonstrations that could pose a threat to the occupation army, the ongoing protests have redeemed the forms of popular resistance exercised by Palestinians during the first and second intifadas. It is no secret that the occupation army seeks to avoid aggravating the confrontations by steering them away from major roads that link cities together.

In order to contain the crisis, Israeli political analysts have proposed that Israel release a batch of Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli press has also carried explicit calls to spare Israelis a third intifada, and to restore calm to the West Bank.

This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.

 

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!

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).
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!

Israel rejects US report on Israel-PA education

 

 

Posted on February 9, 2013 |

 

The Zionist Education Ministry has rejected the findings of a US State Department funded study, which has claimed that the textbooks taught in Gaza and the West Bank don’t teach hatred toward Jews. The Ministry has called the report “profoundly unobjective”. The American Jewish advocacy group, ADL, has called the report “distortion of facts”. The rest of the Israel Hasbara Committee members (Jewish Week, JTA, algemeiner, HuffingtonPost, JPost, NPR, The Beast, etc.), claimed the report, from “one sided” to “antisemitic”.

In fact, the report, titled ‘Victims of Our Own Narratives’ has tried to cover-up the fact that Israeli school textbooks do teach hatred toward Arabs, Muslims, Christians and all the other non-Jewish people based on Jewish holy book Talmud. This fact was admitted in 2007 by Professor Daniel Bar-Tal of Tel Aviv University, after studying 124 elementary, middle- and high school textbooks on grammar and Hebrew literature, history, geography and citizenship. He wrote: “The early textbooks tended to describe acts of Arabs as hostile, deviant, cruel, immoral, unfair, with the intention to hurt Jews and to annihilate the State of Israel. Within this frame of reference, Arabs were delegitimized by the use of such labels as ‘robbers,’ ‘bloodthirsty,’ and ‘killers”. Another Israeli professor Nurit Peled-Elhanan, daughter of Israel’s 1967 War hero, Gen. Peled, had come to the same conclusion.

The report in question is based on a study of Israeli and Palestinian textbooks conducted by a team of Israeli and Palestinian researchers and led by professor Bruce Wexler, a Jewish psychiatrist at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Wexler and the panel of 19 academics, who surveyed over 3,100 excerpts from 168 Israeli and Palestinian textbooks – have blasted the Zionist regime and the Jewish lobby for rejecting the report “of being politically motivated”.

The report has exposed decades of Israel’s anti-Palestinian propaganda lies that Palestinian kids are brought-up on hatred toward Jews. Successive Zionist regimes have used this lie as trump card in underminding the claim that an independent Palestinian state is overdue. This is also a “biblical truth” among majority of US lawmakers.

“Both the Israeli and Palestinian communities should be commended for this important positive aspect of their books. Extreme negative characterizations of the other of his sort are present in textbooks elsewhere in the world,” claimed the report.

The study was launched in 2009 by the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land, a multifaith body that aims “to prevent religion from being used as a source of conflict, and to promote mutual respect,” according to its website. It is comprised of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, the Palestinian Islamic Waqf, and the heads of Christian churches in Israel and the West Bank.
The Zionist regime had boycotted the study, while Palestinian Authority officials cooperated with the study group.
 

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!

Peres: Palestinians don’t need to accept Israel as ‘Jewish State’

 

Posted on December 31, 2012 |
 

 

Zionist president Shimon Peres and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold totally opposite views when it comes to dealing with Palestinians or Iran. However, both are considered war criminals by many independent commentators. For example, Israel-born Jewish author and Jazz-player, Gilad Atzmon wrote on October 4, 2009:

“Truth must be said, I do admire fierce President Ahmadinejad almost as much as I despise war criminal Shimon Peres“.

On December 30, Shimon Peres addressed a large gathering of Israeli diplomats at the presidential palace. He told the diplomats that Netanyahu and his hawkish allies are out of touch with the realities on the ground in asking Palestinians to recognize Israel as a “Jewish state” before starting next round of talk between Israel and Palestinian Authority (PA).

 

“I do not need to define the nature of a Palestinian state – and they do not need to define our character. It’s undeniable,”said Peres.

 

Peres also praised PA president Mahmoud Abbas as the only friend of Israel among Palestinian leaders.

“I have known him for 30 years. No one will change my opinion about Abu Mazen, even if they say I cannot express it because I’m the president,” said Peres.

The Islamic resistance groups Hamas and Islamic and secularist Fatah, have one thing in common – they all refuse to recognize the Zionist entity as a “Jewish state”. Their stand has nothing to do with Jewish hatred – as US president Harry Truman, also, refused to recognize Israel as “Jewish state” on May 14, 1948. See the proof at top-left of this post.

 

Nathan Jaffey, writing at the Jewish daily Forward (December 30, 2012) said: “Peres knew the significance of what he was saying, and Netanyahu won’t take it lightly. It’s a demand that many observers deem unrealistic but one that Netanyahu is standing by. He may well know it’s unrealistic, but it’s part of his starting position on the peace process, and one what he wants the international community focusing on“.

 

Shimon Peres believes in a “demilitarized” Palestinian state over Gaza and part of the West Bank – but without East Jerusalem as its capital.

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!

The Good War: Israel, Egypt

A member of Hamas security forces checks a truck loaded with gravel at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip, Dec. 30, 2012. (photo by REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

By: Geoffrey Aronson.http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2012/al-monitor/hamas-israel-ceasefire-gaza.html posted onSun, Dec 30.

If it is possible to talk about a “good” war, then Israel’s Pillar of Defense against the Gaza Strip may well fit the bill. The war was a disaster — in human and material destruction. No one would argue otherwise. But it also crystallized a shared interest in stabilizing the conflict between Israel and Gaza — creating an opportunity that the three principal parties to the conflict — Israel, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Egypt — recognize and appear determined to exploit.

Gaza has long been the most dynamic arena where Israel and Palestinian interests collide. Battles have been fought with depressing regularity, and the periods of calm are inherently unstable, given the failure to reach a grand diplomatic bargain. But it is also the case that Israel, largely through Egyptian good offices, has since Ariel Sharon’s announcement in March 2004 of his intention to “disengage” from Gaza, enjoyed a more fruitful and successful dialogue with Hamas than with the PLO’s Mahmoud Abbas and the West Bank under his nominal rule. Today, Israel’s Egyptian-mediated dialogue with Hamas represents the only working diplomatic channel between Israel and the Palestinians.

The two-paragraph cease-fire document agreed to by Israel and Hamas on Nov. 21 is the latest example of this workmanlike relationship. Hamas did not sign the document, in keeping with the fiction that Israel is not negotiating with Hamas. This is only a cosmetic convenience however, that reflects the shared, strategic interest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Hamas leadership of Khaled Meshal alike. So too the document itself, which offers something for all parties, except that of Palestine’s president Mahmoud Abbas of course, and his Palestinian Authority(PA), which has been reduced to a facilitator of understandings reached between Israel and the government in Gaza.

The “Understanding Regarding the Cease-fire in the Gaza Strip” is divided into two parts — one governs the cease-fire. The other section refers to the “implementation mechanism,” and includes “opening the crossings and facilitating the movement of people and transfer of goods, and refraining from restricting residents’ free movement, and targeting residents in border areas and procedures of implementation.”

In contrast to Yitzhak Rabin’s famous dismissal of the timetables for implementing the Oslo II agreement — remember his “there are no sacred dates” — within the stipulated 24 hours after the agreement’s entry into force, each party was doing its part to see that the understandings were actually being implemented.

Israel and Hamas are each observing a cease-fire, which according to Israeli officials has resulted in the first period of “absolute quiet” in years. Within days of the end of hostilities Israel doubled to 6.9 kilometers the maritime border for Gaza’s fishermen, not adequate but a welcome improvement nonetheless. The Israeli-imposed 300 meter no-go zone inside Gaza’s 50 km border with Israel — which had placed off limits almost one third of Gaza’s much-needed agricultural land was also reduced. Farmers are already planting these newly “liberated” areas without serious incident and Hamas forces armed only with batons are now patrolling the border opposite unarmored Israeli military vehicles.

On Sunday, Israel inaugurated gravel exports from Israel to Gaza for use in commercial construction. These shipments were stopped by Israel after Hamas’ rout of Fateh forces in June 2007 — part of the draconian restrictions on trade adopted by Israel to squeeze the victorious Hamas regime.
The shipments themselves are more important for what they suggest than what they provide. After all, Gaza can import all the gravel it needs and at a cheaper price through the tunnels linking Gaza with Egypt. Israel initially embargoed such trade on security grounds. It didn’t want Hamas to use the material to build bunkers and other military facilities. The resumption of such shipments suggests that such concerns are no longer so compelling. Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom, noted that more than 300 truckloads of goods have been moving from Israel to the Gaza Strip on a daily basis.

“They can have much more if they would like to,” he said.

The resumption of this trade is also a symbolic nod in Egypt’s direction. As Israel sees it, the Egyptian government led by President Mohammed Morsi “passed the test” during Pillar of Defense. Despite its initial outrage and humiliation at Israel’s surprise decision to initiate a major offensive, Egypt’s new leaders followed a well-worn script adopted during the Mubarak era, mobilizing Cairo’s intelligence professionals to put an end to the violence. In return, the Netanyahu government has signaled that Israel may be prepared to do more to relieve Egypt of the strategic burden of Gaza’s well-being created by Israel’s disengagement and the associated siege. It would not be surprising to see discussion of an effective end to Israel’s maritime embargo of Gaza and perhaps even a restoration of Gaza’s airport.

More broadly however, is evidence that Israel has been forced to rethink both the political and economic utility of the siege as part of its improved relationship with Egypt, the Hamas government in Gaza, and the movement itself. The decision to permit a visit of a Hamas delegation headed by Khaled Meshal is an unambiguous example of this new look in Israel’s policy — one that has the added advantage of playing to Morsi’s preferences as well. This shared interest also includes reducing Iran’s ties with Hamas, already strained by the latter’s abandonment earlier this year of the Assad regime, and with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, whose leader Ramadan Shallah was pointedly told that he would be targeted if he entered Gaza along with Meshal. Similarly, Cairo requires no prodding from Israel or Washington to rebuff Iranian efforts to join the parade of Arab leaders visiting Gaza.

It would be far too much to conclude that Netanyahu is now expressing an interest in Gaza’s and Hamas’ economic revival. Notwithstanding the cease-fire, the seeds of the next war are already being sown. Israel has not abandoned its strategic interest in forcing Gaza to look to Egypt as its economic umbilical cord. It would be more accurate to say that Israel, and for that matter Egypt as well, is more prepared than it has been in the past to accommodate Hamas’ interests in Gaza as part of a “win-win-win” formula. As long as everyone keeps their guns in their pockets, Hamas can do what is most important to its leadership — turning mortar and bricks into a government that can expand its power to act in a relatively sovereign manner and that can offer Palestinians and the international community a positive contrast, and a prospective alternative, to the PLO’s rule in the West Bank.

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2012/al-monitor/hamas-israel-ceasefire-gaza.html#ixzz2GnQlEzX2

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!

اليرموك، لن يرموك! – زهير أندراوس

 

التطبيع الفلسفي بعد التطبيع بالرقص من دمشق إلى اريحا- عادل سمارة

اليرموك، لن يرموك! – زهير أندراوس

أطلق المعارض السوريّ، جورج صبرا، هذا الأسبوع تصريحًا من العيار الثقيل، يجب التمّعن فيه، وفهمه لأنّه يحمل في طيّاته الكثير من الحقد الدفين والكراهية والعداء، وتداعياته خطيرة للغاية، على سوريّة وعلى اللاجئين الفلسطينيين في هذا القطر العربيّ، ويؤكد بالدليل القاطع على نوايا من نصّبوا أنفسهم ممثلين للشعب العربيّ السوريّ، وهم يقضون أوقاتهم في التنقل من عاصمة إلى أخرى، عربيّة أوْ غربيّة، وينزلون في فنادق الخمس نجوم. التصريح الفاجر كان في مقابلة مع فضائية العربيّة، التابعة لآل سعود، الحلفاء المطيعين لرأس حربة الإمبرياليّة العالميّة، أمريكا، التي تكره كلّ ناطق بالضاد وكلّ من يقول لا إله الله محمد رسول الله،

 

قال صبرا بنبرةٍ حادّةٍ: مخيم اليرموك هو أرض سوريّة، ولن يمنعنا أحد من دخول المخيم، لأنّ هذا يهيئ لحسم معركة دمشق! لا نعرف من أين حصل هذا الـ”جنرال” على هذه المعلومات الإستراتيجيّة، ولكنّ الأزمة السوريّة، كما قال أحد الفلاسفة لم تُغيّر الناس، بل أسقطت الأقنعة عن الكثيرين من الأعراب وجورج صبرا في هذا السياق، هو القاعدة، وليس الاستثناء.

 

 

أمّا التصريح الثاني، الذي قضّ مضاجع صنّاع القرار في موسكو، وأدّى إلى ارتعاد فرائضهم، فكان من قبل المعارض هيثم المالح، عضو ما يُطلق عليه (الائتلاف الوطنيّ السوريّ) المعارض حيث قال إنّ كل روسيًا في سوريّة هو هدف مشروع للثورة السورية. وأضاف المالح في مقابلة مع قناة (روسيا اليوم) يوم الثلاثاء تعليقًا على اختطاف مواطنين روسيين: إنّ روسيا تُحارب الشعب السوريّ وتمُدّ العصابة الحاكمة بكافة أنواع الأسلحة وتستعمل حق النقض من اجل أنْ يستمر النظام في قتل الشعب السوري. وتابع المالح: بفضل الفيتو الروسيّ في مجلس الأمن الدوليّ قُتل أكثر من 50 ألف شهيد في سورية، لافتًا إلى أنّه ينظر إلى كلّ مدنيّ روسيّ في سورية كهدف مشروع للثورة السورية.
***

ولكنّ الحملة على الفلسطينيين في بلاد الشام لم تقتصر على المعارضة السوريّة، فمن رام الله المحتلة أطّل علينا، عضو عصابة أوسلو، المدعو ياسر عبد ربه، وناشد المجتمع الدوليّ بالتدّخل لمعاقبة النظام السوريّ الخطر على جيرانه، بحسب المتزعم الفلسطينيّ، وهو من أزلام واشنطن المخلصين حتى الثمالة،

 

ويبدو أنّ الولايات المتحدّة الأمريكيّة استجابت لطلب عبد ربه، الذي كان ينعته الرئيس الفلسطينيّ الراحل، الشهيد ياسر عرفات باسم: ياسر عبد ياسر، وباتت تشفق على الفلسطينيين، وتحمّل السلطات السوريّة المسؤولية عن حمايتهم، وهي نفس أمريكا، التي تُزوّد إسرائيل بالأسلحة المحرّمة دوليًا لارتكاب المجازر الفظيعة ضدّ المدنيين العزّل من أبناء الشعب الفلسطينيّ واللبنانيّ. ولكي يعرف الناس تاريخ عبد ربه، فهو الأول من قيادة منظمة التحرير الذي ربط هذه المنظمة بالإدارة الأمريكيّة قبل كارثة أوسلو بوقت طويل حيث (وللأسف) أخذه الراحل إدوارد سعيد إلى المطهر الأمريكيّ. ولم يكن عبد ربه وحيدًا في استجداء العدوان على سوريّة، بل أنّ إعلام سلطة أوسلو-ستان بأسره قد تمّ تجنيده ضد سوريّة، وبدرجات أخطر من الجزيرة والعربية و بي.بي. سي، لأنه يأتي باسم الفلسطينيين، لقد مهّدت سلطة أوسلو-ستان لكافة أنواع الخونة أنْ يتحدثوا باسم فلسطين، فكيف لا يستجدون تخريب سوريّة؟

***

من نوافل القول والجزم أيضًا إنّ المعارضة السوريّة، وتحديدًا صبرا والمالح، مرتبطة ارتباطًا عضويًا كاملاً بالإدارة الأمريكيّة، التي تقوم بتزويد المسلحين الإرهابيين بالأسلحة والعتاد بهدف إسقاط الدولة السوريّة، التي كانت وما زالت وستبقى شوكةً في حلق الإمبرياليّة والصهيونيّة والرجعيّة العربيّة، كما أنّها ترقص على موسيقى النشاز التي تُلحنها واشنطن، وتعزفها القارّة العجوز، وتُغنيها دولة الاحتلال، ونفس الأمر ينسحب على السيّد عبد ربه في رام الله المحتلّة، فهؤلاء الأشخاص انخرطوا في المشاريع الأمريكيّة من الفوضى الخلاقّة، إلى الشرق الأوسط الكبير، مرورًا بالشرق الأوسط الجديد، الذي يهدف في ما يهدف إلى إخراج مفهوم المقاومة والممانعة من مُعجم أمّة الناطقين بالضاد، والبقاء رهائن للرأسمال الأمريكيّ، الذي يُخطط ويُخرج إلى حيّز التنفيذ الاستباحة الكاملة للوطن العربيّ، وتحويله إلى تابعٍ أكثر ممّا هو تابع في هذه الفترة، تخيّلوا يا سادتي، وفكّروا يا سيدّاتي: ماذا سيحّل بالمعارضة السوريّة في حال رفع أمريكا يدها عنهم؟ نقول هذا لأنّه كما أنّ للإرهاب لا دين، فللرأسماليّة لا اعتراف بالدين، سوى دين الدولار، ولا نستبعد البتة تخلّي أمريكا عن هذه المعارضة، كما فعلت في مناطق أخرى في العالم خدمةً لمصالحها التكتيكيّة والإستراتيجيّة.

***

والشيء بالشيء يذكر: سوريّة الأسد، وعلى الرغم من الترهيب تارةً والترغيب تارةً، رفضت الانصياع لأمريكا، وبقيت تُغرّد خارج السرب، خلافًا لجميع الدول العربيّة، التي لبست قبعها ولحقت ربعها، ومن هنا كان المخطط للقضاء على الدولة السوريّة، وليس كما يُحاولون التصوير بأنّ الهدف هو إسقاط الرئيس الأسد وإطلاق الحريّات للشعب السوريّ، ومَنْ يُشكك في أقوالنا فلينظر ماذا فعل الأمريكيون في بلاد الرافدين، وليبيا، واليمن ومصر والحبل على الجرار، ذلك أنّه في صلب العقيدة الأمريكيّة العامل الأهّم هو الحفاظ على أمن دولة الاحتلال، الحبيبة الربيبة، إسرائيل، وعدم السماح بأيّ شكلٍ من الأشكال، للدول العربيّة، إذا جاز التعبير، كسر التفوق العسكريّ لدولة الاحتلال، لتبقى فزّاعة تُخيف العرب من محيطهم إلى خليجهم.

***

اللافت أوْ بالأحرى عدم اللافت، أنّه على الرغم من الخلافات المتجذرة بين حركتي حماس وفتح، نرى أنّهما باتتا على اتفاق في مسألة مخيم اليرموك، حماس، التي طعنت سوريّة بالظهر، سوريّة التي استقبلتها واحتضنتها وقادتها بعد طردهم من الأردن عام 1999، لم تتورّع عن رفع علم الانتداب الفرنسيّ في ذكرى انطلاقتها الـ25 قبل أسبوعين في غزّة، في الحقيقة لم أُفاجأ عندما شاهدت رئيس الدائرة السياسيّة في الحركة، خالد مشعل، وهو يرفع علم الانتداب، مع بقية قادة حماس،

 

وفي هذا السياق يحّق لنا أنْ نسأل مشعل، الذي يتخذ من عاصمة إمارة الخيانة، الدوحة، مقرًا له: كيف تُريد تحرير فلسطين من النهر إلى البحر وأنت تمسك علم الانتداب؟ هل نسيت أنّ الانتداب البريطاني هو الذي منح الصهاينة فلسطين؟ مُضافًا إلى ذلك: هل رفع العلم والانحياز إلى الـ”ثورة السوريّة” هو الثمن الذي ألزمك أمير قطر بدفعه لقاء الاستضافة والدعم الماليّ؟

والسؤال الأهّم من هذا وذاك، يا مشعل، هل رفع العلم كان بمثابة الإشارة لأنصار حماس بالانخراط في ما يُسمى بالجيش الحر لتسهيل الانقضاض على مخيم اليرموك، وزج الفلسطينيين، الذين التزموا الحياد في المشكلة السوريّة؟ وذلك بهدف تأجيج وتأليب الرأي العام العربيّ والدوليّ، المؤلب والمؤجج أصلاً ضدّ النظام السوريّ واتهامه بقصف المخيم بالطائرات، لإيجاد سبب يقبله العقل العربيّ بضرورة التدّخل الغربيّ للدفاع عن اللاجئين الفلسطينيين؟

 

وأكثر من ذلك، كما قال المفكّر العربيّ الفلسطينيّ، د. عادل سمارة، وهو من المفكّرين القلائل الذين ما زالوا يؤيدون سوريّة لفهمه العميق إلى أين ستؤول سوريّة في حال سقوط الدولة والنظام، كتب د. سمارة، في صفحته على موقع التواصل الاجتماعيّ، يوم الثلاثاء (18.12.12):

“هل سمعتم أنّه تمّت المصالحة الفلسطينيّة في موقعين، الموقع الأوّل في مخيم اليرموك لتوريط الفلسطينيين هناك في الأزمة السوريّة.
ومن أجل ماذا؟ لإرغام القيادة السوريّة على ضرب هؤلاء فيكون المخيم المكان الذي يُبرر التدّخل الغربيّ، هكذا كان ولا يزال إعلام أوسلو-ستان يولول ويرّوج. أليس هذه جريمة نكراء ومآلها تجميع الفلسطينيين في الأردن ودعم الوطن البديل،
والموقع الثاني في القبول بأوسلو”.

***
وكلمة حق يُراد فيها حق: قائد الجبهة الشعبيّة لتحرير فلسطين-القيادة العامّة، أحمد جبريل، يتعرّض في هذه الأيام لحملة سافرةٍ من قبل متزعمين عرب وفلسطينيين لاستماتة مقاتليه في الدفاع عن مخيم اليرموك في سوريّة، وعدم السماح للإرهابيين باقتحامه، الجبهة تستحق التقدير لتحملها عبء الدفاع عن المخيم، وهي تتعرض لحملة افتراء إعلامية مضللة، يمكن كشف خلفياتها بمجرد طرح الأسئلة التالية:

هل خرج أعضاء القيادة العامّة، وقاتلوا خارج المخيم؟

 

هل الدفاع عن المخيم بات مدانًا وليس مسموحًا به؟ هل الدفاع عن اليرموك هو تحالف مع النظام السوريّ؟

 

والسؤال المفصليّ: هل المطلوب من الفلسطينيّ أن يُسهّل عملية تحويل المخيم إلى أرض معركة، بحيث يكون هو وقودها؟.

 

من المهم التذكير لأصحاب الذاكرة الانتقائيّة والقصيرة أنّ المزايدة على جبريل، حامل البندقيّة منذ أنْ كان شابًا يافعًا وحتى اليوم، هي خيانة، هذا الرجل الذي استشهد نجله الكبير جهاد، لقّن إسرائيل دروسًا في المقاومة، ومرغ أنفها في التراب الموحل عندما أجبرها عام 1985 على توقيع اتفاق تبادل الأسرى، ناهيك عن الطائرات الشراعيّة التي أطلقها وأربكت منظومة الدفاعات الأرضيّة والجويّة لجيش الاحتلال.

***

وفي زمننا الرديء، نجد الكثير من أصحاب الأقنعة المزيّفة، أوْ ما يُسّمون أنفسهم بأصحاب المبادئ، رجاءً، ابتعدوا عنهم، حتى لا تكونوا ضحيةً لإنسانٍ مزدوج الشخصية…

وما زالت الأقنعة تتساقط، يا ترى كم قناع سوف نكتشفه قبل فوات الأوان؟

 

* كاتب من فلسطين داخل الداخل

 

• Is Yarmouk Headed for the Same Fate as Nahr al Bared?
• What happened in Yarmouk Camp: A story of Fatah and Hamas betrayal
• Who is the benificiary of the displacing of the displaced Palestinian in Syria?
• “As Yarmouk goes, so goes Damascus. As Damascus goes, so goes Syria”
• Ahmad Jibril to be expelled from the PL(iquidation)O
• Do you Remember the Operation of Qibya in the night of gliders?

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!

Palestinian Leadership Still Asleep at the Wheel?

Empowered, emboldened… but what is the PLO doing with its new UN status?

 by Stuart Littlewood

The Palestinian Embassy in London has just issued a press release under the heading “Pressing need to halt Israel’s illegal settlement colonization campaign via political, legal, and diplomatic means”.

It complains about Israel’s “flagrant disrespect of international law” in announcing, the day after the UN upgraded Palestine’s status, a further 3,000 illegal settlement units in Palestinian East Jerusalem.

“It is time that political, economic and legal means are used so that Israel bears its responsibility for its violations and obstruction of peace efforts,” says Ambassador Manuel Hassassian. He wants the British government and the EU to ban Israeli settlement products and bar Israeli extremist settlers. “This is the only way to halt Israel’s illegal settlement campaign, salvage the two-state solution and revive the peace process.”

What’s more, he urges the British public to…

• Write to their MP outlining Israel’s illegal settlement expansion activities which are a breach of article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention and constitute war crimes.
• Ask their MP to call for a ban on import of settlement products into the UK.
• Contact the Foreign Office.
• Inform the Embassy of any responses.

There has been a “pressing need” to halt Israel’s illegal settlement-building ever since the Allon Plan of 1967. But the PLO did remarkably little over the years to use the channels open to it until last month when it finally got around to applying for – and getting – non-Member observer status at the UN.

Why is the newly-empowered Palestine, fresh from its victory, still asking us to do the donkey-work? One hoped that President Abbas would waste no time in signing up to the Rome Statute and joining the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice in order to lay long-overdue charges against Israel for its illegal occupation, blockade, war crimes and crimes against humanity. First among the many legal options, surely, is to cut the endless whining and apply for an injunction against further settlement construction.

True, reports are circulating that Palestinian officials talk of filing war crimes charges and encouraging the international community to impose sanctions. But there may be a long wait before this Zionist-corrupted British government suspends trade with the thugs it repeatedly pledges to support and persuades its EU partners to do the same.

What if those 138 nations adopted BDS…

Now that access to the proper UN legal machinery is available for Palestinians, it is ridiculous to claim that EU and other sanctions are “the only way” to halt Israel’s illegal settlement campaign and salvage the two-state solution. Did 138 nations vote to upgrade Palestine’s UN status for nothing?
Only a few days ago Agent Cameron renewed his loyal pledge: “We said we’d resist calls for boycotts on Israel and yes – we are going to keep on working with Israel, doing business with Israel, trading with Israel.”

And earlier this month Agent Hague was saying that European trade sanctions against Israel were not an option. “I don’t think there is enthusiasm around the European Union … about economic sanctions in Europe on Israel. I don’t believe there would be anywhere near a consensus nor is that our approach.”

Even news that South Africa’s ruling party, the ANC, has adopted BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) as official policy is unlikely to push Hague and Cameron into making a humiliating U-turn and shafting their best friends in all the world. But if those 138 nations could be persuaded to similarly embrace BDS, who knows, it might do the trick.

Meanwhile, when asked what steps the British Government was taking to promote compliance with obligations under international law in the conflict between Israel and Palestine, Alistair Burt (Foreign Office minister for Middle East affairs) gave Parliament this soppy reply: “We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including settlements and the treatment of prisoners, including Palestinian children in military custody.”

“We have consistently condemned Israel’s announcements to expand settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem… We look to the Government of Israel to take all necessary steps to prevent settlement construction.”

And when Jeremy Corbyn asked what steps were being taken to make sure Israeli settlements are excluded from all EU and UK agreements with Israel, Burt replied that UK and EU guidelines do not currently differentiate between products from Israel or from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. He said the EU Foreign Affairs Council was working on measures to ensure that settlement produce does not enter the EU duty-free, under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and that EU-wide guidelines are issued to make sure that settlement products are not incorrectly labelled as Israeli produce. But there are currently “no plans for EU or domestic legislation on this issue”.

Another MP asked what advice the Government was giving UK companies who do business with Israeli settlements, and was told: “International law does not impose obligations on corporations, and for a company to operate in Israeli settlements is not, per se, contrary to UK law. So we do not provide advice or guidelines to UK companies who operate, or are considering operating, in Israeli settlements.”

So much for ‘dialogue’.

The ball is now in the PLO’s court. Before telling us what WE must do, Mr Ambassador, let’s see evidence of what the PA/PLO are doing, if anything, after their heady success at the UN three weeks ago.

Here was a chance for the Palestinian leadership to show us what they’re really made of. But it seems they’re stuck in same old time-wasting groove.

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!

Israel invokes Europe’s Holocaust guilt

Posted on December 12, 2012

On Tuesday, Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, in an effort to invoke western anti-Jewish guilt, criticized the Western nations for not joining Israel-US-Canada- Czech Republic against Palestinian Authority’s (PA) victory at UN General Assembly last month. Lieberman compared European nations’ action with their antisemitic attitude during late 1930s when they did not save German Jews from Nazis.

“Once again, Europe has ignored calls for Israel’s destruction. We have already seen this at the end of 1930s and the begining of 1940s when Europe knew what was happening in the concentration camps and didn’t act. Europe has slapped itself in the face,” Lieberman told Israel public radio.

Naturally, no one expected Lieberman to admit that it were Jewish groups in the United States and England which had declared war on German people by boycotting all trade with Germany even before Hitler assumed power. Now, the Jewish groups are applying similar dirty tricks against Palestinian and Iranian people. The German government’s response to the Jewish imposed ’crippling sanction’, was the best thing to happen to the World Zionist Movement in its history, as it proved to many Jews that European were born Jew-haters and that immigration to Palestine was the only answer: Zionism came to represnt the overwhelming majority of Jews solely by trickery and cooperation with Nazis by Zionist leaders.

 Earlier this month, former Zionist foreign minister and daughter of a European Jewish terrorist, Tzipi Livni, had called PA victory as a ‘strategic terrorist attack‘.

As expected, Jewish media mistranslated Khaled Meshaal speech in Gaza and inserted notorious statement “wipe Israel off map”, wrongly attributed to Iran’s president Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005. In fact, what Ahmadinejad said in Persian was “a Middle East without Zionism”.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian  
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