30 September 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor
The Israeli government approved a decision to construct a huge
Israeli settlement south of Jerusalem as part of its "Jerusalem 2020"
project, which aims to construct 58,000 settler housing units in the
Holy City.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Quds,
Khalil Al-Tafakji, an expert on Israeli settlements, said that the
decision to build 2,561 new housing units in Givat HaMatos was ratified
yesterday. The settlement will be located in Beit Safafa territory,
which is located south of Jerusalem as well as in the Beit Jala near
Bethlehem.
Al-Tafakji said such a decision does not require much for approval
but depends on the issuance of a permit and funds to begin construction.
The settlement of Givat HaMatos currently consists of 250 mobile
homes that will be removed in accordance with the project's expansion.
Permanent buildings will be built in their place.
Al-Tafakji said that the establishment of this settlement would mean
that the town of Beit Safafa would be surrounded by settlements and
bypass roads on all sides. This will make it impossible for the town to
embark on any expansion plans.
He expressed his belief that the establishment of this large-scale
settlement was a giant leap for the Judaisation project known as
Jerusalem 2020. Not only does this project seek to expand existing
settlements, eh explained, but it also allows for the building of new
ones making it a project that requires the confiscation of 2,000 acres
of occupied Palestinian land.
Link: middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/14444-israel-approves-new-settlement-plan-south-of-jerusalem.
Showing posts with label Israeli settlements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israeli settlements. Show all posts
Monday, October 27, 2014
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Settlers use tourism to draw Israelis to West Bank
May 6, 2011
By TIA GOLDENBERG
The Associated Press
PSAGOT, West Bank — Perched atop a West Bank hill, the Binyamin region visitors center invites travelers to look past the military jeeps patrolling the surrounding area and enjoy nature, archaeological sites and bucolic vineyards.
Jewish settlers are promoting tourism to draw Israelis who might otherwise never set foot in the West Bank, an occupied area Palestinians want as part of a future state. Proponents hope that drawing visitors will help increase support for retaining the territory, while critics say the tourism campaign, like Jewish settlements, is a foothold that stands in the way of making peace.
The Binyamin region — named for the Hebrew tribe of Benjamin, thought to have lived here in biblical times — is a short drive from population centers in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem; its boosters call it "the heart of Israel." Ancient ruins and wine routes line the roads here leading to the Jewish settlements and Palestinian villages that exist, uneasily, side by side.
The visitors center was established last August in response to an increase in visitors to the region and with hopes of drawing more, manager Yaela Briner said. Since then, Briner said some 5,000 tourists have passed through, half of them Israelis.
Some of the 300,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank are looking to tourism as a way to help normalize Israel's hold on the territory it captured in 1967. They tout the region's proximity to urban centers, its biblical history and its idyllic scenery as a way to paint a positive picture for Israelis who might frown upon Israel's settlement enterprise, the country's most divisive political issue.
"We have a moral interest for Judea and Samaria to be toured by Israelis who for various reasons still don't see it as a place to tour," said Dani Dayan, head of a settler umbrella group, referring to the West Bank by its biblical names.
Attacks against Israelis still occur in the West Bank. Most recently, Palestinian militants stabbed five family members to death in their homes in an isolated settlement.
Still, the relative calm of recent years has made tourism a possibility. The area offers a plethora of sites, many of them of biblical significance. The settlement of Shilo, for instance, was a stopping point for the biblical Tabernacle before it went to Jerusalem.
Natural springs and reserves dot the region and boutique wineries are popping up, attracting both religious and secular Jews. While no records are kept as to how many Israelis visit the West Bank, settlers say the numbers are growing, spurred by an aggressive marketing campaign.
Settler representatives attend tourism fairs and extol the wonders of the region to travel agents. They have launched campaigns targeting Israelis, appealing to the West Bank's Jewish history. One project titled "Every Jew's Story" had billboards up in cities across Israel, depicting grinning children dressed as famous biblical characters, urging Israelis to return to their roots with a visit to the West Bank and offering tours to different sites.
For those Israelis uninspired by the biblical connection, settlers have appealed to adventure-seekers by installing a 400-yard (meter)-long zipline, or to nature-lovers with greater access to springs. The Binyamin visitors center tailors its tours to the interests of the traveler, focusing on history, wine or nature.
The settlers might be inspired by the example of the Golan Heights, an area Israel captured from Syria in 1967. The nature reserves and wineries of the Golan have made it a major tourist draw, and polls show a majority of Israelis oppose a withdrawal there.
The Golan has been largely quiet for the past four decades, but the volatile West Bank does not occupy a similar place in the Israeli consensus. Polls show a majority of Israelis would cede most or all the area in return for peace.
The Israeli government has also taken steps to promote tourism in the West Bank, offering to protect certain historical sites there and pledging to send schoolchildren on field trips to a disputed holy site in Hebron, one of the West Bank's most explosive flashpoints.
"They want people to think it's normal there, that it's legitimate to travel there," said Hagit Ofran, of the Israeli settlement watchdog group Peace Now. "They want people to think that those areas are part of Israel," though it has never annexed the West Bank.
On a recent rainy morning, a handful of Israeli visitors meandered around the Inn of the Good Samaritan, a museum housing dozens of archaeological artifacts from around the West Bank.
Shoshi Leibovich, a secular Jew visiting from nearby Jerusalem, said she seldom travels to the West Bank but was drawn by its tourist attractions.
"Judea and Samaria is where our forefathers lived. It's interesting. It doesn't need to be political," she said, peering at a mosaic extracted from an ancient synagogue floor.
Tourist infrastructure has expanded in order to accommodate those visitors, said Dror Etkes, an anti-settlement activist, pointing to a soon to be opened holistic healing retreat nestled between desert hills near the biblical town of Jericho. Alongside the red-tiled roofs of scattered West Bank settlements are a growing number of inns and restaurants — all which eat into land desired by the Palestinians as part of a future state.
Palestinians say promoting tourism in the West Bank complicates any future peace making.
"It consolidates the occupation and consolidates settler presence in the West Bank," said Palestinian government spokesman Ghassan Khattib.
The Israeli Tourism Ministry said it doesn't actively promote the West Bank region as a tourist destination for Israelis, though Christian pilgrims around the world frequently head to the Jordan River for baptism ceremonies.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Israel supports maintaining historical sites in the West Bank because "irrespective of one's political perspective, the fact is these are sites that are of great importance historically and culturally."
___
By TIA GOLDENBERG
The Associated Press
PSAGOT, West Bank — Perched atop a West Bank hill, the Binyamin region visitors center invites travelers to look past the military jeeps patrolling the surrounding area and enjoy nature, archaeological sites and bucolic vineyards.
Jewish settlers are promoting tourism to draw Israelis who might otherwise never set foot in the West Bank, an occupied area Palestinians want as part of a future state. Proponents hope that drawing visitors will help increase support for retaining the territory, while critics say the tourism campaign, like Jewish settlements, is a foothold that stands in the way of making peace.
The Binyamin region — named for the Hebrew tribe of Benjamin, thought to have lived here in biblical times — is a short drive from population centers in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem; its boosters call it "the heart of Israel." Ancient ruins and wine routes line the roads here leading to the Jewish settlements and Palestinian villages that exist, uneasily, side by side.
The visitors center was established last August in response to an increase in visitors to the region and with hopes of drawing more, manager Yaela Briner said. Since then, Briner said some 5,000 tourists have passed through, half of them Israelis.
Some of the 300,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank are looking to tourism as a way to help normalize Israel's hold on the territory it captured in 1967. They tout the region's proximity to urban centers, its biblical history and its idyllic scenery as a way to paint a positive picture for Israelis who might frown upon Israel's settlement enterprise, the country's most divisive political issue.
"We have a moral interest for Judea and Samaria to be toured by Israelis who for various reasons still don't see it as a place to tour," said Dani Dayan, head of a settler umbrella group, referring to the West Bank by its biblical names.
Attacks against Israelis still occur in the West Bank. Most recently, Palestinian militants stabbed five family members to death in their homes in an isolated settlement.
Still, the relative calm of recent years has made tourism a possibility. The area offers a plethora of sites, many of them of biblical significance. The settlement of Shilo, for instance, was a stopping point for the biblical Tabernacle before it went to Jerusalem.
Natural springs and reserves dot the region and boutique wineries are popping up, attracting both religious and secular Jews. While no records are kept as to how many Israelis visit the West Bank, settlers say the numbers are growing, spurred by an aggressive marketing campaign.
Settler representatives attend tourism fairs and extol the wonders of the region to travel agents. They have launched campaigns targeting Israelis, appealing to the West Bank's Jewish history. One project titled "Every Jew's Story" had billboards up in cities across Israel, depicting grinning children dressed as famous biblical characters, urging Israelis to return to their roots with a visit to the West Bank and offering tours to different sites.
For those Israelis uninspired by the biblical connection, settlers have appealed to adventure-seekers by installing a 400-yard (meter)-long zipline, or to nature-lovers with greater access to springs. The Binyamin visitors center tailors its tours to the interests of the traveler, focusing on history, wine or nature.
The settlers might be inspired by the example of the Golan Heights, an area Israel captured from Syria in 1967. The nature reserves and wineries of the Golan have made it a major tourist draw, and polls show a majority of Israelis oppose a withdrawal there.
The Golan has been largely quiet for the past four decades, but the volatile West Bank does not occupy a similar place in the Israeli consensus. Polls show a majority of Israelis would cede most or all the area in return for peace.
The Israeli government has also taken steps to promote tourism in the West Bank, offering to protect certain historical sites there and pledging to send schoolchildren on field trips to a disputed holy site in Hebron, one of the West Bank's most explosive flashpoints.
"They want people to think it's normal there, that it's legitimate to travel there," said Hagit Ofran, of the Israeli settlement watchdog group Peace Now. "They want people to think that those areas are part of Israel," though it has never annexed the West Bank.
On a recent rainy morning, a handful of Israeli visitors meandered around the Inn of the Good Samaritan, a museum housing dozens of archaeological artifacts from around the West Bank.
Shoshi Leibovich, a secular Jew visiting from nearby Jerusalem, said she seldom travels to the West Bank but was drawn by its tourist attractions.
"Judea and Samaria is where our forefathers lived. It's interesting. It doesn't need to be political," she said, peering at a mosaic extracted from an ancient synagogue floor.
Tourist infrastructure has expanded in order to accommodate those visitors, said Dror Etkes, an anti-settlement activist, pointing to a soon to be opened holistic healing retreat nestled between desert hills near the biblical town of Jericho. Alongside the red-tiled roofs of scattered West Bank settlements are a growing number of inns and restaurants — all which eat into land desired by the Palestinians as part of a future state.
Palestinians say promoting tourism in the West Bank complicates any future peace making.
"It consolidates the occupation and consolidates settler presence in the West Bank," said Palestinian government spokesman Ghassan Khattib.
The Israeli Tourism Ministry said it doesn't actively promote the West Bank region as a tourist destination for Israelis, though Christian pilgrims around the world frequently head to the Jordan River for baptism ceremonies.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Israel supports maintaining historical sites in the West Bank because "irrespective of one's political perspective, the fact is these are sites that are of great importance historically and culturally."
___
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The Middle East Peace Talks and Settlements
written by: Sheila Quinn
The leaders of The U.S. and Europe are obviously pro-Israeli. The mind games that they are playing with the Arabs and the public in general is scandalous. They give lip service to The Arab Peace Initiative while giving the green light to The Israeli State to proceed as it wishes.
What is being accomplished is that they are allowing facts to be changed on the ground for all of Palestine to be stolen by The Israeli State while allowing the Israelis to insist that Jordan doesn't exist at all. Jordan is not Jordan but Palestine.
Settlements are being built;forty percent of the West Bank has been stolen through the building of the settlements. Action is being taken by The Israeli State to evict all Palestinians who live in The Jordan Valley. What does this accomplish? It not only is stealing land from The Palestinians, but it is causing a direct threat to the security of Jordan. The land that many settlements are on is on the border with Jordan. If The Israeli State wanted to invade Jordan at any time in the future such an effort would be very easy.
What is the government of Jordan doing about it? Well, it is insisting on The Two State Solution on one hand and preparing for war on the other hand. It is insisting on the unity of Jordan while intimidating Jordanians who are critical of the government.
When King Abdullah the second of Jordan first became king I was very excited. I sensed that positive significant changes would occur for Jordan under his leadership. But I am starting to become disillusioned with him. He has put trust in those that he shouldn't trust. He has put trust in the leadership of the U.S. and Europe. In putting trust in them he is allowing the Jordanian government to commit acts of tyranny against Jordanian citizens.
The issue of the settlements is clear, they are illegal. Yet, they are allowed to continue in-spite of their illegality. Both The U.S. and Europe has -by all practicality- refused to pressure The Israeli State into stopping them. Yet, Jordan continues to act as a loyal ally to both The U.S. and Europe. What sense does this make? What does this say about Jordan and its effectiveness as an advocate?
Where will the peace talks go from here? Will the Arab leaders cave in and compromise more than they have already? Or will a war break out between the Israeli State and its Arab neighbors? How long will we have to wait for the answer to these questions?
Some references:
"EU ministers resigned to Israeli settlement building" from EarthTimes Link:http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/358003,resigned-israeli-settlement-building.html.
"Israel welcomes US decision to focus on core issues" from EarthTimes Link:http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357997,decision-focus-core-issues.html.
"The Charade of Israeli-Palestinian Talks" from Truthout Link:http://www.truth-out.org/the-charade-israeli-palestinian-talks65701.
The leaders of The U.S. and Europe are obviously pro-Israeli. The mind games that they are playing with the Arabs and the public in general is scandalous. They give lip service to The Arab Peace Initiative while giving the green light to The Israeli State to proceed as it wishes.
What is being accomplished is that they are allowing facts to be changed on the ground for all of Palestine to be stolen by The Israeli State while allowing the Israelis to insist that Jordan doesn't exist at all. Jordan is not Jordan but Palestine.
Settlements are being built;forty percent of the West Bank has been stolen through the building of the settlements. Action is being taken by The Israeli State to evict all Palestinians who live in The Jordan Valley. What does this accomplish? It not only is stealing land from The Palestinians, but it is causing a direct threat to the security of Jordan. The land that many settlements are on is on the border with Jordan. If The Israeli State wanted to invade Jordan at any time in the future such an effort would be very easy.
What is the government of Jordan doing about it? Well, it is insisting on The Two State Solution on one hand and preparing for war on the other hand. It is insisting on the unity of Jordan while intimidating Jordanians who are critical of the government.
When King Abdullah the second of Jordan first became king I was very excited. I sensed that positive significant changes would occur for Jordan under his leadership. But I am starting to become disillusioned with him. He has put trust in those that he shouldn't trust. He has put trust in the leadership of the U.S. and Europe. In putting trust in them he is allowing the Jordanian government to commit acts of tyranny against Jordanian citizens.
The issue of the settlements is clear, they are illegal. Yet, they are allowed to continue in-spite of their illegality. Both The U.S. and Europe has -by all practicality- refused to pressure The Israeli State into stopping them. Yet, Jordan continues to act as a loyal ally to both The U.S. and Europe. What sense does this make? What does this say about Jordan and its effectiveness as an advocate?
Where will the peace talks go from here? Will the Arab leaders cave in and compromise more than they have already? Or will a war break out between the Israeli State and its Arab neighbors? How long will we have to wait for the answer to these questions?
Some references:
"EU ministers resigned to Israeli settlement building" from EarthTimes Link:http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/358003,resigned-israeli-settlement-building.html.
"Israel welcomes US decision to focus on core issues" from EarthTimes Link:http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357997,decision-focus-core-issues.html.
"The Charade of Israeli-Palestinian Talks" from Truthout Link:http://www.truth-out.org/the-charade-israeli-palestinian-talks65701.
Funding illegal Israeli settlements? Priceless
Bernard Keane
Crikey.com.au - 13 December 2010
Visa, Mastercard and PayPal all enable donations to be made to US-registered groups funding illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank in defiance of international law.
It appears at least one of the major credit cards also enables donations to an extremist Jewish group that has placed a bounty on the lives of Palestinians.
All three have in the last week ceased enabling donations to WikiLeaks. Neither Mastercard nor Visa have explained the basis for their decision to do so. PayPal has backed away from its initial claim that the US State Department told PayPal WikiLeaks had broken the law after the claim was discredited. This is the third occasion on which PayPal has suspended payment services for WikiLeaks.
Israel subsidises over 100 settlements in the West Bank in defiance of international law. Another 100+ are "illegal outposts" even under Israeli law. All benefit from extensive support from the United States, channelled through a range of Jewish and right-wing Christian bodies, all of which have charitable status under US law. The International Crisis Group’s report on settlements in July 2009 identified the important role played by US charities. Israeli newspaper Haaretz has investigated the strong support provided via US charities, and Israeli peace groups have also targeted the generous support provided via private donations from the US and Canada.
Credit card transactional systems play a key role in facilitating this support for illegal settlements. Here are some examples.
* The Shuva Israel group, an evangelical Christian group based in Texas, is accused by Israeli group Gush Shalom of channelling money to fund the illegal West Bank settlement of Revava. You can donate to it, says the Shuva Israel website, via Mastercard, Visa and Paypal.
* The One Israel Fund, used as an example in the International Crisis Group report, boasts of being "the largest North American charity whose efforts are dedicated solely to the citizens and communities of Yesha". You can donate to the One Israel Fund, according to its website, via Mastercard, Visa and Amex.
* The website of another right-wing Christian group, the Christian Friends of Israeli Communities describes support for settlements like Argaman, which are illegal under international law. You can donate, their website says, via Mastercard, Visa and PayPal.
* One of the highest-profile groups is the Hebron Fund, the centre of a 2009 row when the New York Mets were criticised for hosting a fundraising dinner for the group. It provides extensive support for the extraordinarily aggressive Hebron settlement, described by one Israeli group as "an ongoing war crime", while the Fund itself has been linked to praise for an Israeli mass murderer. According to its website, it receives donations via all major credit cards.
* Worst of all is the extremist SOS Israel group, which has incurred even the wrath of the Israeli Defence Force by rewarding Israeli soldiers who disobey orders to evict settlers from illegal outposts (i.e. inciting mutiny), and which has offered a bounty for Palestinians shot by IDF soldiers. The SOS Israel website describes a number of ways you can make your "generous donation" to it, including credit cards. Crikey’s token $2 donation via a Visa card was successful last night.
At this stage WikiLeaks has breached no international law and no laws of any country, but Mastercard, Visa and PayPal have all blacklisted it. All three continue to enable the support of settlements that are in breach of international law, in some cases of Israeli law, and in defiance of US policy on settlements under successive Republican and Democrat administrations.
Crikey invited Visa, Paypal and Mastercard to comment but none had responded by deadline.
:: Article nr. 72837 sent on 13-dec-2010 23:36 ECT
www.uruknet.info?p=72837
Crikey.com.au - 13 December 2010
Visa, Mastercard and PayPal all enable donations to be made to US-registered groups funding illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank in defiance of international law.
It appears at least one of the major credit cards also enables donations to an extremist Jewish group that has placed a bounty on the lives of Palestinians.
All three have in the last week ceased enabling donations to WikiLeaks. Neither Mastercard nor Visa have explained the basis for their decision to do so. PayPal has backed away from its initial claim that the US State Department told PayPal WikiLeaks had broken the law after the claim was discredited. This is the third occasion on which PayPal has suspended payment services for WikiLeaks.
Israel subsidises over 100 settlements in the West Bank in defiance of international law. Another 100+ are "illegal outposts" even under Israeli law. All benefit from extensive support from the United States, channelled through a range of Jewish and right-wing Christian bodies, all of which have charitable status under US law. The International Crisis Group’s report on settlements in July 2009 identified the important role played by US charities. Israeli newspaper Haaretz has investigated the strong support provided via US charities, and Israeli peace groups have also targeted the generous support provided via private donations from the US and Canada.
Credit card transactional systems play a key role in facilitating this support for illegal settlements. Here are some examples.
* The Shuva Israel group, an evangelical Christian group based in Texas, is accused by Israeli group Gush Shalom of channelling money to fund the illegal West Bank settlement of Revava. You can donate to it, says the Shuva Israel website, via Mastercard, Visa and Paypal.
* The One Israel Fund, used as an example in the International Crisis Group report, boasts of being "the largest North American charity whose efforts are dedicated solely to the citizens and communities of Yesha". You can donate to the One Israel Fund, according to its website, via Mastercard, Visa and Amex.
* The website of another right-wing Christian group, the Christian Friends of Israeli Communities describes support for settlements like Argaman, which are illegal under international law. You can donate, their website says, via Mastercard, Visa and PayPal.
* One of the highest-profile groups is the Hebron Fund, the centre of a 2009 row when the New York Mets were criticised for hosting a fundraising dinner for the group. It provides extensive support for the extraordinarily aggressive Hebron settlement, described by one Israeli group as "an ongoing war crime", while the Fund itself has been linked to praise for an Israeli mass murderer. According to its website, it receives donations via all major credit cards.
* Worst of all is the extremist SOS Israel group, which has incurred even the wrath of the Israeli Defence Force by rewarding Israeli soldiers who disobey orders to evict settlers from illegal outposts (i.e. inciting mutiny), and which has offered a bounty for Palestinians shot by IDF soldiers. The SOS Israel website describes a number of ways you can make your "generous donation" to it, including credit cards. Crikey’s token $2 donation via a Visa card was successful last night.
At this stage WikiLeaks has breached no international law and no laws of any country, but Mastercard, Visa and PayPal have all blacklisted it. All three continue to enable the support of settlements that are in breach of international law, in some cases of Israeli law, and in defiance of US policy on settlements under successive Republican and Democrat administrations.
Crikey invited Visa, Paypal and Mastercard to comment but none had responded by deadline.
:: Article nr. 72837 sent on 13-dec-2010 23:36 ECT
www.uruknet.info?p=72837
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