Showing posts with label Zionists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zionists. Show all posts
Friday, April 10, 2015
Friday, August 29, 2014
Lieberman: War against Hamas must continue
28 August 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman yesterday announced his opposition to the ceasefire deal reached between his government and Palestinian fighters.
Lieberman is the latest in a number of other ministers who have already voiced their opposition to the deal; this could cause a change in the coalition or lead to an early election in case the coalition collapses.
"We object any ceasefire which enables Hamas to develop its power and prepare for a new campaign against Israel in the time it finds appropriate," he wrote. "As long as Hamas is not eradicated, the threat of rockets and tunnels will remain."
He continued: "We have to undermine political gains for Hamas through the ceasefire." He called for fighting Hamas "without concessions".
Israeli radio said that four out of eight members of the security cabinet opposed the ceasefire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not put the deal for vote in the cabinet prior to its approval. He said it was because ministers "were updated about everything by telephone."
Link:
Source: Middle East Monitor
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman yesterday announced his opposition to the ceasefire deal reached between his government and Palestinian fighters.
Lieberman is the latest in a number of other ministers who have already voiced their opposition to the deal; this could cause a change in the coalition or lead to an early election in case the coalition collapses.
Israeli ministers who have spoken out against the ceasefire:
Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel (Bayit Yehudi)
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
Home Front Defence Minister Gilad Erdan
Industry, Trade and Labour Minister Naftali Bennett
Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni
Member of the Knesset Danny Danon (Likud)
Member of the Knesset Eli Yishai (Shas)
Meretz chairwoman Zehava Gal-On
On his Facebook page, Lieberman wrote: "As long as Hamas is
controlling the Gaza Strip, we cannot guarantee the security of Israeli
citizens. And, we will never reach a political reconciliation. Hamas
cannot be a partner in any political or security agreement. You cannot
trust killers."Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel (Bayit Yehudi)
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
Home Front Defence Minister Gilad Erdan
Industry, Trade and Labour Minister Naftali Bennett
Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni
Member of the Knesset Danny Danon (Likud)
Member of the Knesset Eli Yishai (Shas)
Meretz chairwoman Zehava Gal-On
"We object any ceasefire which enables Hamas to develop its power and prepare for a new campaign against Israel in the time it finds appropriate," he wrote. "As long as Hamas is not eradicated, the threat of rockets and tunnels will remain."
He continued: "We have to undermine political gains for Hamas through the ceasefire." He called for fighting Hamas "without concessions".
Israeli radio said that four out of eight members of the security cabinet opposed the ceasefire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not put the deal for vote in the cabinet prior to its approval. He said it was because ministers "were updated about everything by telephone."
Link:
Saturday, July 12, 2014
The true Gaza back-story that the Israelis aren’t telling this week
9 July 2014
Robert Fisk
Source: The Independent
And – a drawing in of breath is now perhaps required – the people who lived in Sederot in early 1948 were not Israelis, but Palestinian Arabs. Their village was called Huj. Nor were they enemies of Israel. Two years earlier, these same Arabs had actually hidden Jewish Haganah fighters from the British Army. But when the Israeli army turned up at Huj on 31 May 1948, they expelled all the Arab villagers – to the Gaza Strip! Refugees, they became. David Ben Gurion (Israel’s first Prime Minister) called it an “unjust and unjustified action”. Too bad. The Palestinians of Huj were never allowed back.
And today, well over 6,000 descendants of the Palestinians from Huj – now Sederot – live in the squalor of Gaza, among the “terrorists” Israel is claiming to destroy and who are shooting at what was Huj. Interesting story.
And same again for Israel’s right to self-defence. We heard it again today. What if the people of London were being rocketed like the people of Israel? Wouldn’t they strike back? Well yes, but we Brits don’t have more than a million former inhabitants of the UK cooped up in refugee camps over a few square miles around Hastings.
The last time this specious argument was used was in 2008, when Israel invaded Gaza and killed at least 1,100 Palestinians (exchange rate: 1,100 to 13). What if Dublin was under rocket attack, the Israeli ambassador asked then? But the UK town of Crossmaglen in Northern Ireland was under rocket attack from the Irish Republic in the 1970s – yet the RAF didn’t bomb Dublin in retaliation, killing Irish women and children. In Canada in 2008, Israel’s supporters were making the same fraudulent point. What if the people of Vancouver or Toronto or Montreal were being rocket-attacked from the suburbs of their own cities? How would they feel? But the Canadians haven’t pushed the original inhabitants of Canadian territory into refugee camps.
Link: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/the-true-gaza-backstory-that-the-israelis-arent-telling-this-week-9596120.html.
Robert Fisk
Source: The Independent
A future Palestine state will have no borders and be an enclave within Israel, surrounded on all sides by Israeli-held territory.
OK, so by this afternoon, the exchange rate of death in two days was 40-0 in favour of Israel. But now for the Gaza story you won’t be hearing from anyone else in the next few hours.
It’s about land. The Israelis of Sederot are coming under rocket fire from the Palestinians of Gaza and now the Palestinians are getting their comeuppance. Sure. But wait, how come all those Palestinians – all 1.5 million – are crammed into Gaza in the first place? Well, their families once lived, didn’t they, in what is now called Israel? And got chucked out – or fled for their lives – when the Israeli state was created.And – a drawing in of breath is now perhaps required – the people who lived in Sederot in early 1948 were not Israelis, but Palestinian Arabs. Their village was called Huj. Nor were they enemies of Israel. Two years earlier, these same Arabs had actually hidden Jewish Haganah fighters from the British Army. But when the Israeli army turned up at Huj on 31 May 1948, they expelled all the Arab villagers – to the Gaza Strip! Refugees, they became. David Ben Gurion (Israel’s first Prime Minister) called it an “unjust and unjustified action”. Too bad. The Palestinians of Huj were never allowed back.
And today, well over 6,000 descendants of the Palestinians from Huj – now Sederot – live in the squalor of Gaza, among the “terrorists” Israel is claiming to destroy and who are shooting at what was Huj. Interesting story.
And same again for Israel’s right to self-defence. We heard it again today. What if the people of London were being rocketed like the people of Israel? Wouldn’t they strike back? Well yes, but we Brits don’t have more than a million former inhabitants of the UK cooped up in refugee camps over a few square miles around Hastings.
The last time this specious argument was used was in 2008, when Israel invaded Gaza and killed at least 1,100 Palestinians (exchange rate: 1,100 to 13). What if Dublin was under rocket attack, the Israeli ambassador asked then? But the UK town of Crossmaglen in Northern Ireland was under rocket attack from the Irish Republic in the 1970s – yet the RAF didn’t bomb Dublin in retaliation, killing Irish women and children. In Canada in 2008, Israel’s supporters were making the same fraudulent point. What if the people of Vancouver or Toronto or Montreal were being rocket-attacked from the suburbs of their own cities? How would they feel? But the Canadians haven’t pushed the original inhabitants of Canadian territory into refugee camps.
Link: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/the-true-gaza-backstory-that-the-israelis-arent-telling-this-week-9596120.html.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Ecuador's president expresses Zionist support
27 June 2014
Ramona Wadi
Source: Middle East Monitor
During the UN International Meeting on the Question of Palestine held in Quito in March, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Ecuador, Leonardo Arízaga, described Palestine as a "permanent concern". Not long afterwards, his President, Rafael Correa, managed to unravel all vestiges of support for the Palestinian cause.
Besides meeting with Jewish entrepreneur Jonathan Medved – a photo of the two on Twitter had the caption, "Discussing innovation and Israel-Ecuador relations with President Correa of Ecuador @MashiRafael. Viva la innovacion!" ‑ Correa also regurgitated a number of Zionist fables that have entered mainstream rhetoric in a video circulated widely online. In his discourse, Correa hails Israel for a number of achievements disassociated from the ramifications, including the so-called accomplishment of "making the desert bloom" and praising the settler-colonial state's technological innovations and entrepreneurship. According to Correa, "Israel is an example that we should follow to emancipate in Latin America."
Right on cue, Israel and Ecuador signed agreements in which Israel pledged to assist with development and technology projects in the South American state. The agreements were signed in Jerusalem by Israel's Minister of the Economy Naftali Bennett and his Ecuadorean counterpart, Richard Espinoza Guzmán. Rumours about a possible state visit by Correa to Israel at the end of this year have also emerged.
As expected, Correa's comments obscured all other resulting endeavours. Zionists and the right wing in Latin America upheld Correa's comments, deeming him "intellectually honest in recognising the advantages of the only democracy [sic] in the Middle East." Others compared Correa with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has persisted in upholding his predecessor Hugo Chavez's legacy towards Palestine.
The left wing and Palestinian supporters expressed indignation at Correa's words, as well as cynicism with regard to the outdated metaphors that, once upon a time, served to consolidate the establishment of the settler-colonial state. Posting on Twitter, former adviser to the Palestinian Embassy in Argentina Rafael Araya Masry, wrote, "President Correa should know that if Israel succeeded in making the desert bloom, it occurred due to the theft of 85% of Palestinian water." Masry also deemed Correa's comments to be both derogatory and deceptive.
Commentators on social media invoked reminders of Zionist aggression fuelling the constant warfare "based upon lies disseminated in the media", and questioned propaganda that hailed Israeli universities and research as unique in the world. They cited Cuban advances in areas such as education and health which are disregarded routinely by the mainstream media.
Undoubtedly, Correa's revelatory support for Zionism necessitates a rethinking of his country's alleged support for the Palestinians. Ecuador has become another example of those countries which profess support for Palestine while conspiring simultaneously with Israel to increase its profits and allow it to perpetrate further colonial violence. In a way, Correa's hypocritical stance on Palestine reflects the contentious issues he faces with the indigenous people of Ecuador, who maintain that the president is promoting neoliberal policies to their detriment.
The reversal of previously declared Ecuadorean support for Palestine follows the opening of a diplomatic mission in the capital Quito, which is expected to be reciprocated in Palestine. Correa's declared Zionist support, however, sheds serious doubts upon supposed allegiance to countries embarking upon resistance to occupation and colonialism. In the case of Palestine, it is time for the leadership to reject compromised support that will ultimately detract from the dynamics of liberation.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/blogs/politics/12386-ecuadors-president-expresses-zionist-support.
Ramona Wadi
Source: Middle East Monitor
During the UN International Meeting on the Question of Palestine held in Quito in March, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Ecuador, Leonardo Arízaga, described Palestine as a "permanent concern". Not long afterwards, his President, Rafael Correa, managed to unravel all vestiges of support for the Palestinian cause.
Besides meeting with Jewish entrepreneur Jonathan Medved – a photo of the two on Twitter had the caption, "Discussing innovation and Israel-Ecuador relations with President Correa of Ecuador @MashiRafael. Viva la innovacion!" ‑ Correa also regurgitated a number of Zionist fables that have entered mainstream rhetoric in a video circulated widely online. In his discourse, Correa hails Israel for a number of achievements disassociated from the ramifications, including the so-called accomplishment of "making the desert bloom" and praising the settler-colonial state's technological innovations and entrepreneurship. According to Correa, "Israel is an example that we should follow to emancipate in Latin America."
Right on cue, Israel and Ecuador signed agreements in which Israel pledged to assist with development and technology projects in the South American state. The agreements were signed in Jerusalem by Israel's Minister of the Economy Naftali Bennett and his Ecuadorean counterpart, Richard Espinoza Guzmán. Rumours about a possible state visit by Correa to Israel at the end of this year have also emerged.
As expected, Correa's comments obscured all other resulting endeavours. Zionists and the right wing in Latin America upheld Correa's comments, deeming him "intellectually honest in recognising the advantages of the only democracy [sic] in the Middle East." Others compared Correa with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has persisted in upholding his predecessor Hugo Chavez's legacy towards Palestine.
The left wing and Palestinian supporters expressed indignation at Correa's words, as well as cynicism with regard to the outdated metaphors that, once upon a time, served to consolidate the establishment of the settler-colonial state. Posting on Twitter, former adviser to the Palestinian Embassy in Argentina Rafael Araya Masry, wrote, "President Correa should know that if Israel succeeded in making the desert bloom, it occurred due to the theft of 85% of Palestinian water." Masry also deemed Correa's comments to be both derogatory and deceptive.
Commentators on social media invoked reminders of Zionist aggression fuelling the constant warfare "based upon lies disseminated in the media", and questioned propaganda that hailed Israeli universities and research as unique in the world. They cited Cuban advances in areas such as education and health which are disregarded routinely by the mainstream media.
Undoubtedly, Correa's revelatory support for Zionism necessitates a rethinking of his country's alleged support for the Palestinians. Ecuador has become another example of those countries which profess support for Palestine while conspiring simultaneously with Israel to increase its profits and allow it to perpetrate further colonial violence. In a way, Correa's hypocritical stance on Palestine reflects the contentious issues he faces with the indigenous people of Ecuador, who maintain that the president is promoting neoliberal policies to their detriment.
The reversal of previously declared Ecuadorean support for Palestine follows the opening of a diplomatic mission in the capital Quito, which is expected to be reciprocated in Palestine. Correa's declared Zionist support, however, sheds serious doubts upon supposed allegiance to countries embarking upon resistance to occupation and colonialism. In the case of Palestine, it is time for the leadership to reject compromised support that will ultimately detract from the dynamics of liberation.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/blogs/politics/12386-ecuadors-president-expresses-zionist-support.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Corrupt Egypt gas deals revealed
09 June 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor
In Egypt's Lost Power, Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit reveals the hidden story of Egypt's oil and gas industry. It describes how tycoons cashed in as a nation lost out - and provides compelling new evidence that the Arab world's most populated country may soon become energy dependent on Israel.
The documentary describes how Egypt - once a major natural gas exporter - made a series of deals from so corrupt that it has devastated the nation's energy sector. What's more, the country that it sold gas to from 2008 to 2012 at below market prices - Israel - is now in possession of massive gas reserves that it intends to sell to Egypt.
Sources in Tel Aviv describe how, after the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi, Egypt made clandestine approaches to the Israeli government in order to "ensure the flow of gas" to Egypt.
Former Israeli Energy Minister Yosef Paritzky told the program: "Egypt needs gas. We can sell it. What else can be better?"
More than a dozen industry specialists, including former and current officials, were interviewed over the course of this five-month investigation.
Investigative reporter Clayton Swisher tracked down and located fugitive billionaire Hussein Salem in Madrid as well as his former business partner (and former Mossad officer) Yossi Maiman outside his offices north of the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv.
The program examines Egyptian government records, court filings, and corporate records and discovered that powerful energy companies are now suing Egypt in numerous international arbitration courts.
The investigation also addresses how deliberately generated gas shortages played a role in the toppling of Egypt's first democratically elected President, Mohammed Morsi.
Edward Walker, a former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt and Israel, tells the show that many in Washington welcomed last year's coup. "He's attractive because he's not Morsi. And the concern has always been to maintain and sustain the relationship between Egypt and Israel. So it was not really in our interest to see them (the Muslim Brotherhood) succeed."
Admiral William Fallon, a former head of U.S. Central Command rejected the policy of promoting democracy in the Middle East. "It isn't just about having elections. That's wonderful," he told Egypt's Lost Power. "But what comes after the election? If there's not a framework for making government work to accomplish things, then it's very hollow".
Former Israeli Ambassador Oded Eran, an advisor to the Knesset, welcomed a new energy relationship with Cairo. "If we can get into an agreement...supplying gas to Egypt, this will also cement the relations, political and economic, between Israel and Egypt."
Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit's previous scoops include the Palestine Papers, The Bin Laden Files, What Killed Arafat?, and Killing Arafat.
Egypt's Lost Power broadcasts on Al Jazeera English on Monday, June 9th at 2000 GMT, and 1900 GMT on Al Jazeera Arabic.
Link: www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/11971-corrupt-egypt-gas-deals-revealed.
Source: Middle East Monitor
In Egypt's Lost Power, Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit reveals the hidden story of Egypt's oil and gas industry. It describes how tycoons cashed in as a nation lost out - and provides compelling new evidence that the Arab world's most populated country may soon become energy dependent on Israel.
The documentary describes how Egypt - once a major natural gas exporter - made a series of deals from so corrupt that it has devastated the nation's energy sector. What's more, the country that it sold gas to from 2008 to 2012 at below market prices - Israel - is now in possession of massive gas reserves that it intends to sell to Egypt.
Sources in Tel Aviv describe how, after the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi, Egypt made clandestine approaches to the Israeli government in order to "ensure the flow of gas" to Egypt.
Former Israeli Energy Minister Yosef Paritzky told the program: "Egypt needs gas. We can sell it. What else can be better?"
More than a dozen industry specialists, including former and current officials, were interviewed over the course of this five-month investigation.
Investigative reporter Clayton Swisher tracked down and located fugitive billionaire Hussein Salem in Madrid as well as his former business partner (and former Mossad officer) Yossi Maiman outside his offices north of the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv.
The program examines Egyptian government records, court filings, and corporate records and discovered that powerful energy companies are now suing Egypt in numerous international arbitration courts.
The investigation also addresses how deliberately generated gas shortages played a role in the toppling of Egypt's first democratically elected President, Mohammed Morsi.
Edward Walker, a former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt and Israel, tells the show that many in Washington welcomed last year's coup. "He's attractive because he's not Morsi. And the concern has always been to maintain and sustain the relationship between Egypt and Israel. So it was not really in our interest to see them (the Muslim Brotherhood) succeed."
Admiral William Fallon, a former head of U.S. Central Command rejected the policy of promoting democracy in the Middle East. "It isn't just about having elections. That's wonderful," he told Egypt's Lost Power. "But what comes after the election? If there's not a framework for making government work to accomplish things, then it's very hollow".
Former Israeli Ambassador Oded Eran, an advisor to the Knesset, welcomed a new energy relationship with Cairo. "If we can get into an agreement...supplying gas to Egypt, this will also cement the relations, political and economic, between Israel and Egypt."
Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit's previous scoops include the Palestine Papers, The Bin Laden Files, What Killed Arafat?, and Killing Arafat.
Egypt's Lost Power broadcasts on Al Jazeera English on Monday, June 9th at 2000 GMT, and 1900 GMT on Al Jazeera Arabic.
Link: www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/11971-corrupt-egypt-gas-deals-revealed.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Occupation forces damage electricity and water networks in massive Jenin raid
21 May 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor
Occupation forces damage electricity and water networks in massive Jenin raidn a massive raid, Israeli occupation forces arrested on Tuesday at dawn a youth from the Jenin refugee camp, injuring a number of citizens who suffered from suffocation. Following the arrest, occupation forces damaged the water and electricity networks, as well as ransacked people's homes and property in city and in the camps, storming the Khalil Suleiman hospital whilst positioning snipers throughout the area.
Security sources and eye witnesses told Sama news agency that occupation forces arrested Qays Mazin Alsadi, a youth aged 22, after storming the Jenin camp with massive military force, with over 40 trucks, live ammunition, metal bullets, tear gas and sound bombs.
The news agency reported that a wide scale attack ensued, with a number of houses stormed and their belongings destroyed, with inhabitants forced into the streets without dressing and taken in for questioning in the east of Jenin. Occupation forces also damaged the water and electricity infrastructure, and the hospital and emergency centre was stormed after tear gas was fired.
Sources added that after storming and destroying the insides of the houses, occupation forces and their units positioned snipers on the rooftops of the houses. Bombs were thrown into a well belonging to Ahmad Khaled Alsadi, a citizen living in the east of Jenin. His belongings were also destroyed, as were those of Ahmad Alsadi, Ahmad Motlak Alsadi, Taiser Bezour, Adly Jarar, Shouqi Altaher and Hamouda Aldeeb.
In the Jenin camp, the homeowners who had their houses stormed and belongings destroyed include: Sheikh Basam Alsadi, Mazen Alsadi, Samih Abu Alsaba, Yahya Alzard and Abdelrahman Fadl.
Clashes between civilians and the occupation forces ensued, with numerous citizens suffering from suffocation due to the tear gas used around the hospital, inside the camp and in the Zahra district of the city.
Link: middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/11618-occupation-forces-damage-electricity-and-water-networks-in-massive-jenin-raid.
Source: Middle East Monitor
Occupation forces damage electricity and water networks in massive Jenin raidn a massive raid, Israeli occupation forces arrested on Tuesday at dawn a youth from the Jenin refugee camp, injuring a number of citizens who suffered from suffocation. Following the arrest, occupation forces damaged the water and electricity networks, as well as ransacked people's homes and property in city and in the camps, storming the Khalil Suleiman hospital whilst positioning snipers throughout the area.
Security sources and eye witnesses told Sama news agency that occupation forces arrested Qays Mazin Alsadi, a youth aged 22, after storming the Jenin camp with massive military force, with over 40 trucks, live ammunition, metal bullets, tear gas and sound bombs.
The news agency reported that a wide scale attack ensued, with a number of houses stormed and their belongings destroyed, with inhabitants forced into the streets without dressing and taken in for questioning in the east of Jenin. Occupation forces also damaged the water and electricity infrastructure, and the hospital and emergency centre was stormed after tear gas was fired.
Sources added that after storming and destroying the insides of the houses, occupation forces and their units positioned snipers on the rooftops of the houses. Bombs were thrown into a well belonging to Ahmad Khaled Alsadi, a citizen living in the east of Jenin. His belongings were also destroyed, as were those of Ahmad Alsadi, Ahmad Motlak Alsadi, Taiser Bezour, Adly Jarar, Shouqi Altaher and Hamouda Aldeeb.
In the Jenin camp, the homeowners who had their houses stormed and belongings destroyed include: Sheikh Basam Alsadi, Mazen Alsadi, Samih Abu Alsaba, Yahya Alzard and Abdelrahman Fadl.
Clashes between civilians and the occupation forces ensued, with numerous citizens suffering from suffocation due to the tear gas used around the hospital, inside the camp and in the Zahra district of the city.
Link: middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/11618-occupation-forces-damage-electricity-and-water-networks-in-massive-jenin-raid.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Israel halts contacts with Palestinians over Fatah-Hamas unity
26 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor
Israeli cabinet decided on Friday to halt peace talks with the Palestinians because of Fatah-Hamas unity and agreement to form a technocrat government backed by Hamas.
In a statement released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office after a six-hour meeting for the Israeli reduced cabinet, Israel announced it would stop peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority (PA) government.
"The cabinet today unanimously decided that Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by Hamas, a terrorist organization that calls for Israel's destruction," the statement said.
An Israeli official was quoted by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth as saying: "Negotiations became impossible. Abbas [PA President] has gone a step too far. There will be no political contacts with the Palestinians."
Israel Hayom said that the resolution was supported by all members of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet: Netanyahu, Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and others.
However, Israel would not completely close the door with the Palestinians and said it would not cause the collapse of the PA. Israeli chief negotiator Tzipi Livni said: "Sanctions will be measured. We will not cause the Palestinian Authority to collapse."
"We were busy with the warning by Mahmoud Abbas to dismantle the Palestinian Authority," a source told the newspaper. "The intelligence had not updated the political echelon about developments in talks between Hamas and the PA."
The source added: "It was quite simply a foul-up - we did not know what was going on."
Military officials also voiced their surprise about the agreement. They said they were tracking the incidents, but that they "did not know on which day this would happen. We did not even know for sure that there would be an announcement."
Link: middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/11112-israel-halts-contacts-with-palestinians-over-fatah-hamas-unity.
Source: Middle East Monitor
Israeli cabinet decided on Friday to halt peace talks with the Palestinians because of Fatah-Hamas unity and agreement to form a technocrat government backed by Hamas.
In a statement released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office after a six-hour meeting for the Israeli reduced cabinet, Israel announced it would stop peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority (PA) government.
"The cabinet today unanimously decided that Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by Hamas, a terrorist organization that calls for Israel's destruction," the statement said.
An Israeli official was quoted by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth as saying: "Negotiations became impossible. Abbas [PA President] has gone a step too far. There will be no political contacts with the Palestinians."
Israel Hayom said that the resolution was supported by all members of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet: Netanyahu, Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and others.
However, Israel would not completely close the door with the Palestinians and said it would not cause the collapse of the PA. Israeli chief negotiator Tzipi Livni said: "Sanctions will be measured. We will not cause the Palestinian Authority to collapse."
Israeli officials Surprised
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli diplomatic and military officials were surprised by the announcement of the unity agreement between Fatah and Hamas."We were busy with the warning by Mahmoud Abbas to dismantle the Palestinian Authority," a source told the newspaper. "The intelligence had not updated the political echelon about developments in talks between Hamas and the PA."
The source added: "It was quite simply a foul-up - we did not know what was going on."
Military officials also voiced their surprise about the agreement. They said they were tracking the incidents, but that they "did not know on which day this would happen. We did not even know for sure that there would be an announcement."
Link: middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/11112-israel-halts-contacts-with-palestinians-over-fatah-hamas-unity.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Israeli settlers burn olive trees in West Bank
31 March 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor
Israeli settlers set fire to agricultural land in the village of Qaryout south of Nablus in the north of the West Bank before dawn today.
An activist with the Popular Resistance, Bashar Qaryouti, told the Anadolu Agency that a number of settlers from the Israeli settlement of Eli, located near the Palestinian village of Qaryout, sneaked on to that territory after midnight and set fire to 11 perennial olive trees.
"We called on the citizens through the mosques' speaker system to rise up to defend their land. Then we headed for the western area of the village which witnessed the attack. The fire had destroyed 11 trees, while flammable materials were being sprayed at the rest of the trees. Because of our prompt arrival the burning was prevented and the settlers withdrew toward the settlement of Eli," Qaryouti said.
The activist pointed out that the settlers were guarded by the Israeli army who fired lighting bombs over the targeted land before the settlers began to set fire to the land. The Israeli army also prevented Palestinian Civil Defence personnel from entering the area and extinguishing the fire.
"We tried to extinguish the fire through primitive tools in addition to sand, but we could not, so the burnt trees fell to the ground after the fire had destroyed them completely," he added.
He explained that the village of Qaryout is increasingly experiencing daily attacks against citizens and land, the most recent of which was the decision of the Israeli authorities to confiscate thousands of acres of agricultural land in order to link the two Israeli settlements of Eli and Shiloh to each other and establish tourist resorts for settlers.
"Qaryout is witnessing fierce attacks aimed at confiscating its entire land for the sake of settlement expansion. The occupation forces have closed the main street in the southern area of the village and prevent the citizens from crossing it. They confiscated all the agricultural land surrounding it," Qaryouti said.
It was not possible to get immediate comment from the Israeli army.
Link: www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/10625-israeli-settlers-burn-olive-trees-in-west-bank.
Source: Middle East Monitor
Israeli settlers set fire to agricultural land in the village of Qaryout south of Nablus in the north of the West Bank before dawn today.
An activist with the Popular Resistance, Bashar Qaryouti, told the Anadolu Agency that a number of settlers from the Israeli settlement of Eli, located near the Palestinian village of Qaryout, sneaked on to that territory after midnight and set fire to 11 perennial olive trees.
"We called on the citizens through the mosques' speaker system to rise up to defend their land. Then we headed for the western area of the village which witnessed the attack. The fire had destroyed 11 trees, while flammable materials were being sprayed at the rest of the trees. Because of our prompt arrival the burning was prevented and the settlers withdrew toward the settlement of Eli," Qaryouti said.
The activist pointed out that the settlers were guarded by the Israeli army who fired lighting bombs over the targeted land before the settlers began to set fire to the land. The Israeli army also prevented Palestinian Civil Defence personnel from entering the area and extinguishing the fire.
"We tried to extinguish the fire through primitive tools in addition to sand, but we could not, so the burnt trees fell to the ground after the fire had destroyed them completely," he added.
He explained that the village of Qaryout is increasingly experiencing daily attacks against citizens and land, the most recent of which was the decision of the Israeli authorities to confiscate thousands of acres of agricultural land in order to link the two Israeli settlements of Eli and Shiloh to each other and establish tourist resorts for settlers.
"Qaryout is witnessing fierce attacks aimed at confiscating its entire land for the sake of settlement expansion. The occupation forces have closed the main street in the southern area of the village and prevent the citizens from crossing it. They confiscated all the agricultural land surrounding it," Qaryouti said.
It was not possible to get immediate comment from the Israeli army.
Link: www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/10625-israeli-settlers-burn-olive-trees-in-west-bank.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Four wounded as Israeli navy opens fire on Gaza fishing boats
26 March 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor
Four fishermen were wounded and two boats damaged when an Israeli naval force opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats while fishing in the Mediterranean Sea opposite Rafah this morning, witnesses said.
Witnesses said the Israeli navy opened fire at the boats, which fled. The navy then used heavy weapons to damage the boats after they reached land.
Palestinian gunmen at the coast responded to the Israeli fire and heavy shelling. The Israeli forces left after damaging at least two boats.
At first, Palestinian medical sources reported two injuries; however, after firefighters extinguished the fire on the boats, they found two people with moderate injuries.
Israeli sources claimed that the Palestinian fishing boats were travelling from Egypt's Sinai to Gaza and they were smuggling weapons.
Fishermen refuted these claims and said that the Egyptian and Israeli navies have imposed restrictions on them since the ouster of the elected President Mohamed Morsi.
Several Palestinian fishermen have been arrested by Egyptian forces while fishing near the Egyptian borders, or when they have mistakenly travelled a few metres in to the Egyptian territories.
Israeli and Egyptian forces fire at Palestinian fishermen from time to time if they go more than a couple of hundred metres into the sea.
Link: /www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/10529-four-wounded-as-israeli-navy-opens-fire-on-gaza-fishing-boats.
Source: Middle East Monitor
Four fishermen were wounded and two boats damaged when an Israeli naval force opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats while fishing in the Mediterranean Sea opposite Rafah this morning, witnesses said.
Witnesses said the Israeli navy opened fire at the boats, which fled. The navy then used heavy weapons to damage the boats after they reached land.
Palestinian gunmen at the coast responded to the Israeli fire and heavy shelling. The Israeli forces left after damaging at least two boats.
At first, Palestinian medical sources reported two injuries; however, after firefighters extinguished the fire on the boats, they found two people with moderate injuries.
Israeli sources claimed that the Palestinian fishing boats were travelling from Egypt's Sinai to Gaza and they were smuggling weapons.
Fishermen refuted these claims and said that the Egyptian and Israeli navies have imposed restrictions on them since the ouster of the elected President Mohamed Morsi.
Several Palestinian fishermen have been arrested by Egyptian forces while fishing near the Egyptian borders, or when they have mistakenly travelled a few metres in to the Egyptian territories.
Israeli and Egyptian forces fire at Palestinian fishermen from time to time if they go more than a couple of hundred metres into the sea.
Link: /www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/10529-four-wounded-as-israeli-navy-opens-fire-on-gaza-fishing-boats.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Settlers prepare move into key E.Jerusalem site
March 27, 2014
By Majeda el-Batsh
Source: Yahoo News
By Majeda el-Batsh
Source: Yahoo News
Jerusalem (AFP) - Radical Jewish
settlers are readying to move into a major property in the commercial
heart of annexed east Jerusalem, overlooking the walls of the Old City,
officials have told AFP.
A large part of
the property, which also houses east Jerusalem's main post office and
an Israeli police station, was purchased last year by a radical settler
group called Ateret Cohanim, which bought it from Israel's Bezeq
telecoms company.
Located on
the corner of Salah al-Din and Sultan Suleiman in the busy centre of
east Jerusalem just outside the Old City walls, the property is
currently being converted into a Jewish seminary, or yeshiva, an Israeli
official and Palestinian workers told AFP.
Ateret
Cohanim actively works to settle as many Jews as possible in densely
populated Palestinian areas in and around the Old City.
The
purchase was first reported in Israel's Haaretz newspaper, which
published part of an email in which Ateret Cohanim’s Executive Director
Daniel Luria contacted supporters to announce the acquisition of more
than 1,000 square metres (10,760 square feet) in "a very large and
strategic building" just outside the Old City.
Speaking
to AFP, an Israeli official confirmed the group had bought parts of the
property and was currently carrying out renovations in order to have it
ready for occupancy before the week-long Passover festival begins in
mid-April.
"They are now renovating it for
the yeshiva and for a school to prepare Orthodox Jews for military
service," he told AFP. "They are trying to set it all up before Passover
on April 13."
Contacted by AFP, a spokesman for Bezeq refused to confirm who was behind the purchase.
"We will not disclose the identity of the buyers," he said.
Luria declined to speak to AFP.
The building is currently being renovated by Palestinian workers under the supervision of Israeli technicians and engineers.
"We work day and night. It is almost ready," said one worker who refused to give his name.
Local shopkeepers said they had been aware of the plan for several months.
"We
found out four months ago from the workers that settlers had purchased
the property and are turning it into a yeshiva," said Adel al-Sharbati,
who owns a nearby mobile phone shop and spoke of a sense of
powerlessness.
"They’re the strong ones here -- who should we complain to?" he told AFP, saying it was likely to raise tensions in the area.
"The whole area will be affected negatively once they're here," he added.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Spain condemns Israel's construction of new settlements
22 March 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor
The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel's announcement regarding the construction of 200 new settlements in east Jerusalem and 2000 units in different settlements in the West Bank.
In a statement issued by the MFA on Friday, Spain expressed its rejection of any unilateral move that would negatively affect peace negotiations which are "currently passing through a critical phase."
"Spain reiterates that all settlement activities are illegitimate, violate international law and constitute an obstacle to reaching a final peace agreement based on the two-state solution," the statement added.
Link: www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/10453-spain-condemns-israels-construction-of-new-settlements.
Source: Middle East Monitor
The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel's announcement regarding the construction of 200 new settlements in east Jerusalem and 2000 units in different settlements in the West Bank.
In a statement issued by the MFA on Friday, Spain expressed its rejection of any unilateral move that would negatively affect peace negotiations which are "currently passing through a critical phase."
"Spain reiterates that all settlement activities are illegitimate, violate international law and constitute an obstacle to reaching a final peace agreement based on the two-state solution," the statement added.
Link: www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/10453-spain-condemns-israels-construction-of-new-settlements.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Egyptian army justifies Israel visit
23 March 2014
Source:Middle East Monitor
The Egyptian Army spokesman said Saturday that the recent visit by Egyptian army officials to Israel aimed at discussing border security based on the peace agreement, and that it did not address any issued related to military cooperation as some media outlets suggested.
The statement came days after Israeli media reported that an Egyptian army delegation visited Israel last week to take part in joint meetings.
Israeli newspapers linked the visit to Israel's attempts to convince the US not to cancel the sale of 10 Apache helicopters to Egypt to enhance its anti-terrorism efforts in Sinai.
Egyptian army spokesman Ahmed Ali said in the Facebook statement that the meeting came within the framework of regular coordination between the Israeli and Egyptian sides, and that its purpose was to discuss border security efforts based on the 1979 peace treaty.
He pointed out that Egypt and Israel have been holding three meetings a year since 1982. One of the meetings is held in Cairo, another in Tel Aviv, and a third in Roma at the end of the year, since Roma is the headquarters of the multinational forces that oversee the implementation of the peace agreement.
He also stressed that the photo used by some media outlets, also used by Middle East Monitor, is old and has not been taken at last week's meeting.
Link: middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/10468-egyptian-army-justifies-israel-visit.
Source:Middle East Monitor
The Egyptian Army spokesman said Saturday that the recent visit by Egyptian army officials to Israel aimed at discussing border security based on the peace agreement, and that it did not address any issued related to military cooperation as some media outlets suggested.
The statement came days after Israeli media reported that an Egyptian army delegation visited Israel last week to take part in joint meetings.
Israeli newspapers linked the visit to Israel's attempts to convince the US not to cancel the sale of 10 Apache helicopters to Egypt to enhance its anti-terrorism efforts in Sinai.
Egyptian army spokesman Ahmed Ali said in the Facebook statement that the meeting came within the framework of regular coordination between the Israeli and Egyptian sides, and that its purpose was to discuss border security efforts based on the 1979 peace treaty.
He pointed out that Egypt and Israel have been holding three meetings a year since 1982. One of the meetings is held in Cairo, another in Tel Aviv, and a third in Roma at the end of the year, since Roma is the headquarters of the multinational forces that oversee the implementation of the peace agreement.
He also stressed that the photo used by some media outlets, also used by Middle East Monitor, is old and has not been taken at last week's meeting.
Link: middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/10468-egyptian-army-justifies-israel-visit.
US government considering 'lucrative' offer to Israel to save peace talks
23 March 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor
Instead of exercising pressure on Israel, the US administration is currently considering a "lucrative" offer to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to save the peace process and release a fourth round of prisoners, the Israeli radio channel Reshet Bet reported.
The Israeli broadcaster quoted Western diplomats as saying that the US administration is worried about a potential collapse in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and that it is seeking to submit a proposal that would enable Netanyahu to convince his government to approve the release of the fourth round of Palestinian prisoners, including 1948 Arabs.
The Western diplomatic sources added that the US administration does not categorically reject Netanyahu's request to free the Israeli spy Pollard in return for adopting the Framework agreement and freeing Arab Israeli prisoners.
Furthermore, Israeli officials told Reshet Bet that talks are facing a real danger, and that if an agreement is not reached regarding prisoners, the peace talks may collapse altogether. They added that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has not softened his stance on the issue of prisoners despite US President Barack Obama's request, but rather adopted an even more hardline stance.
Link: middleeastmonitor.com/news/americas/10462-us-government-considering-lucrative-offer-to-israel-to-save-peace-talks.
Source: Middle East Monitor
Instead of exercising pressure on Israel, the US administration is currently considering a "lucrative" offer to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to save the peace process and release a fourth round of prisoners, the Israeli radio channel Reshet Bet reported.
The Israeli broadcaster quoted Western diplomats as saying that the US administration is worried about a potential collapse in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and that it is seeking to submit a proposal that would enable Netanyahu to convince his government to approve the release of the fourth round of Palestinian prisoners, including 1948 Arabs.
The Western diplomatic sources added that the US administration does not categorically reject Netanyahu's request to free the Israeli spy Pollard in return for adopting the Framework agreement and freeing Arab Israeli prisoners.
Furthermore, Israeli officials told Reshet Bet that talks are facing a real danger, and that if an agreement is not reached regarding prisoners, the peace talks may collapse altogether. They added that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has not softened his stance on the issue of prisoners despite US President Barack Obama's request, but rather adopted an even more hardline stance.
Link: middleeastmonitor.com/news/americas/10462-us-government-considering-lucrative-offer-to-israel-to-save-peace-talks.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Israel demolished 697 buildings in the Negev in 2013
18 March 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor
The Israeli Ministry of Public Security released a report revealing that in 2013 Israel demolished 697 buildings in the Negev, a desert and semi-desert region of southern Israel.
The report was released on Monday evening, and according to Israeli media it revealed "that Israel demolished 697 building in the Negev in 2013; 321 of them were demolished by the ministry and 376 buildings were demolished by their owners who feared the ministry's threats of taking legal actions against them if they did not demolish their own homes."
The report states that the number of demolitions almost doubled in 2013 in comparison with 2012, when only 369 buildings demolished, "174 of which were demolished by the ministry and 195 by their owners who had received judicial orders".
The High Steering Committee of the Arabs of the Negev has accused the Israeli government of ethnically displacing the Arabs of the Negev by demolishing their homes and properties.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the largest and oldest human rights organisation in the country, notes that the Israeli government considers more than half of the approximately 160,000 Negev Bedouin to be residing in "unrecognised villages", based on the claim that they do not have any legal rights to the land.
Link: www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/10373-israel-demolished-697-buildings-in-the-negev-in-2013.
Source: Middle East Monitor
The Israeli Ministry of Public Security released a report revealing that in 2013 Israel demolished 697 buildings in the Negev, a desert and semi-desert region of southern Israel.
The report was released on Monday evening, and according to Israeli media it revealed "that Israel demolished 697 building in the Negev in 2013; 321 of them were demolished by the ministry and 376 buildings were demolished by their owners who feared the ministry's threats of taking legal actions against them if they did not demolish their own homes."
The report states that the number of demolitions almost doubled in 2013 in comparison with 2012, when only 369 buildings demolished, "174 of which were demolished by the ministry and 195 by their owners who had received judicial orders".
The High Steering Committee of the Arabs of the Negev has accused the Israeli government of ethnically displacing the Arabs of the Negev by demolishing their homes and properties.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the largest and oldest human rights organisation in the country, notes that the Israeli government considers more than half of the approximately 160,000 Negev Bedouin to be residing in "unrecognised villages", based on the claim that they do not have any legal rights to the land.
Link: www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/10373-israel-demolished-697-buildings-in-the-negev-in-2013.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Israel is exerting efforts to end crisis with Jordan after killing Palestinian judge
11 March 2014
Middle East Monitor
Israel is intensifying its diplomatic efforts to sort out the crisis with Jordan after occupation forces killed on Monday morning a Palestinian judge who holds Jordanian citizenship, Israel Radio reported on Tuesday.
The report did not mention the source of its information or describe what kinds of diplomatic efforts are being exerted to end the crisis.
Israeli occupation forces shot to death judge Raed Za'eiter, aged 38, while he was entering Allenby Bridge between Jordan and the occupied West Bank. Israeli army commander Yaron Beit On told reporters that Za'eiter had attempted to snatch the rifle of an Israeli soldier.
The Jordanian government demanded immediate investigations into the judge's death. The Israeli foreign ministry replied that an investigation into the incident has already started and Amman would be informed about the findings as soon as the probe was completed.
Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Joudeh summoned on Monday Israel's acting ambassador in Amman to express his country's deep concern about the killing.
Another Jordanian official noted that the incident has put Jordanian-Israeli relations at stake. The official, who preferred anonymity, said that: "Diplomatic channels witnessed hot contacts on Monday, including serious protests from Jordan and a demand to punish the perpetrators."
The official added that what is increasing Jordan's anger is the timing of the crime, which coincides with declining Jordanian-Israeli relations due to Israel's escalating violations against the holy sites in Jerusalem and the Knesset's proposed draft resolution to revoke Jordan's custodianship over them.
Jordanian security forces forcefully dispersed a demonstration against the judge's killing in front of the Israeli embassy in Amman. Protesters called for an end to Jordanian-Israeli relations and demanded the dismissal of the Israeli ambassador in Amman and recalling his counterpart in Tel-Aviv.
Jordan and Israel have maintained official relations since 1994, when the peace accord known as Wadi Araba was signed.
Link: /www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/10238-israel-is-exerting-efforts-to-end-crisis-with-jordan-after-killing-palestinian-judge.
Middle East Monitor
Israel is intensifying its diplomatic efforts to sort out the crisis with Jordan after occupation forces killed on Monday morning a Palestinian judge who holds Jordanian citizenship, Israel Radio reported on Tuesday.
The report did not mention the source of its information or describe what kinds of diplomatic efforts are being exerted to end the crisis.
Israeli occupation forces shot to death judge Raed Za'eiter, aged 38, while he was entering Allenby Bridge between Jordan and the occupied West Bank. Israeli army commander Yaron Beit On told reporters that Za'eiter had attempted to snatch the rifle of an Israeli soldier.
The Jordanian government demanded immediate investigations into the judge's death. The Israeli foreign ministry replied that an investigation into the incident has already started and Amman would be informed about the findings as soon as the probe was completed.
Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Joudeh summoned on Monday Israel's acting ambassador in Amman to express his country's deep concern about the killing.
Another Jordanian official noted that the incident has put Jordanian-Israeli relations at stake. The official, who preferred anonymity, said that: "Diplomatic channels witnessed hot contacts on Monday, including serious protests from Jordan and a demand to punish the perpetrators."
The official added that what is increasing Jordan's anger is the timing of the crime, which coincides with declining Jordanian-Israeli relations due to Israel's escalating violations against the holy sites in Jerusalem and the Knesset's proposed draft resolution to revoke Jordan's custodianship over them.
Jordanian security forces forcefully dispersed a demonstration against the judge's killing in front of the Israeli embassy in Amman. Protesters called for an end to Jordanian-Israeli relations and demanded the dismissal of the Israeli ambassador in Amman and recalling his counterpart in Tel-Aviv.
Jordan and Israel have maintained official relations since 1994, when the peace accord known as Wadi Araba was signed.
Link: /www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/10238-israel-is-exerting-efforts-to-end-crisis-with-jordan-after-killing-palestinian-judge.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Netanyahu and Gov. Brown to sign pro-business pact
13 hours ago
By MARTHA MENDOZA
Source: Yahoo Finance
By MARTHA MENDOZA
Source: Yahoo Finance
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) —
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making a swing through the
Silicon Valley where he met with high-tech leaders and signed a
pro-business agreement with Gov. Jerry Brown.
Sitting
next to Netanyahu, Brown said Wednesday their agreement builds on their
respective strengths in research and technology to confront critical
problems both Israel and California face including drought and
cybersecurity.
Wednesday's
visit followed Netanyahu's meetings with President Barack Obama in
Washington, D.C., on Monday and his appearance Tuesday at the Los
Angeles premiere of a television documentary that features him.
Netanyahu
planned stops at Stanford University, Apple Inc. in Cupertino, a
meeting with WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, a Jewish Ukrainian immigrant
who sold his company to Facebook Inc. for $19 billion last month.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Etihad Airways removes Israel from flight map
04 March 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor
Etihad Airways, the official airline of the United Arab Emirates, has removed Israel from its in-flight map; the New York Post reported.
Etihad Airways is a partner of the American Airlines and receives annual support to the amount of $425,000 from the US Department of Homeland Security which administers customs clearance at Abu Dhabi International Airport. The facility allows passengers travelling to the United States to clear customs more easily and reduces waiting times.
The Etihad Airways in-flight map lists the names of all neighbouring countries including: Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Cyprus, but does not mention Israel or any of its main cities.
Link: /www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/10094-etihad-airways-removes-israel-from-flight-map.
Source: Middle East Monitor
Etihad Airways, the official airline of the United Arab Emirates, has removed Israel from its in-flight map; the New York Post reported.
Etihad Airways is a partner of the American Airlines and receives annual support to the amount of $425,000 from the US Department of Homeland Security which administers customs clearance at Abu Dhabi International Airport. The facility allows passengers travelling to the United States to clear customs more easily and reduces waiting times.
The Etihad Airways in-flight map lists the names of all neighbouring countries including: Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Cyprus, but does not mention Israel or any of its main cities.
Link: /www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/10094-etihad-airways-removes-israel-from-flight-map.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
For Israel, it's all about the population figures
February 18, 2014
By KARIN LAUB and DAN PERRY
Source: Yahoo News
In a century
of Arab-Jewish conflict, the population balance shifted because of
Jewish immigration and war-driven displacement of Arabs.
The West Bank and the Gaza Strip were seized by Jordan and
Egypt, respectively — but when Israel captured those areas in 1967, the
demographic equation changed again.
Some Israelis would like to exclude Gaza from
the count, since Israel pulled out troops and settlers in 2005 and it is
now controlled by the Hamas militant group. But Palestinians see it as
an integral part of Palestine and argue that Israel's sea blockade and
continued control of airspace mean the occupation continues in another
form.
So if Israel gives up most of the West Bank, it can assure a Jewish majority at home "for eternity," Soffer said.
Foreign
Minister Avigdor Lieberman caused a stir in recent weeks by proposing
to swap parts Arab-populated parts of Israel proper for areas of the
West Bank with Jewish settlements.
Some on the Israeli right still argue that the demographic threat is overstated.
Ettinger's group alleges that two
Palestinian censuses, of 2007 and 1997, were flawed. He argued that in
1997, Palestinian demographers counted some 325,000 Palestinian emigres
and presumed large-scale immigration that didn't materialize.
Yacov Faitelson, a member of Ettinger's
group, also argued that Arab fertility is falling in much of the region
while Jewish fertility — already exceptionally high for a developed
country with three children per woman — is on the upswing.
Della Pergola said he factored declining Arab fertility rates into his forecasts, and charged that his critics ignore that Palestinian society is younger, with more people of reproductive age.
The Yassins, who live in the Qalandiya refugee camp north of Jerusalem, illustrate some of those trends. Like others in their generation, they tend to have smaller families than their parents, but still have more children, on average, than Jewish couples.
Nael Yassin, 34, who was one of seven siblings, said he hopes baby Rahaf will be his last. At his wife's bedside, he objected to the idea of a demographic race, calling it unsustainable.
"Where would everyone go?" he said.
___
By KARIN LAUB and DAN PERRY
Source: Yahoo News
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) —
Palestinian construction worker Nael Yassin and his wife, Wafa, are the
proud parents of a new baby girl — the fifth child for the couple in
their early 30s.
Such fecundity
is usually a private affair, but in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a
broader issue is in play. A race for "demographic" prominence — and the
fact that Israel may be losing it — has become critical to the current
peace effort led by John Kerry.
The
U.S. secretary of state himself has started warning Israel that it
stands to become a binational state unless it ends the occupation of the
lands it captured in the 1967 war. Kerry, who is expected to present a
framework for a deal soon, said last month that failure "will make it
impossible to preserve (Israel's) future as a democratic Jewish state."
The idea — emphasized as never before — is being listened to in Israel.
In
a speech Monday, Finance Minister Yair Lapid presented the issue as the
main reason Kerry must succeed: "Every moment we don't separate from
the Palestinians is a clear threat to the existence of Israel as a
Jewish state."
The
"demographic issue" is focusing Israeli minds in a way that moral
arguments against occupation have not, particularly when they are
weighed against forgoing the West Bank's strategic hinterland and
Jerusalem with its unrivaled religious and historic sites.
Some
experts are predicting Arabs will outnumber Jews in Israel plus the
areas it captured in 1967 — the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east
Jerusalem.
Continued
occupation, they say, would force Israel into a hard choice: Formalize
Jewish minority rule over disenfranchised Palestinians — or give them
the right to vote and end the Zionist dream of a Jewish homeland in
historic Palestine.
In this
context, those arguing for a pullout on these terms are essentially
trying to save Israel as a "Jewish state" — where the degree of
Jewishness is a function of the size of the majority.
About
750,000 people lived in historic Palestine at the beginning of British
rule after World War I, including 78 percent Muslims, 11 percent Jews
and 10 percent Christians, said Joseph Chamie, former head of the U.N.
Population Division. The Christians and Muslims were generally both
Arabs.
In 1947, the United
Nations voted to end British rule and partition Palestine into
"independent Arab and Jewish states." At that time the population of 1.8
million was 60 percent Muslims, 31 percent Jews and 8 percent
Christians.
In the war that
followed, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were expelled
from what became Israel, and many Jews then immigrated to the new
country. Jews made up 87 percent of Israel's population in 1950, Chamie
said.
Currently,
just over 12 million people live in the combined territory, according
to figures from the Israeli and Palestinian statistics bureaus.
Israel's
population stood at some 8.1 million in 2013, said Pnina Zadka of
Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics. That includes West Bank settlers,
Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, captured in 1967
from Syria. The figure breaks down to 6.1 million Jews, or roughly 75
percent, and 1.68 million Arabs, or 21 percent, she said.
The
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics put the number of Palestinians
in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem last year at just over 4.4
million.
Subtracting some
300,000 Palestinians in east Jerusalem from the Palestinian bureau's
total because Israel already counted them, the result would still
indicate near-parity in the Holy Land — 6.1 million Jews and close to
5.8 million Arabs, including those with Israeli citizenship.
Without
a partition deal, Jews will eventually become a minority because of
higher Arab population growth, said demographer Sergio Della Pergola of
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Arnon Soffer, a geographer at
Haifa University.
If Gaza residents are
removed from the count, then Jews would make up 61 percent of the
population in Israel and the West Bank, but would still end up as a
minority in 20 to 25 years, Della Pergola said.
In
Israel itself, the higher Arab and lower Jewish growth rates will
converge in about a generation, said Zadka of the Israeli statistics
bureau.
On the other hand, Della Pergola said, keeping the West Bank means "you must give up on a Jewish state."
Several
former right-wing Israeli politicians, most prominently prime ministers
Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert, seem to have come to the same conclusion
despite past support for the occupation. Sharon oversaw Israel's pullout
from Gaza while Olmert pursued a partition deal in talks with
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas that broke down in 2008.
Current
premier Benjamin Netanyahu, long a hard-liner, now seems to be at least
a partial convert as well. He speaks of a two-state solution and vows
to prevent a binational state.
But
his Likud Party still formally opposes a Palestinian state and his
messages can appear halfhearted and mixed. Palestinians especially
distrust him, pointing to his refusal to freeze the settlement effort
that has complicated partition by placing 550,000 Israelis on occupied
land.
Much of Israel's current
thinking involves how to keep as much as possible of the West Bank — to
minimize the number of settlers that will have to be moved — while at
the same time incorporating as few Palestinians as possible. The
Palestinians bristle at significant changes to the pre-1967 border.
Some on the Israeli right still argue that the demographic threat is overstated.
The
American-Israel Demographic Research Group, a private initiative led by
Yoram Ettinger, a former Israeli consul in Texas, claims Palestinians
in the West Bank number only about 1.5 million — or about 1 million less
than the Palestinian count.
Ola
Awad, the chief Palestinian demographer, said the 2007 census was based
on a detailed head count, with advice from the U.N. and Norway. Anders
Thomsen of the U.N. Population Fund backed her up, saying the census was
"done according to international standards," with support by his and
other U.N. agencies.
Della Pergola said he factored declining Arab fertility rates into his forecasts, and charged that his critics ignore that Palestinian society is younger, with more people of reproductive age.
The Yassins, who live in the Qalandiya refugee camp north of Jerusalem, illustrate some of those trends. Like others in their generation, they tend to have smaller families than their parents, but still have more children, on average, than Jewish couples.
Nael Yassin, 34, who was one of seven siblings, said he hopes baby Rahaf will be his last. At his wife's bedside, he objected to the idea of a demographic race, calling it unsustainable.
"Where would everyone go?" he said.
___
Perry reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed reporting.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Israelis fume over EU parliament president 's water remarkIsraelis fume over EU parliament president 's water remark
February 13, 2014
Source: Yahoo News
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli
newspapers bristled Thursday after the European Parliament president
criticised the Gaza Strip blockade and suggested that Israelis received
four times more water than Palestinians.
The spat erupted
Wednesday after the far-right Jewish Home party stormed out of
parliament in protest during a speech by Martin Schulz, and it made the
front pages of Israel's main newspapers.
Most commentators were furious about figures mentioned by Schulz over water usage.
"How
can it be that an Israeli is allowed to use 70 litres (18.5 gallons)of
water per day, but a Palestinian only 17," Schulz asked.
But he also admitted he had not had time to verify the numbers.
Shortly
afterwards, Schulz criticised settlements as an obstacle to peace and
warned that the Gaza blockade could "undermine, rather than strengthen,
Israel's security."
This prompted a barrage of heckling from Jewish Home MPs, who then walked out.
"Jewish
Home demands an apology from the president of the European Parliament,
who repeated two lies fed to him by the Palestinians," party chairman
Naftali Bennett said.
He denounced both assertions as "deceitful propaganda."
Even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waded in, accusing Schulz of being quick to cast blame without checking his facts.
"What
was disturbing in Schulz's speech was the selective hearing that is
becoming prevalent in many circles in Europe," he said in remarks
published on parliament's website.
"These
are figures which are not true. (Schulz) said he didn't check the
figures but it didn't stop him from straight away casting blame."
The headline in the Israel HaYom freesheet, which is close to Netanyahu, read: "Shock in parliament over slander of Israel."
The
Palestine Liberation Organisation said average daily Palestinian
domestic consumption was 70 litres per person, while the World Health
Organisation recommends a minimum of 100 litres.
"In the southern West Bank, there are communities that use less than 15 to 20 litres per capita per day," it added.
- Schulz taken aback -
In an interview with German daily Die Welt published Thursday, Schulz said he was taken aback by the tirade.
"The
angry reaction from some parliamentarians in Jerusalem surprised me and
made me concerned," he said, adding that he considered his Jerusalem
address to be "pro-Israel".
"The
people who disturbed my speech belong to a party of hardliners who
answer each critical word that bothers them in this way."
Israel HaYom accused Schulz of choosing to use "false libel" provided by anti-Israeli groups.
Other papers published figures showing a completely different picture of Israeli-Palestinian water usage.
The
spat prompted several NGOs to publish their own figures on water usage,
with Friends of the Earth Middle East citing statistics from 2011
showing the ratio was close to four to one.
"The
municipal water consumption per capita per day in Israel in 2011 was
250 litres, while among Palestinians in the West Bank, after taking into
consideration an average loss of approximately 30 percent of the water
-- due to theft and lack of infrastructure -– it was 70 litres," the
group said.
Israeli rights
group B'Tselem also said there was "discrimination in water allocation",
with Israelis receiving "much more water than Palestinian residents of
the West Bank and the Gaza Strip".
According
to the Israeli national water company, Mekorot, the average household
water consumption in Israel is between 100 and 230 litres per person per
day.
For Palestinians in the West Bank connected to the water mains, the average daily consumption is about 73 litres.
Those
not connected to the network -- around 113,000 people -- rely on stored
rainwater and water sold from tanker trucks, which is very expensive.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)