May 28, 2012
By:Stephen Lendman
Source: Occupied Palestine
Israel enforces rogue state harshness. Rule of law principles are spurned. Even Jewish rights are marginalized. Palestinians have none.
Occupation ruthlessness terrorizes them. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad serve illegitimately.
Israel manipulated the process to elect Abbas and keep him in charge. Despite virtually no popular support, Fayyad was appointed.
Enforcing Israeli authority is policy. Abbas is a longtime collaborator. Duplicity defines his agenda. Israel and Washington know he’s reliable. They support him to serve their interests.
Abbas took credit as Oslo’s architect. Israel controlled the process. Sellout defined it. Israel got what it wanted. Palestinians were shut out. Abbas sold out. He agreed to unilateral surrender. So did Arafat.
In April, Al-Ahram contributor Hasan Afif El-Hasan headlined “Twenty lost years,” saying:
Post-Oslo, nothing changed. Israel’s military protects settlers and terrorizes Palestinians. PA security forces violate the rights of their own people “in accordance with guidelines and direct orders established by Israel.”
“The path the PA chose since Oslo has not led to Palestinian independence and it has weakened the Palestinian national movement.”
“The PA does not govern its own territory, and became for all intents and purposes the administrator of an Israeli protectorate while Israel carries on with ethnic cleansing of Jerusalem, colonising the West Bank and enforcing the criminal blockade on Gaza.”
Abbas and Fayyad replicate US-controlled puppet authority in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere. PA security forces prevent and/or contain peaceful demonstrations.
During Cast Lead, anti-Israeli protests were prohibited. Abbas tried to prevent war crime investigations. He won’t permit another Intifada. He targets Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine supporters.
Historian Beshara Doumani recently visited the West Bank. He said PA crackdowns prevent Palestinians from expressing views freely. He called Nablus “a broken city.” Resistance is confronted and quashed.
Sociology Professor Khalil Nakhleh calls PA/Israeli cooperation frightening. Palestinian elites place their interests above collective ones.
PA leaders work cooperatively with a “Jewish-ethno-security regime.” They rule Palestine “from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean….” What chance have Palestinians when top officials representing them sell out to Israeli authority?
On May 10, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights reported (PCHR) Palestinian security forces broke up “the concluding colloquium of the Palestine Festival of Literature.”
Free expression and opinion were violated. So was the right to peacefully assemble. Palestinian law affirms rights too important to deny.
Arab poets and writers attended. Egyptian blogger ‘Amru ‘Izzat spoke about liberty. Security forces cut off electricity and told attendees to leave. Those refusing were confronted. Cameras were confiscated. Chaos resulted. Later, the colloquium resumed at al-Quds International Hotel.
In early May, PA security forces arrested dozens of journalists and activists voicing dissent. Al Haq director Shawan Jabarin said:
“There are many people I’m sure that are afraid and will count to ten before they say anything. Maybe they’ll push people to speak underground instead of expressing their opinions freely.”
“I think they’re using different words here and there, just to undermine these people in the eyes of the public and to say that they are creating trouble and creating divisions. It’s a political judgement more than (something) illegal.”
Palestinian Attorney General Ahmad al-Maghni hasn’t “protect(ed) the freedoms and the rights of the people in the face of arbitrary detention, instead of arresting people.”
“Here, we see him acting quickly” and irresponsibly. “(A)t the same time, he’s closing his ears and his eyes on the crimes going on.”
“He is not taking into his mind that the law that he is using was approved in 1960 and these days, we are in 2012 and the main principle now in all the world is freedom of expression.”
Jabarin referred to the long outdated 1960 Jordanian Penal Code.
An-Najah University student Hasan Abbadi was jailed for days and fined for “creating disunity.” Others were targeted for Facebook and other social network comments.
Abbas ruthlessly targets truth. Criticizing PA authority isn’t tolerated. Web sites were blocked. Al Mughani ordered them shut. Internet freedom’s threatened. So are peaceful assembly and other rights.
Palestinians should ask who’s side are they on? It’s simple knowing and should mobilize them to react. Otherwise, current policies will continue and worsen.
Palestinian Security Forces Trained to Serve Israel
From 2005 until he retired in October 2010, Lt. General Keith Dayton served as US Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority head (USSC). Lt. General Michael Moeller replaced him. He reports directly to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The State Department says he “directs all facets of U.S. security sector assistance to the Palestinian Authority and synchronizes international supporting efforts.”
It’s part of Washington’s pro-Israel/anti-Palestinian agenda. USSC created, built, trains and funds a 25,000-strong PA force. Hundreds of millions are spent. At issue is Institutionalizing hard-line control. Israel’s own security operations are supplemented.
Dayton built and renovated garrisons, training colleges, Interior Ministry facilities, and security headquarters. In January 2010, a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report addressed “US Security Assistance to the Palestinian Authority,” saying:
In late 2004, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Abbas created the USSC for “civil security and counterterrorism purposes.”
Palestinian recruits train at Jordan’s International Police Training Center (JIPCA) near Amman. Instruction includes crowd control, confronting “terrorist networks,” and consolidating “competent, defactionalized civilian control” over the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Hamas controls besieged Gaza. Perhaps Israel plans another war to change things.
At issue is maintaining militarized occupation control, confronting challenges to Israeli authority, serving imperial Washington, and denying Palestinians freedom and control over their own lives.
PA security forces assist Israeli harshness. Five PA security organizations operate: the National Security Forces (including military intelligence), Palestinian Civil Police, Preventive Security Organization, Presidential Guard, and General Intelligence Service.
Together they comprise the Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF). The PA interior minister controls them. He’s beholden to Israel. So are Abbas and Fayyad. Palestinians lose out. They have two enemies – Israel and their own West Bank government.
USSC is a multinational organization comprised of military officers and civilian personnel. Its core staff numbers about 45, including Americans, Canadians, Brits, and Turks. Operations are based in Jerusalem and Ramallah.
US private military contractors (PMCs), including DynCorp., are involved. So are around two dozen US and foreign law enforcement and security training specialists, as well as seven US and foreign technical advisors with expertise in security and Middle East affairs, strategic planning and organizational development, contracts and grants, procurement, logistics, and finance.
At issue is enforcing occupation harshness, denying Palestinian self-determination, and eliminating challenges to Israeli control. Palestinian security forces target their own people. Abbas and Fayyad collaborate for whatever benefits they derive.
Israel has final say on policy. Washington’s a reliable partner. Palestinians are left out and exploited. They’re on their own against two rogue states denying their legitimate rights. Liberation depends on restoring them.
Showing posts with label middle east peace negotiations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label middle east peace negotiations. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
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.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Arab League may reject Israeli freeze
The Arab League will possibly refuse a new Israeli three-month partial settlement freeze that excludes East al-Quds (Jerusalem), an official from the organization says.
"If there is a settlement freeze that excludes Jerusalem, I cannot imagine that would be acceptable to the Palestinian side or the Arab side," Hesham Youssef, an official with the office of the secretary general of the Arab League, said on Monday.
According to reports, the US has offered a package of incentives to Israel to extend the partial settlement freeze for another three months after the issue stalled the direct talks between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Washington plans to provide Tel Aviv with 20 advanced fighters and has agreed to veto any anti-Israeli resolution at the United Nations Security Council.
Acting PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began the negotiations in early September after a 20-month break.
Abbas on Sunday called for an urgent meeting with the Arab League to discuss the new US proposal to Israel before announcing an official decision over the US-sponsored talks.
The PA chief has repeatedly said that any further talks with the Israeli side would depend on ending the settlement construction.
"If there is a settlement freeze that excludes Jerusalem, I cannot imagine that would be acceptable to the Palestinian side or the Arab side," Hesham Youssef, an official with the office of the secretary general of the Arab League, said on Monday.
According to reports, the US has offered a package of incentives to Israel to extend the partial settlement freeze for another three months after the issue stalled the direct talks between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Washington plans to provide Tel Aviv with 20 advanced fighters and has agreed to veto any anti-Israeli resolution at the United Nations Security Council.
Acting PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began the negotiations in early September after a 20-month break.
Abbas on Sunday called for an urgent meeting with the Arab League to discuss the new US proposal to Israel before announcing an official decision over the US-sponsored talks.
The PA chief has repeatedly said that any further talks with the Israeli side would depend on ending the settlement construction.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Bleak future for the Mideast
By Hassan A. Barari
Few could forget the fourth of November 1995 when Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin delivered his last speech. Some 400,000 - of the once vibrant peace camp - had gathered to express their support for his policies of peace with the Palestinians. Few moments after, a zealot student from Bar Ilan University shot him dead.
A few days ago, the president of Israel, Shimon Peres, stood in the same place, commemorating Rabin’s memory. Absent that night were the hundreds of thousands that once belonged to the Israeli peace camp. Only a few thousand people attended the event. The modest turnout came as a statement about the retreat of the peace camp in Israel. No one can claim that there is a powerful peace camp in Israel any more.
Much has changed in 15 years. Israel’s society moved to the right in a way never expected before. Nowadays, it is simply not possible to think of a peace coalition in Israel. Israelis, on the whole, gave up on the possibility of making peace with the Palestinians. So did the latter, for that matter. Much troubling is the fact that the gap between the two sides has widened, becoming unbridgeable.
It is hard to avoid the feeling that with the advent of new actors (Iran and its proxies), the situation has been further complicated. For instance, how can Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sign a peace agreement in which he has to concede much to the Israelis? It is unthinkable. This accounts for his refusal to resume peace negotiations with the Israelis until they freeze settlement activities.
The Palestinian leadership is both week and isolated. Additionally, Palestinians lost hope and are more preoccupied with daily life issues, such as moving from one city to another, which can take hours thanks to the existence of Israel’s provocative checkpoints.
On the other hand, the once positive third party (the United States) is no longer influential. The American influence in the region as a whole has waned considerably. Implicit in all statements coming from Washington is that the administration cannot force either party to the conflict to make peace.
Coupled with this is the ascendance of Iran as a player that can spoil any effort to bring about peace in the Middle East. If the peace process fails, which is a likely scenario, Iran and its proxies will have reason to celebrate.
Israelis and Americans alike understand this logic yet seem incapable of pushing the peace process forward. The problem is that many Israelis believe that the status quo is sustainable.
Contrary to what they claim, peace is not on the agenda. Many in our region, chief among them King Abdullah, warned repeatedly that in the absence of peace, Israel’s security cannot be maintained.
It is easy to understand that a war could erupt if the process fails.
Under the circumstances, the nice words uttered by Peres last Friday rang hollow; the reality on the ground is bleak.
The majority of pundits and analysts believe that peace is an illusion. The two parties cannot simply wake up tomorrow and sign a peace agreement even if they would like to see this eventuality. Anyway, Peres’ words were unheard. The main TV stations in Israel refused to broadcast the event alive. This can only mean that the audience and viewers in Israel no longer believe in the message that Peres tried to convey.
In a nutshell, there is no peace camp in Israel and the way to influence Israel is through Washington.
hassbarari@gmail.com
2 November 2010
Few could forget the fourth of November 1995 when Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin delivered his last speech. Some 400,000 - of the once vibrant peace camp - had gathered to express their support for his policies of peace with the Palestinians. Few moments after, a zealot student from Bar Ilan University shot him dead.
A few days ago, the president of Israel, Shimon Peres, stood in the same place, commemorating Rabin’s memory. Absent that night were the hundreds of thousands that once belonged to the Israeli peace camp. Only a few thousand people attended the event. The modest turnout came as a statement about the retreat of the peace camp in Israel. No one can claim that there is a powerful peace camp in Israel any more.
Much has changed in 15 years. Israel’s society moved to the right in a way never expected before. Nowadays, it is simply not possible to think of a peace coalition in Israel. Israelis, on the whole, gave up on the possibility of making peace with the Palestinians. So did the latter, for that matter. Much troubling is the fact that the gap between the two sides has widened, becoming unbridgeable.
It is hard to avoid the feeling that with the advent of new actors (Iran and its proxies), the situation has been further complicated. For instance, how can Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sign a peace agreement in which he has to concede much to the Israelis? It is unthinkable. This accounts for his refusal to resume peace negotiations with the Israelis until they freeze settlement activities.
The Palestinian leadership is both week and isolated. Additionally, Palestinians lost hope and are more preoccupied with daily life issues, such as moving from one city to another, which can take hours thanks to the existence of Israel’s provocative checkpoints.
On the other hand, the once positive third party (the United States) is no longer influential. The American influence in the region as a whole has waned considerably. Implicit in all statements coming from Washington is that the administration cannot force either party to the conflict to make peace.
Coupled with this is the ascendance of Iran as a player that can spoil any effort to bring about peace in the Middle East. If the peace process fails, which is a likely scenario, Iran and its proxies will have reason to celebrate.
Israelis and Americans alike understand this logic yet seem incapable of pushing the peace process forward. The problem is that many Israelis believe that the status quo is sustainable.
Contrary to what they claim, peace is not on the agenda. Many in our region, chief among them King Abdullah, warned repeatedly that in the absence of peace, Israel’s security cannot be maintained.
It is easy to understand that a war could erupt if the process fails.
Under the circumstances, the nice words uttered by Peres last Friday rang hollow; the reality on the ground is bleak.
The majority of pundits and analysts believe that peace is an illusion. The two parties cannot simply wake up tomorrow and sign a peace agreement even if they would like to see this eventuality. Anyway, Peres’ words were unheard. The main TV stations in Israel refused to broadcast the event alive. This can only mean that the audience and viewers in Israel no longer believe in the message that Peres tried to convey.
In a nutshell, there is no peace camp in Israel and the way to influence Israel is through Washington.
hassbarari@gmail.com
2 November 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Hamas to PA: End negotiations, now and forever
25/10/2010 20:48
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Hamas demanded on Monday that the Palestinian Authority cease negotiations with Israel.
"The PA should stop negotiations now and forever. Israel does whatever it wants without a thought to Palestinian rights," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement.
"What is needed from the PA is a declaration of their withdrawal from negotiations and encouragement of resistance, which is the only means through which Palestinian will regain their rights."
Barhoum added that Israel's settlement policy was aimed at making the Palestinian territories Jewish. He called on all Palestinians and especially those from Jerusalem to oppose the occupation and settlements.
He also called on Arab and Islamic nations to support Palestinians.
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Hamas demanded on Monday that the Palestinian Authority cease negotiations with Israel.
"The PA should stop negotiations now and forever. Israel does whatever it wants without a thought to Palestinian rights," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement.
"What is needed from the PA is a declaration of their withdrawal from negotiations and encouragement of resistance, which is the only means through which Palestinian will regain their rights."
Barhoum added that Israel's settlement policy was aimed at making the Palestinian territories Jewish. He called on all Palestinians and especially those from Jerusalem to oppose the occupation and settlements.
He also called on Arab and Islamic nations to support Palestinians.
Fatah: Israel doesn't want peace
25/10/2010 20:48
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – Fatah said Monday that Israel's right-wing government 's decision to continue building settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories had destroyed any chance for a peace deal.
Ahmad Assaf, a Fatah spokesman, said in a statement that there is "nothing worse than what is being practiced against Palestinians by the Israeli occupation, including the closure and siege imposed on Gaza."
Although Israeli leaders suggest they want peace, "they are lying," Assaf said. They have demonstrated their unwillingness to achieve a deal through actions which speak louder than words, he added.
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – Fatah said Monday that Israel's right-wing government 's decision to continue building settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories had destroyed any chance for a peace deal.
Ahmad Assaf, a Fatah spokesman, said in a statement that there is "nothing worse than what is being practiced against Palestinians by the Israeli occupation, including the closure and siege imposed on Gaza."
Although Israeli leaders suggest they want peace, "they are lying," Assaf said. They have demonstrated their unwillingness to achieve a deal through actions which speak louder than words, he added.
America’s “spoiled child” holds the key to Middle East peace
Published 21 October, 2010, 18:00
Edited 25 October, 2010, 11:26
Despite reassuring words out of Washington that a two-state peace deal is possible for the Israelis and Palestinians, the facts on the ground tell a very different story.
Today’s online edition of Haaretz, the Israeli daily, shows a photograph of two bulldozers scraping the dusty terrain in the West Bank accompanied by the headline: “Settlers broke ground on nearly 600 homes since end of freeze, survey shows.” Just below is another story, entitled: “Clinton: Two-state solution still possible for Israel, Palestinians.”
These wildly diverging articles illustrate the chasm that exists between the United States and Israel over the question of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
The first article, quoting the Associated Press, announces that “…settlers have begun building new homes at a quick pace since the government lifted its moratorium on West Bank housing starts – almost 550 in three weeks, more than four times faster than the last two years.”
The article reported that many of the settlements are being built in areas that would be incorporated into any future Palestinian state; this trend will severely hampers any hope for a lasting peace.
According to an AP survey, construction has begun on 544 new West Bank homes since September 26, the date when Israel ended its 10-month moratorium on new settlement building.
“Nearly 300,000 settlers now live in the West Bank,” AP reported, “along with 2.2 million Palestinians. Settlers have covered the territory – captured by Israel in the Six Day War in 1967, along with Gaza and east Jerusalem – with an increasingly intricate web of established communities and nearly 100 unauthorized hilltop outposts.”
Meanwhile, the Obama administration has been trying to persuade Israel to extend the construction moratorium. Washington is pushing for a one-time two-month extension, during which time the Israelis and Palestinians would be expected to reach agreement on the future borders of a Palestinian state. These efforts, however, have been hampered by next month’s highly anticipated midterm elections, in which the Democrats are expected to suffer setbacks due to public impatience with the sluggish economy.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians are demanding a total freeze on settlement construction for the duration of negotiations, saying two months is not sufficient time to reach an agreement.
The next article from Haaretz quotes parts of Hillary Clinton’s address to the annual conference of the American Taskforce for Palestine, an organization founded in 2003 that advocates the creation of a Palestinian state, in Washington, DC.
"We remain convinced that if they persevere with negotiations,” Clinton said, “the parties can agree on an outcome that ends the conflict; reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps."
"We have a moment in time and we must seize…The Obama administration will not turn their backs on either the people of Palestine and Israel. They will continue working for and, God willing, achieving peace."
The Secretary of State then said the “goal [of a two-state solution] is now the official policy of the United States.”
Below the diplomatic niceties, however, Washington understands that without a freeze on settlement construction – on the very land that is supposed to be the site of the new Palestinian state - the peace talks will implode.
US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley last week criticized Israel for its decision to resume building in East Jerusalem.
"We were disappointed by the announcement of new tenders in East Jerusalem yesterday. It is contrary to our efforts to resume direct negotiations between the parties," said Crowley.
Is Israel behaving like a “spoiled child”?
This week, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman suggested that Israel, which is indulged with extensive American support at every turn, is behaving like a spoiled child in its relations with the United States.
“It is a measure of how spoiled Israel has become that after billions and billions of dollars in US aid and 300,000 settlers already ensconced in the West Bank,” Friedman writes, “Israel feels no compunction about spurning an American request for a longer settlement freeze – the only purpose of which is to help the United States help Israel reach a secure peace with the Palestinians.”
The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer then imagined what so many Americans would like to hear from the Israeli side: “You know, Mr. President, we're dubious that a continued settlement freeze will have an impact. But you think it will, so, let's test it. This one's for you."
It is hard to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the veteran politician who is enjoying his second stint as prime minister (he served in the same capacity from 1996 to 1999), is bowing to settler demands simply because he is worried about a political dogfight.
Netanyahu certainly has the power, influence and political balls to contain even the most provocative members of his government, like Avigdor Lieberman, the minister of foreign affairs, who has been labeled a racist ultra-nationalist by many commentators, not least of all by Jewish columnists in the United States.
“Yes, I know,” Friedman continues. “Netanyahu says that if he did that then the far right-wingers in his cabinet would walk out. He knows he can't make peace with some of the lunatics in his cabinet, but he tells the US that he only wants to blow up his cabinet once – for a deal. But we will never get to that stage if he doesn't blow it up now and construct a centrist coalition that can negotiate a deal.”
Friedman then attacks the notion that Barack Obama is somehow “anti-Israel,” and provides some good reasons why that notion is totally inaccurate.
“Please spare me the nonsense that President Barack Obama is anti-Israel. At a time when the president has made it one of his top priorities to build a global coalition to stop Iran from making a nuclear weapon, he took the very logical view that if he could advance the peace process in the Middle East it would give him much greater leverage to get the Europeans and the United Nations behind tougher sanctions on Iran.”
Friedman then reminds us that “Israel can't remain a Jewish democracy in the long run if it continues to control 2.5 million Palestinians in the West Bank.”
His advice: “Abbas is weak and acts weaker. Netanyahu is strong and acts weak. It is time for both to step it up. And it is time for all the outsiders who spoil them to find another hobby.”
The question is: Do the Palestinians have any hope of achieving sovereign-state status if the United States, a well known ally of Israel, continues moderating the peace talks? More than a few observers say the answer is “no.”
With peace talks looking on the verge of collapse yet again, Palestinians are reportedly discussing the idea of taking their case “to the United Nations, the International Court of Justice and other forums to achieve recognition of Palestinian statehood,” The New York Times reported Wednesday.
"We cannot go on this way," former peace negotiator Hanan Ashrawi of the Palestine Liberation Organization told the Times. "The two-state solution is disappearing. If we cannot stop the settlements through the peace process, we have to go to the Security Council, the Human Rights Council and every international legal body."
Meanwhile, Israeli officials are vehemently opposed to the idea of having a solution imposed by outside parties, the Times said.
Israel wants Washington to publicly reject such an approach, which the administration of Barack Obama has so far refused to do.
Should the government of Benjamin Netanyau fight harder for a final peace deal with the Palestinians, even agreeing with the United States to enforce another settlement moratorium, or should it gamble further, risking the best friend it has?
It is clear that only through the strong leadership of a time-tested politician like Mr. Netanyahu can Israel’s hard-right be won over to any peace deal. A weaker Israeli leader will never be able to bring all the different factions together in agreement like Bibi can.
The key to peace is in Netanyahu’s court. It won't remain there forever.
Robert Bridge, RT
Edited 25 October, 2010, 11:26
Despite reassuring words out of Washington that a two-state peace deal is possible for the Israelis and Palestinians, the facts on the ground tell a very different story.
Today’s online edition of Haaretz, the Israeli daily, shows a photograph of two bulldozers scraping the dusty terrain in the West Bank accompanied by the headline: “Settlers broke ground on nearly 600 homes since end of freeze, survey shows.” Just below is another story, entitled: “Clinton: Two-state solution still possible for Israel, Palestinians.”
These wildly diverging articles illustrate the chasm that exists between the United States and Israel over the question of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
The first article, quoting the Associated Press, announces that “…settlers have begun building new homes at a quick pace since the government lifted its moratorium on West Bank housing starts – almost 550 in three weeks, more than four times faster than the last two years.”
The article reported that many of the settlements are being built in areas that would be incorporated into any future Palestinian state; this trend will severely hampers any hope for a lasting peace.
According to an AP survey, construction has begun on 544 new West Bank homes since September 26, the date when Israel ended its 10-month moratorium on new settlement building.
“Nearly 300,000 settlers now live in the West Bank,” AP reported, “along with 2.2 million Palestinians. Settlers have covered the territory – captured by Israel in the Six Day War in 1967, along with Gaza and east Jerusalem – with an increasingly intricate web of established communities and nearly 100 unauthorized hilltop outposts.”
Meanwhile, the Obama administration has been trying to persuade Israel to extend the construction moratorium. Washington is pushing for a one-time two-month extension, during which time the Israelis and Palestinians would be expected to reach agreement on the future borders of a Palestinian state. These efforts, however, have been hampered by next month’s highly anticipated midterm elections, in which the Democrats are expected to suffer setbacks due to public impatience with the sluggish economy.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians are demanding a total freeze on settlement construction for the duration of negotiations, saying two months is not sufficient time to reach an agreement.
The next article from Haaretz quotes parts of Hillary Clinton’s address to the annual conference of the American Taskforce for Palestine, an organization founded in 2003 that advocates the creation of a Palestinian state, in Washington, DC.
"We remain convinced that if they persevere with negotiations,” Clinton said, “the parties can agree on an outcome that ends the conflict; reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps."
"We have a moment in time and we must seize…The Obama administration will not turn their backs on either the people of Palestine and Israel. They will continue working for and, God willing, achieving peace."
The Secretary of State then said the “goal [of a two-state solution] is now the official policy of the United States.”
Below the diplomatic niceties, however, Washington understands that without a freeze on settlement construction – on the very land that is supposed to be the site of the new Palestinian state - the peace talks will implode.
US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley last week criticized Israel for its decision to resume building in East Jerusalem.
"We were disappointed by the announcement of new tenders in East Jerusalem yesterday. It is contrary to our efforts to resume direct negotiations between the parties," said Crowley.
Is Israel behaving like a “spoiled child”?
This week, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman suggested that Israel, which is indulged with extensive American support at every turn, is behaving like a spoiled child in its relations with the United States.
“It is a measure of how spoiled Israel has become that after billions and billions of dollars in US aid and 300,000 settlers already ensconced in the West Bank,” Friedman writes, “Israel feels no compunction about spurning an American request for a longer settlement freeze – the only purpose of which is to help the United States help Israel reach a secure peace with the Palestinians.”
The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer then imagined what so many Americans would like to hear from the Israeli side: “You know, Mr. President, we're dubious that a continued settlement freeze will have an impact. But you think it will, so, let's test it. This one's for you."
It is hard to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the veteran politician who is enjoying his second stint as prime minister (he served in the same capacity from 1996 to 1999), is bowing to settler demands simply because he is worried about a political dogfight.
Netanyahu certainly has the power, influence and political balls to contain even the most provocative members of his government, like Avigdor Lieberman, the minister of foreign affairs, who has been labeled a racist ultra-nationalist by many commentators, not least of all by Jewish columnists in the United States.
“Yes, I know,” Friedman continues. “Netanyahu says that if he did that then the far right-wingers in his cabinet would walk out. He knows he can't make peace with some of the lunatics in his cabinet, but he tells the US that he only wants to blow up his cabinet once – for a deal. But we will never get to that stage if he doesn't blow it up now and construct a centrist coalition that can negotiate a deal.”
Friedman then attacks the notion that Barack Obama is somehow “anti-Israel,” and provides some good reasons why that notion is totally inaccurate.
“Please spare me the nonsense that President Barack Obama is anti-Israel. At a time when the president has made it one of his top priorities to build a global coalition to stop Iran from making a nuclear weapon, he took the very logical view that if he could advance the peace process in the Middle East it would give him much greater leverage to get the Europeans and the United Nations behind tougher sanctions on Iran.”
Friedman then reminds us that “Israel can't remain a Jewish democracy in the long run if it continues to control 2.5 million Palestinians in the West Bank.”
His advice: “Abbas is weak and acts weaker. Netanyahu is strong and acts weak. It is time for both to step it up. And it is time for all the outsiders who spoil them to find another hobby.”
The question is: Do the Palestinians have any hope of achieving sovereign-state status if the United States, a well known ally of Israel, continues moderating the peace talks? More than a few observers say the answer is “no.”
With peace talks looking on the verge of collapse yet again, Palestinians are reportedly discussing the idea of taking their case “to the United Nations, the International Court of Justice and other forums to achieve recognition of Palestinian statehood,” The New York Times reported Wednesday.
"We cannot go on this way," former peace negotiator Hanan Ashrawi of the Palestine Liberation Organization told the Times. "The two-state solution is disappearing. If we cannot stop the settlements through the peace process, we have to go to the Security Council, the Human Rights Council and every international legal body."
Meanwhile, Israeli officials are vehemently opposed to the idea of having a solution imposed by outside parties, the Times said.
Israel wants Washington to publicly reject such an approach, which the administration of Barack Obama has so far refused to do.
Should the government of Benjamin Netanyau fight harder for a final peace deal with the Palestinians, even agreeing with the United States to enforce another settlement moratorium, or should it gamble further, risking the best friend it has?
It is clear that only through the strong leadership of a time-tested politician like Mr. Netanyahu can Israel’s hard-right be won over to any peace deal. A weaker Israeli leader will never be able to bring all the different factions together in agreement like Bibi can.
The key to peace is in Netanyahu’s court. It won't remain there forever.
Robert Bridge, RT
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
ABBAS CAVES ON "RIGHT OF RETURN" AND MORE
Irish4Palestine
April 26, 2010
PALESTINIANS ABOUT TO GET SCREWED
You've just lost the Right of Return folks!!
The brilliant negotiator and head idiot Abbas has sold you out before even getting to the table.
First rule of negotiations, begin from a position of power, not a position of weakness! You NEVER come to the table showing you are already willing to give everything away! What's left to bargain with? NO more resistance, that's now out according to Abbas, NO Right of Return, that's now negotiable, according to Abbas, NO claiming a Palestinian state without Israel's approval, that's gone according to Abbas.
Palestinians are about to be screwed by one of their own. I feel so sorry for Palestinians who are about to read this utter rubbish coming from Abbas' corrupt American/Israeli owned mouth. There is a name for someone like him, it begins with the letter "T" for Traitor and "M" for Moron. Some of what this man said is absolutely outrageous, like this:
LINK 'I want to work with Netanyahu' Regarding the 'Law of Return' for Palestinians refugees, the PA leader hinted that he was not asking for an influx of Palestinians into Israel, merely saying, "The Road Map stipulates a 'just solution,' so let's just say, I want a "just solution.'"
He expressed confidence at being able to "explain" the agreed-upon solution to the refugee issue to the Palestinian people.
Explain this??? Nothing TO explain, just throw away those keys, you ain't going back ever again. Abbas has just effectively stated that he's willing to trade away your right of return. Now go have a nice day in your refugee camp all you uprooted Palestinians! There's more Abbas insanity:
"Try me," Abbas told (Israeli) Channel 2. "I say on behalf of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, that we are prepared for an agreement."
Stressing that Netanyahu was the prime minister "chosen by the Israeli people and elected by the Knesset," Abbas said that on that basis, it was his "duty to work with him."
Sorry, but WTF??? His DUTY to work with him, when his IDF killers just crossed into Palestine (Abba's supposed country) today and murdered a man? When they have stolen most of East Jerusalem (and continue to do so) and passed a law to deport Palestinians from the West Bank by the thousands? When hundreds of Palestinians are interned without trial in Zionist jails? As a Palestinian, Abbas' "DUTY" is to represent ALL the Palestinian people and THEIR best interests, NOT America or Israel's best interest. You NEVER come to the table showing you are already willing to give everything away! What's left to bargain with? No more resistance, that's now out accoriding to Abbas, no Right of Return, that's now negotiable, according to Abbas, no claiming a Palestinian state without Israel's approval, that's gone accoridng to Abbas. Dear God in Heaven he's lost his mind, sadly there's more grovelling and caving to come:
Concerning recent calls for renewed Palestinian resistance in the West Bank, Abbas said he did "not want demonstrations that deteriorate into violence."
So shut up and sit down all you uprooted Palestinians you won't be protesting in the West Bank anymore. Abbas has done the deal, sold you down the river, soon all you who resist will be deported to Gaza using the new "Israeli Laws" pack your bags people. And the final insult:
Abbas played down PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad's stated intention to declare a Palestinian state in 2011, saying, "There will be no unilateral moves, we want an agreement."
April 26, 2010
PALESTINIANS ABOUT TO GET SCREWED
You've just lost the Right of Return folks!!
The brilliant negotiator and head idiot Abbas has sold you out before even getting to the table.
First rule of negotiations, begin from a position of power, not a position of weakness! You NEVER come to the table showing you are already willing to give everything away! What's left to bargain with? NO more resistance, that's now out according to Abbas, NO Right of Return, that's now negotiable, according to Abbas, NO claiming a Palestinian state without Israel's approval, that's gone according to Abbas.
Palestinians are about to be screwed by one of their own. I feel so sorry for Palestinians who are about to read this utter rubbish coming from Abbas' corrupt American/Israeli owned mouth. There is a name for someone like him, it begins with the letter "T" for Traitor and "M" for Moron. Some of what this man said is absolutely outrageous, like this:
LINK 'I want to work with Netanyahu' Regarding the 'Law of Return' for Palestinians refugees, the PA leader hinted that he was not asking for an influx of Palestinians into Israel, merely saying, "The Road Map stipulates a 'just solution,' so let's just say, I want a "just solution.'"
He expressed confidence at being able to "explain" the agreed-upon solution to the refugee issue to the Palestinian people.
Explain this??? Nothing TO explain, just throw away those keys, you ain't going back ever again. Abbas has just effectively stated that he's willing to trade away your right of return. Now go have a nice day in your refugee camp all you uprooted Palestinians! There's more Abbas insanity:
"Try me," Abbas told (Israeli) Channel 2. "I say on behalf of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, that we are prepared for an agreement."
Stressing that Netanyahu was the prime minister "chosen by the Israeli people and elected by the Knesset," Abbas said that on that basis, it was his "duty to work with him."
Sorry, but WTF??? His DUTY to work with him, when his IDF killers just crossed into Palestine (Abba's supposed country) today and murdered a man? When they have stolen most of East Jerusalem (and continue to do so) and passed a law to deport Palestinians from the West Bank by the thousands? When hundreds of Palestinians are interned without trial in Zionist jails? As a Palestinian, Abbas' "DUTY" is to represent ALL the Palestinian people and THEIR best interests, NOT America or Israel's best interest. You NEVER come to the table showing you are already willing to give everything away! What's left to bargain with? No more resistance, that's now out accoriding to Abbas, no Right of Return, that's now negotiable, according to Abbas, no claiming a Palestinian state without Israel's approval, that's gone accoridng to Abbas. Dear God in Heaven he's lost his mind, sadly there's more grovelling and caving to come:
Concerning recent calls for renewed Palestinian resistance in the West Bank, Abbas said he did "not want demonstrations that deteriorate into violence."
So shut up and sit down all you uprooted Palestinians you won't be protesting in the West Bank anymore. Abbas has done the deal, sold you down the river, soon all you who resist will be deported to Gaza using the new "Israeli Laws" pack your bags people. And the final insult:
Abbas played down PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad's stated intention to declare a Palestinian state in 2011, saying, "There will be no unilateral moves, we want an agreement."
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