ISRAEL'S "GOVERNMENT POLICY" OF KILLING UNCOVERED

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Shhhh, don’t mention the “Dahiya doctrine!!” it’s a secret …..

Israel’s Military policy of using disproportionate force, to cause great damage and destruction to civilian property and infrastructure, and cause maximum suffering to civilian populations, has now been uncovered AND it has a name.

So, I’m reading the 575 page Goldstone Report, what an eye opener it is. Nothing reported that anyone with a brain and a clear pair if eyes would not already know, but this is the confirmation. It confirms what our own eyes witnessed, thanks to Israel’s failure to keep ALL journalists out of Gaza.

Hey Israel…which is it? Is your army filled with Military idiots who should never come near a loaded weapon, OR, filled with well trained soldiers who have full knowledge of the use of the advanced weapons they are in charge of? Hmmmm? Answer please, cos like I’m really confused you know? And I think they have created a small problem for themselves, again, as usual….You see, this is a byproduct of constantly lying. You have to keep re-inventing your story with each new discovery. And Israel should receive an award for the shittiest liars ever.

Here’s why; On the one hand they claim they are the most moral army in the world (Pardon me whilst I choke on the absurdity of that statement) And, they also like to brag about their military prowess and how advanced it is and how they have state of the art weapons and know how to use them to their full ability. And that my friend is Israel’s problem. Because you cannot be an advanced army with advanced military capability, with full knowledge of weapons use, and then claim you did not willfully and knowingly target civilians and civilian infrastructure. Oooops, forgot about that one didn’t you? Shhhh, don’t mention the “Dahiya doctrine!!” it’s a secret………not any more! Let’s take a look at Israel’s “Military Objective and Strategy”

12. Objectives and strategy of Israel’s military operations in Gaza

61. The Mission reviewed available information on the planning of the Israeli military operations in Gaza, on the advanced military technology available to the Israeli forces and on their training in international humanitarian law (Chapter XVI). According to official Government information, the Israeli armed forces have an elaborate legal advice and training system in place, which seeks to ensure knowledge of the relevant legal obligations and support to commanders for compliance in the field. The Israeli armed forces possess very advanced hardware and are also a market leader in the production of some of the most advanced pieces of military technology available, including UAVs. They have a very significant capacity for precision strikes by a variety of methods, including aerial and ground launches.

Oh, so they ARE well trained, because that’s exactly what Israel’s Official Government Information states in the above section contained in the Goldstone report. But, but, but, Houston we have a problem:

Taking into account the ability to plan, the means to execute plans with the most developed technology available, and statements by the Israeli military that almost no errors occurred, the Mission finds that the incidents and patterns of events considered in the report are the result of deliberate planning and policy decisions.

Isn’t it refreshing to FINALLY read the truth in a legal document? So either Israel must say it “made gross mistakes” and it made “Multiple gross mistakes” which then would mean either 1. That the Israeli Government lied and it’s soldiers are untrained bumbling idiots who should never be allowed near a loaded weapon in the presence of a civilian, OR, 2. They are well trained cold blooded killers who act outside the law on advice of their government, using advance weapons to target civilians. I vote for #2 But, but, but, there’s more shenanigans, because we’ve all seen this before, haven’t we:

62. The tactics used by Israeli military armed forces in the Gaza offensive are consistent with previous practices, most recently during the Lebanon war in 2006. A concept known as the Dahiya doctrine emerged then, involving the application of disproportionate force and the causing of great damage and destruction to civilian property and infrastructure, and suffering to civilian populations.

Damnit!! You weren’t supposed to mention the Dahiya Doctrine you fools!!! Too late………….busted:

The Mission concludes from a review of the facts on the ground that it witnessed for itself that what was prescribed as the best strategy appears to have been precisely what was put into practice.

63. In the framing of Israeli military objectives with regard to the Gaza operations, the concept of Hamas’ “supporting infrastructure” is particularly worrying as it appears to transform civilians and civilian objects into legitimate targets. Statements by Israeli political and military leaders prior to and during the military operations in Gaza indicate that the Israeli military conception of what was necessary in a war with Hamas viewed disproportionate destruction and creating the maximum disruption in the lives of many people as a legitimate means to achieve not only military but also political goals.

For those who have not figured this out yet, or who did not figure it out back in December when the FIRST bombings took place, this was ALL about taking out the Gaza infrastructure, so that the people would blame Hamas and overthrow them. Get it now? Within the first few hours the police station and police were all killed and bombed. This would create a situation where the Government has no infrastructure and could not police or govern, after the genocide was over. Look out Folks, Iran is next on the "Hit List" It’s that old Dahiya Doctrine again, Shhhh, don’t mention it…….. more:

64. Statements by Israeli leaders to the effect that the destruction of civilian objects would be justified as a response to rocket attacks (“destroy 100 homes for every rocket fired”), indicate the possibility of resort to reprisals. The Mission is of the view that reprisals against civilians in armed hostilities are contrary to international humanitarian law.

Law? What law? Who said there was a law. I don’t see any law. Do you see a law? No, we’re Israel, there ARE no laws for us……………

Now, I’m away after another cuppa tea and back to reading the Slaughterhouse, I mean the Goldstone Report on Israeli War Crimes…..more later

Posted by Irish4Palestine at 10:00 PM

Labels: goldstone report, IDF kill children, IDF trained to murder palestinians by rabbis, israel guilty of war crimes, israel has policy to kill civilians, murdering bastards

Salah urges Palestinians in J’lem to continue their defense of Aqsa Mosque

Salah urges Palestinians in J’lem to continue their defense of Aqsa Mosque

[ 03/10/2009 - 08:07 AM ]


UMM Al-FAHM, (PIC)-- Sheikh Ra’ed Salah, the head of the Islamic Movement in 1948 occupied Palestine, called on the Palestinian worshipers inside the Aqsa Mosque to continue their steadfastness and standing in the face of the Israeli occupation and its settlers who declared their intention to resume their attack on the Mosque next Sunday.

“Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque appeal for help, while the Arab and Muslim worlds are in shameful and suspicious silence that is unacceptable and rejected,” Sheikh Salah underlined during a ceremony on the dangers threatening the Aqsa Mosque held Friday in Umm Al-Fahm.

The Islamic Movement leader noted during his speech that the Israeli occupation fears that the Muslim peoples would move from Ankara to Kuala Lumpur and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Peninsula to defend the holy Mosque because this means the demise of the occupation, the liberation of Jerusalem and the establishment of the Palestinian state.

The Palestinian leader hailed and praised the fortitude and steadfastness of all Palestinians who defended the Aqsa Mosque last Sunday and warned of new attempts to storm the Mosque this Sunday.

For his part, Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, the head of the higher Islamic authority in Jerusalem, stressed during the ceremony the need for stationing in the courtyards of the Aqsa Mosque because of the dangers threatening it nowadays especially after Jewish extremist groups called on its supporters to storm the Mosque anew next Sunday.

Sheikh Sabri pointed out that the Arab masses in 1948 occupied Palestine sent a strongly-worded message during the march held Thursday in Araba to the Zionist regime that they would never bow to its racist policies against them.

Shalit calls on Israeli government to conclude prisoners exchange deal

Four Months ago, the Anal-ysist of PP dropped his "bombshell" He asked:

Is Hamas About to be Fooled, Again, by the Pharaoh? Tony was Almost Certain, the Answer is Yes!

And he answered:

Shalit Transfer to Egypt Imminent as Part of US Initiative.

Shalit is still with Hamas Shalit calls on Israeli government to conclude prisoners exchange deal
And Tony is still preying Hamas is immune to learn.

[ 02/10/2009 - 07:39 PM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation soldier, Gilad Shalit, who is being held by Palestinian resistance groups, called on the Israeli government not waste the opportunity of reaching a prisoner exchange deal.

Shalit, who spoke in Hebrew, said: "Shalom, I am Gilad the son of Noam and Aviva Shalit and the brother of Hadas and Yuil and live in Mitzpe Hila and my I.D number is 397029."

Shalit appeared clean shaven with short hair and wearing IOF uniform. He sat on a chair holding a copy of the Arabic Falastin newspaper.

He then stood up to show that he was in good health and said: "Today is Monday 14 September 2009 and as you can see I am holding today's copy of Falastin newspaper which is published in Gaza. I am reading through it to see if there is any good news about me getting freed to go home soon."

"I looked for a long time for the day I am freed. I hope that the present government under the premiership of Benjamin Netanyahu does not waste the opportunity to reach a prisoner exchange deal so that I could achieve my dream of being freed," Shalit said.

He pointed out that he is in good health and being treated well by his captors.

He also mentioned a visit his family made to him at an army base in 2005 on one occasion and goes into some details of what they did to demonstrate that he is in a good mental health.

PA's conflicting approaches as different as night and day

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Oct. 2, 2009
Khaled Abu Toameh , THE JERUSALEM POST

The Palestinian Authority's actions and rhetoric, especially in the past few weeks and months, show that hypocrisy has become a major component of its official policy.

One sometimes wonders whether the PA that speaks and acts during the day is the same PA that speaks and functions during the night.

During the day, the Palestinian Authority acts and speaks as if its leaders had never signed a peace treaty with Israel. During the day, Israel is the enemy that continues to deny the Palestinians their rights, seize their lands, arrest and kill their innocents, and expand existing settlements.

But during the night, the Palestinian Authority changes its colors and speaks and acts in a completely different manner. During the night, the Israeli enemy becomes a friend and peace partner with whom it's legitimate to conduct security coordination and eat in fancy restaurants.

During Operation Cast Lead, Palestinian security officers in the West Bank provided Israel with valuable intelligence that contributed to the elimination of many Hamas operatives and "military targets." Moreover, the PA even pressured Israel not to stop the war unless Hamas was removed from power. In other words, the Palestinian Authority was telling Israel that it should continue bombing the Gaza Strip until Hamas surrendered.

Palestinian officials, including some of Mahmoud Abbas's top aides, did not hide their disappointment when the war ended without the removal or collapse of Hamas.

As soon as the war ended, the same Palestinian Authority that had urged Israel to "finish off the job," and that had provided Israel with vital information about Hamas figures and installations in the Gaza Strip, started accusing Israel of committing "war crimes." The PA even appealed to The Hague court to launch an investigation into the alleged war crimes.

The Palestinian Minister of Justice, Ali Khashan, was dispatched to The Hague to follow up on the issue with the court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo.

Now the PA, which is holding some 1,000 Hamas "supporters" in its prisons without trial, is urging the UN Human Rights Council to adopt the Goldstone Commission Report in full and to pass it on to the General Assembly for action.

The PA's "generals" and "colonels" hold daily meetings with their Israeli counterparts to discuss security-related issues. Unlike ordinary Palestinians, senior Palestinian officials can travel to Israel and anywhere they want thanks to VIP cards and other privileges they receive from the Israeli Defense Ministry.

During the night, Palestinian security officials hold secret meetings with their Israeli counterparts. But during the day, the Palestinian Authority is demanding that the same Israeli officials be tried as war criminals. Some of these "war criminals," by the way, are responsible for the fact that the senior PA leaders and their families are able to receive free medical treatment in Israel - a privilege that most Palestinians can only dream about.

This hypocrisy is also evident in the PA's approach toward normalization with Israel and the status of the Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem.

On the one hand, the Palestinian Authority is publicly combating normalization, exactly as Israel's two other Arab peace partners, Egypt and Jordan, are doing. However, this anti-normalization drive obviously does not apply to the leaders of the PA and their sons, who continue to do business with Israel both openly and secretly. This, in addition to regular meetings that take place - away from the spotlight - between Palestinian government officials, businessmen, journalists and physicians and their Israeli counterparts.

These days the PA is leading a fierce campaign against what it calls Israel's efforts to destroy the Aksa Mosque. This campaign intensified immediately after the failed tripartite summit in New York on September 22 that brought Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas together with US President Barack Obama.

Abbas went to the meeting against his will and after he had spent the last few months promising the Palestinians that he would not meet with Netanyahu or resume the peace talks until Israel halted construction in the settlements. Abbas was dragged to the summit under immense pressure from the Obama administration.

Now that his pride has been hurt and his credibility shattered in the eyes of his constituents, Abbas has stepped up the verbal assault on Israel. Palestinian spokesmen and Abbas advisers have been exploiting every available platform to tell millions of Arabs and Muslims that the Jews are destroying Islam's third holiest site. Earlier this week, this campaign resulted in an outburst of violence in Jerusalem - the worst in years.

Israeli government officials have been working hard to explain to their Palestinian counterparts that there is no such thing as an Israeli "conspiracy" to destroy the mosque. Although many Palestinian officials and spokesmen have privately and quietly accepted the Israeli version, they nevertheless continue to shout that the mosque is on the verge of collapse.

Swap “Triumph” of Armed Resistance against Israel: Hamas

Swap “Triumph” of Armed Resistance against Israel: Hamas

02/10/2009 Nineteen Palestinian women prisoners were freed on Friday in a swap for a video of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Friends, relatives and officials cheered and wept, as prisoners were driven out of a military base on their way to a ceremony in Ramallah.

The release came after military Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi assessed the footage, which Israeli media said showed Shalit in good health and speaking coherently.

The women left the Israeli prison where they were being held early Friday, with 18 later freed in the West Bank and one into Gaza. A further prisoner is to be freed in the coming days.

The DVD was sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Ashkenazi analyzed it, officials said.
As part of a three-stage deal, Israelis ensured the video of Shalit met the established criteria before they gave the green light for the women to be freed.
Netanyahu's office stressed that the latest development did not herald Shalit's imminent release, but was meant as a confidence-building measure ahead of "decisive stages in the negotiations," and warned that the talks were still expected to be "long and arduous."

Palestinian Prime Minister in Gaza chief Ismail Haniyeh said on Friday that the deal was a 'triumph' of the armed resistance against Israel.
He congratulated the families of the female prisoners, saying Hamas would not rest until all the Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel would be released.

The deal came after nearly three years of on-again, off-again Egyptian-brokered negotiations between Israel and Hamas. German mediators also joined the talks in July.

Thousands of Palestinians are in Israeli prisons, and those freed on Friday were among dozens of women prisoners, who in some cases gave birth to their children behind bars. There are hundreds of Palestinian prisoners under 18 years old.

Zak: Our joy won't be complete before the release of Palestinian captives

Zak: Our joy won't be complete before the release of Palestinian captives

[ 02/10/2009 - 01:21 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Fatemah al-Zak expressed her delight at being released from Israeli occupation jails, but hastened to add that joy will not be complete before the release of all Palestinian captives from Israeli jails.

Zak, who was speaking at a joint press conference with the Palestinian Prime Minster Ismail Haneyya held on Friday afternoon at the government headquarters in Gaza, greeted everyone attending the conference and thanked everyone for their efforts.

"I thank God for on this joyous occasion .. but our joy is not complete as I left behind me [in jail] sisters who are dear to my heart," said Zak, "It is God's favour first and foremost, then any party concerned with freeing all captives which I hope will be soon."

She thanked Hamas and factions holding Gilad Shalit for their relentless efforts to get Palestinian captives released from Israeli jails.

She talked with great emotion about how good it feels to be free and to be able to hug her children again.

Zak was released with 19 other women captives in a deal, arrived at through German mediation, by which the resistance factions holding Shalit provided a one minute video to prove he is alive and well in return for the release of 20 women captives.

Abbas' collaboration sinks to new lows

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Mahmood Abbas has sold his soul. Abbas and his party have gone to the dogs (again). Abbas has gone crazy. The latest in his long history of treachery:

In a startling shift, the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council dropped its efforts to forward a report accusing Israel of possible war crimes to the Security Council, under pressure from the United States, diplomats said Thursday.

Fatah will never, either at present or in the future, get the support of the Palestinian people and if they win any future election - it will be by fraud. Ali AbuNimah from ei also points out that this could have something to do with the beating heart of the Fatah movement - corruption:

Israel will not release a share of the radio spectrum.....enable the launch of a second mobile telecommunications company unless the PA drops its efforts to put Israeli soldiers and officers in the dock over the Israeli operation.....The phone company, Wataniya, was described last April by Reuters as an "Abbas-backed company" which is a joint venture between Qatari and Kuwaiti investors and the Palestinian Investment Fund with which one of Abbas' sons is closely involved.

The Israelis are also complaining (in the form of Khaled Abu Toameh) about the PA's hypocrisy:

During Operation Cast Lead, Palestinian security officers in the West Bank provided Israel with valuable intelligence that contributed to the elimination of many Hamas operatives and "military targets." Moreover, the PA even pressured Israel not to stop the war unless Hamas was removed from power......The PA's "generals" and "colonels" hold daily meetings with their Israeli counterparts to discuss security-related issues......PA and their sons, who continue to do business with Israel both openly and secretly.....

Posted by Bilal at 17:59

Labels: abbas, collaboration, fatah, human rights, palestinians

Obama must match rhetoric with principle

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George Bisharat, The Electronic Intifada, 1 October 2009



So far, the Middle East has seen words not actions from Obama. (Hatem Omar/MaanImages)

US President Barack Obama has placed restoration of the stature of the United States among his primary foreign policy goals. He has already achieved substantial progress in Europe, where polls indicate that he is widely admired. The president's June Cairo University speech also won praise in the Arab and Muslim worlds. Yet many across the globe still await the substantive policy changes implied by his inspiring words.

President Obama can solidify broader global respect by supporting the recommendations of the just-released Goldstone report in the United Nations Human Rights Council. Richard Goldstone, an eminent South African jurist, led a mission to investigate allegations of war crimes in Gaza last winter.

Indeed, the Goldstone mission concluded that Israel and Hamas committed war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity. The report recommends that both parties be given six months to mount independent, internal investigations -- and if they fail, that the UN Security Council refer the matter to the International Criminal Court for investigation and possible prosecutions.

Much of the 575-page report documents Israeli violations of the laws of war and human rights surrounding the intense fighting of last winter. That is fair, as the scale of harm Israel caused to lives and property in Gaza vastly exceeded that inflicted by Hamas. Israel killed approximately 100 Palestinians for every Israeli who died, and destroyed vast swaths of private housing, industrial buildings, agricultural facilities and public infrastructure.

The Israeli government boycotted the Goldstone mission; Palestinian authorities, in contrast, cooperated with it. Doubtless, the group's conclusions would have been more definitive had Israel shared information with its authors. Israel now seeks to discredit the report, attacking everything from Justice Goldstone himself to the UN Human Rights Council, and claiming that the report's findings would hamstring other nations -- including ours -- facing "asymmetric warfare."

This is nonsense. Justice Goldstone is a man of impeccable credentials and great personal integrity, and his colleagues are similarly distinguished.
The report is judicious and even-handed, and cannot be casually dismissed.

Nor is there anything novel about "asymmetric warfare," at least not of the kind waged by Israel, requiring departures from standard international law.
Colonial powers that displace indigenous peoples, as Israel does regularly in Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank, have always faced armed, and sometimes crude, popular resistance. Israel's war against the Palestinians shares more with the French in Algeria than it does with our fight against al-Qaeda. Israel might prefer that international law revert to pre-World War II levels, but that would undermine protections for us all.

The Obama Administration should echo the Goldstone report and urge Israel to mount serious investigations of its military's documented misdeeds. In fact, US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice already did so in her January inaugural address to the UN. We should also not quail at the Goldstone mission's recommendation that the Security Council refer the matter to the International Criminal Court, if Israel fails to credibly investigate, as it has to date. Enforcement of international law cannot only be for the losers of international conflicts; indeed, the legitimacy of international law depends on its universal application. The world will take notice when President Obama's warming rhetoric is matched by equally principled deeds -- and will likewise take notice when it is not.

George Bisharat is a professor at Hastings College of the Law and writes frequently on law and politics in the Middle East. This op-ed was originally published by The San Fransisco Chronicle and is republished with the author's permission.

Ramullah Traitors drop their endorsement of Goldstone's Gaza report

Hasta la Victoria Siempre!

Image ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff

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By BARAK RAVID and NATASHA MOZGAVAYA

The Palestinian Authority on Thursday decided to drop its draft resolution condemning Israel's conduct during the Gaza Strip offensive, in effect deferring its adoption of the Goldstone's Commission report accusing both sides of war crimes.

The PA had originally planned to present the draft to the Human Rights Council for a vote in Geneva on Friday. The decision not to pursue the resolution means that any similar effort will have to wait until at least March, a political source in Jerusalem said.

The source added that the decision appears to be based on pressure from the Obama administration, exerted by way of U.S. representatives in Geneva, as well as through contacts between Washington and Ramallah.

The Obama administration has told the Palestinians that a renewal of the peace process must come before any diplomatic initiatives based on the Goldstone report, or any other initiatives that could stifle efforts to renew Israel-PA negotiations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated in recent days that efforts to use the Goldstone report to advance anti-Israel measures in the Human Rights Council or the International Tribunal in The Hague will deal a death blow to the peace process.

Goldstone: Gaza report won't affect peace process

Goldstone said on Thursday that Netanyahu was wrong to claim that pursuing both Israel and Hamas for war crimes would end the Middle East peace process.

"I think [Netanyahu] got wrong what our report is all about," Goldstone said. "He talked about Israel's right to self-defense. That is not what the report was about."

Goldstone said earlier Thursday that he was naive to have believed that Israel might have cooperated with his investigation.

"I believed that Israel would cooperate - it turned to be a naïve expectation, and the problem that we had obviously is to do as fair and complete a job as we could without Israel's participation," he said.

"We couldn't go to Gaza through Israel, but had to make a long and tedious journey through Egypt four times. And it was a pity, as well as the constant referral to the original mandate, which became irrelevant," he added.

"It excluded justification of the military operation and the Hamas shelling," he said. "We looked only at the military operation on both sides in order to determine whether there were violation of the international law on both sides."

Goldstone, a South African judge, spoke to reporters in Washington two days after officially submitting his report to the UN Human Rights Council.

The report accuses Israel and Hamas of war crimes during their three-week conflict in Gaza in January and recommends that both be referred to the International Criminal Court for prosecution unless they carry out in-house investigations that the UN deems adequate within six months. The council is slated to vote on the matter tomorrow.

Goldstone told reporters that the American reaction to the report both "pleased and disappointed" him, again rejecting claims that his investigation was one-sided.

"I was pleased that our main recommendation - that there should be independent investigation - was accepted. And disappointed by the claims that the report was labeled not even-handed - no details were given. Both sides failed to make crucial distinction between the civilian population and combatants," he said.

The investigator also blasted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's criticism to that effect, saying"

"I think Netanyahu got wrong what our fact-finding mission was about. It wasn't part of our mandate to check justification for the military actions - we took that as a given."

"I think if the report achieves one good thing, it is to cause this debate in Israel," he added. "It would be a healthy thing."


Lieberman asks counterparts to blast Gaza report

Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman discussed the matter to great extent over recent days, according to a political source in Jerusalem.

On Thursday, Lieberman met with the foreign ministers of 15 different countries, and asked them to support efforts to counter the Goldstone report.

In a conversation with foreign ministers from Brazil, Russia, and the European Union among others, Lieberman warned that the report is a dangerous development that could threaten the ability of democracies to defend themselves.

"This is only the first step," Lieberman said, adding, "the next step will be similar efforts against NATO forces in Afghanistan and Russian forces in Chechnya."

The source said that the PA's decision to pull the proposal shows that they understand the serious consequences of such actions.

"This proves that we were right not to cooperate, and also proves that the Goldstone report was completely political and through diplomatic efforts we were able to scuttle it."

"The clear Israeli message sent to all corners has been that it will be impossible to continue the peace process and extreme attacks on Israel at the same time."

Source

Posted by JNOUBIYEH at 6:55 PM

Labels: Barack Obama's wars, Corrupt Palestinian Authority, Goldstone, Israeli war crimes against Palestinians, Zionist usurping entity

Israel likely to build super-settlement in WB

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Israel is likely to give the go ahead to a project to build what would be the most populous settlement in the territories occupied in 1967.

The joint project undertaken by the Interior Ministry and the Jerusalem (al-Quds) Municipality sees the construction of 14,000 housing units near the West Bank city of Bethlehem, the Israeli daily Maariv reported on Wednesday.

The settlement will be built in three million square meters of land and will be home to 40,000 Jewish settlers.

The land will also include the property of the Palestinians in the West Bank village of Al-Walaja.

The project has the endorsement of the ruling Likud Party and its far right allies.

Israel is obliged to freeze all settlement construction projects in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The regime, however, has so far refused to fulfill its commitments despite demands by the international community.

Source

Posted by JNOUBIYEH at 1:04 PM

Labels: Israeli illegal settlement

MUST READ: "The power, and threat, of Iran"

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VERY good piece by Alastair Crooke, in the LATimes/ here

"It was pure drama: The leaders of the United States, Britain and France stepped onto the stage at the G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh last week to unveil Western intelligence that showed Iran had a second nuclear fuel enrichment facility under construction, a fact Iran had declared to the International Atomic Energy Agency the preceding Monday.

The Western leaders implied that their revelation was devastating for Iran as a credible player. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates subsequently pronounced Iran to be "boxed in" and "in a very bad spot now." But anyone who listened to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's interview with Time magazine the day of the presentation, and to subsequent Iranian statements, will be clear that Iran, at least, does not see itself as boxed in.

Far from it. Ahmadinejad exuded confidence and simply -- and nonaggressively -- counseled President Obama not to go down this route. It might seem counterintuitive to most Americans and Europeans, but Ahmadinejad's advice might be worth pondering.

The Pittsburgh dramatics, in a sense, signal the culmination of three pivotal events that took place in the Middle East 20 years ago. The first was the implosion of the Soviet Union in 1989; the second was the 1991 Persian Gulf War; the third was Yitzhak Rabin's victory in the 1992 Israeli elections. The consequences from these momentous events are coming to a head for Obama now. His course of action may determine whether this region is about to enter a new phase of bitter conflict or a new era of strategic change.

The first two events hobbled Iran's traditional foes on its frontiers. Neither the imploded Soviet Union nor Sunni Iraq at war with a U.S.-led coalition was in a position any longer to contain an emergent Iran. As a consequence, Iran's place as a preeminent -- if not the preeminent -- power in the Middle East was guaranteed.

The third event -- the arrival of a Labor government in Israel -- was pivotal to Iran becoming "the nuclear threat." In a dramatic change of policy in 2002, Israel abandoned the Ben-Gurion doctrine of allying Israel with the regional periphery (Turkey, Ethiopia and Iran), an Israeli policy that persisted beyond the Iranian revolution, and began to engage with its Arab "vicinity."

To manage such a radical shift of talking peace to the former Arab "enemy," a U-turn that bitterly split the Israeli electorate and alienated Israel's supporters in the U.S., the Labor government began, from 1993 onward, to identify Iran to its supporters in the U.S. as the new existential "threat" -- in place of the former threat of the "never-changing Arab inability to reconcile" with Israel. Subsequently, the West would absorb the Iranian "threat" as its own, for very different reasons.

The significance of this for Obama is that he is not facing just the issue of Iran's nuclear program. This program is rolled into a more substantive and sensitive issue, one at the heart of the Iranian approach to negotiations: whether Israel and the U.S. -- nuclear weapons issue apart -- are able to come to terms with an Iran that is, and will be, a preeminent power in the region.

At present, these two issues have been conflated. Iran has signaled on various occasions that the nuclear issue could be resolved, but first it wants to know the answer to the wider issue: Can the U.S. bring Israel to accept Iran as a principal regional power? Can the U.S. accept such an outcome?

All here in the region understand the significance of this question: It is not just the nuclear weapon possibility that concerns Israel; it is the fact of Iranian conventional military power too. Already it is the conventional military power of Iran and its allies that is circumscribing Israeli conventional military freedom of action in the region. What we are dealing with is whether Israel and, by extension, the U.S., can accept that Israel will no longer enjoy its hitherto absolute conventional military dominance in the region.

This is, at bottom, the choice facing Obama: He can pursue a real solution, one that will have to acknowledge painful new realities and accept new forces arising in the region that inevitably will shift strategic balances. Or he can continue to try to contain them and risk a polarized and unstable Middle East.

The U.S. is slowly reducing its options through the Pittsburgh elevation of the nuclear file to an "ultimatum" choice. Perhaps Obama believes that in this way he will relieve pressure from Israel for unilateral military action. Perhaps he sees a powerful, conventionally equipped Iran as a threat to Arab allies.

To insist that Iran abandon altogether the nuclear fuel cycle is now probably unrealistic. Iran already has it. To set as an objective that Iran must never acquire the technology that would allow it to speedily move to weapons capacity at some future point in time is also unrealistic. But to bomb is even less a solution.

It seems, then, that we are heading to increasing sanctions on Iran. But these too are likely to be ineffective, as most specialists already admit. Such a policy will again polarize the region, split it, increase tensions and contribute to further isolating America and Europe in the Muslim world.

Despite the rhetorical stance of some Arab governments, the Arab and Muslim street -- and a number of states faced with Western escalation against Iran -- are more likely to perceive the conflict as one in which the West is seeking to weaken a Muslim rival in order to maintain Israel's military hegemony. Sentiment will turn against the West and Israel.

In short, the U.S. will again be boxed into an ineffective and unpopular policy. Already, the nonaligned majority and most Muslim states support Iranian rights under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. For the U.S. to elevate the nuclear issue to an ultimatum, while ignoring the new strategic reality of a powerful Iran, is, as Ahmadinejad hinted, a course of action that Obama may come to regret. The Pittsburgh theatrics may prove to have been shortsighted. "

Posted by G, Z, or B at 7:09 PM

Iran – The War Dance

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An important interview with Scott Ritter, the former UN chief weapons inspector in Iraq, on Democracy Now!, debunking some of the myths spun around Iran’s nuclear programme.

In a frightening replay of its pathological gullibility for state propaganda, the mainstream press (with honourable exceptions, as ever) has once again adopted the dominant narrative set by Western governmental officials, with journalists and other members of the intelligentsia dutifully performing their role as Gramsci’s “experts in legitimation”.

As the editors of MediaLens note in their latest review of the British press (see the full media alert here):

It is indeed with a sense of wonder, verging on awe, that we witness the same media performing the near-identical war dance on Iran that they performed on Iraq just seven years ago. To us it seems like yesterday – the sense of madness is fresh in our minds. When Obama acts the stern father in demanding: “Iran must comply with United Nations resolutions,” he is repeating, with the alteration of but a single letter, the same sentence in the same tone used by George Bush and Tony Blair on Iraq.

I strongly urge everyone concerned about these issues to visit the IAEA website and read the relevant documents about Iran’s nuclear programme, something that very few commentators seem to find time for. Despite the at times complex nuclearspeak, it’s a very rewarding exercise. Yes, there are clearly areas in which Iran has so far not fully cooperated with the IAEA but as its chief Mohamed ElBaradei told the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists recently:

“We have not seen concrete evidence that Tehran has an ongoing nuclear weapons program… But somehow, many people are talking about how Iran’s nuclear program is the greatest threat to the world… In many ways, I think the threat has been hyped. Yes, there’s concern about Iran’s future intentions and Iran needs to be more transparent with the IAEA and the international community… But the idea that we’ll wake up tomorrow and Iran will have a nuclear weapon is an idea that isn’t supported by the facts as we have seen them so far.”

Iran agrees to ship enriched uranium to Russia for refinement

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McClatchy's/ here

"Iran agreed in principle at high-level talks here to ship most of its enriched uranium to Russia, where it would be refined for exclusively peaceful uses, in what Western diplomats called a significant, but interim measure, to ease concerns over its nuclear development.......

In Washington, President Obama said the talks marked "a constructive beginning" and showed the promise of renewed engagement with Iran, but added that "going forward we expect to see swift action. We're not interested in talking for the sake of talking."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the talks had "opened the door" to potential progress on the nuclear issue. "It was a productive day but the proof of that has not yet come to fruition, so we'll wait and continue to press our point of view and see what Iran decides to do," Clinton said.....

Under the tentative deal reached here, Iran would ship what a U.S. official said was "most" of its approximately 3.300 pounds of low-enriched uranium to Russia where it would be further refined. French technicians would then fabricate it into fuel rods and return it to Tehran, to insert into a nuclear research reactor that is used to make isotopes for nuclear medicine.......

The talks took place at the Villa le Saugy, outside Geneva. According to an official at the talks, the Iranian officials and other delegations "dined and mingled" over an outdoor lunch. The menu included trout almondine, creme brulee, wine and coffee."

Posted by G, Z, or B at 5:20 PM

Israeli Trickery In Full Display

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Have they no shame? Evidently not. Truly amazing that Israel will spend billions on "hasbara" to "explain" Israel's evilness to the world, and then they publicly attempt blackmail for the world to see up front an personal the depths they will go to attempting to circumvent the law or escape criminal charges. I wrote about this a few days ago and wondered where was the Palestinian response to this outrage and public blackmail. And finally the PA respond:

Israel is threatening to kill off a crucial West Bank economic project unless the Palestinian Authority withdraws a request to the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged Israeli crimes during last winter’s Gaza war.

Shalom Kital, an aide to defence minister Ehud Barak, said today that Israel will not release a share of the radio spectrum that has long been sought by the Palestinian Authority to enable the launch of a second mobile telecommunications company unless the PA drops its efforts to put Israeli soldiers and officers in the dock over the Israeli operation.

“It’s a condition. We are saying to the Palestinians that ‘if you want a normal life and are trying to embark on a new way, you must stop your incitement,” Mr. Kital said. “We are helping the Palestinian economy but one thing we ask them is to stop with these embarrassing charges.”

As long as the Wataniya Mobile company is unable to begin its operations, communications costs are likely to remain inordinately high for Palestinian businesses and individuals. But thwarting the company benefits four unauthorized Israeli operators who make sizeable profits in the Palestinian market using infrastructure they have set up in the illegal Israeli settlements across the West Bank.

The Qatari-owned Wataniya had begun making what was planned as the second largest private investment in West Bank history - to total seven hundred million dollars. But amid frustration at more than two years of Israeli foot-dragging over the frequencies it is now warning that if forced to miss its launch date of 15 October it may close down West Bank operations and seek the return from the Palestinian Authority of its $140m licensing fee and other damages. Mr Kital said the possibility of Wataniya closing “is something the PA will have to take into consideration.”

“This is sheer blackmail by the Israelis,” said Nabil Shaath, the former PA foreign minister. “Israel has no business stealing the frequencies, keeping them and using them as blackmail to escape an international inquiry into its violations.”

Mr Shaath said the PA would not back down over the matter.“The Palestinians in Gaza suffered greatly and we are responsible for them. We are the aggrieved party. Israeli soldiers and those who gave orders should be questioned and be liable to prosecution.”

The Palestinian request to the ICC dates back eight months. But Israeli concern over international legal steps has intensified since the UN commission, headed by South African judge Richard Goldstone, concluded that the Israeli military judicial system did not meet international legal standards of independence and impartiality. It called for the ICC to activate an indictment process within six months unless the country mounts its own credible investigations of its troops actions.

The Israeli stance on the frequencies marks a flouting of the efforts of the international community’s Middle East envoy, Tony Blair, who last month urged that they be released and warned of harm to the local economy if Israel persisted in its refusal. Mr Kital said today that Mr Blair “is very aware” there will be no release unless the Palestinians drop their request to the ICC. source

Posted by Irish4Palestine at 10:11 AM

Labels: goldstone report, ICC, international criminal court, israel blackmails palestinians, israel is corrupt and evil, zionist war crimes

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: UN: US, EU Undermine Justice for Gaza Conflict

MANAGING THE GOLDSTONE FALLOUT

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October 2, 2009

Goldstone Report Offers Chance to End Impunity

Human Rights Watch Media Release - 30 September 2009

The failure of the United States and European Union governments to endorse the report of the Gaza fact-finding mission sends a message that serious laws-of-war violations will be treated with kid gloves when committed by an ally, Human Rights Watch said today. On September 29, 2009 Justice Richard Goldstone presented the mission’s report on the conflict in Gaza last December and January to the UN Human Rights Council.

Goldstone called on council members to endorse the report’s recommendations, including those designed to ensure accountability for serious violations of the laws of war during the Gaza conflict by involving the stature and clout of the UN Security Council. In opposing that key recommendation, the United States resorted to calling the report “unbalanced” and “deeply flawed,” but provided no real facts to support those assertions.

In fact, the report reflects a sober, careful assessment of the violations committed by both sides in the conflict, which closely corresponds to findings by Human Rights Watch and other independent groups. A statement read by the Swedish ambassador on behalf of the European Union recognized the seriousness of the report but also failed to endorse its conclusions or recommendations. EU countries on the council, including the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, remained silent about the report.

“The US effort to dismiss the Goldstone report was downright shameful for an administration that claims to promote the rule of law and accountability for war crimes,” said Juliette de Rivero, Geneva director at Human Rights Watch. “It was also deeply disappointing that key EU governments did not seize this valuable opportunity to demand justice for victims on both sides of the conflict. The report’s detailed findings and its careful recommendations deserve support, not dismissal and silence.”

The 575-page report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, released on September 15, concluded that both Israel and Hamas were responsible for serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. The report recommended that the Israeli government and Hamas authorities conduct independent, impartial investigations within six months. Should the UN Security Council find that they failed to do so, the report urged it to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Michael Posner told the Human Rights Council on September 29 that the “unbalanced recommendations taint many of the report’s suggestions for international action.” He said that because Israel was a democracy with a well-established commitment to rule of law, it had “the institutions and ability to carry out robust investigations into these allegations.” He also noted that Israel had publicly announced that it was already investigating at least 100 complaints related to the Gaza conflict.

Human Rights Watch said that Posner ignored Israel’s long history of failing to impartially investigate and prosecute members of its security forces implicated in serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. According to Israeli human rights groups, from 2000 to September 2008, Israel convicted only five soldiers of wrongful killings of Palestinians during a period when more than 2,200 Palestinian civilians were killed by the Israel Defense Forces.

Israel’s current investigations, all undertaken by the military, show little sign of being either effective or impartial. Nine months since the conflict ended, Israel is known to have interviewed only two Palestinian witnesses to any of the alleged crimes in Gaza, and convicted only one soldier, sentencing him to seven months in prison for the theft of a credit card.

“The stated US belief in Israel’s willingness to seriously investigate itself reflects a disappointing refusal to confront reality,” de Rivero said. “The US is missing an important opportunity: by letting Israel off the hook, it’s also letting Hamas off the hook.”

The United States has argued that adopting the Goldstone report and its recommendations would disrupt its efforts to revive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. But Goldstone reminded the council that ignoring attacks on civilians will undermine efforts for peace. The international community must confront the realities in the report, he said, and thereby “find a meaningful basis for the pursuit of peace and security.”

LINK: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/09/30/un-us-eu-undermine-justice-gaza-conflict

56% of American Jews think U.S. should strike Iran

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One day ahead of talks in Geneva between Iran and six major powers - the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany - on Tehran's controversial nuclear program, a national poll finds that 56 percent of American Jews support a U.S. military strike against Iran.

The annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion, commissioned by the American Jewish Committee, revealed a 14 percent rise in the number of U.S. Jews in support of such a military strike, whose aim would be to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. 36 percent of those polled - self-described adult Jews ? were against such an attack.

Asked whether Israel should attack Iran, 66 percent of those polled said they would support such a move.

At this time, 49 percent of those polled said that they support the policy of U.S. President Barack Obama toward Iran. Obama has expressed desire to resolve the standoff with Iran with diplomatic measures, recently adding that should the diplomacy fail, steps would have to be taken. 35% of those polled said they oppose Obama's policy.

Despite the general liberal stance of U.S. Jews, 58 percent of those polled said that they believed that within the framework of a permanent peace agreement with the Palestinians, Israel should not compromise on the status of Jerusalem as a united city under Israeli jurisdiction. 75 percent also said that they agreed with the statement "The goal of the Arabs is not the return of occupied territories but rather the destruction of Israel." Only 19 percent said that they disagree with the above statement.

Despite the general liberal stance of U.S. Jews, 58 percent of those polled said that they believed that within the framework of a permanent peace agreement with the Palestinians, Israel should not compromise on the status of Jerusalem as a united city under Israeli jurisdiction. 75 percent also said that they agreed with the statement "The goal of the Arabs is not the return of occupied territories but rather the destruction of Israel." Only 19 percent said that they disagree with the above statement.

The poll also revealed that 51 percent of those polled oppose Obama's call on Israel to freeze all settlement construction (as opposed to 41 percent in favor.) However, 52 percent said that Israel must dismantle some of the West Bank settlements under a peace agreement, 8 percent said all the settlements must be dismantled, and 37 percent said that none should be dismantled.
70 percent of those polled said that they would characterize relations between Israel and the United States as somewhat positive (only 11 percent said they though they were very positive while 2 percent characterized them as negative.)

The question regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state split the American Jewish community almost down the middle, with 49 percent saying they were in favor, and 41 percent against.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1117995.html

Posted @ 12:26 2

Post Title: 56% of American Jews think U.S. should strike Iran

Commander: Afghan War Won't Remain Winnable Forever

Commander: Afghan War Won't Remain Winnable Forever

01/10/2009 The conflict in Afghanistan is deteriorating in some ways and will "not remain winnable indefinitely," the top US occupation military commander in the country warned Thursday.

General Stanley McChrystal added that forces would be in a much stronger position once US President Barack Obama decides on troop levels in Afghanistan, while saying that it would be wrong to rush to make a decision. "The situation is serious and I choose that word very, very carefully ... neither success nor failure can be taken for granted," said McChrystal, who has asked for up to 40,000 more troops to fight the Taliban.

"The situation is in some ways deteriorating but not in all ways," he told the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) thinktank in London. "Waiting does not prolong a favorable outcome. This effort will not remain winnable indefinitely."

McChrystal, who is also the International Security Assistance Force commander in Afghanistan, warned in a report leaked last month that the conflict could be lost within a year without more troops. He reportedly wants up to 40,000 more US occupation troops in Afghanistan.

The US general said Obama led talks in the White House this week "very effectively" but declined to give any further details on the decision-making process. "I think that is a necessary process we go through so we come to a clear decision... Once he makes that decision I think we'll be in a much stronger position," he said.

The White House says Obama will only decide on whether to accept McChrystal's request for more troops - as part of a rigorous counter-insurgency push - after first arriving at a new US strategy.

Riots May Point to Third Palestinian Uprising

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Posted by realistic bird under Caricature, Politics Tags: Al Aqsa mosque, Al Quds, Caricature, extremist settlers, intifada, Israeli crimes, Israeli policies, Jerusalem, news, palestine, Palestinians, Politics, uprising

by Jalal Al Rifa'i-Al Dustour newspaper-Jordan

By Mel Frykberg

EAST JERUSALEM, Sep 30 (IPS) – Palestinian politicians and Israeli political analysts are warning of a third Palestinian Intifadah following serious rioting in East Jerusalem last Sunday.

Clashes broke out between Palestinians protesters and Israeli security forces after a group of extremist Israeli settlers, escorted by Israeli soldiers and police, tried to enter the compound of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest shrine which is situated in Jerusalem’s old city.

Palestinian youths pelted the Israeli police with stones and chairs. The Israelis responded with beatings, teargas, sound grenades and rubber-coated metal bullets. Dozens of police and protestors were injured in the ensuing violence.

On Sunday Israel closed the West Bank off for Yom Kippur, one of Judaism’s holiest days. This religious holiday often coincides with the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, increasing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.

An extremist Israeli religious settler group, The Temple Mount Faithful, mark Yom Kippur annually by trying to enter the Al-Aqsa compound which they believe is built on the remains of the second Jewish Holy Temple destroyed by the Romans in AD 70.

The organisation has stated repeatedly that they intend to destroy Al-Aqsa Mosque and build the Third Holy Temple on top of its remains.

Against a background of Israel’s increasing Judaisation of East Jerusalem in a bid to keep the city united under eternal Israeli control and to usurp Palestinian aspirations to East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, Al-Aqsa has increasingly become a point of friction.

Muslim sensitivity towards Al-Aqsa and what is perceived as an outrageous assault on Islamic sensibilities has been a rallying cause for both Christian and Muslim Palestinians as well as Muslims of different political persuasions and nationalities.

The Lebanese resistance movement Hizbullah condemned the Israeli action while Hamas urged Palestinians throughout the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel to take to the streets and begin a new uprising against Israel in reaction to the clashes.

Archbishop Atallah Hanna, one of the highest ranking Christian clergymen in Jerusalem, declared Sunday’s violence a dark premonition of what he said were Israel’s plans for the city.

“We, as Christian Palestinians and Jerusalemites, cannot keep watching with our hands folded in the face of what happened. On Sunday it was Al-Aqsa, tomorrow it will be the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” said Atallah, referring to the church built on the spot where Jesus is believed to be buried.

Dr Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) top negotiator, said “the attack on ordinary civilians and worshippers is unacceptable. Israel must cease all actions that will only inflame the situation.”

Muhammad Dahlan, another top-ranking PA official and the alleged instigator of the civil war in Gaza between Hamas and Fatah, warned that a third Palestinian uprising could well be in the pipeline.

Bassam Abu Sharif, a former senior advisor to late PA president Yasser Arafat, and member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), added his voice to a chorus of those raising the possibility of a third Intifadah against Israel.

“The Palestinians are preparing themselves to carry out another Intifadah of independence and freedom in response to Israeli violations, massacres and policies against the Palestinians, against Jerusalem, the confiscation of land, and the geographic separation of the Palestinian territories.”

On Monday night Israeli security forces raided Palestinian homes throughout East Jerusalem and arrested over 60 Palestinians Israel suspects of taking part in the riots.

On Tuesday IPS visited the site of the clashes, and despite the apparent surface calm, anger and resentment appeared to be simmering underneath.

Groups of heavily armed Israeli soldiers and police in vehicles and on foot were stationed at strategic corners in the old city and other areas of East Jerusalem as a state of high security was declared.

Several Palestinians appeared to be too scared to talk to IPS as Israeli police and soldiers moved in and monitored our conversations.

One Jerusalem resident who witnessed the clashes but wanted to remain anonymous told IPS, “There will be serious violence at Friday prayers if these Israeli fanatics again try their tricks. We are sick of them.”

Dr Samir Awad from Birzeit University north of Ramallah says a serious outbreak of violence is definitely in the offing.

“But I don’t think the Palestinians will be able to sustain a long-term Intifadah. They are too weak politically and economically in addition to being emotionally exhausted,” Awad told IPS.

“Palestinian are desperate, and despairing at the dead peace process. They have lost faith as U.S. President Barack Obama appears to have reneged on his promise re the settlements and exerting pressure on Israel.

“The possibility of the American administration having a counter plan involving plans for the establishment of a Palestinian state first and then addressing the settlements, East Jerusalem and the right of return as a way of countering Israeli recalcitrance seems overly optimistic,” added Awad.

However, Prof. Moshe Maoz from Jerusalem’s Hebrew University says the U.S. administration might still come up with the goods.

“Israelis sometimes misunderstand American culture which is more understated and cautious in comparison to Israelis, who tend to be outspoken and impatient. Just because Obama didn’t reiterate the settlement issue at the recent talks in New York does not mean he has given up on them,” Maoz told IPS.

“However, another Intifadah is quite possible if there is no breakthrough. Palestinian patience after 42 years of occupation is running thin.”

Dr Yousef Natsche, director of antiquities and tourism at the Islamic Waqf which administers Al-Aqsa, said he hoped there would be no further disturbances.

“But the provocative visits by Jewish extremists are increasing in both number and frequency and are supported by the Israeli authorities.

“Sunday’s violence is an indicator of what could happen in the future on an even larger scale if the Israelis continue not to heed our warnings,” Natsche told IPS.

Jordan Bans Anti-Israel Demo Planned by Islamic Groups

Jordan Bans Anti-Israel Demo Planned by Islamic Groups


30/09/2009 Jordanian authorities have refused to permit a demonstration which the country's Islamic groups planned for Friday in reaction to the entry into the al-Aqsa mosque in occupied Jerusalem by Israeli police earlier this week, the Islamic Action Front (IAF) said Wednesday.

"The Amman Governor Samir Mobaydeen has rejected a request by Islamic leaders to organize the demonstration in downtown Amman after Friday prayers to condemn the desecration of al-Aqsa Mosque," an IAF statement said.

Mobaydeen did not cite any reason for the refusal but said that his decision was based on "the authority accorded to him by the law", it added.

Clashes broke out on Sunday between some 150 Muslim worshippers and Israeli occupation police after a group of Israeli extremists entered the Temple Mount compound accompanied by a police force. The clashes, in which at least 15 Palestinians were injured, sparked a series of angry reactions in Jordan and elsewhere in Arab and Islamic countries.

The Jordanian foreign ministry summoned the Israeli envoy to Amman following the clashes and handed him a strongly-worded protest.

Dozens of trade unionists and politicians staged a sit-in before the Trade Unions Complex on Monday calling for rupture of diplomatic ties with Israel and the cancellation of the peace treaty signed in 1994.

Under the provisions of the peace treaty, Israel acknowledged Jordan's right to look after Islamic and Christian holy places in East Jerusalem, which Israel took control of in the Six-Day War in 1967.

How come , we called them "the Jews"

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1948

Jews, disembarking
to become Israelis

On your TV screen you will see, repeatedly ,
Arabs calling the Israelis : the Jews

I am certain that most of the Arabs , of all generations,
do know the difference between Jews and Israelis , by now,
but nevertheless they still use the term "Jews"
as a matter of habit , especially by the elder Palestinians.

What has happened ??

At the beginning of the 20Th Century , Arabs in general
and the Palestinians peculiarly , have seen the influx
of European-Jews into their Palestine... ......... .

Until May 1948 the term Israel and or Israelis
what not yet used ............ ..and those immigrants
whether legal or illegal were Jews
and thus they were logically called : " the Jews"
instead of the Polish,Ukrainian, Hungarian or the French.

Practically and until 1948 there was no reason to call them
Israelis or Israeli-citizens simply because there was no
State of Israel , as we later have noticed it quite well
and quite remorsefully, too.

Therefore ,
many Arabs still use the old term of the Jews
like most of the older Westerners still use the word "Icebox"
to say Refrigerator.

Incidentaly , I grew up in Beirut ,
where "Refugee" means Palestinian. .....

Have no fear !!
Arabs are rarely racists ,
and Arabs historically never ever harmed the Jews
until , our self defence struggles, which started in 1948.

So next time when you hear an Arab on TV ,cursing the Jews ,
you will trust me and understand that he simply means "Israelis".

Now , why do Arabs hate the Israelis ??
is another story
which is not at all difficult to explain !!!


Sherlock Hommos

Posted by Тлакскала at 9:02 PM