14 aug 2019
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Hindu nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi, left, has been emulating Israeli tactics to repress opposition to Indian rule in Kashmir
Palestinians are calling for solidarity with Kashmir following the Indian government’s move to revoke the state’s autonomy while imposing an unprecedented lockdown. “As Palestinians, we deeply feel the suffering of the people in Kashmir under military repression that in so many cases is similar to Israeli forms of subjugation and control,” the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) said on Tuesday. |
The BNC is the steering group for the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign for Palestinian rights.
The BNC notes that for years India has been “borrowing Israel’s methodology and ideology and using Israeli weapons in its control over Kashmir.”
“The Israeli weapons that India uses to oppress Kashmiris have been ‘field-tested’ on Palestinian bodies,” the BNC states.
“Our campaign for a comprehensive military embargo on Israel, therefore, is directly linked to opposing global militarization, including militarization of Kashmir.”
India has in recent years been the largest customer in the world for Israeli weapons.
Eight million “incarcerated”
Earlier this month, India’s Hindu nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi unilaterally revoked Article 370 of the country’s constitution which granted the Indian-ruled part of Kashmir a measure of autonomy.
Modi won re-election in a landslide last May.
According to Indian writer Pankaj Mishra, the revocation of Article 370 is “part of a revanchist fantasy of ‘Akhand Bharat,’ or Undivided India – a vision which includes reclaiming the part of Kashmir ruled by Pakistan.”
“The government prepared for its bombshell … with a massive infusion of security forces into Kashmir, which is already one of the most militarized places on earth,” Mishra states.
“It ordered the house arrests of opposition leaders and evacuation of Indian students and tourists, an indefinite curfew, and the shutdown of all modes of communications, including telephone landlines.”
Indian-ruled Kashmir remains cut off from the world, especially the populous Kashmir Valley.
“You can say that the entire eight million population has been incarcerated like never before,” according to Shah Faesal, a former official in the Indian civil service who now heads a Kashmiri political party.
Indian state media have tried to claim that the situation in Kashmir is “normal and peaceful.”
The government hopes that by isolating Kashmir it can prevent news of its repression of protests from reaching the outside world.
But news has nonetheless come out on how Indian forces are using tear gas and pellet guns against protesters.
“The history of atrocities and human rights violations are not new to Kashmir,” the BNC states.
“Human rights groups have recorded extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, torture, rape, enforced disappearances, mass blindings and suppression of protest and democratic expression, along with legal immunity to armed forces for over 30 years.”
Rule by force
The status of Kashmir has been in dispute since British-ruled India was partitioned in 1947 and gained independence as modern India and Pakistan.
India controls more than half the territory of Kashmir, including the Kashmir Valley. Pakistan controls about a third of the territory, and China the rest.
In 1947, Pakistani militias entered part of Kashmir. Following this, the princely ruler of Kashmir, a Hindu, chose to join his Muslim-majority state to Hindu-dominated, but constitutionally secular, India.
India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, promised that the people of Kashmir would be given a referendum on whether they wanted to remain part of India.
In 1948, the UN Security Council backed the referendum.
However, the plebiscite has never been held and India has ruled the territory by force rather than consent.
Emulating Israel
Modi’s move against Kashmir and its people looks a lot like how Israel has unilaterally annexed Syria’s occupied Golan Heights and Palestine’s occupied East Jerusalem.
Israel now appears to be moving towards annexation of the rest of occupied West Bank.
Since the rise to power of Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP, India has increasingly turned to Israel as a model for its brutal repression of resistance to its rule in Kashmir.
“Today, the Modi government has literally taken inspiration from Israel’s settlement project to enable forced demographic changes on the ground,” according to the BNC.
Indian government efforts to manipulate the demographics of Kashmir by moving Hindus into the state have previously been described even in Israeli media as “an Israel-style policy of creating settlements in occupied territory.”
Call for solidarity
In addition to the unprecedented repression in Kashmir, Modi’s move is escalating tensions with Pakistan, which like India possesses nuclear weapons.
India and Pakistan have already fought three wars over Kashmir.
“We call for international pressure on the government of India to reverse its latest measures that violate the rights of the people of Kashmir under international law and to recognize and respect those rights,” the BNC states.
It also appeals to “people of conscience in India” to “work towards ending India’s military and security alliance with Israel.”
This would “end India’s shameful complicity in Israel’s suppression of Palestinian freedom, justice and equality,” the BNC says.
It would “also benefit the struggle for the rights of the people of Kashmir, as well as the social and economic justice struggles of the people of India.”
The BNC notes that for years India has been “borrowing Israel’s methodology and ideology and using Israeli weapons in its control over Kashmir.”
“The Israeli weapons that India uses to oppress Kashmiris have been ‘field-tested’ on Palestinian bodies,” the BNC states.
“Our campaign for a comprehensive military embargo on Israel, therefore, is directly linked to opposing global militarization, including militarization of Kashmir.”
India has in recent years been the largest customer in the world for Israeli weapons.
Eight million “incarcerated”
Earlier this month, India’s Hindu nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi unilaterally revoked Article 370 of the country’s constitution which granted the Indian-ruled part of Kashmir a measure of autonomy.
Modi won re-election in a landslide last May.
According to Indian writer Pankaj Mishra, the revocation of Article 370 is “part of a revanchist fantasy of ‘Akhand Bharat,’ or Undivided India – a vision which includes reclaiming the part of Kashmir ruled by Pakistan.”
“The government prepared for its bombshell … with a massive infusion of security forces into Kashmir, which is already one of the most militarized places on earth,” Mishra states.
“It ordered the house arrests of opposition leaders and evacuation of Indian students and tourists, an indefinite curfew, and the shutdown of all modes of communications, including telephone landlines.”
Indian-ruled Kashmir remains cut off from the world, especially the populous Kashmir Valley.
“You can say that the entire eight million population has been incarcerated like never before,” according to Shah Faesal, a former official in the Indian civil service who now heads a Kashmiri political party.
Indian state media have tried to claim that the situation in Kashmir is “normal and peaceful.”
The government hopes that by isolating Kashmir it can prevent news of its repression of protests from reaching the outside world.
But news has nonetheless come out on how Indian forces are using tear gas and pellet guns against protesters.
“The history of atrocities and human rights violations are not new to Kashmir,” the BNC states.
“Human rights groups have recorded extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, torture, rape, enforced disappearances, mass blindings and suppression of protest and democratic expression, along with legal immunity to armed forces for over 30 years.”
Rule by force
The status of Kashmir has been in dispute since British-ruled India was partitioned in 1947 and gained independence as modern India and Pakistan.
India controls more than half the territory of Kashmir, including the Kashmir Valley. Pakistan controls about a third of the territory, and China the rest.
In 1947, Pakistani militias entered part of Kashmir. Following this, the princely ruler of Kashmir, a Hindu, chose to join his Muslim-majority state to Hindu-dominated, but constitutionally secular, India.
India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, promised that the people of Kashmir would be given a referendum on whether they wanted to remain part of India.
In 1948, the UN Security Council backed the referendum.
However, the plebiscite has never been held and India has ruled the territory by force rather than consent.
Emulating Israel
Modi’s move against Kashmir and its people looks a lot like how Israel has unilaterally annexed Syria’s occupied Golan Heights and Palestine’s occupied East Jerusalem.
Israel now appears to be moving towards annexation of the rest of occupied West Bank.
Since the rise to power of Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP, India has increasingly turned to Israel as a model for its brutal repression of resistance to its rule in Kashmir.
“Today, the Modi government has literally taken inspiration from Israel’s settlement project to enable forced demographic changes on the ground,” according to the BNC.
Indian government efforts to manipulate the demographics of Kashmir by moving Hindus into the state have previously been described even in Israeli media as “an Israel-style policy of creating settlements in occupied territory.”
Call for solidarity
In addition to the unprecedented repression in Kashmir, Modi’s move is escalating tensions with Pakistan, which like India possesses nuclear weapons.
India and Pakistan have already fought three wars over Kashmir.
“We call for international pressure on the government of India to reverse its latest measures that violate the rights of the people of Kashmir under international law and to recognize and respect those rights,” the BNC states.
It also appeals to “people of conscience in India” to “work towards ending India’s military and security alliance with Israel.”
This would “end India’s shameful complicity in Israel’s suppression of Palestinian freedom, justice and equality,” the BNC says.
It would “also benefit the struggle for the rights of the people of Kashmir, as well as the social and economic justice struggles of the people of India.”
13 aug 2019
A group of the Israeli parliament (Knesset)’s members have criticized the US House of Representatives for approving a resolution against a global boycott campaign against the regime, which endorses, to Tel Aviv’s dismay, a so-called two-state solution to the decades-long conflict with Palestine.
House Resolution 246 was passed by a 398-17 margin, with five abstentions on July 23.
It opposes the international movement known as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), but also backs the so-called two-state solution. The measure further reaffirmed strong support for “a negotiated solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting in “a viable, democratic Palestinian state.”
In a letter sent Monday to four US Congressmen who co-sponsored the resolution, 21 Israeli lawmakers argued that the measure contains a “grave error” and that the “two-state” bid is “far more dangerous” than the BDS.
“Israel is grateful to all our wonderful friends in Congress who stand with us on so many fronts. However, we would like to express to you our concern regarding the anti-BDS resolution (H. Res. 246),” read the letter.
“We believe it contains a grave error because it expresses, among other things, support for a so-called ‘Two-State Solution,’ meaning the establishment of a ‘Palestinian state’… We would like to make our position clear that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be far more dangerous to Israel than BDS,” it added.
The BDS movement was initiated in 2005 by over 170 Palestinian organizations and later turned international. It is meant to initiate “various forms of boycott against Israel until it meets its obligations under international law” and end its occupation of the Palestinian lands.
In a bid to force the Tel Aviv regime to withdraw its claim from the Palestinian territories, many countries have banned the sale of goods produced in the Israeli settlements.
Elsewhere in their letter, the Israeli lawmakers said that the push for the establishment of a Palestinian state contradicts US President Donald Trump’s position on the matter.
They also claimed that creating a sovereign Palestinian state would “severely damage” both Israel’s and America’s national security.
The Israeli legislators further urged their American colleagues to refrain from endorsing the “two-state solution” in the future.
“The affirmation of support for establishing a Palestinian state is so dangerous that we respectfully request that you take that into consideration,” they added.
House Resolution 246 was passed by a 398-17 margin, with five abstentions on July 23.
It opposes the international movement known as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), but also backs the so-called two-state solution. The measure further reaffirmed strong support for “a negotiated solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting in “a viable, democratic Palestinian state.”
In a letter sent Monday to four US Congressmen who co-sponsored the resolution, 21 Israeli lawmakers argued that the measure contains a “grave error” and that the “two-state” bid is “far more dangerous” than the BDS.
“Israel is grateful to all our wonderful friends in Congress who stand with us on so many fronts. However, we would like to express to you our concern regarding the anti-BDS resolution (H. Res. 246),” read the letter.
“We believe it contains a grave error because it expresses, among other things, support for a so-called ‘Two-State Solution,’ meaning the establishment of a ‘Palestinian state’… We would like to make our position clear that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be far more dangerous to Israel than BDS,” it added.
The BDS movement was initiated in 2005 by over 170 Palestinian organizations and later turned international. It is meant to initiate “various forms of boycott against Israel until it meets its obligations under international law” and end its occupation of the Palestinian lands.
In a bid to force the Tel Aviv regime to withdraw its claim from the Palestinian territories, many countries have banned the sale of goods produced in the Israeli settlements.
Elsewhere in their letter, the Israeli lawmakers said that the push for the establishment of a Palestinian state contradicts US President Donald Trump’s position on the matter.
They also claimed that creating a sovereign Palestinian state would “severely damage” both Israel’s and America’s national security.
The Israeli legislators further urged their American colleagues to refrain from endorsing the “two-state solution” in the future.
“The affirmation of support for establishing a Palestinian state is so dangerous that we respectfully request that you take that into consideration,” they added.
11 aug 2019
US Muslim congresswomen Rashida Tlaib (L) and Ilhan Omar
US President Donald Trump has reportedly told his advisers that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should use the regime’s anti-boycott law to prevent Muslim congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering the occupied Palestinian territory.
US-based Axios news outlet cited three sources familiar with Trump’s private remarks as saying on Saturday that the American president had told advisers, including senior administration officials, that the Israeli regime should bar Omar and Tlaib’s entry because the two lawmakers support the boycott Israel movement.
According to the report, the White House, however, has denied offering such advice to the Israeli regime with Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham saying, ”The Israeli government can do what they want. It's fake news."
The Israeli parliament passed a law in 2017, requiring the interior minister to block foreign nationals from entering the occupied territory if they have supported boycotting the Zionist regime.
Trump’s move came days after the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution last week to condemn the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS movement, which Omar and Tlaib support.
The resolution claims that the global movement to boycott Israel over its policies toward Palestinians "promotes principles of collective guilt, mass punishment and group isolation, which are destructive of prospects for progress towards peace."
Both Omar and Tlaib voted against the resolution.
Israeli ambassador to the US Ron Dermer reportedly said last month that the regime would not bar the congresswomen from entering Israel.
"Out of respect for the US Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any member of Congress into Israel," he said as quoted in a report by Israeli daily Haaretz.
The two Muslim lawmakers are due to arrive in Israeli on August 18, according to the report, which noted that the timing could change.
US President Donald Trump has reportedly told his advisers that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should use the regime’s anti-boycott law to prevent Muslim congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering the occupied Palestinian territory.
US-based Axios news outlet cited three sources familiar with Trump’s private remarks as saying on Saturday that the American president had told advisers, including senior administration officials, that the Israeli regime should bar Omar and Tlaib’s entry because the two lawmakers support the boycott Israel movement.
According to the report, the White House, however, has denied offering such advice to the Israeli regime with Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham saying, ”The Israeli government can do what they want. It's fake news."
The Israeli parliament passed a law in 2017, requiring the interior minister to block foreign nationals from entering the occupied territory if they have supported boycotting the Zionist regime.
Trump’s move came days after the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution last week to condemn the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS movement, which Omar and Tlaib support.
The resolution claims that the global movement to boycott Israel over its policies toward Palestinians "promotes principles of collective guilt, mass punishment and group isolation, which are destructive of prospects for progress towards peace."
Both Omar and Tlaib voted against the resolution.
Israeli ambassador to the US Ron Dermer reportedly said last month that the regime would not bar the congresswomen from entering Israel.
"Out of respect for the US Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any member of Congress into Israel," he said as quoted in a report by Israeli daily Haaretz.
The two Muslim lawmakers are due to arrive in Israeli on August 18, according to the report, which noted that the timing could change.
7 aug 2019
Jordan, Palestine sign MoU to provide Palestine with petroleum derivatives
The Jordanian and Palestinian governments signed today a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in which Jordan will provide Palestine with petroleum derivatives.
The MoU was signed by Finance Minister Shukri Bishara and Jordan's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati.
The MoU calls for cooperation between the two countries in providing Palestine with its needs of petroleum derivatives by buying it from Jordanian companies and exporting it to Palestine, as well as storage of the petroleum derivatives in Jordanian oil facilities, in addition to cooperation in the energy field.
Bishara stressed the importance of the MoU in providing the Palestinian market with petroleum derivatives, pointing out that it is vital and important for both parties.
He estimated annual Palestinian imports of oil derivatives at between $2.5 and $3 billion.
For her part, Zawati stressed the importance of providing Palestine with the petroleum derivatives to help the Palestinian people diversify their energy sources.
Palestine imports most of its oil needs and its derivatives from Israel, but it is looking into ways to end this dependency on Israel.
The Jordanian and Palestinian governments signed today a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in which Jordan will provide Palestine with petroleum derivatives.
The MoU was signed by Finance Minister Shukri Bishara and Jordan's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati.
The MoU calls for cooperation between the two countries in providing Palestine with its needs of petroleum derivatives by buying it from Jordanian companies and exporting it to Palestine, as well as storage of the petroleum derivatives in Jordanian oil facilities, in addition to cooperation in the energy field.
Bishara stressed the importance of the MoU in providing the Palestinian market with petroleum derivatives, pointing out that it is vital and important for both parties.
He estimated annual Palestinian imports of oil derivatives at between $2.5 and $3 billion.
For her part, Zawati stressed the importance of providing Palestine with the petroleum derivatives to help the Palestinian people diversify their energy sources.
Palestine imports most of its oil needs and its derivatives from Israel, but it is looking into ways to end this dependency on Israel.
3 aug 2019
US-based pro-Israel advocacy organization, the Israel Project (TIP), has reportedly been forced to close its Israel office in anticipation of a complete shutdown due to a sharp decline in support.
According to the TIP’s managers, the group "simply ran out of money” after losing a large proportion of its annual funds and donations due to the increased “polarized political climate in the United States”, Haaretz reported on Thursday.
The pro-Israel group was a proponent of “hasbara”, an Israeli concept seeking to legitimize Israel in the eyes of world public opinion through disseminating propaganda.
The TIP formed in 2002, at the height of the second Palestinian Intifada, and sought to influence journalists and their coverage of Israel.
TIP activities gradually grew to cover multiple languages and countries, as well as conducting influence operations on social media.
The group has been known for its hard-hitting stance against Iran and even Islam, going as far as promoting Islamophobia and conducting marketing research on how to “sell military action against Iran to the American public”.
‘We attacked the Iran deal’
The group prides itself in having lobbied extensively against the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, a key polarizing factor which also led to the group’s sharp decline.
TIP’s vice president and head of its Israel office Lior Weintraub, a former Israeli diplomat in Washington, described why the group gradually lost support among its donors.
“We attacked the Iran deal; because Israel became part of the internal American political debate;...because support for Israel became too complicated for some of them in these times,” he said.
Critics believe that the pro-Israel advocacy group became too closely aligned with the regime of Israeli prime minister Netanyahu, specifically in its bid to torpedo the Iran nuclear deal, alienating many American supporters across the political spectrum.
Consequently starting from 2015, TIP lost a large number of its donations, and is currently on the verge of shutting down all together.
Last month, TIP CEO Josh Block, a former spokesman for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee resigned from the organization, issuing a statement citing “the polarized political climate in the US, both in the wider body politic and inside the Jewish community,” as the reason for TIP’s downfall.
Despite US President Donald Trump’s strongly pro-Israel foreign policy, the fall of the leading pro-Israel propaganda firm marks one of the latest signals of increasing negative public opinion regarding Israel in the US.
Trump’s strong stance regarding Israel has pushed t Tel Aviv into the center of American political discussion, resulting in increased debate about Washington’s support.
A recent Gallup poll found that American support for Israel has fallen to its lowest level in the past decade.
The decline was seen among both Democrats and Republicans. Followers of Trump’s own party posted the sharpest decrease, however.
According to the TIP’s managers, the group "simply ran out of money” after losing a large proportion of its annual funds and donations due to the increased “polarized political climate in the United States”, Haaretz reported on Thursday.
The pro-Israel group was a proponent of “hasbara”, an Israeli concept seeking to legitimize Israel in the eyes of world public opinion through disseminating propaganda.
The TIP formed in 2002, at the height of the second Palestinian Intifada, and sought to influence journalists and their coverage of Israel.
TIP activities gradually grew to cover multiple languages and countries, as well as conducting influence operations on social media.
The group has been known for its hard-hitting stance against Iran and even Islam, going as far as promoting Islamophobia and conducting marketing research on how to “sell military action against Iran to the American public”.
‘We attacked the Iran deal’
The group prides itself in having lobbied extensively against the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, a key polarizing factor which also led to the group’s sharp decline.
TIP’s vice president and head of its Israel office Lior Weintraub, a former Israeli diplomat in Washington, described why the group gradually lost support among its donors.
“We attacked the Iran deal; because Israel became part of the internal American political debate;...because support for Israel became too complicated for some of them in these times,” he said.
Critics believe that the pro-Israel advocacy group became too closely aligned with the regime of Israeli prime minister Netanyahu, specifically in its bid to torpedo the Iran nuclear deal, alienating many American supporters across the political spectrum.
Consequently starting from 2015, TIP lost a large number of its donations, and is currently on the verge of shutting down all together.
Last month, TIP CEO Josh Block, a former spokesman for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee resigned from the organization, issuing a statement citing “the polarized political climate in the US, both in the wider body politic and inside the Jewish community,” as the reason for TIP’s downfall.
Despite US President Donald Trump’s strongly pro-Israel foreign policy, the fall of the leading pro-Israel propaganda firm marks one of the latest signals of increasing negative public opinion regarding Israel in the US.
Trump’s strong stance regarding Israel has pushed t Tel Aviv into the center of American political discussion, resulting in increased debate about Washington’s support.
A recent Gallup poll found that American support for Israel has fallen to its lowest level in the past decade.
The decline was seen among both Democrats and Republicans. Followers of Trump’s own party posted the sharpest decrease, however.
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