13 sept 2013
Africa Israel, a firm owned by the diamond magnate Lev Leviev, has confirmed that it is operating in an Israeli settlement in eastern occupied Jerusalem.
Last month, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre invited me to comment on a recent decision by Norway’s finance ministry to reverse an decision banning Africa Israel and its subsidiary Danya Cebus from a state pension fund. The U-turn was made after Africa Israel claimed that it was no longer involved in the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The Electronic Intifada has previously published evidence which showed that Africa Israel has remained involved in settlement construction in East Jerusalem.
Business and Human Rights confronted Africa Israel with the allegations made in my blog post and by the campaign group Who Profits [PDF] and invited the company to comment. In its response, Africa Israel admitted that its subsidiary Danya Cebus is indeed “involved as a general constructor, in the Jerusalem-C project at Gilo, Jerusalem.” Africa Israel wrote:[PDF]
As a leading real estate group in Israel, the company and its subsidiaries engage in numerous projects in Jerusalem, which is the capital of the State of Israel and one of its major cities. Nevertheless, we were surprised to learn that one can consider Gilo neighborhood, which is one of the well-established neighborhoods located in the heart of Jerusalem to be “a settlement in the occupied West Bank” and find such broad definition to be erroneous.
Gilo is a settlement
Last month, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre invited me to comment on a recent decision by Norway’s finance ministry to reverse an decision banning Africa Israel and its subsidiary Danya Cebus from a state pension fund. The U-turn was made after Africa Israel claimed that it was no longer involved in the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The Electronic Intifada has previously published evidence which showed that Africa Israel has remained involved in settlement construction in East Jerusalem.
Business and Human Rights confronted Africa Israel with the allegations made in my blog post and by the campaign group Who Profits [PDF] and invited the company to comment. In its response, Africa Israel admitted that its subsidiary Danya Cebus is indeed “involved as a general constructor, in the Jerusalem-C project at Gilo, Jerusalem.” Africa Israel wrote:[PDF]
As a leading real estate group in Israel, the company and its subsidiaries engage in numerous projects in Jerusalem, which is the capital of the State of Israel and one of its major cities. Nevertheless, we were surprised to learn that one can consider Gilo neighborhood, which is one of the well-established neighborhoods located in the heart of Jerusalem to be “a settlement in the occupied West Bank” and find such broad definition to be erroneous.
Gilo is a settlement
This image from Google Maps shows the location of Africa Israel’s settlement construction site in Gilo, East Jerusalem. The site is situated on the Palestinian side of the Green Line — the demarcation line between Israel and the occupied West Bank.
“Gilo is a Jewish-only settlement/colony established in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem,” Dr. Jeff Handmaker, a senior lecturer in law, human rights and development at the International Institute of Social Studies in Erasmus University told me by email this week. “Gilo settlement is illegal according to international law, including Security Council Resolution 242, which clearly demands Israel withdraw from the territories it has occupied since June 1967, including East Jerusalem.”
“Gilo is a Jewish-only settlement/colony established in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem,” Dr. Jeff Handmaker, a senior lecturer in law, human rights and development at the International Institute of Social Studies in Erasmus University told me by email this week. “Gilo settlement is illegal according to international law, including Security Council Resolution 242, which clearly demands Israel withdraw from the territories it has occupied since June 1967, including East Jerusalem.”
UN map of territories occupied by Israel in 1967.
Handmaker pointed out that Israeli, Palestinian and international human rights organizations have documented numerous violations of human rights and international law, and in particular the confiscation of Palestinian land, as a result of construction work in Gilo settlement.
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities announced on 13 August the expansion of Gilo by approving the construction of 942 more settler homes.
“This is in blatant defiance of demands by the United Nations, European Union, United States and Russia, and is, furthermore, in violation of European Union guidelines,” Handmaker stated.
Africa Israel has revealed its disregard for international law by claiming that “Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel” and by denying that Gilo is a settlement.
The company has made it perfectly clear that it has no intention to end its involvement in the construction of Israel’s settlements on stolen Palestinian land.
Handmaker pointed out that Israeli, Palestinian and international human rights organizations have documented numerous violations of human rights and international law, and in particular the confiscation of Palestinian land, as a result of construction work in Gilo settlement.
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities announced on 13 August the expansion of Gilo by approving the construction of 942 more settler homes.
“This is in blatant defiance of demands by the United Nations, European Union, United States and Russia, and is, furthermore, in violation of European Union guidelines,” Handmaker stated.
Africa Israel has revealed its disregard for international law by claiming that “Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel” and by denying that Gilo is a settlement.
The company has made it perfectly clear that it has no intention to end its involvement in the construction of Israel’s settlements on stolen Palestinian land.
11 sept 2013
A number of Palestinian human rights organizations Wednesday called on the United States not to interfere in the European Union guidelines on Israeli settlements, according to a press statement. In a letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry, 13 organizations said they were “concerned by the pressure exerted by the United States on all relevant parties, including the Palestinian Authority, to postpone the implementation of or amend the guidelines.”
The European Union adopted guidelines “on the eligibility of Israeli entities and their activities in the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967 for grants, prizes, and financial instruments funded by the EU from 2014 onwards.”
The Palestinian groups, members of the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations' Council (PHROC), said the guidelines represent EU compliance with international and European law obligations and therefore “any efforts by an external party to amend, discourage, or delay the implementation of the guidelines would be tantamount to encouraging law-abiding states to violate their legal obligations.”
PHROC welcomed the EU guidelines, which “enforce the longstanding position of the international community that Israeli settlements are illegal.”
It said the US “as a High Contracting Party to the Fourth Geneva Convention and bound to act in accordance with third state obligations related to violations of peremptory norms of international law and otherwise customary international law, should itself ensure that its cooperation with Israel is in line with the obligation of non-recognition and duty to actively cooperate to bring the violations that settlements constitute to an end.”
It said that “the United States should be lending its official and unwavering support for the implementation of the guidelines on 1 January 2014 without any change to its content.”
The European Union adopted guidelines “on the eligibility of Israeli entities and their activities in the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967 for grants, prizes, and financial instruments funded by the EU from 2014 onwards.”
The Palestinian groups, members of the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations' Council (PHROC), said the guidelines represent EU compliance with international and European law obligations and therefore “any efforts by an external party to amend, discourage, or delay the implementation of the guidelines would be tantamount to encouraging law-abiding states to violate their legal obligations.”
PHROC welcomed the EU guidelines, which “enforce the longstanding position of the international community that Israeli settlements are illegal.”
It said the US “as a High Contracting Party to the Fourth Geneva Convention and bound to act in accordance with third state obligations related to violations of peremptory norms of international law and otherwise customary international law, should itself ensure that its cooperation with Israel is in line with the obligation of non-recognition and duty to actively cooperate to bring the violations that settlements constitute to an end.”
It said that “the United States should be lending its official and unwavering support for the implementation of the guidelines on 1 January 2014 without any change to its content.”
A Dutch firm recently decided to pull out of an Israeli settlement project in East al-Quds (Jerusalem), receiving praise from a senior United Nations expert.
UN Rapporteur Richard Falk welcomed Tuesday Royal HaskoningDHV’s decision to terminate a contract to build the Kidron wastewater treatment facility that would be used for illegal Israeli settlements, according to a Press TV report.
Falk said, “The sewage treatment facility would have served to further entrench Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem (al-Quds), now universally considered to be a violation of international law and United Nations resolutions.”
Referring to its decision to pull out of the project, the firm said in a statement, "After due consultation with various stakeholders, the company came to understand that future involvement in the project could be in violation of international law.”
Falk also sent a message to all companies conducting business related to Israeli settlements, urging them to "follow Royal HaskoningDHV’s lead and terminate their involvement out of respect for corporate responsibility and international law,” according to the report.
UN Rapporteur Richard Falk welcomed Tuesday Royal HaskoningDHV’s decision to terminate a contract to build the Kidron wastewater treatment facility that would be used for illegal Israeli settlements, according to a Press TV report.
Falk said, “The sewage treatment facility would have served to further entrench Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem (al-Quds), now universally considered to be a violation of international law and United Nations resolutions.”
Referring to its decision to pull out of the project, the firm said in a statement, "After due consultation with various stakeholders, the company came to understand that future involvement in the project could be in violation of international law.”
Falk also sent a message to all companies conducting business related to Israeli settlements, urging them to "follow Royal HaskoningDHV’s lead and terminate their involvement out of respect for corporate responsibility and international law,” according to the report.
10 sept 2013
A European delegation is due to visit Israel on Tuesday to discuss the EU's decision regarding the settlement guidelines published in July, which prohibited any EU financial cooperation with any Israeli entities situated beyond the pre-1967 lines, including east Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday that two senior EU diplomats will meet with high level officials in the Foreign Ministry to try to reach "understandings" on the implementation of the EU settlement guidelines in order to enable Israel to continue to participate in EU programs.
On Monday, PLO Executive Committee Member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi called the EU to "maintain their own policies and to stand by their guidelines. Weakening, delaying or cancelling the guidelines can only take us further from a just and lasting peace."
European sources ruled out that these restrictions, which were supposed to be implemented at the beginning of October, would be canceled.
Israel said that this issue will be discussed during the next meeting between Israel and the EU, which is scheduled for Thursday in Brussels.
The Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday that two senior EU diplomats will meet with high level officials in the Foreign Ministry to try to reach "understandings" on the implementation of the EU settlement guidelines in order to enable Israel to continue to participate in EU programs.
On Monday, PLO Executive Committee Member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi called the EU to "maintain their own policies and to stand by their guidelines. Weakening, delaying or cancelling the guidelines can only take us further from a just and lasting peace."
European sources ruled out that these restrictions, which were supposed to be implemented at the beginning of October, would be canceled.
Israel said that this issue will be discussed during the next meeting between Israel and the EU, which is scheduled for Thursday in Brussels.
Three weeks ago, the University of Michigan’s Center for the Education of Women (CEW) “disinvited” Alice Walker from speaking at its 50th Anniversary celebration. Walker, a Pulitzer Prize winner and world-renowned writer, was informed by her agent that the CEW withdrew its invitation because donors to the department took issue with some of Walker’s comments regarding Israel.
Almost immediately after the disinvitation was publicized, the University of Michigan sprang into action. Gloria Thomas, the Center’s director, issued a statement claiming that donor pressure had nothing to do with the decision to disinvite Walker and affirmed the University’s commitment to academic freedom. Thomas took the position that Walker was not the “optimum choice” for a celebratory event and disclosed that she was working with other departments to “reinvite” Walker to speak, although careful reading made it clear that Walker would not be asked to speak at the CEW anniversary celebration. Walker has now been invited to speak at the University of Michigan’s annual Zora Neale Hurston Lecture on behalf of the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies (DAAS) and the CEW. Walker has graciously accepted the invitation.
This is not the first time that the University of Michigan has succumbed to pressure and silenced pro-Palestinian voices. In 2007, the University of Michigan shamelessly abrogated its distribution contract with Pluto Press for the purpose of halting distribution of Professor Joel Kovel’s provocative book titled,Overcoming Zionism, in response to pressure from two Zionist organizations, StandWithUs and the Anti-Defamation League. The loud public outcry against university-sponsored censorship of an anti-Zionist perspective compelled the Board of Regents to rescind the contract cancellation. What many people don’t know is that when the Pluto Press contract expired, the University quietly refrained from renewing it – a nonevent that received no media attention.
While I personally look forward to attending the Zora Neal Hurston Lecture and listening to Walker speak, her invitation to participate in a different event does not absolve the University of Michigan from any wrongdoing. The University of Michigan must clarify its position on academic freedom and explain its policies regarding donations and the campus curriculum. Donors to various University programs and departments must not be allowed to restrict academic discourse, or use their influence to intimidate departments into changing their agendas. The University of Michigan should be a safe haven for those who choose to speak truth to power, and should remain impervious to any attempt to stifle or control information and debate.
This article was originally posted on Mondoweiss.
Almost immediately after the disinvitation was publicized, the University of Michigan sprang into action. Gloria Thomas, the Center’s director, issued a statement claiming that donor pressure had nothing to do with the decision to disinvite Walker and affirmed the University’s commitment to academic freedom. Thomas took the position that Walker was not the “optimum choice” for a celebratory event and disclosed that she was working with other departments to “reinvite” Walker to speak, although careful reading made it clear that Walker would not be asked to speak at the CEW anniversary celebration. Walker has now been invited to speak at the University of Michigan’s annual Zora Neale Hurston Lecture on behalf of the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies (DAAS) and the CEW. Walker has graciously accepted the invitation.
This is not the first time that the University of Michigan has succumbed to pressure and silenced pro-Palestinian voices. In 2007, the University of Michigan shamelessly abrogated its distribution contract with Pluto Press for the purpose of halting distribution of Professor Joel Kovel’s provocative book titled,Overcoming Zionism, in response to pressure from two Zionist organizations, StandWithUs and the Anti-Defamation League. The loud public outcry against university-sponsored censorship of an anti-Zionist perspective compelled the Board of Regents to rescind the contract cancellation. What many people don’t know is that when the Pluto Press contract expired, the University quietly refrained from renewing it – a nonevent that received no media attention.
While I personally look forward to attending the Zora Neal Hurston Lecture and listening to Walker speak, her invitation to participate in a different event does not absolve the University of Michigan from any wrongdoing. The University of Michigan must clarify its position on academic freedom and explain its policies regarding donations and the campus curriculum. Donors to various University programs and departments must not be allowed to restrict academic discourse, or use their influence to intimidate departments into changing their agendas. The University of Michigan should be a safe haven for those who choose to speak truth to power, and should remain impervious to any attempt to stifle or control information and debate.
This article was originally posted on Mondoweiss.
9 sept 2013
More than 150 civil society organizations in the United States and worldwide signed a letter to the American ice cream company’s Ben & Jerry’s CEO, Jostein Solheim, urging the company “to stand by its Social Mission and to ensure that its products are not sold, catered and distributed in Israeli settlements” in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, a press release said Monday.
The letter, organized by Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel (VTJP), calls on Solheim “to take all necessary contractual and legal measures to bring your franchise's settlement business to an end in a verifiable way, and to release a public statement of your company's commitment to end its business ties to Israel’s occupation and settlement enterprise.”
It said that by ending its commercial complicity with Israel’s occupation, the Vermont-based Ben & Jerry’s “would help to expose the devastating consequences and illegality of Israel’s settlement enterprise. It would also set a powerful example of socially responsible engagement in Israel/Palestine for other companies to emulate.”
VTJP launched an international campaign in March calling on Ben & Jerry’s to end its commercial complicity with Israel’s occupation and settlement regime.
Marc Estrin, a VTJP activist, said, “We hope Ben & Jerry’s will be persuaded by the strong worldwide support our letter has garnered to sever its commercial ties to Israel’s settlements.”
The letter, organized by Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel (VTJP), calls on Solheim “to take all necessary contractual and legal measures to bring your franchise's settlement business to an end in a verifiable way, and to release a public statement of your company's commitment to end its business ties to Israel’s occupation and settlement enterprise.”
It said that by ending its commercial complicity with Israel’s occupation, the Vermont-based Ben & Jerry’s “would help to expose the devastating consequences and illegality of Israel’s settlement enterprise. It would also set a powerful example of socially responsible engagement in Israel/Palestine for other companies to emulate.”
VTJP launched an international campaign in March calling on Ben & Jerry’s to end its commercial complicity with Israel’s occupation and settlement regime.
Marc Estrin, a VTJP activist, said, “We hope Ben & Jerry’s will be persuaded by the strong worldwide support our letter has garnered to sever its commercial ties to Israel’s settlements.”
Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Yasser Abed Rabbo Monday criticized attempts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to convince Europe to postpone a decision on boycott of Israeli settlement products, saying that Israel is using the negotiations to avert action against it. “Israel is trying to benefit from the negotiations to pressure Europe to cancel the boycott (of settlement products),” he said on Voice of Palestine.
He said the negotiations have not made any progress on the ground and that all Israel wants is that no one says anything about its settlements and other activities that violate the rights of the Palestinian people.
“There are no signs of progress (in the negotiations),” said Abed Rabbo. “There is progress only in the settlements and in the violations, but not in the negotiations that can cause us to say that US efforts have achieved any real results on the ground or in the peace process,” he said.
He said the negotiations have not made any progress on the ground and that all Israel wants is that no one says anything about its settlements and other activities that violate the rights of the Palestinian people.
“There are no signs of progress (in the negotiations),” said Abed Rabbo. “There is progress only in the settlements and in the violations, but not in the negotiations that can cause us to say that US efforts have achieved any real results on the ground or in the peace process,” he said.
Baroness Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, has signalled a possible compromise following American pressure to end a row with Israel over rules barring the funding of Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian lands.
She told journalists that the ban - which came into force in July - would be implemented “sensitively” to minimise the damage to EU-Israel relations.
The pledge came after John Kerry, the US secretary of state, reportedly pressed the EU to suspend the funding boycott, saying it could harm the prospects for recently renewed peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.
Mr Kerry told EU foreign ministers to “find a way to embrace the negotiators and encourage them to move forward, rather than, as it were metaphorically, bang them over the head”, a US state department official told Reuters.
“There was strong support for [Mr Kerry’s] efforts and an openness to considering his requests,” the official said.
Mr Kerry’s intervention drew criticism from Hanan Ashrawi, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s executive committee. “Reports of US lobbying the EU on behalf of Israel are extremely discouraging and cast serious doubts on the US mediation role,” she told the Jerusalem Post.
She told journalists that the ban - which came into force in July - would be implemented “sensitively” to minimise the damage to EU-Israel relations.
The pledge came after John Kerry, the US secretary of state, reportedly pressed the EU to suspend the funding boycott, saying it could harm the prospects for recently renewed peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.
Mr Kerry told EU foreign ministers to “find a way to embrace the negotiators and encourage them to move forward, rather than, as it were metaphorically, bang them over the head”, a US state department official told Reuters.
“There was strong support for [Mr Kerry’s] efforts and an openness to considering his requests,” the official said.
Mr Kerry’s intervention drew criticism from Hanan Ashrawi, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s executive committee. “Reports of US lobbying the EU on behalf of Israel are extremely discouraging and cast serious doubts on the US mediation role,” she told the Jerusalem Post.
PLO Executive Committee Member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, expressed her deep concern at reports that the European Union is being asked to withdraw a recently announced set of guidelines prohibiting grants, prizes and financial instruments from being awarded to Israeli entities situated within the Occupied State of Palestine.
"The announcement of the EU Guidelines was a very positive step which played a significant role in the decision to resume negotiations. By refusing to extend grants and awards beyond the Green Line, these guidelines reinforce the 1967 border and play a constructive role in reaffirming the two-state solution, something which can only help the cause of peace."
"Reports of US lobbying the EU on behalf of Israel are extremely discouraging and cast serious doubts on the US mediation role. Once again the US is using the negotiations process to grant Israel immunity and to buy it more time to create facts on the ground, thereby rendering the so-called "peace process" a self-defeating exercise." Dr. Ashrawi added.
"These guidelines are a natural translation of the EU's clear policy on Israel's illegal settlement enterprise and the result of the full and effective implementation of the EU's own laws. Two states on the 1967 border is a solution based on the UN recognition of the State of Palestine and endorsed by the entire international community, including the U.S. and the E.U."
Dr. Ashrawi concluded,"We look to the EU to maintain their own policies and to stand by their guidelines. Weakening, delaying or cancelling the guidelines can only take us further from a just and lasting peace."
"The announcement of the EU Guidelines was a very positive step which played a significant role in the decision to resume negotiations. By refusing to extend grants and awards beyond the Green Line, these guidelines reinforce the 1967 border and play a constructive role in reaffirming the two-state solution, something which can only help the cause of peace."
"Reports of US lobbying the EU on behalf of Israel are extremely discouraging and cast serious doubts on the US mediation role. Once again the US is using the negotiations process to grant Israel immunity and to buy it more time to create facts on the ground, thereby rendering the so-called "peace process" a self-defeating exercise." Dr. Ashrawi added.
"These guidelines are a natural translation of the EU's clear policy on Israel's illegal settlement enterprise and the result of the full and effective implementation of the EU's own laws. Two states on the 1967 border is a solution based on the UN recognition of the State of Palestine and endorsed by the entire international community, including the U.S. and the E.U."
Dr. Ashrawi concluded,"We look to the EU to maintain their own policies and to stand by their guidelines. Weakening, delaying or cancelling the guidelines can only take us further from a just and lasting peace."
8 sept 2013
Political bureau member of Hamas Ezzet Resheq has strongly denounced US secretary of state John Kerry’s call on the European Union to shelve the ban on financial assistance to Israeli settlements. Resheq said on his Facebook page on Sunday that Kerry’s call on Saturday reflected flagrant bias in favor of Israel.
He said that the call was rejected since it encourages Israel to continue in its wars and crimes against the Palestinian people, land, and holy shrines.
Resheq said that Kerry’s words were a reminder to those racing to negotiations that the American administration was absolutely biased in favor of Israel and was not and would not be a fair mediator and that its prime concern was preserving Israel’s security and interests.
According to the new EU guidelines on settlements, any funding or financial investment, and/or granting of stipends, scholarships or prizes by EU agencies or foundations to Israeli groups connected directly or indirectly to the settlements (in the occupied West Bank, eastern Jerusalem, and Golan Heights) will be banned.
He said that the call was rejected since it encourages Israel to continue in its wars and crimes against the Palestinian people, land, and holy shrines.
Resheq said that Kerry’s words were a reminder to those racing to negotiations that the American administration was absolutely biased in favor of Israel and was not and would not be a fair mediator and that its prime concern was preserving Israel’s security and interests.
According to the new EU guidelines on settlements, any funding or financial investment, and/or granting of stipends, scholarships or prizes by EU agencies or foundations to Israeli groups connected directly or indirectly to the settlements (in the occupied West Bank, eastern Jerusalem, and Golan Heights) will be banned.
Hamas Movement praised Algerian Federation of Sports and players of national Pétanque (metal ball throwing) team’s position refusing to play the match against Israel’s team after being qualified for the knockout stages of Junior World Championship held last week in France’s Toulouse. Hamas leader Ezzat al-Rishq said Saturday evening in a statement “we are proud of the Algerian position which signifies the Algerian people’s embrace of the justice cause of Palestine,”
The quadrant of Douar Mustapha, Bouzlifa Seif Islem, Semmar Brahim, and Dounayib Nazim decided not to play against Israel’s team in the eighth finals of World Championship which took place in Toulouse, Algerian sport website reported.
Head of the Federation Algerian Sports Boule Abdelaziz Rih said earlier in a press statement “We have decided to withdraw from the eighth finals after Algeria has inherited (Israel) in the knockout final,”
He added that “following the instructions of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, we refused to meet the ‘Zionists’; we were able to participate and end up with the best results as we have great competitors.”
The quadrant of Douar Mustapha, Bouzlifa Seif Islem, Semmar Brahim, and Dounayib Nazim decided not to play against Israel’s team in the eighth finals of World Championship which took place in Toulouse, Algerian sport website reported.
Head of the Federation Algerian Sports Boule Abdelaziz Rih said earlier in a press statement “We have decided to withdraw from the eighth finals after Algeria has inherited (Israel) in the knockout final,”
He added that “following the instructions of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, we refused to meet the ‘Zionists’; we were able to participate and end up with the best results as we have great competitors.”
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After meeting with Kerry in Paris, Qatari FM al-Attiya says 'each time a round of peace talks is supposed to start, it's preceded by announcement on establishment of new West Bank settlements'
Qatar faulted Israel for building Jewish settlements on Sunday after US Secretary of State John Kerry briefed Arab diplomats in an effort to garner support for nascent Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. The comment by Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiya, while consistent with long-standing Arab positions, may have been less than what Kerry might have hoped for as he seeks to build momentum for the talks which resumed on July 29. |
"There are obstacles," al-Attiya said through an interpreter at a news conference in Paris with Kerry after the US secretary of state met the foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Arab officials.
"We are talking about settlements," he added. "Each time a round of negotiations is supposed to start, it's preceded by a declaration of continued settlements or the announcement of the establishment of new settlements and this is a source of concern for us and directly affects the negotiations." Kerry, who is to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over dinner in London, said it was vital that all sides, including the Arab world, offer support to both parties as they try to make peace.
"This meeting is almost as important as the negotiations themselves because the Arab League and the Arab community's support for a final status agreement is essential to the achievement of that agreement," Kerry told reporters.
"It is a critical component in creating momentum, and energy and seriousness of purpose in these talks," he added. The resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks after a nearly three-year hiatus is one of Kerry's major achievements since taking office on Feb. 1, but it is unclear if they have made any progress. US officials have refused to provide any information about the substance of the talks, declining even to say how many times Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have met since the talks began.
Kerry publically reiterated his private call on the European Union on Saturday to postpone a planned ban on EU financial assistance to Israeli organizations in the occupied Palestinian territories, saying this would help the talks. The EU imposed restrictions in July, citing its frustration over the continued expansion of Jewish settlements in territory captured by Israeli forces in the 1967 Middle East War.
The guidelines render Israeli entities operating in the occupied territories ineligible for EU grants, prizes or loans, beginning next year. They angered Israel's rightist government, which accused the Europeans of harming Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and responded by announcing curbs on EU aid projects for thousands of West Bank Palestinians. Palestinians praised the guidelines as a concrete step against settlement construction on Israeli-occupied land, which they fear will deny them a viable state.
On Saturday, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the EU would send a team, headed by a senior EU diplomat, to Israel on Monday to make sure the implementation of the new guidelines was done sensitively.
"We of course want to continue having a strong relationship with Israel," she said. Jewish settler leaders say the aid they receive from Europe is minimal. But many in Israel worry about possible knock-on effects the EU steps may have on individuals or companies based in Israel that might be involved in business in the settlements, deemed illegal by the international community.
"We are talking about settlements," he added. "Each time a round of negotiations is supposed to start, it's preceded by a declaration of continued settlements or the announcement of the establishment of new settlements and this is a source of concern for us and directly affects the negotiations." Kerry, who is to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over dinner in London, said it was vital that all sides, including the Arab world, offer support to both parties as they try to make peace.
"This meeting is almost as important as the negotiations themselves because the Arab League and the Arab community's support for a final status agreement is essential to the achievement of that agreement," Kerry told reporters.
"It is a critical component in creating momentum, and energy and seriousness of purpose in these talks," he added. The resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks after a nearly three-year hiatus is one of Kerry's major achievements since taking office on Feb. 1, but it is unclear if they have made any progress. US officials have refused to provide any information about the substance of the talks, declining even to say how many times Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have met since the talks began.
Kerry publically reiterated his private call on the European Union on Saturday to postpone a planned ban on EU financial assistance to Israeli organizations in the occupied Palestinian territories, saying this would help the talks. The EU imposed restrictions in July, citing its frustration over the continued expansion of Jewish settlements in territory captured by Israeli forces in the 1967 Middle East War.
The guidelines render Israeli entities operating in the occupied territories ineligible for EU grants, prizes or loans, beginning next year. They angered Israel's rightist government, which accused the Europeans of harming Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and responded by announcing curbs on EU aid projects for thousands of West Bank Palestinians. Palestinians praised the guidelines as a concrete step against settlement construction on Israeli-occupied land, which they fear will deny them a viable state.
On Saturday, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the EU would send a team, headed by a senior EU diplomat, to Israel on Monday to make sure the implementation of the new guidelines was done sensitively.
"We of course want to continue having a strong relationship with Israel," she said. Jewish settler leaders say the aid they receive from Europe is minimal. But many in Israel worry about possible knock-on effects the EU steps may have on individuals or companies based in Israel that might be involved in business in the settlements, deemed illegal by the international community.
7 sept 2013
UDEA, a wholesaler which also operates some 60 EKOPLAZA organic food stores in the Netherlands, boycotts produce from Israeli settlements.
The Dutch Palestinian solidarity group docP reports that one of its contacts corresponded with UDEA on the question of Israeli settlement products in EKOPLAZA stores. UDEA wrote her that " while EKOPLAZA does have a limited assortment of Israeli products, its policy is not to stock products from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For this it requires written agreements with its suppliers."
EKOPLAZA later confirmed this in writing to docP that "The response we gave to our customer is indeed correct and we continue to carry this out. In this question we work in conformity with EU legislation."
The Dutch Palestinian solidarity group docP reports that one of its contacts corresponded with UDEA on the question of Israeli settlement products in EKOPLAZA stores. UDEA wrote her that " while EKOPLAZA does have a limited assortment of Israeli products, its policy is not to stock products from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For this it requires written agreements with its suppliers."
EKOPLAZA later confirmed this in writing to docP that "The response we gave to our customer is indeed correct and we continue to carry this out. In this question we work in conformity with EU legislation."
Top US diplomat asks European FMs to consider postponing implementation of guidelines on aid to Israeli entities operating in West Bank; urges EU to support peace talks
US Secretary of State John Kerry urged the European Union on Saturday to put off a planned ban on EU financial assistance to Israeli organizations operating in the West Bank, a US official said.
Kerry made the request at a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Vilnius, Lithuania at which he also called on them to support Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, which resumed on July 29 after a nearly three-year hiatus.
The EU imposed restrictions in July citing its frustration over the continued expansion of Jewish settlements in territory captured by Israeli forces in the 1967 Middle East War.
A senior US State Department official told reporters that Kerry called on the Europeans to consider postponing the implementation of EU guidelines on aid.
"There was strong support for his efforts and an openness to considering his requests," he said.
The guidelines render Israeli entities operating in the occupied territories ineligible for EU grants, prizes or loans, beginning next year.
Jewish settler leaders say the aid they receive from Europe is minimal. But many in Israel worry about possible knock-on effects the EU steps may have on individuals or companies based in Israel that might be involved in business in the settlements, deemed illegal by the international community.
Israeli-Palestinian peace has been Kerry's main foreign policy initiative since becoming secretary of state on Feb. 1.
He is scheduled to brief some League ministers on his peace efforts in Paris on Sunday and then to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas the same day in London.
He is also expected to see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon, though not on his current trip to Europe which ends on Monday.
The core issues that need to be settled in the more than six-decade-old Israeli-Palestinian dispute include borders, the fate of Palestinian refugees, the future of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the status of Jerusalem.
US Secretary of State John Kerry urged the European Union on Saturday to put off a planned ban on EU financial assistance to Israeli organizations operating in the West Bank, a US official said.
Kerry made the request at a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Vilnius, Lithuania at which he also called on them to support Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, which resumed on July 29 after a nearly three-year hiatus.
The EU imposed restrictions in July citing its frustration over the continued expansion of Jewish settlements in territory captured by Israeli forces in the 1967 Middle East War.
A senior US State Department official told reporters that Kerry called on the Europeans to consider postponing the implementation of EU guidelines on aid.
"There was strong support for his efforts and an openness to considering his requests," he said.
The guidelines render Israeli entities operating in the occupied territories ineligible for EU grants, prizes or loans, beginning next year.
Jewish settler leaders say the aid they receive from Europe is minimal. But many in Israel worry about possible knock-on effects the EU steps may have on individuals or companies based in Israel that might be involved in business in the settlements, deemed illegal by the international community.
Israeli-Palestinian peace has been Kerry's main foreign policy initiative since becoming secretary of state on Feb. 1.
He is scheduled to brief some League ministers on his peace efforts in Paris on Sunday and then to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas the same day in London.
He is also expected to see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon, though not on his current trip to Europe which ends on Monday.
The core issues that need to be settled in the more than six-decade-old Israeli-Palestinian dispute include borders, the fate of Palestinian refugees, the future of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the status of Jerusalem.
Holland’s largest engineering firm has decided to pull out of a project planned to be established in the eastern part of the city of Jerusalem. Haaretz reported that Dutch infrastructure giant Royal HaskoningDHV announced Friday that it has decided to withdraw from a project it planned with the Israeli Jerusalem municipality, because it was to be built beyond the Green Line.
Two weeks ago, the Dutch government has asked the company, Holland’s largest engineering company, to rethink its participation the sewage treatment plant because the project was based on the Palestinian side of the 1967 border, and that this would violate international law, the Hebrew newspaper said.
In June 2013, the European Union sent new instructions to all EU countries, prohibiting the financing of, or the investment in, Israeli settlements established on Palestinian lands occupied in 1967.
Palestinians Welcome Dutch Pullout from Israeli Project
PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi applauded Friday a decision by the Dutch engineering firm, Royal HaskoningDHV, to terminate its involvement in an illegal Israeli project in occupied East Jerusalem. “Royal HaskoningDHV has emphasized that it conducts its work with the highest regard for integrity and in full compliance with international law and regulations,” said Ashrawi.
“The planned Israeli water treatment plant in East Jerusalem breaches international law, and it is primarily designed to service illegal settlements that cause severe human rights violations,” she said in a statement.
Ashrawi said the project “deepens Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, consolidates its occupation of the West Bank, and constitutes another obstacle to the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
She commended the Dutch government “for translating its opposition to Israel’s disastrous settlement policy into action, which is in line with EU policy, and for urging Royal HaskoningDHV to end its participation with the illegal project.”
The PLO official called on international corporations to terminate their projects and activities with links to the military occupation and to the illegal settlements.
“We urge other states to assume responsibility and to bring to an end the involvement of corporations within their jurisdiction that contributes to maintaining an illegal situation that causes deep human suffering for the Palestinian people,” Ashrawi concluded.
Royal HaskoningDHV said Friday in a statement that it has decided to terminate the contract for a wastewater treatment plant project, which was still in the early stages of the preliminary design phase.
It said that it made that decision “in compliance with international laws and regulations,” and because “the project could be in violation of international law” due to its presence in occupied territory.
Two weeks ago, the Dutch government has asked the company, Holland’s largest engineering company, to rethink its participation the sewage treatment plant because the project was based on the Palestinian side of the 1967 border, and that this would violate international law, the Hebrew newspaper said.
In June 2013, the European Union sent new instructions to all EU countries, prohibiting the financing of, or the investment in, Israeli settlements established on Palestinian lands occupied in 1967.
Palestinians Welcome Dutch Pullout from Israeli Project
PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi applauded Friday a decision by the Dutch engineering firm, Royal HaskoningDHV, to terminate its involvement in an illegal Israeli project in occupied East Jerusalem. “Royal HaskoningDHV has emphasized that it conducts its work with the highest regard for integrity and in full compliance with international law and regulations,” said Ashrawi.
“The planned Israeli water treatment plant in East Jerusalem breaches international law, and it is primarily designed to service illegal settlements that cause severe human rights violations,” she said in a statement.
Ashrawi said the project “deepens Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, consolidates its occupation of the West Bank, and constitutes another obstacle to the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
She commended the Dutch government “for translating its opposition to Israel’s disastrous settlement policy into action, which is in line with EU policy, and for urging Royal HaskoningDHV to end its participation with the illegal project.”
The PLO official called on international corporations to terminate their projects and activities with links to the military occupation and to the illegal settlements.
“We urge other states to assume responsibility and to bring to an end the involvement of corporations within their jurisdiction that contributes to maintaining an illegal situation that causes deep human suffering for the Palestinian people,” Ashrawi concluded.
Royal HaskoningDHV said Friday in a statement that it has decided to terminate the contract for a wastewater treatment plant project, which was still in the early stages of the preliminary design phase.
It said that it made that decision “in compliance with international laws and regulations,” and because “the project could be in violation of international law” due to its presence in occupied territory.
6 sept 2013
The Netherlands-based engineering firm Royal HaskoningDHV has announced that it has decided to withdraw from a sewage treatment project in eastern occupied Jerusalem.
The firm reviewed its involvement in designing the plant after the Dutch government discouraged it from aiding Israeli settlements and Palestinian organizations fiercely criticized the project. The project is still in its planning stages.
Earlier today, Royal HaskoningDHV released the following statement:
Royal HaskoningDHV carries out its work with the highest regard for integrity and in compliance with international laws and regulations. In the course of the project, and after due consultation with various stakeholders, the company came to understand that future involvement in the project could be in violation of international law.
This has led to the decision of Royal HaskoningDHV to terminate its involvement.
Yesterday, the head of the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), Shaddas Attili, made clear Palestinian opposition to the construction of an Israeli sewage plant in East Jerusalem. In a statement, Attili noted that while Israel is determined to proceed with a sewage plant to benefit Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem, it has refused to approve vital santitation and environmental projects for Palestinians.
According to Attili, 30 sewage projects have been submitted for approval by the Joint Water Committee — a body consisting of Israelis and Palestinians handling water issues in the West Bank — since 1995. Yet only four of these schemes have been given the go-ahead by Israel.
The firm reviewed its involvement in designing the plant after the Dutch government discouraged it from aiding Israeli settlements and Palestinian organizations fiercely criticized the project. The project is still in its planning stages.
Earlier today, Royal HaskoningDHV released the following statement:
Royal HaskoningDHV carries out its work with the highest regard for integrity and in compliance with international laws and regulations. In the course of the project, and after due consultation with various stakeholders, the company came to understand that future involvement in the project could be in violation of international law.
This has led to the decision of Royal HaskoningDHV to terminate its involvement.
Yesterday, the head of the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), Shaddas Attili, made clear Palestinian opposition to the construction of an Israeli sewage plant in East Jerusalem. In a statement, Attili noted that while Israel is determined to proceed with a sewage plant to benefit Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem, it has refused to approve vital santitation and environmental projects for Palestinians.
According to Attili, 30 sewage projects have been submitted for approval by the Joint Water Committee — a body consisting of Israelis and Palestinians handling water issues in the West Bank — since 1995. Yet only four of these schemes have been given the go-ahead by Israel.
5 sept 2013
The person who sent us this email wrote us this along with the text of the email
This letter was sent to us by a fan who happens to be Jewish; you can see her comments at the end of this message. Let me just give you my thoughts on this letter. People who are boycotting Israel are not boycotting the whole of the Jewish population. There has been an intentional conflation that an attack on Israel is an attack on Judaism.
It’s not.
There are a whole host of Jews who support the boycott of Israel (myself included) and that does not also include the local business which may be owned by a member of the tribe. So this is a dishonest argument intended to deflect from a growing list of human rights violations and war crimes against the Palestinian people. And too many people unfamiliar with the reality of what’s happening in Palestine believe it.
One of the main thrusts of this email is to then say “Hey – if you want to boycott Jews … look at all the technological innovations we’ve brought to the world.” They write:
“Any Muslim who has Syphilis must not be cured by Salvarsan discovered by a Jew, Dr. Ehrlich. He should not even try to find out whether he has Syphilis, because the Wasserman Test is the discovery of a Jew.”
Neither of those doctors however were Israelis; at the time of their innovations – Israel would not come to exist for several decades. Their Jewishness wasn’t the problem. People protesting Israel are protesting ethnic cleansing, apartheid and institutional racism and discrimination. And to minimize those crimes against humanity by saying “Yeah – but look at all our technological innovations” is downright insane.
The Nazis developed the missile, started the largest highway system in the world at that time, made significant advances in the study of hypothermia and other medical areas (source); could you even imagine anyone trying to minimize the war crimes of the Nazis by pointing to their technological innovations? No because that would be insane. And that’s the gist of the argument here.
Then the letter goes on to draw a parallel between Jews and Muslims painting the 1.4 billion Muslims on this planet as being a bunch of Jihadi terrorists actively plotting to drink the blood from little Jewish babies. And mixed in with the misinformation and misdirection are lies.
They say: “The Jews are NOT promoting brainwashing children in military training camps”.
I guess this doesn’t count as brainwashing HERE.
They say: The Jews don’t hijack planes, nor kill athletes at the Olympics, or blow themselves up in German restaurants.”
It isn’t like Israel was founded on terrorism or anything. You can read about a whole host of acts of terrorism committed by members of the tribe HERE.
They say: “There is NOT one single Jew who has destroyed a church.”
Despite the fact that many churches have been attacked by Israeli Jews; they burned down this church HERE. And there is this monastery that had “Death to Gentiles” spraypainted on its wall defacing it (source).
They say: “There is NOT a single Jew who protests by killing people. The Jews don’t traffic slaves, nor have leaders calling for Jihad and death to all the Infidels.”
Except there have been MANY killings by Jewish people in protest of any number of things. That includes the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who was murdered by a Jewish man (source). Try telling a Palestinian that Jews don’t kill people to protest and they’ll look at you like you’re crazy.
As far as leaders calling for death to infidels … actually not true. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is a spiritual leader in Israel and he said non-Jews have no reason to live other than to serve Jews HERE. Rabbi Dov Lior said it was perfectly fine to kill non-jewish babies because they would end up like their parents and after action was taken against him – 70 Rabbis came out in protest to support him (source).
“Muslims must ask ‘what can they do for humankind’ before they demand that humankind respects them.”
~Chain letter
Here it is:
Subject: A Jewish Boycott
A short time ago, Iran’s Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged the Muslim World to boycott anything and everything that originates with the Jewish people.
In response, Meyer M. Treinkman, a pharmacist, out of the kindness of his heart, offered to assist them in their boycott as follows:
“Any Muslim who has Syphilis must not be cured by Salvarsan discovered by a Jew, Dr. Ehrlich. He should not even try to find out whether he has Syphilis, because the Wasserman Test is the discovery of a Jew. If a Muslim suspects that he has Gonorrhea, he must not seek diagnosis, because he will be using the method of a Jew named Neissner.
“A Muslim who has heart disease must not use Digitalis, a discovery by a Jew, Ludwig Traube.
Should he suffer with a toothache, he must not use Novocaine, a discovery of the Jews, Widal and Weil.
If a Muslim has Diabetes, he must not use Insulin, the result of research by Minkowsky, a Jew. If one has a headache, he must shun Pyramidon and Antypyrin, due to the Jews, Spiro and Ellege.
Muslims with convulsions must put up with them because it was a Jew, Oscar Leibreich, who proposed the use of Chloral Hydrate.
Arabs must do likewise with their psychic ailments because Freud, father of psychoanalysis, was a Jew.
Should a Muslim child get Diphtheria, he must refrain from the “Schick” reaction which was invented by the Jew, Bella Schick.
“Muslims should be ready to die in great numbers and must not permit treatment of ear and brain damage, work of Jewish Nobel Prize winner, Robert Baram.
They should continue to die or remain crippled by Infantile Paralysis because the discoverer of the anti-polio vaccine is a Jew, Jonas Salk.
“Muslims must refuse to use Streptomycin and continue to die of Tuberculosis because a Jew, Zalman Waxman, invented the wonder drug against this killing disease.
Muslim doctors must discard all discoveries and improvements by dermatologist Judas Sehn Benedict, or the lung specialist, Frawnkel, and of many other world renowned Jewish scientists and medical experts.
“In short, good and loyal Muslims properly and fittingly should remain afflicted with Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Heart Disease, Headaches, Typhus, Diabetes, Mental Disorders, Polio Convulsions and Tuberculosis and be proud to obey the Islamic boycott.”
Oh, and by the way, don’t call for a doctor on your cell phone because the cell phone was invented in Israel by a Jewish engineer.
Meanwhile I ask, what medical contributions to the world have the Muslims made?”
The Global Islamic population is approximately 1,200,000,000; that is ONE BILLION TWO HUNDRED MILLION or 20% of the world’s population.
They have received the following Nobel Prizes:
Literature:
1988 – Najib Mahfooz
Peace:
1978 – Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat 1990 – Elias James Corey 1994 – Yaser Arafat: 1999 – Ahmed Zewai
Economics:
(zero)
Physics:
(zero)
Medicine:
1960 – Peter Brian Medawar 1998 – Ferid Mourad
TOTAL: 7 SEVEN
The Global Jewish population is approximately 14,000,000; that is FOURTEEN MILLION or about 0.02% of the world’s population.
They have received the following Nobel Prizes:
Literature: 1910 – Paul Heyse 1927 – Henri Bergson 1958 – Boris Pasternak 1966 – Shmuel Yosef Agnon 1966 – Nelly Sachs 1976 – Saul Bellow 1978 – Isaac Bashevis Singer 1981 – Elias Canetti 1987 – Joseph Brodsky 1991 – Nadine Gordimer World
Peace: 1911 – Alfred Fried 1911 – Tobias Michael Carel Asser 1968 – Rene Cassin 1973 – Henry Kissinger 1978 – Menachem Begin 1986 – Elie Wiesel 1994 – Shimon Peres 1994 – Yitzhak Rabin
Physics: 1905 – Adolph Von Baeyer 1906 – Henri Moissan 1907 – Albert Abraham Michelson 1908 – Gabriel Lippmann 1910 – Otto Wallach 1915 – Richard Willstaetter 1918 – Fritz Haber 1921 – Albert Einstein 1922 – Niels Bohr 1925 – James Franck 1925 – Gustav Hertz 1943 – Gustav Stern 1943 – George Charles de Hevesy 1944 – Isidor Issac Rabi 1952 – Felix Bloch 1954 – Max Born 1958 – Igor Tamm 1959 – Emilio Segre 1960 – Donald A. Glaser 1961 – Robert Hofstadter 1961 – Melvin Calvin 1962 – Lev Davidovich Landau 1962 – Max Ferdinand Perutz 1965 – Richard Phillips Feynman 1965 – Julian Schwinger 1969 – Murray Gell-Mann 1971 – Dennis Gabor 1972 – William Howard Stein 1973 – Brian David Josephson 1975 – Benjamin Mottleson 1976 – Burton Richter 1977 – Ilya Prigogine 1978 – Arno Allan Penzias 1978 – Peter L Kapitza 1979 – Stephen Weinberg 1979 – Sheldon Glashow 1979 – Herbert Charles Brown 1980 – Paul Berg 1980 – Walter Gilbert 1981 – Roald Hoffmann 1982 – Aaron Klug 1985 – Albert A. Hauptman 1985 – Jerome Karle 1986 – Dudley R. Herschbach 1988 – Robert Huber 1988 – Leon Lederman 1988 – Melvin Schwartz 1988 – Jack Steinberger 1989 – Sidney Altman 1990 – Jerome Friedman 1992 – Rudolph Marcus 1995 – Martin Perl 2000 – Alan J. Heeger
Economics: 1970 – Paul Anthony Samuelson 1971 – Simon Kuznets 1972 – Kenneth Joseph Arrow 1975 – Leonid Kantorovich 1976 – Milton Friedman 1978 – Herbert A. Simon 1980 – Lawrence Robert Klein 1985 – Franco Modigliani 1987 – Robert M. Solow 1990 – Harry Markowitz 1990 – Merton Miller 1992 – Gary Becker 1993 – Robert Fogel
Medicine: 1908 – Elie Metchnikoff 1908 – Paul Erlich 1914 – Robert Barany 1922 – Otto Meyerhof 1930 – Karl Landsteiner 1931 – Otto Warburg 1936 – Otto Loewi 1944 – Joseph Erlanger 1944 – Herbert Spencer Gasser 1945 – Ernst Boris Chain 1946 – Hermann Joseph Muller 1950 – Tadeus Reichstein 1952 – Selman Abraham Waksman 1953 – Hans Krebs 1953 – Fritz Albert Lipmann 1958 – Joshua Lederberg 1959 – Arthur Kornberg 1964 – Konrad Bloch 1965 – Francois Jacob 1965 – Andre Lwoff 1967 – George Wald 1968 – Marshall W. Nirenberg 1969 – Salvador Luria 1970 – Julius Axelrod 1970 – Sir Bernard Katz 1972 – Gerald Maurice Edelman 1975 – Howard Martin Temin 1976 – Baruch S. Blumberg 1977 – Roselyn Sussman Yalow 1978 – Daniel Nathans 1980 – Baruj Benacerraf 1984 – Cesar Milstein 1985 – Michael Stuart Brown 1985 – Joseph L. Goldstein 1986 – Stanley Cohen [& Rita Levi-Montalcini] 1988 – Gertrude Elion 1989 – Harold Varmus 1991 – Erwin Neher 1991 – Bert Sakmann 1993 – Richard J. Roberts 1993 – Phillip Sharp 1994 – Alfred Gilman 1995 – Edward B. Lewis 1996- Lu RoseIacovino
TOTAL: 129!
The Jews are NOT promoting brainwashing children in military training camps, teaching them how to blow themselves up and cause maximum deaths of Jews and other non-Muslims.
The Jews don’t hijack planes, nor kill athletes at the Olympics, or blow themselves up in German restaurants.
There is NOT one single Jew who has destroyed a church.
There is NOT a single Jew who protests by killing people. The Jews don’t traffic slaves, nor have leaders calling for Jihad and death to all the Infidels.
Perhaps the world’s Muslims should consider investing more in standard education and less in blaming the Jews for all their problems.
Muslims must ask ‘what can they do for humankind’ before they demand that humankind respects them.
Regardless of your feelings about the crisis between Israel and the Palestinians and Arab neighbors, even if you believe there is more culpability on Israel ‘s part, the following two sentences really say it all:
‘If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence. If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel.”
Benjamin Netanyahu: General Eisenhower warned us. It is a matter of history that when the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, found the victims of the death camps he ordered all possible photographs to be taken, and for the German people from surrounding villages to be ushered through the camps and even made to bury the dead.
He did this because he said in words to this effect: ‘Get it all on record now – get the films – get the witnesses – because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened’
Recently, the UK debated whether to remove The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it ‘offends’ the Muslim population which claims it never occurred.
It is not removed as yet. However, this is a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is giving into it.
It is now more than 65 years after the Second World War in Europe ended.
Now, more than ever, with Iran, among others, claiming the Holocaust to be ‘a myth,’ it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets.
This e-mail is intended to reach 400 million people. Be a link in the memorial chain and help distribute this around the world.
How many years will it be before the attack on the World Trade Center ‘NEVER HAPPENED’ because it offends some Muslim in the United States?
<End of email>
This letter was sent to us by a fan who happens to be Jewish; you can see her comments at the end of this message. Let me just give you my thoughts on this letter. People who are boycotting Israel are not boycotting the whole of the Jewish population. There has been an intentional conflation that an attack on Israel is an attack on Judaism.
It’s not.
There are a whole host of Jews who support the boycott of Israel (myself included) and that does not also include the local business which may be owned by a member of the tribe. So this is a dishonest argument intended to deflect from a growing list of human rights violations and war crimes against the Palestinian people. And too many people unfamiliar with the reality of what’s happening in Palestine believe it.
One of the main thrusts of this email is to then say “Hey – if you want to boycott Jews … look at all the technological innovations we’ve brought to the world.” They write:
“Any Muslim who has Syphilis must not be cured by Salvarsan discovered by a Jew, Dr. Ehrlich. He should not even try to find out whether he has Syphilis, because the Wasserman Test is the discovery of a Jew.”
Neither of those doctors however were Israelis; at the time of their innovations – Israel would not come to exist for several decades. Their Jewishness wasn’t the problem. People protesting Israel are protesting ethnic cleansing, apartheid and institutional racism and discrimination. And to minimize those crimes against humanity by saying “Yeah – but look at all our technological innovations” is downright insane.
The Nazis developed the missile, started the largest highway system in the world at that time, made significant advances in the study of hypothermia and other medical areas (source); could you even imagine anyone trying to minimize the war crimes of the Nazis by pointing to their technological innovations? No because that would be insane. And that’s the gist of the argument here.
Then the letter goes on to draw a parallel between Jews and Muslims painting the 1.4 billion Muslims on this planet as being a bunch of Jihadi terrorists actively plotting to drink the blood from little Jewish babies. And mixed in with the misinformation and misdirection are lies.
They say: “The Jews are NOT promoting brainwashing children in military training camps”.
I guess this doesn’t count as brainwashing HERE.
They say: The Jews don’t hijack planes, nor kill athletes at the Olympics, or blow themselves up in German restaurants.”
It isn’t like Israel was founded on terrorism or anything. You can read about a whole host of acts of terrorism committed by members of the tribe HERE.
They say: “There is NOT one single Jew who has destroyed a church.”
Despite the fact that many churches have been attacked by Israeli Jews; they burned down this church HERE. And there is this monastery that had “Death to Gentiles” spraypainted on its wall defacing it (source).
They say: “There is NOT a single Jew who protests by killing people. The Jews don’t traffic slaves, nor have leaders calling for Jihad and death to all the Infidels.”
Except there have been MANY killings by Jewish people in protest of any number of things. That includes the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who was murdered by a Jewish man (source). Try telling a Palestinian that Jews don’t kill people to protest and they’ll look at you like you’re crazy.
As far as leaders calling for death to infidels … actually not true. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is a spiritual leader in Israel and he said non-Jews have no reason to live other than to serve Jews HERE. Rabbi Dov Lior said it was perfectly fine to kill non-jewish babies because they would end up like their parents and after action was taken against him – 70 Rabbis came out in protest to support him (source).
“Muslims must ask ‘what can they do for humankind’ before they demand that humankind respects them.”
~Chain letter
Here it is:
Subject: A Jewish Boycott
A short time ago, Iran’s Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged the Muslim World to boycott anything and everything that originates with the Jewish people.
In response, Meyer M. Treinkman, a pharmacist, out of the kindness of his heart, offered to assist them in their boycott as follows:
“Any Muslim who has Syphilis must not be cured by Salvarsan discovered by a Jew, Dr. Ehrlich. He should not even try to find out whether he has Syphilis, because the Wasserman Test is the discovery of a Jew. If a Muslim suspects that he has Gonorrhea, he must not seek diagnosis, because he will be using the method of a Jew named Neissner.
“A Muslim who has heart disease must not use Digitalis, a discovery by a Jew, Ludwig Traube.
Should he suffer with a toothache, he must not use Novocaine, a discovery of the Jews, Widal and Weil.
If a Muslim has Diabetes, he must not use Insulin, the result of research by Minkowsky, a Jew. If one has a headache, he must shun Pyramidon and Antypyrin, due to the Jews, Spiro and Ellege.
Muslims with convulsions must put up with them because it was a Jew, Oscar Leibreich, who proposed the use of Chloral Hydrate.
Arabs must do likewise with their psychic ailments because Freud, father of psychoanalysis, was a Jew.
Should a Muslim child get Diphtheria, he must refrain from the “Schick” reaction which was invented by the Jew, Bella Schick.
“Muslims should be ready to die in great numbers and must not permit treatment of ear and brain damage, work of Jewish Nobel Prize winner, Robert Baram.
They should continue to die or remain crippled by Infantile Paralysis because the discoverer of the anti-polio vaccine is a Jew, Jonas Salk.
“Muslims must refuse to use Streptomycin and continue to die of Tuberculosis because a Jew, Zalman Waxman, invented the wonder drug against this killing disease.
Muslim doctors must discard all discoveries and improvements by dermatologist Judas Sehn Benedict, or the lung specialist, Frawnkel, and of many other world renowned Jewish scientists and medical experts.
“In short, good and loyal Muslims properly and fittingly should remain afflicted with Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Heart Disease, Headaches, Typhus, Diabetes, Mental Disorders, Polio Convulsions and Tuberculosis and be proud to obey the Islamic boycott.”
Oh, and by the way, don’t call for a doctor on your cell phone because the cell phone was invented in Israel by a Jewish engineer.
Meanwhile I ask, what medical contributions to the world have the Muslims made?”
The Global Islamic population is approximately 1,200,000,000; that is ONE BILLION TWO HUNDRED MILLION or 20% of the world’s population.
They have received the following Nobel Prizes:
Literature:
1988 – Najib Mahfooz
Peace:
1978 – Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat 1990 – Elias James Corey 1994 – Yaser Arafat: 1999 – Ahmed Zewai
Economics:
(zero)
Physics:
(zero)
Medicine:
1960 – Peter Brian Medawar 1998 – Ferid Mourad
TOTAL: 7 SEVEN
The Global Jewish population is approximately 14,000,000; that is FOURTEEN MILLION or about 0.02% of the world’s population.
They have received the following Nobel Prizes:
Literature: 1910 – Paul Heyse 1927 – Henri Bergson 1958 – Boris Pasternak 1966 – Shmuel Yosef Agnon 1966 – Nelly Sachs 1976 – Saul Bellow 1978 – Isaac Bashevis Singer 1981 – Elias Canetti 1987 – Joseph Brodsky 1991 – Nadine Gordimer World
Peace: 1911 – Alfred Fried 1911 – Tobias Michael Carel Asser 1968 – Rene Cassin 1973 – Henry Kissinger 1978 – Menachem Begin 1986 – Elie Wiesel 1994 – Shimon Peres 1994 – Yitzhak Rabin
Physics: 1905 – Adolph Von Baeyer 1906 – Henri Moissan 1907 – Albert Abraham Michelson 1908 – Gabriel Lippmann 1910 – Otto Wallach 1915 – Richard Willstaetter 1918 – Fritz Haber 1921 – Albert Einstein 1922 – Niels Bohr 1925 – James Franck 1925 – Gustav Hertz 1943 – Gustav Stern 1943 – George Charles de Hevesy 1944 – Isidor Issac Rabi 1952 – Felix Bloch 1954 – Max Born 1958 – Igor Tamm 1959 – Emilio Segre 1960 – Donald A. Glaser 1961 – Robert Hofstadter 1961 – Melvin Calvin 1962 – Lev Davidovich Landau 1962 – Max Ferdinand Perutz 1965 – Richard Phillips Feynman 1965 – Julian Schwinger 1969 – Murray Gell-Mann 1971 – Dennis Gabor 1972 – William Howard Stein 1973 – Brian David Josephson 1975 – Benjamin Mottleson 1976 – Burton Richter 1977 – Ilya Prigogine 1978 – Arno Allan Penzias 1978 – Peter L Kapitza 1979 – Stephen Weinberg 1979 – Sheldon Glashow 1979 – Herbert Charles Brown 1980 – Paul Berg 1980 – Walter Gilbert 1981 – Roald Hoffmann 1982 – Aaron Klug 1985 – Albert A. Hauptman 1985 – Jerome Karle 1986 – Dudley R. Herschbach 1988 – Robert Huber 1988 – Leon Lederman 1988 – Melvin Schwartz 1988 – Jack Steinberger 1989 – Sidney Altman 1990 – Jerome Friedman 1992 – Rudolph Marcus 1995 – Martin Perl 2000 – Alan J. Heeger
Economics: 1970 – Paul Anthony Samuelson 1971 – Simon Kuznets 1972 – Kenneth Joseph Arrow 1975 – Leonid Kantorovich 1976 – Milton Friedman 1978 – Herbert A. Simon 1980 – Lawrence Robert Klein 1985 – Franco Modigliani 1987 – Robert M. Solow 1990 – Harry Markowitz 1990 – Merton Miller 1992 – Gary Becker 1993 – Robert Fogel
Medicine: 1908 – Elie Metchnikoff 1908 – Paul Erlich 1914 – Robert Barany 1922 – Otto Meyerhof 1930 – Karl Landsteiner 1931 – Otto Warburg 1936 – Otto Loewi 1944 – Joseph Erlanger 1944 – Herbert Spencer Gasser 1945 – Ernst Boris Chain 1946 – Hermann Joseph Muller 1950 – Tadeus Reichstein 1952 – Selman Abraham Waksman 1953 – Hans Krebs 1953 – Fritz Albert Lipmann 1958 – Joshua Lederberg 1959 – Arthur Kornberg 1964 – Konrad Bloch 1965 – Francois Jacob 1965 – Andre Lwoff 1967 – George Wald 1968 – Marshall W. Nirenberg 1969 – Salvador Luria 1970 – Julius Axelrod 1970 – Sir Bernard Katz 1972 – Gerald Maurice Edelman 1975 – Howard Martin Temin 1976 – Baruch S. Blumberg 1977 – Roselyn Sussman Yalow 1978 – Daniel Nathans 1980 – Baruj Benacerraf 1984 – Cesar Milstein 1985 – Michael Stuart Brown 1985 – Joseph L. Goldstein 1986 – Stanley Cohen [& Rita Levi-Montalcini] 1988 – Gertrude Elion 1989 – Harold Varmus 1991 – Erwin Neher 1991 – Bert Sakmann 1993 – Richard J. Roberts 1993 – Phillip Sharp 1994 – Alfred Gilman 1995 – Edward B. Lewis 1996- Lu RoseIacovino
TOTAL: 129!
The Jews are NOT promoting brainwashing children in military training camps, teaching them how to blow themselves up and cause maximum deaths of Jews and other non-Muslims.
The Jews don’t hijack planes, nor kill athletes at the Olympics, or blow themselves up in German restaurants.
There is NOT one single Jew who has destroyed a church.
There is NOT a single Jew who protests by killing people. The Jews don’t traffic slaves, nor have leaders calling for Jihad and death to all the Infidels.
Perhaps the world’s Muslims should consider investing more in standard education and less in blaming the Jews for all their problems.
Muslims must ask ‘what can they do for humankind’ before they demand that humankind respects them.
Regardless of your feelings about the crisis between Israel and the Palestinians and Arab neighbors, even if you believe there is more culpability on Israel ‘s part, the following two sentences really say it all:
‘If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence. If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel.”
Benjamin Netanyahu: General Eisenhower warned us. It is a matter of history that when the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, found the victims of the death camps he ordered all possible photographs to be taken, and for the German people from surrounding villages to be ushered through the camps and even made to bury the dead.
He did this because he said in words to this effect: ‘Get it all on record now – get the films – get the witnesses – because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened’
Recently, the UK debated whether to remove The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it ‘offends’ the Muslim population which claims it never occurred.
It is not removed as yet. However, this is a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is giving into it.
It is now more than 65 years after the Second World War in Europe ended.
Now, more than ever, with Iran, among others, claiming the Holocaust to be ‘a myth,’ it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets.
This e-mail is intended to reach 400 million people. Be a link in the memorial chain and help distribute this around the world.
How many years will it be before the attack on the World Trade Center ‘NEVER HAPPENED’ because it offends some Muslim in the United States?
<End of email>
Groups Urge Norway to Reinstate Investment Ban on Israeli Company
Three Palestinian and one US-based civil society organization have urged Norway’s Ministry of Finance to reinstate a prohibition on investment by Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global in two Israeli companies – Africa Israel and its subsidiary Danya Cebus – due to their ongoing construction of homes in Israeli settlements, a press statement by the groups said Thursday. The call was made in a letter signed by representatives from the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), Adalah-NY: The New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel, The Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem, and The Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, and emailed to Norway’s Council on Ethics on Wednesday.
The organizations believe that Norway’s August 2013 decision to lift the ban was based on misleading information provided by Africa Israel, denying current settlement construction.
“We are writing to express our concern that Norway’s Ministry of Finance has lifted its 2010 ban on investing funds from Norway’s Global Pension Fund in the Israeli company Africa Israel and its construction subsidiary Danya Cebus,” said the letter.
“The lifting of the ban was based on April 2013 statements by Lev Leviev’s company Africa Israel falsely suggesting that the company was not involved in the construction of illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. However, as the Israeli civil society Coalition of Women for Peace’s Who Profits project yet again documented with photos, video and a pamphlet immediately after learning of Norway’s decision, Africa Israel and Danya Cebus are currently building homes in the illegal Israeli settlement of Gilo. They have been doing so for more than two years,” it added.
Additionally, another Leviev-owned company, Leader Management and Development, continues to develop the Israeli settlement of Zufim on the land of the Palestinian village of Jayyous in the West Bank, and Leviev has donated to settlement organizations.
The groups called on Norway’s Ministry of Finance “to swiftly re-impose the prohibition on investment in Africa Israel and Danya Cebus.”
They said the Norwegian Council on Ethics has failed to consult with Palestinian civil society organizations before making its decision.
Africa Israel told the Council on Ethics in April that Africa Israel Investments Ltd. and its subsidiaries “have no current construction projects concerning Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and at the present have no plans for such activities in the future.”
The group said this declaration was misleading because in October 2010, Africa Israel had announced that it would be building “121 five-room apartments in three buildings of 10-11 stories each, a fourth building with 12 stories, and a two-level parking garage” in the settlement of Gilo.
Three Palestinian and one US-based civil society organization have urged Norway’s Ministry of Finance to reinstate a prohibition on investment by Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global in two Israeli companies – Africa Israel and its subsidiary Danya Cebus – due to their ongoing construction of homes in Israeli settlements, a press statement by the groups said Thursday. The call was made in a letter signed by representatives from the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), Adalah-NY: The New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel, The Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem, and The Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, and emailed to Norway’s Council on Ethics on Wednesday.
The organizations believe that Norway’s August 2013 decision to lift the ban was based on misleading information provided by Africa Israel, denying current settlement construction.
“We are writing to express our concern that Norway’s Ministry of Finance has lifted its 2010 ban on investing funds from Norway’s Global Pension Fund in the Israeli company Africa Israel and its construction subsidiary Danya Cebus,” said the letter.
“The lifting of the ban was based on April 2013 statements by Lev Leviev’s company Africa Israel falsely suggesting that the company was not involved in the construction of illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. However, as the Israeli civil society Coalition of Women for Peace’s Who Profits project yet again documented with photos, video and a pamphlet immediately after learning of Norway’s decision, Africa Israel and Danya Cebus are currently building homes in the illegal Israeli settlement of Gilo. They have been doing so for more than two years,” it added.
Additionally, another Leviev-owned company, Leader Management and Development, continues to develop the Israeli settlement of Zufim on the land of the Palestinian village of Jayyous in the West Bank, and Leviev has donated to settlement organizations.
The groups called on Norway’s Ministry of Finance “to swiftly re-impose the prohibition on investment in Africa Israel and Danya Cebus.”
They said the Norwegian Council on Ethics has failed to consult with Palestinian civil society organizations before making its decision.
Africa Israel told the Council on Ethics in April that Africa Israel Investments Ltd. and its subsidiaries “have no current construction projects concerning Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and at the present have no plans for such activities in the future.”
The group said this declaration was misleading because in October 2010, Africa Israel had announced that it would be building “121 five-room apartments in three buildings of 10-11 stories each, a fourth building with 12 stories, and a two-level parking garage” in the settlement of Gilo.
4 sept 2013
Dutch right-wing lawmakers have criticized the government for discouraging Royal HaskoningDHV from aiding Israeli settlements.
The lawmakers claim that the Palestinians and the peace process will be harmed if the Netherlands-based engineering company withdraws from a planned sewage treatment plant in East Jerusalem.
However, Palestinian organizations refute this and have welcomed the Dutch government’s intervention.
Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi stated that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has repeatedly expressed its “strong objection” to the project to Royal HaskoningDHV and the Dutch government.
The Palestinian Authority are not a partners in the project. Ashrawi describes the Dutch lawmakers’ claim that the project serves Palestinian interests as “erroneous and highly misleading.”
Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq also expressed its grave concern about Israel’s plans for a wastewater treatment plant in eastern Jerusalem in a statement I received by email yesterday.
The plant will “contribute to maintaining and supporting illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” and help to make “Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem irreversible,” writes Al-Haq director Shawan Jabarin.
The Palestinian rights organization reminds Royal HaskoningDHV of the Dutch prosecutor’s warning in another recent case that Dutch nationals and corporations “can be held criminally responsible for violations of international humanitarian law under Dutch criminal law.” Al-Haq strongly urges all participants to terminate any involvement in the wastewater treatment plant.
No permission for Palestinian sewage treatment plant The Joint Water Committee (JWC) - consisting of Israelis and Palestinians - oversees and authorizes water projects in the occupied West Bank, excluding the Israeli settlements. Israel, as the occupier, has a right to veto decisions concerning Palestinian water projects in the JWC.
In 2010, the Palestinian Water Authority asked the JWC for permission to build a sewage plant in Ubeidiyeh to treat all wastewater flowing from East Jerusalem and Bethlehem into Wadi al Nar (Kidron Valley), excluding the settlements. The treated water would be used for the development of Palestinian agriculture.
However, Israel denied JWC approval for this vital Palestinian project. Instead, it plans to upgrade its own sewage plant in the same area, which is located near Nabi Musa (between Jerusalem and Jericho.)
Boost for settlements in Jordan Valley The Civic Coalition on Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem, comprised of 25 community organizations, also welcomed the Dutch government’s advice to Royal HaskoningDHV to withdraw from the unlawful project.
The coalition wrote in an email to me that the sewage project primarily serves the interests of the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Jordan Valley by “providing them with treated water that will boost their farms and income from the trade of settlement produce.” The statement adds:
The Palestinian population in occupied East Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley has never been informed and consulted by Israel about the projected sewage plant. Had the Palestinian population been consulted, people would have definitely opted for a project that serves Palestinian environmental and economic priorities and excludes the illegal settlements.
The PLO’s Ashrawi commended the Dutch government for “translating its opposition to Israel’s disastrous settlement policy into action, in line with EU policy, and for urging Royal HaskoningDHV to end its involvement in this illegal project.”
It remains to be seen if the advice will be taken.
The lawmakers claim that the Palestinians and the peace process will be harmed if the Netherlands-based engineering company withdraws from a planned sewage treatment plant in East Jerusalem.
However, Palestinian organizations refute this and have welcomed the Dutch government’s intervention.
Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi stated that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has repeatedly expressed its “strong objection” to the project to Royal HaskoningDHV and the Dutch government.
The Palestinian Authority are not a partners in the project. Ashrawi describes the Dutch lawmakers’ claim that the project serves Palestinian interests as “erroneous and highly misleading.”
Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq also expressed its grave concern about Israel’s plans for a wastewater treatment plant in eastern Jerusalem in a statement I received by email yesterday.
The plant will “contribute to maintaining and supporting illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” and help to make “Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem irreversible,” writes Al-Haq director Shawan Jabarin.
The Palestinian rights organization reminds Royal HaskoningDHV of the Dutch prosecutor’s warning in another recent case that Dutch nationals and corporations “can be held criminally responsible for violations of international humanitarian law under Dutch criminal law.” Al-Haq strongly urges all participants to terminate any involvement in the wastewater treatment plant.
No permission for Palestinian sewage treatment plant The Joint Water Committee (JWC) - consisting of Israelis and Palestinians - oversees and authorizes water projects in the occupied West Bank, excluding the Israeli settlements. Israel, as the occupier, has a right to veto decisions concerning Palestinian water projects in the JWC.
In 2010, the Palestinian Water Authority asked the JWC for permission to build a sewage plant in Ubeidiyeh to treat all wastewater flowing from East Jerusalem and Bethlehem into Wadi al Nar (Kidron Valley), excluding the settlements. The treated water would be used for the development of Palestinian agriculture.
However, Israel denied JWC approval for this vital Palestinian project. Instead, it plans to upgrade its own sewage plant in the same area, which is located near Nabi Musa (between Jerusalem and Jericho.)
Boost for settlements in Jordan Valley The Civic Coalition on Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem, comprised of 25 community organizations, also welcomed the Dutch government’s advice to Royal HaskoningDHV to withdraw from the unlawful project.
The coalition wrote in an email to me that the sewage project primarily serves the interests of the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Jordan Valley by “providing them with treated water that will boost their farms and income from the trade of settlement produce.” The statement adds:
The Palestinian population in occupied East Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley has never been informed and consulted by Israel about the projected sewage plant. Had the Palestinian population been consulted, people would have definitely opted for a project that serves Palestinian environmental and economic priorities and excludes the illegal settlements.
The PLO’s Ashrawi commended the Dutch government for “translating its opposition to Israel’s disastrous settlement policy into action, in line with EU policy, and for urging Royal HaskoningDHV to end its involvement in this illegal project.”
It remains to be seen if the advice will be taken.
2 sept 2013
Posters at UC Berkeley calling for divestment from Israeli goods
After pro-Palestinian groups at several schools within the University of California system were accused of 'anti-Semitism', the U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation.
This week, they released the findings of their months-long investigation, announcing that the accusations of anti-Semitism were without merit, and that the accusations may have been attempts to stifle free speech on campus.
In response, the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement:
Civil rights organizations this week welcomed news that the Department of Education's (DOE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has closed three investigations against three University of California schools, at Berkeley, Santa Cruz, and Irvine, which falsely alleged that Palestinian rights activism created an anti-Semitic climate. The complaints underlying the investigation claimed that student protests and academic programing in support of Palestinian rights and critical of Israel "created a hostile environment for Jewish students."
"The organized legal bullying campaigns have failed," said attorney Nasrina Bargzie, of Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus (ALC), who alongside attorneys from Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) advocated for the students whose activism was scrutinized in the investigations.
"OCR's decision in these cases confirms the obvious - that political activity advocating for Palestinian human rights does not violate the civil rights of Jewish students who find such criticism offensive, and that, to the contrary, colleges and universities have an obligation to create an environment that supports freedom of expression.” said Bargzie.
In its letter to UC Berkeley, OCR officials stated that student demonstrations in support of Palestinian rights "constituted expression on matters of public concern directed to the university community. In the university environment, exposure to such robust and discordant expressions, even when personally offensive and hurtful, is a circumstance that a reasonable student in higher education may experience. In this context, the events that the complainants described do not constitute actionable harassment."
"We speak out on campus about matters of fundamental human rights. Students at institutions that are all about learning deserve to be part of robust discussion about one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time," said Taliah Mirmalek, a student at UC Berkeley and a member of Students for Justice in Palestine.
The Berkeley complaint was filed in July 2012 by two attorneys who had previously filed an unsuccessful federal lawsuit on similar grounds. The Berkeley investigation was the latest of the three to be open; the Santa Cruz investigation was opened in March 2011, and the Irvine investigation in 2007.
A number of legal and advocacy groups, including Advancing Justice - ALC, CAIR, CCR, NLG, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, American Muslims for Palestine, the Arab American Institute, and American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California have worked to challenge the misuse of civil rights law to intimidate students and dissuade them from advocating for Palestinian rights on campus.
"Students have faced a pervasive stigma that at times negatively impacted our ability to fundraise and hold events on campus, and even intimidated some of our peers into silence," said Rebecca Pierce, a recent graduate of UC Santa Cruz and member of the Committee for Justice in Palestine. "However, we feel vindicated that the DOE has rejected this attack on our freedom of expression, and we will continue to advocate in accordance with our values regarding human rights and social justice."
"The First Amendment unequivocally protects the activities that were targeted in these complaints - holding demonstrations, distributing flyers, street theatre - criticizing the governmental policy of the State of Israel and supporting Palestinian human rights. It is long past time that students engaging in First Amendment activities are able to do so without fear," said Liz Jackson, Cooperating Counsel with CCR, who also worked with the targeted students. “While there continue to be threats of Title VI complaints against other universities, we are confident that OCR recognizes these claims as attempts to silence certain speech on Israel/Palestine, and do not present viable claims of discrimination against Jewish students,” said Jackson.
After pro-Palestinian groups at several schools within the University of California system were accused of 'anti-Semitism', the U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation.
This week, they released the findings of their months-long investigation, announcing that the accusations of anti-Semitism were without merit, and that the accusations may have been attempts to stifle free speech on campus.
In response, the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement:
Civil rights organizations this week welcomed news that the Department of Education's (DOE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has closed three investigations against three University of California schools, at Berkeley, Santa Cruz, and Irvine, which falsely alleged that Palestinian rights activism created an anti-Semitic climate. The complaints underlying the investigation claimed that student protests and academic programing in support of Palestinian rights and critical of Israel "created a hostile environment for Jewish students."
"The organized legal bullying campaigns have failed," said attorney Nasrina Bargzie, of Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus (ALC), who alongside attorneys from Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) advocated for the students whose activism was scrutinized in the investigations.
"OCR's decision in these cases confirms the obvious - that political activity advocating for Palestinian human rights does not violate the civil rights of Jewish students who find such criticism offensive, and that, to the contrary, colleges and universities have an obligation to create an environment that supports freedom of expression.” said Bargzie.
In its letter to UC Berkeley, OCR officials stated that student demonstrations in support of Palestinian rights "constituted expression on matters of public concern directed to the university community. In the university environment, exposure to such robust and discordant expressions, even when personally offensive and hurtful, is a circumstance that a reasonable student in higher education may experience. In this context, the events that the complainants described do not constitute actionable harassment."
"We speak out on campus about matters of fundamental human rights. Students at institutions that are all about learning deserve to be part of robust discussion about one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time," said Taliah Mirmalek, a student at UC Berkeley and a member of Students for Justice in Palestine.
The Berkeley complaint was filed in July 2012 by two attorneys who had previously filed an unsuccessful federal lawsuit on similar grounds. The Berkeley investigation was the latest of the three to be open; the Santa Cruz investigation was opened in March 2011, and the Irvine investigation in 2007.
A number of legal and advocacy groups, including Advancing Justice - ALC, CAIR, CCR, NLG, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, American Muslims for Palestine, the Arab American Institute, and American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California have worked to challenge the misuse of civil rights law to intimidate students and dissuade them from advocating for Palestinian rights on campus.
"Students have faced a pervasive stigma that at times negatively impacted our ability to fundraise and hold events on campus, and even intimidated some of our peers into silence," said Rebecca Pierce, a recent graduate of UC Santa Cruz and member of the Committee for Justice in Palestine. "However, we feel vindicated that the DOE has rejected this attack on our freedom of expression, and we will continue to advocate in accordance with our values regarding human rights and social justice."
"The First Amendment unequivocally protects the activities that were targeted in these complaints - holding demonstrations, distributing flyers, street theatre - criticizing the governmental policy of the State of Israel and supporting Palestinian human rights. It is long past time that students engaging in First Amendment activities are able to do so without fear," said Liz Jackson, Cooperating Counsel with CCR, who also worked with the targeted students. “While there continue to be threats of Title VI complaints against other universities, we are confident that OCR recognizes these claims as attempts to silence certain speech on Israel/Palestine, and do not present viable claims of discrimination against Jewish students,” said Jackson.
