8 mar 2020
Image posted to Facebook depicting Blue & White, Joint List, and Yisrael Beytenu lawmakers wearing keffiyehs
Knesset's serjeant-at-arms gives order after several hateful and inciteful posts targeting Gantz and other Blue & White senior officials circulate online over the weekend
Knesset's chief security officer ordered to tighten personal security measures around Blue & White Chairman Benny Gantz starting Sunday morning following threats he received on social media.
Parliament's serjeant-at-arms Yosef Griff informed Gantz's team of the new security protocol Saturday evening.
The incident was brought to Griff's attention after several hateful and inciteful posts targeting Gantz and other Blue & White senior officials circulated online over the weekend.
Some users implied, or outright argued, that Gantz should share the same fate as former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who was assassinated in November 1995.
"They should murder Gantz at Rabin Square [in Tel Aviv] and so he could join Rabin," wrote one user on Facebook.
"[Gantz] will end up like Rabin. This moron still doesn't get it," wrote a Twitter user named Sari, who presents herself as a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Gantz addressed Saturday evening the incitement against him and his party's senior officials and directly blamed Netanyahu for invoking hate among his constituents.
"We are just five days after the hardest, most hate-filled election campaign in the history of our nation and Israeli society," said the former IDF chief.
"Netanyahu, the public atmosphere and the threats are very worrying to every national leader. Again, posters of leaders with keffiyehs [traditional Arab headdress] and, again, you remain silent."
Incitement is rampant everywhere and you remain silent. I won't allow you to sow hatred and bring about the first modern civil war. The atmosphere is very worrying."
"On the basis of the public's decision, I have decided to form a strong and stable government that will cure Israel of hatred and division and let us all move forward," the centrist leader told journalists, announcing an end to the "Netanyahu era" in Israeli politics.
"I will do anything I can to prevent a fourth election," Gantz said.
Gantz also told Saturday evening he was verbally abused by an individual who tried to approach and confront him, as he was about to give a speech in Ramat Gan.
The attacker was removed by Gantz's personal security guard, but the Blue & White leader said he preferred to respond positively and wanted to shake the man's hand. However, the man continued to yell at him.
According to the latest election counts, Netanyahu's Likud party won 36 seats in the next Knesset, followed by Blue & White that obtained 33 seats.
However, neither party is currently able to form a viable majority government, as both Likud's right-religious bloc and Blue & White's center-left bloc failed to secure the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-strong Knesset.
The final results are expected to be published on Sunday.
Knesset's serjeant-at-arms gives order after several hateful and inciteful posts targeting Gantz and other Blue & White senior officials circulate online over the weekend
Knesset's chief security officer ordered to tighten personal security measures around Blue & White Chairman Benny Gantz starting Sunday morning following threats he received on social media.
Parliament's serjeant-at-arms Yosef Griff informed Gantz's team of the new security protocol Saturday evening.
The incident was brought to Griff's attention after several hateful and inciteful posts targeting Gantz and other Blue & White senior officials circulated online over the weekend.
Some users implied, or outright argued, that Gantz should share the same fate as former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who was assassinated in November 1995.
"They should murder Gantz at Rabin Square [in Tel Aviv] and so he could join Rabin," wrote one user on Facebook.
"[Gantz] will end up like Rabin. This moron still doesn't get it," wrote a Twitter user named Sari, who presents herself as a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Gantz addressed Saturday evening the incitement against him and his party's senior officials and directly blamed Netanyahu for invoking hate among his constituents.
"We are just five days after the hardest, most hate-filled election campaign in the history of our nation and Israeli society," said the former IDF chief.
"Netanyahu, the public atmosphere and the threats are very worrying to every national leader. Again, posters of leaders with keffiyehs [traditional Arab headdress] and, again, you remain silent."
Incitement is rampant everywhere and you remain silent. I won't allow you to sow hatred and bring about the first modern civil war. The atmosphere is very worrying."
"On the basis of the public's decision, I have decided to form a strong and stable government that will cure Israel of hatred and division and let us all move forward," the centrist leader told journalists, announcing an end to the "Netanyahu era" in Israeli politics.
"I will do anything I can to prevent a fourth election," Gantz said.
Gantz also told Saturday evening he was verbally abused by an individual who tried to approach and confront him, as he was about to give a speech in Ramat Gan.
The attacker was removed by Gantz's personal security guard, but the Blue & White leader said he preferred to respond positively and wanted to shake the man's hand. However, the man continued to yell at him.
According to the latest election counts, Netanyahu's Likud party won 36 seats in the next Knesset, followed by Blue & White that obtained 33 seats.
However, neither party is currently able to form a viable majority government, as both Likud's right-religious bloc and Blue & White's center-left bloc failed to secure the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-strong Knesset.
The final results are expected to be published on Sunday.
4 mar 2020
The Ministry of Telecom and Information Technology said today that the American e-commerce giant Amazon will now be delivering items to customers in the occupied Palestinian territories for free.
It said in a statement that this came as an early response after legal actions were taken by the Ministry of Telecom and Information Technology, Ministry of National Economy, Ministry of Finance, the Universal Postal Union and others, against Amazon over its discrimination policy that favors illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories over the indigenous Palestinian population.
Amazon began in November to provide free shipping service to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, while Palestinians living in their towns and villages near the illegal settlements have to pay fees if they put their address as Palestine instead of Israel.
Under Amazon's policy ecommerce policy, free shipping was offered to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and only to the Palestinians if they listed their country as Israel.
It said in a statement that this came as an early response after legal actions were taken by the Ministry of Telecom and Information Technology, Ministry of National Economy, Ministry of Finance, the Universal Postal Union and others, against Amazon over its discrimination policy that favors illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories over the indigenous Palestinian population.
Amazon began in November to provide free shipping service to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, while Palestinians living in their towns and villages near the illegal settlements have to pay fees if they put their address as Palestine instead of Israel.
Under Amazon's policy ecommerce policy, free shipping was offered to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and only to the Palestinians if they listed their country as Israel.
1 mar 2020
The Palestinian-led boycott movement has slammed a motion passed by the Austrian parliament that singles out the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign for criticism, the Middle East Monitor reports.
Austria’s national parliament, on Friday, unanimously passed a resolution condemning the BDS campaign as anti-Semitic, and urged that the ‘anti-Israel’ movement not be supported.
Rejecting the claims of anti-Jewish bigotry, the BDS Movement statement affirmed that the campaign is a “human rights movement that rejects all forms of racism, including anti-semitism”.
In addition, the statement continued, “the resolution denies the rights of Palestinians and Austrian citizens to criticise Israeli colonialism and apartheid, and to non-violently boycott complicit businesses and institutions.”
“We call on people of conscience in Austria to defend freedom of expression, including the right to boycott for Palestinian freedom, justice and equality,” the BDS Movement concluded.
Austria’s national parliament, on Friday, unanimously passed a resolution condemning the BDS campaign as anti-Semitic, and urged that the ‘anti-Israel’ movement not be supported.
Rejecting the claims of anti-Jewish bigotry, the BDS Movement statement affirmed that the campaign is a “human rights movement that rejects all forms of racism, including anti-semitism”.
In addition, the statement continued, “the resolution denies the rights of Palestinians and Austrian citizens to criticise Israeli colonialism and apartheid, and to non-violently boycott complicit businesses and institutions.”
“We call on people of conscience in Austria to defend freedom of expression, including the right to boycott for Palestinian freedom, justice and equality,” the BDS Movement concluded.
28 feb 2020
The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media has published the results of its annual index of racism and incitement on Israeli social media in 2019.
Its research revealed that the peak of incitement against the Palestinians, including the Arabs in Israel, in 2019 was correlated with the two rounds of Israeli election.
It also shows that there was a 14 percent rise in violent discourse towards the Palestinians, with one violent post every 64 seconds, and at least one out of every 11 posts about Palestinians or Arabs using inciting language.
In 2019, nearly 495,000 out of 5.4 million posts about Palestinians were violent posts, including racist and inciting slurs and biased language. These statistics indicate a 5 percent rise in inciting posts in comparison to 2018 statistics which showed that 464,000 out of 4.7 million posts about Palestinians included violent statements.
The 2019 index of racism shows that the two rounds of the Israeli election caused an 8 percent rise in violent discourse against the Arab community in Israel concerning politics.
The Center analyzed Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and several platforms for the index of racism, affirming that Facebook remains the most prominent social networking service that hosts violent discourse against the Palestinians as 41 percent of this discourse was published on this platform.
On the other hand, Twitter hosts 30 percent of the violent discourse against the Palestinians.
Its research revealed that the peak of incitement against the Palestinians, including the Arabs in Israel, in 2019 was correlated with the two rounds of Israeli election.
It also shows that there was a 14 percent rise in violent discourse towards the Palestinians, with one violent post every 64 seconds, and at least one out of every 11 posts about Palestinians or Arabs using inciting language.
In 2019, nearly 495,000 out of 5.4 million posts about Palestinians were violent posts, including racist and inciting slurs and biased language. These statistics indicate a 5 percent rise in inciting posts in comparison to 2018 statistics which showed that 464,000 out of 4.7 million posts about Palestinians included violent statements.
The 2019 index of racism shows that the two rounds of the Israeli election caused an 8 percent rise in violent discourse against the Arab community in Israel concerning politics.
The Center analyzed Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and several platforms for the index of racism, affirming that Facebook remains the most prominent social networking service that hosts violent discourse against the Palestinians as 41 percent of this discourse was published on this platform.
On the other hand, Twitter hosts 30 percent of the violent discourse against the Palestinians.
27 feb 2020
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Wednesday evening kidnaped a Palestinian journalist as he was traveling from Ramallah city to his home in Nablus city.
According to the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS), the IOF kidnaped journalist Mujahed Bani Mifleh on his way from Ramallah to Nablus.
PPS said that Mifleh, 30, was taken to the Ariel police station to interrogate him about issues related to incitement on social media.
Mifleh, who works as a writer and reporter, had been detained by the IOF several times before. He is the son of martyr Mohamed Bani Mifleh from Beita town in southern Nablus.
In a separate incident, Israeli plain-clothes officers kidnaped on the same day a Palestinian ex-detainee from Halhul city in northern al-Khalil.
The detained citizen was identified as 24-year-old Laith al-Bou and he was kidnaped from outside his home in Wadi Qabboun area, east of Halhul.
According to the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS), the IOF kidnaped journalist Mujahed Bani Mifleh on his way from Ramallah to Nablus.
PPS said that Mifleh, 30, was taken to the Ariel police station to interrogate him about issues related to incitement on social media.
Mifleh, who works as a writer and reporter, had been detained by the IOF several times before. He is the son of martyr Mohamed Bani Mifleh from Beita town in southern Nablus.
In a separate incident, Israeli plain-clothes officers kidnaped on the same day a Palestinian ex-detainee from Halhul city in northern al-Khalil.
The detained citizen was identified as 24-year-old Laith al-Bou and he was kidnaped from outside his home in Wadi Qabboun area, east of Halhul.
16 feb 2020
Global ecommerce web giant Amazon has been accused of discriminating against Palestinians by offering free shipping to illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, but not to Palestinians living in the same area.
In findings released in an investigation by the Financial Times, the newspaper discovered that by taking all of the illegal settlement addresses and entering them into Amazon’s delivery portal, the company extends its website’s offer of free shipping “if your shipping address is in Israel, your items are eligible, and your total order meets the minimum free shipping threshold of $49.”
However, customers who list their address as “the Palestinian Territories” are forced to pay shipping and handling fees starting from $24.
Amazon spokesman Nick Caplin told the paper that Palestinians can only circumvent the issue “if a customer within the Palestinian Territories enters their address and selects Israel as the country, they can receive free shipping through the same promotion.”
All the company’s deliveries have to pass through Israel in order to reach the occupied West Bank, causing long delays, Days of Palestine reports.
International human rights lawyer Michael Sfard, however, cited such a reason as insufficient and called Amazon’s policy “blatant discrimination between potential customers on the basis of their nationality” within the same area of operation.
The activist organisation Peace Now also commented on the situation, saying that Amazon’s discriminatory policy “adds to the overall picture of one group of people enjoying the privileges of citizenship while another people living in the same territory do not.”
Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem have increased significantly, throughout recent years, with settlers in the West Bank numbering over 463,000, at the end of 2019, with another 300,000 in occupied Jerusalem.
Despite the fact that the settlements are illegal under international law, a number of large and prosperous companies have continued to deal with them and operate on the land which they have illegally occupied.
This week, the UN issued a blacklist of 112 companies which continue to operate in the occupied territories, they include global giants Airbnb, Expedia, Opodo and Motorola.
The US has rejected the move while Israel suspending ties with the UN Human Rights Commissioner after the document was published.
In findings released in an investigation by the Financial Times, the newspaper discovered that by taking all of the illegal settlement addresses and entering them into Amazon’s delivery portal, the company extends its website’s offer of free shipping “if your shipping address is in Israel, your items are eligible, and your total order meets the minimum free shipping threshold of $49.”
However, customers who list their address as “the Palestinian Territories” are forced to pay shipping and handling fees starting from $24.
Amazon spokesman Nick Caplin told the paper that Palestinians can only circumvent the issue “if a customer within the Palestinian Territories enters their address and selects Israel as the country, they can receive free shipping through the same promotion.”
All the company’s deliveries have to pass through Israel in order to reach the occupied West Bank, causing long delays, Days of Palestine reports.
International human rights lawyer Michael Sfard, however, cited such a reason as insufficient and called Amazon’s policy “blatant discrimination between potential customers on the basis of their nationality” within the same area of operation.
The activist organisation Peace Now also commented on the situation, saying that Amazon’s discriminatory policy “adds to the overall picture of one group of people enjoying the privileges of citizenship while another people living in the same territory do not.”
Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem have increased significantly, throughout recent years, with settlers in the West Bank numbering over 463,000, at the end of 2019, with another 300,000 in occupied Jerusalem.
Despite the fact that the settlements are illegal under international law, a number of large and prosperous companies have continued to deal with them and operate on the land which they have illegally occupied.
This week, the UN issued a blacklist of 112 companies which continue to operate in the occupied territories, they include global giants Airbnb, Expedia, Opodo and Motorola.
The US has rejected the move while Israel suspending ties with the UN Human Rights Commissioner after the document was published.
