10 dec 2018
by Mark Curtis
Britain's international trade secretary, Liam Fox, recently visited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pledging to increase trade and investment between the two countries, which already stands at a record $9bn.
While more than 230 Palestinians have been killed and thousands more injured by Israeli forces since March, London's ties with Tel Aviv are growing ever stronger.
Yet, I cannot find a single article in the British "mainstream" media noting the depth of supportive UK policies towards Israel. This media blackout is allowing Britain to continue backing Israeli aggression in the occupied territories with impunity.
Arms as usual
In 2016 and 2017, when Theresa May has been prime minister, the UK sold £402m ($512m) worth of military goods to Israel, including components for combat aircraft, tanks, drones and military communications. As Prince William visited Israel in late June, the UK approved export licences for 34 types of military-related equipment.
These arms exports have been authorised while Palestinians risk their lives in the Great March of Return demonstrations on the perimeter fence between Gaza and Israel. Some 33 children were among those killed, alongside more than 24,000 Palestinians injured. Dozens of people have had limbs amputated, including 15 children, while the UN reports that 1,200 patients will require long-term limb reconstruction.
But many services are unavailable in Gaza as the healthcare system grapples with the massive influx of casualties. By the end of October, only 74 of 335 exit-permit applications had been approved by Israeli authorities for injured Palestinians needing attention outside of Gaza.
Documents revealed by Edward Snowden in 2014 showed that the US National Security Agency was providing to its Israeli counterpart, the Israeli SIGINT National Unit (ISNU, also known as Unit 8200) data used to monitor and target Palestinians.
A key partner of the NSA and ISNU was shown to be Britain's spy centre, GCHQ, which was feeding the Israelis selected communications data it collected. In 2009, during Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza that left nearly 1,400 people dead, including 344 children, this involved sharing information on Palestinians.
A 'strong partnership'
Is the UK doing this now? Last year, Robert Hannigan, the outgoing director of GCHQ, said that his organisation had a "strong partnership with our Israeli counterparts in signals intelligence" and that "we are building on an excellent cyber relationship with a range of Israeli bodies".
Earlier this year, Hannigan became chair of BlueVoyant Europe, a global cybersecurity firm whose operations are managed by, among others, a former deputy commander of Unit 8200 and a former division head in the Israeli security agency Shin Bet. Another key player in the firm is former British minister Lord Mandelson, who chairs BlueVoyant's European Advisory Group.
Cybersecurity has become a key area of UK-Israeli cooperation. A recent report by the British Israeli lobby group, Bicom, notes that "government-to-government cooperation between the UK and Israel in cybersecurity is strong and has been described by a senior UK official as a 'first-order partnership'".
It added that "there are close working relationships between the countries' national cybersecurity agencies and acknowledged cross-fertilisation in the development of their national security strategies".
Indeed, the report notes that "it is perhaps no coincidence" that the former UK ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould, returned from his posting in Tel Aviv in 2015 to become director of cybersecurity at the UK Cabinet Office.
In striking evidence of Britain's reliance on Israel’s cybersecurity sector is the report's claim that since major British banks are clients of many Israeli cyber companies, "the vast majority of digital transactions and credit card ecommerce in the UK is essentially protected by Israeli technologies".
Deepening military relations
As I documented in an article for Middle East Eye in June, the UK's military relationship with Israel is extensive, covering areas such as naval cooperation and the provision of components for Israeli nuclear-armed submarines. But the lack of journalistic investigations means that few details have emerged on many programmes.
In September, the government revealed that it was providing military training to Israel. This followed news in 2016 that British military pilots were due to be trained by a company owned by Israeli arms firm Elbit Systems. Training is longstanding: in 2011, it was revealed that British soldiers were being trained in Israel in the use of drones that had been "field-tested on Palestinians" during the 2009 war in Gaza.
The contracts keep coming. Earlier this year, the UK's Ministry of Defence agreed to a contract worth up to $52m to purchase a battlefield management application from Elbit Systems UK, while Israel's armour specialist, Plasan, was selected by the UK Ministry of Defence to design and produce armour protection for Britain's new Type 26 frigates being built by BAE Systems in Glasgow.
At the Conservative Party conference in October, senior government figures queued up at an event hosted by Conservative Friends of Israel to defend Israeli actions in the occupied territories. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson stated: "In terms of defence, Britain and Israel are working increasingly closely together. There's a real bond."
Facilitating Israeli violence
Similarly, Liam Fox told Netanyahu last week: "I am looking forward to an enhanced and even more ambitious trade and investment relationship with Israel as we work closer together going forward into the future."
Netanyahu replied: "Britain is in fact our largest trade partner in Europe ... we value the friendship, we value the prospects for the future."
Fox and Williamson are continuing the strategy of their boss, Theresa May, who has said of Israel: "I want to build the strongest and deepest possible relationship between our two countries."
Yet, the reality of what this means in practice - especially in terms of British military and intelligence support for Israel, and how this facilitates Israeli aggression - is simply not being reported in the British media. The longer that continues, the easier it will be for Israel to continue to act with impunity for its crimes.
- Mark Curtis is a historian and analyst of UK foreign policy and international development and the author of six books. His article appeared in the Middle East Eye website.
Britain's international trade secretary, Liam Fox, recently visited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pledging to increase trade and investment between the two countries, which already stands at a record $9bn.
While more than 230 Palestinians have been killed and thousands more injured by Israeli forces since March, London's ties with Tel Aviv are growing ever stronger.
Yet, I cannot find a single article in the British "mainstream" media noting the depth of supportive UK policies towards Israel. This media blackout is allowing Britain to continue backing Israeli aggression in the occupied territories with impunity.
Arms as usual
In 2016 and 2017, when Theresa May has been prime minister, the UK sold £402m ($512m) worth of military goods to Israel, including components for combat aircraft, tanks, drones and military communications. As Prince William visited Israel in late June, the UK approved export licences for 34 types of military-related equipment.
These arms exports have been authorised while Palestinians risk their lives in the Great March of Return demonstrations on the perimeter fence between Gaza and Israel. Some 33 children were among those killed, alongside more than 24,000 Palestinians injured. Dozens of people have had limbs amputated, including 15 children, while the UN reports that 1,200 patients will require long-term limb reconstruction.
But many services are unavailable in Gaza as the healthcare system grapples with the massive influx of casualties. By the end of October, only 74 of 335 exit-permit applications had been approved by Israeli authorities for injured Palestinians needing attention outside of Gaza.
Documents revealed by Edward Snowden in 2014 showed that the US National Security Agency was providing to its Israeli counterpart, the Israeli SIGINT National Unit (ISNU, also known as Unit 8200) data used to monitor and target Palestinians.
A key partner of the NSA and ISNU was shown to be Britain's spy centre, GCHQ, which was feeding the Israelis selected communications data it collected. In 2009, during Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza that left nearly 1,400 people dead, including 344 children, this involved sharing information on Palestinians.
A 'strong partnership'
Is the UK doing this now? Last year, Robert Hannigan, the outgoing director of GCHQ, said that his organisation had a "strong partnership with our Israeli counterparts in signals intelligence" and that "we are building on an excellent cyber relationship with a range of Israeli bodies".
Earlier this year, Hannigan became chair of BlueVoyant Europe, a global cybersecurity firm whose operations are managed by, among others, a former deputy commander of Unit 8200 and a former division head in the Israeli security agency Shin Bet. Another key player in the firm is former British minister Lord Mandelson, who chairs BlueVoyant's European Advisory Group.
Cybersecurity has become a key area of UK-Israeli cooperation. A recent report by the British Israeli lobby group, Bicom, notes that "government-to-government cooperation between the UK and Israel in cybersecurity is strong and has been described by a senior UK official as a 'first-order partnership'".
It added that "there are close working relationships between the countries' national cybersecurity agencies and acknowledged cross-fertilisation in the development of their national security strategies".
Indeed, the report notes that "it is perhaps no coincidence" that the former UK ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould, returned from his posting in Tel Aviv in 2015 to become director of cybersecurity at the UK Cabinet Office.
In striking evidence of Britain's reliance on Israel’s cybersecurity sector is the report's claim that since major British banks are clients of many Israeli cyber companies, "the vast majority of digital transactions and credit card ecommerce in the UK is essentially protected by Israeli technologies".
Deepening military relations
As I documented in an article for Middle East Eye in June, the UK's military relationship with Israel is extensive, covering areas such as naval cooperation and the provision of components for Israeli nuclear-armed submarines. But the lack of journalistic investigations means that few details have emerged on many programmes.
In September, the government revealed that it was providing military training to Israel. This followed news in 2016 that British military pilots were due to be trained by a company owned by Israeli arms firm Elbit Systems. Training is longstanding: in 2011, it was revealed that British soldiers were being trained in Israel in the use of drones that had been "field-tested on Palestinians" during the 2009 war in Gaza.
The contracts keep coming. Earlier this year, the UK's Ministry of Defence agreed to a contract worth up to $52m to purchase a battlefield management application from Elbit Systems UK, while Israel's armour specialist, Plasan, was selected by the UK Ministry of Defence to design and produce armour protection for Britain's new Type 26 frigates being built by BAE Systems in Glasgow.
At the Conservative Party conference in October, senior government figures queued up at an event hosted by Conservative Friends of Israel to defend Israeli actions in the occupied territories. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson stated: "In terms of defence, Britain and Israel are working increasingly closely together. There's a real bond."
Facilitating Israeli violence
Similarly, Liam Fox told Netanyahu last week: "I am looking forward to an enhanced and even more ambitious trade and investment relationship with Israel as we work closer together going forward into the future."
Netanyahu replied: "Britain is in fact our largest trade partner in Europe ... we value the friendship, we value the prospects for the future."
Fox and Williamson are continuing the strategy of their boss, Theresa May, who has said of Israel: "I want to build the strongest and deepest possible relationship between our two countries."
Yet, the reality of what this means in practice - especially in terms of British military and intelligence support for Israel, and how this facilitates Israeli aggression - is simply not being reported in the British media. The longer that continues, the easier it will be for Israel to continue to act with impunity for its crimes.
- Mark Curtis is a historian and analyst of UK foreign policy and international development and the author of six books. His article appeared in the Middle East Eye website.
6 dec 2018
The Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) has invited the Palestinians at home and abroad to participate in the signing of an online petition calling on Britain to apologize for the Balfour declaration and its catastrophic impacts on the Palestinian people and to shoulder its legal and moral responsibilities in this regard.
Majid Al-Zeer, deputy chairman of the Conference's General Assembly, stressed that the Palestinian people, in their struggle to restore their legitimate and inalienable rights, must adopt various means to achieve their aspirations and work in all arenas to break the chain of support provided for the Israeli occupation.
Zeer stressed the need to continue pressuring the British government to apologize for helping the Zionists establish their entity on the land of Palestine 100 years ago through issuing the Balfour Declaration.
According to PCPA, the petition is aimed to emphasize that the Palestinian file has not been closed and that the Palestinian people remain adherent to their rights, foremost of which is the right of return, despite of the British support for the Israeli occupation state militarily and politically.
Zeer called on the Palestinian people around the world to actively participate in the signing of this petition in order to reflect their collective will to restore their rights.
Visit the following link to sign the petition: https://www.palabroad.org/petition
Majid Al-Zeer, deputy chairman of the Conference's General Assembly, stressed that the Palestinian people, in their struggle to restore their legitimate and inalienable rights, must adopt various means to achieve their aspirations and work in all arenas to break the chain of support provided for the Israeli occupation.
Zeer stressed the need to continue pressuring the British government to apologize for helping the Zionists establish their entity on the land of Palestine 100 years ago through issuing the Balfour Declaration.
According to PCPA, the petition is aimed to emphasize that the Palestinian file has not been closed and that the Palestinian people remain adherent to their rights, foremost of which is the right of return, despite of the British support for the Israeli occupation state militarily and politically.
Zeer called on the Palestinian people around the world to actively participate in the signing of this petition in order to reflect their collective will to restore their rights.
Visit the following link to sign the petition: https://www.palabroad.org/petition
2 nov 2018
On this day 101 years ago, the foreign secretary of the United Kingdom Richard Balfour made a promise where he gives Jews a homeland in Palestine. Britain used its colonization of Palestine to support the migration of Zionist gangs and their occupation of Palestine, the Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB) said in a press release on Friday.
It added, “Although it has been 101 years since the promise was made, the will of the Palestinians has not died down and generation after generation, they have not forgotten their rights and will not let go of their right to their lands.”
The press release said, “We, the Palestinian Forum in Britain, demand that the British government apologize for this promise and withdraw from any actions placed upon it and to help the Palestinians regain their rights and lands as reparation for the crimes committed against the Palestinian people. The land cannot be replaced, not by foreign passports or financial bribes no matter how big!”
“Finally, the Palestinians and those in solidarity with the Palestinian cause all across the world will continue to fight this struggle to regain the rights of the Palestinians back,” the PFB concluded.
It added, “Although it has been 101 years since the promise was made, the will of the Palestinians has not died down and generation after generation, they have not forgotten their rights and will not let go of their right to their lands.”
The press release said, “We, the Palestinian Forum in Britain, demand that the British government apologize for this promise and withdraw from any actions placed upon it and to help the Palestinians regain their rights and lands as reparation for the crimes committed against the Palestinian people. The land cannot be replaced, not by foreign passports or financial bribes no matter how big!”
“Finally, the Palestinians and those in solidarity with the Palestinian cause all across the world will continue to fight this struggle to regain the rights of the Palestinians back,” the PFB concluded.
31 oct 2018
The Palestinian Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad has stated that an ongoing global, legal, and political campaign has been initiated for demanding Britain to bear its legal and political responsibilities, due to the dramatic effects of the Balfour Declaration on the Palestinian people. The declaration is regarded as a crime, by all standards.
The Conference, in its statement, called upon all Palestinians, countries and civil society organizations to supported Palestinian rights by sending letters to British embassies around the world, as well as the British Prime Ministerial office and the British Foreign Office.
The campaign aims at sparing no efforts in achieving Palestinian rights and suppressing the Israeli occupation, and has adopted peaceful and legal measures in order to revive this demand.
The popular conference pointed out, according to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency, that the Palestinian people live under harsh conditions, directly due to the ongoing Israeli military occupation, which usurped the Palestinians’ lands and expelled its citizens.
The Conference, in its statement, called upon all Palestinians, countries and civil society organizations to supported Palestinian rights by sending letters to British embassies around the world, as well as the British Prime Ministerial office and the British Foreign Office.
The campaign aims at sparing no efforts in achieving Palestinian rights and suppressing the Israeli occupation, and has adopted peaceful and legal measures in order to revive this demand.
The popular conference pointed out, according to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency, that the Palestinian people live under harsh conditions, directly due to the ongoing Israeli military occupation, which usurped the Palestinians’ lands and expelled its citizens.
20 aug 2018
A total of 84 British black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) organizations came out strong on attempts in the United Kingdom to silence discourse on Palestine, particularly those critical of Israel and its racist policies against Palestinians.
The letter, published in the Independent, criticized recent attempts by the Labor Party to adopt the 2016 International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) guidelines, which equates criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism in an effort to delegitimize any pro-Palestinian activity or public criticism of Israel.
"We are deeply worried about current attempts to silence a public discussion of what happened in Palestine and to the Palestinians in 1948, when the majority of its people were forcibly expelled,” said the BAME letter. “These facts are well established and accessible, are part of the British historical record, as well as the direct experience of the Palestinian people themselves. The Palestinian community in the UK has raised the disturbing absence of key information about these past and current injustices, and highlighted the racism it exposes then and now."
It added: “Public discussion of these facts, and a description of these injustices, would be prohibited under the IHRA’s guidelines, and therefore withholds vital knowledge from the public. This silencing has already begun. Today we can freely describe the racist policies experienced in the era of British and European colonialism in our countries of origin (indeed it is taught in British schools), but the colonial history of the Palestinians is continually erased. This is a dangerous breach of our own rights, and of the wider British public: we must all hear the full story of the Palestinians in order to make sense of the current discussions about racism and Israel.”
BAME said that while anti-Israel groups are being silenced, right-wing groups that openly advocate hate of Palestinians and Muslims in general are getting funding and support without any problem.
“We also know of the efforts by organizations – including UK-based fundamentalist groups aligned with the far-right in the US – to deny Palestinians’ basic humanity by suppressing their entire history and current plight," it said "At the same time, hardline conservative groups in the US, such as the Middle East Forum, are providing funding and support to anti-Muslim extremist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka Tommy Robinson), deliberately increasing hatred, fear, and confusion. These coordinated efforts by right-wing extremists are being actively encouraged by President Trump’s racism and fear-mongering, which is now aimed at dismantling UNRWA, the UN agency that protects Palestinian refugees.”
BAME concluded by reminding “politicians and public bodies of their responsibilities to uphold the principles of the Human Rights Act for every British citizen and resident in the UK equally, especially the direct victims of colonialism, racism, and discrimination. As migrant and BAME communities we stand as one, united against all attempts to suppress our voices and our calls for justice, freedom and equality.”
The letter, published in the Independent, criticized recent attempts by the Labor Party to adopt the 2016 International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) guidelines, which equates criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism in an effort to delegitimize any pro-Palestinian activity or public criticism of Israel.
"We are deeply worried about current attempts to silence a public discussion of what happened in Palestine and to the Palestinians in 1948, when the majority of its people were forcibly expelled,” said the BAME letter. “These facts are well established and accessible, are part of the British historical record, as well as the direct experience of the Palestinian people themselves. The Palestinian community in the UK has raised the disturbing absence of key information about these past and current injustices, and highlighted the racism it exposes then and now."
It added: “Public discussion of these facts, and a description of these injustices, would be prohibited under the IHRA’s guidelines, and therefore withholds vital knowledge from the public. This silencing has already begun. Today we can freely describe the racist policies experienced in the era of British and European colonialism in our countries of origin (indeed it is taught in British schools), but the colonial history of the Palestinians is continually erased. This is a dangerous breach of our own rights, and of the wider British public: we must all hear the full story of the Palestinians in order to make sense of the current discussions about racism and Israel.”
BAME said that while anti-Israel groups are being silenced, right-wing groups that openly advocate hate of Palestinians and Muslims in general are getting funding and support without any problem.
“We also know of the efforts by organizations – including UK-based fundamentalist groups aligned with the far-right in the US – to deny Palestinians’ basic humanity by suppressing their entire history and current plight," it said "At the same time, hardline conservative groups in the US, such as the Middle East Forum, are providing funding and support to anti-Muslim extremist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka Tommy Robinson), deliberately increasing hatred, fear, and confusion. These coordinated efforts by right-wing extremists are being actively encouraged by President Trump’s racism and fear-mongering, which is now aimed at dismantling UNRWA, the UN agency that protects Palestinian refugees.”
BAME concluded by reminding “politicians and public bodies of their responsibilities to uphold the principles of the Human Rights Act for every British citizen and resident in the UK equally, especially the direct victims of colonialism, racism, and discrimination. As migrant and BAME communities we stand as one, united against all attempts to suppress our voices and our calls for justice, freedom and equality.”
14 aug 2018
Frontrunner for England’s Prime Minister spot Jeremy Corbyn has been at the center of controversy over his criticism of the state of Israel, specifically for refusing to adopt certain provisions of a new definition of Anti-Semitism that extends to what he sees as genuine criticism over Israel’s policies.
This debate is centered around an idea known as the ‘New Anti-Semitism’, purporting that criticism of Israel and even criticism of imperialism, in its broadest terms, can be used to demonize the Jewish people as a whole.
Many people such as Jeremy Corbyn see New Anti-Semitism as a means of chilling dissent over policy that disenfranchises Palestinians or dissent by accusing strategic allies to Israel of being accessories to the military occupation against the Palestinian people.
This criticism of New Anti-Semitism has been staunchly fought by leading members of Jewish communities around the world who say that Jews have the same right as everyone else to sovereignty and that the existence of Israel is not a racist act.
Governments that have accepted the New Anti-Semitism stance have found pressure to condemn genuine criticism of Israel as hate-speech. In England, the annual Israel Apartheid Week has been condemned, by lobbyists and affiliated MPs, as hate speech, under the IHRA’s new definition of Anti-Semitism.
This debate is centered around an idea known as the ‘New Anti-Semitism’, purporting that criticism of Israel and even criticism of imperialism, in its broadest terms, can be used to demonize the Jewish people as a whole.
Many people such as Jeremy Corbyn see New Anti-Semitism as a means of chilling dissent over policy that disenfranchises Palestinians or dissent by accusing strategic allies to Israel of being accessories to the military occupation against the Palestinian people.
This criticism of New Anti-Semitism has been staunchly fought by leading members of Jewish communities around the world who say that Jews have the same right as everyone else to sovereignty and that the existence of Israel is not a racist act.
Governments that have accepted the New Anti-Semitism stance have found pressure to condemn genuine criticism of Israel as hate-speech. In England, the annual Israel Apartheid Week has been condemned, by lobbyists and affiliated MPs, as hate speech, under the IHRA’s new definition of Anti-Semitism.
“Our government was one of the first to adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism,” said British MP Matthew Offord. “However, university vice-chancellors across the UK are simply ignoring its provisions. They are allowing Israel Apartheid Week events to take place in campuses that are funded by taxpayers and that is not only unacceptable, it breaches both the PSED and the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism.”
Many see another factor of influence at play in the flack against Jeremy Corbyn. Much like the American Gun Lobby, Israeli corporations have a Pro-Israel Lobby that can pressure political candidates when they are outspoken critics of Israel’s practices.
By creating political pressure against Jeremy Corbyn, members of the Pro-Israel Lobby and other groups can dissuade political action against Israeli injustices, such as the annexation of land in the occupied West Bank.
The Pro-Israel Lobby in the UK is in a unique position that allows them to avoid disclosing their donor base, making it difficult to understand who is holding the greatest stakes in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
According to the PNN, the New Arab reported a call for greater transparency within the Israeli Lobbying organizations. But, until that comes, we can only wonder whether Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters will be able to decide based on media coverage like Al Jazeera’s investigation of the Israeli Lobby in the UK, instead of blanket accusations of Anti-Semitism by other media outlets.
Many see another factor of influence at play in the flack against Jeremy Corbyn. Much like the American Gun Lobby, Israeli corporations have a Pro-Israel Lobby that can pressure political candidates when they are outspoken critics of Israel’s practices.
By creating political pressure against Jeremy Corbyn, members of the Pro-Israel Lobby and other groups can dissuade political action against Israeli injustices, such as the annexation of land in the occupied West Bank.
The Pro-Israel Lobby in the UK is in a unique position that allows them to avoid disclosing their donor base, making it difficult to understand who is holding the greatest stakes in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
According to the PNN, the New Arab reported a call for greater transparency within the Israeli Lobbying organizations. But, until that comes, we can only wonder whether Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters will be able to decide based on media coverage like Al Jazeera’s investigation of the Israeli Lobby in the UK, instead of blanket accusations of Anti-Semitism by other media outlets.
6 july 2018
The Israeli Border Authority denied entry to a Swedish peace activist, who started walking to Palestine eleven months ago to raise awareness about the Israeli occupation, and the suffering of the Palestinian people.
The peace activist Benjamin Ladra started his walk on August 8th, 2017, with the aim of informing the world about the situation in Palestine and spread awareness about the Israeli military occupation.
His walk also marked the centennial of the Balfour Declaration of 1917, in which Britain pledged a Jewish homeland in Palestine during the British mandate and occupation of the country.
After being denied entry, he said the officers at the Israeli-controlled crossing with the West Bank interrogated him for six hours, and told him that they believe “he was lying during interrogation,” and that “he would be participating in the protests in Nabi Saleh village,” near Ramallah.
After being denied entry into occupied Palestine, Ladra wrote the following statement on his Facebook account:
The Israelis didn’t allow me to enter Palestine. I was interrogated for about six hours before they told me I was denied entry.
They only gave two reasons for denying me entry, one was that they thought I was lying during the interrogation and the other was that they thought I would go to Nabi Saleh and make a demonstration (which they just assumed).
On this day it has been eleven months of walking and speaking about the human rights violations under the occupation. Now ask yourself why the Israeli state fears one Swedish man so much that they didn’t allow him to enter the country they are occupying. This is the power of activism.
On July 4th he wrote:
Tomorrow I will make the final distance of my journey and arrive at the border of occupied Palestine. There is a big probability that the occupying Israeli soldiers will not let me enter Palestine so i have a favor to ask of everyone if this happens.
My journey has been about raising awareness about the human rights abuses committed under occupation and the media is a very powerful tool for spreading awareness. If they don’t let me in tomorrow it is a very good opportunity to try and get the media around the world to talk about how Israel is blocking human rights activists from entering Palestine.
So, I need everyone to contact as many newspapers, TV stations, News Agencies etc. as possible and share this story. What I did on my walk was to Google ‘country name + media’ and try to find a phone number or email to all the media outlets in all the countries I was walking through. So please be ready on Thursday evening and Friday to see if they didn’t let me in and let the world know that they are hiding their crimes by not allowing people that would bear witness.
The peace activist Benjamin Ladra started his walk on August 8th, 2017, with the aim of informing the world about the situation in Palestine and spread awareness about the Israeli military occupation.
His walk also marked the centennial of the Balfour Declaration of 1917, in which Britain pledged a Jewish homeland in Palestine during the British mandate and occupation of the country.
After being denied entry, he said the officers at the Israeli-controlled crossing with the West Bank interrogated him for six hours, and told him that they believe “he was lying during interrogation,” and that “he would be participating in the protests in Nabi Saleh village,” near Ramallah.
After being denied entry into occupied Palestine, Ladra wrote the following statement on his Facebook account:
The Israelis didn’t allow me to enter Palestine. I was interrogated for about six hours before they told me I was denied entry.
They only gave two reasons for denying me entry, one was that they thought I was lying during the interrogation and the other was that they thought I would go to Nabi Saleh and make a demonstration (which they just assumed).
On this day it has been eleven months of walking and speaking about the human rights violations under the occupation. Now ask yourself why the Israeli state fears one Swedish man so much that they didn’t allow him to enter the country they are occupying. This is the power of activism.
On July 4th he wrote:
Tomorrow I will make the final distance of my journey and arrive at the border of occupied Palestine. There is a big probability that the occupying Israeli soldiers will not let me enter Palestine so i have a favor to ask of everyone if this happens.
My journey has been about raising awareness about the human rights abuses committed under occupation and the media is a very powerful tool for spreading awareness. If they don’t let me in tomorrow it is a very good opportunity to try and get the media around the world to talk about how Israel is blocking human rights activists from entering Palestine.
So, I need everyone to contact as many newspapers, TV stations, News Agencies etc. as possible and share this story. What I did on my walk was to Google ‘country name + media’ and try to find a phone number or email to all the media outlets in all the countries I was walking through. So please be ready on Thursday evening and Friday to see if they didn’t let me in and let the world know that they are hiding their crimes by not allowing people that would bear witness.
28 june 2018
Heavily-armed Israeli forces showed up on Thursday morning at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque--the third holiest site in Islam—to secure a visit by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, to the site.
Israeli policemen broke into the Aqsa Mosque at the early morning hours and cordoned off its plazas.
Israeli officers have been heavily deployed in the site’s western corners.
Prince William will wrap up his three-day trip to Israel and the occupied West Bank on Thursday with a tour of Jerusalem’s Old City.
The Duke of Cambridge’s stay is the first-ever official visit by a member of the royal family since the British Mandate ended Israel seized Palestinian land in 1948.
Israeli policemen broke into the Aqsa Mosque at the early morning hours and cordoned off its plazas.
Israeli officers have been heavily deployed in the site’s western corners.
Prince William will wrap up his three-day trip to Israel and the occupied West Bank on Thursday with a tour of Jerusalem’s Old City.
The Duke of Cambridge’s stay is the first-ever official visit by a member of the royal family since the British Mandate ended Israel seized Palestinian land in 1948.
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