21 sept 2014
By Sam Bahour
The U.S. is not a neutral mediator in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict; it is an active participant and is guilty of the crimes being committed by Israel against Palestinians, most recently, the mass killings and destruction Israel wrought on the Gaza Strip during the summer. The reality that the U.S. is an active supporter of unimaginable suffering may very well be the motivating force behind the U.S.’s adamant attempts to block the Palestinians from using any of the internationally recognized tools of accountability to hold Israel responsible, such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. When an indigenous, stateless population is blocked access to opportunities for justice by superpowers like the U.S., something is wrong—deadly wrong.
While Israeli bombs were hammering Gaza, Alice Lynd with the assistance of Staughton Lynd, drafted a 32-page pamphlet which was published by the Palestine-Israel Working Group of Historians Against the War (HAW) titled, Violations by Israel and the Problem of Enforcement (August 2014). The policy paper places the U.S. in front of its own mirror and meticulously documents how one hand of the U.S. government systematically documents Israeli violations of U.S. law and international law, while the other hand unconditionally dishes out financial, military, and diplomatic support to Israel.
The study notes that “United States law states that no military assistance will be provided to a government that engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights. Yet the United States gives more military assistance to Israel than to any other country, currently in excess of $3.1 billion per year. The U.S. participates in joint military exercises, military research, and weapons development.”
This contradiction of its own policy would seem incriminating enough, but if all the other means of U.S. support to Israel are added—especially the U.S.’s unwavering role in the UN Security Council as a proxy for Israel’s interests by vetoing and thereby blocking international steps for justice—the evidence that the U.S. is an active player in Israel’s onslaught and continued military occupation becomes overwhelming.
It stands to reason that the U.S. very rightly fears that any step to hold Israel accountable for crimes against humanity would ultimately incriminate the U.S. as Israel’s funder, diplomatic cover, political handler, and arms supplier for decades.
While this new document was being researched, the Historians Against the War circulated a letter to President Obama and members of Congress that begins: “We deplore the ongoing attacks against civilians in Gaza and in Israel. We also recognize the disproportionate harm that the Israeli military, which the United States has armed and supported for decades, is inflicting on the population of Gaza.” (July 31, 2014). The pamphlet’s contents strike this point home with incriminating details.
The pamphlet quotes historian Robin D. G. Kelley who recently said about the ongoing conflict, “Determining next steps requires that we go back many steps—before the siege, before the election of Hamas, before the withdrawal of Jewish settlements in Gaza, before the Oslo Accords, even before the strip came under Israeli occupation in 1967.” (“When the smoke clears in Gaza,” Aug. 8, 2014, Black Educator).
I had the honor of working with both authors of this pamphlet following the First Gulf War (1990-1991) when they suggested we co-edit an oral history of Palestine as a tool to understand the centrality of Palestine to the entire destabilization of the Middle East, a reality that is even more true today. Following several field visits to the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Israel, and the Golan Heights, that effort resulted in the publishing of Homeland: Oral History of Palestine and Palestinians (1993). Their new effort revisits many familiar topics that we addressed in our book, with chapter headings such as International Agreements and U.S. Law, International Agreements on Human Rights, U.S. Law on Foreign Assistance, Violations of Internationally Recognized Human Rights, Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Arbitrary Arrest or Detention, Collective Punishment, among many more.
Perhaps the most important chapter in this brief pamphlet is “The Problem of Enforcement.” One need not be a historian or political scientist to understand that as long as global enforcement mechanisms of accountability are denied to Palestinians due to the political whims of a superpower, Israel has the green light to attack Gaza and the West Bank at any time with impunity.
Israel’s senseless military attack this summer (deceptively coined “Operation Protective Edge” in English, and more accurately “Solid Cliff” in Hebrew) left 2,168 Palestinians dead, more than 500 of them children. The Institute for Middle East Understanding compared the proportionate impact of these deaths to the population in the U.S. Gaza’s devastating human loss would be equivalent to 376,680 Americans killed in 51 days if such events were undertaken in the U.S. To put this in perspective, this number is slightly fewer than the 407,000 U.S. soldiers killed in World War II. It is not hyperbole to say that everyone in Gaza knows at least one person who died or was injured in this atrocity, with each person left wondering if he or she would be next.
If humanity is to be served, citizens who believe in equal access to international tools of justice must speak up and denounce the continued U.S. hegemony over Palestine. If you support nonviolent means for addressing crimes against humanity—especially if you are American or Israeli—act now by contacting your elected representative to demand a change in policy so that marginalized populations are not shut out of systems of justice when they are the victims of crimes against humanity. Holding individuals responsible for their crimes is a core American value; it’s a value we should not compromise for any country, especially our own.
- Bahour is a Palestinian-American business consultant in Ramallah and serves as a policy adviser to Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network. He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com.
The U.S. is not a neutral mediator in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict; it is an active participant and is guilty of the crimes being committed by Israel against Palestinians, most recently, the mass killings and destruction Israel wrought on the Gaza Strip during the summer. The reality that the U.S. is an active supporter of unimaginable suffering may very well be the motivating force behind the U.S.’s adamant attempts to block the Palestinians from using any of the internationally recognized tools of accountability to hold Israel responsible, such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. When an indigenous, stateless population is blocked access to opportunities for justice by superpowers like the U.S., something is wrong—deadly wrong.
While Israeli bombs were hammering Gaza, Alice Lynd with the assistance of Staughton Lynd, drafted a 32-page pamphlet which was published by the Palestine-Israel Working Group of Historians Against the War (HAW) titled, Violations by Israel and the Problem of Enforcement (August 2014). The policy paper places the U.S. in front of its own mirror and meticulously documents how one hand of the U.S. government systematically documents Israeli violations of U.S. law and international law, while the other hand unconditionally dishes out financial, military, and diplomatic support to Israel.
The study notes that “United States law states that no military assistance will be provided to a government that engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights. Yet the United States gives more military assistance to Israel than to any other country, currently in excess of $3.1 billion per year. The U.S. participates in joint military exercises, military research, and weapons development.”
This contradiction of its own policy would seem incriminating enough, but if all the other means of U.S. support to Israel are added—especially the U.S.’s unwavering role in the UN Security Council as a proxy for Israel’s interests by vetoing and thereby blocking international steps for justice—the evidence that the U.S. is an active player in Israel’s onslaught and continued military occupation becomes overwhelming.
It stands to reason that the U.S. very rightly fears that any step to hold Israel accountable for crimes against humanity would ultimately incriminate the U.S. as Israel’s funder, diplomatic cover, political handler, and arms supplier for decades.
While this new document was being researched, the Historians Against the War circulated a letter to President Obama and members of Congress that begins: “We deplore the ongoing attacks against civilians in Gaza and in Israel. We also recognize the disproportionate harm that the Israeli military, which the United States has armed and supported for decades, is inflicting on the population of Gaza.” (July 31, 2014). The pamphlet’s contents strike this point home with incriminating details.
The pamphlet quotes historian Robin D. G. Kelley who recently said about the ongoing conflict, “Determining next steps requires that we go back many steps—before the siege, before the election of Hamas, before the withdrawal of Jewish settlements in Gaza, before the Oslo Accords, even before the strip came under Israeli occupation in 1967.” (“When the smoke clears in Gaza,” Aug. 8, 2014, Black Educator).
I had the honor of working with both authors of this pamphlet following the First Gulf War (1990-1991) when they suggested we co-edit an oral history of Palestine as a tool to understand the centrality of Palestine to the entire destabilization of the Middle East, a reality that is even more true today. Following several field visits to the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Israel, and the Golan Heights, that effort resulted in the publishing of Homeland: Oral History of Palestine and Palestinians (1993). Their new effort revisits many familiar topics that we addressed in our book, with chapter headings such as International Agreements and U.S. Law, International Agreements on Human Rights, U.S. Law on Foreign Assistance, Violations of Internationally Recognized Human Rights, Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Arbitrary Arrest or Detention, Collective Punishment, among many more.
Perhaps the most important chapter in this brief pamphlet is “The Problem of Enforcement.” One need not be a historian or political scientist to understand that as long as global enforcement mechanisms of accountability are denied to Palestinians due to the political whims of a superpower, Israel has the green light to attack Gaza and the West Bank at any time with impunity.
Israel’s senseless military attack this summer (deceptively coined “Operation Protective Edge” in English, and more accurately “Solid Cliff” in Hebrew) left 2,168 Palestinians dead, more than 500 of them children. The Institute for Middle East Understanding compared the proportionate impact of these deaths to the population in the U.S. Gaza’s devastating human loss would be equivalent to 376,680 Americans killed in 51 days if such events were undertaken in the U.S. To put this in perspective, this number is slightly fewer than the 407,000 U.S. soldiers killed in World War II. It is not hyperbole to say that everyone in Gaza knows at least one person who died or was injured in this atrocity, with each person left wondering if he or she would be next.
If humanity is to be served, citizens who believe in equal access to international tools of justice must speak up and denounce the continued U.S. hegemony over Palestine. If you support nonviolent means for addressing crimes against humanity—especially if you are American or Israeli—act now by contacting your elected representative to demand a change in policy so that marginalized populations are not shut out of systems of justice when they are the victims of crimes against humanity. Holding individuals responsible for their crimes is a core American value; it’s a value we should not compromise for any country, especially our own.
- Bahour is a Palestinian-American business consultant in Ramallah and serves as a policy adviser to Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network. He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com.
11 sept 2014
The United States government has reportedly threatened the Palestinian Authority (PA) with economic sanctions if Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas continue to insist on presenting his plan for the end of Israel's illegal occupation to the United Nations.
Israeli news publication "Walla" quoted both American and Israeli sources in reporting that Secretary of State John Kerry threatened the Palestinian delegation if they were to approach the UN with such a resolution.
He warned, according to the Palestinian News Network (PNN), that pursuit of such a course would leave the PA in a difficult position, facing economic sanctions -- fundamentally contrary to the State Department's continued narrative of continuing peace talks and a vast spectrum of denunciatory rhetoric, in addition to contrary statements surrounding settlement expansion and numerous other Israeli violations, including those of longstanding International Law.
--------The IMEMC's coverage of Secretary of State John Kerry's progress, or lack thereof, in securing peace in the Middle East, is extensive.
Mr. Kerry, who is a member of the Middle East Quartet, reportedly warned that Washington would not only impose these measures, but would equally try to convince its allies to adopt a similar stance.
See related: Kerry Plan Includes Palestinian Recognition of Israel as Jewish State
Kerry Asks Jordan, Saudi Arabia, To Support Palestinian Recognition Of “Jewish State”
Note: The second report linked above, which was in fact sourced in Israel, has been adamantly denied as being accurate, by the US State Department.
US officials, as if by default, reportedly believes that the future of the Palestinian state should be determined through negotiations with Israel, regardless of several failed attempts at such an approach, in the past, and the Israeli government's continued failure to keep their own political promises -- even in light of the vulgar attrocites recently committed by the military, on the Gaza Strip, over the course of the summer months.
According to the PNN, presenting the Palestinian case to the UN is seen by Washington as a unilateral decision on the Palestinian State, which goes against its vision of negotiations with Israel as being fundamental.
Economic sanctions, thus, serve to discourage such a move by the PA.
Related: US Implies to Block Abbas' UN Resolution Proposal
Mustafa Barghouti, General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, in speaking to the PNN, dismissed the threat and asserted that the PA is within its legitimate rights in approaching the UN and can go equally to the International Criminal Court.
Barghouti additionally highlighted the fact that the United States "talks about the need to respect human rights everywhere and respect international law," and now asks:
"Why is it forbidden for Palestine to exercise this right?"
Israeli news publication "Walla" quoted both American and Israeli sources in reporting that Secretary of State John Kerry threatened the Palestinian delegation if they were to approach the UN with such a resolution.
He warned, according to the Palestinian News Network (PNN), that pursuit of such a course would leave the PA in a difficult position, facing economic sanctions -- fundamentally contrary to the State Department's continued narrative of continuing peace talks and a vast spectrum of denunciatory rhetoric, in addition to contrary statements surrounding settlement expansion and numerous other Israeli violations, including those of longstanding International Law.
--------The IMEMC's coverage of Secretary of State John Kerry's progress, or lack thereof, in securing peace in the Middle East, is extensive.
Mr. Kerry, who is a member of the Middle East Quartet, reportedly warned that Washington would not only impose these measures, but would equally try to convince its allies to adopt a similar stance.
See related: Kerry Plan Includes Palestinian Recognition of Israel as Jewish State
Kerry Asks Jordan, Saudi Arabia, To Support Palestinian Recognition Of “Jewish State”
Note: The second report linked above, which was in fact sourced in Israel, has been adamantly denied as being accurate, by the US State Department.
US officials, as if by default, reportedly believes that the future of the Palestinian state should be determined through negotiations with Israel, regardless of several failed attempts at such an approach, in the past, and the Israeli government's continued failure to keep their own political promises -- even in light of the vulgar attrocites recently committed by the military, on the Gaza Strip, over the course of the summer months.
According to the PNN, presenting the Palestinian case to the UN is seen by Washington as a unilateral decision on the Palestinian State, which goes against its vision of negotiations with Israel as being fundamental.
Economic sanctions, thus, serve to discourage such a move by the PA.
Related: US Implies to Block Abbas' UN Resolution Proposal
Mustafa Barghouti, General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, in speaking to the PNN, dismissed the threat and asserted that the PA is within its legitimate rights in approaching the UN and can go equally to the International Criminal Court.
Barghouti additionally highlighted the fact that the United States "talks about the need to respect human rights everywhere and respect international law," and now asks:
"Why is it forbidden for Palestine to exercise this right?"
27 june 2014
Israeli President Shimon Peres holds the Congressional Gold Medal presented to him by (L-R) US VP Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker of the House John Boehner, Senator Mitch McConnell, and Representative Eric Cantor, June 26, 2014
Outgoing Israeli President Shimon Peres on Thursday received the Congressional Gold Medal in the US Capitol rotunda, as he bids farewell to Washington after decades of working with American leaders.
The 90-year-old Peres, who will leave office next month, paid tribute to the "American dream" and hailed Washington's steadfast support for Israel.
"Many people call me a dreamer. I suppose that's why I have always felt at home in the United States of America -- America that was given the privilege to carry the dreams of humanity," Peres said.
Peres is a highly controversial figure in the Middle East, however, as he was a top Israeli official and politician throughout decades of occupation and settlement building, as well as two extremely destructive wars with Lebanon.
Hailing the "unbelievable and unbreakable friendship" between the United States and Israel, Peres said: "Whether through military assistance and security cooperation, or through diplomatic and moral support, you sent us a clear message: that we are not alone."
Republican House Speaker John Boehner lauded Peres, a Nobel peace laureate, as the "great prototype of the Israeli statesman," noting that it was the first time the Congressional Gold Medal had been given to an Israeli head of state.
"This medal says to our young people and yours -- never get cynical, never give in to expediency, and know that America will always stand by Israel, and with all men and women of peace," Boehner said.
US Vice President Joe Biden said: "You are a legendary friend."
The award bestowed by the US Congress is one of the highest civilian honors in the United States, and is awarded to those whose achievements have had an "impact on American history and culture."
The first Congressional Gold Medal was given to the first US president, George Washington.
Peres -- who met US President Barack Obama on Wednesday -- will be succeeded in July by Reuven Rivlin, a far-right member of the ruling Likud party who was elected by parliament earlier this month.
Shimon Peres is well-remembered by many in the region for his leadership and justification of a 1996 incident when Israel shelled a UN base in Qana, Lebanon and killed more than 100 civilians seeking refuge there from a broader Israeli assault.
Outgoing Israeli President Shimon Peres on Thursday received the Congressional Gold Medal in the US Capitol rotunda, as he bids farewell to Washington after decades of working with American leaders.
The 90-year-old Peres, who will leave office next month, paid tribute to the "American dream" and hailed Washington's steadfast support for Israel.
"Many people call me a dreamer. I suppose that's why I have always felt at home in the United States of America -- America that was given the privilege to carry the dreams of humanity," Peres said.
Peres is a highly controversial figure in the Middle East, however, as he was a top Israeli official and politician throughout decades of occupation and settlement building, as well as two extremely destructive wars with Lebanon.
Hailing the "unbelievable and unbreakable friendship" between the United States and Israel, Peres said: "Whether through military assistance and security cooperation, or through diplomatic and moral support, you sent us a clear message: that we are not alone."
Republican House Speaker John Boehner lauded Peres, a Nobel peace laureate, as the "great prototype of the Israeli statesman," noting that it was the first time the Congressional Gold Medal had been given to an Israeli head of state.
"This medal says to our young people and yours -- never get cynical, never give in to expediency, and know that America will always stand by Israel, and with all men and women of peace," Boehner said.
US Vice President Joe Biden said: "You are a legendary friend."
The award bestowed by the US Congress is one of the highest civilian honors in the United States, and is awarded to those whose achievements have had an "impact on American history and culture."
The first Congressional Gold Medal was given to the first US president, George Washington.
Peres -- who met US President Barack Obama on Wednesday -- will be succeeded in July by Reuven Rivlin, a far-right member of the ruling Likud party who was elected by parliament earlier this month.
Shimon Peres is well-remembered by many in the region for his leadership and justification of a 1996 incident when Israel shelled a UN base in Qana, Lebanon and killed more than 100 civilians seeking refuge there from a broader Israeli assault.
11 june 2014
BY: Adam Kredo
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accuses Israel of being an occupying force in her new memoir Hard Choices and claims that the Jewish state denies “dignity and self determination” to Palestinians in the West Bank.
Clinton recalls being surprised by what she termed “life under occupation for the Palestinians,” according to the book.
Pro-Israel officials and insiders on Capitol Hill have called Clinton’s comments tone deaf and said that her claim that Israel is an occupying force reveals a bias against the Jewish state.
“When we left the city and visited Jericho, in the West Bank, I got my first glimpse of life under occupation for Palestinians, who were denied the dignity and self-determination that Americans take for granted,” Clinton writes.
Clinton’s comments demonstrate that she supports the Obama administration’s efforts to pressure and marginalize Israel, which current Secretary of State John Kerry recently accused of becoming an “apartheid state,” said one senior GOP Senate aide, who worked with Clinton when she was at the State Department.
“What we see here is the true Hillary Clinton, no longer muzzling herself for fear of reelection in New York or Senate confirmation fights—the woman who embraced Suha Arafat after smiling through anti-Semitic tirades,” said the former senior GOP Senate aide who for years battled Clinton’s State Department.
The source referred to a 1999 incident in which Clinton sat by smiling as the wife of former terrorist leader Yasser Arafat went on an anti-Israel tirade.
“This should put every American on notice that Hillary Clinton plans to continue Barack Obama’s failed Middle East policy that coddles terrorists and castigates democratic allies,” said the former official. “Clinton knows she lost to Obama in 2008 because she was outflanked by the left—she won’t make that mistake twice and she knows how much the left hates Israel.”
Clinton goes on to take aim at the Netanyahu government for not returning land to the Palestinians that she claims has been “occupied by Israel since 1967.”
Clinton is referring to territory seized by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War, in which Egypt, Jordan, and Syria attacked Israel from every side in a bid to destroy the Jewish state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Clinton claims, is not serious about the peace process.
This claim has been echoed by senior State Department officials, several of whom have sought to blame Israel for the recent failure of peace talks.
“Netanyahu has been deeply skeptical of the Oslo framework of trading land for peace and a two-state solution that would give the Palestinians a country of their won in territory occupied by Israel since 1967,” Clinton writes.
One senior pro-Israel official who reviewed Clinton’s comments dubbed them as “troubling.”
“The quotes, which gives insight into Clinton’s thinking, are troubling,” the official told the Washington Free Beacon. “Most Americans, when they first experience the tiny distance separating average Israelis from enemies pledged to their destruction, immediately think of the difficult security situation that our allies have to negotiate. Not Clinton though.”
Clinton has come under fire from a pro-Israel group for not publicly condemning Kerry’s apartheid remarks about Israel, which were criticized by many Democrats.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accuses Israel of being an occupying force in her new memoir Hard Choices and claims that the Jewish state denies “dignity and self determination” to Palestinians in the West Bank.
Clinton recalls being surprised by what she termed “life under occupation for the Palestinians,” according to the book.
Pro-Israel officials and insiders on Capitol Hill have called Clinton’s comments tone deaf and said that her claim that Israel is an occupying force reveals a bias against the Jewish state.
“When we left the city and visited Jericho, in the West Bank, I got my first glimpse of life under occupation for Palestinians, who were denied the dignity and self-determination that Americans take for granted,” Clinton writes.
Clinton’s comments demonstrate that she supports the Obama administration’s efforts to pressure and marginalize Israel, which current Secretary of State John Kerry recently accused of becoming an “apartheid state,” said one senior GOP Senate aide, who worked with Clinton when she was at the State Department.
“What we see here is the true Hillary Clinton, no longer muzzling herself for fear of reelection in New York or Senate confirmation fights—the woman who embraced Suha Arafat after smiling through anti-Semitic tirades,” said the former senior GOP Senate aide who for years battled Clinton’s State Department.
The source referred to a 1999 incident in which Clinton sat by smiling as the wife of former terrorist leader Yasser Arafat went on an anti-Israel tirade.
“This should put every American on notice that Hillary Clinton plans to continue Barack Obama’s failed Middle East policy that coddles terrorists and castigates democratic allies,” said the former official. “Clinton knows she lost to Obama in 2008 because she was outflanked by the left—she won’t make that mistake twice and she knows how much the left hates Israel.”
Clinton goes on to take aim at the Netanyahu government for not returning land to the Palestinians that she claims has been “occupied by Israel since 1967.”
Clinton is referring to territory seized by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War, in which Egypt, Jordan, and Syria attacked Israel from every side in a bid to destroy the Jewish state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Clinton claims, is not serious about the peace process.
This claim has been echoed by senior State Department officials, several of whom have sought to blame Israel for the recent failure of peace talks.
“Netanyahu has been deeply skeptical of the Oslo framework of trading land for peace and a two-state solution that would give the Palestinians a country of their won in territory occupied by Israel since 1967,” Clinton writes.
One senior pro-Israel official who reviewed Clinton’s comments dubbed them as “troubling.”
“The quotes, which gives insight into Clinton’s thinking, are troubling,” the official told the Washington Free Beacon. “Most Americans, when they first experience the tiny distance separating average Israelis from enemies pledged to their destruction, immediately think of the difficult security situation that our allies have to negotiate. Not Clinton though.”
Clinton has come under fire from a pro-Israel group for not publicly condemning Kerry’s apartheid remarks about Israel, which were criticized by many Democrats.
31 may 2014
The US administration addressed an official invitation to Palestinian premier-elect Rami al-Hamdullah to visit Washington. Hebrew daily Yediot Ahronot quoted a Palestinian official as saying that the invitation, which was addressed shortly after Hamdullah’s appointment as the premier of the national unity government, constituted an American recognition of that government.
The paper pointed out that Washington had declared that its recognition of the new Palestinian government was hinged on its approval of the international quartet committee’s conditions that stipulate recognizing Israel, shunning violence, and endorsing past agreements with Israel.
The paper pointed out that Washington had declared that its recognition of the new Palestinian government was hinged on its approval of the international quartet committee’s conditions that stipulate recognizing Israel, shunning violence, and endorsing past agreements with Israel.
29 may 2014
President Obama gave a comprehensive speech on Wednesday at night on his foreign policy to West Point cadets. He related at length to the war in Afghanistan, to the civil war in Syria, to the crisis in Ukraine and to the nuclear talks with Iran, but in contrast to his previous speeches on foreign policy, he did not mention the Israeli-Palestinian conflict even once.
Even his secretary of state, John Kerry, who interviewed yesterday to a number of leading TV networks in the US, did not say a word on the subject that until a few weeks ago, was his flagship project.
Washington was not surprised by the fact that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was left out of Obama’s speech. The president’s wish to sever contact with Kerry’s failed attempt is no secret.
True, only eight months ago, Obama said in a speech to the UN Security Council that the two-state solution was a vital interest of the US, but at this time, the American president has more urgent interests—not just in Ukraine, Syria and Iran, but also in the relationship between the administration and Israel.
Even his secretary of state, John Kerry, who interviewed yesterday to a number of leading TV networks in the US, did not say a word on the subject that until a few weeks ago, was his flagship project.
Washington was not surprised by the fact that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was left out of Obama’s speech. The president’s wish to sever contact with Kerry’s failed attempt is no secret.
True, only eight months ago, Obama said in a speech to the UN Security Council that the two-state solution was a vital interest of the US, but at this time, the American president has more urgent interests—not just in Ukraine, Syria and Iran, but also in the relationship between the administration and Israel.
25 may 2014
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has boasted about how he has defied the United States by building Jewish squatter colonies “in a smart way, in a quiet way”, +972 Magazine’s Noam Sheizaf reports.
Addressing young Likud supporters, Netanyahu said: “I was threatened in Washington: ‘not one brick’ [of Jewish squatter colony construction]… after five years, we built a little more than one brick…”
Asked “about peace talks with the Palestinians”, Netanyahu joked: “about the – what?” to which the audience responded by breaking out into laughter.
According to Sheizaf, Netanyahu’s quotes were posted online by Akiva Lamm, a Likud member from Kiryat Arba, a Jewish squatter colony near Hebron. Sheizaf reports that Lamm had asked Netanyahu a question on the lack of new construction in his home squatter colony, and on Israel’s prisoner releases during the American-led negotiations with the Palestinians. This was Netanyahu’s reply – as translated by Sheizaf:
When I entered the Prime Minister’s Office for my second term, I was summoned to Washington. “Not one brick,” they told me [referring to squatter colony construction in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem]. I was threatened specifically: “Not one brick.” The pressure from the international community and the Americans was enormous. I don’t think anyone in Israel was under such pressure. And still, after five years on the job, we built a little more than “one brick”. But the important thing is to do it in a smart way, in a quiet way, without inflammatory statements.
Do you think it’s a problem for me to say, “I am a hero, I am strong, I don’t care about anything, what do I care what the world says?’” I don’t have any problem saying that, but it would be a lie. Whoever tells you that doesn’t deserve to be prime minister; he is a populist. This is not a feature leader. A leader knows to stand up to international pressure by manoeuvring.
Imagine yourself standing on a hill overlooking the whole valley. You get to see all the obstacles below from above – some from the right and some from the left – and then when you walk down, you know exactly where to go in order to avoid the obstacles. What matters is that we continue to head straight toward our goal, even if one time we walk right and another time walk left.
Sheizaf relates that Netanyahu then went on to speak about how important US support is, and how well his speeches were received by the US Congress. This, he said, reminded Lamm of similar remarks Netanyahu made 10 years ago, when he explained how he was able to manipulate the Clinton administration and debunk the Oslo accords.
What will it take for the American people to wake up and realize that Israel is not only devouring their hard-earned tax dollars to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, but, for gratitude, is spitting in their faces and boasting about taking the US for a ride?
Addressing young Likud supporters, Netanyahu said: “I was threatened in Washington: ‘not one brick’ [of Jewish squatter colony construction]… after five years, we built a little more than one brick…”
Asked “about peace talks with the Palestinians”, Netanyahu joked: “about the – what?” to which the audience responded by breaking out into laughter.
According to Sheizaf, Netanyahu’s quotes were posted online by Akiva Lamm, a Likud member from Kiryat Arba, a Jewish squatter colony near Hebron. Sheizaf reports that Lamm had asked Netanyahu a question on the lack of new construction in his home squatter colony, and on Israel’s prisoner releases during the American-led negotiations with the Palestinians. This was Netanyahu’s reply – as translated by Sheizaf:
When I entered the Prime Minister’s Office for my second term, I was summoned to Washington. “Not one brick,” they told me [referring to squatter colony construction in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem]. I was threatened specifically: “Not one brick.” The pressure from the international community and the Americans was enormous. I don’t think anyone in Israel was under such pressure. And still, after five years on the job, we built a little more than “one brick”. But the important thing is to do it in a smart way, in a quiet way, without inflammatory statements.
Do you think it’s a problem for me to say, “I am a hero, I am strong, I don’t care about anything, what do I care what the world says?’” I don’t have any problem saying that, but it would be a lie. Whoever tells you that doesn’t deserve to be prime minister; he is a populist. This is not a feature leader. A leader knows to stand up to international pressure by manoeuvring.
Imagine yourself standing on a hill overlooking the whole valley. You get to see all the obstacles below from above – some from the right and some from the left – and then when you walk down, you know exactly where to go in order to avoid the obstacles. What matters is that we continue to head straight toward our goal, even if one time we walk right and another time walk left.
Sheizaf relates that Netanyahu then went on to speak about how important US support is, and how well his speeches were received by the US Congress. This, he said, reminded Lamm of similar remarks Netanyahu made 10 years ago, when he explained how he was able to manipulate the Clinton administration and debunk the Oslo accords.
What will it take for the American people to wake up and realize that Israel is not only devouring their hard-earned tax dollars to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, but, for gratitude, is spitting in their faces and boasting about taking the US for a ride?
The House of Representatives in Washington has demanded that US corporations receive a greater share in the manufacture of Iron Dome as well as Israeli consent to transfer technological information about the system to the US as conditions for expanding the US aid for developing the air defensive systems for the 2015 fiscal year, Hebrew newspaper of Ma’ariv said.
The defense budget appropriations bill for the coming year, which was approved on Thursday by the House of Representatives, expands the aid package for Iron Dome by USD 175 million on top of the USD 176 million that is intended in the Obama administration’s defense budget proposal.
If Israel fulfills the conditions included in the bill, and if the bill is approved by the Senate and is signed by the president, the US will transfer USD 301 million to Iron Dome in 2015. However, the probability that the document, in its current form, will pass this path of obstacles is negligible.
The bill further states that Israel’s other missile programs that are being developed in collaboration with the US, including the Magic Wand system and Arrow missile 3, will receive a total aid package of USD 268.7 million in the 2015 fiscal year. The total aid for the Israeli missile programs amounts to USD 601 million according to the House of Representative’s bill.
The defense budget appropriations bill for the coming year, which was approved on Thursday by the House of Representatives, expands the aid package for Iron Dome by USD 175 million on top of the USD 176 million that is intended in the Obama administration’s defense budget proposal.
If Israel fulfills the conditions included in the bill, and if the bill is approved by the Senate and is signed by the president, the US will transfer USD 301 million to Iron Dome in 2015. However, the probability that the document, in its current form, will pass this path of obstacles is negligible.
The bill further states that Israel’s other missile programs that are being developed in collaboration with the US, including the Magic Wand system and Arrow missile 3, will receive a total aid package of USD 268.7 million in the 2015 fiscal year. The total aid for the Israeli missile programs amounts to USD 601 million according to the House of Representative’s bill.
21 may 2014
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday brushed off world criticism and demands for an investigation into the deaths of two Palestinian youths killed by Israeli forces last week.
"I reject any demand" for an international investigation, he told reporters on a tour of the West Bank settlement of Ariel.
"Such an incident will be investigated regardless of any demand," he remarked, denouncing world criticism of the incident as "hypocrisy."
His remarks came a day after calls by Washington and a top UN official for an immediate investigation into the circumstances of the two deaths after video footage emerged which appeared to show the shooting was unprovoked.
The closed-circuit footage, released on Wednesday by the NGOs Defense For Children International and B'Tselem, show separate incidents in which two youngsters were shot as they walked down the same street near Ramallah as Palestinians marked the 66th anniversary of the Nakba or "catastrophe" of being driven from their homes during Israel's creation.
Although clashes were taking place in the area on that day, there is no visible evidence of ongoing unrest in the footage.
The Palestinian leadership accused Israel of their "deliberate execution."
But the Israeli army dismissed the footage as having been "edited," and said it was investigating the incident.
Late on Wednesday, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington expected the Israeli government "to conduct a prompt and transparent investigation to determine the facts surrounding this incident."
And Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, assistant UN secretary general for political affairs, called for an "independent and transparent" probe.
He said it was "of serious concern that initial information appears to indicate that the two Palestinians killed were both unarmed and appeared to pose no direct threat."
But Lieberman brushed off such calls.
"We don't need an American demand" to launch an investigation, he said.
"We will do it as part our commitment to the Israeli army's moral code."
Israel has said that border police were operating in the area at the time to try to quell a violent demonstration by about 150 Palestinians, and denies using live bullets.
But Palestinians say the youths were unarmed and posed no threat, accusing Israel of using "excessive and indiscriminate violence."
In a separate development, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Wednesday published figures showing "a sharp increase" in the number of Palestinian refugees killed and injured by Israeli forces since the beginning of 2013.
According to UNRWA, there has also been a big increase in the numbers of those injured by live ammunition in 2014, with 43 wounded this year compared with 10 in the same period in 2013.
"I reject any demand" for an international investigation, he told reporters on a tour of the West Bank settlement of Ariel.
"Such an incident will be investigated regardless of any demand," he remarked, denouncing world criticism of the incident as "hypocrisy."
His remarks came a day after calls by Washington and a top UN official for an immediate investigation into the circumstances of the two deaths after video footage emerged which appeared to show the shooting was unprovoked.
The closed-circuit footage, released on Wednesday by the NGOs Defense For Children International and B'Tselem, show separate incidents in which two youngsters were shot as they walked down the same street near Ramallah as Palestinians marked the 66th anniversary of the Nakba or "catastrophe" of being driven from their homes during Israel's creation.
Although clashes were taking place in the area on that day, there is no visible evidence of ongoing unrest in the footage.
The Palestinian leadership accused Israel of their "deliberate execution."
But the Israeli army dismissed the footage as having been "edited," and said it was investigating the incident.
Late on Wednesday, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington expected the Israeli government "to conduct a prompt and transparent investigation to determine the facts surrounding this incident."
And Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, assistant UN secretary general for political affairs, called for an "independent and transparent" probe.
He said it was "of serious concern that initial information appears to indicate that the two Palestinians killed were both unarmed and appeared to pose no direct threat."
But Lieberman brushed off such calls.
"We don't need an American demand" to launch an investigation, he said.
"We will do it as part our commitment to the Israeli army's moral code."
Israel has said that border police were operating in the area at the time to try to quell a violent demonstration by about 150 Palestinians, and denies using live bullets.
But Palestinians say the youths were unarmed and posed no threat, accusing Israel of using "excessive and indiscriminate violence."
In a separate development, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Wednesday published figures showing "a sharp increase" in the number of Palestinian refugees killed and injured by Israeli forces since the beginning of 2013.
According to UNRWA, there has also been a big increase in the numbers of those injured by live ammunition in 2014, with 43 wounded this year compared with 10 in the same period in 2013.
The US State Department on Tuesday called on Israel to investigate the killing of two Palestinian teenagers on May 15.
"We look to the Government of Israel to conduct a prompt and transparent investigation to determine the facts surrounding this incident, including whether or not the use of force was proportional to the threat posed by the demonstrators," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.
"We express, of course, our condolences to the families of those deceased and urge all parties to exercise restraint," Psaki said during a press briefing in Washington.
The comments come after video footage emerged that seemed to show the deaths of 15-year-old Muhammad Audah Abu al-Thahir and 17-year-old Nadim Siyam Nuwarah during a demonstration near Ramallah on the anniversary of the Nakba.
Rights groups and the PLO have said the boys were killed without posing a threat to the Israeli military, and that their deaths could amount to war crimes.
"We are closely following this incident in the video. We're seeking additional information from the Government of Israel, so we certainly have been in touch," Psaki said.
"We look to the Government of Israel to conduct a prompt and transparent investigation to determine the facts surrounding this incident, including whether or not the use of force was proportional to the threat posed by the demonstrators," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.
"We express, of course, our condolences to the families of those deceased and urge all parties to exercise restraint," Psaki said during a press briefing in Washington.
The comments come after video footage emerged that seemed to show the deaths of 15-year-old Muhammad Audah Abu al-Thahir and 17-year-old Nadim Siyam Nuwarah during a demonstration near Ramallah on the anniversary of the Nakba.
Rights groups and the PLO have said the boys were killed without posing a threat to the Israeli military, and that their deaths could amount to war crimes.
"We are closely following this incident in the video. We're seeking additional information from the Government of Israel, so we certainly have been in touch," Psaki said.
