20 jan 2017
Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, Head of the Supreme Islamic Council and the Aqsa Mosque Friday preacher, denounced the US president Donald Trump’s promise of moving the US Embassy to Occupied Jerusalem.
Sheikh Sabri said in his Friday Khutba (sermon) that Trump's declared intention constitutes a declaration of war against Arabs and Muslims who must take action to prevent that step.
He also condemned the Israeli policy of home demolition and settlers’ incursions into the Aqsa Mosque which have increased in recent days. He also warned of selling Palestinians’ lands and estates to Israelis in Occupied Jerusalem.
Thousands of Palestinians performed Friday prayer at the Aqsa Mosque amid intensive deployment of Israeli military forces in the vicinity of the holy city.
Sheikh Sabri said in his Friday Khutba (sermon) that Trump's declared intention constitutes a declaration of war against Arabs and Muslims who must take action to prevent that step.
He also condemned the Israeli policy of home demolition and settlers’ incursions into the Aqsa Mosque which have increased in recent days. He also warned of selling Palestinians’ lands and estates to Israelis in Occupied Jerusalem.
Thousands of Palestinians performed Friday prayer at the Aqsa Mosque amid intensive deployment of Israeli military forces in the vicinity of the holy city.
Israeli media sources said that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s intention to move his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem would trigger tension in the region.
Maariv Hebrew newspaper quoted Israeli officials as warning that a state of tension would prevail throughout the area in protest against Trump’s move.
Trump’s step would ignite the region, while Israeli and Palestinian politicians’ statements would add fuel to the fire, the paper said.
Donald Trump told the Israeli daily Israel Hayom on Thursday that he intends to follow through with his campaign promise to relocate the embassy.
Angry Palestinians protested on Thursday against the idea of moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem, warning of its serious implications.
Maariv Hebrew newspaper quoted Israeli officials as warning that a state of tension would prevail throughout the area in protest against Trump’s move.
Trump’s step would ignite the region, while Israeli and Palestinian politicians’ statements would add fuel to the fire, the paper said.
Donald Trump told the Israeli daily Israel Hayom on Thursday that he intends to follow through with his campaign promise to relocate the embassy.
Angry Palestinians protested on Thursday against the idea of moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem, warning of its serious implications.
2,700 new Israeli settlements units have been approved early Friday in Gush Etzion illegal settlement only few hours ahead of US president Donald Trump’s inauguration.
US flags were raised throughout the settlement celebrating the inauguration and presidency of Donald Trump.
The newly approved housing units had been frozen because of the international criticism of settlement activity in the last three years.
However, Israeli authorities decided to step up settlement construction after Trump’s election as US President.
Representatives of Israeli settlers have reportedly received an invitation to attend Trump's inauguration ceremony.
US flags were raised throughout the settlement celebrating the inauguration and presidency of Donald Trump.
The newly approved housing units had been frozen because of the international criticism of settlement activity in the last three years.
However, Israeli authorities decided to step up settlement construction after Trump’s election as US President.
Representatives of Israeli settlers have reportedly received an invitation to attend Trump's inauguration ceremony.
19 jan 2017
President Barack Obama suggested on Wednesday that moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem could have "explosive" results and said he was worried that the prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were waning, Reuters reported Wednesday.
"When sudden unilateral moves are made that speak to some of the core issues and sensitivities of either side, that can be explosive," Obama said at his last news conference as president.
He said his administration had warned the incoming Trump administration that big shifts in policy had consequences
"That's part of what we've tried to indicate to the incoming team in our transition process, is pay attention to this because this is ... volatile stuff," he said in response to a question about a potential embassy move.
Obama has said repeatedly that Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem is an impediment to creating two states, which the United States believes is the best solution to decades of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
He said his administration did not block a recent U.N. resolution on Israeli settlement activity because it felt a two-state solution was the only option for peace.
"The goal of the resolution was to simply say that the ... growth of the settlements are creating a reality on the ground that increasingly will make a two-state solution impossible," Obama said. "It was important for us to send a signal, a wakeup call that this moment may be passing."
Israel described the decision by the United States to abstain in the vote rather than wield its veto as "shameful." The U.S. move, along with a sharp speech by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry about the issue, reinforced tensions between the outgoing Obama administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to re-locate the embassy to Occupied Jerusalem, breaking with longstanding U.S. policy.
"When sudden unilateral moves are made that speak to some of the core issues and sensitivities of either side, that can be explosive," Obama said at his last news conference as president.
He said his administration had warned the incoming Trump administration that big shifts in policy had consequences
"That's part of what we've tried to indicate to the incoming team in our transition process, is pay attention to this because this is ... volatile stuff," he said in response to a question about a potential embassy move.
Obama has said repeatedly that Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem is an impediment to creating two states, which the United States believes is the best solution to decades of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
He said his administration did not block a recent U.N. resolution on Israeli settlement activity because it felt a two-state solution was the only option for peace.
"The goal of the resolution was to simply say that the ... growth of the settlements are creating a reality on the ground that increasingly will make a two-state solution impossible," Obama said. "It was important for us to send a signal, a wakeup call that this moment may be passing."
Israel described the decision by the United States to abstain in the vote rather than wield its veto as "shameful." The U.S. move, along with a sharp speech by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry about the issue, reinforced tensions between the outgoing Obama administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to re-locate the embassy to Occupied Jerusalem, breaking with longstanding U.S. policy.
6 jan 2017
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Friday condemned attempts by the Republican-dominated US government to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, saying that such a move would send the Middle East peace process and the entire world into a “crisis.”
During a meeting organized to celebrate Orthodox Christmas in Beit Sahour in the occupied West Bank district of Bethlehem, Abbas demanded that the American administration accept UN resolution 2334, passed last month after US President Obama abstained from voting, which condemned Israel’s illegal settlement expansion on occupied Palestinian territory.
Abbas reiterated that East Jerusalem was the Palestinian capital, and also a holy site for the three monotheistic religions -- Islam, Christianity, and Judaism -- and highlighted that each has the right to access and perform religious practices in Jerusalem.
Abbas’ statement came following the introduction of a bill to Congress on Wednesday, spearheaded by three US senators -- Republicans Ted Cruz (Texas), Dean Heller (Nevada), and Marco Rubio (Florida) -- that would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, defying international stances on the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict resting on a two-state solution.
If implemented, the bill would give legitimacy to Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem since 1967, disregard Palestinian claims to the city, and possibly terminate a longstanding White House policy to perpetually defer a 1995 Congressional decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the embassy there.
Abbas invited President-elect Donald Trump to visit Palestine, particularly Bethlehem city, and urged the soon-to-be President not to make any changes to the status of East Jerusalem that rests on a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital, calling the potential legitimization of Israel’s illegal annexation of occupied East Jerusalem a “red line.”
President-Elect Donald Trump will be sworn in as the American President on Jan. 20. The soon-to-be president of the United States pledged during his campaign that, if elected, he would ensure that the US embassy in Israel was moved to Jerusalem, with Trump’s senior adviser Kellyanne Conway reiterating last month that the move would be a “very big priority” for the Trump administration.
Abbas added that the Palestinian president was against violence, but his administration would use “diplomatic and political methods” against the decision.
“I demand the American administration stop its duality in dealing with the political process, especially concerning talks of moving the American embassy to Jerusalem. We consider this aggressive speech that contradicts the political efforts underway on the Palestinian situation, which includes a solution where East Jerusalem remains as Palestine’s capital.”
He also underscored the ongoing peace efforts underway led by France, and the upcoming Peace Conference expected to be held in Paris on Jan. 15, marking the latest international effort to solve the Israeli-Palestinian political impasse, and added that the continuation of Israeli occupation is a reality the Palestinians will “never accept.”
Abbas’ words came on the same day that the US House of Representatives approved a bipartisan resolution rejecting UN resolution 2334, and instead stated their unwavering commitment and support for the state of Israel.
Right-wing politicians in both the US and Israel have voiced their disdain for Obama’s decision to abstain from the vote at the UN, with Israeli Minister Yuval Steinitz saying at the time that the United States had “abandoned” Israel by abstaining from the vote, adding that “the heart aches that after eight years of friendship… and cooperation with Obama, this is his final chord" in the departing Obama administration.
The Israeli government has also openly expressed its anticipation for a Trump presidency when right-wing politicians believe they will more easily advance plans to expand Israeli settlements and consolidate Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank.
However, the condemnation of Obama’s move at the UN came despite the President signing a $38 billion military aid package back in September, promising Israel the hefty sum in the form of financial assistance and missile defense systems over the course of 10 years. The deal represents the largest foreign aid package given to a country in US history.
The fate of Jerusalem has been a focal point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades, with numerous tensions arising over Israeli threats regarding the status of non-Jewish religious sites in the city, and the "Judaization" of East Jerusalem through settlement construction and mass demolitions of Palestinian homes.
While members of the international community have rested the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the discontinuation of illegal Israeli settlements and the establishment of a two-state solution, Israeli leaders have instead shifted further to the right as many Knesset members have called for an escalation of settlement building in the occupied West Bank, and with some having advocated for its complete annexation.
During a meeting organized to celebrate Orthodox Christmas in Beit Sahour in the occupied West Bank district of Bethlehem, Abbas demanded that the American administration accept UN resolution 2334, passed last month after US President Obama abstained from voting, which condemned Israel’s illegal settlement expansion on occupied Palestinian territory.
Abbas reiterated that East Jerusalem was the Palestinian capital, and also a holy site for the three monotheistic religions -- Islam, Christianity, and Judaism -- and highlighted that each has the right to access and perform religious practices in Jerusalem.
Abbas’ statement came following the introduction of a bill to Congress on Wednesday, spearheaded by three US senators -- Republicans Ted Cruz (Texas), Dean Heller (Nevada), and Marco Rubio (Florida) -- that would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, defying international stances on the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict resting on a two-state solution.
If implemented, the bill would give legitimacy to Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem since 1967, disregard Palestinian claims to the city, and possibly terminate a longstanding White House policy to perpetually defer a 1995 Congressional decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the embassy there.
Abbas invited President-elect Donald Trump to visit Palestine, particularly Bethlehem city, and urged the soon-to-be President not to make any changes to the status of East Jerusalem that rests on a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital, calling the potential legitimization of Israel’s illegal annexation of occupied East Jerusalem a “red line.”
President-Elect Donald Trump will be sworn in as the American President on Jan. 20. The soon-to-be president of the United States pledged during his campaign that, if elected, he would ensure that the US embassy in Israel was moved to Jerusalem, with Trump’s senior adviser Kellyanne Conway reiterating last month that the move would be a “very big priority” for the Trump administration.
Abbas added that the Palestinian president was against violence, but his administration would use “diplomatic and political methods” against the decision.
“I demand the American administration stop its duality in dealing with the political process, especially concerning talks of moving the American embassy to Jerusalem. We consider this aggressive speech that contradicts the political efforts underway on the Palestinian situation, which includes a solution where East Jerusalem remains as Palestine’s capital.”
He also underscored the ongoing peace efforts underway led by France, and the upcoming Peace Conference expected to be held in Paris on Jan. 15, marking the latest international effort to solve the Israeli-Palestinian political impasse, and added that the continuation of Israeli occupation is a reality the Palestinians will “never accept.”
Abbas’ words came on the same day that the US House of Representatives approved a bipartisan resolution rejecting UN resolution 2334, and instead stated their unwavering commitment and support for the state of Israel.
Right-wing politicians in both the US and Israel have voiced their disdain for Obama’s decision to abstain from the vote at the UN, with Israeli Minister Yuval Steinitz saying at the time that the United States had “abandoned” Israel by abstaining from the vote, adding that “the heart aches that after eight years of friendship… and cooperation with Obama, this is his final chord" in the departing Obama administration.
The Israeli government has also openly expressed its anticipation for a Trump presidency when right-wing politicians believe they will more easily advance plans to expand Israeli settlements and consolidate Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank.
However, the condemnation of Obama’s move at the UN came despite the President signing a $38 billion military aid package back in September, promising Israel the hefty sum in the form of financial assistance and missile defense systems over the course of 10 years. The deal represents the largest foreign aid package given to a country in US history.
The fate of Jerusalem has been a focal point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades, with numerous tensions arising over Israeli threats regarding the status of non-Jewish religious sites in the city, and the "Judaization" of East Jerusalem through settlement construction and mass demolitions of Palestinian homes.
While members of the international community have rested the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the discontinuation of illegal Israeli settlements and the establishment of a two-state solution, Israeli leaders have instead shifted further to the right as many Knesset members have called for an escalation of settlement building in the occupied West Bank, and with some having advocated for its complete annexation.
The US House of Representatives on Friday approved a bipartisan resolution rejecting UN resolution 2334 that passed last month and which strongly denounced Israel’s illegal settlement building in occupied Palestinian territory, and instead stated their unwavering commitment and support for the state of Israel.
According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, the lawmakers passed the non-binding resolution with a staggering 342 representatives voting in favor, and 80 voting against.
The resolution confirmed US commitment as a diplomatic ally to the Israeli government and demands that the US government dismiss any future UN resolutions they deemed “anti-Israel.”
The resolution has been introduced as President-Elect Donald Trump will be sworn in as the American President on Jan. 20, and as Republicans control both the Senate and House of Representatives for the first time since 2007.
Trump has been a vocal supporter for the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory, which have been condemned by the international community as representing a clear violation of international law.
Republican Representative for Wisconsin, Paul Ryan was quoted by Ynet following the resolution’s passing as saying “"Our government abandoned our ally Israel when she needed us the most,” and it is “time to repair the damage done by this misguided hit job at the UN," referring to President Barack Obama’s decision to abstain from vetoing the UN resolution, marking a sharp shift in US policy toward Israel at the UN.
The UN’s anti-settlement resolution (2334) passed at the United Nations General Assembly last month, which reiterated the international community’s rejection of Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territory and restated its illegality under international law.
Right-wing politicians in both the US and Israel have voiced their disdain for Obama’s decision to abstain from the vote at the UN, with Israeli Minister Yuval Steinitz saying at the time that the United States had “abandoned” Israel by abstaining from the vote, adding that “the heart aches that after eight years of friendship… and cooperation with Obama, this is his final chord" in the departing Obama administration.
The Israeli government has also openly expressed its anticipation for a Trump presidency when right-wing politicians believe they will more easily advance plans to expand Israeli settlements and consolidate Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank.
However, the condemnation of Obama’s move at the UN came despite the President signing a $38 billion military aid package back in September, promising Israel the hefty sum in the form of financial assistance and missile defense systems over the course of 10 years. The deal represents the largest foreign aid package given to a country in US history.
While US-Israel relations have seen a series of diplomatic disputes during Obama’s administration, Israel remains the number one long-time recipient of US military aid, and US representatives have largely neglected efforts to hold Israel accountable for violations of Palestinian rights and international law.
In April, more than 90 percent of the United States House of Representatives signed a letter urging Obama to veto “any resolution at the United Nations that sets parameters for Israeli-Palestinian talks.”
Meanwhile, critics have pointed out that multiple UN resolutions condemning Israeli policies in the Palestinian territory have been previously passed, but the lack of political will to enforce such measures has remained clear, with Israeli authorities in 2016 approving thousands of new settler units on occupied Palestinian land and allocating millions of dollars to the expansion of settlements.
On Wednesday, three US senators-- Republicans Ted Cruz (Texas), Dean Heller (Nevada), and Marco Rubio (Florida) -- introduced a bill to congress that would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, defying international stances on the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict resting on a two-state solution.
If implemented, the bill would give legitimacy to Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem since 1967, disregard Palestinian claims to the city, and possibly terminate a longstanding White House policy to perpetually defer a 1995 Congressional decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the embassy there.
While members of the international community have rested the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the discontinuation of illegal Israeli settlements and the establishment of a two-state solution, Israeli leaders have instead shifted further to the right as many Knesset members have called for an escalation of settlement building in the occupied West Bank, and with some having advocated for its complete annexation.
A number of Palestinian activists have criticized the two-state solution as unsustainable and unlikely to bring durable peace, proposing instead a binational state with equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.
According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, the lawmakers passed the non-binding resolution with a staggering 342 representatives voting in favor, and 80 voting against.
The resolution confirmed US commitment as a diplomatic ally to the Israeli government and demands that the US government dismiss any future UN resolutions they deemed “anti-Israel.”
The resolution has been introduced as President-Elect Donald Trump will be sworn in as the American President on Jan. 20, and as Republicans control both the Senate and House of Representatives for the first time since 2007.
Trump has been a vocal supporter for the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory, which have been condemned by the international community as representing a clear violation of international law.
Republican Representative for Wisconsin, Paul Ryan was quoted by Ynet following the resolution’s passing as saying “"Our government abandoned our ally Israel when she needed us the most,” and it is “time to repair the damage done by this misguided hit job at the UN," referring to President Barack Obama’s decision to abstain from vetoing the UN resolution, marking a sharp shift in US policy toward Israel at the UN.
The UN’s anti-settlement resolution (2334) passed at the United Nations General Assembly last month, which reiterated the international community’s rejection of Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territory and restated its illegality under international law.
Right-wing politicians in both the US and Israel have voiced their disdain for Obama’s decision to abstain from the vote at the UN, with Israeli Minister Yuval Steinitz saying at the time that the United States had “abandoned” Israel by abstaining from the vote, adding that “the heart aches that after eight years of friendship… and cooperation with Obama, this is his final chord" in the departing Obama administration.
The Israeli government has also openly expressed its anticipation for a Trump presidency when right-wing politicians believe they will more easily advance plans to expand Israeli settlements and consolidate Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank.
However, the condemnation of Obama’s move at the UN came despite the President signing a $38 billion military aid package back in September, promising Israel the hefty sum in the form of financial assistance and missile defense systems over the course of 10 years. The deal represents the largest foreign aid package given to a country in US history.
While US-Israel relations have seen a series of diplomatic disputes during Obama’s administration, Israel remains the number one long-time recipient of US military aid, and US representatives have largely neglected efforts to hold Israel accountable for violations of Palestinian rights and international law.
In April, more than 90 percent of the United States House of Representatives signed a letter urging Obama to veto “any resolution at the United Nations that sets parameters for Israeli-Palestinian talks.”
Meanwhile, critics have pointed out that multiple UN resolutions condemning Israeli policies in the Palestinian territory have been previously passed, but the lack of political will to enforce such measures has remained clear, with Israeli authorities in 2016 approving thousands of new settler units on occupied Palestinian land and allocating millions of dollars to the expansion of settlements.
On Wednesday, three US senators-- Republicans Ted Cruz (Texas), Dean Heller (Nevada), and Marco Rubio (Florida) -- introduced a bill to congress that would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, defying international stances on the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict resting on a two-state solution.
If implemented, the bill would give legitimacy to Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem since 1967, disregard Palestinian claims to the city, and possibly terminate a longstanding White House policy to perpetually defer a 1995 Congressional decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the embassy there.
While members of the international community have rested the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the discontinuation of illegal Israeli settlements and the establishment of a two-state solution, Israeli leaders have instead shifted further to the right as many Knesset members have called for an escalation of settlement building in the occupied West Bank, and with some having advocated for its complete annexation.
A number of Palestinian activists have criticized the two-state solution as unsustainable and unlikely to bring durable peace, proposing instead a binational state with equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.
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