19 aug 2019
U.S. President added that some parts of the plan, which already kicked-off at the Bahrain summit with promises of a $50 billion investment plan in the Mideastern sphere, could be published before the September 17 elections
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he would likely wait until after Israel's Sept. 17 elections to release a peace plan for the region that was designed by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner.
However, Trump added that parts of the plan could be published before the elections.
Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, is the main architect of a proposed economic development plan for the Palestinians, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon that is designed to create peace in the region.
In June, the first stage of Trump's peace plan was launched at the Bahrain international economic conference, announcing a $50 billion in investments in the Palestinian sphere as the first stage of the plan.
Neither Israeli nor Palestinian governments attended the curtain-raising event in the Bahraini capital, Manama, and Palestinians deemed the plan as an "economy first" approach doomed to fail.
"I think we all have to recognize that if there ever is a deal, it's not going to be along the lines of the Arab Peace Initiative. It will be somewhere between the Arab Peace Initiative and between the Israeli position," Kushner told Al Jazeera in an interview in June, careful not to expose the guidelines of the actual plan.
In early June, U.S. ambassador David Friedman told the New York Times that, “under certain circumstances, I think Israel has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank,” possibly implying to the content of Trump's peace plan, sometimes referred to as "the Deal of the Century."
Trump has already executed several moves that prove his commitment to the Israeli government's interests; in March, he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Monday evening and signed a decree recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
Earlier in his term, in May 2018, Trump fulfilled his promise to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and moved the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv has infuriated the Palestinians, who seek East Jerusalem as a future capital.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he would likely wait until after Israel's Sept. 17 elections to release a peace plan for the region that was designed by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner.
However, Trump added that parts of the plan could be published before the elections.
Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, is the main architect of a proposed economic development plan for the Palestinians, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon that is designed to create peace in the region.
In June, the first stage of Trump's peace plan was launched at the Bahrain international economic conference, announcing a $50 billion in investments in the Palestinian sphere as the first stage of the plan.
Neither Israeli nor Palestinian governments attended the curtain-raising event in the Bahraini capital, Manama, and Palestinians deemed the plan as an "economy first" approach doomed to fail.
"I think we all have to recognize that if there ever is a deal, it's not going to be along the lines of the Arab Peace Initiative. It will be somewhere between the Arab Peace Initiative and between the Israeli position," Kushner told Al Jazeera in an interview in June, careful not to expose the guidelines of the actual plan.
In early June, U.S. ambassador David Friedman told the New York Times that, “under certain circumstances, I think Israel has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank,” possibly implying to the content of Trump's peace plan, sometimes referred to as "the Deal of the Century."
Trump has already executed several moves that prove his commitment to the Israeli government's interests; in March, he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Monday evening and signed a decree recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
Earlier in his term, in May 2018, Trump fulfilled his promise to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and moved the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv has infuriated the Palestinians, who seek East Jerusalem as a future capital.
16 aug 2019
#DignityIsPriceless” UNRWA campaign sticker
In recent days, the Palestinian community has been preoccupied with reports of corruption cases involving senior UNRWA officials, particularly following the resignation of the deputy commissioner-general. This coincided with American and Israeli calls to dismantle UNRWA and cut off funding to it as a prelude to the announcement of the “deal of the century”.
Palestinian concerns have increased as European countries such as Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium announced that UNRWA funding would be suspended until the end of corruption investigations, with the disclosure that UNRWA’s internal investigations were being conducted under US pressure. Meanwhile, the Palestinian factions said the moves were purely political.
The case began to arise in late July when an Al Jazeera English report suspected UNRWA officials of corruption by implicating them in abuse of power for personal gain and repressing legitimate dissent for their own ends. They also accused the agency officials of favouritism, revenge and abuses of power, posing a grave threat to the reputation of the UN. They stated that their immediate removal should be considered.
The report cited data from within UNRWA because these actions caused senior staff to leave the agency, low morale, fear of reprisals, mistrust, secrecy, bullying, intimidation and marginalisation.
The report also spoke of accusations made against some senior UNRWA officials of engaging in inappropriate sexual behaviour, nepotism, discrimination, and forms of abuse of power for personal gain.
The UN report said that UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl was at the centre of corruption, because he had used his authority to promote those close to him and treating those close to him inappropriately. Moreover, the report claimed senior officials had promoted people based on their relations, took retaliatory actions against UNRWA staff, and took advantage of their authority in many ways.
In addition to Krahenbuhl, the UN report mentioned UNRWA official Maria Mohammedi as having travelled with Krahenbuhl several times, and that their relationship went beyond the professional. The Deputy Commissioner-General Sandra Mitchell resigned in late July, while Chief of Staff, Hakam Shahwan, also left during the same period.
The Palestinians have little doubt that UNRWA, being an international organisation, would have an atmosphere of corruption. However, the leak of these investigations has several noteworthy implications. First that the investigations are not yet completed and are still gathering information and evidence.
Second, the investigations coincide with the explicitly American and Israeli calls to close UNRWA. Thirdly, the immediate measures that followed the exposure of these investigations were that several European countries stopped funding to UNRWA, as if it were a move discussed beforehand.
The US Peace Envoy to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt, did not wait long before he commented on the UNRWA corruption investigations. He tweeted, “We’re extremely concerned abt UNRWA allegations. We urge a full & transparent investigation by the UN.”
The Palestinians have cast much doubt and suspicion regarding the timing of the corruption report in UNRWA because it coincides with American and Israeli attempts to liquidate the agency and end its role. This is because the report aims to undermine UNRWA’s reputation before the UN General Assembly which is meeting to grant the aid organisation a new mandate for three years, scheduled in September. This would mean that the US is using the report to serve its political position.
There is no doubt that the UN report on the corruption of UNRWA officials will serve its enemies, namely the US and Israel, because they will try to raise the report before the meeting in order to put pressure on pro-UNRWA countries, who voted in 2016 to renew its mandate in an attempt to disrupt the next vote.
The disclosure of the corruption investigations in UNRWA comes after a previous statement by adviser to the US President, Jared Kushner, in which he described the agency as “corrupt, inefficient and doesn’t help peace.” This supports the theory that the report is being used politically to serve the American approach to liquidate the body. On the other hand, the Palestinians do not rule the possibility of someone in the UN ethics committee, which issued the report, being in collusion with the Israeli and American vision, and using the results to serve it.
UNRWA media adviser, Adnan Abu Hasna, announced that all of the details in the media regarding the corruption of UNRWA officials are allegations and that no results from the investigations conducted by the UN Services Office have been issued. He described the leaks in the media regarding the corruption as unprecedented exaggeration.
Abu Hasna accused unnamed parties of trying to take advantage of the issue to achieve their own objectives, citing the issuance of calls, statements and tweets from officials of one country or another, to shut down the UNRWA.
The Palestinian factions simultaneously issued similar statements and positions, warning of a plan targeting UNRWA in light of the leaked reports on corruption in UNRWA administration. This is because no Palestinian would cover up corruption in UNRWA or allow for those responsible not to be held accountable. However, it is clear that the emergence of corruption cases and making snap judgements before investigations are complete is not innocent and serves the Israeli-American project targeting the most important refugee agency by targeting its central figures.
These factions confirmed that leaking the corruption investigations occurred after plans to financially besiege the agency failed. Therefore, the Israeli and American officials rushed to state the need to write off UNRWA, despite the existence of bigger and more serious investigations being conducted in other UN agencies, but no one suggested the idea of writing them off.
The factions noted the presence of efforts by some countries, beginning with the US, to exploit the corruption suspicions in the UNRWA to target it politically and attack it in preparation to liquidate it. Such targeting has been confirmed by UNRWA because it is the greatest support for Palestinian refugees and an international and historical witness to their Nakba.
At the same time, the Palestinian political forces have made it clear that addressing any manifestations of corruption in UNRWA’s institutions is obligatory and laudable, as any institution would correct its performance in order to achieve its mission and goal as best as possible. However, the manner and timing in which this issue was raised is not innocent and is based on political premises aimed at ending the international agency and liquidating its role and status.
The financial and moral corruption investigations conducted within the UNRWA must be addressed by the UN and the agency must be purged of officials plagued with corruption cases and those opposed to the rights of Palestinian refugees.
UNRWA spokespeople have found themselves in an unenviable position of having to respond to the corruption accusations. UNRWA will need to deal with the results of the investigation once they emerge. There are some who hinted that some pre-empted the situation by leaking the details of the internal investigation, while others did not hide the presence of external pressures put on the UNRWA, in coincidence with attempts to question its role.
In recent days, the Palestinian community has been preoccupied with reports of corruption cases involving senior UNRWA officials, particularly following the resignation of the deputy commissioner-general. This coincided with American and Israeli calls to dismantle UNRWA and cut off funding to it as a prelude to the announcement of the “deal of the century”.
Palestinian concerns have increased as European countries such as Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium announced that UNRWA funding would be suspended until the end of corruption investigations, with the disclosure that UNRWA’s internal investigations were being conducted under US pressure. Meanwhile, the Palestinian factions said the moves were purely political.
The case began to arise in late July when an Al Jazeera English report suspected UNRWA officials of corruption by implicating them in abuse of power for personal gain and repressing legitimate dissent for their own ends. They also accused the agency officials of favouritism, revenge and abuses of power, posing a grave threat to the reputation of the UN. They stated that their immediate removal should be considered.
The report cited data from within UNRWA because these actions caused senior staff to leave the agency, low morale, fear of reprisals, mistrust, secrecy, bullying, intimidation and marginalisation.
The report also spoke of accusations made against some senior UNRWA officials of engaging in inappropriate sexual behaviour, nepotism, discrimination, and forms of abuse of power for personal gain.
The UN report said that UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl was at the centre of corruption, because he had used his authority to promote those close to him and treating those close to him inappropriately. Moreover, the report claimed senior officials had promoted people based on their relations, took retaliatory actions against UNRWA staff, and took advantage of their authority in many ways.
In addition to Krahenbuhl, the UN report mentioned UNRWA official Maria Mohammedi as having travelled with Krahenbuhl several times, and that their relationship went beyond the professional. The Deputy Commissioner-General Sandra Mitchell resigned in late July, while Chief of Staff, Hakam Shahwan, also left during the same period.
The Palestinians have little doubt that UNRWA, being an international organisation, would have an atmosphere of corruption. However, the leak of these investigations has several noteworthy implications. First that the investigations are not yet completed and are still gathering information and evidence.
Second, the investigations coincide with the explicitly American and Israeli calls to close UNRWA. Thirdly, the immediate measures that followed the exposure of these investigations were that several European countries stopped funding to UNRWA, as if it were a move discussed beforehand.
The US Peace Envoy to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt, did not wait long before he commented on the UNRWA corruption investigations. He tweeted, “We’re extremely concerned abt UNRWA allegations. We urge a full & transparent investigation by the UN.”
The Palestinians have cast much doubt and suspicion regarding the timing of the corruption report in UNRWA because it coincides with American and Israeli attempts to liquidate the agency and end its role. This is because the report aims to undermine UNRWA’s reputation before the UN General Assembly which is meeting to grant the aid organisation a new mandate for three years, scheduled in September. This would mean that the US is using the report to serve its political position.
There is no doubt that the UN report on the corruption of UNRWA officials will serve its enemies, namely the US and Israel, because they will try to raise the report before the meeting in order to put pressure on pro-UNRWA countries, who voted in 2016 to renew its mandate in an attempt to disrupt the next vote.
The disclosure of the corruption investigations in UNRWA comes after a previous statement by adviser to the US President, Jared Kushner, in which he described the agency as “corrupt, inefficient and doesn’t help peace.” This supports the theory that the report is being used politically to serve the American approach to liquidate the body. On the other hand, the Palestinians do not rule the possibility of someone in the UN ethics committee, which issued the report, being in collusion with the Israeli and American vision, and using the results to serve it.
UNRWA media adviser, Adnan Abu Hasna, announced that all of the details in the media regarding the corruption of UNRWA officials are allegations and that no results from the investigations conducted by the UN Services Office have been issued. He described the leaks in the media regarding the corruption as unprecedented exaggeration.
Abu Hasna accused unnamed parties of trying to take advantage of the issue to achieve their own objectives, citing the issuance of calls, statements and tweets from officials of one country or another, to shut down the UNRWA.
The Palestinian factions simultaneously issued similar statements and positions, warning of a plan targeting UNRWA in light of the leaked reports on corruption in UNRWA administration. This is because no Palestinian would cover up corruption in UNRWA or allow for those responsible not to be held accountable. However, it is clear that the emergence of corruption cases and making snap judgements before investigations are complete is not innocent and serves the Israeli-American project targeting the most important refugee agency by targeting its central figures.
These factions confirmed that leaking the corruption investigations occurred after plans to financially besiege the agency failed. Therefore, the Israeli and American officials rushed to state the need to write off UNRWA, despite the existence of bigger and more serious investigations being conducted in other UN agencies, but no one suggested the idea of writing them off.
The factions noted the presence of efforts by some countries, beginning with the US, to exploit the corruption suspicions in the UNRWA to target it politically and attack it in preparation to liquidate it. Such targeting has been confirmed by UNRWA because it is the greatest support for Palestinian refugees and an international and historical witness to their Nakba.
At the same time, the Palestinian political forces have made it clear that addressing any manifestations of corruption in UNRWA’s institutions is obligatory and laudable, as any institution would correct its performance in order to achieve its mission and goal as best as possible. However, the manner and timing in which this issue was raised is not innocent and is based on political premises aimed at ending the international agency and liquidating its role and status.
The financial and moral corruption investigations conducted within the UNRWA must be addressed by the UN and the agency must be purged of officials plagued with corruption cases and those opposed to the rights of Palestinian refugees.
UNRWA spokespeople have found themselves in an unenviable position of having to respond to the corruption accusations. UNRWA will need to deal with the results of the investigation once they emerge. There are some who hinted that some pre-empted the situation by leaking the details of the internal investigation, while others did not hide the presence of external pressures put on the UNRWA, in coincidence with attempts to question its role.
14 aug 2019
By Ramona Wadi
Palestinians want their land and rights restored; it’s a simple demand which the international community has succeeded in mangling in order to promote colonial agendas.
US President Donald Trump has contributed to the external scheming by adding speculation over what concept of a “state” is envisaged for the Palestinians, to the point that the media is still discussing whether the US is in favor of a one- or two-state paradigm.
The details revealed so far of the so-called “deal of the century” encourage such debate. What we can be sure of is that the US is committed to preventing the emergence of any form of Palestinian state. To sustain its position, Washington also knows that the international community will not put up any formidable opposition, not even to defend the two-state compromise that still does the rounds in diplomatic circles.
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said that the US refuses to engage in discourse regarding a Palestinian state because the term “conjures up so many potential issues.” The US, Friedman declared, “believes in Palestinian autonomy.”
To explain this sophistry, he added, “We believe that autonomy should extend up to the point where it interferes with Israeli security.”
In other words, the US will not speak about a Palestinian state because it is against anything that might give rise to Palestinians pursuing their political rights.
Meanwhile, the US definition of Palestinian autonomy is limited to a defined set of concessions which do not interfere with Israel’s colonial expansion. The last thing the world needs, claimed Friedman, is “a failed Palestinian state.”
In the real world, it is foreign intervention and interference which has created failed states, while Israeli colonialism in Palestine has eliminated all possibilities whatsoever of any semblance of a viable state. What Friedman wants, and the international community will not object to, is a situation where Palestinians are defined by others, not by themselves.
Minimizing Palestinian input when it comes to their political rights can create a new platform for a consensus whereby the international community clearly aligns itself with US-Israeli demands; nothing new in that, of course.
One of the main criticisms of Trump’s “deal” was the absence of a political framework. The international community’s adherence to the two-state paradigm, particularly promoted by the EU, has not succeeded in implementing Palestinian political rights.
Yet again, there is a tacit agreement between the US and the international community whereby, despite the differences in political agendas, the underlying aim is to render Palestinians absent in a process where the only respite remaining to them is humanitarian aid.
The latter, as can be seen from the recent developments regarding funding for UNRWA, is still subject to political decisions in which Palestinians, as recipients rather than political actors, have no say.
Can the international community prove that it is pursuing an agenda with outcomes for Palestinians that differ from those envisaged by the Trump administration? So far, it seems that Washington is facilitating the next phase of collective betrayal of Palestinians and their rights.
They are still, unfairly, expected to wait for purported “solutions” in which their existence and resilience in asserting their right to return are considered obstacles by Trump and the international community.
– Ramona Wadi is a staff writer for Middle East Monitor, where this article was originally published. She contributed this article to the Palestine Chronicle.
Palestinians want their land and rights restored; it’s a simple demand which the international community has succeeded in mangling in order to promote colonial agendas.
US President Donald Trump has contributed to the external scheming by adding speculation over what concept of a “state” is envisaged for the Palestinians, to the point that the media is still discussing whether the US is in favor of a one- or two-state paradigm.
The details revealed so far of the so-called “deal of the century” encourage such debate. What we can be sure of is that the US is committed to preventing the emergence of any form of Palestinian state. To sustain its position, Washington also knows that the international community will not put up any formidable opposition, not even to defend the two-state compromise that still does the rounds in diplomatic circles.
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said that the US refuses to engage in discourse regarding a Palestinian state because the term “conjures up so many potential issues.” The US, Friedman declared, “believes in Palestinian autonomy.”
To explain this sophistry, he added, “We believe that autonomy should extend up to the point where it interferes with Israeli security.”
In other words, the US will not speak about a Palestinian state because it is against anything that might give rise to Palestinians pursuing their political rights.
Meanwhile, the US definition of Palestinian autonomy is limited to a defined set of concessions which do not interfere with Israel’s colonial expansion. The last thing the world needs, claimed Friedman, is “a failed Palestinian state.”
In the real world, it is foreign intervention and interference which has created failed states, while Israeli colonialism in Palestine has eliminated all possibilities whatsoever of any semblance of a viable state. What Friedman wants, and the international community will not object to, is a situation where Palestinians are defined by others, not by themselves.
Minimizing Palestinian input when it comes to their political rights can create a new platform for a consensus whereby the international community clearly aligns itself with US-Israeli demands; nothing new in that, of course.
One of the main criticisms of Trump’s “deal” was the absence of a political framework. The international community’s adherence to the two-state paradigm, particularly promoted by the EU, has not succeeded in implementing Palestinian political rights.
Yet again, there is a tacit agreement between the US and the international community whereby, despite the differences in political agendas, the underlying aim is to render Palestinians absent in a process where the only respite remaining to them is humanitarian aid.
The latter, as can be seen from the recent developments regarding funding for UNRWA, is still subject to political decisions in which Palestinians, as recipients rather than political actors, have no say.
Can the international community prove that it is pursuing an agenda with outcomes for Palestinians that differ from those envisaged by the Trump administration? So far, it seems that Washington is facilitating the next phase of collective betrayal of Palestinians and their rights.
They are still, unfairly, expected to wait for purported “solutions” in which their existence and resilience in asserting their right to return are considered obstacles by Trump and the international community.
– Ramona Wadi is a staff writer for Middle East Monitor, where this article was originally published. She contributed this article to the Palestine Chronicle.
This picture taken on March 30, 2019, shows an Iron Dome defense system battery, designed to intercept and destroy incoming short-range rockets and artillery shells, in the southern Israeli town of Ashdod
The US army has formally signed a contract to purchase two Iron Dome missile systems from Israel, according to a report.
America’s military magazine, Defense News, said in a report on Tuesday that the US Defense Department had finalized a deal to buy two batteries of the Israeli-made Iron Dome missile system for its interim cruise missile defense capability.
The report said the contract was signed in the last few weeks and that Israel and the US are currently in talks on transferring the systems to America.
“Now that the contract is set in stone, the Army will be able to figure out delivery schedules and details in terms of taking receipt of the systems,” the military magazine said.
Defense News added that the Israeli-made Iron Dome is meant as an interim missile defense solution for the US but it could turn into a permanent one depending on its performance in the field.
The purchase deal, initially announced earlier in the year, has been hailed as historic, marking the first time Israel has sold a standalone weapons system to Washington.
“A great achievement for Israel, this is yet another expression of the strengthening of our strong alliance with the US,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in February.
The Iron Dome has been co-developed by American company Raytheon and Israeli defense firm Rafael. It is partly manufactured in the United States.
The Iron Dome is claimed to be capable of detecting, assessing and intercepting a variety of shorter-range targets such as rockets, artillery and mortars.
The system was originally developed to counter small rockets that Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups fired into Israeli occupied territories in retaliation for the regime's crimes against Palestinians.
The Iron Dome has proven largely ineffective in serving that purpose.
The US army has formally signed a contract to purchase two Iron Dome missile systems from Israel, according to a report.
America’s military magazine, Defense News, said in a report on Tuesday that the US Defense Department had finalized a deal to buy two batteries of the Israeli-made Iron Dome missile system for its interim cruise missile defense capability.
The report said the contract was signed in the last few weeks and that Israel and the US are currently in talks on transferring the systems to America.
“Now that the contract is set in stone, the Army will be able to figure out delivery schedules and details in terms of taking receipt of the systems,” the military magazine said.
Defense News added that the Israeli-made Iron Dome is meant as an interim missile defense solution for the US but it could turn into a permanent one depending on its performance in the field.
The purchase deal, initially announced earlier in the year, has been hailed as historic, marking the first time Israel has sold a standalone weapons system to Washington.
“A great achievement for Israel, this is yet another expression of the strengthening of our strong alliance with the US,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in February.
The Iron Dome has been co-developed by American company Raytheon and Israeli defense firm Rafael. It is partly manufactured in the United States.
The Iron Dome is claimed to be capable of detecting, assessing and intercepting a variety of shorter-range targets such as rockets, artillery and mortars.
The system was originally developed to counter small rockets that Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups fired into Israeli occupied territories in retaliation for the regime's crimes against Palestinians.
The Iron Dome has proven largely ineffective in serving that purpose.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, met with 37 U.S. Congress members, Tuesday, to discuss several issues, according to Palestinian WAFA News Agency.
The meeting was held in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, where the PM reviewed the many challenges of the Palestinian leadership, such as the payment of salaries of martyrs and detainees.
PM Shtayyeh also explored why the peace process has been stalled, and expressed to the congress members that the U.S. and its policies have emboldened Israel’s settlement activities.
Of utmost importance, to achieve peace, the PM emphasized, are the ending of the Israeli occupation and the cessation of all settlement building.
“The peace process started in Madrid 28 years ago, and it is inconceivable that no peace has been reached until now.”
– PM Mohammed Shtayyeh
“The peace process needs serious intentions; Israel does not have these intentions and the US is biased toward Israel.”
– PM Mohammed Shtayyeh
“The best solution for us is the two-state solution along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Palestine, and with a just solution for refugees.”
– PM Mohammed Shtayyeh
PM meets members of US Congress in Ramallah, briefs them on situation
Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met today with 37 members of the US Congress in Ramallah, where they discussed a number of issues, including paying the salaries of the families of martyrs and prisoners in Israeli jails, and reasons behind the continued regression in the peace process.
The premier stressed that the US administration, through its measures, has encouraged Israeli settlement activities and has cancelled all final status issues, including Jerusalem, borders, refugees, and UNRWA.
He said that any peace process needs a clear terms of reference and must be in accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions, stressing that there must be confidence-building measures between all parties, the most important of which is the cessation of settlement construction and setting up a timetable for ending the Israeli occupation.
“The peace process started in Madrid 28 years ago, and it is inconceivable that no peace has been reached until now,” said Shtayyeh.
“The peace process needs serious intentions; Israel does not have these intentions and the US is biased toward Israel,” added Shtayyeh, stressing that, 'the best solution for us is the two-state solution along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Palestine, and with a just solution for refugees.”
He said, “We want relations between the United States and Palestine to be independent from Israel,” adding that President Mahmoud Abbas is one of the biggest believers in peace and has made every effort during his four meetings with US President Donald Trump to reach a just and comprehensive peace formula, but the US administration has taken unilateral steps that led to the killing of the negotiating and political track, especially transferring its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“We do not evade peace and will not accept anything less than our minimum legitimate rights,” said Shtayyeh.
The meeting was held in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, where the PM reviewed the many challenges of the Palestinian leadership, such as the payment of salaries of martyrs and detainees.
PM Shtayyeh also explored why the peace process has been stalled, and expressed to the congress members that the U.S. and its policies have emboldened Israel’s settlement activities.
Of utmost importance, to achieve peace, the PM emphasized, are the ending of the Israeli occupation and the cessation of all settlement building.
“The peace process started in Madrid 28 years ago, and it is inconceivable that no peace has been reached until now.”
– PM Mohammed Shtayyeh
“The peace process needs serious intentions; Israel does not have these intentions and the US is biased toward Israel.”
– PM Mohammed Shtayyeh
“The best solution for us is the two-state solution along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Palestine, and with a just solution for refugees.”
– PM Mohammed Shtayyeh
PM meets members of US Congress in Ramallah, briefs them on situation
Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met today with 37 members of the US Congress in Ramallah, where they discussed a number of issues, including paying the salaries of the families of martyrs and prisoners in Israeli jails, and reasons behind the continued regression in the peace process.
The premier stressed that the US administration, through its measures, has encouraged Israeli settlement activities and has cancelled all final status issues, including Jerusalem, borders, refugees, and UNRWA.
He said that any peace process needs a clear terms of reference and must be in accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions, stressing that there must be confidence-building measures between all parties, the most important of which is the cessation of settlement construction and setting up a timetable for ending the Israeli occupation.
“The peace process started in Madrid 28 years ago, and it is inconceivable that no peace has been reached until now,” said Shtayyeh.
“The peace process needs serious intentions; Israel does not have these intentions and the US is biased toward Israel,” added Shtayyeh, stressing that, 'the best solution for us is the two-state solution along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Palestine, and with a just solution for refugees.”
He said, “We want relations between the United States and Palestine to be independent from Israel,” adding that President Mahmoud Abbas is one of the biggest believers in peace and has made every effort during his four meetings with US President Donald Trump to reach a just and comprehensive peace formula, but the US administration has taken unilateral steps that led to the killing of the negotiating and political track, especially transferring its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“We do not evade peace and will not accept anything less than our minimum legitimate rights,” said Shtayyeh.
13 aug 2019
A group of the Israeli parliament (Knesset)’s members have criticized the US House of Representatives for approving a resolution against a global boycott campaign against the regime, which endorses, to Tel Aviv’s dismay, a so-called two-state solution to the decades-long conflict with Palestine.
House Resolution 246 was passed by a 398-17 margin, with five abstentions on July 23.
It opposes the international movement known as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), but also backs the so-called two-state solution. The measure further reaffirmed strong support for “a negotiated solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting in “a viable, democratic Palestinian state.”
In a letter sent Monday to four US Congressmen who co-sponsored the resolution, 21 Israeli lawmakers argued that the measure contains a “grave error” and that the “two-state” bid is “far more dangerous” than the BDS.
“Israel is grateful to all our wonderful friends in Congress who stand with us on so many fronts. However, we would like to express to you our concern regarding the anti-BDS resolution (H. Res. 246),” read the letter.
“We believe it contains a grave error because it expresses, among other things, support for a so-called ‘Two-State Solution,’ meaning the establishment of a ‘Palestinian state’… We would like to make our position clear that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be far more dangerous to Israel than BDS,” it added.
The BDS movement was initiated in 2005 by over 170 Palestinian organizations and later turned international. It is meant to initiate “various forms of boycott against Israel until it meets its obligations under international law” and end its occupation of the Palestinian lands.
In a bid to force the Tel Aviv regime to withdraw its claim from the Palestinian territories, many countries have banned the sale of goods produced in the Israeli settlements.
Elsewhere in their letter, the Israeli lawmakers said that the push for the establishment of a Palestinian state contradicts US President Donald Trump’s position on the matter.
They also claimed that creating a sovereign Palestinian state would “severely damage” both Israel’s and America’s national security.
The Israeli legislators further urged their American colleagues to refrain from endorsing the “two-state solution” in the future.
“The affirmation of support for establishing a Palestinian state is so dangerous that we respectfully request that you take that into consideration,” they added.
House Resolution 246 was passed by a 398-17 margin, with five abstentions on July 23.
It opposes the international movement known as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), but also backs the so-called two-state solution. The measure further reaffirmed strong support for “a negotiated solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting in “a viable, democratic Palestinian state.”
In a letter sent Monday to four US Congressmen who co-sponsored the resolution, 21 Israeli lawmakers argued that the measure contains a “grave error” and that the “two-state” bid is “far more dangerous” than the BDS.
“Israel is grateful to all our wonderful friends in Congress who stand with us on so many fronts. However, we would like to express to you our concern regarding the anti-BDS resolution (H. Res. 246),” read the letter.
“We believe it contains a grave error because it expresses, among other things, support for a so-called ‘Two-State Solution,’ meaning the establishment of a ‘Palestinian state’… We would like to make our position clear that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be far more dangerous to Israel than BDS,” it added.
The BDS movement was initiated in 2005 by over 170 Palestinian organizations and later turned international. It is meant to initiate “various forms of boycott against Israel until it meets its obligations under international law” and end its occupation of the Palestinian lands.
In a bid to force the Tel Aviv regime to withdraw its claim from the Palestinian territories, many countries have banned the sale of goods produced in the Israeli settlements.
Elsewhere in their letter, the Israeli lawmakers said that the push for the establishment of a Palestinian state contradicts US President Donald Trump’s position on the matter.
They also claimed that creating a sovereign Palestinian state would “severely damage” both Israel’s and America’s national security.
The Israeli legislators further urged their American colleagues to refrain from endorsing the “two-state solution” in the future.
“The affirmation of support for establishing a Palestinian state is so dangerous that we respectfully request that you take that into consideration,” they added.
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