28 mar 2020
Eight senior United States senators urged the US Administration to provide assistance to the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza to help them overcome coronavirus pandemic.
“President Trump recently offered assistance to other countries fighting the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic, including North Korea and Iran.
This principle of providing humanitarian aid to those in need should also apply to the Palestinian people,” said the senators in their letter [pdf] to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “We write to urge the Administration to take every reasonable step to provide medicine, medical equipment, and other necessary assistance to the West Bank and Gaza Strip (Palestinian Territories) to prevent a humanitarian disaster.”
The senators said that as coronavirus spreads in the Palestinian territories, particularly in the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas of the world and blockaded by Israel since 2007, a coronavirus outbreak in the region would further endanger the health of Palestinians.
They said that with the cut in US aid to the Palestinians since January 2018, particularly to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), “which supports the basic health care needs of millions of Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, and surrounding countries,” and as “COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented health, diplomatic, and economic threat, and it is in the national security interest of the United States and in the interest of the Palestinian people and our ally Israel,” to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the Palestinian Territories, “we are concerned that the Administration is failing to take every reasonable step to help combat this public health emergency in the Palestinian Territories.”
The senators demanded answers to several questions by April 3 that have to do with steps the US Administration is taking or planning to take to provide assistance to the Palestinian people and “when does the Administration plan to obligate $75 million in Economic Support Funds for assistance for the Palestinians as mandated by the FY 2020 Appropriations Act?”
The letter was signed by Senators Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen, Patrick Leahy, Tom Udall, Thomas R. Carper, Bernard Sanders, Jeffrey A. Merkley, Thomas R. Carper and Sherrod Brown.
“President Trump recently offered assistance to other countries fighting the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic, including North Korea and Iran.
This principle of providing humanitarian aid to those in need should also apply to the Palestinian people,” said the senators in their letter [pdf] to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “We write to urge the Administration to take every reasonable step to provide medicine, medical equipment, and other necessary assistance to the West Bank and Gaza Strip (Palestinian Territories) to prevent a humanitarian disaster.”
The senators said that as coronavirus spreads in the Palestinian territories, particularly in the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas of the world and blockaded by Israel since 2007, a coronavirus outbreak in the region would further endanger the health of Palestinians.
They said that with the cut in US aid to the Palestinians since January 2018, particularly to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), “which supports the basic health care needs of millions of Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, and surrounding countries,” and as “COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented health, diplomatic, and economic threat, and it is in the national security interest of the United States and in the interest of the Palestinian people and our ally Israel,” to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the Palestinian Territories, “we are concerned that the Administration is failing to take every reasonable step to help combat this public health emergency in the Palestinian Territories.”
The senators demanded answers to several questions by April 3 that have to do with steps the US Administration is taking or planning to take to provide assistance to the Palestinian people and “when does the Administration plan to obligate $75 million in Economic Support Funds for assistance for the Palestinians as mandated by the FY 2020 Appropriations Act?”
The letter was signed by Senators Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen, Patrick Leahy, Tom Udall, Thomas R. Carper, Bernard Sanders, Jeffrey A. Merkley, Thomas R. Carper and Sherrod Brown.
14 mar 2020
Jerusalem affairs researcher Abdullah Maarouf has called the US state department’s abstention from describing the population in east Jerusalem as Palestinians “invalid,” stressing that “the Palestinians are not waiting for anyone to recognize their name.”
“Neither the US state department nor the US administration have the right to give the Palestinian Jerusalemites the name they wish,” Maarouf told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC).
“The Palestinians in Jerusalem have been Palestinians since the name, Palestine, emerged at least 4,000 years ago and they are not waiting for anyone to recognize their name,” he added.
He expressed his belief that such US step would “have no impact on the ground in Jerusalem nor on the nature and shape of the conflict with the occupation.”
“The current US administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the occupation state’s capital did not go beyond Trump’s throat and was rejected by the whole world in a famous resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly, which considered such recognition null and void,” the researcher underlined.
“Neither the US state department nor the US administration have the right to give the Palestinian Jerusalemites the name they wish,” Maarouf told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC).
“The Palestinians in Jerusalem have been Palestinians since the name, Palestine, emerged at least 4,000 years ago and they are not waiting for anyone to recognize their name,” he added.
He expressed his belief that such US step would “have no impact on the ground in Jerusalem nor on the nature and shape of the conflict with the occupation.”
“The current US administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the occupation state’s capital did not go beyond Trump’s throat and was rejected by the whole world in a famous resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly, which considered such recognition null and void,” the researcher underlined.
12 mar 2020
Foreign Minister Riyad Malki strongly criticized the US labeling of Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem as “Arab residents,” charging the United States of adopting the terms used by the extremist right-wing government in Israel.
Adopting this term, he said, “disregards all international and United Nations reports issued by independent investigation and fact-finding committees, including the findings of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court that Israel, its occupation army and its officials violate international law, and commit war crimes, targeting and killing Palestinian civilians deliberately.”
Malki expressed his strong rejection and condemnation of what he said in a statement as “attempts to falsify and deny the facts,” asserting that “the Palestinian people are the owners of this land for tens of thousands of years, and that they are rooted in it and continue to remain in their land in historical Palestine, and therefore any attempt to label them as residents when they are the indigenous people of Palestine and Jerusalem is unacceptable.”
He said that “the Israeli occupation has no right to claim sovereignty over the land that it occupies, and that with the US encouraging the occupation will not change the legal status of the occupied Palestinian land, including Jerusalem, and therefore the place of this report and the so-called deal of the century is the trash pin of history.”
Abu Rudeineh: Falsifying history and truth will not give legitimacy to anyone
Responding to the report by the US State Department in which it changed the definition of the Palestinian citizens in occupied East Jerusalem to “Arab residents”, presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said today that any attempt to falsify history and the truth will not give legitimacy to anyone, nor will it change the history of the Palestinian people of Jerusalem."
This report constitutes another failed attempt by the American administration to implement the so-called deal of the century plan, which is rejected by the Palestinians, the Arabs and internationally," he said, stressing that "it is not permissible to tamper with the rules of international law and United Nations resolutions, which all have affirmed that East Jerusalem is an integral part of the Palestinian land occupied in 1967."
He added, "This American policy, blindly biased in favor of the occupation, is a challenge to the UN Security Council resolutions, especially 2334, and the UN General Assembly resolution of November 29, 2012 in which the State of Palestine became an observer member in the United Nations by an overwhelming majority, which constitutes a blatant attack on the international legitimacy and the world order."
Abu Rudeineh concluded his statement by saying that "the continuation of the US administration with these desperate attempts will not bring peace, security and stability to anyone, nor will it harm the Palestinian people and their leadership, who are capable of thwarting this conspiracy, just as they have foiled all previous conspiracies that tried to liquidate our national cause."
Adopting this term, he said, “disregards all international and United Nations reports issued by independent investigation and fact-finding committees, including the findings of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court that Israel, its occupation army and its officials violate international law, and commit war crimes, targeting and killing Palestinian civilians deliberately.”
Malki expressed his strong rejection and condemnation of what he said in a statement as “attempts to falsify and deny the facts,” asserting that “the Palestinian people are the owners of this land for tens of thousands of years, and that they are rooted in it and continue to remain in their land in historical Palestine, and therefore any attempt to label them as residents when they are the indigenous people of Palestine and Jerusalem is unacceptable.”
He said that “the Israeli occupation has no right to claim sovereignty over the land that it occupies, and that with the US encouraging the occupation will not change the legal status of the occupied Palestinian land, including Jerusalem, and therefore the place of this report and the so-called deal of the century is the trash pin of history.”
Abu Rudeineh: Falsifying history and truth will not give legitimacy to anyone
Responding to the report by the US State Department in which it changed the definition of the Palestinian citizens in occupied East Jerusalem to “Arab residents”, presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said today that any attempt to falsify history and the truth will not give legitimacy to anyone, nor will it change the history of the Palestinian people of Jerusalem."
This report constitutes another failed attempt by the American administration to implement the so-called deal of the century plan, which is rejected by the Palestinians, the Arabs and internationally," he said, stressing that "it is not permissible to tamper with the rules of international law and United Nations resolutions, which all have affirmed that East Jerusalem is an integral part of the Palestinian land occupied in 1967."
He added, "This American policy, blindly biased in favor of the occupation, is a challenge to the UN Security Council resolutions, especially 2334, and the UN General Assembly resolution of November 29, 2012 in which the State of Palestine became an observer member in the United Nations by an overwhelming majority, which constitutes a blatant attack on the international legitimacy and the world order."
Abu Rudeineh concluded his statement by saying that "the continuation of the US administration with these desperate attempts will not bring peace, security and stability to anyone, nor will it harm the Palestinian people and their leadership, who are capable of thwarting this conspiracy, just as they have foiled all previous conspiracies that tried to liquidate our national cause."
5 mar 2020
Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo reiterated today their rejection of the American-Israeli "deal of the century" as it does not meet the minimum rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people and contradicts with the peace process references based on international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
At the end of the 153rd session of the Arab League Council at the level of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo, the ministers affirmed that they would not deal with this "unfair deal" or cooperate with the US administration in implementing it in any way.
They also rejected attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause through humanitarian and economic solutions without a just political settlement, refusing any political or financial pressure exerted on the Palestinian people and their leadership with the aim of imposing unjust solutions to the Palestinian cause.
The Arab foreign ministers emphasized adherence to peace as a strategic option, and resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions, including 242, 338 and 1515, and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
They also warned of the intentions and policies of the Israeli occupation government to take advantage of the illegal cover provided by the unilateral US decisions, with the aim of forcibly annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, condemning any Israeli-American action in that direction.
The ministers called on the United Nations, the Security Council and the General Assembly, to shoulder their responsibilities to curb this illegal act, and to hold the Israeli and US governments responsible for the dangerous consequences of that approach, which effectively eliminates the chances for peace.
The top Arab diplomats stressed the need to support the peace achievement plan that President Mahmoud Abbas put forward in the Security Council on 11/2/2020, urging for joint work with international actors, including the Quartet, to establish an international multilateral mechanism to sponsor the peace process, including a call for an international conference.
The ministers as well affirmed their rejection and condemnation of any unilateral decisions that violate the legal status of Jerusalem, including the decision of the United States to recognize the city as the capital of Israel and the transfer of its embassy to the holy city.
The ministers also affirmed the condemnation of the Israeli colonial settlement policy, requesting the UN Security Council to implement its Resolution No. 2334 of 2016, which emphasized that Israeli settlements constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and an obstacle to peace.
They condemned the decision of the United States which considered the Israeli colonial settlement in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 not contrary to international law, considering this decision as an explicit violation of the United Nations Charter and relevant resolutions.
The Arab foreign ministers also called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to allow the Palestinian Authority to hold general elections in occupied East Jerusalem.
At the end of the 153rd session of the Arab League Council at the level of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo, the ministers affirmed that they would not deal with this "unfair deal" or cooperate with the US administration in implementing it in any way.
They also rejected attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause through humanitarian and economic solutions without a just political settlement, refusing any political or financial pressure exerted on the Palestinian people and their leadership with the aim of imposing unjust solutions to the Palestinian cause.
The Arab foreign ministers emphasized adherence to peace as a strategic option, and resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions, including 242, 338 and 1515, and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
They also warned of the intentions and policies of the Israeli occupation government to take advantage of the illegal cover provided by the unilateral US decisions, with the aim of forcibly annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, condemning any Israeli-American action in that direction.
The ministers called on the United Nations, the Security Council and the General Assembly, to shoulder their responsibilities to curb this illegal act, and to hold the Israeli and US governments responsible for the dangerous consequences of that approach, which effectively eliminates the chances for peace.
The top Arab diplomats stressed the need to support the peace achievement plan that President Mahmoud Abbas put forward in the Security Council on 11/2/2020, urging for joint work with international actors, including the Quartet, to establish an international multilateral mechanism to sponsor the peace process, including a call for an international conference.
The ministers as well affirmed their rejection and condemnation of any unilateral decisions that violate the legal status of Jerusalem, including the decision of the United States to recognize the city as the capital of Israel and the transfer of its embassy to the holy city.
The ministers also affirmed the condemnation of the Israeli colonial settlement policy, requesting the UN Security Council to implement its Resolution No. 2334 of 2016, which emphasized that Israeli settlements constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and an obstacle to peace.
They condemned the decision of the United States which considered the Israeli colonial settlement in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 not contrary to international law, considering this decision as an explicit violation of the United Nations Charter and relevant resolutions.
The Arab foreign ministers also called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to allow the Palestinian Authority to hold general elections in occupied East Jerusalem.
29 feb 2020
Responding to what he described as “distortions and lies” by US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, about Palestine’s capital, Jerusalem, Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), stressed that East Jerusalem, with its old city and holy places, is the capital of Palestine.
“The conspiracy of the century specified that Abu Dis and Kufr Aqab can be named as Palestine’s capital,” Erekat said in reference to the American so-called deal of the century and the two East Jerusalem neighborhoods that fall beyond Israel’s apartheid barrier, which Friedman said in a press interview will be the capital of the future state of Palestine when he said the capital will be “in Jerusalem”, but not Jerusalem.
The US recognized in December 2018 all of Jerusalem, with its occupied East, as capital of Israel in defiance of international law and United Nations resolutions that consider Israel’s occupation as illegal and later moved the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“East Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine, is the old city of Jerusalem, Haram Al-Sharif (Al-Aqsa Mosque compound), the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, all quarters, the seven gates, Musrara, Salah Aldin St.; 6 square kilometers occupied since1967.
This is Jerusalem the Capital of the State of Palestine,” he said in reference to the total area of East Jerusalem inside and outside the old city.
“Lies and distortions of one of the authors of the conspiracy of the century are doomed to failure. There is no meaning to Palestine to become a State without its full sovereignty on the Haram Al-Sharif, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Walls, the narrow streets, the gate to heaven; Jerusalem of the ascendance to heaven, and resurrection,” added the PLO official who led the Palestinian negotiations with Israel for over a decade.
Meanwhile, a Fatah official denied allegation by Friedman of back channel talks with the Palestinians, saying that the Palestinian position is clear in rejecting the American plan.
“The deal of the century is rejected from A to Z,” said Usama Qawasmi, member of Fatah Revolutionary Council and the movement’s spokesman. “There is nothing good in it and it cannot serve as a base for talks or to launch a credible political process.”
He said in a statement that that plan would only consolidate an apartheid system and any talk about a Palestinian state is nothing but a deception.
“There are no contacts with the American administration,” he said in response to Friedman’s allegation of back channel talks.
“The Palestinian position is clear and firm: What we want is an international multilateral sponsorship, with the International Quartet (the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States) playing a major role, and the UN being the reference and the launch pad for dialogue.”
The Palestinian government has also denied in a statement by its spokesman any back channel talks with Washington.
“The conspiracy of the century specified that Abu Dis and Kufr Aqab can be named as Palestine’s capital,” Erekat said in reference to the American so-called deal of the century and the two East Jerusalem neighborhoods that fall beyond Israel’s apartheid barrier, which Friedman said in a press interview will be the capital of the future state of Palestine when he said the capital will be “in Jerusalem”, but not Jerusalem.
The US recognized in December 2018 all of Jerusalem, with its occupied East, as capital of Israel in defiance of international law and United Nations resolutions that consider Israel’s occupation as illegal and later moved the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“East Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine, is the old city of Jerusalem, Haram Al-Sharif (Al-Aqsa Mosque compound), the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, all quarters, the seven gates, Musrara, Salah Aldin St.; 6 square kilometers occupied since1967.
This is Jerusalem the Capital of the State of Palestine,” he said in reference to the total area of East Jerusalem inside and outside the old city.
“Lies and distortions of one of the authors of the conspiracy of the century are doomed to failure. There is no meaning to Palestine to become a State without its full sovereignty on the Haram Al-Sharif, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Walls, the narrow streets, the gate to heaven; Jerusalem of the ascendance to heaven, and resurrection,” added the PLO official who led the Palestinian negotiations with Israel for over a decade.
Meanwhile, a Fatah official denied allegation by Friedman of back channel talks with the Palestinians, saying that the Palestinian position is clear in rejecting the American plan.
“The deal of the century is rejected from A to Z,” said Usama Qawasmi, member of Fatah Revolutionary Council and the movement’s spokesman. “There is nothing good in it and it cannot serve as a base for talks or to launch a credible political process.”
He said in a statement that that plan would only consolidate an apartheid system and any talk about a Palestinian state is nothing but a deception.
“There are no contacts with the American administration,” he said in response to Friedman’s allegation of back channel talks.
“The Palestinian position is clear and firm: What we want is an international multilateral sponsorship, with the International Quartet (the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States) playing a major role, and the UN being the reference and the launch pad for dialogue.”
The Palestinian government has also denied in a statement by its spokesman any back channel talks with Washington.
