24 nov 2017
Hamas’s former chief, Khaled Mishaal, attributed the world’s apathy vis-à-vis the Palestinian cause to a set of intertwined causes, most notable among which being the Israel-U.S. pressure.
Speaking at a seminar staged by Al-Jazeera Center for Studies in Doha, Mishaal said the crises rocking the Middle East have resulted in declining support for the Palestinian cause.
“The nation’s enemies, with Israel being on top of the list, have been deliberately fueling sectarian and racial strife to divide the Arabs,” said Mishaal.
The Hamas leader also pointed out the ambivalence characterizing the world order, saying many superpowers, most notably the U.S., Russia, China, and India, are struggling to win the lion’s share.
“Every state has different interests and, therefore, a different position as regards the Palestinian cause,” explained Mishaal.
Commenting on the “Israeli factor”, Hamas’s former chief said Israel has been taking advantage of the weakness of the Palestinian leadership, internal division, and Arabs’ apathy vis-à-vis the cause.
“Israel has managed to establish strong bonds with a number of Arab States with the help of the U.S. President Donald Trump,” he stated.
Mishaal also attributed the declining back up for the Palestinian cause to the intra-Palestinian division.
He further warned of the upshots of the so-called “century’s deal” which he said aims to satisfy the U.S. and Israel by keeping pro-Israel regimes in power despite of the flagrant human rights violations perpetrated by such regimes.
“The U.S. has already received the deal. It just seeks to reproduce it, cover it up, and forward it to the world as an American peace project,” added Mishaal.
The Hamas leader also explained that the deal aims to prop up Israel’s sovereignty over Occupied Jerusalem and to eliminate the refugees’ right of return to their motherland instead of pushing for removing illegal settlements and establishing a Palestinian State on the 1967 borders. “A self-rule in the West Bank will, thus, be the utmost of what the Palestinians can get out of the deal.”
“Unfortunately, a number of Arab regimes have turned the Palestinian cause into a bargaining chip just to remain in power,” Hamas’s former chief concluded.
Speaking at a seminar staged by Al-Jazeera Center for Studies in Doha, Mishaal said the crises rocking the Middle East have resulted in declining support for the Palestinian cause.
“The nation’s enemies, with Israel being on top of the list, have been deliberately fueling sectarian and racial strife to divide the Arabs,” said Mishaal.
The Hamas leader also pointed out the ambivalence characterizing the world order, saying many superpowers, most notably the U.S., Russia, China, and India, are struggling to win the lion’s share.
“Every state has different interests and, therefore, a different position as regards the Palestinian cause,” explained Mishaal.
Commenting on the “Israeli factor”, Hamas’s former chief said Israel has been taking advantage of the weakness of the Palestinian leadership, internal division, and Arabs’ apathy vis-à-vis the cause.
“Israel has managed to establish strong bonds with a number of Arab States with the help of the U.S. President Donald Trump,” he stated.
Mishaal also attributed the declining back up for the Palestinian cause to the intra-Palestinian division.
He further warned of the upshots of the so-called “century’s deal” which he said aims to satisfy the U.S. and Israel by keeping pro-Israel regimes in power despite of the flagrant human rights violations perpetrated by such regimes.
“The U.S. has already received the deal. It just seeks to reproduce it, cover it up, and forward it to the world as an American peace project,” added Mishaal.
The Hamas leader also explained that the deal aims to prop up Israel’s sovereignty over Occupied Jerusalem and to eliminate the refugees’ right of return to their motherland instead of pushing for removing illegal settlements and establishing a Palestinian State on the 1967 borders. “A self-rule in the West Bank will, thus, be the utmost of what the Palestinians can get out of the deal.”
“Unfortunately, a number of Arab regimes have turned the Palestinian cause into a bargaining chip just to remain in power,” Hamas’s former chief concluded.
Israeli minister Naftali Bennett has reiterated his call for the occupied West Bank to be formally annexed, speaking on Monday evening at an event organised by pro-settler news site Arutz Sheva.
Education Minister and Diaspora Affairs Minister, Bennett declared that Israel has “a very rare opportunity now”, referring to US President Donald Trump.
“[There is] a President who thinks different, who thinks open,” Bennett told the audience, according to Days of Palestine.
“It’s not enough to move the embassy to Jerusalem. It’s now 50 years since we liberated Judea and Samaria [the West Bank]. It’s time to recognize them as Israel. It’s time for sovereignty,” he added, using the term often used by the Israeli right to refer to annexation.
Describing himself, in his capacity as diaspora affairs minister, as “effectively the Minister of the Jews”, Bennett said: “We need to understand that the Jewish State is not only the state of the Israeli citizen, it’s a state where every Jew in the world has a stake here.”
Describing himself, in his capacity as diaspora affairs minister, as “effectively the Minister of the Jews”, Bennett said: “We need to understand that the Jewish State is not only the state of the Israeli citizen, it’s a state where every Jew in the world has a stake here.”
“Today, throughout the world”, Bennett continued, “there’s millions of Jews that need us to go and to reach out to them. And we’re doing more than we’ve ever done.”
Archive IMEMC post: 05/17/15 Bennett Wants to See Palestinians Become ‘Water Carriers and Wood Hewers’ for Jews
Education Minister and Diaspora Affairs Minister, Bennett declared that Israel has “a very rare opportunity now”, referring to US President Donald Trump.
“[There is] a President who thinks different, who thinks open,” Bennett told the audience, according to Days of Palestine.
“It’s not enough to move the embassy to Jerusalem. It’s now 50 years since we liberated Judea and Samaria [the West Bank]. It’s time to recognize them as Israel. It’s time for sovereignty,” he added, using the term often used by the Israeli right to refer to annexation.
Describing himself, in his capacity as diaspora affairs minister, as “effectively the Minister of the Jews”, Bennett said: “We need to understand that the Jewish State is not only the state of the Israeli citizen, it’s a state where every Jew in the world has a stake here.”
Describing himself, in his capacity as diaspora affairs minister, as “effectively the Minister of the Jews”, Bennett said: “We need to understand that the Jewish State is not only the state of the Israeli citizen, it’s a state where every Jew in the world has a stake here.”
“Today, throughout the world”, Bennett continued, “there’s millions of Jews that need us to go and to reach out to them. And we’re doing more than we’ve ever done.”
Archive IMEMC post: 05/17/15 Bennett Wants to See Palestinians Become ‘Water Carriers and Wood Hewers’ for Jews
22 nov 2017
Special counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly probing Jared Kushner’s contacts with Israeli officials in the weeks before Kushner’s father-in-law, Donald Trump, took office as president.
Cheriss May NurPhotoSpecial counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly probing Jared Kushner’s contacts with Israeli officials last year as Israel tried to derail a UN Security Council vote on its West Bank settlements.
Kushner is Donald Trump’s son-in-law, a senior adviser and fixer. Former FBI director Mueller was appointed by the Department of Justice in May to lead a broad investigation sparked by allegations of ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The Wall Street Journal’s revelation of the probe into Kushner’s contacts with Israel comes as details emerge of an imminent Trump “peace plan” that would railroad Palestinians into surrendering their rights in exchange for a state in name only.
According to the newspaper, Mueller’s “investigators have asked witnesses questions” about the involvement of Kushner “in a controversy over a UN resolution” passed before Trump took office that condemned Israel’s settlements, all of which are illegal under international law.
Trump had posted his opposition to the resolution on social media and called the Egyptian dictator Abdulfattah al-Sisi, whose diplomats were sponsoring the resolution, to press him to pull it.
Despite these efforts, the resolution passed on 23 December, after several other Security Council members stepped in to sponsor it, and the Obama administration – in a rare US move – declined to cast a veto.
According to the Journal, Israel had reached out to senior Trump associates, including Kushner and Steve Bannon, in an effort to thwart the vote.
“The motivation for the Mueller team’s questions about the UN is unclear,” the Journal states, but they are part of an examination of Kushner’s “interactions with foreign leaders during the presidential transition.”
The newspaper points to the 1799 Logan Act that “bars Americans from communicating with a foreign government to influence the government’s actions related to a dispute with the US,” but notes that no one has ever been successfully prosecuted under it.
Kushner is no impartial observer. His family’s foundation has donated money to support Israeli settlements.
What will be interesting to watch is whether Kushner’s role in Trump’s efforts to derail international condemnation of Israel’s settlements will attract the same obsessive attention from liberal politicians and pundits who have jumped on every “Russiagate” allegation of “collusion” no matter how dubious or fictional.
“Ultimate deal”
On Wednesday, Middle East Eye published what it said were exclusive details of Trump’s “ultimate deal” peace plan reportedly to be unveiled early next year.
Citing a “Western diplomat” close to the US team preparing the proposal, Middle East Eye describes a rehash of Israeli-inspired plans to give Palestinians what amounts to limited self-rule on a few scattered plots of land – akin to the bantustans apartheid South Africa tried to establish to deflect calls for full rights for Black South Africans.
The US plan would call for a “Palestinian state” in the Gaza Strip and a few enclaves in the West Bank but key issues including the status of Jerusalem and the right of return for Palestinian refugees would be postponed.
So-called “final negotiations” would then be led by Saudi Arabia.
Kushner reportedly visited Saudi Arabia to brief Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman – commonly known as MBS – and to ask for Saudi help to pressure Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas to accept the plan.
Earlier this month MBS summoned Abbas to Riyadh. According to Israeli media reports, the Saudi autocrat told the PA leader to accept the upcoming Trump peace plan or resign.
Unnamed Palestinian officials told Middle East Eye that MBS offered to nearly triple Saudi Arabia’s monthly payments to the PA to $20 million if Abbas accepts it.
Obsession with Iran
The report confirms the motive of the Saudi interest in promoting the plan – and it has nothing to do with securing Palestinian rights.
“MBS is very enthusiastic about the plan,” the Western diplomat told Middle East Eye, “and he is eager to see a peace deal between the Palestinians and Israel first, then between Israel and the Arab countries, as a first step in forming a coalition between Saudi Arabia and Israel to counter the Iranian threat.”
“This is Netanyahu’s plan and he sold it the US team and they are trying to sell it to the Palestinians and Arabs,” according to a Palestinian official quoted by Middle East Eye.
Saudi Arabia has long been flirting with Israel in a low-key manner, but the two states are now increasingly open about their alliance.
In an unprecedented interview with Saudi media last week, Israeli military chief Gadi Eizenkot expressed his country’s willingness to share intelligence with Saudi Arabia – something that has undoubtedly already been going on.
Eizenkot also described Saudi Arabia and its allies as “moderate.”
The Saudi regime is returning the favor.
Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Issa, the former Saudi justice minister and a close ally of MBS, reportedly told Israeli media that violence against Israel – presumably including Palestinian resistance to military occupation – is “un-Islamic.”
In June, the Saudi foreign minister demanded that Qatar stop supporting the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
Saudi schemes backfiring
While embracing Israel appears to be a key strategy in pursuit of Saudi Arabia’s obsession with confronting Iran, the kingdom’s regional schemes have had a tendency to go disastrously awry, as The Electronic Intifada’s Omar Karmi noted in a recent analysis: these include the years-long proxy war in Syria that resulted in massive destruction and fatalities but failed to remove its president, Bashar al-Assad; the Saudi-led war on Yemen that has succeeded only in killing and injuring tens of thousands of civilians and bringing millions to the brink of famine; and the effort to isolate Qatar, which has not brought Riyadh’s Gulf neighbor to heel.
The latest Saudi power play to weaken the Lebanese resistance and political movement Hizballah by forcing Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign also appears to have backfired.
After a bizarre episode in which he appeared to be held captive by the Saudis, before traveling to Paris and Cairo, Hariri finally returned to Beirut on Wednesday.
There he promptly rescinded his resignation after meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun.
The US threats this week to close the Palestinian Authority’s “embassy” in Washington appear to be part of efforts to pressure Palestinians into accepting Trump’s plan.
But the bullying and bribes by the US-Saudi-Israeli axis aren’t going to be any more successful on the Palestinian front either.
Even the pliant PA leadership will have no choice but to reject a plan that seeks only to liquidate the Palestinian cause in order to remove all obstacles to Israel’s full integration into the region.
Cheriss May NurPhotoSpecial counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly probing Jared Kushner’s contacts with Israeli officials last year as Israel tried to derail a UN Security Council vote on its West Bank settlements.
Kushner is Donald Trump’s son-in-law, a senior adviser and fixer. Former FBI director Mueller was appointed by the Department of Justice in May to lead a broad investigation sparked by allegations of ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The Wall Street Journal’s revelation of the probe into Kushner’s contacts with Israel comes as details emerge of an imminent Trump “peace plan” that would railroad Palestinians into surrendering their rights in exchange for a state in name only.
According to the newspaper, Mueller’s “investigators have asked witnesses questions” about the involvement of Kushner “in a controversy over a UN resolution” passed before Trump took office that condemned Israel’s settlements, all of which are illegal under international law.
Trump had posted his opposition to the resolution on social media and called the Egyptian dictator Abdulfattah al-Sisi, whose diplomats were sponsoring the resolution, to press him to pull it.
Despite these efforts, the resolution passed on 23 December, after several other Security Council members stepped in to sponsor it, and the Obama administration – in a rare US move – declined to cast a veto.
According to the Journal, Israel had reached out to senior Trump associates, including Kushner and Steve Bannon, in an effort to thwart the vote.
“The motivation for the Mueller team’s questions about the UN is unclear,” the Journal states, but they are part of an examination of Kushner’s “interactions with foreign leaders during the presidential transition.”
The newspaper points to the 1799 Logan Act that “bars Americans from communicating with a foreign government to influence the government’s actions related to a dispute with the US,” but notes that no one has ever been successfully prosecuted under it.
Kushner is no impartial observer. His family’s foundation has donated money to support Israeli settlements.
What will be interesting to watch is whether Kushner’s role in Trump’s efforts to derail international condemnation of Israel’s settlements will attract the same obsessive attention from liberal politicians and pundits who have jumped on every “Russiagate” allegation of “collusion” no matter how dubious or fictional.
“Ultimate deal”
On Wednesday, Middle East Eye published what it said were exclusive details of Trump’s “ultimate deal” peace plan reportedly to be unveiled early next year.
Citing a “Western diplomat” close to the US team preparing the proposal, Middle East Eye describes a rehash of Israeli-inspired plans to give Palestinians what amounts to limited self-rule on a few scattered plots of land – akin to the bantustans apartheid South Africa tried to establish to deflect calls for full rights for Black South Africans.
The US plan would call for a “Palestinian state” in the Gaza Strip and a few enclaves in the West Bank but key issues including the status of Jerusalem and the right of return for Palestinian refugees would be postponed.
So-called “final negotiations” would then be led by Saudi Arabia.
Kushner reportedly visited Saudi Arabia to brief Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman – commonly known as MBS – and to ask for Saudi help to pressure Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas to accept the plan.
Earlier this month MBS summoned Abbas to Riyadh. According to Israeli media reports, the Saudi autocrat told the PA leader to accept the upcoming Trump peace plan or resign.
Unnamed Palestinian officials told Middle East Eye that MBS offered to nearly triple Saudi Arabia’s monthly payments to the PA to $20 million if Abbas accepts it.
Obsession with Iran
The report confirms the motive of the Saudi interest in promoting the plan – and it has nothing to do with securing Palestinian rights.
“MBS is very enthusiastic about the plan,” the Western diplomat told Middle East Eye, “and he is eager to see a peace deal between the Palestinians and Israel first, then between Israel and the Arab countries, as a first step in forming a coalition between Saudi Arabia and Israel to counter the Iranian threat.”
“This is Netanyahu’s plan and he sold it the US team and they are trying to sell it to the Palestinians and Arabs,” according to a Palestinian official quoted by Middle East Eye.
Saudi Arabia has long been flirting with Israel in a low-key manner, but the two states are now increasingly open about their alliance.
In an unprecedented interview with Saudi media last week, Israeli military chief Gadi Eizenkot expressed his country’s willingness to share intelligence with Saudi Arabia – something that has undoubtedly already been going on.
Eizenkot also described Saudi Arabia and its allies as “moderate.”
The Saudi regime is returning the favor.
Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Issa, the former Saudi justice minister and a close ally of MBS, reportedly told Israeli media that violence against Israel – presumably including Palestinian resistance to military occupation – is “un-Islamic.”
In June, the Saudi foreign minister demanded that Qatar stop supporting the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
Saudi schemes backfiring
While embracing Israel appears to be a key strategy in pursuit of Saudi Arabia’s obsession with confronting Iran, the kingdom’s regional schemes have had a tendency to go disastrously awry, as The Electronic Intifada’s Omar Karmi noted in a recent analysis: these include the years-long proxy war in Syria that resulted in massive destruction and fatalities but failed to remove its president, Bashar al-Assad; the Saudi-led war on Yemen that has succeeded only in killing and injuring tens of thousands of civilians and bringing millions to the brink of famine; and the effort to isolate Qatar, which has not brought Riyadh’s Gulf neighbor to heel.
The latest Saudi power play to weaken the Lebanese resistance and political movement Hizballah by forcing Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign also appears to have backfired.
After a bizarre episode in which he appeared to be held captive by the Saudis, before traveling to Paris and Cairo, Hariri finally returned to Beirut on Wednesday.
There he promptly rescinded his resignation after meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun.
The US threats this week to close the Palestinian Authority’s “embassy” in Washington appear to be part of efforts to pressure Palestinians into accepting Trump’s plan.
But the bullying and bribes by the US-Saudi-Israeli axis aren’t going to be any more successful on the Palestinian front either.
Even the pliant PA leadership will have no choice but to reject a plan that seeks only to liquidate the Palestinian cause in order to remove all obstacles to Israel’s full integration into the region.
21 nov 2017
Spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeina, on Tuesday announced that contacts with the US have been suspended in response to the closure of the Washington office of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Abu Rudeina said in a statement that the next stage is going to be crucial regarding the Palestinian-American relations, affirming that despite the challenges involved, they will remain faithful to the national interests.
He asked Hamas to take advantage of these brave positions, to commit to national legitimacy and not to allow anyone to interfere in the Palestinian internal affairs.
For his part, the Palestinian Authority (PA) Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Maliki, said in an interview with al-Arabiya TV channel, "Practically, they have frozen all Palestinian-American meetings by closing the office. We only made it official."
Hamas in a statement on Sunday condemned the US decision to shut down the PLO office and urged the Palestinian leadership to reject all pressures and support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people by achieving reconciliation and ending the division.
Hamas affirmed that the US State Department's refusal to renew the license of the PLO office in Washington and linking this decision to the cases filed recently against the Israeli occupation at the international Criminal Court (ICC) confirm that the US is completely biased to Israel.
PLO secretary, Saeb Erekat, on Saturday said that the Organization had been informed by the US Secretary of State of a decision not to renew the operating permission for the Washington office.
The US move was in response to the Palestinians' decision to join the ICC and submit files for investigation on several Israeli war crimes against the Palestinian people.
Abu Rudeina said in a statement that the next stage is going to be crucial regarding the Palestinian-American relations, affirming that despite the challenges involved, they will remain faithful to the national interests.
He asked Hamas to take advantage of these brave positions, to commit to national legitimacy and not to allow anyone to interfere in the Palestinian internal affairs.
For his part, the Palestinian Authority (PA) Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Maliki, said in an interview with al-Arabiya TV channel, "Practically, they have frozen all Palestinian-American meetings by closing the office. We only made it official."
Hamas in a statement on Sunday condemned the US decision to shut down the PLO office and urged the Palestinian leadership to reject all pressures and support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people by achieving reconciliation and ending the division.
Hamas affirmed that the US State Department's refusal to renew the license of the PLO office in Washington and linking this decision to the cases filed recently against the Israeli occupation at the international Criminal Court (ICC) confirm that the US is completely biased to Israel.
PLO secretary, Saeb Erekat, on Saturday said that the Organization had been informed by the US Secretary of State of a decision not to renew the operating permission for the Washington office.
The US move was in response to the Palestinians' decision to join the ICC and submit files for investigation on several Israeli war crimes against the Palestinian people.
19 nov 2017
This is the pressure being exerted on this administration from the Netanyahu government. At a time we are trying to cooperate to achieve the ultimate deal they take such steps which will undermine the whole peace process,” said Erekat.
In response to media inquiries concerning the U.S. administration’s refusal to extend the waiver of statutory restrictions on the General Delegation of the PLO to the United States, in Washington D.C., PLO Executive Committee Member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi condemned such a move and said, according to the PNN:
“Instead of holding Israel liable for its persistent violations of international law and conventions, the U.S. administration and Congress are threatening to punish the Palestinian people because of statements made by President Mahmoud Abbas at the United Nations and other leaders pertaining to ICC accountability for Israel and for its war crimes in Palestine.
It is ironic that the U.S. is taking steps to punish the victim (the occupied) and not the perpetrator of the crime (the occupier).
Conditioning the renewal of the waiver on the Palestinians’ sticking to ‘direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel’ is actually superfluous since negotiations are nonexistent, and the current U.S. administration has yet to present any kind of peace initiative.
After decades of negotiations, contacts and cooperation, it is unfathomable why American relations with the PLO have not been legally normalized and why the PLO, which is the highest political body in Palestine representing all Palestinians, continues to be subject to that statute, hence to blackmail and coercion.
The Palestinian leadership has been negotiating with Israel for decades and has consistently abided by international law and signed agreements while Israel persisted in violating them without accountability or constraints.
Yet, it is the PLO that continues to be placed on probation and unfairly judged while Israel is given preferential treatment and license to act with full impunity.
If President Donald Trump decides not to renew the waiver after ninety days, the U.S. will embolden Israel even further and provide it with greater cover for its lack of compliance and unilateral actions.
Such a measure will also disqualify the U.S. from taking any part in peacemaking and undermine its standing in the region and beyond.
If it wants to be evenhanded and play any constructive role, the U.S. government should first break its deafening silence on the illegal settlements and maintain longstanding American policy on the two-state solution and the 1967 boundaries.
Recognition of Palestine would go a long way towards proving that the U.S. holds all people equal before the law.”
“Instead of holding Israel liable for its persistent violations of international law and conventions, the U.S. administration and Congress are threatening to punish the Palestinian people because of statements made by President Mahmoud Abbas at the United Nations and other leaders pertaining to ICC accountability for Israel and for its war crimes in Palestine.
It is ironic that the U.S. is taking steps to punish the victim (the occupied) and not the perpetrator of the crime (the occupier).
Conditioning the renewal of the waiver on the Palestinians’ sticking to ‘direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel’ is actually superfluous since negotiations are nonexistent, and the current U.S. administration has yet to present any kind of peace initiative.
After decades of negotiations, contacts and cooperation, it is unfathomable why American relations with the PLO have not been legally normalized and why the PLO, which is the highest political body in Palestine representing all Palestinians, continues to be subject to that statute, hence to blackmail and coercion.
The Palestinian leadership has been negotiating with Israel for decades and has consistently abided by international law and signed agreements while Israel persisted in violating them without accountability or constraints.
Yet, it is the PLO that continues to be placed on probation and unfairly judged while Israel is given preferential treatment and license to act with full impunity.
If President Donald Trump decides not to renew the waiver after ninety days, the U.S. will embolden Israel even further and provide it with greater cover for its lack of compliance and unilateral actions.
Such a measure will also disqualify the U.S. from taking any part in peacemaking and undermine its standing in the region and beyond.
If it wants to be evenhanded and play any constructive role, the U.S. government should first break its deafening silence on the illegal settlements and maintain longstanding American policy on the two-state solution and the 1967 boundaries.
Recognition of Palestine would go a long way towards proving that the U.S. holds all people equal before the law.”
18 nov 2017
The U.S. State Department has refused to renew the memorandum issued every six months for the Palestinian Consular Mission in Washington DC, stating that if the Palestinian Authority takes Israel to the International Criminal Court or fails to engage in negotiations with the Israeli government, the Mission will remain closed.
In response, the Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki accused the U.S. State Department and the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of blackmail.
According to the Associated Press, Tillerson stated on Friday that he had “determined that the Palestinians ran afoul of an obscure provision in a U.S. law that says the Palestine Liberation Organization’s mission must close if the Palestinians try to get the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israelis for crimes against Palestinians. A State Department official said that in September, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas crossed that line by calling on the ICC to investigate and prosecute Israelis.”
Palestinians living in the U.S. depend upon the diplomatic mission to renew passports, obtain visas, and submit documents and required paperwork to the Palestinian Authority. If the Mission is closed, these Palestinians will be severed from their ties to their home, and unable to carry out their basic needs to be able to travel, marry and renew permits.
According to the AP, “Donald Trump now has 90 days to consider whether the Palestinians are in ‘direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel.’ If Trump determines they are, the Palestinians can keep the office.”
In response, the Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki accused the U.S. State Department and the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of blackmail.
According to the Associated Press, Tillerson stated on Friday that he had “determined that the Palestinians ran afoul of an obscure provision in a U.S. law that says the Palestine Liberation Organization’s mission must close if the Palestinians try to get the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israelis for crimes against Palestinians. A State Department official said that in September, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas crossed that line by calling on the ICC to investigate and prosecute Israelis.”
Palestinians living in the U.S. depend upon the diplomatic mission to renew passports, obtain visas, and submit documents and required paperwork to the Palestinian Authority. If the Mission is closed, these Palestinians will be severed from their ties to their home, and unable to carry out their basic needs to be able to travel, marry and renew permits.
According to the AP, “Donald Trump now has 90 days to consider whether the Palestinians are in ‘direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel.’ If Trump determines they are, the Palestinians can keep the office.”
The US administration on Saturday threatened to close down the Washington office of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) unless it enters into "serious peace talks with Israel", Associated Press agency reported.
US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, said that the Palestinians have violated an American law which says that the PLO mission must be closed if the Palestinians push the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute Israel for its crimes against the Palestinians.
The Agency quoted an unnamed State Department official as saying that the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, has crossed that line by asking the ICC to investigate Israel's violations.
He added that based on that law, the US president Donald Trump now has 90 days to decide whether the Palestinians are in "direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel". If Trump determines they are, the Palestinians can keep the office.
Associated Press said that the US authorities affirmed that they will maintain relations with the Palestinians even if the PLO office closes.
US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, said that the Palestinians have violated an American law which says that the PLO mission must be closed if the Palestinians push the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute Israel for its crimes against the Palestinians.
The Agency quoted an unnamed State Department official as saying that the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, has crossed that line by asking the ICC to investigate Israel's violations.
He added that based on that law, the US president Donald Trump now has 90 days to decide whether the Palestinians are in "direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel". If Trump determines they are, the Palestinians can keep the office.
Associated Press said that the US authorities affirmed that they will maintain relations with the Palestinians even if the PLO office closes.
16 nov 2017
The US House Foreign Affairs Committee passed on Wednesday a bill by voice vote, setting the stage for the full House to consider backing legislation that would slap sanctions on any countries or individuals providing financial and material support to Hamas Movement.
The bill specifically criticized Qatar for having backed Hamas and hosting its senior members. The legislation cited a March 2014 Treasury Department report that said Qatar "has for many years openly financed Hamas."
In late June, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the committee the crisis between the Gulf States and Qatar presented an opportunity to tell Qatar to "quit funding Hamas, quit doing these things in Gaza that they are doing." But Haley changed her testimony a few months later, according to an answer she gave to a follow-up question from the committee.
"While the Qatari government does not fund Hamas, it does allow Hamas political representatives to be based in Qatar, which Qatar believes limits Iran's influence and pressure over Hamas," Haley wrote.
The committee also approved a bill that would suspend U.S. financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority until it takes credible steps to end “acts of violence against U.S. and Israeli citizens”.
The bill specifically criticized Qatar for having backed Hamas and hosting its senior members. The legislation cited a March 2014 Treasury Department report that said Qatar "has for many years openly financed Hamas."
In late June, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the committee the crisis between the Gulf States and Qatar presented an opportunity to tell Qatar to "quit funding Hamas, quit doing these things in Gaza that they are doing." But Haley changed her testimony a few months later, according to an answer she gave to a follow-up question from the committee.
"While the Qatari government does not fund Hamas, it does allow Hamas political representatives to be based in Qatar, which Qatar believes limits Iran's influence and pressure over Hamas," Haley wrote.
The committee also approved a bill that would suspend U.S. financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority until it takes credible steps to end “acts of violence against U.S. and Israeli citizens”.
15 nov 2017
The Palestinian MP and political expert, Mustafa al-Barghouthi, on Wednesday said that Israel has turned the West Bank into 225 separate small islands through the checkpoints and settlement outposts scattered everywhere in addition to the apartheid wall passing through its lands.
Following the Oslo Accords in 1993, the West Bank was divided into three areas: A, B and C. Area A comprises 18% of the West Bank and falls under the security and administrative control of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Area B represents 21% of the West Bank and is administered by both the PA and Israel, while Area C, which covers 61% of the West Bank, is exclusively controlled by Israel.
Barghouthi affirmed that the Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories has increased by more than 100% since the US President Donald Trump took office in December 2016.
During an interview with the Anadolu agency in Istanbul, Barghouthi stressed that the current Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu has no desire to allow the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
"We are facing a dangerous Israeli project that must be met with strong and effective Palestinian unity," he added.
The Israeli government since the beginning of 2017 has issued many tenders for the construction of thousands of settlement units in the West Bank.
According to human rights organizations, Israel's settlement activity in 2017 is three times higher than that recorded in 2016.
Following the Oslo Accords in 1993, the West Bank was divided into three areas: A, B and C. Area A comprises 18% of the West Bank and falls under the security and administrative control of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Area B represents 21% of the West Bank and is administered by both the PA and Israel, while Area C, which covers 61% of the West Bank, is exclusively controlled by Israel.
Barghouthi affirmed that the Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories has increased by more than 100% since the US President Donald Trump took office in December 2016.
During an interview with the Anadolu agency in Istanbul, Barghouthi stressed that the current Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu has no desire to allow the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
"We are facing a dangerous Israeli project that must be met with strong and effective Palestinian unity," he added.
The Israeli government since the beginning of 2017 has issued many tenders for the construction of thousands of settlement units in the West Bank.
According to human rights organizations, Israel's settlement activity in 2017 is three times higher than that recorded in 2016.
Washington, D.C., November 14, 2017
Members of Congress on Tuesday introduced a bill in the House to prevent U.S. tax dollars from paying for human rights violations against Palestinian children during the course of Israeli military detention.
The Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children [PDF] Act requires the Secretary of State to certify annually that no funds obligated or expended in the previous year by the United States for assistance to Israel have been used to support the ill-treatment of Palestinian children detained by Israeli forces from the occupied West Bank. The legislation leaves financial assistance already committed in place.
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) brought the bill to the floor, with nine original co-sponsors, including Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
An estimated 10,000 Palestinians between the ages of 12 and 17 in the West Bank have been subject to arrest, detention, interrogation, and imprisonment under the jurisdiction of Israeli military courts since 2000. This bill was drafted in response to widely documented rights violations carried out by Israeli military and police against children within the military detention system, including torture or cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment.
“Despite ongoing engagement with UN bodies and repeated calls to abide by international law, Israeli military and police continue night arrests, physical violence, coercion, and threats against Palestinian children,” said Khaled Quzmar, general director of Defense for Children International – Palestine. “These practices remain institutionalized and systemic rather than last resort measures, and we call on the U.S. to halt its support of these violations.”
The bill aims to establish, as a minimum safeguard, a U.S. demand for basic due process rights for and an absolute prohibition against torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian children arrested and prosecuted within the Israeli military court system.
Israel has the dubious distinction of being the only country in the world that systematically prosecutes an estimated 500 to 700 children each year in military courts that lack fundamental fair trial rights and protections.
In 590 cases documented by DCIP between 2012 and 2016, 72 percent of Palestinian child detainees reported physical violence and 66 percent faced verbal abuse and humiliation.
DCIP found that 568 out of 590 child detainees underwent interrogation without the presence of a family member. Under Israeli military law, Palestinian children have no right to a lawyer during interrogation. Confessions that are often coerced through ill-treatment, that in some cases amount to torture, are routinely used in military courts to sentence children to jail time.
In every annual report [PDF] on Israel and the occupied territories released since 2007, U.S. authorities have openly acknowledged the prevalence of torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian children and the denial of fair trials rights in the Israeli military detention system.
In 2013, UNICEF released a report titled Children in Israeli Military Detention: Observations and Recommendations [PDF]. The report concluded that “ill-treatment of children who come in contact with the military detention system appears to be widespread, systematic and institutionalized throughout the process.”
Despite sustained engagement by UNICEF and repeated calls to end night arrests and ill-treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention, Israeli authorities have persistently failed to implement substantive reforms to end violence against child detainees.
Via Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP).
Democratic bill to ensure US aid to Israel not used to abuse children
10 Democratic members of Congress introduced legislation last Tuesday that would attempt to prohibit US military and financial aid to Israel from being used to detain and abuse Palestinian children in the West Bank.
According to Haaretz website, the bill does not have a high chance of becoming law, but its very introduction is a sign of Israel’s political challenges in the corridors of the Democratic Party, where criticism is growing over its violations against the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The legislation would “require the US secretary of state to certify annually that the country’s funds do not support military detention, interrogation, abuse, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children.”
The sponsors of this bill believe that “the Israeli army detains around 500 to 700 Palestinian children between the ages of 12 and 17 each year, and prosecutes them before a military court system that lacks basic and fundamental guarantees of due process, in violation of international standards.”
They add that while “children under the age of 12 cannot be prosecuted in Israeli military courts,” the Israeli military has detained children under that age for interrogations lasting hours. The sponsors rely on information from Human Rights Watch and the United Nations, as well as on the state department’s annual human rights report.
They point out that the state department’s 2016 report mentioned “a significant increase in detentions of minors” and accused the Israeli security and military authorities of having Palestinian minors sign confessions written in Hebrew, which most of them could not read.
The legislation was proposed by congresswoman Betty McCollum, a Democrat from Minnesota, who in 2015 wrote a letter asking the previous secretary of state, John Kerry, to take action on Israel’s detention and abuse of Palestinian minors.
Co-sponsors to McCollum’s legislation include Democrats Earl Blumenauer (Oregon), Peter DeFazio (Oregon), Danny Davis (Illinois), John Conyers (Michigan) and Raul Grijalva (Arizona).
The fact that the legislation is supported by 10 Democrats overall, before being formally introduced in the House, is seen as a sign of success for pro-Palestinian activists in the US, even if the legislation does not pass in the end, Haaretz said.
Members of Congress on Tuesday introduced a bill in the House to prevent U.S. tax dollars from paying for human rights violations against Palestinian children during the course of Israeli military detention.
The Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children [PDF] Act requires the Secretary of State to certify annually that no funds obligated or expended in the previous year by the United States for assistance to Israel have been used to support the ill-treatment of Palestinian children detained by Israeli forces from the occupied West Bank. The legislation leaves financial assistance already committed in place.
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) brought the bill to the floor, with nine original co-sponsors, including Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
An estimated 10,000 Palestinians between the ages of 12 and 17 in the West Bank have been subject to arrest, detention, interrogation, and imprisonment under the jurisdiction of Israeli military courts since 2000. This bill was drafted in response to widely documented rights violations carried out by Israeli military and police against children within the military detention system, including torture or cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment.
“Despite ongoing engagement with UN bodies and repeated calls to abide by international law, Israeli military and police continue night arrests, physical violence, coercion, and threats against Palestinian children,” said Khaled Quzmar, general director of Defense for Children International – Palestine. “These practices remain institutionalized and systemic rather than last resort measures, and we call on the U.S. to halt its support of these violations.”
The bill aims to establish, as a minimum safeguard, a U.S. demand for basic due process rights for and an absolute prohibition against torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian children arrested and prosecuted within the Israeli military court system.
Israel has the dubious distinction of being the only country in the world that systematically prosecutes an estimated 500 to 700 children each year in military courts that lack fundamental fair trial rights and protections.
In 590 cases documented by DCIP between 2012 and 2016, 72 percent of Palestinian child detainees reported physical violence and 66 percent faced verbal abuse and humiliation.
DCIP found that 568 out of 590 child detainees underwent interrogation without the presence of a family member. Under Israeli military law, Palestinian children have no right to a lawyer during interrogation. Confessions that are often coerced through ill-treatment, that in some cases amount to torture, are routinely used in military courts to sentence children to jail time.
In every annual report [PDF] on Israel and the occupied territories released since 2007, U.S. authorities have openly acknowledged the prevalence of torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian children and the denial of fair trials rights in the Israeli military detention system.
In 2013, UNICEF released a report titled Children in Israeli Military Detention: Observations and Recommendations [PDF]. The report concluded that “ill-treatment of children who come in contact with the military detention system appears to be widespread, systematic and institutionalized throughout the process.”
Despite sustained engagement by UNICEF and repeated calls to end night arrests and ill-treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention, Israeli authorities have persistently failed to implement substantive reforms to end violence against child detainees.
Via Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP).
Democratic bill to ensure US aid to Israel not used to abuse children
10 Democratic members of Congress introduced legislation last Tuesday that would attempt to prohibit US military and financial aid to Israel from being used to detain and abuse Palestinian children in the West Bank.
According to Haaretz website, the bill does not have a high chance of becoming law, but its very introduction is a sign of Israel’s political challenges in the corridors of the Democratic Party, where criticism is growing over its violations against the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The legislation would “require the US secretary of state to certify annually that the country’s funds do not support military detention, interrogation, abuse, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children.”
The sponsors of this bill believe that “the Israeli army detains around 500 to 700 Palestinian children between the ages of 12 and 17 each year, and prosecutes them before a military court system that lacks basic and fundamental guarantees of due process, in violation of international standards.”
They add that while “children under the age of 12 cannot be prosecuted in Israeli military courts,” the Israeli military has detained children under that age for interrogations lasting hours. The sponsors rely on information from Human Rights Watch and the United Nations, as well as on the state department’s annual human rights report.
They point out that the state department’s 2016 report mentioned “a significant increase in detentions of minors” and accused the Israeli security and military authorities of having Palestinian minors sign confessions written in Hebrew, which most of them could not read.
The legislation was proposed by congresswoman Betty McCollum, a Democrat from Minnesota, who in 2015 wrote a letter asking the previous secretary of state, John Kerry, to take action on Israel’s detention and abuse of Palestinian minors.
Co-sponsors to McCollum’s legislation include Democrats Earl Blumenauer (Oregon), Peter DeFazio (Oregon), Danny Davis (Illinois), John Conyers (Michigan) and Raul Grijalva (Arizona).
The fact that the legislation is supported by 10 Democrats overall, before being formally introduced in the House, is seen as a sign of success for pro-Palestinian activists in the US, even if the legislation does not pass in the end, Haaretz said.
14 nov 2017
The Islamic Jihad Movement on Tuesday said that it will not give up its right to respond to the latest Israeli aggression that targeted a resistance tunnel east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Islamic Jihad leader Khader Habib denounced the recent statements made by the US envoy to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt, in which he warned the Islamic Jihad against responding to the Israeli tunnel attack that killed 12 resistance fighters from al-Qassam and al-Quds Brigades.
Habib in press statements accused the US administration of being blatantly biased toward the Israeli occupation and condemned the Palestinian Authority's silence vis-à-vis the Israeli repeated aggressions on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
In his comment on the Islamic Jihad's threats to respond to the Gaza tunnel attack, Greenblatt said that such statements and actions are "harmful" to the Gazan people.
The Islamic Jihad leader Khader Habib denounced the recent statements made by the US envoy to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt, in which he warned the Islamic Jihad against responding to the Israeli tunnel attack that killed 12 resistance fighters from al-Qassam and al-Quds Brigades.
Habib in press statements accused the US administration of being blatantly biased toward the Israeli occupation and condemned the Palestinian Authority's silence vis-à-vis the Israeli repeated aggressions on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
In his comment on the Islamic Jihad's threats to respond to the Gaza tunnel attack, Greenblatt said that such statements and actions are "harmful" to the Gazan people.