19 nov 2019 Page 1
US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders appears to have struck a nerve with Israeli officials after proposing to put the annual $4 billion handout the Zionist state gets from the US to better use.
The veteran politician who spent several months during his early 20s living on an Israeli kibbutz, appeared to suggest that giving Tel Aviv aid unconditionally made the US complicit in Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
Referring to the ten-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the US and Israel negotiated by former President Barack Obama, he said: “My solution is to say to Israel: you get $3.8 billion every year; if you want military aid you’re going to have to fundamentally change your relationship to the people of Gaza, in fact, I think it is fair to say that some of that should go right now into humanitarian aid.”
The remarks stirred strong feelings in Israel. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein attacked Sanders, saying that the Vermont senator should “stop talking nonsense”. Israel views the aid it receives from the US, totalling hundreds of billions over the decades, as untouchable. Attempts by US presidents, such as former President George H W Bush, to make aid conditional on change in Israeli behaviour by discontinuing its sprawling settlement construction, has been fatal to his re-election.
In ugly rhetoric that appears to mirror the ongoing assault on British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who, like his ideological counterpart in the sates is a strong critic of Israel, Sanders is being gunned down by Israeli officials at every opportunity.
Speaking at a gala event held by the Zionist Organisation of America in New York City yesterday evening, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon mocked Sanders. “Mr. Sanders, a few months on a kibbutz in 1963 can only teach you so much,” taunted Danon.
Repeating the common Israeli propaganda line that the Palestinians have turned Gaza into a haven for terrorism following Israel’s withdrawal in 2005, Danon said: “Perhaps Mr. Sanders didn’t hear about Israel leaving Gaza in 2005,” the ambassador said. “Maybe he hasn’t had the chance to visit the Kerem Shalom crossing, where hundreds of trucks pass daily to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. Maybe he doesn’t know about the terror tunnels.”
Although Sanders did not say that US aid should go to Hamas, Danon went on to distort the senator’s comments. “He [Sanders] is suggesting to give less military assistance to the United States’ most important ally in the Middle East in order to give it to Hamas, a terrorist organisation that celebrated the tragedy of 9/11. Let me assure you my friends, we will never let that happen,” Danon told the audience. “We will fight against these radical voices.”
It’s been suggested that the Democrats are becoming split on the issue of Israel with a number of candidates seeking to take a harder line. Sanders’ running mate Elizabeth Warren has also said that she would halt aid to Israel if it did not stop building settlements.
A number of commentators have suggested that this reflects a growing trend amongst America’s new generation, including young Jewish voters, who see a yawning chasm between their progressive liberal values and policies of a country that has denied 12 million people their universally recognised right to self-determination by illegally entrenching its occupation.
The veteran politician who spent several months during his early 20s living on an Israeli kibbutz, appeared to suggest that giving Tel Aviv aid unconditionally made the US complicit in Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
Referring to the ten-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the US and Israel negotiated by former President Barack Obama, he said: “My solution is to say to Israel: you get $3.8 billion every year; if you want military aid you’re going to have to fundamentally change your relationship to the people of Gaza, in fact, I think it is fair to say that some of that should go right now into humanitarian aid.”
The remarks stirred strong feelings in Israel. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein attacked Sanders, saying that the Vermont senator should “stop talking nonsense”. Israel views the aid it receives from the US, totalling hundreds of billions over the decades, as untouchable. Attempts by US presidents, such as former President George H W Bush, to make aid conditional on change in Israeli behaviour by discontinuing its sprawling settlement construction, has been fatal to his re-election.
In ugly rhetoric that appears to mirror the ongoing assault on British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who, like his ideological counterpart in the sates is a strong critic of Israel, Sanders is being gunned down by Israeli officials at every opportunity.
Speaking at a gala event held by the Zionist Organisation of America in New York City yesterday evening, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon mocked Sanders. “Mr. Sanders, a few months on a kibbutz in 1963 can only teach you so much,” taunted Danon.
Repeating the common Israeli propaganda line that the Palestinians have turned Gaza into a haven for terrorism following Israel’s withdrawal in 2005, Danon said: “Perhaps Mr. Sanders didn’t hear about Israel leaving Gaza in 2005,” the ambassador said. “Maybe he hasn’t had the chance to visit the Kerem Shalom crossing, where hundreds of trucks pass daily to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. Maybe he doesn’t know about the terror tunnels.”
Although Sanders did not say that US aid should go to Hamas, Danon went on to distort the senator’s comments. “He [Sanders] is suggesting to give less military assistance to the United States’ most important ally in the Middle East in order to give it to Hamas, a terrorist organisation that celebrated the tragedy of 9/11. Let me assure you my friends, we will never let that happen,” Danon told the audience. “We will fight against these radical voices.”
It’s been suggested that the Democrats are becoming split on the issue of Israel with a number of candidates seeking to take a harder line. Sanders’ running mate Elizabeth Warren has also said that she would halt aid to Israel if it did not stop building settlements.
A number of commentators have suggested that this reflects a growing trend amongst America’s new generation, including young Jewish voters, who see a yawning chasm between their progressive liberal values and policies of a country that has denied 12 million people their universally recognised right to self-determination by illegally entrenching its occupation.
10 nov 2019
A coalition of U.S. Jewish organizations sent a letter to the leaders of Israel’s political parties, warning them against full or partial annexation of occupied West Bank, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.
Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, pledged on September 17, 2019 to annex Jordan Valley, which makes up 30 % of the West Bank area, if he is to be re-elected.
According to liberal advocacy group J Street’s president, Jeremy Ben-Ami, “carrying out unilateral annexations in the West Bank would ultimately destroy Israeli democracy and lead the country down a disastrous path to permanent conflict.”
The letter stated that if the United States president, Donald Trump, and his administration were to endorse the annexation, Israel should not take this as a sign of long-term American policy.
“Simply put, the approach of this president does not represent the long-term interests and likely future policy of the United States,” the U.S. based Jewish groups warned.
In March 2019, the U.S. ignored a decades-long international consensus and recognized Israel’s annexation of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
The coalition stressed that the annexation could harm Israel’s relations with the U.S. Jewish population, because the “vast majority of American Jews support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Thirteen groups signed the letter, Middle East Monitor reported, including ten members of the Progressive Israel Network – an umbrella coalition that includes J Street and the New Israel Fund.
Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, pledged on September 17, 2019 to annex Jordan Valley, which makes up 30 % of the West Bank area, if he is to be re-elected.
According to liberal advocacy group J Street’s president, Jeremy Ben-Ami, “carrying out unilateral annexations in the West Bank would ultimately destroy Israeli democracy and lead the country down a disastrous path to permanent conflict.”
The letter stated that if the United States president, Donald Trump, and his administration were to endorse the annexation, Israel should not take this as a sign of long-term American policy.
“Simply put, the approach of this president does not represent the long-term interests and likely future policy of the United States,” the U.S. based Jewish groups warned.
In March 2019, the U.S. ignored a decades-long international consensus and recognized Israel’s annexation of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
The coalition stressed that the annexation could harm Israel’s relations with the U.S. Jewish population, because the “vast majority of American Jews support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Thirteen groups signed the letter, Middle East Monitor reported, including ten members of the Progressive Israel Network – an umbrella coalition that includes J Street and the New Israel Fund.
8 nov 2019
Following a visit to the occupied West Bank, U.S. Democratic Congressman Andy Levin, earlier this week, criticized Israel for repeatedly demolishing Palestinian homes in a small village that has been rebuilt numerous times, WAFA reported.
The trip included a tour of the Susya village, in the southern occupied West Bank, which has been repeatedly under threat of demolition for the past 30 years based on Israeli claims that homes in the area were erected without the necessary permits.
Levin said he was also deeply concerned to see the Israeli government denying local residents access to water in the village.
He tweeted:
“Yesterday, I travelled to the southern West Bank, including the Palestinian village of Susya, which the Israeli government has destroyed twice and currently denies access to water.”
“Yet we watched the government utility, right before our eyes, lay in pipes right across the village’s land to deliver tap water to an illegal Israeli outpost nearby,”
– as quoted by the London-based Al-Arabi Al-Jadid.
Levin watched how Jewish settlers nearby are granted government-supplied amenities, yet the Palestinians remained “resilient”.
He stated: “It was simply incredible. As angry as the situation made me, the resilience of the Palestinian villagers left an even stronger impression.”
Levin was among the numerous members of US Congress to condemn Israel’s decision to ban Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib, also a representative from Michigan, and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from visiting Israel.
The trip included a tour of the Susya village, in the southern occupied West Bank, which has been repeatedly under threat of demolition for the past 30 years based on Israeli claims that homes in the area were erected without the necessary permits.
Levin said he was also deeply concerned to see the Israeli government denying local residents access to water in the village.
He tweeted:
“Yesterday, I travelled to the southern West Bank, including the Palestinian village of Susya, which the Israeli government has destroyed twice and currently denies access to water.”
“Yet we watched the government utility, right before our eyes, lay in pipes right across the village’s land to deliver tap water to an illegal Israeli outpost nearby,”
– as quoted by the London-based Al-Arabi Al-Jadid.
Levin watched how Jewish settlers nearby are granted government-supplied amenities, yet the Palestinians remained “resilient”.
He stated: “It was simply incredible. As angry as the situation made me, the resilience of the Palestinian villagers left an even stronger impression.”
Levin was among the numerous members of US Congress to condemn Israel’s decision to ban Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib, also a representative from Michigan, and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from visiting Israel.
4 nov 2019
Likud MK Sharren Haskel
Sharren Heskel's bill, if implemented, would bring the Jordan Valley territory under full Israeli sovereignty, permit Palestinians living in area to apply for Israeli citizenship within decade, provided they meet certain criteria
A Likud MK is pushign legislation to hold Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyhau to a campaign pledge to annex parts of the West Bank.
Sharren Haskel was to set propose a bill on Monday that would calls for the eastern side of the Jordan Valley to be brought under full Israeli sovereignty.
Several days before the election campaigns officially kicked off, Netanyahu called a press conference at which he stated that when re-elected, he would work to implement full sovereignty over the Jordan Valley, citing security concerns.
Blue and White officials scoffed at the statement, saying: "The citizens of the Jordan Valley are not props for Netanyahu's propaganda."
The party added: "Blue and White already stated that the Jordan Valley is eternal part of Israel. Netanyahu was the person behind a plan to hand over the territory (to the Palestinians) back in 2014."
Haskel's bill proposal would permit Palestinian residents in the territory to apply for Israeli citizenship within ten years of its implementation, provided they were not charged in the past with any security offenses and have not publicly called for a boycott against Israel.
"It's time to make the residents of the Jordan Valley legal Israeli citizens, thus kick-starting the development and prosperity of the region," said Haskel on Sunday.
"The communities of the Jordan Valley and their residents are a strategic resource of the highest order for Israel," she said.
"There is a wide consensus today about the region, following the long-awaited U.S. president's recognition of the Golan Heights as under Israeli sovereignty. It is time to do the same with the Jordan Valley.
"After Blue and White leader Benny Gantz proposed to do the same, I call upon him and my fellow party members to support my proposal."
New Right MK Ayelet Shaked proposed a similar bill Sunday, regarding the Gush Etzion bloc of settlements and Ma'ale Adumim settlement in the West Bank.
"We have in our hands a diplomatic window of opportunity and the support of the U.S. for such an action, an opportunity that will not last for long. We must not hesitate or delay," said Shaked on Sunday.
Sharren Heskel's bill, if implemented, would bring the Jordan Valley territory under full Israeli sovereignty, permit Palestinians living in area to apply for Israeli citizenship within decade, provided they meet certain criteria
A Likud MK is pushign legislation to hold Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyhau to a campaign pledge to annex parts of the West Bank.
Sharren Haskel was to set propose a bill on Monday that would calls for the eastern side of the Jordan Valley to be brought under full Israeli sovereignty.
Several days before the election campaigns officially kicked off, Netanyahu called a press conference at which he stated that when re-elected, he would work to implement full sovereignty over the Jordan Valley, citing security concerns.
Blue and White officials scoffed at the statement, saying: "The citizens of the Jordan Valley are not props for Netanyahu's propaganda."
The party added: "Blue and White already stated that the Jordan Valley is eternal part of Israel. Netanyahu was the person behind a plan to hand over the territory (to the Palestinians) back in 2014."
Haskel's bill proposal would permit Palestinian residents in the territory to apply for Israeli citizenship within ten years of its implementation, provided they were not charged in the past with any security offenses and have not publicly called for a boycott against Israel.
"It's time to make the residents of the Jordan Valley legal Israeli citizens, thus kick-starting the development and prosperity of the region," said Haskel on Sunday.
"The communities of the Jordan Valley and their residents are a strategic resource of the highest order for Israel," she said.
"There is a wide consensus today about the region, following the long-awaited U.S. president's recognition of the Golan Heights as under Israeli sovereignty. It is time to do the same with the Jordan Valley.
"After Blue and White leader Benny Gantz proposed to do the same, I call upon him and my fellow party members to support my proposal."
New Right MK Ayelet Shaked proposed a similar bill Sunday, regarding the Gush Etzion bloc of settlements and Ma'ale Adumim settlement in the West Bank.
"We have in our hands a diplomatic window of opportunity and the support of the U.S. for such an action, an opportunity that will not last for long. We must not hesitate or delay," said Shaked on Sunday.
3 nov 2019
While sending tens of billions in aid to Israel, the US watches its own citizens struggle to access healthcare and education
by Morgan Strong
Israel is around the same size as New Jersey, one of the smallest US states and which contributes nearly $30bn to the US federal budget - very little of which is returned through federal programmes.
A portion of that money ends up in Israel. Indeed, all 50 states rely on some return of their federal taxes for infrastructure, highways, healthcare, education and other programmes. When a portion of that money is used for other purposes - such as aid to Israel - the citizens suffer the consequences.
Military aid
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs estimates US direct aid to Israel at more than $130bn. Unlike other recipients of US military aid, Israel has in the past been allowed to spend more than a quarter of its annual military aid in Israel, rather than in the US, resulting in an increasingly sophisticated and competitive Israeli defence industry.
As a result, the Congressional Research Service reported that between 2004 and 2011, Israel was the eighth-largest arms exporter, with sales of $12.9bn.
In contrast with other countries receiving US military aid, which must purchase through the Department of Defense (DOD), Israel deals directly with US companies and is exempt from DOD review.
Israel is ranked 22nd on the UN Human Development Index, compared to the US at 13th. Despite a lagging GDP, Israel is nonetheless considered a wealthy country, with universal healthcare, affordable higher education and a higher life expectancy than the US.
All Israeli residents are entitled to basic healthcare as a fundamental right, compared to the US, which has one of the most underperforming healthcare systems among developed nations, despite massive spending of $3.5 trillion annually.
On the education front, the annual cost of tuition at an Israeli university, set by the government, is around $3,000, compared with around $10,000 for US residents at state universities.
Tax exemptions
US intelligence officials take an active interest in friends as well as foes, with counterintelligence operations “strategically focused against [the] priority targets of China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and Israel”.
The latter is a US ally, but has a history of espionage attempts against the US; Israel has also consistently deceived the US as to the existence of its nuclear weapons and ballistic-missile systems.
At the same time, an investigation several years ago by the Forward, which focused on the US Jewish community’s network of charity organisations, “uncovered a tax-exempt Jewish communal apparatus that operates on the scale of a Fortune 500 company and focuses the largest share of its donor dollars on Israel”.
Great largesse
Indeed, in addition to federal budget allocations, there are private charities, local and state governments, and corporations that contribute additional billions to Israel.
US taxpayers unwittingly exercise great largesse towards the people of Israel, at great detriment to themselves.
Millions of Americans are without basic healthcare because they cannot afford it. Millions of US university students are deeply in debt from student loans taken to finance their education - all while the US underwrites Israel’s economy.
Morgan Strong
Morgan Strong is a former professor of Middle Eastern History, and was an advisor on the Middle East to CBS News, 60 Minutes.
by Morgan Strong
Israel is around the same size as New Jersey, one of the smallest US states and which contributes nearly $30bn to the US federal budget - very little of which is returned through federal programmes.
A portion of that money ends up in Israel. Indeed, all 50 states rely on some return of their federal taxes for infrastructure, highways, healthcare, education and other programmes. When a portion of that money is used for other purposes - such as aid to Israel - the citizens suffer the consequences.
Military aid
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs estimates US direct aid to Israel at more than $130bn. Unlike other recipients of US military aid, Israel has in the past been allowed to spend more than a quarter of its annual military aid in Israel, rather than in the US, resulting in an increasingly sophisticated and competitive Israeli defence industry.
As a result, the Congressional Research Service reported that between 2004 and 2011, Israel was the eighth-largest arms exporter, with sales of $12.9bn.
In contrast with other countries receiving US military aid, which must purchase through the Department of Defense (DOD), Israel deals directly with US companies and is exempt from DOD review.
Israel is ranked 22nd on the UN Human Development Index, compared to the US at 13th. Despite a lagging GDP, Israel is nonetheless considered a wealthy country, with universal healthcare, affordable higher education and a higher life expectancy than the US.
All Israeli residents are entitled to basic healthcare as a fundamental right, compared to the US, which has one of the most underperforming healthcare systems among developed nations, despite massive spending of $3.5 trillion annually.
On the education front, the annual cost of tuition at an Israeli university, set by the government, is around $3,000, compared with around $10,000 for US residents at state universities.
Tax exemptions
US intelligence officials take an active interest in friends as well as foes, with counterintelligence operations “strategically focused against [the] priority targets of China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and Israel”.
The latter is a US ally, but has a history of espionage attempts against the US; Israel has also consistently deceived the US as to the existence of its nuclear weapons and ballistic-missile systems.
At the same time, an investigation several years ago by the Forward, which focused on the US Jewish community’s network of charity organisations, “uncovered a tax-exempt Jewish communal apparatus that operates on the scale of a Fortune 500 company and focuses the largest share of its donor dollars on Israel”.
Great largesse
Indeed, in addition to federal budget allocations, there are private charities, local and state governments, and corporations that contribute additional billions to Israel.
US taxpayers unwittingly exercise great largesse towards the people of Israel, at great detriment to themselves.
Millions of Americans are without basic healthcare because they cannot afford it. Millions of US university students are deeply in debt from student loans taken to finance their education - all while the US underwrites Israel’s economy.
Morgan Strong
Morgan Strong is a former professor of Middle Eastern History, and was an advisor on the Middle East to CBS News, 60 Minutes.
30 oct 2019
The failure to end Israel’s occupation of Palestine and secure Palestinian peace and freedom is “a profound stain” against the mission and objectives of the United Nations, said South African Minister of International Relations, Naledi Pandor, at the UN Security Council on Monday.
As South Africa entered its final week as president of the Security Council, Pandor was in New York to preside over the Council’s quarterly open debate on one of the longest-standing issues on the agenda: the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Consisting of five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States - Pandor lambasted members for failing to implement their own resolutions, specifically Resolution 2334 of 2016 which declared Israel’s settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem a “flagrant violation” of international law with “no legal validity”.
The resolution demands that Israel stop such activity and fulfil its obligations as an occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
In a thinly-veiled reference to Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Pandor said that the resolution was undermined “through unilateral decisions aimed at predetermining the outcome of the negotiations. That points to bad faith and can never secure peace.”
Pandor called for a vigorous campaign of international solidarity, pressure and support, similar to those that ultimately brought down the apartheid regime in South Africa. “Our own struggles were advanced by United Nations action and determination to end a crime against humanity. We need similar vigorous international solidarity, indignation and commitment for Palestine.”
Pandor also expressed grave concern at the continued disregard of Palestinian concerns on final-status issues in the Peace Process such as borders, the return of refugees, the status of Jerusalem and the Israel’s illegal settlements. “Clearly there is no intention to seek or achieve peace by those implementing these actions.
How is it possible to believe in this Council, in peace and security in the face of such offending breaches of this Council’s decisions?” Pandor asked in a fiery address.
“Palestinian hopes are dissipating in the face of diminishing world support and the absence of any genuine attempt at honest negotiations. Palestine seems to be a forgotten people,” Pandor cautioned gravely.
In order to repair its damaged credibility on the issue, Pandor said that the Security Council must insist on regular written reports on the implementation of its decisions and resolutions, and conduct a long-overdue field visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories. “We lose credibility as an institution when words are not accompanied by action,” warned Pandor.
Palestinian ambassador to South Africa, Hashem Dajani, welcomed Pandor’s statement saying it was a “reminder about the duty the UN should have achieved decades ago in the Middle East, especially the realization of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to freedom and independence.”
Hamas spokesperson, Bassem Naim, expressed appreciation at Pandor’s strong address. “We agree fully with her diagnosis regarding the failure of the international community in general and the Security Council in particular, to protect Palestinian rights and force Israel to respect and implement resolutions.”
As South Africa entered its final week as president of the Security Council, Pandor was in New York to preside over the Council’s quarterly open debate on one of the longest-standing issues on the agenda: the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Consisting of five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States - Pandor lambasted members for failing to implement their own resolutions, specifically Resolution 2334 of 2016 which declared Israel’s settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem a “flagrant violation” of international law with “no legal validity”.
The resolution demands that Israel stop such activity and fulfil its obligations as an occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
In a thinly-veiled reference to Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Pandor said that the resolution was undermined “through unilateral decisions aimed at predetermining the outcome of the negotiations. That points to bad faith and can never secure peace.”
Pandor called for a vigorous campaign of international solidarity, pressure and support, similar to those that ultimately brought down the apartheid regime in South Africa. “Our own struggles were advanced by United Nations action and determination to end a crime against humanity. We need similar vigorous international solidarity, indignation and commitment for Palestine.”
Pandor also expressed grave concern at the continued disregard of Palestinian concerns on final-status issues in the Peace Process such as borders, the return of refugees, the status of Jerusalem and the Israel’s illegal settlements. “Clearly there is no intention to seek or achieve peace by those implementing these actions.
How is it possible to believe in this Council, in peace and security in the face of such offending breaches of this Council’s decisions?” Pandor asked in a fiery address.
“Palestinian hopes are dissipating in the face of diminishing world support and the absence of any genuine attempt at honest negotiations. Palestine seems to be a forgotten people,” Pandor cautioned gravely.
In order to repair its damaged credibility on the issue, Pandor said that the Security Council must insist on regular written reports on the implementation of its decisions and resolutions, and conduct a long-overdue field visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories. “We lose credibility as an institution when words are not accompanied by action,” warned Pandor.
Palestinian ambassador to South Africa, Hashem Dajani, welcomed Pandor’s statement saying it was a “reminder about the duty the UN should have achieved decades ago in the Middle East, especially the realization of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to freedom and independence.”
Hamas spokesperson, Bassem Naim, expressed appreciation at Pandor’s strong address. “We agree fully with her diagnosis regarding the failure of the international community in general and the Security Council in particular, to protect Palestinian rights and force Israel to respect and implement resolutions.”
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