15 sept 2018
The United States decided to block millions of dollars to programs that build relations between Palestinians and Israelis, as part of its policy to end all aid for Palestinian civilians.
The New York Times reported, according to Ma’an, that “the move to prevent Palestinians — including, in many cases, children — from benefiting from the funds squeezes shut the last remaining channel of American aid to Palestinian civilians.”
Palestinians consider such programs to be “normalizing” relations between the two sides at the time that Israel refuses to recognize the rights of the Palestinian people.
NY Times said that US Congress had already budgeted the money for allocation in fiscal year 2017, ending this month.
Previously, the designated funds went mostly to programs that organized people-to-people exchanges between Palestinians and Israelis, often for youth; some also went to programs for Israeli Jews and Arabs.
As the US President Donald Trump cut all other aid Palestinians, according to the new site advocates had hoped this last fund of $10 million would remain available to projects with Palestinians.
Tim Rieser, US foreign policy aide to Senator Patrick Leahy, said that officials from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had told congressional aides, last week, that programs benefiting Palestinians alongside Israelis would not be receiving any new money.
Leahy established the broader program managed by USAID.
Rieser said that the agency’s officials did not want to cut programs with Palestinians, but had to accommodate a White House that does not want to send American funds to Palestinians.
“As a result, only programs with Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs will get funding, contrary to the tradition of the funds and intent of Congress.”
Rieser added that USAID was essentially faced with either shutting down the program and losing the funds, “or keeping something going.”
“They decided to support programs that involve Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs.”
Rieser said that “programs currently on multiyear grants will still get all their funds.”
USAID said, in a statement on Friday, that it is “currently unable to engage Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza as a result of the administration’s recent decision on Palestinian assistance.”
The agency said it was “continuing its support for civil society working on these issues within Israel.”
Last week, the US had cancelled $20 million in aid to Palestinian hospitals of occupied East Jerusalem, weeks after its decision to cut all funding to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA).
The New York Times reported, according to Ma’an, that “the move to prevent Palestinians — including, in many cases, children — from benefiting from the funds squeezes shut the last remaining channel of American aid to Palestinian civilians.”
Palestinians consider such programs to be “normalizing” relations between the two sides at the time that Israel refuses to recognize the rights of the Palestinian people.
NY Times said that US Congress had already budgeted the money for allocation in fiscal year 2017, ending this month.
Previously, the designated funds went mostly to programs that organized people-to-people exchanges between Palestinians and Israelis, often for youth; some also went to programs for Israeli Jews and Arabs.
As the US President Donald Trump cut all other aid Palestinians, according to the new site advocates had hoped this last fund of $10 million would remain available to projects with Palestinians.
Tim Rieser, US foreign policy aide to Senator Patrick Leahy, said that officials from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had told congressional aides, last week, that programs benefiting Palestinians alongside Israelis would not be receiving any new money.
Leahy established the broader program managed by USAID.
Rieser said that the agency’s officials did not want to cut programs with Palestinians, but had to accommodate a White House that does not want to send American funds to Palestinians.
“As a result, only programs with Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs will get funding, contrary to the tradition of the funds and intent of Congress.”
Rieser added that USAID was essentially faced with either shutting down the program and losing the funds, “or keeping something going.”
“They decided to support programs that involve Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs.”
Rieser said that “programs currently on multiyear grants will still get all their funds.”
USAID said, in a statement on Friday, that it is “currently unable to engage Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza as a result of the administration’s recent decision on Palestinian assistance.”
The agency said it was “continuing its support for civil society working on these issues within Israel.”
Last week, the US had cancelled $20 million in aid to Palestinian hospitals of occupied East Jerusalem, weeks after its decision to cut all funding to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA).
12 sept 2018
The US administration is considering measures to ban and sanction the international movement to boycott Israel, from U.S. universities where the movement thrives.
Hebrew sources said, according to the PNN, that the U.S. has already started taking steps to ban the BDS movement on American campuses, after Kenneth L. Marcus was appointed as the new director of the Department of Civil Rights in the United States.
Marcus announced the start of an investigation into old cases, the most important of which was the Rutgers University case, in New Jersey, where there will be an investigation into its activities, and deal with a number of reported anti-Semitic incidents against Jewish students, several years ago.
The Obama administration closed the file, at the time; however, Marcus told the Zionist Organization in America that he would cancel the decision of the Obama administration and reconsider the case, to see if it is one of religious hatred or attacks on ethnic groups.
According to Israeli media, the Trump government also began to define the activities of the boycott campaign against the State of Israel as anti-Semitic.
Arab and Palestinian activists and supporters at the United States expressed their disappointment with the anti-BDS decision, saying that the US administration has taken a side in the conflict and “decided to accuse all those who sympathize with the Palestinian cause as anti-Semitic.”
Hebrew sources said, according to the PNN, that the U.S. has already started taking steps to ban the BDS movement on American campuses, after Kenneth L. Marcus was appointed as the new director of the Department of Civil Rights in the United States.
Marcus announced the start of an investigation into old cases, the most important of which was the Rutgers University case, in New Jersey, where there will be an investigation into its activities, and deal with a number of reported anti-Semitic incidents against Jewish students, several years ago.
The Obama administration closed the file, at the time; however, Marcus told the Zionist Organization in America that he would cancel the decision of the Obama administration and reconsider the case, to see if it is one of religious hatred or attacks on ethnic groups.
According to Israeli media, the Trump government also began to define the activities of the boycott campaign against the State of Israel as anti-Semitic.
Arab and Palestinian activists and supporters at the United States expressed their disappointment with the anti-BDS decision, saying that the US administration has taken a side in the conflict and “decided to accuse all those who sympathize with the Palestinian cause as anti-Semitic.”
Archbishop of Sebastia from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem Atallah Hanna on Wednesday said that the recent US pressures on the Palestinian people are aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause through the Deal of the Century.
During a meeting with Jerusalem notables, Hanna slammed US president for his plan to drop Palestinian refugees' right to return.
After 25 years have passed since the start of "absurd negotiations" (Oslo Accords), Hanna added, Palestinians are now more mature and aware of the conspiracies plotted against their cause.
"US president and his allies are not the ones who decide the fate of the Palestinian people, and there is no force in the world that can remove Palestine from the map," he stressed.
He affirmed that Palestinians will never give up their rights, most importantly their right to return, and will never allow suspicious projects, like the Deal of the Century, pass.
During a meeting with Jerusalem notables, Hanna slammed US president for his plan to drop Palestinian refugees' right to return.
After 25 years have passed since the start of "absurd negotiations" (Oslo Accords), Hanna added, Palestinians are now more mature and aware of the conspiracies plotted against their cause.
"US president and his allies are not the ones who decide the fate of the Palestinian people, and there is no force in the world that can remove Palestine from the map," he stressed.
He affirmed that Palestinians will never give up their rights, most importantly their right to return, and will never allow suspicious projects, like the Deal of the Century, pass.
11 sept 2018
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In response to threats by the United States National Security Adviser John Bolton, the International Criminal Court in Hague said, on Tuesday, that it would "continue to do its work undeterred."
On Monday, Bolton had threatened ICC judges with imposing sanctions if they proceed with a probe into reported war crimes by the US in Afghanistan. Bolton's threats said that if such an investigation was launched, the US administration would consider banning ICC judges and prosecutors from entering the United States, in addition to sanctioning funds they have there and prosecuting them in U.S. courts. |
The court said in a statement that it is an independent and impartial institution with the backing of 123 countries.
The statement added that "the ICC, as a court of law, will continue to do its work undeterred, in accordance with those principles and the overarching idea of the rule of law."
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister criticized the absence of an international response to US threats via his official Twitter account, on Tuesday.
Mohammad Javad Zarif said "the US threatens to impose sanctions on the ICC & even prosecute its judges in American courts. Where is the outrage?"
"The boorishness of this rogue US regime seems to know no bounds," he added.
The statement added that "the ICC, as a court of law, will continue to do its work undeterred, in accordance with those principles and the overarching idea of the rule of law."
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister criticized the absence of an international response to US threats via his official Twitter account, on Tuesday.
Mohammad Javad Zarif said "the US threatens to impose sanctions on the ICC & even prosecute its judges in American courts. Where is the outrage?"
"The boorishness of this rogue US regime seems to know no bounds," he added.
The network of east Jerusalem hospitals has warned that the US administration’s cut of funding to Palestinian hospitals in the holy city will adversely affect the lives of 5,000,000 Palestinian citizens.
This came following a meeting held by the network on Monday to discuss the impacts of the US step on six Palestinian hospitals. video
In a news conference held after the meeting, director of Augusta Victoria Hospital Walid Nammour expressed the network’s regret at the US decision to halt funding to Jerusalem hospitals, and warned that such step would largely affect the health services they provide for the Palestinians.
Nammour appealed to the Palestinian government, the US Congress and the international community to intervene to address such serious development.
This came following a meeting held by the network on Monday to discuss the impacts of the US step on six Palestinian hospitals. video
In a news conference held after the meeting, director of Augusta Victoria Hospital Walid Nammour expressed the network’s regret at the US decision to halt funding to Jerusalem hospitals, and warned that such step would largely affect the health services they provide for the Palestinians.
Nammour appealed to the Palestinian government, the US Congress and the international community to intervene to address such serious development.
The official spokesperson of the Palestinian Presidency, Nabil Abu Rodeina, stated on Monday evening that the Palestinians will remain steadfast in the struggle for their legitimate rights, especially in occupied Jerusalem, and added that the holy city is more important than the relations with the United States.
Abu Rodeina said that the American policies, and the hostile decisions and practices of President Donald Trump, cannot void the historic and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, topped by their struggle for liberation, the Right of Return of the refugees, and establishing an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
“Out rights are inalienable, and cannot be voided; our people will remain steadfast and will continue their struggle for their internationally guaranteed right of liberation and independence,” he said, “The Right of Return of all refugees is a legitimate inalienable right. The liberation of Palestine, and its capital Jerusalem, are more important than the relations with the United States.”
The official further stated that the latest U.S. decision to shut the Palestinian representative office in Washington is an illegal act of political blackmail, and added that these policies cannot void the legitimate Palestinian rights, and the steadfast position in protecting the city and its holy sites.
He added that the Palestinian leadership is committed to all related United Nations and Security Council resolutions, and is also abiding by all decisions of the Arab League, regarding protecting the Palestinian cause, and reaching a comprehensive peace agreement by ending the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Abu Rodeina said that the American policies, and the hostile decisions and practices of President Donald Trump, cannot void the historic and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, topped by their struggle for liberation, the Right of Return of the refugees, and establishing an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
“Out rights are inalienable, and cannot be voided; our people will remain steadfast and will continue their struggle for their internationally guaranteed right of liberation and independence,” he said, “The Right of Return of all refugees is a legitimate inalienable right. The liberation of Palestine, and its capital Jerusalem, are more important than the relations with the United States.”
The official further stated that the latest U.S. decision to shut the Palestinian representative office in Washington is an illegal act of political blackmail, and added that these policies cannot void the legitimate Palestinian rights, and the steadfast position in protecting the city and its holy sites.
He added that the Palestinian leadership is committed to all related United Nations and Security Council resolutions, and is also abiding by all decisions of the Arab League, regarding protecting the Palestinian cause, and reaching a comprehensive peace agreement by ending the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.
10 sept 2018
Members of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), responded on Monday to the expected announcement that the United States administration will close the PLO’s office in Washington as part of a widening US pressure campaign on Palestinian officials amid stalled Middle East peace prospects.
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, said in a statement "It is ironic that the US is punishing the PLO, the national representative of the Palestinian people and the highest political body that made the commitment to reaching a political and legal settlement of the Palestinian question and that has engaged in negotiations with successive US administrations for decades."
"It is also extremely cruel and spiteful to persist in deliberately bashing the Palestinian people by denying them of their rights, giving away their lands and rightful capital of Jerusalem, and defunding UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) and Palestinian institutions, including East Jerusalem hospitals.:
She stressed "Such irresponsible moves are clear proof of American collusion with Israel's occupation and the rewards, inducements and incentives it provides Israel, as well as a total ignorance of the requirements of a just peace based on international law and respect for human rights."
Ashrawi concluded "Palestinians will not surrender and that no amount of coercion or unwarranted collective punitive measures will bring the Palestinian leadership or people to their knees."
Saeb Erekat also responded to the closure in a press release "This is yet another affirmation of the Trump Administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education."
Erekat warned that "this dangerous escalation shows that the US is willing to disband the international system in order to protect Israeli crimes and attacks against the land and people of Palestine as well as against peace and security in the rest of our region."
Erekat was referring to the US threatening the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, of not prosecuting any Israeli officials as demanded by the Palestinians otherwise it will be subjected to severe sanctions.
"The rights of the Palestinian people are not for sale, that we will not succumb to US threats and bullying and that we will continue our legitimate struggle for freedom, justice, and independence, including by all political and legal means possible."
He added "Accordingly, we continue to call upon the International Criminal Court to open its immediate investigation into Israeli crimes."
Erekat called on the international community to respond to the awaited US administration’s decision, emphasizing "Lowering the flag of Palestine in Washington DC means much more than a new slap by the Trump administration against peace and justice; it symbolizes the US attacks against the international system as a whole, including the Paris Convention, UNESCO and the Human Rights Council among others."
Additionally, Erekat said that the PLO will take necessary measures to protect the rights of Palestinians living in the US to be able to access their consular services.
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, said in a statement "It is ironic that the US is punishing the PLO, the national representative of the Palestinian people and the highest political body that made the commitment to reaching a political and legal settlement of the Palestinian question and that has engaged in negotiations with successive US administrations for decades."
"It is also extremely cruel and spiteful to persist in deliberately bashing the Palestinian people by denying them of their rights, giving away their lands and rightful capital of Jerusalem, and defunding UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) and Palestinian institutions, including East Jerusalem hospitals.:
She stressed "Such irresponsible moves are clear proof of American collusion with Israel's occupation and the rewards, inducements and incentives it provides Israel, as well as a total ignorance of the requirements of a just peace based on international law and respect for human rights."
Ashrawi concluded "Palestinians will not surrender and that no amount of coercion or unwarranted collective punitive measures will bring the Palestinian leadership or people to their knees."
Saeb Erekat also responded to the closure in a press release "This is yet another affirmation of the Trump Administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education."
Erekat warned that "this dangerous escalation shows that the US is willing to disband the international system in order to protect Israeli crimes and attacks against the land and people of Palestine as well as against peace and security in the rest of our region."
Erekat was referring to the US threatening the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, of not prosecuting any Israeli officials as demanded by the Palestinians otherwise it will be subjected to severe sanctions.
"The rights of the Palestinian people are not for sale, that we will not succumb to US threats and bullying and that we will continue our legitimate struggle for freedom, justice, and independence, including by all political and legal means possible."
He added "Accordingly, we continue to call upon the International Criminal Court to open its immediate investigation into Israeli crimes."
Erekat called on the international community to respond to the awaited US administration’s decision, emphasizing "Lowering the flag of Palestine in Washington DC means much more than a new slap by the Trump administration against peace and justice; it symbolizes the US attacks against the international system as a whole, including the Paris Convention, UNESCO and the Human Rights Council among others."
Additionally, Erekat said that the PLO will take necessary measures to protect the rights of Palestinians living in the US to be able to access their consular services.
The UK-based Independent daily has slammed the US decision to cut aids for UNRWA, saying the world cannot watch indifferently while Israel and the US continue to tighten grip on the Palestinians.
In Gaza, young people’s lives are not their own. At any point they could be taken by lethal force, and every day is defined by restrictions of their basic needs and control over their plans and aspirations. By withdrawing its funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the United States is making that future even more uncertain, said the Independent.
According to the same source, the fact that Gazans are being cut off not just from basic amenities, but from so many opportunities, means that they “annot dream or even think about our future.
A few weeks ago, the third paramedic was killed by Israeli Forces during the “Great March of Return”, a series of demonstrations attended by as many as 30,000 people over the past few months, spanning the length of the Gaza Strip in front of the “no-go zone” which cuts the population off from access and opportunity.
The lack of control over their own lives experienced by youth imprisoned in Gaza every day, is something that they themselves may not have the power to change, it added.
The occupation of Gaza intensified 11 years ago when a land, sea and air blockade – which continues to prevent people from leaving or entering the small strip of land – was imposed by Israel and Egypt. The blockade heavily restricts imports and exports, which has decimated the economy and severely reduced the jobs and goods available for the population of around 2 million people.
According to the Independent, the blockade also cuts the population off from the natural resources and amenities that people require to live and work, severely reducing the capacity of local services.
The US withdrawal of funding to UNRWA and the life-threatening deprivation it will cause if the situation persists, makes it even more urgent for the rest of the world to campaign for the blockade to be lifted, and for individuals in Gaza to be given a level of control back to their lives, the same source concluded.
In Gaza, young people’s lives are not their own. At any point they could be taken by lethal force, and every day is defined by restrictions of their basic needs and control over their plans and aspirations. By withdrawing its funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the United States is making that future even more uncertain, said the Independent.
According to the same source, the fact that Gazans are being cut off not just from basic amenities, but from so many opportunities, means that they “annot dream or even think about our future.
A few weeks ago, the third paramedic was killed by Israeli Forces during the “Great March of Return”, a series of demonstrations attended by as many as 30,000 people over the past few months, spanning the length of the Gaza Strip in front of the “no-go zone” which cuts the population off from access and opportunity.
The lack of control over their own lives experienced by youth imprisoned in Gaza every day, is something that they themselves may not have the power to change, it added.
The occupation of Gaza intensified 11 years ago when a land, sea and air blockade – which continues to prevent people from leaving or entering the small strip of land – was imposed by Israel and Egypt. The blockade heavily restricts imports and exports, which has decimated the economy and severely reduced the jobs and goods available for the population of around 2 million people.
According to the Independent, the blockade also cuts the population off from the natural resources and amenities that people require to live and work, severely reducing the capacity of local services.
The US withdrawal of funding to UNRWA and the life-threatening deprivation it will cause if the situation persists, makes it even more urgent for the rest of the world to campaign for the blockade to be lifted, and for individuals in Gaza to be given a level of control back to their lives, the same source concluded.
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The Trump administration is expected to announce Monday that it will close the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) office in Washington, administration officials said Sunday night, widening a U.S. campaign of pressure amid stalled Middle East peace efforts.
“The United States will always stand with our friend and ally, Israel,” national security adviser John Bolton planned to say in prepared remarks he is scheduled to deliver Monday, according a draft reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “The Trump administration will not keep the office open when the Palestinians refuse to take steps to start direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel,” he planned to add. According to The Wall Street Journal, Bolton also planned to threaten to impose sanctions against the International Criminal Court if it moves ahead with investigations of the U.S. and Israel. Among the responses, Bolton says, the U.S. would ban ICC judges and prosecutors from entering the country. The PLO office in Washington has long been the focus of controversy. The Trump administration warned last year that it might close the office after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for the investigation and prosecution of Israeli officials by the ICC and other bodies. Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian Authority negotiator responded at the time that such a move would undermine prospects for peace. |
The PLO opened its mission in Washington in 1994 and joined the ICC after receiving observer state status at the U.N. in 2012.
The closure, which Bolton says would be formally announced by the State Department on Monday, follows other steps by the Trump administration that have angered Palestinians, including moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and ending funding for the U.N. agency that helps Palestinian refugees.
“The United States supports a direct and robust peace process, and we will not allow the ICC, or any other organization, to constrain Israel’s right to self-defense,” Bolton also planned to say, according to the prepared remarks.
A particular concern has been a request last year by the ICC prosecutor to investigate U.S. military and Central Intelligence Agency personnel who served in Afghanistan for detainee abuse and possibly other war crimes.
In the prepared remarks planned for Monday, Bolton offers an extended critique of the court, which he asserts is rife with abuses, and vows that the U.S. will use “any means necessary” to protect American citizens and those of friendly allies from prosecution by the court.
According to the same source, nations that cooperate with ICC investigations of the U.S. and its allies will also risk losing foreign aid. Other responses include economic sanctions against the court itself. The U.S. also will consider asking the U.N. Security Council to constrain the court’s authority.
The closure, which Bolton says would be formally announced by the State Department on Monday, follows other steps by the Trump administration that have angered Palestinians, including moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and ending funding for the U.N. agency that helps Palestinian refugees.
“The United States supports a direct and robust peace process, and we will not allow the ICC, or any other organization, to constrain Israel’s right to self-defense,” Bolton also planned to say, according to the prepared remarks.
A particular concern has been a request last year by the ICC prosecutor to investigate U.S. military and Central Intelligence Agency personnel who served in Afghanistan for detainee abuse and possibly other war crimes.
In the prepared remarks planned for Monday, Bolton offers an extended critique of the court, which he asserts is rife with abuses, and vows that the U.S. will use “any means necessary” to protect American citizens and those of friendly allies from prosecution by the court.
According to the same source, nations that cooperate with ICC investigations of the U.S. and its allies will also risk losing foreign aid. Other responses include economic sanctions against the court itself. The U.S. also will consider asking the U.N. Security Council to constrain the court’s authority.
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