Fayad: PA niet klaar om veiligheid op Westoever te controleren

Westerse 'vredesgroepen' zoals "Stop de Bezetting" eisen altijd een onmiddelijke en gehele terugtrekking van Israël uit de bezette gebieden. De PA geeft in onderstaand bericht zelf aan dat men momenteel nog niet in staat is om de orde te handhaven in de steden op de Westoever, en met name om terroristische aanslagen te verhinderen.

 

Het bestrijden van de corruptie en het handhaven van een staatsmonopolie op geweld zijn wellicht de twee belangrijkste uitdagingen waar de PA voor staat. De nieuwe Palestijnse premier Fayad heeft verklaard beide zaken aan te zullen pakken. Hij kan daarbij rekenen op de steun van Tony Blair, die door het 'Kwartet' (VN, VS, EU en Rusland) is afgevaardigd om de Palestijnen te helpen hun staatsinstituties op te bouwen.

 

 

NB: De hieronder genoemde bijeenkomst in Jericho heeft al plaatsgevonden.

______________________________

Last update - 08:37 06/08/2007  
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/890318.html

Fayad: PA not ready to assume control of security in West Bank

By Avi Issacharoff and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents


The Palestinian Authority's security organizations are unable to assume security control of cities in the West Bank, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad told senior Israeli officials during recent meetings. Fayad told Israeli officials that the PA's security forces are unable "to impose law and order in the West Bank at this time."

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was scheduled to meet Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Jericho on Monday. The meeting will focus on making substantive progress in preparation for the regional summit planned to take place in November in Washington.

During meetings with senior Israeli officials, the interim Palestinian prime minister and his interior minister, Abd al-Razek al-Yihiya, made it clear that the PA's security cannot at this time assume control of West Bank cities. Among those to whom this message was conveyed recently was Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin.

Originally, Fayad and al-Yihiya made the transfer of some West Bank cities to PA security control one of their prime requests of Israel. Israel did not immediately reject the request, but asked that the PA security forces be prepared to take action against any militants who may try to carry out a terror attack against Israel from areas in which Israel would surrender security control.

However, Palestinian security commanders admitted before the PA leadership that their forces are not currently capable of preventing terrorist attacks against Israel, or, as Israel defines it, of "combatting terrorism."

Fayad told Israel that the PA's security forces are unable to "impose law and order in the West Bank at this time."

Senior Palestinian officials told Haaretz that Fayad told Israel, immediately after he assumed power, that he intended to focus on the gradual establishing of law and order in the West Bank, before turning his attention to political negotiations.

"However, after we realized that there were Israeli limitations on our demands to expand the 'fugitives agreement,' and the security forces in the West Bank are still not prepared to take on responsibility in the cities, Fayad changed his stance on the matter of negotiations, and this became essential - almost exclusively so - in bolstering the PA's position in the West Bank," the senior Palestinian officials said Sunday.

During their meeting Monday at the InterContinental Hotel in Jericho, Olmert and Abbas plan to push ahead in achieving maximum progress in negotiations.

"The purpose is to achieve the maximum possible mutual understandings on a two-state solution prior to the summit in the fall and in a way that will not endanger the entire process," a senior political source in Jerusalem said Sunday. The aim is to stabilize Abbas' rule in the West Bank so that the PA will be able to carry out its commitments, particularly on the security front.

This will be the first time an Israeli prime minister has visited the PA since the outbreak of the intifada, in September 2000. The meeting will take place under draconian security measures; Palestinian Presidential Guard officials and Shin Bet VIP Security officers have held a number of meeting in recent days to prepare the ground.

The meeting between the two leaders will be restricted to the press and there will be a photo-opportunity only at the beginning.

Palestinian sources said that the two leaders will have a private lunch, and most of the meeting will be behind closed doors, with no aides present.

Abbas and Olmert will pick up where their talks begun at their meeting in Jerusalem two weeks ago left off, with a focus on the "Agreement of Principles."

Ontmoeting Olmert en Abbas: eindelijk hoop op nieuwe vredesbesprekingen?

Nadat de unilaterale plannen voor eenzijdige terugtrekking in de ijskast belandden, is er weer een beetje hoop voor hernieuwde vredesonderhandelingen. Olmert spreekt zich onomwonden uit voor een Palestijnse staat en verwijst naar de Routekaart voor Vrede uit 2003, die destijds nog grotendeels een dode letter bleef. Olmert en Abbas zouden de eerste noodzakelijke stappen op deze weg moeten zetten, maar gezien hun beider zwakke interne posities is het de vraag hoever ze komen.

 

Het initiatief van Bush voor een Midden-Oosten conferentie dit najaar moet de druk op zowel Israël als de Arabieren opvoeren. Intussen zou Tony Blair als nieuwe Midden-Oosten gezant de Palestijnen moeten helpen bij de opbouw van staats-instituties. Nadat die klus is geklaard, kunnen de eeuw-oude rivalen om het kleine strookje land eindelijk hun grens trekken, kronkelend door de smalle straatjes van het oude Jeruzalem en al dan niet om grote en kleinere nederzettingenblokken heen, met of zonder afscheiding op de grens; zeker zonder het 'recht op terugkeer' van de miljoenen Palestijnse vluchtelingen naar Israel.

 

Als dit allemaal lukt, dan is er nog maar één klein detail op te lossen, toch?

Abby

____________________________________

 

PM Ehud Olmert and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas meeting

ahead of talks in the West Bank city of Jericho on Monday. (GPO)

Last update - 03:38 07/08/2007   

PM: Israel, PA to expand talks on establishing Palestinian state as soon as possible
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/890318.html

By Avi Issacharoff and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas at a meeting in the West Bank on Monday he would push for the establishment of a Palestinian state as "fast as possible."

In a Jericho meeting with the PA chairman, Olmert refrained from setting a schedule, but said statehood would be achieved by adherence to the internationally brokered road map to Middle East peace, and through mutual understanding.

"We have decided to expand the scope of the negotiations between us in order to advance mutual understanding and formulate the framework that will allow us to move forward toward establishing a Palestinian state," Olmert said.

Monday's meeting marked the first time an Israeli prime minister has visited the Palestinian Authority since the outbreak of the second intifada in September 2000. The meeting took place under heavy security.

Palestinian Presidential Guard officials and Shin Bet security service VIP officers held a number of meetings in recent days to lay the groundwork for the security at this historical meeting.

While Olmert did not present a timetable, he declared that he has no intention to stall for time on the issue of Palestinian statehood.

"Our mutual goal is to realize the shared vision between us and [U.S. President George] Bush regarding the establishment of two states for two peoples who live side by side in security and peace. We want to achieve this as soon as possible," Olmert added.

Olmert also mentioned that the basis for negotiations "will continue to be the road map, which is acceptable to both sides." The prime minister was referring to a peace plan proposed by the Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators - the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia - that calls for an independent Palestinian state.

During the meeting between the two leaders, Abbas told Olmert that Israel's release of the 255 Palestinian prisoners last month had a positive effect on the Palestinian people, and requested the release of additional prisoners in the coming weeks. Olmert said he would consider Abbas' request.

Abbas also called on Olmert to allow the return to the West Bank of militants whom Israel deported in 2002. The militants, who had barricaded themselves in the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem five years ago, were told they would be arrested if they returned to the West Bank, and consequently dispersed in Gaza and Europe. Olmert agreed to consider this request as well.

Both sides agreed the meeting had been constructive, but made no announcements of significant progress.

"Abbas did not come to the meeting with a magic wand, and neither did Mr. Olmert," Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said at a post-meeting press conference.

"There is an agreement on a series of meetings to discuss the issues, including the establishment of a Palestinian state," he added.

David Baker, an Olmert spokesman, said the leaders did not discuss the core issues of the conflict or conduct negotiations.

"Both sides decided to expand the contents of their discussions in order to advance the understandings ... to allow further progress to be made for the establishment of a Palestinian state," Baker said.

"I came here in order to discuss the fundamental issues outstanding between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, hoping that this will lead us soon into negotiations about the creation of a Palestinian state," Olmert said at the outset of the talks earlier Monday.

The aim of the meeting between the two was to prepare for a U.S.-led regional summit on peace between Israel and the Palestinians to be held in Washington in November.

"The purpose is to achieve the maximum possible mutual understandings on a two-state solution prior to the summit in the fall and in a way that will not endanger the entire process," a senior political source in Jerusalem said Sunday. The aim is to stabilize Abbas' rule in the West Bank so that the PA will be able to carry out its commitments, particularly on the security front.

Abbas and Olmert picked up where their previous talks, initiated at their meeting in Jerusalem two weeks ago, left off. The talks focused on an "agreement of principles."

Baker said the meeting was a signal of Israeli good will, adding that Olmert intended for it to be a productive meeting to enable progress with the Palestinians.

Both sides said ahead of the talks that the meeting would also deal with easing daily life in the West Bank, including the removal of some of the checkpoints erected after the outbreak of the second Intifada in 2000.

The meeting between the two leaders was restricted to the press and photographs were allowed only at the beginning.

Fayad: PA not ready to assume security control

Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad told senior Israeli officials during recent meetings that the Palestinian Authority's security organizations are unable to assume security control of cities in the West Bank. Fayad said that the PA's security forces are unable "to impose law and order in the West Bank at this time."

During meetings with senior Israeli officials, the interim Palestinian prime minister and his interior minister, Abd al-Razek al-Yihiya, made it clear that the PA's security cannot at this time assume control of West Bank cities.

Among those to whom this message was conveyed recently was Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin.

Vrede zonder Hamas?

Hamas wil pertinent geen vrede sluiten met Israël, zoals het keer op keer op keer verklaard heeft; maar buiten Hamas om lijkt een vredesovereenkomst ook niet te realiseren. Als vrede niet op het menu staat, moet Israël dan toch een Palestijnse staat opdienen?

 

Abby

____________________________

If Hamas isn't in the game

By Danny Rubinstein
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/890296.html

The Olmert government in Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, are in the midst of renewed political activity, encouraged by intensive American efforts. There have been frequent meetings, discussions of an agreement of principles and plans for a regional conference. Although there still are many problems in the field, like the amnesty agreement for wanted men that the two sides haven't managed to finalize, there certainly has been progress. The liaison committees between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have begun operating again, the government headed by Prime Minister Salam Fayad is receiving substantial financial support, and the security services in the West Bank are beginning to be restored.

The Palestinian media has been reporting that a new city is being planned in the West Bank, between Nablus and Ramallah. One newspaper said it would be a top-priority national project: the first new Arab city since Arab conquerors founded Ramle 1,500 years ago. The Americans and the Saudis will fund the construction, which will provide work for tens of thousands of unemployed Palestinians.

This backdrop makes an apparently marginal disagreement interesting. The dispute in question began after Israel announced that it would allow a few dozen Palestinian refugees who fled Iraq to return to the West Bank. The refugees are members of families that lived in villages in the southeast Carmel region. The Iraqi army, which reached northern Samaria in the 1948 War of Independence, was assisted by some of the residents of those villages. After the Arab defeat, they were allowed to go to Iraq, and lived there until they were compelled to flee, due to the war there. Some had been living in temporary camps on the Jordanian and Syrian borders, and now Israel is allowing a few dozen of them to move to the West Bank and become PA citizens.

The problem, as explained by Palestinian newspapers, is that in accepting the right to be naturalized in the West Bank, they must give up their United Nations refugee certificates. From a Palestinian nationalist perspective, this is practically treason, since it means giving up the right of return. In the past 60 years, almost all Palestinian political statements have completely rejected the idea of resettling the refugees anywhere other than where they used to live in Palestine.

Hamas representatives expressed fierce opposition to the Iraq refugees giving up their UN certificates. Many members of Fatah and the other Palestinian factions joined Hamas in condemning the move.

The matter is primarily a symbolic one, but Hamas spokesmen - led by political adviser Ahmed Yousef - have said in the past few days that they would torpedo any Palestinian development that runs contrary to their position. This applies to Palestinian elections, along with other political and practical issues going beyond the refugees. Abbas has announced that he wants to move ahead the general elections for the PA parliament and chairmanship. Hamas is opposed, and it clearly won't allow elections to take place in the Gaza Strip. If Hamas calls for a boycott of the elections, it will be impossible to hold them in the West Bank, too. Hamas has a lot of destructive power regarding a variety of other issues as well.

There is an almost unanimous consensus in Palestinian politics regarding the conditions for any agreement with Israel: A Palestinian state must be established on the basis of the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and there must be some solution to the refugee problem. Even Hamas is prepared to agree to such a deal, in exchange for a long-term cease-fire and cooperation with Israel, though without peace or official recognition of Israel. The Hamas government in Gaza is currently making every effort to show that it is capable of maintaining good governance, law and order. Last week it invited foreign journalists to see what was happening there, and most left with a positive impression.

However, there is no doubt that Hamas is more capable of sabotaging Abbas' policy than it is of ruling. As long as the Hamas leadership has a hope of holding on in Gaza and of influence in the West Bank, there will be relative quiet. But when Hamas loses hope and it becomes clear that Abbas is far from achieving the minimum that the Palestinians are demanding, then the terrorism and violence almost certainly will be renewed. In other words, all the current political activity is liable to turn out to be nothing but bunk. Ultimately, the opinion of many Palestinians will turn out to be right: If Hamas isn't in the game, there is no game.

De grondvesten van een Palestijnse staat

Een levensvatbare en stabiele Palestijnse staat wordt breed gezien als de enige oplossing voor het Israëlisch-Palestijnse conflict.
Die staat zou ook nog eens democratisch moeten zijn, want niemand pleit natuurlijk voor het oprichten van een nieuwe dictatuur.

Helaas hebben de Palestijnen nog niet kunnen aantonen zo'n staat te kunnen opbouwen, en een echte democratie zou ook in de Arabische wereld een primeur betekenen.

 

Abby
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Repeating a historic failure
Haaretz - Sat., July 28, 2007 Av 13, 5767
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/886749.html

 

By Shlomo Avineri

Many people believe that Palestinian extremism is responsible for the fact that the Palestinians do not have a state: because they rejected the United Nations partition plan of 1947, because they rejected the proposals of prime minister Ehud Barak and U.S. president Bill Clinton at Camp David in 2000, and because they then reverted once again to terrorism against civilians. All this is true, but a review of history shows a more profound structural failing, which has accompanied the Palestinian movement over the years: the inability to establish institutions that are based on a national consensus and that are able to serve as the foundation for a state.

The failure began back in the time of the British Mandate, which allowed the Jews and the Arabs to establish structures of self-government to deal with education, economics, development and welfare. The Yishuv [pre-state Jewish community in Palestine] took advantage of this to establish a widespread system of self-government that became "the state in the making": Elections were held for an assembly of representatives in which more than a dozen political parties participated, and educational and welfare systems, as well as municipal and village government networks, were established that served most of the Jewish community. The National Committee (Va'ad Leumi) and the Jewish Agency became the foundation on which, when the time came, the institutions of the State of Israel were built.

The Arab community, however, did not succeed in establishing a parallel institutional system. The Arab Higher Committee was no more than an assembly of notables, who were appointed on a regional and clan basis without elections, and it represented only itself. The committee never established education or welfare systems, and a party-based political system never developed.

This weakness was clearly evident in the years 1936-1939, which in the Palestinian narrative are called "the Great Revolt" against British rule. A united command for the revolt was never created, and the situation degenerated into an Arab civil war in which armed militias killed each other's members: the mufti's followers and the Husseinis against the militias identified with the Nashashibi clan. In this struggle more Arabs were killed by Arabs than were killed by the British or the Jews.

A similar picture also emerged after the United Nations partition resolution. The Palestinians (apart from the few communists) were united in their opposition to partition, but they never established a consolidated political and military leadership, and the lack of such a leadership is responsible for some of their weaknesses in 1947-48. The Arab Higher Committee did not have at its command effective administrative and institutional structures, and many of its members fled the country when the violence started. The fighting was left to regional and local leaders.

What we are now seeing in the Gaza Strip - the inability of the two Palestinian factions to work together within an agreed-upon framework - is nothing but a repeat of this historic failure of the Palestinians. The current Palestinian excuse is that it is difficult to establish coherent political institutions in conditions of territorial fragmentation, refugees and Israeli occupation. All this is true, but irrelevant. Every national movement emerges in difficult conditions, which usually have to do with being under foreign rule. It is hard to imagine more difficult conditions than those that faced the Jewish Yishuv in Palestine in the 1930s and '40s, with the rise of the Nazis, abandonment on the part of Britain, the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. But this is the test of a national movement: whether it is able to transform a crisis into a historical moment of opportunity.

The Arab world as a whole does not excel at building institutions, and certainly not democratic ones. Thus far the Palestinian movement has not transcended this common Arab heritage. In the near future this will be its major test: If it does not become aware of the historical burden it is carrying on its shoulders and overcome it, the Palestinians' legitimate desire for independence will shatter on the rocks of the harsh internal reality that has accompanied their movement from its very beginning.

Israëlische bloed en bodem?

Is Joods nationalisme (= Zionisme) racistisch?

Op de blog Judeosphere wordt het antwoord goed verwoord, bij monde van professor Gadi Taub.

 

___________________________

 

Monday, August 06, 2007

 

Blood and Soil?

 

Among the most provocative statements in Walt and Mearsheimer's paper "The Israel Lobby" is the argument that Israel does not deserve special treatment from the United States as a fellow democracy because it was "explicitly founded as a Jewish state and citizenship is based on the principle of blood kinship."

Writing in the latest issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, Professor Gadi Taub of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem surveys the latest trend of anti-Zionist academic literature and highlights the duplicity of those denounce Jewish nationalism:

It is still true...that Zionism preserved many ties to Judaism as a religion, and often made concessions to the Orthodox. The result is no clear separation between church and state. Is that what singles Israel out as nondemocratic? Probably not. England has a state church, as do Denmark and Norway, and that doesn't seem to constitute evidence of a nondemocratic character...Moreover, a strict separation of church and stateas, for example, in France is not necessarily more egalitarian. France is extremely aggressive toward minorities whose religion has a public dimension (like Muslim women who cover their heads in school). Israel's Muslim minority is, in that respect, better off: Israel has a publicly financed Arab-language school system, for example, and a state-sponsored system of Muslim courts for marriage and family status. Arabic is one of the official languages of the state.

But then there is the Law of Return. The law grants automatic citizenship to immigrating Jews. Is that what makes Israel nondemocratic? Hardly. Many other countries with diasporas have such laws: Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, and Poland, to name a few.

Or is the core of the problem...that Zionism is an "ethnic" national identity? The term "ethnic democracy" [insinuates] what Israeli law clearly forbids: confining full civil rights to Jews only.

Despite repeated usage, it is still not clear why the term "ethnic" is useful for describing Israel, which is far less ethnically homogeneous than, say, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Poland, or Sweden. In what sense does "ethnic" describe the common identity of Israeli Jews from Argentina, England, Ethiopia, Germany, Morocco, Russia, and Yemen? And how does one classify the ultra-Orthodox, a large group that does not share Israel's national identity but is nevertheless Jewish? Are they part of the ethnos but not of the nation? The real dividing lines in Israel are national — between those who do and those who don't share the national Jewish identity.

Nor does the existence of national minorities within Israel's boundaries present any unique problem to its democracy. Other nation-states also have national minorities that want to preserve their separate identities: the Basques in Spain and the Germans in Poland, say. Few observers, however, make that grounds for denying the rights of the majority in Poland or Spain to national self-determination. Granted, Israel's situation is peculiarly complicated by the fact that the state is in conflict with the Palestinian nation, to which a minority in Israel belongs. But that, too, is not the root of the intuitive feeling that the Israeli state is inherently malignant.

The alleged contradiction between "democratic" and "Jewish" is thus, at bottom, a reading of the occupation back into Zionism. Increasingly, Israel's most vehement critics tend to see things this way: Zionism is a blood-and-soil ideology that postulates that the land belongs exclusively to Jews. Therefore the occupation is its natural extension. And so an end to the occupation may alleviate some of the symptoms but not cure the disease. That is why [many] believe that the only way to make Israel fully democratic is to make it non-Zionist — that is, not a nation-state.

It is ironic that such a reading comes at a time when the most important change Israel has undergone is best described as the triumph of Zionism over the occupation....Hence, in Israeli public opinion, the "two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has won over the ideology of a Greater Israel.

Imposing America's model of one liberal state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea would mean suppressing the aspirations of both Jews and Palestinians to self-determination. It may be noble of such writers to shoulder what was once called the White Man's Burden, and take it upon themselves to teach the natives the right form of self-determination. But from the point of view of the natives, that does not seem like a way to promote democracy. It seems more like an assault on self-determination with a liberal accent.

[Tony] Judt on Israel is closer to Bush on Iraq than [he] would like to believe: American notions of democracy are what count, not what Iraqis, or Palestinians, or Israeli Jews want. And, as in Iraq, such a solution would mean civil war. If anyone needed a demonstration of that, Hamas's military takeover of Gaza has supplied it. If Hamas and Fatah cannot reconcile their differences without resorting to force, then throwing a Jewish minority into the mix is unlikely to produce a peaceful liberal democracy.

Knesset leden tegen uitzetting Soedanese vluchtelingen

Met zoveel steun uit de Knesset voor een petitie tegen het terugsturen van vluchtelingen uit Darfoer naar Egypte, zou je denken dat Olmert wel moet zwichten. Hij is toch geen Verdonk?

 

Het is onbegrijpelijk hoe Egypte met de Soedanese vluchtelingen omgaat. Waarschijnlijk zijn miljoenen Soedanezen in de loop der jaren naar Egypte gevlucht vanwege de oorlog in Darfoer of om aan het fundamentalistische regime te ontsnappen.

 

Wouter
_______________________



Sudanese refugees in Be'er Sheva last week.


Last update - 17:00 03/08/2007
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/889300.html

MKs oppose the deportation of Darfur refugees back to Egypt
By Mijal Grinberg, Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press

Dozens of legislators from across the political spectrum have urged the government to refrain from deporting to Egypt Sudanese refugees who enter Israel through the Sinai Peninsula.

Channel 10 reported Thursday on Israeli soldiers who said they had witnessed Egyptian security officers executing several refugees.

"The refugees need protection and sanctuary, and the Jewish people's history as well as the values of democracy and humanity pose a moral imperative for us to give them that shelter," the MKs said in a petition.


The document has been signed by 63 MKs including Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu, Labor's Amir Peretz, Hadash's Dov Khenin and the National Religious Party's Effi Eitam.

The legislators propose to keep the refugees here until they are transferred to a safe haven abroad. MKs who signed the petition added suggestions such as building a high fence along the Egyptian border and stipulating quotas for the absorption of refugees.

The petition against deporting Sudanese asylum-seekers back to Egypt is the initiative of a group of students from Jerusalem and Ben Gurion University in Be'er Sheva.

Many of the students first encountered the refugees up close in the capital. The Sudanese refugees were housed there in tents after they had entered Israel through Egypt, after escaping the genocide in the Western Sudan region of Darfur.

In conversations with refugees, the students became convinced that deportation to Egypt was tantamount to a death sentence.

"Our student group was concerned with raising the public's awareness to the refugees' plight," activist Na'ama Katz said. "When they arrived in Wohl Rose Park in Jerusalem, we got a chance to actually see what shape they were in. We began gathering testimonies and interviewing them. They told us they had been persecuted in Egypt, and we understood what going back there meant for them."

According to Katz, many of the refugees told the students that they had suffered persecution and physical abuse in Egypt. One of them who wished to remain anonymous told Haaretz that at some point during his stay in Egypt, he and his family were afraid to leave home for fear of being beaten.

"After Sudanese refugees took to demonstrating in Egypt in 2005, it was no longer safe for us to go out on the street. We couldn't go to the police because they were part of it. The Egyptian police joined in on harassing us refugees," he said.

According to an inter-ministerial committee on refugees crossing into Israel from Sinai, about 1,400 are currently in Israel. The committee was headed by Interior Minister Roni Bar-On.

In talks last month on the African refugees, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that any refugee caught crossing into Israel from Egypt would be returned to that country through an official crossing. Olmert said the matter had been finalized in discussions with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Egyptian soldiers murder Sudanese refugees near border with Israel

Egyptian soldiers murdered three Sudanese refugees, beating two to death in front of horrified Israel Defense Forces soldiers, Channel 10 television reported Thursday, screening what it said was army surveillance video and interviews with the soldiers.

Egyptian police told The Associated Press that authorities arrested two Sudanese refugees Thursday, seriously injuring one when he scuffled with police. But Egyptian police Captian Mohammed Badr did not report any deaths.

Channel 10 TV said the incident happened late Wednesday night. The refugees are seen running toward the Israeli border in the video. Then, according to one of the soldiers, who was not identified and whose voice was distorted, Egyptian soldiers opened fire, killing one and wounding the other.

The third tried to climb the border fence but was tackled by Egyptian soldiers, the TV report said.

IDF soldiers were sent to the scene to try to help the refugees, and at one point they got into a tug-of-war with the Egyptians, each side holding on to the Sudanese.

"We pulled one way they pulled another, they pointed their guns at us," said one of the soldiers. He said they let go for fear that the Egyptians would fire at them.

Then the IDF soldiers said they watched helplessly as the Egyptians passed the two refugees from one to the other, beating them. "We saw them gang up on them and beat them on the ground until they stopped moving, said one of the men identified as a soldier.

"They killed two men with their own hands and sticks and rocks," he said. "We heard them crying and screeching in pain until they died."

The IDF said it was looking into the incident. There was no confirmation from Egypt of any refugees being killed.

Hundreds of Sudanese refugees, many from the war-wracked Darfur region, have crossed the desert border from Egypt into Israel in recent months.

Last month, Egyptian border guards shot and killed a Sudanese woman and wounded four others. She was the first Sudanese refugee to be killed.

 

IDF: luchtaanval verhinderde aanslag door Islamitische Jihad

De Islamitische Jihad zou een aanslag op Israëli's van plan zijn geweest, maar was schijnbaar op weg naar de Rafah Crossing met Egypte. In 2004 hadden terroristen die er niet in slaagden Israël binnen te komen, aanslagen gepleegd in het Egyptische Taba, waar veel Israëlische toeristen komen. Meer dan 30 doden waren toen het gevolg.

 

______________________________

IDF: Gaza air strike foiled massive terrorist attack
AP and jpost.com staff, THE JERUSALEM POST Aug. 4, 2007
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1186066377750&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

A massive terror attack was foiled Saturday night when an IAF air strike on two vehicles near the southern Gaza Strip's border with Egypt killed two Palestinians, including an Islamic Jihad operative, and wounded 21 others, the IDF said.

The army said that one of the vehicles was carrying Islamic Jihad operatives and was filled with explosive devices including suicide bomb belts. The group, said the IDF, was on its way to carry out a huge terror attack against Israelis.

Islamic Jihad said some of its members were in at least one of the two vehicles hit in the IAF strike near the Rafah Crossing - a Mercedes saloon and a pickup truck parked alongside. Eyewitnesses said several blasts came from the pickup after the attack, suggesting that it had been carrying explosives. Three of those wounded were Islamic Jihad operatives and were in serious condition.

Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for firing a rocket into a Sderot neighborhood shortly before the air strike, but it was not clear if they were the same group hit by the IAF strike. Two more rockets were fired at the western Negev on Saturday night. No casualties or damage were reported as a result of the Kassam attacks.


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Israëlische en Palestijnse transport vakbonden eens over samenwerking

Een positieve en bemoedigende ontwikkeling: Israëlische en Palestijnse transport vakbonden gaan samenwerken, en daarbij worden 'gevoelige' kwesties niet gemeden:

"In particular the committee aims to deal with the difficult and sensitive issue of the problems faced by Palestinian transport workers at military checkpoints. This is a major concern for Palestinian drivers who complain of too many checkpoints and unnecessary delays. The Israeli Histadrut transport union says it is committed to trying to help where it can play a positive role. The committee intends to set up a process for dealing with incidents on a case by case basis and the Palestinian union will set up a telephone "hot line" for drivers. Relevant cases will be handled in coordination with the Israeli union. It was agreed that the Israeli union would request the Israeli security services to participate in the committee's work when issues such as checkpoints and barriers are under discussion."

Hier zouden de Britse vakbonden, die menen vrede dichterbij te kunnen brengen met allerhande boycots tegen Israël, een voorbeeld aan kunnen nemen.

 

Ratna
____________________________

Israeli and Palestinian transport unions forge cooperation
2 August 2007
http://www.itfglobal.org/news-online/index.cfm/newsdetail/1487

Israeli and Palestinian transport unions have forged a groundbreaking cooperation agreement at a special meeting held under the auspices of the ITF.

 

Around 20 Israeli and Palestinian transport union representatives met together in Limassol, Cyprus on 31 July - 1 August as guests of the ITF's Cypriot affiliate the Federation of Transport, Petroleum and Agricultural Workers. There they discussed common issues such as collective bargaining, delayed payment of wages, loss of union membership and the increasing outsourcing of work to contractors. They agreed to establish a joint liaison committee to provide a mechanism for dealing with practical problems faced by transport workers in the region and for building trust between Israeli and Palestinian transport unions.

In particular the committee aims to deal with the difficult and sensitive issue of the problems faced by Palestinian transport workers at military checkpoints. This is a major concern for Palestinian drivers who complain of too many checkpoints and unnecessary delays. The Israeli Histadrut transport union says it is committed to trying to help where it can play a positive role. The committee intends to set up a process for dealing with incidents on a case by case basis and the Palestinian union will set up a telephone "hot line" for drivers. Relevant cases will be handled in coordination with the Israeli union. It was agreed that the Israeli union would request the Israeli security services to participate in the committee's work when issues such as checkpoints and barriers are under discussion.

 

This agreement was set out in a joint declaration signed by Avi Edri Chairman of the Histadrut Transportation Workers' Union; Naser Yunes, President of the Palestinian General Federation of Transport Workers Unions and David Cockroft, ITF General Secretary.

According to ITF President Randall Howard who chaired the meeting: "The participants were remarkable for their commitment to getting a job done which they believe will not only bring real benefits for transport workers, but in a small way set a direction for building wider trust and cooperation. People did not agree about everything, there were some raw and difficult moments, but they agreed to respect each other and try to work together. This joint declaration is, in my view, a remarkable achievement and a dramatic leap forward in defending and advancing the interests of Palestinian and Israeli transport workers."

 

During the meeting Naser Yunes welcomed the declaration. He said: "The priority was to deal with transport workers' problems. We have to show our members that such initiatives can work. I believe that by working together we can really bring real and practical improvements for trade union members."
Avi Edri added: "We are very serious about this cooperation. I believe we can make a real difference working together."

Both union leaders called on the ITF to maintain its role in supporting this initiative. Meanwhile David Cockroft committed himself to visiting both unions during the next 12 months. The declaration commits both unions to regular meetings of the joint liaison committee.

 

Related documents

Signed Joint Declaration of Israeli and Palestinian transport unions (87kb PDF) Text of the Joint Declaration of Israeli and Palestinian transport unions (37kb DOC) Text (Arabic) of the Joint Declaration of Israeli and Palestinian transport unions (30kb DOC) Text (Hebrew) of the Joint Declaration of Israeli and Palestinian transport unions (31kb DOC)

Related pages

Video: Israeli and Palestinian unions make breakth View a video clip of the signing ceremony Avi Edri,...

Related press

2 August 2007 Israeli and Palestinian unions make breakthrough agreement Israeli and Palestinian transport trade unions yesterday...

Pro-Syrisch zomerkamp op de Golan hoogvlakte

Ik moest het twee keer lezen, om het te kunnen geloven:

A pro-Syria summer camp for Druse children has started on the Israeli side
of the Golan Heights, it was reported on Thursday.

Ooit gehoord van een pro-Israëlisch zomerkamp in Syrië, Libanon of Saoedi-Arabië? In het laatste land mogen Joden geen voet aan de grond zetten, en in Libanon wordt je - zodra je je wat te kritisch uit naar Sister Syria and the resistance  - geliquideerd.

There were also sections of the summer camp shown draped with Palestinian
and Lebanese flags, dedicated to Druse who identified with the two
respective causes.

"We want to free Arab Palestine," children were heard chanting.

De volgende stap is een workshop over 'martyrdom operations' en de heilige plicht om te sterven voor Allah.

Druzen kunnen, vanwege hun Israëlische paspoort en bovendien betere banden met Joodse Israëli's dan andere Arabieren in Israël, een speciale rol spelen in het Palestijnse verzet en de bevrijding van Palestina. Er gaat niks boven een patriottische opvoeding, toch?

Het is uiteraard ondenkbaar dat een land het toelaat dat kinderen op zijn eigen grondgebied in een kamp (of waar dan ook) worden aangezet tot haat tegen dat land, en tot partij kiezen voor haar vijanden. Druzen in de Golan zijn Israëlische staatsburgers met een Israëlisch paspoort, en zij betalen belasting en ontvangen sociale voorzieningen zoals iedere andere Israëli. Het staat ze uiteraard vrij naar Syrië te emigreren (als Syrië ze toelaat). Het staat ze uiteraard ook vrij om zich - net als vele Joodse Israëlis - in te zetten voor een einde aan de bezetting.

Ratna   
----------------------------------

Pro-Syria summer camp starts in Golan
JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST Aug. 2, 2007
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1186066368231&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[ for video in Hebrew:
www.keshet-tv.com/VideoPage.aspx?MediaID=20772&CatID=250 ]


A pro-Syria summer camp for Druse children has started on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights, it was reported on Thursday.

Syrian flags could be seen in the footage, aired by Channel Two, and children were heard proudly singing the Syrian national anthem.

The kids were seen split into small groups where they expressed their dedication to what they called their "homeland."

"Syria will remain free," they chanted.

The children spoke of how they aspired to return to Syria and visit their families. They said their "souls" were connected to Syria.

Head of the Druse community in the Golan, Fazi Abu Jabal, said that that the children considered Syria as their country. "It is close to the children's hearts," he said.

In the camp, each tent is named after a different Syrian village captured by Israel.

There were also sections of the summer camp shown draped with Palestinian and Lebanese flags, dedicated to Druse who identified with the two respective causes.

"We want to free Arab Palestine," children were heard chanting.

Channel Two reported that the camp's organizers were attempting to raise money to set up similar camps in other Druse areas of the Golan.

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: http://www.imra.org.il

Hamas toont bewijzen van corruptie PA onder Arafat

Hamas kan natuurlijk niet als een neutrale bron beschouwd worden, maar Palestijnse journalisten die de documenten inzagen beoordeelden ze als authentiek.

Dat lijkt ook aannemelijk, daar de corruptie onder Arafat al jaren algemeen bekend was. Het wordt zelfs als voornaamste reden gegeven waarom de Palestijnen in januari 2006 in grote getalen op Hamas stemden. Als een rijke suikeroom (sommigen zouden zeggen: als een maffia peetvader) deelde Arafat geld uit om loyaliteit te kopen, en ook zijn vrouw in Parijs werd goed voorzien. Geld van de PA wel te verstaan, dat grotendeels van internationale hulp en van belastinggeld afkomstig was.

 

Wouter

____________________________________

Hamas shows proof of PA corruption

---

Khaled Abu Toameh, THE JERUSALEM POST

Aug. 1, 2007

---

Two paintings worth $66,000 were presented as a gift to a woman in Paris by the PA, which also paid millions of dollars to cover the personal expenses of senior Fatah officials and their families, according to documents released by Hamas on Tuesday.

The documents, which were seized by Hamas at various PA institutions in the Gaza Strip in mid-June, were presented to the Palestinian public by top Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar during a press conference in Gaza City.

The 30 documents that were released Tuesday are related to the period when Yasser Arafat was chairman of the PA, between 1994 and 2004.

Fatah officials in Ramallah reacted with fury to the revelations, accusing Hamas of seeking to mislead the Palestinians through lies and forgery. But Palestinian journalist who examined the documents said they all appeared to be authentic and that there was no reason to doubt their credibility.

One of the documents showed that Arafat had approved the payment of some $30,000 to cover university tuition fees in London for the daughters of his media adviser. Another one revealed that Arafat had approved an annual payment of $9,000 to cover the university tuition of the son of another senior official who was studying in Germany.

The documents also showed that the PA had invested international funds in various economic projects, especially in Lebanon. In one case, a senior Fatah official living in Lebanon was given hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase houses and luxurious vehicles. He also received $40,000 to pay for his son's wedding and another $130,000 as compensation for damages caused to his daughter's car.

Zahar also presented documents that showed that the Fatah-controlled PA security forces had been involved in commercial activities and in tax-collection, in violation of PA laws.

He said some of the activities were carried out when current PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad served as finance minister under Arafat.

Fahmi Za'areer, a Fatah spokesman in the West Bank, called on Hamas to inform the Palestinians about the fate of millions of dollars that the Islamist movement received from Iran and Qatar over the past two years.

Meanwhile, Ihab al-Ghissin, a top official at the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip, announced that his movement was planning to establish a new intelligence service in the coming weeks.

"The new force will be called the Internal Security Apparatus and it will replace the Preventive Security Force that has been dismantled in the Gaza Strip," he said.

He said members of the former Fatah-controlled security forces in the Gaza Strip would be permitted to join the new service.

 

---

This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1185893685593&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Soedan: 'Joden achter problemen in Darfoer'

Wat er ook gebeurt, geef de Joden de schuld. Als Europa daar eeuwenlang mee wegkwam, waarom Soedan dan niet? 'We zijn zeer ontvankelijk voor Europese waarden.' Zal Soedans minister van defensie iets dergelijks gedacht hebben, toen hij het volgende toevertrouwde aan een Saoedische interviewer?

"The Darfur issue is being fuelled by 24 Jewish organizations, who are making the largest amount of noise over the issue, and using the Holocaust in their campaigning," the Sudanese defense minister replied.

"Are these Jewish groups supporting (the rebels) financially?," the interviewer from Okaz asked Hussein.

"Yes, they provide political and material support through their control over the media and across American and British circles," Hussein said, adding that Jewish groups were using "all means to fuel these conflicts."

He added that Western reports of 200,000 people dying in Sudan were false, and said: "We talk about 9,000 dead as a result of either government or rebel actions."

Stilzwijgen is een vorm van toestemmen. Zolang wij Soedan niet op haar walgelijke daden en ideeën aanspreken, zolang wij de 'zachte hand van de diplomatie' willen gebruiken en toelaten dat zij iedere poging om echt wat aan de humanitaire crisis te doen en de Afrikaanse bevolking adequate bescherming te bieden, effectief dwarsboomt, zal er niks veranderen. Dat weten we heel goed. Maar we houden ons zelf graag voor dat we doen wat we kunnen, en we nou eenmaal Soedans goedkeuring en medewerking nodig hebben om deze crisis tot een einde te brengen.

Ratna 
___________________________________________

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3431281,00.html

Sudan: Jews behind Darfur conflict
Sudanese defense minister says '24 Jewish organizations fueling conflict in Darfur'
Yaakov Lappin

Published: 07.29.07, 20:29 / Israel News

Sudan's defense minister, Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, has accused "24 Jewish organizations" of "fueling the conflict in Darfur" last week in an interview with a Saudi newspaper.

Hussein was interviewed during an official state visit to the Saudi kingdom last week.

A journalist from Saudi Arabia's Okaz newspaper asked Hussein: "Some people are talking about the penetration of Jewish organizations in Darfur and that there is no conflict there?"

"The Darfur issue is being fuelled by 24 Jewish organizations, who are making the largest amount of noise over the issue, and using the Holocaust in their campaigning," the Sudanese defense minister replied.

Hussein added that the Darfur conflict was driven by "friction between farmers and herders and shepherds. Among the biggest problems is that of water, which is used to exploit the differences and fuel the conflict."

"Are these Jewish groups supporting (the rebels) financially?," the interviewer from Okaz asked Hussein.

"Yes, they provide political and material support through their control over the media and across American and British circles," Hussein said, adding that Jewish groups were using "all means to fuel these conflicts."

He added that Western reports of 200,000 people dying in Sudan were false, and said: "We talk about 9,000 dead as a result of either government or rebel actions."

'We came to Israel to look for a better place'
Several days ago, Sudan's Interior Minister, Zubair Bashir Taha, lashed out at Sudanese refuees who had sought asylum in Israel, and accused "Isaeli authorities of encouraging the Sudanese refugees to come to their country."

He added that his ministry was "very confused" by Sudanese citizens who came to Israel."

The Sudan Tribune quoted a Sudanese refugee as telling al-Jazeera television: "We were surprised when we came here. We met good people, who welcomed us and gave us food. We feel that we are extremely happy. We hope that the Israeli government would find a solution for us and our children. We came here to look for a better place."

Meanwhile, in the US, a number of Jewish organizations have attempted to raise awareness over the plight of Sudanese citizens who face mass killings and ethnic cleansing from the Sudanese government. Some 20 Jewish organizations joined the 'Save Darfur Coalition,' along with other religious communities and American civil rights groups.

Europees Parlement ondersteunt NGO-conferentie tegen Israël

 

Het "Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People", en de "International Coordinating Network for Palestine", twee VN organisaties gericht op het ontmantelen van een VN lidstaat, organiseren jaarlijks een conferentie over, inderdaad, de onvervreemdbare rechten van de Palestijnen op geheel Palestina en het doden van Joden die daar maar niet weg willen gaan.

Oeps, sorry, men organiseert een conferentie over vrede, met workshops over de bezetting, de muur, activiteiten tegen de bezetting en natuurlijk de bezetting. Het Europees Parlement vond een dergelijk gevariëerd en evenwichtig programma reden deze conferentie dit jaar financiëel te ondersteunen.

Over het "Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP)":

De DPR (Division for Palestinian Rights) ondersteunt en financiert het in 1975 opgerichte "Comité voor het Uitoefenen van de Onvervreemdbare Rechten van het Palestijnse Volk" (CEIRPP), waarin 20 VN-leden zitting hebben, en dat formeel onder de Algemene Vergadering van de VN valt. De CEIRPP probeert via publicaties, rapporten en conferenties diplomaten, VN-functionarissen en NGO's te beïnvloeden om de kant van de Palestijnen en tegen Israël te kiezen.
De CEIRPP claimt een netwerk van meer dan 1.000 NGO's (non-gouvernementele organisaties) op allerlei gebied te hebben die de Palestijnse zaak steunen. Ze biedt NGO's die opkomen voor de rechten van de Palestijnen tal van voordelen zoals financiële bijstand, publicaties, en promotie via internet. Door deze steun verkrijgen zij legitimiteit en bekendheid, en dit is een drijfveer voor NGO's op bijvoorbeeld het gebied van vrouwenrechten, arbeidsrechten etc. om aan hun activiteiten een pro-Palestijnse agenda te koppelen.
Hun invloed bleek onder meer uit de NGO conferentie tegen racisme van 2001 in Durban, die ontaardde in een beschamende anti-Israël en antisemitische manifestatie.

 

Via deze en andere NGO conferenties zijn resoluties aangenomen om Zionisme als racisme te bestempelen, de boycot van de Hamasregering te beëindigen, Israël te boycotten en isoleren, en de 'bezetting sinds 1948' (de oprichting van Israël) te beëindigen.

 

 

Ratna
-----------------------------------------

European Parliament to Host UN NGO Conference Promoting anti-Israel Campaign
NGO Monitor July 31 2007
For annotated report:
http://blog.ngo-monitor.org/durban-conference/european-parliament-to-host-un-ngo-conference-promoting-anti-israel-campaign/

   The United Nations has scheduled an "International Conference of Civil Society in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace", to be held in the European Parliament in Brussels, August 30-31. This misleading not withstanding, this annual conference is held under the auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, and the International Coordinating Network for Palestine - frameworks that promote the conflict through NGOs involved in implementing the Durban agenda of demonization.

 

This year, for the first time, the exercise is gaining the legitimacy of sponsorship by the European Parliament, further highlighting the role that the Europe Union plays in supporting the NGO campaign. While the speakers list is secret until the conference, highlighting the violation of transparency in the UN and EU, past speakers have included radical figures such as Jeff Halper (from the EU-funded ICAHD (and allied with Sabeel), Raji Sourani from PCHR, Michael Warschawski, of the Alternative Information Centre, and Jamal Juma' Ja'afreh, from the "Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign".

 

Topics include "The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and civil society response",  "Action by civil society organizations working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory", workshops on "Fortieth anniversary of occupation: building on action taken by civil society.", and "Strengthening campaigns to end occupation, including grassroots campaigns against the wall, rallying around Bil'in" ( the site of violent attacks organized by NGOs in order to provoke Israeli responses).  The program and further information can be found at http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf and through representatives of the European Union and parliament.

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il

De Rafah grensovergang tussen Egypte en de Gazastrook

De wapensmokkel over (of onder) de grensovergang bij Rafah, en de Egyptische maatregelen daartegen zorgen voor veel problemen bij de bewoners van het Egyptische grensstadje...

 

__________________________________________

http://www.nrc.nl/buitenland/article747084.ece/Wij_worden_de_dupe_van_de_wapensmokkel

'Wij worden de dupe van de wapensmokkel'

De Egyptische regering wil de grensstrook met de Gazastrook ontruimen om wapensmokkel naar het Palestijnse Hamas onmogelijk te maken. De bewoners protesteren.

Door Alexander Weissin

Rafah, 1 augustus. In het deprimerende Egyptische grensplaatsje Rafah zit een groepje mannen gehurkt op een zandpad tussen twee huizen. Met gedempte stemmen praten ze over het plan van de Egyptische regering om de 14 kilometer lange grensstrook tussen Egypte en Gaza volledig te ontruimen. „Onze huizen zullen met de grond gelijk worden gemaakt", zegt Mohammed Mahmoud (58), de oudste van de groep, uitkijkend op de muur die hen scheidt van de Palestijnse Gazastrook. „Sssssht", klinkt het wanneer een ander zijn stem verheft. Op de hoek staat een man op de uitkijk voor het geval agenten van de veiligheidsdienst in de buurt komen.

Egypte staat onder zware druk om de wapensmokkel via honderden tunnels vanuit de Sinaï naar Gaza tegen te gaan. Volgens Israël heeft de moslimfundamentalistische organisatie Hamas zich via de tunnels met machinegeweren, granaatwerpers en explosieven kunnen bewapenen zodat het in juni het concurrerende Fatah uit de Gazastrook kon verjagen. Ook de onderdelen voor de zelfgemaakte raketten die vanuit de Gazastrook op Israël worden afgevuurd zouden via de tunnels worden aangeleverd.

Israël zegt dat Hamas in de afgelopen maand meer explosieven Gaza heeft binnengesmokkeld dan ooit tevoren. Het Amerikaanse Congres heeft gedreigd de jaarlijkse militaire hulp aan Egypte met 200 miljoen dollar te korten als het de grensbewaking niet verbetert. Kairo zegt er alles aan te doen de tunnels onschadelijk te maken. Na de Israëlische terugtrekking uit Gaza bijna twee jaar geleden heeft de Egyptische grensbewaking 138 tunnels onklaar gemaakt. Sinds de machtsovername door Hamas zou er juist minder worden gesmokkeld.

„Onze regering doet alles om Israël een plezier te doen, maar ze bekommert zich niet om haar eigen mensen", klaagt Mahmoud. De mannen wonen in een rustige buurt van het toch al slaperige stadje. Door de zinderende hitte is er bijna niemand op straat. Ruim 100 betonnen woningen staan tot zo'n 50 meter van de grensmuur. Daartussen liggen boomgaarden en groentevelden.

Ambtenaren van de gemeente zijn al langs geweest om de huizen in kaart te brengen en een schatting te maken van de te betalen compensatie. „Mijn buurman kreeg te horen dat hij 60.000 pond (8.400 euro) kan verwachten. Dat is veel te weinig. Hij heeft 250.000 pond geïnvesteerd", vertelt Mahmoud. Tot grote ergernis van de politie hadden ze twee weken geleden een demonstratie georganiseerd. Nu plannen ze in het geheim een vervolgactie.

„De veiligheidsdienst heeft Kairo wijsgemaakt dat de ontruiming weinig voorstelt. Ze sturen foto's van tenten en rieten hutten om het te laten lijken of we allemaal bedoeïenen zijn", zegt Mahmoud. „Maar dat klopt niet. We wonen hier al ons hele leven in echte huizen, die onze vaders en grootvaders gebouwd hebben. Ze moeten het hele oude deel van de stad vernietigen om een vrije zone te krijgen."

„Niemand ontkent dat er misschien wel duizend tunnels zijn", zegt Mahmoud. „Maar waarom moeten wij de dupe worden van de smokkelaars? Als het ze om de tunnels te doen is, waarom gaan ze daar dan niet achteraan?", vraagt hij de anderen." „Als je nu je bek niet houdt, dan vermoord ik je", snauwt een man die zich net bij de groep heeft gevoegd en Ismail wordt genoemd. „We gaan hoe dan ook niet weg. Ook al moeten ze de huizen opblazen terwijl we erin zitten", verkondigt hij luidkeels. De rest van de groep zwijgt. Een voor een staan ze op en gaan hun eigen weg.

Kort daarna, onder vier ogen met Abdallah al-Shar (47) in zijn huis aan de grens, wordt duidelijk waarom Ismail boos werd. „Hij is een van de smokkelaars", legt Abdallah uit. „Vroeger had hij niet eens een hut voor zichzelf. Nu bezit hij verscheidene huizen en auto's en rookt alleen maar Marlboro-sigaretten. Hij doet alsof hij zich bij onze beweging heeft aangesloten, maar in feite gaat het hem alleen maar om zijn handel. Hij misbruikt onze campagne." Abdallah is een van de leiders van de protestactie. Zakken met cement en dozen met tegels voor zijn huis geven aan dat hij niet van plan is te verhuizen. Hij werkt als ambtenaar bij de lokale dienst van het ministerie van Religieuze Zaken, maar vreest nu voor zijn baan.

Abdallah verwerpt de mededeling van de regering dat de politie er alles aan doet om de tunnels te ontmantelen. „Als de politie met veel bombarie een vondst bekendmaakt, is het alleen maar doordat ze door buurtbewoners is getipt of doordat rivaliserende smokkelaars elkaar hebben verraden. Maar systematische huiszoekingen doet ze niet."

In Rafah is algemeen bekend wie de smokkelaars zijn. „Je hoeft hen alleen maar te volgen, maar dat gebeurt niet", aldus Abdallah. Hij vertelt dat de smokkelaars worden beschermd door corrupte politieofficieren. „Op hoog niveau zijn hier zwakke geesten die makkelijk worden verleid", zegt hij. „In plaats van die officieren weg te halen, willen ze onze huizen slopen. Maar zolang de politie samenwerkt met de smokkelaars, kun je het probleem van de tunnels niet oplossen."

Abdallah heeft zijn drie neefjes in de gevangenis zien verdwijnen. Een tunnel liep uit op hun achtertuin. Hij had al opgemerkt dat ze dure kleding droegen en telkens nieuwe mobiele telefoons hadden. „Ik had ze nog zo gewaarschuwd, maar ze konden de verleiding niet weerstaan. Er is hier geen werk te vinden voor jongeren. Alleen de smokkel van wapens en drugs levert geld op."

Even later, buiten op straat, wordt Abdallah door twee agenten van de binnenlandse veiligheidsdienst opgepakt. Op het bureau wordt hij uitgemaakt voor bedoeïen en oproerkraaier. De agenten weigeren desgevraagd te zeggen wat Abdallah heeft misdaan. Na enkele uren wordt hij weer vrijgelaten met de boodschap niet nog eens met buitenlandse journalisten te spreken. „Ziet u, zo proberen ze ons de mond te snoeren."

Kairo, 1 aug. - Een jonge bedoeïen die maandag door kogels werd getroffen tijdens gevechten tussen betogers en de Egyptische politie bij de grens met de Gazastrook, is gisteren overleden. Oproerpolitie joeg maandag met geweld een betoging uiteen van duizenden bedoeïenen en andere Egyptenaren die protesteerden tegen het besluit van de autoriteiten de 14 kilometer lange grensstrook bij Rafah geheel te ontruimen. Doel van dat overheidsplan is om smokkel van wapens en andere goederen naar de Gazastrook tegen te gaan. Daarbij zullen hun woningen en andere bezittingen met de grond gelijk worden gemaakt. Bij de schermutselingen rakaten vijftien 15 burgers en twintig politiemannen gewond. (AFP)

BBC tolerantie en antisemitisme

Een paar weken geleden verscheen onder andere het volgende commentaar van een lezer op de website van de BBC:

 

"Zionism is a racist ideology where jews [sic] are given
supremacy over all other races and faiths. This is found in the Talmud.
There is a law called Baba Mezia which allows jews to lie as long as its
to non-jews. Many pro jewish supporters will cringe at this being
exposed because they know it exists, yet they keep quiet about it, hey
frip, jla and co [the aliases of other people taking part in the
discussion]. The Law of Baba Mezia!! Tsk tsk tsk! It's in the Talmud."

 

 

De BBC weigerde vervolgens dit racistische bericht weg te halen ondanks klachten van lezers, en meldde dat het hun richtlijnen niet schendt. Deze houden in:

 

The BBC's own House Rules state: "We reserve the right to fail messages which are considered likely to disrupt, provoke, attack or offend others" and "are racist, sexist, homophobic, sexually explicit, abusive or otherwise objectionable."

 

 

Als dit bericht deze regels niet schendt, wat dan wel??

 

"Iron Naz" die boven geciteerde reactie schreef, was duidelijk gesterkt door dit tolerante beleid van de BBC, en produceerde nog meer interessants over de Joden en hun religie:

 

"Why are Jews allowed to attack non-jews, and if a non-jew fights back, he must be killed?" and "please comment on these two quotes from Jewish religious texts: A pregnant non-Jew is no better than a pregnant animal." Coschen hamischpat 405  And another "The souls of non-Jews come from impure sprits and are called pigs." Jalkut Rubeni gadol 12b. now is this what Britians jews think of non-jews?"

 

 

Dit is wat sommige Britse niet-Joden blijkbaar over de Joden denken, en in plaats van het hard te veroordelen, vond de BBC dat dit bijdraagt aan het debat en aan een beter begrip van de zaak:

 

In the email from BBC Information, it further added: "If people see a posting on a message board that they think may contain factual inaccuracies then we suggest that they post to the board to correct the other person's mistake, or misapprehension.(...) This is more beneficial to the debate, as the initial poster, along with all of the other readers and posters to the message board, will be able to read the correction or alternative viewpoint and gain a greater understanding of the issues."

 

 

Iron Naz ziet het zo, en iemand anders kan daar een alternatieve visie tegenover zetten. Hitler had ook een interessante visie op de Joden. Zou de BBC ook zo tolerant zijn waar het islamofobie betreft? Je zou het haast uit willen proberen, maar hoewel de kans groot is dat het betreffende bericht dan onmiddelijk zou worden verwijderd, wil ik het risico niet lopen dat het blijft staan en een hoop mensen op nog een haat-reactie worden getracteerd.

 

 

Ratna

 

(PS: nadat de protesten maar bleven aanhouden en het hele internet overgingen, is de BBC uiteindelijk alsnog voor de druk gezwicht en heeft de gewraakte passage verwijderd.)

______________________________________

 

BBC allows anti-Semitism

by: Leslie Bunder

www.somethingjewish.co.uk/articles/2441_bbc_allows_anti_semi.htm

 

The BBC has said that anti-Semitic postings and links to Jewish hate sites on its message boards do not breach its own guidelines and even though they may cause offence, harm and distress, they will be allowed to stay.

SomethingJewish contacted BBC director general Mark Thompson and director of Future Media & Technology Ashley Highfield asking why the corporation has allowed its message boards to be used for attacks on Jews and forcing the Jewish community to be constantly on the defensive to respond to hate fuelled postings and mis-quotes of the Torah.

 

In an email from BBC Information, which claims that Thompson "has authorised us to reply on his behalf" the BBC is sticking to its position that anti-Semitic postings, such as those recently posted, but were eventually removed after pressure are suitable for the BBC to show.

 

In a response to SomethingJewish regarding a series of postings on the 5 Live Message boards earlier this month by "Iron Naz" in which statements such as "Why are Jews allowed to attack non-jews, and if a non-jew fights back, he must be killed?" and "please comment on these two quotes from Jewish religious texts: A pregnant non-Jew is no better than a pregnant animal." Coschen hamischpat 405  And another "The souls of non-Jews come from impure sprits and are called pigs." Jalkut Rubeni gadol 12b. now is this what Britians jews think of non-jews? (sic)" were allowed to stay up, the BBC said:

 

"The moderators read all posts on the Five Live news board and remove those that are seen to break the House Rules of the site. They do not fact check the content posted by the public when they read contributions to the board, nor do they remove or edit postings containing factual inaccuracies regardless of the subject matter, even when alerted to them, as being factually incorrect - either partially or completely - is not against the House Rules."

 

The BBC's own House Rules state: "We reserve the right to fail messages which are considered likely to disrupt, provoke, attack or offend others" and "are racist, sexist, homophobic, sexually explicit, abusive or otherwise objectionable."

 

Mark Gardiner from the Community Security Trust has said of the BBC's approach to dealing with hate and racism on its own message boards: "The BBC obviously no longer recognizes anti-Semitism even when it slaps it in the face. It is bad enough that it is up to readers to police what the BBC publish on their own Web sites, but it is far sadder that this public body should actively refuse to remove the filth."

 

In the email from BBC Information, it further added: "If people see a posting on a message board that they think may contain factual inaccuracies then we suggest that they post to the board to correct the other person's mistake, or misapprehension. Subsequent to this post being made, many people did indeed post to the board to explain why the posting was incorrect. This is more beneficial to the debate, as the initial poster, along with all of the other readers and posters to the message board, will be able to read the correction or alternative viewpoint and gain a greater understanding of the issues."

Jewish Leadership Council chief executive Jeremy Newmark told SomethingJewish: "One would expect the BBC to treat anti-Semitism in the same way as any other form of racism – with a zero tolerance approach.  This is a worrying development coming so soon after a parliamentary inquiry warned of the spread of antisemitism on the internet."

 

 

Hat tip: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MewBkd/

 

Hamas leider Khaled Mash'al over zelfmoordaanslagen en de Israëlische Holocaust

"Israël moet met Hamas praten", hoor je tegenwoordig vaak, en Blair moet met Hamas praten en de Nederlandse Tweede Kamerdelegatie had met Hamas moeten praten. De linkse parlementariërs die dit inderdaad - tegen de afspraken in - deden, zullen dit soort taal zeker niet te horen hebben gekregen:

"I want to make it clear to the West and to the German people, which is
still being blackmailed because of what Nazism did to the Zionists, or to
the Jews. I say that what Israel did to the Palestinian people is many times
worse than what Nazism did to the Jews, and there is exaggeration, which has
become obsolete, regarding the issue of the Holocaust. We do not deny the
facts, but we will not give in to extortion by exaggeration. As for the
Zionist holocaust against the Palestinian people, and against the peoples of
the Arab and Islamic nation - this is a holocaust that is being perpetrated
in broad daylight, with the coverage of the media of globalization. Nobody
can deny it or claim that it is being exaggerated."

Dit soort ideeën worden gereserveerd voor de Arabische media, zodat Mariko Peters en Martijn van Dam kunnen blijven geloven dat het zogenaamde extremisme en antisemitisme van Hamas een Zionistisch verzinsel is. En zodat veel mensen het als 'progressief' blijven beschouwen om ook begrip te hebben voor de positie van Hamas.

Ratna
______________________________________________


The following are excerpts from speeches delivered by Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al and Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi at a conference honoring Al-Qaradhawi.

The speeches aired on Al-Jazeera TV on July 16, 2007.

To view this clip visit: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1515.


Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al: "The support we got from Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi is different from the support of anybody else, because of his religious status, his status in terms of morale, and his ability to draw the attention of the nation and the world to the issues of the nation, particularly the issue of Palestine. This support was of great value to us, to the Palestinian people, in the first and second Intifadas, and in all matters pertaining to the Palestinian cause. He has publicly declared his support for the resistance factions, unequivocally and without any hesitation or embarrassment, without fawning over anyone. From day one to the present, the sheikh, may Allah reward him, has not hesitate to support the jihad and the resistance, and to support the fighters, and the resistance factions. One of the most notable manifestations of this support was when we relied - after Allah - on his support of martyrdom operations. He never hesitated to issue rulings in support of these operations, and there were times when we were in dire need of these rulings."

[...]

"This is because some of the nation's religious scholars - and we do not underestimate them, for they are good people... But due to a certain confusion, they had dissenting views on the martyrdom operations, and this caused us great embarrassment. However, in his unequivocal fatwa, the sheikh, may Allah reward him, considered martyrdom operations to be the most noble level of jihad. That was unparalleled support for the people of Palestine, because, brothers and sisters, you cannot imagine how difficult it is psychologically for a young Palestinian man or woman to sacrifice themselves or what is most dear to them, only to encounter a conflict in their minds and hearts as to whether they are on the path of righteousness, or whether they are committing a religious violation."

[...]

"I want to make it clear to the West and to the German people, which is still being blackmailed because of what Nazism did to the Zionists, or to the Jews. I say that what Israel did to the Palestinian people is many times worse than what Nazism did to the Jews, and there is exaggeration, which has become obsolete, regarding the issue of the Holocaust. We do not deny the facts, but we will not give in to extortion by exaggeration. As for the Zionist holocaust against the Palestinian people, and against the peoples of the Arab and Islamic nation - this is a holocaust that is being perpetrated in broad daylight, with the coverage of the media of globalization. Nobody can deny it or claim that it is being exaggerated."

[...]

Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: "I support the Palestinian cause. I support the resistance and the jihad. I support Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and Hizbullah. I oppose the peace that Israel and America wish to dictate. This peace is an illusion. I support martyrdom operations, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back... What am I supposed to do? This great terrorist next to me will get me into trouble... He gave me a picture of Jerusalem and of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and showed me respect - that's it, my guilt has been proven."

[...]

"Our brothers in Palestine were forced to resort to martyrdom operations. The divine destiny is just, and so it gave these brothers something the enemy lacks. Give them planes, tanks, missiles, and smart bombs, and they won't have to use martyrdom operations. They use martyrdom operations because they don't have all those things. Their enemy is bombing them from above and below, right left, and center, and all they want is [to sacrifice] their own lives. The Palestinian man or woman booby-trap themselves - they turn themselves into human bombs - and sacrifice themselves for the sake of Allah, in order to strike fear in the hearts of their enemies."


*********************
To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit:
http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD167207.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request.

PCHR bezorgd over aanval op advocaat door Al-Qassam leden

In de Gazastrook hebben de Al Qassam Brigades (gewapende tak van Hamas) de taak overgenomen om de orde te handhaven, en daar hebben ze zo hun eigen methodes voor. Nadat een advocaat van het Palestinian Centre for Human Rights is aangevallen, eist deze organisatie:

 

"... stopping all illegal actions perpetrated by El-Qassam Battalions, including administering detention centers, carrying out detentions and interrogations, and perpetrating torture and other forms of inhumane treatment. The Centre reminds that administering detention centers, carrying out detentions, and questioning are the mandate of official law-enforcement agencies only."

 

 

PCHR Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Press Release

Ref: 76/2007

Date: 31 July 2007

Time: 10:00 GMT

PCHR Gravely Concerned over the Attack on One of Its Lawyers by El-Qassam Members

PCHR is gravely concerned over the attack by armed members of Izzedeen El-Qassam Battalions, the armed wing of Hamas, on one of the Center's lawyers who was performing his work. The gunmen seized legal documents from him during his return from a mission in Khan Yunis. The Centre calls for investigating this attack and prosecuting the perpetrators. The Centre calls for stopping all illegal actions by El-Qassam Battalions.

The lawyer, Shareef Mustafa Abu Nassar (45) works in PCHR's Legal Unit. At approximately 14:00 on Monday, 30 July 2007, he went to the town of Bani Suheila east of Khan Yunis. He went to the house of Dr. Salem Abu Sa'ada, the Mayor of Bani Suheila and also a Director-General in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The purpose of the visit was to get an affidavit and documentation regarding the confiscation of his jeep by members of the Executive Force and E-Qassam Battalions at approximately 9:30 in the morning of the same day. At approximately 15:30, Abu Nassar left Abu Sa'ada's house, and headed to PCHR's branch in Khan Yunis. About 500 meters away from Abu Sa'ada's house, a vehicle intercepted the taxi in which Abu Nassar was traveling. Three gunmen in civilian clothes got out of the car. One of them identified himself as a member of El-Qassam Battlions. He asked Abu Nassar to get out of the car. Abu Nassar refused, and was asked to hand over the file that he was carrying. He also refused and informed the member of El-Qassam that he works in the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. The other two gunmen searched the taxi; and the gunman asked for the file a second time. Abu Nassar refused to hand over the file.

The gunmen made a call on his mobile phone; and then informed Abu Nassar that the file will be confiscated, by force if necessary. The gunmen took the file against Abu Nassar's will and searched it. He took Abu Sa'ada's affidavit and a copy of the registration documents of Abu Sa'ada's jeep. The empty folder was returned to Abu Nassar. After getting the empty folder, Abu Nassar asked the gunman about his name. The gunman replied, "We are from El-Qassam Battlions, eastern part of Khan Yunis, Bani Suheila. No need for my name. The address I gave should be enough to reach us.

PCHR made several contacts with relevant parties. And at approximately 17:30, the file was returned to the Center's branch in Khan Yunis, and an apology was submitted to the Centre and the lawyer.

PCHR strongly condemns this attack, and:

1. Affirms that El-Qassam Battalions are not a police force or a law-enforcement agency. Its members are not entitled to any authority to deal in civilian matters; and any actions they take in this regard are illegal.
2. Reminds of the rights and privileges of lawyers in accordance with Law #3 of the Year 1999 regulating lawyers' work that states, "It is illegal to detain or pursue a lawyer for any action taken in fulfillment of professional duty…" and "a Lawyer's office cannot be searched except in the presence of the President of the Bar Association or a representative of the President…."
3. Calls for stopping all illegal actions perpetrated by El-Qassam Battalions, including administering detention centers, carrying out detentions and interrogations, and perpetrating torture and other forms of inhumane treatment.[1] The Centre reminds that administering detention centers, carrying out detentions, and questioning are the mandate of official law-enforcement agencies only.

Public Document

**************************************

For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 - 2825893

PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip.

Webpage: http://www.pchrgaza.org

-----------------------------------

If you got this forwarded and you want to subscribe, send mail to  request@pchrgaza.org

and write "subscribe" in the subject line.

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[1] For more information, refer to PCHR's press release dated 16 July 2007 on the death of a prisoner after detention and torture in Mashtal Prison in Gaza.

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