Charedische Joden in Jeruzalem op tilt na arrestatie zieke vrouw die kind mishandelde

In de Spits stond van de week een kort berichtje over deze moeder die haar kind verwaarloosde om aandacht te trekken, in de rubriek 'curieuze verhalen', zonder melding van de rellen, maar die zijn misschien pas daarna begonnen.

Het doet mij vooral denken aan wat Wafa Sultan zei tegen een Algerijnse imam:

 

"The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions or a clash of civilizations," Dr. Sultan said. "It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and another mentality that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity and rationality."

Deze Haredi relschoppers, die niet terugdeinzen voor vernielingen, bedreigingen en mishandelingen, staan duidelijk niet aan de kant van de rationaliteit.

 

En voordat de Zionisten weer de schuld krijgen:

"The extremist anti-Zionist Eda Haredit umbrella organization, which is championing the woman's innocence, ..."

 

Wouter

___________

The Jerusalem Post
Jul 16, 2009 10:05 | Updated Jul 17, 2009 9:39
Haredim escalate riots over 'blood libel,' as police chief fumes that 'the Bible doesn't permit this'

By JPOST.COM AND JUDY SIEGEL
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443825185&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull


Haredi protests on the streets of Jerusalem over the arrest of a pregnant woman suspected of abusing her three-year-old son escalated throughout Thursday, culminating in late-night riots in which hundreds clashed with police on Jerusalem's main north-south Road One. 
 
Dozens were arrested and seven policemen were injured - some of them with head wounds from rocks. Police used water cannons to disperse rioters who tried to block the road.

 

The escalation saw several hundred haredim pelt police with stones at the end of a prayer vigil in Mea She'arim, police said. At the vigil, one of the rabbinical leaders of the radical anti-Zionist Toldot Aharon hassidic sect to which the mother belongs, Rabbi Yitzhak Kershenbaum, reportedly declared that his followers would "fight to the last drop of our blood" to secure the mother's release and clear her name of what the community has charged is a blood libel.

 

Jerusalem's police chief Cmdr. Aharon Franco castigated the instigators of the protests, saying "I have not found a single place in the Bible where it is written that these actions are permissible." He also said officers have "concrete" evidence against the mother in the case.

 

Franco wondered aloud why rabbinical and political leaders had not spoken out against the violence that has shaken Jerusalem for three successive days.
"We are talking about a city which is the capital, and not enough has been done on the national level to ease tensions," he said.

Earlier, thousands of haredim gathered at Kikar Shabbat in Mea She'arim. Some lit garbage bins on fire and threw rocks.

 

Franco said there "has been a marked escalation" in the riots over the past day, with the level of violence rising, "both toward municipal workers and toward public infrastructure."

 

"They've dismantled traffic lights, and without traffic lights deadly accidents could take place. They've disconnected systems in electricity poles and people could be electrocuted," he said.

 

He noted that the haredi violence began last month with the opening of a parking lot near the Jaffa Gate on Saturdays, and then escalated this week with the arrest of the mother from the radical Toldot Aharon hasidic sect who is suspected of nearly starving her toddler to death.

 

As attempts to broker an end to the violence continued late last night, police were bracing for renewed riots at the weekend over both the woman's arrest and the opening of the parking lot.

 

"I have not heard any condemnation from rabbis or senior leaders to stop the riots," Franco said. "No moderate authority in the haredi community is getting up and speaking out against this phenomenon."

 

Someone needed to "wake up" before people were seriously hurt, he said.

 

The woman, who is five months pregnant, is suspected of severely abusing her child for two years, until he weighed only 7 kilograms. She is not cooperating with police investigators, and apparently suffers from Munchausen's syndrome by proxy, a psychiatric disorder wherein those affected abuse someone else, typically a child, to draw attention or sympathy to themselves.

 

The boy was in and out of Jerusalem's Hadassah University Hospitals seven times over the last two years before staffers finally determined that the mother was abusing her child after surveillance cameras caught her disconnecting her son's feeding tubes.

 

The extremist anti-Zionist Eda Haredit umbrella organization, which is championing the woman's innocence, alleged that the hospital had treated the child with chemotherapy for nearly a year after misdiagnosing him with cancer.

 

Hadassah University Hospital spokeswoman Yael Bossem-Levy dismissed the allegations as outrageous and stressed the child did not have cancer. A small group of haredi men demonstrated Thursday afternoon near the hospital, police said.

 

The chief police investigator in the child abuse case said the mother's associates were behaving like mafioso.

 

"We are talking about actions that would not embarrass criminal organizations: threats against doctors and social workers, damage to property of welfare offices and rioting," Jerusalem police investigator Eli Cohen said at a briefing. Officers were concerned that the suspect might flee the country if released from detention, he said, adding that police would ask a Jerusalem court to extend the woman's custody at a hearing on Friday.

 

Cohen said that security had been stepped up at the hospital where the three-year-old is being treated to ensure he is not abducted.

 

The investigator noted that authorities had still been unable to question the woman's other children to determine if any of them suffered abuse, even though their father - who has proclaimed his wife's innocence - has agreed to that as a condition of his release from police questioning.

 

The woman, who is exercising her right to remain silent, has refused to cooperate with police or undergo a psychiatric evaluation, officers said.

 

In a sign of possible compromise, Franci said Thursday night that the refusal, through the woman's lawyer, to undergo such an examination was holding up her release from detention.

 

The court was to decide Friday on a possible compromise agreement which would see the woman released on bail and undergo the psychiatric test.

 

The Jerusalem Municipality said the rioters had caused more than NIS 550,000 in damage to city property, including vandalizing traffic lights and setting hundreds of neighborhood garbage bins on fire.

 

Protesters threw stones at police and motorists, as well as at the Education Ministry building in Jerusalem on Thursday morning. Several dozen haredim were also forcibly prevented from converging on nearby Jaffa Road. The garbage-strewn streets of Mea She'arim reeked of smoke, fire and refuse in the summer heat.

 

Meanwhile, Welfare and Social Services Minister of Isaac Herzog (Labor) lashed out at the "lies" being propagated on the haredi street by "publicists" and "uninvolved figures" as to the circumstances behind the mother's arrest.

 

"We all understand that what happened here was that a child was saved from the brink of death," Herzog told Israel Radio.

 

"It would be right for community leaders to ease the tensions and realize that in the end, they're hurting their sector," he added.

The Jerusalem Municipality has temporarily suspended welfare services to haredi neighborhoods after its offices came under repeated attack. The rare move was to be lifted as soon as the violence ceased.

 

The Association of Civil Rights in Israel on Thursday urged Mayor Nir Barkat to restore the services, calling the move collective punishment.

 

The city said the offices would reopen as soon as workers were no longer facing "life-threatening" danger, and expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to residents not involved in the violence.

 

 

Zwitserse diplomaten ontvangen Hamas leider

Zwitserland was altijd al graag neutraal, ofwel vriendjes en vooral handelspartner van iedereen zodat ze maximaal kunnen profiteren. De politieke gevolgen zijn bijzaak. Door dit soort bezoeken eroderen de officiële eisen van het Kwartet en de internationale gemeenschap verder en weet Hamas zich gesterkt in zijn weigering om ook maar een duimbreed toe te geven.

 

RP

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

Israel furious over Hamas leader's trip to Switzerland
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent

Last update - 05:37 15/07/2009
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1100299.html

 

The Foreign Ministry is furious over news that Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas official based in the Gaza Strip, recently headed a Hamas delegation to Switzerland for talks with Swiss diplomats.

A senior Foreign Ministry official said the visit will further destabilize already shaky relations between Jerusalem and Bern, after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Switzerland in April for the "Durban 2" United Nations anti-racism conference.

China's news agency broke the story of Zahar's visit nearly two weeks ago.

Officials at the Israeli Embassy in Bern were surprised by the report, since they knew nothing about the June visit.

The embassy has requested clarifications from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, but Israeli officials say the responses have not been satisfactory.

One Jerusalem officials said it was many days before the Swiss confirmed the Hamas visit to the embassy.

Swiss officials told Israel's ambassador in Bern, Ilan Elgar, that the Hamas delegation was invited to Geneva by a nongovernmental research institute.

The Foreign Ministry source, however, noted that Swiss diplomats, including the Swiss envoy to the Middle East, met with the delegation during a conference at the institute.

When Elgar requested official clarification regarding the visa issued to the delegation, he was told by the Swiss foreign ministry, "In Switzerland, Hamas is not considered a terrorist organization."

Tensions between Jerusalem and Bern began to build about a year and a half ago, when the Swiss foreign minister went to Iran to sign a major gas purchase contract.

In May, in the wake of Ahmadinejad's visit to Geneva and the official working meeting with him held by Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz, Israel recalled Elgar to Jerusalem for consultations in protest.

 

 

Qassam raket komt neer in zuid Israel

 

Dit is volgens mij voor het eerst sinds weken. Volgens velen in Israel is dit aan het Gaza offensief te danken, zowel vanwege afschrikking als omdat Hamas nu eerst zijn wapenvoorraden weer op peil moet krijgen. Wat voor redenen men verder kan hebben blijft natuurlijk speculeren: verandering van strategie, orders uit Iran of Syrië, druk van Egypte of zelfs druk van de VS? Hoopt men zo internationaal makkelijker geaccepteerd te worden?

 

RP

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


Qassam rocket explodes in open area Thursday evening, no injuries reported in attack
Shmulik Hadad - YNET

Published: 07.16.09, 20:20
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3747949,00.html

 

Rockets are back? Palestinian terrorists fired a Qassam rocket from the northern Gaza Strip Thursday evening. The rocket landed in an open area in southern Israel.

No injuries or damages were reported in the attack.

Southern residents reported hearing a loud explosion a short while after the Color Red alert system was activated.

Earlier this week, Hamas security forces detained members of Islamic Jihad's military wing on suspicion of firing mortar shells at IDF troops near the Gaza border fence.

On Wednesday, members of the Kfar Aza Kibbutz in the south met with President Shimon Peres. During the meeting, residents expressed their fear over the possibility of renewed rocket attacks.

Regional Council Head Alon Shuster said that "the fear of rocket attacks is present all the time, as we know there is no control over all (Palestinian) organizations."

"We think the government needs to deal with the economic rehabilitation of Sderot and the Gaza region. A new government has been in power for several months now, and it needs to address it," he said.

Also on Wednesday, the defense establishment and the Rafael Armament Development Authority reported successful tests of the Iron Dome rocket defense system over the past few days. The system succeeded in intercepting and destroying targets.

The Iron Dome system was developed by Rafael in order to defend Israel from rocket and missile attacks.

Israelische reactie op Gaza rapport "Breaking the Silence"

 

Vandaag kwam de organisatie Breaking the Silence met het zoveelste rapport over wangedrag door Israelische soadaten. 26 Soldaten deden anoniem hun verhaal over onder andere 'op alles schieten wat beweegt', onverschilligheid voor burgerslachtoffers en gebruik van burgers als menselijk schild. Het is, net als eerdere geuigenissen van Israelische soldaten, eigenlijk vooral nuttig voor interne consumptie, en om het leger te verbeteren. Het feit dat BTS ermee naar buiten treedt, en het in het Engels is opgesteld, roept dan ook vraagtekens op wat betreft hun motivatie. Is die om zaken in Israel te verbeteren of om Israel internationaal te beschadigen en in de beklaagdenbank te plaatsen?

 

Het leger heeft natuurlijk gelijk dat de betreffende soldaten hun klachten daar moeten melden, met concrete gegevens zodat het leger het kan onderzoeken. Dat klinkt echter gemakkelijker dan het waarschijnlijk is, en zoals in ieder bedrijf en instantie zijn er in theorie allerlei mechanismen om wangedrag aan de kaak te stellen en te voorkomen, maar in de praktijk wordt het de melders van dergelijke zaken niet altijd in dank afgenomen.

 

Omdat Israels reactie in de media weer nauwelijks en onfair werd gegeven, volgt zij hieronder.

 

RP

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

 

MFA - Government Communiques

Reaction to "Breaking the Silence" human rights report

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2009/Reaction_to_Breaking_Silence_report_15_Jul_2009.htm

 

The IDF Spokesperson Unit regrets the fact that yet another human rights organization is presenting to Israel and the world a report based on anonymous and general testimonies, without investigating their details or credibility.  Furthermore, this organization denied the IDF the minimal decency of presenting the report to the IDF and allowing it to investigate the testimonies prior to the report's publication. This was done while defaming and slandering the IDF and its commanders.

In order to ensure that the claims made in these testimonies are dealt with in an appropriate manner, the organization "Breaking the Silence" should urge those who made these claims to really 'break their silence,' and to present specific complaints to the IDF, and not hide behind general and anonymous statements.

Some of the testimonies in the report were brought to the attention of the IDF by the media, and these were reviewed in a preliminary fashion by the Military Advocate General.  As with the testimonies made at the Rabin Military Academy several months ago, a considerable number of the testimonies in this report are also based on hearsay and word of mouth.  Most of the testimonies are anonymous and lack any identifying details that would allow the IDF to investigate, confirm, or refute them.

The IDF engaged in Operation Cast Lead after eight years of continuous rocket fire on Israel's southern communities, heavily affecting daily life.  During the operation, the IDF succeeded in targeting the Hamas terror organization, increasing Israel's deterrence and restoring security to the area.

The decision of the organization "Breaking the Silence" to present such testimonies raises doubts about whether the organization really wishes for a credible and thorough investigation regarding the claims to be carried out, as is the norm in the IDF.  We regret that this is not the first time the organization has acted in this manner.

The IDF is committed to investigating any claim, supported by facts, that is brought to its attention, as was done immediately following Operation Cast Lead.  By order of the IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, five investigations headed by specialists in the field examined various aspects of the operation, including specific incidents.  In addition, the IDF is currently investigating other incidents which relate to individual claims.  As has previously been published, in several of these cases the IDF Military Police Investigations Unit has opened an investigation. 

The IDF expects every soldier and commander who feels that they have witnessed a violation of the IDF commands and regulations to turn to the appropriate authorities with all of the facts regarding the incident, in accord with their legal and moral obligations.  This duty is even more important where the suspected violations have caused harm to noncombatants.

This level of professionalism and integrity should be expected of any agency, organization, or association.  The IDF is committed to thoroughly investigating any claims presented, where there is sufficient information to do so. 

The IDF operates on the foundation of uncompromising ethical values. These will continue to guide the IDF in every mission, including in complex and difficult conditions.  Prior to and during Operation Cast Lead, IDF forces were given stringent briefings on the commands and orders that they should adhere to, as well as the international laws of war.  From testimonies which have been published, including those in this report, and from the investigations conducted by the IDF into the operation, it is clear that IDF soldiers operated in accord with international law and the orders they received, despite the complex and difficult fighting.

ADDENDUM TO IDF SPOKESPERSON ANNOUNCEMENT

 The IDF Spokesperson Unit requests that attention be given by the media to several methodological and ethical issues regarding this report:

1.      The report, as given to the IDF less than 24 hours prior to its publication, is based on testimonies that lack critical identifying features:

a.      No identification whatsoever was used for those who gave their testimonies, not even a first initial, as is customary throughout the media when a quote is given in anonymity.

b.      There is no mention of rank or position at the time of the claimed incidents.

c.       There is no mention of unit or unit type (regular or reserves).

2.      The report makes no mention of the way in which the testimonies were gathered - it is not clear whether they were gathered directly via interview or indirectly via mail or e-mail.  It is unclear whether there is one interviewer or more, or whether those who gave their testimonies were interviewed individually or in groups.

3.      There is no mention of how the credibility of the testimonies was checked:

a.      There is no way of knowing whether the testimony was given by a soldier or someone claiming to be a soldier.

b.      There is no mention of time period (date and time) or specific location with regards to the incidents described in the testimonies.

(OTR)
It is clear to the IDF, and from reading parts of the testimonies that were gathered by "Breaking the Silence", that there were isolated incidences in which unintentional harm was caused to noncombatants as the result of operational errors. These types of error are likely to occur in complex fighting such as that in the Gaza Strip.  One can also find within the testimonies statements that illustrate the self-restraint shown by the IDF and its commanders during Operation Cast Lead, as well as the steps taken to limit the harm to non-combatants and civilian property, even where this was done at the expense of the IDF's operational objectives. The testimonies also show that IDF forces adapted their behavior on the basis of the lessons learned during the fighting, as the IDF investigations after the operation have shown.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak also reacted to publication of the report:

"Any criticism of the IDF from this or that organization is misplaced and misdirected. If someone has a criticism, or information or conclusions about IDF actions, they should bring them to me, as Minister of Defense of the State of Israel, and to the Israeli government that instructed the IDF to restore quiet to the communities in the South." He added, "The IDF is the most moral army in the world and it operates according to the highest ethical code."

2008 Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs - The State of Israel. All rights reserved.

 

 

Hakenkruisen en 'jood' in auto's gekrast

 

Vroeger had je nog wel eens milieuaktivisten (niet ik!) die auto's vernielden, maar dit is het werk van dom leeghoofdig tuig of neo-nazi's (wat is het verschil?). Een vriendin van mij met een groen hart had na haar vijfstigste alsnog haar rijbewijs gehaald en een autootje gekocht omdat het voor sommige zaken toch wel erg handig is. Binnen een week was hij bekrast met nog een reeks auto's in de straat. Daar zat bij mijn weten geen hakenkruis bij, gelukkig. In Oud-Zuid lijkt het wel antisemitisch te zijn gericht.

 

Wouter

______________

 

Hakenkruis in auto's gekrast

http://www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article2299083.ece/Hakenkruis_in_auto_s_gekrast

Gepubliceerd: 13 juli 2009 13:34 | Gewijzigd: 13 juli 2009 13:34

Door een onzer redacteuren

 

 

Rotterdam, 13 juli. In het Amsterdamse stadsdeel Oud-Zuid zijn in de nacht van zaterdag op zondag zo'n honderd auto's vernield. Bij twintig ervan was een hakenkruis of het woord 'jood' ingekrast.

De andere auto's hadden deuken en afgebroken spiegels, aldus de politie. Ze neemt de zaak hoog op wegens het antisemitische karakter. Er zijn nog geen aanwijzingen naar de dader(s).

Hakenkruisen vaak gebruikt

De vernielingen vonden plaats in de omgeving van de Jacob Obrechtstraat, waar een synagoge staat. Volgens het Centrum Informatie en Documentatie Israël (CIDI) wonen er veel als jood herkenbare mensen in de wijk. Scheldpartijen komen vaak voor, maar geweld bijna nooit. Elise Friedmann, die bij het CIDI gevallen van antisemitisme registreert, wil daarom nog geen conclusies uit het incident trekken. „Hakenkruisen worden zo vaak gebruikt, in veel gevallen zijn ze niet eens tegen joden gericht." Ook bij de Liberaal Joodse Gemeente Amsterdam is niets bekend over antisemitisme in Oud-Zuid.

In Limburg vond in de dezelfde nacht een gelijksoortig incident plaats. In de Lavendelstraat in Sittard werden diverse auto's vernield, waarbij in enkele ook een hakenkruis is gekrast. Bij de politie was vanmorgen viermaal aangifte voor vernieling gedaan. In drie gevallen was een hakenkruis op de auto gekrast.

Volgens een woordvoerder van de politie in Sittard is het de tweede keer in twee weken dat er melding is gedaan van het krassen van een hakenkruis in auto's.

 

Libanon schendt VN Resolutie 1701

Het is natuurlijk een publiek geheim dat Hezbollah ten zuiden van de Litani rivier actief is, en wapens heeft opgeslagen in civiel gebied, maar het kan geen kwaad er nog eens op te wijzen naar aanleiding van deze explosie. UNIFIL zou dit uitermate serieus moeten nemen, maar UNIFIL is afhankelijk van medewerking van het Libanese leger dat niks kan en wil ondernemen tegen Hezbollah.

 

RP

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

 

Israel accuses Lebanon of violating UN Resolution 1701
AP and jpost.com staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Jul. 14, 2009
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443808135&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull

 

Israel accused Lebanon of violating United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 on Tuesday after a Hizbullah arms cache hidden inside a southern Lebanese town accidentally exploded.

The blast occurred inside the village of Hirbet Selm, some 20 kilometers north of the Israeli-Lebanese border, south of the Litani River and within the area which falls under the mandate of the UNIFIL multi-national force.

According to Israeli defense officials, the cache was hidden in a storehouse inside the village and contained dozens of 122-millimeter Katyusha rockets as well as high-powered machine guns. Some of the rockets reportedly flew into the sky.

Contrary to Lebanese media reports which claimed that the cache was hidden in the village before the Second Lebanon War in 2006, the Israeli defense officials said that the weaponry was recently placed inside the storehouse.

"This is a major violation of resolution 1701," one official said. "The weaponry was stored inside a village and is proof of our longstanding claim that Hizbullah uses civilian infrastructure to hide its weaponry."

According to Lebanese media reports, the Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL sealed off the area surrounding the storehouse. The two reportedly announced plans to launch an investigation into the incident.

Last week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the fragile relationship between Israel and Lebanon was threatened by allegations of Israeli spy cells operating in Lebanon, by Israeli concerns that Lebanese "militias" were operating outside of state control and that Hizbullah had been deployed to southern Lebanon.

Palestijnse Autoriteit sluit Al-Jazeera kantoor op Westoever

Stel je voor dat Israel het kantoor van de BBC, dat geregeld eenzijdige of misleidende informatie verspreidt over Israel, zou sluiten en de volgende verklaring zou uitgeven:

 

"We expect all media outlets operating in Israel to go about their work in a way that does not contradict the Israeli national interest and rule of law".

 

Uiteraard zou de wereld te klein zijn, en iedereen zou overlopen van verontwaardiging. Maar voor de Palestijnen ligt dat natuurlijk geheel anders.

 

RP

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

 

PA shuts down Al-Jazeera's West Bank offices
www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=212107

Published yesterday (updated) 15/07/2009 21:52

 

 

Ramallah - Ma'an - The Palestinian Authority will go ahead with a suit against the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television after they shut down their West Bank offices on charges of "incitement and false information."

 

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Wednesday night that he commissioned Attorney General Ahmed Al-Mughni to take the legal procedures necessary to prosecute Al-Jazeera. Analysts say the Tuesday report with comments by senior Fatah member Farouq Qaddoumi, who accused President Abbas of involvement in an alleged plot to kill Yasser Arafat was the final impetus for the suit.

In a statement Fayyad said his government would continue to ensure freedom of the press in Palestine but would at the same time take action "against anything that may cause discrimination among factions" and deepen the national division.

Qaddoumi, a Fatah member, will not likely be able to participate in the historic Sixth Fatah Conference, which will take place in the West Bank in August. The decision to hold the conference, the first since the 1980s, in the West Bank was a controversial one, as many members will have difficulty entering the area, whose borders are controlled by Israel. Qaddoumi's comments were seen by some as an attempt to jostle for political power.

Responding to the decision, the Palestinian Media Forum (PMF) called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to reverse the decision describing it as restricting freedom of press.

"The Palestinian information ministry should honor Al-Jazeera teams for their efforts in exposing Israeli crimes in the Palestinian territories rather than shutting down its offices just as Israel did before," a statement by the PMF said.

The statement pointed out that Al-Jazeera was the only station to expose "the false democracy which some Arab countries claim."

The closure of Al-Jazeera offices, the PMF asserted, was a political decision which has nothing to do with the professional performance of Al-Jazeera teams.

For his part, Fayyad said Al-Jazeera TV would not be permitted to work in Palestine under Law 9, passed in 1995.

Article 14 of chapter two of the Basic Law (1995) states:
Every person shall have right to freedom of thought, conscience and expression and publication of his opinion either orally, in writing or in the form of art or through any other form of expression, subject to observance of restrictions imposed by law for the respect of the rights or reputations of others, the protection of national security or of public order or of public health or morals.

The Palestinian Information Ministry said in a statement responding to the incident, that, "Al-Jazeera has always dedicated a wide portion of its broadcasts to incitement against the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. Despite repeated requests to be impartial in its coverage of Palestinian affairs, the station continued to incite against the PLO and the PA. The latest false news was aired yesterday."

At the same time, the PA stated commitment to freedom of the press in Palestine. "We expect all media outlets operating in Palestine to go about their work in a way that does not contradict the Palestinian national interest and rule of law," the statement read.

Staat Israel krijgt van hooggerechtshof nog 4 maanden voor ontruimingsplan buitenpost

 

Ongelooflijk hoelang de Israelische regering het slopen van illegale woningen in een buitenpost voor zich uit schuift. In 2005 was al een sloopvergunning afgegeven, dus het mag duidelijk zijn dat de kolonisten - die ook weten dat ze daar illegaal zitten - niet goedschiks wensen te vertrekken.

Wouter

_______________

The Jerusalem Post
Jul 13, 2009 12:06 | Updated Jul 13, 2009 12:18
'State has 4 months to establish illegal outposts removal plan'
By JPOST.COM STAFF
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443792278&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull


The state will have four months to come up with a planned schedule for the evacuation of 18 structures in West Bank settlements, a Supreme Court panel headed by Chief Justice Dorit Beinisch ruled Monday morning.

In their decision, justice Beinisch as well as justices Elyakim Rubinstein and Yoram Danziger, wrote that "under these circumstances…the state should have carried out the warrants [ordering the buildings' destruction], or at the very least produce an abiding timetable, as part of its basic duty to uphold the law."

The justices wrote they contemplated issuing a binding warrant, but in the end decided to allot the state four more months during which discussions will be held with tenants facing evacuation.

The petition regarding the buildings was submitted by the Peace Now movement four years ago. It protested six buildings in the illegal outpost of Haresha and a dozen buildings erected in Yuval, another illegal settlement.

The state claimed that demolition warrants were issued and awaited implementation after a work-plan would be drafted. In a later discussion, the state claimed it was mapping the new construction site and was intending to produce a time-line for enforcing the law.

Last year, the state detailed its planned course of action regarding the settlements. The justices wrote that the state's preference to avoid forceful evacuation was "understandable" and also showed understanding for the "many different measures needed to prevent [those building illegally in the West Bank] from breaking the law."

"However," the justices wrote, "more than four years have passed since the petition was submitted; the state's consistent stand from early on in the discussion of the petition has been that the buildings were built illegally, some on private land. A demolition warrant regarding the buildings was issued back in 2005."

The court decided not to issue an immediate demolition warrant, because "the tenants have their own arguments and it is undeniable that hearings including all parties involved should be held prior to demolition." The court therefore gave the state an additional four months in order to hold all necessary hearings "before we give a final ruling on the petition."

The court will reconvene in four months to discuss further measures regarding the Peace Now petition.

PEACE moet misleidende uitspraken over Israël intrekken

 

"PEACE", een pseudoniem voor een radikaal antizionistische organisatie, beweerde ten onrechte dat Israel op grote schaal knoeit met de labels op producten om zo te verhullen dat ze uit de nederzettingen komen. Daarom moeten consumenten alle producten uit Israel boycotten, aldus de organisatie in een oproep die zij huis aan huis heeft verspreid. In werkelijkheid geeft Israel wel degelijk aan waar producten vandaan komen, en staat bij producten uit de Westoever de plaats van herkomst vermeld. Als er 'made in Israel' op staat zonder concrete plaatsaanduiding, komt het gewoon uit Israel zelf, en niet van een nederzetting.

 

Het is natuurlijk te gek voor woorden dat een organisatie op zo'n grote schaal ongestoord leugens kan verspreiden, en de uitspraak van de Reclame Code Commissie is dan ook niet meer dan logisch. Helaas heeft deze alleen een adviserend karakter en kan anti-PEACE deze dus naast zich neer leggen. Opvallend is hoe weinig aandacht deze uitspraak, die natuurlijk wel een belangijke morele waarde heeft, heeft gekregen. Onder het artikeltje van het RD staat een uitvoeriger persbericht van het Israel Producten Centrum.

 

RP

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

 

„Peace moet uitspraken over Israël intrekken"

14-07-2009 11:42 | Binnenlandredactie

http://www.refdag.nl/artikel/1422326/Peace+moet+uitspraken+over+Israel+intrekken.html

NIJKERK – De consumenten­vereniging Peace is in een voorlopige uitspraak op de vingers getikt door de Reclame Code Commissie (RCC) over haar uitlatingen over producten uit Israël.

Dat meldde Pieter van Oordt van het Israel Producten Centrum in Nijkerk maandag. Het centrum daagde Peace voor de commissie „omdat zij grove leugens over Israel schreef", aldus Van Oordt.

In de voorlopige uitspraak zegt de RCC volgens Van Oordt dat Peace „niet meer mag schrijven dat het verboden is producten van de Westbank te importeren of te verkopen; dat Israël documenten vervalst om uit de West-Bank en de Golan te exporteren.

Peace gaat tegen de uitspraak in beroep. Daarom wilde de RCC de uitspraak in de zaak dinsdagmorgen niet vrijgeven. De zaak komt in september opnieuw voor.

___________________

 

Reclame code commissie: Beweringen van Peace in boycotcampagne "in strijd met de waarheid"

Consumentenvereniging Peace misleidt de consument met onwaarheden

http://christenenvoorisrael.nl/nieuws/nieuws/peace-misleidt-de-consument.html

 

donderdag 25 juni 2009

 

 

De 'consumentenorganisatie' Peace doet in haar campagne voor het boycotten van producten uit de Israelische nederzettingen beweringen die "in strijd zijn met de waarheid". Dit besliste de Reclame Code Commissie op 23 juni na een klacht die op 10 februari werd ingediend door het Israel Producten Centrum (IPC). Het Israel Producten Centrum importeert en verkoopt producten uit Israel. Het voelt zich door de onware beweringen van Peace aangetast in zijn goede naam en bovendien zakelijk benadeeld.

 

De klacht betrof een folder met antwoordkaart, die begin dit jaar is meegezonden met de Volkskrant en met de omroepgids van de VPRO. De folder staat ook op de website van Peace, en is bovendien huis aan huis verspreid.

 

Peace roept daarin op tot een boycot van producten uit de Joodse nederzettingen. Omdat Peace bovendien beweert dat er "massaal wordt gefraudeerd met valse papieren van herkomst" en dat de consument "systematisch wordt misleid met vervalste etiketten", geldt die oproep in feite alle producten uit heel Israel, ook alle producten van het Israel Producten Centrum.

 

Bovendien wekt Peace de indruk dat het IPC zich bezighoudt met illegale activiteiten, door te suggereren dat de verkoop van producten uit de nederzettingen in strijd zou zijn met de wet.

 

Die beweringen van Peace zijn echter in strijd met de Reclame Code, besliste de Commissie, omdat zij eenvoudig niet waar zijn:

 

De Commissie, schrijft zij, "acht de uiting in strijd met de waarheid en derhalve met artikel 2 NRC" voor wat betreft de mededelingen:
- "Om de nederzettingenproducten toch te kunnen verkopen, wordt door Israel bij de invoer in Europa al jarenlang massaal gefraudeerd met valse papieren van herkomst"
- "Ook worden de Europese consumenten door vervalste etiketten systematisch misleid"
- "Verkoop van deze producten is in strijd met (…) het beleid van de Nederlandse regering en met dat van de Europese Commissie".

 

Zij adviseert Peace om niet meer op een dergelijke wijze reclame te maken.

 

Uitspraken van de Reclame Code Commissie hebben, anders dan bijvoorbeeld gerechtelijke uitspraken, slechts een adviserend karakter.

 

Peace had betoogd dat de Reclame Code Commissie niet bevoegd zou zijn de klacht te behandelen, omdat zij als consumentenvereniging een politieke campagne voerde en slechts de rechter zou mogen beoordelen of ze daarmee binnen de in de wet verankerde grenzen van vrijheid van meningsuiting begaf. De Commissie stelt echter, dat Peace denkbeelden propageert en dat dit een reclame-uiting is. Denkbeelden vallen onder de vrijheid van meningsuiting, maar als iemand zich op feiten beroept moeten die feiten "controleerbaar en in overeenstemming met de waarheid"zijn.

 

Dat is hier dus niet het geval. Andere punten, die naar de mening van de Commissie geen feiten maar meningen zijn, verklaarde de Commissie daarom niet ontvankelijk.

 

Het IPC is blij met de uitspraak, maar voelt zich nog steeds in zijn goede naam aangetast.

 

Human Rights Watch vraagt geld in Saoedi-Arabië voor anti-Israel campagnes

Het is te gek voor woorden, en leest bijna als een satire. Human Rights Watch dat geldt inzamelt onder rijke oliesjeiks in Saoedi-Arabië om actie te voeren tegen Israel. Ik dacht dat HRW voor mensenrechten strijdt, altijd en overal? In de woorden van David Bernstein:

 

Finally, some would defend HRW by pointing it that it has criticized Saudi Arabia's human rights record rather severely in the past. The point of my post, though, is not that HRW is pro-Saudi, but that it is maniacally anti-Israel. The most recent manifestation is that its officers see nothing unseemly about raising funds among the elite of one of the most totalitarian nations on earth, with a pitch about how the money is needed to fight "pro-Israel forces," without the felt need to discuss any of the Saudis' manifold human rights violations, and without apparent concern that becoming dependent on funds emanating from a brutal dictatorship leaves you vulnerable to that brutal dictatorship later cutting off the flow of funds, if you don't "behave."

 

Ikzelf ben geen fan van Eurabia-achtige theorieën of om organisaties die zich wel erg focussen op (vermeend) Israelisch onrecht, meteen te beschuldigen van banden met de Arabische wereld, maar dergelijke zaken nodigen daar wel toe uit.

 

RP

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

Human Rights Watch Goes to Saudi Arabia
Seeking Saudi Money to Counterbalance "Pro-Israel Pressure Groups"
BY DAVID BERNSTEIN

The Wall Steet Journal - JULY 13, 2009, 10:19 P.M. ET
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124528343805525561.html

 

A delegation from Human Rights Watch was recently in Saudi Arabia. To investigate the mistreatment of women under Saudi Law? To campaign for the rights of homosexuals, subject to the death penalty in Saudi Arabia? To protest the lack of religious freedom in the Saudi Kingdom? To issue a report on Saudi political prisoners?

No, no, no, and no. The delegation arrived to raise money from wealthy Saudis by highlighting HRW's demonization of Israel. An HRW spokesperson, Sarah Leah Whitson, highlighted HRW's battles with "pro-Israel pressure groups in the US, the European Union and the United Nations." (Was Ms. Whitson required to wear a burkha, or are exceptions made for visiting anti-Israel "human rights" activists"? Driving a car, no doubt, was out of the question.)

Apparently, Ms. Whitson found no time to criticize Saudi Arabia's abysmal human rights record. But never fear, HRW "recently called on the Kingdom to do more to protect the human rights of domestic workers.

There is nothing wrong with a human rights organization worrying about maltreatment of domestic workers. But there is something wrong when a human rights organization goes to one of the worst countries in the world for human rights to raise money to wage lawfare against Israel, and says not a word during the trip about the status of human rights in that country. In fact, it's a virtual certainty that everyone in Whitson's audience employs domestic servants, giving her a perfect, untaken opportunity to boast about HRW's work in improving the servants' status. But Whitson wasn't raising money for human rights, she was raising money for HRW's propaganda campaign against Israel.

Someone who claims to have worked for HRW wrote to me, "I can tell you that the people on the research and policy side of the organization have little, if any, contacts with people on the donor side." If that's true, apparently this is yet another exception HRW makes for Israel: Ms. Whitson, who gave the presentation to potential Saudi donors, is director of HRW's Middle East and North Africa Division.

Also, as a Nathan Wagner comments at OpinionJuris: "Surely there is a moral difference between raising funds in free nations through appeals to ideals of universal human rights and raising money in repressive nations through appeals highlighting pressure brought against their enemies. [Moreover], the former type of fundraising does not imperil the organization's mission, but fundraising Bernstein highlights does, since any significant reliance on such funds will necessarily mute criticism of the repressive government."

Finally, some would defend HRW by pointing it that it has criticized Saudi Arabia's human rights record rather severely in the past. The point of my post, though, is not that HRW is pro-Saudi, but that it is maniacally anti-Israel. The most recent manifestation is that its officers see nothing unseemly about raising funds among the elite of one of the most totalitarian nations on earth, with a pitch about how the money is needed to fight "pro-Israel forces," without the felt need to discuss any of the Saudis' manifold human rights violations, and without apparent concern that becoming dependent on funds emanating from a brutal dictatorship leaves you vulnerable to that brutal dictatorship later cutting off the flow of funds, if you don't "behave."

Gearresteerde Palestijn wilde Israelische grenswacht neersteken

De laatste tijd zijn er minder van zulke incidenten, en heeft Israel tientallen checkpoints weggehaald of versoepeld.
Het valt te verwachten dat extremisten daar misbruik van proberen te maken.

RP

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

Detained Palestinian admits stabbing attack plan
Bethlehem resident caught trying to infiltrate Jerusalem with 16-centimeter knife; two other Palestinians who tried to enter capital with him released

 

Efrat Weiss - YNET

Published: 07.13.09, 23:11
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3746042,00.html

 

Border Guard officers thwarted a stabbing attack in Jerusalem Monday night when they detained a Palestinian carrying a 16-centimeter (6.2 inches) knife at the Ras Hamis checkpoint near the Shuafat refugee camp in the northern part of the capital.

During his interrogation, the Palestinian admitted that he had planned to infiltrate the city and stab a Border Guard officer or IDF soldier at the Shuafat checkpoint.

The Bethlehem resident arrived at the Ras Hamis checkpoint at around 10 pm along with two other Palestinians. The three were spotted trying to enter the city through a breach in the fence.

Two of the Palestinians were released following their interrogation, while the man carrying the knife was transferred to the custody of Jerusalem Police for further questioning.

On Thursday a police unit and a Kfir Brigade force arrested a Palestinian woman carrying two commando knives at the Einav checkpoint in the northern Samaria region.

The 27-year-old Tulkarm resident was turned over to the security forces for further questioning. Security sources estimated that the woman was planning to carry out a terror attack against Israelis.

Brits wapenembargo voor onderdelen Israelische marine

 

Het is een vreemde constructie en niet erg werkbaar, dat aan het gebruik van de wapens die Israel importeert allerlei voorwaarden zijn verbonden, en men die alleen mag gebruiken wanneer het land waarvan men ze kocht meent dat daar voldoende aanleiding toe is. Israel kan moeilijk voor een aanval eerst met allerlei landen gaan overleggen en onderhandelen over welke wapens voor welke operaties precies gebruikt mogen worden. De oplossing lijkt dan ook dat Israel minder afhankelijk wordt van andere landen, en haar eigen defensie industrie verder ontwikkelt.

 

The British embargo is not expected to have any impact on the navy's operational capability. However, it has great political significance, and could encourage other countries to halt defense exports to Israel. The country considered most likely to be next is Belgium, which sells Israel equipment used to disperse demonstrations.

 

Het is natuurlijk vooral van belang dat Israel haar eigen positie goed en overtuigend verdedigt en (vermeende) misstanden en fouten van het leger ook grondig onderzoekt en hiervoor verantwoording aflegt. Het was bijvoorbeeld bepaald onhandig dat Israel niet reageerde op de vele concrete voorvallen die Amnesty in haar rapport over oorlogsmisdaden in Gaza beschreef, en slechts met een algemene en nogal obligaat aandoende verklaring kwam. Het is waar dat Amnesty bevooroordeeld is, maar je komt er niet mee weg door dat slechts te stellen. Er is nou eenmaal continu een vergootglas gericht op wat Israel doet, en steeds meer mensen zien Israel als de grote agressor die een weerloze bevolking onderdrukt.

 

RP

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

U.K. hits Israel with partial arms embargo over Gaza war
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent

Last update - 07:43 13/07/2009
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099701.html

 

Britain has slapped a partial arms embargo on Israel, refusing to supply replacement parts and other equipment for Sa'ar 4.5 gunships because they participated in Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip earlier this year.

Britain's Foreign Office informed Israel's embassy in London of the sanctions a few days ago. The embassy, in a classified telegram to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, said the decision stemmed from heavy pressure by both members of Parliament and human rights organizations.

The embargo followed a government review of all British defense exports to Israel, which was announced three months ago. In total, the telegram said, Britain reviewed 182 licenses for arms exports to Israel, including 35 for exports to the Israel Navy. But it ultimately decided to cancel only five licenses, all relating to the Sa'ar 4.5 ships. The licenses in question apparently cover spare parts for the ship's guns.

The British said the embargo was imposed because these ships participated in Operation Cast Lead. In so doing, the British claimed, they violated the security agreements between Britain and Israel, which specify what uses may be made of British equipment.

Last week, Britain's foreign and defense ministries informed the relevant companies that they would have to cease their planned arms deals with Israel's navy.

Ever since the Gaza operation, British MPs and nongovernmental organizations have been trying to persuade London to impose a complete arms embargo on Israel. However, the British government has rejected this demand.

In February, Amnesty International published a report on arms sales to Israel in which it highlighted Britain's role in supplying engines for Hermes 450 drones. According to Amnesty, Israel uses these drones to conduct assassinations in Gaza. The report prompted the Palestinian organization Al-Haq to file a suit against the British government, arguing that British arms sales facilitate Israeli operations in Gaza.

In April, Foreign Secretary David Miliband informed Parliament that Britain would reexamine all its defense exports to Israel in light of Operation Cast Lead. An Israeli Foreign Ministry official said that since then, Britain's military attache in Israel has requested information on the uses Israel made of various types of British-supplied equipment during Cast Lead.

Foreign Ministry officials said that only a small percentage of Israel's defense-related imports come from Britain. According to data suppled by Britain's department of trade, these sales total some 20 million pounds - about NIS 130 million.

The British embargo is not expected to have any impact on the navy's operational capability. However, it has great political significance, and could encourage other countries to halt defense exports to Israel. The country considered most likely to be next is Belgium, which sells Israel equipment used to disperse demonstrations.

In response the British Embassy in Tel Aviv issued a statement saying, "On 21 April 2009 the Foreign Secretary issued a Written Ministerial Statement about U.K. exports to Israel which may have been used by the Israel Defense Forces during the conflict in Gaza. This statement makes clear that all exports are subject to stringent controls.

"The statement sets out clearly the detail of U.K. components in equipment that may have been used in Operation Cast Lead. U.K. equipment was not exported for specific use in Operation Cast Lead and export licenses were issued based on all the evidence available at the time they were granted.

"Future decisions will take into account what has happened in the recent conflict. We do not grant export licenses where there is a clear risk that arms will be used for external aggression or internal repression.

"We do not believe that the current situation in the Middle East would be improved by imposing an arms embargo on Israel. Israel has the right to defend itself and faces real security threats.

"This said, we consistently urge Israel to act with restraint and supported the EU Presidency statement that called the Israeli actions during operation Cast Lead 'disproportionate.'"

Hamas verdenkt Israel van distributie opwindende kauwgum in Gazastrook

Echte Hamas logica; de grote bevolkingsdruk in de Gazastrook is zeker ook voor Israel een probleem en een bedreiging. Als de Mossad over zo'n magnifiek geheim wapen zou beschikken, zouden ze het beter in Tel Aviv kunnen inzetten om de beruchte 'demografische bedreiging' te bestrijden!

 

Deze absurde beschuldiging past in een traditie waarin Israel van alles, maar dan ook werkelijk alles wordt beschuldigd dat mis gaat in Palestijns gebied. Eerder al werd Israel ervan beschuldigd vergiftigde snoepjes uit te delen aan Palestijnen, ze bij checkpoints met kanker te bestralen, bommen te maken die alleen Arabieren treffen maar Joden ongemoeid laten, en ratten in het moslimkwartier in de oude stad van Jeruzalem uit te zetten. De ratten waren speciaal afgericht om alleen moslims te pesten, want ze lieten de Joodse wijk links liggen!

Hoeveel mensen zouden dit soort onzin geloven?

 

RP & WB

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


Hamas: Israel distributes libido-increasing gum in Gaza
Islamist group claims Israeli intelligence operatives transfer merchandise to Gaza dealers that increases sex drive, even encourage them to distribute them free of charge in order 'to destroy' young generation. Affair exposed after young girl chews gum, complains of bizarre side effects

 

Ali Waked - YNET

Published: 07.13.09, 22:06
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3746017,00.html

 

Is Israel targeting the Palestinian population in Gaza by distributing libido-increasing chewing gum in the Strip? A Hamas police spokesman in the Gaza Strip Islam Shahwan claimed Monday that Israeli intelligence operatives are attempting to "destroy" the young generation by distributing such materials in the coastal enclave.

Shahwan said that the police got their hands on gum that increases sexual desire that, according to him, reaches merchants in the Strip by way of the border crossings. According to him, a Palestinian drug dealer admitted that he sold products that increase sex drive. The dealer said that he received the materials from Israeli sources by way of the Karni crossing.

A number of suspects have been arrested.

The affair was exposed when a Palestinian filed a complaint that his daughter chewed the aforementioned gum and experienced the dubious side effects.

Shahwan even claimed that Israeli intelligence operatives encourage dealers in Gaza to distribute the gum for free.

"The Israelis seek to destroy the Palestinians' social infrastructure with these products and to hurt the young generation by distributing drugs and sex stimulants," said Shahwan.

However, he noted that drugs reach the Gaza Strip by way of Rafah tunnels, and said that the police keep a close watch on the illegal activities going on in the tunnels between Gaza and Egypt.

Shahwan added that the police have recently seized large amounts of drugs and alcohol attached to the underside of automobiles passing through Erez crossing. The automobile owners admitted receiving help for smuggling the materials from Israeli intelligence operatives.

PA onderhandelaar Erekat heeft geen haast, want Israels positie schuift langzaam op

 

Israelische concessies lijken niet te leiden tot Palestijnse concessies en flexibiliteit, maar juist tot een verharding van haar posities:

 

"Many people say that the [Israeli-Palestinian] negotiations of the last 10 or 15 years were useless and yielded nothing, but [that is not true]. In 1994 [i.e. during the Oslo negotiations] the Palestinian side could have capitulated and gained an achievement within one month. [That is,] we could have agreed to undertake the management of the education and health [systems] in the West Bank. [Likewise] Yasser Arafat could have accepted what was offered him at Camp David [in 2000], instead of [letting himself] be besieged in the Muqata'a and then murdered for no reason. President Mahmoud 'Abbas could have accepted [Olmert's] December 2008 proposal, [but he preferred to wait]...

 

"[Some ask] where the negotiations with the Israeli side have brought us. First [the Israelis] said we would [only have the right to] run our own schools and hospitals. Then they consented to give us 66% [of the occupied territories].

 

"At Camp David they offered 90%, and [recently] they offered 100%. So why should we hurry, after the all the injustice we have suffered? The agreement will not be stable anyway, unless it is based on international law and on justice."

 

Onder dit laatste verstaat Erekat dat alle vluchtelingen en hun miljoenen nakomelingen 'terug' kunnen keren naar Israel, om een einde te maken aan Israels Joodse karakter en er uiteindelijk een Arabische staat van te maken. (Zie ook: Right of Return of Palestinian Refugees.)

 

Vandaar dat hij ook zo fel is gekant tegen erkenning van Israel als Joodse staat, wat natuurlijk niks met religie heeft te maken maar met het recht op zelfbeschikking van het Joodse volk. De meeste Arabische staten en de Palestijnse grondwet verwijzen naar de Arabische etniciteit en de islam als basis van hun identiteit en karakter. (Zie ook: Israel een Joodse staat - en al die andere staten dan?) Dus waarom zou Israel niet Joods mogen zijn?

Het volgende is in tegenspraak met uitspraken van premier Fayyad die onlangs zei dat Joodse kolonisten de Palestijnse nationaliteit kunnen krijgen.

 

"[Likewise], nobody should agree to Israeli settlers remaining in the Palestinian [state]. We must not compare a Palestinian [whose family] lived in Palestine [long] before Netanyahu or his forefathers arrived, and who is still living there, to a settler who is living on Palestinian soil [and maintaining his presence there through] coercion, oppression and unacceptable [use of] force. We must not talk of land swap before we establish our sovereignty in practice...

 

Erekat ontkent met deze uitspraken 3.000 jaar Joodse geschiedenis in het land. Zowel in het oude Israel als in de tijd van de diaspora hebben er Joden in het gebied gewoond dat nu Israel en de bezette gebieden omvat, er gemeenschappen gesticht, er hun religie beleden en hun identiteit ontwikkeld. Sommige nederzettingen zijn na 1967 precies daar herbouwd waar vroeger ook Joodse gemeenschappen waren. Dat wil niet zeggen dat Israel die gebieden dus maar allemaal mag houden; beide kanten zullen immers pijnlijke concessies moeten doen.

 

Fayyads voorstel om kolonisten de mogelijkheid te bieden om te blijven wonen waar ze wonen als ze bereid zijn staatsburger van Palestina te worden heeft vooral symbolische betekenis. Weinig kolonisten zullen dat willen, en bovendien is de vraag of en hoe de Palestijnse Autoriteit hun veiligheid kan garanderen. De haat tegen de kolonisten is immers groot, en Israeli's die de weg kwijtraken en onverhoopt in een Palestijnse stad belanden hebben dat weleens met de dood moeten bekopen. Vandaar dat het voor hen verboden is om gebied onder controle van de PA te betreden.

RP

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

MEMRI: Special Dispatch | No. 2440 | July 13, 2009
Palestinians

Saeb Ereqat: Over the Years, Israel Has Gradually Withdrawn from Its Positions; Therefore, We Have No Reason to Hurry


In a June 25, 2009 interview with the Jordanian daily Al-Dustour, Palestinian Authority negotiations department head Saeb Ereqat said that the previous Israeli government, under Ehud Olmert, had offered PA President Mahmoud 'Abbas territory equal in size to 100% of the land occupied in 1967, by means of a land swap. Ereqat explained, however, that the PA would not agree to a land swap before Israel recognized the Palestinians' right to sovereignty over all the territory occupied in 1967. He added that there had been a steady erosion in Israel's position over the years, to the point that it had recently offered the Palestinians 100% of the territory; therefore, the Palestinians had no reason to rush into accepting the Israeli proposals. He stressed that the Right of Return and monetary compensation for the refugees were not mutually exclusive, and that the Palestinians would insist on receiving both.

Addressing the issue of Hamas, he said that nobody was asking it to recognize Israel, but that any government in which Hamas was a partner would have to recognize Israel and the commitments undertaken by the PLO.

Ereqat stated further that the Palestinians were acting in full coordination with Jordan and keeping it informed of all Israeli proposals  and of their replies to these proposals. Regarding Iran, he said that it did not pose a threat, as was frequently claimed.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

"Once [the Palestinians] Establish Sovereignty, We Will Start Exchanging Land"

"After the [November 2007] Annapolis talks, PA President Mahmoud 'Abbas and [then-]Israeli prime minister [Ehud] Olmert held several closed-door meetings. [In fact,] from the [time of the] Annapolis talks until December 2008, there were 288 negotiation sessions by 12 [different] committees.

"During the last negotiation session, the Israelis presented their position to 'Abbas - and this was perhaps the first time that [Olmert's] proposal was revealed. Under the June 4, 1967 borders, the area of the West Bank and Gaza, including east Jerusalem, is 6,235 square km, and there are also 46 square km of no man's land, which are to be divided according to international law [i.e. equally between Israel and Palestine]. So all in all, our share of the territory is 6,258 square km.

"Olmert showed 'Abbas a map presenting Israel's position. In the Salfit [area], there is the settlement of Ariel, which [the Israelis] want to excise from the West Bank, and there is another settlement in the Tul Karem area, called Qedumim, which takes up [another] 21 square km of the West Bank. These two settlements also sit over the Western Palestinian aquifer, comprising 400 million cubic meters of water.

"Another densely populated area that [the Israelis] want [to keep] is the Maale Adumim [area], which is near Jerusalem, 13 km into the West Bank, and a third, called Gush Etzion, is located between Bethlehem and Hebron. Together, the areas that the Israelis want to keep constitute 6.5% of the West Bank, and in return they offered us [areas equivalent in size to] 5.8% in the Israeli territory south of Hebron, west of Bethlehem, and north of Jericho [near] Bet Shean. The remaining 0.7% will be a safe passage [between Gaza and the West Bank], 38 km long and 150 meters wide, connecting the town of Tarqumiya [near] Hebron with Bet Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip.

"'Abbas told [Olmert] that, according to the map he had obtained from a friendly country, the [Israeli] settlements that have been built to date occupy 1.2% of the West Bank, including east Jerusalem. He added that he would like to make progress, but [asked], 'How do you expect us to accept the principle of land-swap before we delineate the 1967 borders?' We know that in 1965, Jordan and Saudi Arabia exchanged territories amounting to 29 sq km. [Land swaps were also made between] Jordan and Iraq, the U.S. and Canada, and the U.S. and Mexico. It is an [accepted] practice. However, in order to talk about [land] swap, sovereignty must [first] be established.

"Olmert wanted first of all to trap us in his net. Without sovereignty, how can we accept the principle of land swap? It's not as if [the minute] we sign a [land swap] agreement, a Palestinian state will be established the same day and Israel will withdraw the same day. Once we establish our sovereignty, we will start exchanging land.

"But accepting the principle of land swap prior to that would be tantamount to waiving [U.N.] Resolution 242. It would be playing into [Israel's] hands, because [the Israelis] will then say that the 1967 territories and borders are not set in stone. There is no point in discussing a land swap until we have established our sovereignty in practice.

"'Abbas told Olmert something else [while] I was there. [He said:] 'I am not running a market or a bazaar, and I am not going to open one. There are the occupied territories, and there is Resolution 242, which states that occupation of other people's land is unacceptable. Do you accept this principle?'

"Many people say that the [Israeli-Palestinian] negotiations of the last 10 or 15 years were useless and yielded nothing, but [that is not true]. In 1994 [i.e. during the Oslo negotiations] the Palestinian side could have capitulated and gained an achievement within one month. [That is,] we could have agreed to undertake the management of the education and health [systems] in the West Bank. [Likewise] Yasser Arafat could have accepted what was offered him at Camp David [in 2000], instead of [letting himself] be besieged in the Muqata'a and then murdered for no reason. President Mahmoud 'Abbas could have accepted [Olmert's] December 2008 proposal, [but he preferred to wait]...

"We have an absolute right to east Jerusalem. We cannot not listen to the voices that ask who will run Al-Aqsa. We revere and sanctify the Al-Aqsa mosque, as well as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, but they are no different from Rafah, Jericho, and the refugee camp of Aqbat Jabr. All these places were occupied by Israel, and I must not distinguish between them. No one should say that Al-Aqsa must be managed by a 'Muslim' or 'Arab,' [rather than by a Palestinian].

"[Likewise], nobody should agree to Israeli settlers remaining in the Palestinian [state]. We must not compare a Palestinian [whose family] lived in Palestine [long] before Netanyahu or his forefathers arrived, and who is still living there, to a settler who is living on Palestinian soil [and maintaining his presence there through] coercion, oppression and unacceptable [use of] force. We must not talk of land swap before we establish our sovereignty in practice...

"Those who are willing to hand over Al-Aqsa to the Muslim countries are talking only for themselves, and do not represent the PA president, the PLO, or the PLO negotiation department. Some say that we will [be willing to] grant the settlers citizenship. We reject [this idea] out of hand..."

The Right of Return and Compensation are Not Mutually Exclusive

"The problem of the [Palestinian] refugees is not the result of a volcano [eruption], earthquake, or flood. Someone caused it. Before we talk of international law, we must pinpoint the element responsible, and Israel must acknowledge this responsibility.

"The Palestinian decision makers do not have the right to decide the fate of the refugees; only the refugee himself can decide his own fate. It is not up to the international [community] either. It is the refugee who has the right to choose whether to return to Israel, return to Palestine, or remain where he is - and in all of these cases [he is entitled to] compensation.

"It is not the Right of Return or compensation; it's the Right of Return and compensation. Should Israel acknowledge its responsibility, and should the world want to resolve the conflict, there would be a need to establish an international mechanism to bear the cost. I estimate that we are talking about $140 billion."

Israel Is Slowly Softening Its Positions, So Why Should We Hurry?

"[Some ask] where the negotiations with the Israeli side have brought us. First [the Israelis] said we would [only have the right to] run our own schools and hospitals. Then they consented to give us 66% [of the occupied territories].

"At Camp David they offered 90%, and [recently] they offered 100%. So why should we hurry, after the all the injustice we have suffered? The agreement will not be stable anyway, unless it is based on international law and on justice."

Netanyahu's Speech Was One Big "No"

"Now a new Israeli government has arrived. Netanyahu comes from a home with a [specific] ideological [orientation]. His father, Ben-Zion Netanyahu, is a 92-year-old professor who believes that there is a non-Jewish minority in Israel which must be treated with respect by [allowing it] to manage its own affairs in education, health, culture and religion.

"Netanyahu's speech stayed within the framework of this logic. First of all, he spent an hour dictating terms [to us], and then, in 10 seconds, he demanded that we come and talk to him without preconditions. Furthermore, the claim that he mentioned a Palestinian state is unfounded... Netanyahu was very clear and precise.

"So when America published a statement saying that the speech had contained positive elements, I called the White House and said to one of the staffers there, 'We seem to have heard two [different] speeches by Netanyahu. The one I heard did not include anything positive. If you heard a different speech, please tell me about it, because [in the one I heard,] Netanyahu... said 'no' to the two-state solution [based on] the 1967 borders, ignored the Arab [Peace] Initiative, and, [in an act of] unprecedented disdain for the Arab leaders, proposed to talk to them about water pipelines and gas pipelines.

"He also said 'no' to [reaching] a final agreement on [the issues of] Jerusalem, the settlements, the borders and the refugees. He changed the meaning of the word 'negotiation' from 'give and take' to 'take and dictate.' He threw out the Road Map - especially the clause on freezing the settlements, including their natural growth - and rejected Obama's vision. The latter spoke of the future and of a new Middle East, while Netanyahu spoke of the past and of the old Middle East..."

"Netanyahu will tell [U.S. Envoy George] Mitchell that Israel is willing to agree to anything, but that there are housing units in the settlements that are [already] under construction as well as [construction] tenders that have [already] been issued [and cannot be stopped]. We have told the Americans that 3,290 new housing units are under construction in the settlements, and that tenders have been issued for the construction of 11,000 more, so that about 14,000 housing units will be built during the current [Israeli] administration and the following ones, until the construction is completed. The Americans are bound to fall into this trap.

"This is why Obama must launch his initiative for reviving the peace [process] as soon as possible, for otherwise the region will be driven into an abyss of violence, chaos, and extremism, and that is a serious problem that must be addressed...

"Everyone must know that President 'Abbas and the Palestinians will not accept the proposals [of a partial freeze of the settlements], and 'Abbas already made this clear in documents that he sent to Obama."


Recognizing Israel as a Jewish State Means Joining the Zionist Movement

"Another issue is [recognizing] Israel as a Jewish state. On May 14, 1948, Truman was asked to sign [a document] recognizing [the establishment of] a 'provisional Jewish state.' After reading it carefully, he crossed out the words 'Jewish state' and in their place penned in the words 'state of Israel' - because asking someone to recognize a Jewish state is tantamount to asking him to join the Zionist movement. This movement believes that religion and nationality are one and the same.

"There are also other well-known reasons [to avoid recognizing Israel as a Jewish state] - namely, the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the 1948 territories [i.e. Israel's Arab citizens], as well as the Right of Return, etc...  Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, and has relations with the entire world. So why doesn't it ask them to recognize [it as a Jewish state]? Why does it ask this only of me?

The Arab Peace Initiative is Good for the Palestinians

"Following Netanyahu's speech, it is possible to obtain only one thing from the Arabs - namely, adherence to the Arab Peace Initiative. Here I want to reveal the secret of why we adhere to this initiative. It includes a clause that says: 'Upon Israel's complete withdrawal from the territories occupied in 1967, including Jerusalem and Syria's occupied Arab Golan, [the Arabs] will begin taking steps [of rapprochement] with Israel." [Based on this clause], the Arabs can say to Israel: 'We will not take a single step in your direction before the goal [of a full Israeli withdrawal] is achieved.' This would help us. But there are those who want to torpedo the Arab Peace Initiative."

The Palestinians Coordinate All Their Actions with Jordan

"After the Annapolis [summit], President 'Abbas met with Jordanian King 'Abdallah II, and asked him to form a joint [Palestinian-Jordanian political] 'kitchen,' so that every word we exchange with the Israelis would first be perused by the king. [We told him], 'You are our partner. [We share] a border, and [our concerns about] security, water and refugees are [also] Jordanian interests. We will not surprise you. Every proposal we presented to Israel was first of all presented to our sister Jordan, and every proposal we received from Israel was presented to Jordan before we gave our reply, while taking into consideration the joint [Palestinian-Jordanian] interests. Relations between the Palestinians and Jordan have never been better than they are today. Everything that happens in Palestine affects Jordan. Besides, I cannot agree to the deployment of a third-party [military] force on the [Jordanian] border without Jordan's consent, and I cannot take a single step in resolving the refugee problem without ascertaining the fate of the refugees in Jordan - [the country] that hosts the greatest number of refugees..."

Hamas as a Movement Need Not Recognize Israel

"Hamas won the elections, but it is not reasonable to say that [just] because it won the elections, the U.N. must now change its charter, its bylaws, its rules, and its resolutions; that the Arab League must withdraw the [Arab Peace] Initiative; and that the PLO must change the humiliating agreements that have been signed.

"Nobody is asking Hamas to recognize Israel or the two-state [solution]. Nobody has asked Hamas to change even one letter in its [ideological] documents. It is the [PA] government that is required to recognize [Israel]. Resistance is a noble thing, and a sacred duty of anyone under occupation, but there is a great deal of difference between investing in resistance and carrying it out...

"What is needed at the moment is a Palestinian [national] unity government that will recognize the PLO's commitments, [because] this will enable us to reconstruct Gaza...

"If [Hamas'] goal is to establish a unified Arab nation state, or a caliphate, we will pursue [these goals] even before [Hamas] does - but first it is necessary to liberate Palestine... If all we want to do fight - no problem, let's bury the peace initiative, clean out the trenches, and do so..."

Iran Poses No Threat to the Region

"Is the Arab world really [divided] into a moderate camp and a resistance camp?... We do not see Iran as posing a threat to us. Iran is a country in the region with whom we [sometimes] disagree and [sometimes] agree.

"I want Iran to stand by the Palestinians and support the Palestinian cause without favoring one side [i.e. Hamas] over the other [i.e. the PLO/Fatah]. But Iran does not pose a threat to the region; that is an invention used by Netanyahu to convince the world.

"This region cannot tolerate more wars. The peaceful U.S.-Iran dialogue must succeed. I asked [former IAEA director-general] Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei in Vienna how many years it would take Iran to develop a nuclear weapon, and he said 14 to 16 years. We must change this worn-out record [about the Iranian threat]."

 

 

=======================
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Hamas blij met open houding van Europa

 

Het lijkt duidelijk dat de Europese toenadering door Hamas als steun voor haar harde lijn en compromisloosheid wordt uitgelegd. De voorwaarden van het 'Kwartet' maken allang geen indruk meer. Als het de bedoeling is van de EU dat Hamas verandert, en als dat een voorwaarde is voor een einde van de boycot van Hamas, dan moet zij zich wat standvastiger en minder soft uitlaten.

 

RP
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The European openness to Hamas is a result of Gaza steadfastness
13 July 2009

Website of  - Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades -  the armed branch of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
www. alqassam.ps/english/?action=showdetail&fid=1897

 

Agencies - Dr. Yousuf Rezqa, the political advisor to Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya, stated Sunday that the European openness to the Movement of Hamas and the government is a natural product of the Gaza people's steadfastness in the face of the Israeli aggression and blockade.

In a press interview published by the Palestinian information center and Al-Rai newspaper, Dr. Rezqa stressed that the government in Gaza has no fears of this European openness because it always seeks the interests of all Palestinian people.

He noted that the Israeli war on Gaza was a test for the official Arab position, asserting that major Arab countries had demonstrated regrettable and late positions towards the demands of their peoples during the war.

The political advisor saluted the Turkish attitude during the war and hailed the relationship with Turkey economically and politically as promising.

Regarding the national dialog, he underlined that the future of dialog is dependent on ending the file of political arrest in the West Bank and terminating the security mission of US officer Keith Dayton in the West Bank.

Ophef over reclamefilmpje: IDF voetbalt met Palestijnen over de muur

Ik kan het Hebreeuws niet verstaan, maar het reclamefilmpje ziet er uit als een ludieke en onschuldige advertentie. Als mensen zich om zoiets druk gaan maken en er kwaad in zien, zegt dat alles over hun verbetenheid. Volgens veel sympathisanten van de Palestijnen kan Israel helemaal niets goed doen, en in alles, zelfs in allerlei projecten die juist gericht zijn op samenwerking en dialoog met de Arabieren, ziet men een racistisch zionistisch ethos of een sluwe manier om de eigen misdaden wit te wassen. Zulke mensen zijn deel van het probleem, niet van de oplossing.

RP

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WATCH: Israel cell phone ad has Facebook group crying 'racist'
By Haaretz Service

Last update - 16:53 12/07/2009
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099529.html


A Facebook group is trying to get Israel's leading cell phone operator, Cellcom, to pull a new TV commercial showing Israeli soldiers near the West Bank separation fence, arguing that the advert is "racist."

The commercial, produced by the Israeli branch of international advertising powerhouse McCann Erickson, shows IDF soldiers on patrol along the separation fence who stop their jeep when it is hit by a soccer ball from the Palestinian side of the fence.

The ball soon bounces back to the Israeli side, at which point the soldiers decide to hold an impromptu game with the Palestinians, cheered on by female soldiers.

The voiceover accompanying the advert says: "After all, what are we all after? Just a little fun."

The Facebook group, called "I too got nauseous watching the new Cellcom ad," severely criticized McCann Eriksson's use of the separation fence in its advert.

"We could go into the media messages spouting racism any which way, but if you have come here than you too think they're uncalled for," reads the introduction to the Facebook group. "The McCann Erickson copywriter displayed an unbelievable propensity for bad taste."

The group also centered on what they feel is offensive in the new commercial, pointing out the fact that the supposedly "good" soldiers fear the possibility that the "monster living on the other side of the wall could steal the ball - but when the ball returns to Israeli hands, we discover that that monster isn't fierce at all, and actually feels like playing with the soldiers - oh joy!"

"Good enough reason to set up a beach party under the wall, complete with sexy female soldiers and musical instruments."

The group ends by demanding the immediate removal of the commercial.

"What our group can agree on is the shame we feel seeing a major Israeli commercial company approving such a beastly advert to be aired in its name, and which brings us to demand - take this racist commercial off the air immediately!"

Israelische journalistenbond uit internationale federatie gezet

Het lijkt duidelijk dat er meer aan de hand is dan alleen een geldkwestie. De internationale federatie van journalisten laat zich blijkbaar al jaren lang bijzonder kritisch uit naar Israel toe, en de Israelische unie had bovendien geen volwaardig lidmaatschap, wat de reden zou zijn voor het niet betalen van de contributie. Hoe het ook precies gegaan is, het is een kwalijke zaak dat Israel, het land met de meeste persvrijheid in het Midden-Oosten, nu uit de internationale federatie is gezet.

 

RP

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

 

The Jerusalem Post
Jul 12, 2009 23:26 | Updated Jul 13, 2009 2:08
Israeli journalists ousted from union
By DANIELA FELDMAN
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443788924&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull


Though the National Federation of Israeli Journalists was expelled last month from an international union for not paying dues, the Israeli federation suspects it was due to more than just finances.

The 800-member National Federation of Israeli Journalists was dismissed by the International Federation of Journalists, in a unanimous vote conducted at an executive conference meeting in Oslo on June 7.

Based in Belgium, the International Federation represents 600,000 journalists in 123 countries.

According to a June 11 letter from International Federation General Secretary Aidan White, the union "plans to continue to support Israeli journalists despite its decision at the weekend to expel the National Federation of Israel Journalists (NFIJ) from membership of the International Federation of Journalists for nonpayment of fees. This difficult decision was taken after the NFIJ rejected an International Federation offer to waive three years of debt."

Haim Shibi, an active member of a journalists' union in Jerusalem who is involved with both the international and national journalists' unions, told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday the tensions between the Israeli union and the international organization began to grow during the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

The National Federation of Israeli Journalists temporarily suspended the Israeli group's membership shortly after the war. The Jerusalem union soon began repaying its dues, while the Tel Aviv union did not, Shibi said.

"I thought at that time we should not quit or walk out," he said.

In January, the International Federation began issuing a series of letters condemning Israel for refusing to allow journalists to enter Gaza to cover Operation Cast Lead. The International Federation also published a report criticizing Israel's actions in Gaza and urging International Federation members and affiliated organizations to speak out against Israel's treatment of foreign journalists during the war.

According to Shibi, the International Federation report about Gaza was compiled without any Israeli input.

"No one called us to hear what we had to say," he said. Israeli journalists had things to say about the balance of rights of journalists to cover the war and the pressures coming from the army and the state, but the report was compiled without consulting a single Israeli source, he said.

"They are an organization fighting for ethics in journalism," he said. "Whoever may be the offended party, [everyone] has a right to say his piece; we were left out of the discussion completely."

"He [White] is kicking out the most free and fighting press corps in the region."

Shibi also mentioned that the International Federation had hosted a series of conferences in Europe about current media issues, but the Israeli unions were not invited.

The International Federation focused on the question of payments and how much the Israeli union should pay for membership. According to an International Federation document, the Israeli union was offered a special reduced fee extended to countries facing economic hardships.

Shibi said the Israeli union felt that it was not being accepted in the international framework. The National Federation of Israeli Journalists felt it should not pay "until we are full and equal members," he said. "No taxation without representation."

"The action against the NFIJ, which brings together autonomous groups in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, was taken after numerous actions over the past three years to try to resolve disputes with some NFIJ leaders who have criticized the IFJ [International Federation] for its condemnation of actions by Israeli military and government over attacks on media in Lebanon and Gaza," White explained, in the letter announcing that the National Federation of Israeli Journalists would no longer be a part of the international union.

Though the NFIJ has been given the opportunity to appeal at the international organization's general assembly in Spain in May 2010, Shibi said he does not think the national Israeli union is in a rush to do so.

"We don't feel guilty,' he said. "We find them biased and one sided."

Shibi feels that the International Federation's recent actions represent "a popular mood of pushing Israel into the corner."

He said it reflects the European sentiment to portray Israel as an aggressor and support the Arab world. He recalled many efforts made by the NJIF that were not supported by the international union that is supposed to fostered unity between journalists from across the world, including NFIJ's proposal to build a media club for Israeli and Palestinian journalists to work together.

In response to the notice that Israel will no longer participate in International Federation programming, Shibi, along with four of his colleagues, issued a letter to the international union on June 8.

"We see this step as biased - unfair - and one sided. The opposite of what we expect from an organization dedicated to ethics in journalism... It became clear that the IFJ did not wish to lead the two sides, Arabs and Israelis, into a carefully planned and jointly made regional media club but rather opted to slowly push the Israeli members out. Yes this was not only about money. It was about full and equal membership which we were denied. And no - there was no lack of respect to the IFJ on our part," they wrote.