9 feb 2016
ISIL insurgents in Anbar Province
A senior Israel official alleged, on Monday, that Hamas has been providing medical treatment to Islamic State-affiliated fighters from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, in claims which Hamas rejected as "baseless."
Yoav Mordechai, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), made the allegations in an interview with Saudi newspaper Elaph.
"We have confirmed information that some fighters from the IS-affiliated Sinai Province group were being moved to Gaza through smuggling tunnels to receive medical treatment," Mordechai reportedly said.
He alleged that the Hamas movement was receiving weapons, money and other goods from IS in return.
A COGAT spokesperson confirmed Mordechai's statement to Ma'an News Agency.
However, Iyad al-Buzm, a spokesperson for Hamas' Ministry of the Interior in the Gaza Strip, rejected the claims as "baseless and false."
Buzm said that Mordechai's statements were only meant to incite against the Gaza Strip and to worsen relations between Hamas and Egypt, so as to intensify a military blockade imposed on the besieged coastal enclave.
A spokesperson for the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qidra, also denied that any IS fighter had ever received treatment in Gaza's hospitals.
Al-Qidra said, in a Facebook post: "Gaza hospitals receive patients and wounded people from the Gaza Strip only," adding that Mordechai's remarks were "inciting, and completely false."
Hamas has suffered poor relations with the Egyptian government ever since the democratically-elected Muslim Brotherhood, with whom they were closely allied, was thrown out of power in July of2013.
Attacks by militants, including the IS-affiliated Sinai Province group, initially began to increase after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi took power. Hamas has repeatedly denied giving support to the militants.
Recent Israeli air strikes have targeted locations in the Gaza Strip allegedly used for training by Hamas’ military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, causing material damages to nearby homes. Although much of the rocket fire has been claimed by small militant groups operating in Gaza, the Israeli army has consistently held the territory's de facto leaders Hamas responsible.
The majority of these weapons, including the default rockets made by Hamas, are typically crude shells constructed of little more than tubes with dynamite placed inside. They are fired blindly, without any possibility of aiming them. Injuries and damages are seldom reported, let alone in contrast with the devastation incurred by Israeli air and ground assaults.
On the other hand, since the devastating Israeli offensive on the region, in 2014, Hamas has reportedly been attempting to clamp down on many of the smaller armed groups operating in the territory.
See: ISIS Affiliates Suspected of Car Bombing Hamas Members
ISIS Affiliated Group Abducts Four Hamas Members In Egypt
Furthermore, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon was recently quoted, by the Times of Israel, as admitting that Israel has been providing aid to Syrian rebels, thus keeping the Druze in Syria out of immediate danger. Israeli officials, according to the site, have previously balked at confirming, on the record, that the country has been helping forces that are fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad.
See: Israel Prepares for Military Actions in Syria and Lebanon
Also See Security plan to end Intifada by creating security chaos in Gaza
In an exclusive report by UK news outlet, The Daily Mail, a video and a number of images copyrighted by the Israeli military, in fact, show Israeli commandos rescuing wounded Islamic men from the Syrian warzone.
A senior Israel official alleged, on Monday, that Hamas has been providing medical treatment to Islamic State-affiliated fighters from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, in claims which Hamas rejected as "baseless."
Yoav Mordechai, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), made the allegations in an interview with Saudi newspaper Elaph.
"We have confirmed information that some fighters from the IS-affiliated Sinai Province group were being moved to Gaza through smuggling tunnels to receive medical treatment," Mordechai reportedly said.
He alleged that the Hamas movement was receiving weapons, money and other goods from IS in return.
A COGAT spokesperson confirmed Mordechai's statement to Ma'an News Agency.
However, Iyad al-Buzm, a spokesperson for Hamas' Ministry of the Interior in the Gaza Strip, rejected the claims as "baseless and false."
Buzm said that Mordechai's statements were only meant to incite against the Gaza Strip and to worsen relations between Hamas and Egypt, so as to intensify a military blockade imposed on the besieged coastal enclave.
A spokesperson for the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qidra, also denied that any IS fighter had ever received treatment in Gaza's hospitals.
Al-Qidra said, in a Facebook post: "Gaza hospitals receive patients and wounded people from the Gaza Strip only," adding that Mordechai's remarks were "inciting, and completely false."
Hamas has suffered poor relations with the Egyptian government ever since the democratically-elected Muslim Brotherhood, with whom they were closely allied, was thrown out of power in July of2013.
Attacks by militants, including the IS-affiliated Sinai Province group, initially began to increase after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi took power. Hamas has repeatedly denied giving support to the militants.
Recent Israeli air strikes have targeted locations in the Gaza Strip allegedly used for training by Hamas’ military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, causing material damages to nearby homes. Although much of the rocket fire has been claimed by small militant groups operating in Gaza, the Israeli army has consistently held the territory's de facto leaders Hamas responsible.
The majority of these weapons, including the default rockets made by Hamas, are typically crude shells constructed of little more than tubes with dynamite placed inside. They are fired blindly, without any possibility of aiming them. Injuries and damages are seldom reported, let alone in contrast with the devastation incurred by Israeli air and ground assaults.
On the other hand, since the devastating Israeli offensive on the region, in 2014, Hamas has reportedly been attempting to clamp down on many of the smaller armed groups operating in the territory.
See: ISIS Affiliates Suspected of Car Bombing Hamas Members
ISIS Affiliated Group Abducts Four Hamas Members In Egypt
Furthermore, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon was recently quoted, by the Times of Israel, as admitting that Israel has been providing aid to Syrian rebels, thus keeping the Druze in Syria out of immediate danger. Israeli officials, according to the site, have previously balked at confirming, on the record, that the country has been helping forces that are fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad.
See: Israel Prepares for Military Actions in Syria and Lebanon
Also See Security plan to end Intifada by creating security chaos in Gaza
In an exclusive report by UK news outlet, The Daily Mail, a video and a number of images copyrighted by the Israeli military, in fact, show Israeli commandos rescuing wounded Islamic men from the Syrian warzone.
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Press TV has also published a video containing controversial footage which is said to prove the unabated presence of Islamic State militants in the occupied Golan Heights.
In the classic tit-for-tat gaming style which seems to pervade mainstream media in the 21st century, the public is often left with a grossly inconclusive take on the actual who, what, where and whys of the wars they are currently funding, as a result. Sadly, it is no coincidence that the intellectual and financial stalemate is always accompanied by the vague smokescreen of shady politics which seems to further surround and obscure the reasoning behind those wars which are to come. |
Whatever the case, the real burdens which surface, as a result of sectarian religious strife, will continue to fall not on the shoulders of any militant faction or state, but on those of common, working-class people and the humanitarian aid crews which are inevitably called in to pick up the pieces, after the true aggressors conveniently "intervene" on their behalf.
The Joint (Arab) List faction reacted furiously Monday to a decision by the Knesset’s Ethics Committee to suspend three of its lawmakers for meeting with the relatives of slain Palestinian anti-occupation activists.
MKs Hanin Zoabi and Basel Ghattas were suspended for four months, while Jamal Zahalka received a two-month ban. The ban was passed after 90 MKs voted yes.
The Joint List said in a statement that it rejects the Ethics Committee’s decision and condemns the campaign of incitement orchestrated by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The MKs met last Tuesday with Palestinians seeking the return of bodies of their relatives, which were still being held by Israeli occupation authorities. “There is no other entity in the world but Israel which has prisons for dead bodies.
We continue to demand the immediate release of the bodies,” the party statement said. “There is no national dignity for an entity that withholds dead bodies for four months in order to torture their families psychologically,” it further read.
During the Knesset meeting MK Zahalka addressed Netanyahu saying: “You are a fascist.” Observers said the committee’s decision had been predetermined and was the fruit of Netanyahu’s incitement.
MKs Hanin Zoabi and Basel Ghattas were suspended for four months, while Jamal Zahalka received a two-month ban. The ban was passed after 90 MKs voted yes.
The Joint List said in a statement that it rejects the Ethics Committee’s decision and condemns the campaign of incitement orchestrated by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The MKs met last Tuesday with Palestinians seeking the return of bodies of their relatives, which were still being held by Israeli occupation authorities. “There is no other entity in the world but Israel which has prisons for dead bodies.
We continue to demand the immediate release of the bodies,” the party statement said. “There is no national dignity for an entity that withholds dead bodies for four months in order to torture their families psychologically,” it further read.
During the Knesset meeting MK Zahalka addressed Netanyahu saying: “You are a fascist.” Observers said the committee’s decision had been predetermined and was the fruit of Netanyahu’s incitement.
Hani al-Issawi, a member of a local committee to defend land in al-Issawiya town in occupied Jerusalem, denounced the Israeli mass demolition orders that were distributed on Monday in the town after being violently stormed by Israeli border guards and special forces.
Earlier Monday, the Israeli municipal crew put up random demolition notices on the doors of 12 buildings that include 30 residential apartments.
Speaking to the PIC, al-Issawi noted that the most of the licensed homes had been built 20 to 50 years ago and before the establishment of neighboring settlements. The demolition orders, al-Issawi continued, came after Israeli municipality promoted tenders for a new structure plan in the town.
"We consider the Israeli demolition orders as a collective punitive measure against local residents, whose buildings are located near Maale Adumim settlement’s main street", according to his statements.
"Most of the buildings were established before the construction of this settlement street", al-Issawi pointed out. The local activist said that the 30 apartments’ owners declared intention to file a complaint against the Israeli municipality’s punitive measures.
The residents of al-Issawiya district suffer from ongoing Israeli violations, most notably, raiding homes and commercial stores on a daily basis, imposing heavy taxes on their owners, issuing demolition orders, and carrying out daily arrests.
Earlier Monday, the Israeli municipal crew put up random demolition notices on the doors of 12 buildings that include 30 residential apartments.
Speaking to the PIC, al-Issawi noted that the most of the licensed homes had been built 20 to 50 years ago and before the establishment of neighboring settlements. The demolition orders, al-Issawi continued, came after Israeli municipality promoted tenders for a new structure plan in the town.
"We consider the Israeli demolition orders as a collective punitive measure against local residents, whose buildings are located near Maale Adumim settlement’s main street", according to his statements.
"Most of the buildings were established before the construction of this settlement street", al-Issawi pointed out. The local activist said that the 30 apartments’ owners declared intention to file a complaint against the Israeli municipality’s punitive measures.
The residents of al-Issawiya district suffer from ongoing Israeli violations, most notably, raiding homes and commercial stores on a daily basis, imposing heavy taxes on their owners, issuing demolition orders, and carrying out daily arrests.
Jerusalemite activists and officials announced on Monday the launch of the national campaign for the reconstruction of the family homes of martyrs, destroyed by the Israeli authorities in the occupied city of Jerusalem during the current intifada.
This came during a press conference in the local town council of al-Eizariya, east of occupied Jerusalem. The campaign entitled: "National Day of the Martyrs of Jerusalem" was organized by the youth movement in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The campaign events begin with the support of the families of martyrs by donation funds placed in more than eight Palestinian cities, from the south to the north, including the fund placed in the town of al-Eizariya.
Head of the Supreme Islamic Council in Jerusalem Sheikh Ekrema Sabri and Bishop Atallah Hanna as well as the former minister, Hatem Abdel Qader, Fatah official for the Jerusalem file, all spoke at the conference. Speakers at the conference stressed the importance of this campaign in solidarity with the families of the martyrs, and the importance of the Palestinian people's participation to support these families in order to rebuild their homes.
Speakers at the conference held the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for all the consequences resulting from the continuation of collective punishment against the families of martyrs, whether by the demolition of their homes or the continued detention of their martyrs' bodies.
Speakers appealed to the Palestinian national institutions, trade unions, companies and businessmen regarding the importance of participating in this campaign and standing by the families of martyrs to send a message to the Zionists that this collective punishment of the Palestinian people will not deter them from supporting families of martyrs.
For his part, Hatem Abdel Qader saluted the movement of youth which campaigned for three days. He explained that this campaign is part of a series of campaigns planned to be executed in order to meet all the needs of the families of martyrs in Jerusalem and in all Palestinian areas. He stressed his total confidence that the Palestinian people will not let down their sons and the families of the martyrs, and will not leave them alone in face of the Israeli persecution.
Sheikh Sabri said that: "The aim of this campaign is to stand by the martyrs' families and to compensate them for the injustice and aggressive destruction of their houses by the Israeli occupation", adding that there will be an appeal to philanthropists to donate in order to cover the re-construction costs of these houses. Sabri expressed hope that the Palestinian people, not only from Jerusalem but from all other Palestinian cities, will respond to the appeals of solidarity with the martyrs' families.
This came during a press conference in the local town council of al-Eizariya, east of occupied Jerusalem. The campaign entitled: "National Day of the Martyrs of Jerusalem" was organized by the youth movement in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The campaign events begin with the support of the families of martyrs by donation funds placed in more than eight Palestinian cities, from the south to the north, including the fund placed in the town of al-Eizariya.
Head of the Supreme Islamic Council in Jerusalem Sheikh Ekrema Sabri and Bishop Atallah Hanna as well as the former minister, Hatem Abdel Qader, Fatah official for the Jerusalem file, all spoke at the conference. Speakers at the conference stressed the importance of this campaign in solidarity with the families of the martyrs, and the importance of the Palestinian people's participation to support these families in order to rebuild their homes.
Speakers at the conference held the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for all the consequences resulting from the continuation of collective punishment against the families of martyrs, whether by the demolition of their homes or the continued detention of their martyrs' bodies.
Speakers appealed to the Palestinian national institutions, trade unions, companies and businessmen regarding the importance of participating in this campaign and standing by the families of martyrs to send a message to the Zionists that this collective punishment of the Palestinian people will not deter them from supporting families of martyrs.
For his part, Hatem Abdel Qader saluted the movement of youth which campaigned for three days. He explained that this campaign is part of a series of campaigns planned to be executed in order to meet all the needs of the families of martyrs in Jerusalem and in all Palestinian areas. He stressed his total confidence that the Palestinian people will not let down their sons and the families of the martyrs, and will not leave them alone in face of the Israeli persecution.
Sheikh Sabri said that: "The aim of this campaign is to stand by the martyrs' families and to compensate them for the injustice and aggressive destruction of their houses by the Israeli occupation", adding that there will be an appeal to philanthropists to donate in order to cover the re-construction costs of these houses. Sabri expressed hope that the Palestinian people, not only from Jerusalem but from all other Palestinian cities, will respond to the appeals of solidarity with the martyrs' families.
At least 450 Palestinian children are locked up in Israeli jails, the Prisoners’ and Ex-prisoners’ Committee reported Monday. According to the committee, 95% of Palestinian children incarcerated in Israeli prisons have been subjected to harsh psycho-physical torture during the detention and investigation procedures.
Nine among the child captives have been held in administration detention, the report added. 2,500 Palestinian children were arrested by the Israeli occupation army since 2015, most among whom have been subjected to arbitrary sentences and heavy fines, amounting to $23,000, as was the case with the Ofer detainees in January.
A law recently passed by the occupation authorities legitimized the abduction of Palestinian children aged below 14. Meanwhile, some 1,200 Palestinian prisoners held in the Ofer jail launched a cry for help over the dire detention circumstances they have been made to endure, including overcrowding and the lack of warm winter clothes and blankets.
The Palestine Prisoners Center for Studies said 1,200 Palestinians are currently held in the Ofer jail, compared to 700 before the start of the anti-occupation Intifada, on October 1.
Over 300 Palestinian children are also held in three separate sections in the Ofer lock-up. Media spokesperson for the center, Reyad al-Ashqar said dozens of detainees keep wearing the same clothes for over two weeks as the Israeli prison authorities allow the entry of clothes only once in three months. He called on all human rights institutions to urgently intervene and provide the Ofer detainees with their basic humanitarian needs, including warm winter clothes, healthy food, and urgent medical check-ups.
Nine among the child captives have been held in administration detention, the report added. 2,500 Palestinian children were arrested by the Israeli occupation army since 2015, most among whom have been subjected to arbitrary sentences and heavy fines, amounting to $23,000, as was the case with the Ofer detainees in January.
A law recently passed by the occupation authorities legitimized the abduction of Palestinian children aged below 14. Meanwhile, some 1,200 Palestinian prisoners held in the Ofer jail launched a cry for help over the dire detention circumstances they have been made to endure, including overcrowding and the lack of warm winter clothes and blankets.
The Palestine Prisoners Center for Studies said 1,200 Palestinians are currently held in the Ofer jail, compared to 700 before the start of the anti-occupation Intifada, on October 1.
Over 300 Palestinian children are also held in three separate sections in the Ofer lock-up. Media spokesperson for the center, Reyad al-Ashqar said dozens of detainees keep wearing the same clothes for over two weeks as the Israeli prison authorities allow the entry of clothes only once in three months. He called on all human rights institutions to urgently intervene and provide the Ofer detainees with their basic humanitarian needs, including warm winter clothes, healthy food, and urgent medical check-ups.
The Palestinian ministries of health and interior categorically denied Israeli claims that wounded ISIS militants from Sinai are treated in the hospitals of the Gaza Strip.
In Facebook remarks on Monday, spokesman for the health ministry Ashraf al-Qudra described the Israeli claims in this regards as "unfounded and an attempt to strain the relations between Gaza and Egypt."
Qudra added that the local hospitals only receive patients and wounded citizens from Gaza.
In a new attempt to incite Egypt against Gaza, Yoav Mordechai, coordinator of the Israeli government activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, claimed that wounded militants from the ISIS were admitted to hospitals in Gaza in exchange for money and weapons.
For his part, spokesman for the interior ministry in Gaza Iyad al-Bazam also condemned Mordechai's claims as "false allegations."
Bazam stated on his Facebook page that such Israeli claims are aimed to incite against Gaza, create tension between it and Egypt, and find a reason to tighten the blockade on the population. He stressed that the Palestinian national security forces would never allow anyone to undermine the security of the border area with Egypt.
In Facebook remarks on Monday, spokesman for the health ministry Ashraf al-Qudra described the Israeli claims in this regards as "unfounded and an attempt to strain the relations between Gaza and Egypt."
Qudra added that the local hospitals only receive patients and wounded citizens from Gaza.
In a new attempt to incite Egypt against Gaza, Yoav Mordechai, coordinator of the Israeli government activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, claimed that wounded militants from the ISIS were admitted to hospitals in Gaza in exchange for money and weapons.
For his part, spokesman for the interior ministry in Gaza Iyad al-Bazam also condemned Mordechai's claims as "false allegations."
Bazam stated on his Facebook page that such Israeli claims are aimed to incite against Gaza, create tension between it and Egypt, and find a reason to tighten the blockade on the population. He stressed that the Palestinian national security forces would never allow anyone to undermine the security of the border area with Egypt.
8 feb 2016
A senior Israel official said Monday that Gaza's de facto leaders Hamas have been providing medical treatment to Islamic State-affiliated fighters from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, in claims Hamas rejected as "baseless."
Yoav Mordechai, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), made the allegations in an interview with Saudi newspaper Elaph.
"We have confirmed information that some fighters from the IS-affiliated Sinai Province group were being moved to Gaza through smuggling tunnels to receive medical treatment," Mordechai reportedly said.
He alleged that the Hamas movement was receiving weapons, money and other goods from IS in return.
A COGAT spokesperson confirmed Mordechai's statement to Ma'an.
However, Iyad al-Buzm, a spokesperson for Hamas' Ministry of the Interior in the Gaza Strip, rejected the claims as "baseless and false."
Buzm said Mordechai's statements were only meant to incite against the Gaza Strip and to worsen relations between Hamas and Egypt so as to intensify a military blockade imposed on the coastal enclave.
A spokesperson for the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qidra, also denied that any IS fighter had ever received treatment in Gaza's hospitals.
Al-Qidra said in a Facebook post "Gaza hospitals receive patients and wounded people from the Gaza Strip only," adding that Mordechai's remarks were "inciting, and completely false."
Hamas has suffered poor relations with the Egyptian government ever since the democratically-elected Muslim Brotherhood, with whom they were closely allied, was thrown out of power in July 2013.
Attacks by militants, including the IS-affiliated Sinai Province group, initially began to increase after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi took power. Hamas has repeatedly denied giving support to the militants.
Yoav Mordechai, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), made the allegations in an interview with Saudi newspaper Elaph.
"We have confirmed information that some fighters from the IS-affiliated Sinai Province group were being moved to Gaza through smuggling tunnels to receive medical treatment," Mordechai reportedly said.
He alleged that the Hamas movement was receiving weapons, money and other goods from IS in return.
A COGAT spokesperson confirmed Mordechai's statement to Ma'an.
However, Iyad al-Buzm, a spokesperson for Hamas' Ministry of the Interior in the Gaza Strip, rejected the claims as "baseless and false."
Buzm said Mordechai's statements were only meant to incite against the Gaza Strip and to worsen relations between Hamas and Egypt so as to intensify a military blockade imposed on the coastal enclave.
A spokesperson for the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qidra, also denied that any IS fighter had ever received treatment in Gaza's hospitals.
Al-Qidra said in a Facebook post "Gaza hospitals receive patients and wounded people from the Gaza Strip only," adding that Mordechai's remarks were "inciting, and completely false."
Hamas has suffered poor relations with the Egyptian government ever since the democratically-elected Muslim Brotherhood, with whom they were closely allied, was thrown out of power in July 2013.
Attacks by militants, including the IS-affiliated Sinai Province group, initially began to increase after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi took power. Hamas has repeatedly denied giving support to the militants.
The Palestinian commission for detainees and ex-detainees has said that the number of administrative detainees in Israeli jails has surpassed 700 prisoners.
The commission stated on Sunday that the Israeli occupation escalated the policy of administrative detention against the Palestinians since the start of al-Quds intifada (uprising) last October.
It noted that the Israeli occupation had issued 450 new administrative prison orders against Palestinians, including nine minors and two women, in the last four months. "The administrative detention has become a systematic Israeli policy and a means to jail the largest possible number of Palestinians, in violation of the international law and the Geneva conventions," the commission underlined.
It explained that Israel turned the administrative detention into a routine, while the international law restricts the use of such imprisonment and classifies it as an emergency, rare and exceptional measure. It also pointed out that Israel has extended the detention of 75 percent of those administrative prisoners more than once.
The commission stated on Sunday that the Israeli occupation escalated the policy of administrative detention against the Palestinians since the start of al-Quds intifada (uprising) last October.
It noted that the Israeli occupation had issued 450 new administrative prison orders against Palestinians, including nine minors and two women, in the last four months. "The administrative detention has become a systematic Israeli policy and a means to jail the largest possible number of Palestinians, in violation of the international law and the Geneva conventions," the commission underlined.
It explained that Israel turned the administrative detention into a routine, while the international law restricts the use of such imprisonment and classifies it as an emergency, rare and exceptional measure. It also pointed out that Israel has extended the detention of 75 percent of those administrative prisoners more than once.
7 feb 2016
By Richard Falk
Dear UN Secretary General,
Having read of the vicious attacks on you for venturing some moderate, incontestable criticisms of Israel’s behaviour, I understand well the discomfort you clearly feel. Not since Richard Goldstone chaired the group that released the report detailing apparent Israeli war crimes during its massive attack on Gaza at the end of 2008 have Israel’s big political guns responded with such unwarranted fury, magnified as usual by ultra-Zionist media commentary.
Netanyahu has the audacity to claim that your acknowledgement that it is not unnatural for the Palestinians oppressed for half century to resist and resort to extremism is tantamount to the encouragement of terrorism, what he described as giving a “tailwind to terrorism.” The fact that your intention was quite the opposite hardly matters. And your repeated denunciation of terrorism will be disregarded by these irresponsible critics whose sole objective is to take attention away from the issues raised.
Israel and its keenest supporters have found that there is no better way to do this than by defaming their critics, branding them as soft on terrorism or even as anti-Semites. And it makes no difference whatsoever that you have leaned over backwards, almost falling to the ground, to deflect criticism of Israel during your time as leader of the UN. It is not surprising that you should respond to such behaviour in a New York Times opinion piece by imploring Israel and its friends to refrain from "shooting the messenger" and instead heed the message.
What intrigues and appalls me is that while I was special rapporteur for Occupied Palestine during the period 2008-2014, you chose to attack me personally in public on several occasions, joining with US and Israel diplomats calling for my dismissal and doing the utmost to undermine my credibility while discharging this unpaid UN job under difficult conditions.
At the time, I was doing my best to bear witness to some of the same truths about Israel’s unlawful and immoral behavior that recently got you in similar hot water. My UN mandate was to report upon the reality of Israeli violations of international law while sustaining their apartheid regime of oppressive control over the Palestinian people. The Palestinians need and deserve such a voice as provided by the UN to make governments of the world more aware of their responsibility to take steps that will bring this unprecedented ordeal to an end. In carrying out these duties, it is my hope that future UN special rapporteurs receive the support that they need from future secretary generals.
In my case, hurt and offended by being so unfairly attacked by you, the highest UN official, I was encouraged to seek some kind of explanation from your office, and hopefully even an apology. You never criticised my reports on Palestine or their criticisms of Israel’s policies and practices, but rather focused your venomous remarks on some comments attributed to my views, as expressed on my personal blog, that were concerned with the 9/11 attacks and the Boston marathon bombings. It was obvious from the content of your attack that you relied on a letter written by Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, Israel’s faithful watchdog NGO in Geneva, that gave my rather carefully qualified blog comments an inflammatory twist. But it appeared that you seemed wary of engaging in any debate about the substance of my criticisms of Israel’s policies and practices in my reports.
I called your office, and was referred to your affable aide de camp, whom seemed immediately apologetic, before I was even able to register a complaint and explain to him my actual position on these controversial issues. After listening to what I had to say, he obliquely accepted my concerns by admitting that "we didn’t do due diligence," by which he evidently meant that the secretary-general and his advisors relied on Neuer’s letter rather than reading what I actually wrote on the blog, which was nuanced and rather moderate in tone and content.
This UN official volunteered a further explanation to the effect that “we were under great pressure at the time from the US Congress, and this was an opportunity to show that we were not anti-Israeli.” This incident happened to occur while you were campaigning successfully for a second term as secretary-general, and apparently wanted to reassure Washington that you would not rock the boat if reelected. I venture to say that if you had back then voiced such strong criticisms of Israel’s settlement policy or indicated a similar empathetic understanding of Palestinian resistance, you would never have received Washington’s blessings for a second term as secretary-general. In light of this experience, I felt at the time that you were joining with others in shooting a messenger who was seeking to convey some inconvenient truths about Israel’s behavior.
These truths are rather similar to your own comments about the denial of Palestinian rights, especially with respect to the right of self-determination. The folk wisdom of "what goes around comes around" seems to fit your plight. You who expediently took shots at the messenger are now taking umbrage when the tactic is directed at you. This response is reasonable in this instance but inconsistent with your own past behavior. You say, “..when heartfelt concerns about shortsighted or morally damaging policies emanate from so many sources, including Israel’s closest friends, it cannot be sustainable to keep lashing out at every well-intentioned critic.”
True, of course, but why only now? And only you?
Actually, although your critical stress on settlements and resistance is welcome and important, your overall stance still falls far short of adopting a helpful way forward. You continue to insist misleadingly that compromises are called for by both sides in pursuing the goal of reaching a sustainable peace based on the establishment of a Palestinian state.
I find puzzling the assertion in your article that “I am so concerned that we are reaching a point of no return for the two-state solution.” In your statement of 26 January to the Security Council, you urge Palestinian unity as necessary so that the Palestinians “can instead focus their energies on establishing a stable state as part of a negotiated two-state solution.”
Have you forgotten that every step taken by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to establish unity has been opposed by punitive pushback on Israel’s part, a response endorsed by the United States? And wasn’t that "point of no return" reached some time ago, and certainly after what the American Secretary of State, John Kerry, proclaimed as "the last-chance" negotiations broke down in the spring of 2014 after a year of trading allegations and achieving not a single positive result?
And how, Mr. Ban, is a two-state solution to be achieved over the opposition and resolve of more than 600,000 Israeli settlers, with more expansion underway and even more promised? You acknowledge being “disturbed by statements from senior members of the Israeli government that the aim [of a Palestinian state] should be abandoned altogether.” What you don’t say is that these "senior members" include Israel’s elected prime minister, its president, and its current ambassador to the UN.
In light of this unified opposition to a two-state approach by Israel’s highest governmental leaders, how can you encourage reliance on this discredited diplomatic path that has resulted over and over again in severe encroachments on occupied Palestine and intensified suffering for the Palestinian people? Clinging to the two-state mantra is not neutral.
Delay benefits Israel, harms Palestine. There is every reason to believe that this pattern will continue as long as Israel is not seriously challenged diplomatically and by the sorts of growing pressures mounted by the international solidarity movement and the BDS campaign. More widely, and fundamentally, shooting the messenger is part of a broader Israeli strategy to avoid giving any visibility to substantive criticisms of its behaviour. You are merely the latest victim, and one of the most highly placed.
The intensity of defamation seems to be roughly proportional to the perceived impact of your criticism. In this sense, Mr Secretary General, you have scored highly, especially due to your reminder to the Security Council that the UN will “continue to uphold the right of Palestinians to self-determination”.
This is not the language Israel’s leaders hope to hear from your lips, and hardly consistent with your record of steadfast support for Israel. To be meaningful beyond a ritual affirmation, self-determination must be understood, given present realities, as something more and other than another delusionary embrace of a diplomatically negotiated two-state solution. You also tell the Security Council that “incitement has no place, and that questioning Israel’s right to exist cannot be tolerated.”
Fair enough, but challenging Israel’s postures, policies and practices should be placed high on the UN agenda of unfinished business if what you propose on behalf of the Palestinian people is ever to have a chance of being achieved. We need all to realise what else should not be tolerated: while the Palestinian flag flies outside UN headquarters, the Palestinian people have lived for almost 70 years under the daily brutalities of occupation, refugee camps, Gazan captivity, and involuntary exile.
Sincerely,
Richard Falk UN Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council for Occupied Palestine Professor of International Law
- Richard Falk is an international law and international relations scholar who taught at Princeton University for 40 years. In 2008 he was also appointed by the UN to serve a six-year term as the Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights. This article was published in the Middle East Eye website.
Dear UN Secretary General,
Having read of the vicious attacks on you for venturing some moderate, incontestable criticisms of Israel’s behaviour, I understand well the discomfort you clearly feel. Not since Richard Goldstone chaired the group that released the report detailing apparent Israeli war crimes during its massive attack on Gaza at the end of 2008 have Israel’s big political guns responded with such unwarranted fury, magnified as usual by ultra-Zionist media commentary.
Netanyahu has the audacity to claim that your acknowledgement that it is not unnatural for the Palestinians oppressed for half century to resist and resort to extremism is tantamount to the encouragement of terrorism, what he described as giving a “tailwind to terrorism.” The fact that your intention was quite the opposite hardly matters. And your repeated denunciation of terrorism will be disregarded by these irresponsible critics whose sole objective is to take attention away from the issues raised.
Israel and its keenest supporters have found that there is no better way to do this than by defaming their critics, branding them as soft on terrorism or even as anti-Semites. And it makes no difference whatsoever that you have leaned over backwards, almost falling to the ground, to deflect criticism of Israel during your time as leader of the UN. It is not surprising that you should respond to such behaviour in a New York Times opinion piece by imploring Israel and its friends to refrain from "shooting the messenger" and instead heed the message.
What intrigues and appalls me is that while I was special rapporteur for Occupied Palestine during the period 2008-2014, you chose to attack me personally in public on several occasions, joining with US and Israel diplomats calling for my dismissal and doing the utmost to undermine my credibility while discharging this unpaid UN job under difficult conditions.
At the time, I was doing my best to bear witness to some of the same truths about Israel’s unlawful and immoral behavior that recently got you in similar hot water. My UN mandate was to report upon the reality of Israeli violations of international law while sustaining their apartheid regime of oppressive control over the Palestinian people. The Palestinians need and deserve such a voice as provided by the UN to make governments of the world more aware of their responsibility to take steps that will bring this unprecedented ordeal to an end. In carrying out these duties, it is my hope that future UN special rapporteurs receive the support that they need from future secretary generals.
In my case, hurt and offended by being so unfairly attacked by you, the highest UN official, I was encouraged to seek some kind of explanation from your office, and hopefully even an apology. You never criticised my reports on Palestine or their criticisms of Israel’s policies and practices, but rather focused your venomous remarks on some comments attributed to my views, as expressed on my personal blog, that were concerned with the 9/11 attacks and the Boston marathon bombings. It was obvious from the content of your attack that you relied on a letter written by Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, Israel’s faithful watchdog NGO in Geneva, that gave my rather carefully qualified blog comments an inflammatory twist. But it appeared that you seemed wary of engaging in any debate about the substance of my criticisms of Israel’s policies and practices in my reports.
I called your office, and was referred to your affable aide de camp, whom seemed immediately apologetic, before I was even able to register a complaint and explain to him my actual position on these controversial issues. After listening to what I had to say, he obliquely accepted my concerns by admitting that "we didn’t do due diligence," by which he evidently meant that the secretary-general and his advisors relied on Neuer’s letter rather than reading what I actually wrote on the blog, which was nuanced and rather moderate in tone and content.
This UN official volunteered a further explanation to the effect that “we were under great pressure at the time from the US Congress, and this was an opportunity to show that we were not anti-Israeli.” This incident happened to occur while you were campaigning successfully for a second term as secretary-general, and apparently wanted to reassure Washington that you would not rock the boat if reelected. I venture to say that if you had back then voiced such strong criticisms of Israel’s settlement policy or indicated a similar empathetic understanding of Palestinian resistance, you would never have received Washington’s blessings for a second term as secretary-general. In light of this experience, I felt at the time that you were joining with others in shooting a messenger who was seeking to convey some inconvenient truths about Israel’s behavior.
These truths are rather similar to your own comments about the denial of Palestinian rights, especially with respect to the right of self-determination. The folk wisdom of "what goes around comes around" seems to fit your plight. You who expediently took shots at the messenger are now taking umbrage when the tactic is directed at you. This response is reasonable in this instance but inconsistent with your own past behavior. You say, “..when heartfelt concerns about shortsighted or morally damaging policies emanate from so many sources, including Israel’s closest friends, it cannot be sustainable to keep lashing out at every well-intentioned critic.”
True, of course, but why only now? And only you?
Actually, although your critical stress on settlements and resistance is welcome and important, your overall stance still falls far short of adopting a helpful way forward. You continue to insist misleadingly that compromises are called for by both sides in pursuing the goal of reaching a sustainable peace based on the establishment of a Palestinian state.
I find puzzling the assertion in your article that “I am so concerned that we are reaching a point of no return for the two-state solution.” In your statement of 26 January to the Security Council, you urge Palestinian unity as necessary so that the Palestinians “can instead focus their energies on establishing a stable state as part of a negotiated two-state solution.”
Have you forgotten that every step taken by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to establish unity has been opposed by punitive pushback on Israel’s part, a response endorsed by the United States? And wasn’t that "point of no return" reached some time ago, and certainly after what the American Secretary of State, John Kerry, proclaimed as "the last-chance" negotiations broke down in the spring of 2014 after a year of trading allegations and achieving not a single positive result?
And how, Mr. Ban, is a two-state solution to be achieved over the opposition and resolve of more than 600,000 Israeli settlers, with more expansion underway and even more promised? You acknowledge being “disturbed by statements from senior members of the Israeli government that the aim [of a Palestinian state] should be abandoned altogether.” What you don’t say is that these "senior members" include Israel’s elected prime minister, its president, and its current ambassador to the UN.
In light of this unified opposition to a two-state approach by Israel’s highest governmental leaders, how can you encourage reliance on this discredited diplomatic path that has resulted over and over again in severe encroachments on occupied Palestine and intensified suffering for the Palestinian people? Clinging to the two-state mantra is not neutral.
Delay benefits Israel, harms Palestine. There is every reason to believe that this pattern will continue as long as Israel is not seriously challenged diplomatically and by the sorts of growing pressures mounted by the international solidarity movement and the BDS campaign. More widely, and fundamentally, shooting the messenger is part of a broader Israeli strategy to avoid giving any visibility to substantive criticisms of its behaviour. You are merely the latest victim, and one of the most highly placed.
The intensity of defamation seems to be roughly proportional to the perceived impact of your criticism. In this sense, Mr Secretary General, you have scored highly, especially due to your reminder to the Security Council that the UN will “continue to uphold the right of Palestinians to self-determination”.
This is not the language Israel’s leaders hope to hear from your lips, and hardly consistent with your record of steadfast support for Israel. To be meaningful beyond a ritual affirmation, self-determination must be understood, given present realities, as something more and other than another delusionary embrace of a diplomatically negotiated two-state solution. You also tell the Security Council that “incitement has no place, and that questioning Israel’s right to exist cannot be tolerated.”
Fair enough, but challenging Israel’s postures, policies and practices should be placed high on the UN agenda of unfinished business if what you propose on behalf of the Palestinian people is ever to have a chance of being achieved. We need all to realise what else should not be tolerated: while the Palestinian flag flies outside UN headquarters, the Palestinian people have lived for almost 70 years under the daily brutalities of occupation, refugee camps, Gazan captivity, and involuntary exile.
Sincerely,
Richard Falk UN Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council for Occupied Palestine Professor of International Law
- Richard Falk is an international law and international relations scholar who taught at Princeton University for 40 years. In 2008 he was also appointed by the UN to serve a six-year term as the Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights. This article was published in the Middle East Eye website.
Israeli authorities on Sunday gave a notice of "closure and confiscation" on the family homes of four Palestinian teens, aged 16-19, accused of causing an Israeli driver's death by throwing stones at his car in early September, the families said.
The families of Mohammad Salah Mohammad Abu Kiff, Walid Fares Mustafa al-Atrash, Abed Mahmoud Abed Rabbo Dawiyat and Mohammad Jihad al-Taweel, said that their homes in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher are being confiscated, in order to deter future attacks against Israelis.
The homes, which house 23 people, are to be closed and confiscated on February 10th.
The families said, according to Ma'an, that the decision to kick them out of their homes is unfair, particularly because the Israeli court has yet to reach a final judgement in the case of the four teens. The families added that the move amounted to collective punishment.
The families denied that their sons were responsible for the death of the Israeli driver, claiming that the four teens were in fact throwing rocks, but at least 500 meters away from where the accident occurred.
While it has become common practice during the past several months for Israeli forces to demolish homes of attackers as a method thought to deter attacks, it is unclear why Israeli authorities have ruled to confiscate the homes, instead of destroy them.
The families of Mohammad Salah Mohammad Abu Kiff, Walid Fares Mustafa al-Atrash, Abed Mahmoud Abed Rabbo Dawiyat and Mohammad Jihad al-Taweel, said that their homes in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher are being confiscated, in order to deter future attacks against Israelis.
The homes, which house 23 people, are to be closed and confiscated on February 10th.
The families said, according to Ma'an, that the decision to kick them out of their homes is unfair, particularly because the Israeli court has yet to reach a final judgement in the case of the four teens. The families added that the move amounted to collective punishment.
The families denied that their sons were responsible for the death of the Israeli driver, claiming that the four teens were in fact throwing rocks, but at least 500 meters away from where the accident occurred.
While it has become common practice during the past several months for Israeli forces to demolish homes of attackers as a method thought to deter attacks, it is unclear why Israeli authorities have ruled to confiscate the homes, instead of destroy them.
Iroshalim Hebrew newspaper disclosed a new settlement project plan to be constructed over a land owned by a the Greek Orthodox Church in Abu Tour district in eastern occupied Jerusalem.
According to Friday's issue of the weekly newspaper, the plan includes luxurious settlement units overlooking the neighborhoods of Occupied Jerusalem in order to attract settlers.
Housing structures and a hotel with an area estimated at ten dunums will be constructed over the plot possessed by the church and was let to Jewish investors one hundred years ago.
About 400 residents signed a petition to object on changing that historic site and underlined that the area has no infrastructure. The plan is still in the first phase of construction, but coordination is going on with Israeli competent authorities, the newspaper stated.
Israeli forces tend to implement settlement projects in Occupied Jerusalem via investment companies and settlement institutions under different names in order to cover its real objectives of establishing new settlements.
Recently, deals with Christians have been made for selling or letting lands to Israeli settlement societies. Such deals sparked debates among the Christian figures who refuse the Israeli occupation and its aggressive practices.
According to Friday's issue of the weekly newspaper, the plan includes luxurious settlement units overlooking the neighborhoods of Occupied Jerusalem in order to attract settlers.
Housing structures and a hotel with an area estimated at ten dunums will be constructed over the plot possessed by the church and was let to Jewish investors one hundred years ago.
About 400 residents signed a petition to object on changing that historic site and underlined that the area has no infrastructure. The plan is still in the first phase of construction, but coordination is going on with Israeli competent authorities, the newspaper stated.
Israeli forces tend to implement settlement projects in Occupied Jerusalem via investment companies and settlement institutions under different names in order to cover its real objectives of establishing new settlements.
Recently, deals with Christians have been made for selling or letting lands to Israeli settlement societies. Such deals sparked debates among the Christian figures who refuse the Israeli occupation and its aggressive practices.
6 feb 2016
The Palestinian commission of detainees and ex-detainees has said that the Israeli occupation has escalated its violations against the Palestinian women during al-Quds intifada (uprising) and kidnapped about 100 of them from all areas.
In a brief report on Saturday, the commission stated that since the intifada started last October, the Israeli military and security forces have committed serious crimes and violations against Palestinian women, especially the teenage girls, who were exposed to maltreatment after shooting them.
Senior official of the commission Abdul-Naser Farwaneh affirmed that the female detainees arrested during the intifada were physically assaulted, abused and tortured during and after their detention, while many of them suffer from harsh incarceration conditions in the jails of Hasharon and Damon, and other prisons.
There are still about 55 Palestinian women in Israeli jails, some of them are minors and wounded.
In a brief report on Saturday, the commission stated that since the intifada started last October, the Israeli military and security forces have committed serious crimes and violations against Palestinian women, especially the teenage girls, who were exposed to maltreatment after shooting them.
Senior official of the commission Abdul-Naser Farwaneh affirmed that the female detainees arrested during the intifada were physically assaulted, abused and tortured during and after their detention, while many of them suffer from harsh incarceration conditions in the jails of Hasharon and Damon, and other prisons.
There are still about 55 Palestinian women in Israeli jails, some of them are minors and wounded.
Deputy head of Hamas's political bureau Ismail Haneyya has said that the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip has caused unignorable great suffering to the population in all aspects of their life.
Haneyya made his remarks in a recorded speech at a conference held on Friday in the Turkish city of Istanbul under the title, "Together, we will liberate Jerusalem."
"We call upon the Arab and Muslim nations to revive their activities against the siege imposed on Gaza for 10 years," Haneyya stated. The conference was organized by the international student coalition for the support of Jerusalem and Palestine and it was intended to build a bridge of cooperation between student and youth groups in the Islamic world to serve the Palestinian cause.
The two-day conference was attended by political activists and media figures from 30 Islamic countries. Chairman of the conference Ziyad Abu Makhleh stated in his opening speech that the conferees came to Istanbul to agree on one plan for the liberation of Jerusalem and to support all forms of resistance against the occupation.
"We want to bring together all student forces of the Islamic world on the issue of Jerusalem until we get our desired goal, which will be achieved by the efforts and cooperation of the nation's young people," Abu Makhleh said.
Haneyya made his remarks in a recorded speech at a conference held on Friday in the Turkish city of Istanbul under the title, "Together, we will liberate Jerusalem."
"We call upon the Arab and Muslim nations to revive their activities against the siege imposed on Gaza for 10 years," Haneyya stated. The conference was organized by the international student coalition for the support of Jerusalem and Palestine and it was intended to build a bridge of cooperation between student and youth groups in the Islamic world to serve the Palestinian cause.
The two-day conference was attended by political activists and media figures from 30 Islamic countries. Chairman of the conference Ziyad Abu Makhleh stated in his opening speech that the conferees came to Istanbul to agree on one plan for the liberation of Jerusalem and to support all forms of resistance against the occupation.
"We want to bring together all student forces of the Islamic world on the issue of Jerusalem until we get our desired goal, which will be achieved by the efforts and cooperation of the nation's young people," Abu Makhleh said.
Member of Hamas's political bureau Khalil al-Hayya has said that the battle of preparation would continue in defense of the Palestinian people until the day of liberation.
Hayya made his remarks during a memorial ceremony held for two martyrs from al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas, who died a few days ago during tunnel repairs.
"We are making preparations in order to defend our land and people along the path of liberation and we will never surrender," the Hamas official underscored. "The long years of blockade and the wars you waged against us have only increased our power.
You have used the media against us, but this also increased our love for our people and their love for us," he said addressing the Israeli occupation.
Hayya made his remarks during a memorial ceremony held for two martyrs from al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas, who died a few days ago during tunnel repairs.
"We are making preparations in order to defend our land and people along the path of liberation and we will never surrender," the Hamas official underscored. "The long years of blockade and the wars you waged against us have only increased our power.
You have used the media against us, but this also increased our love for our people and their love for us," he said addressing the Israeli occupation.
5 feb 2016
Armed clashes took place between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli occupation soldiers on Friday evening in Qabatiya town, which has been under tight military siege for three days.
According to Israel's channel 10, Israeli soldiers traded fire with Palestinian gunmen following the funeral of the three slain young men, who carried out Wednesday's deadly attack in Jerusalem.
The channel pointed out that a homemade explosive device was thrown at an Israeli military vehicles, without stating if the attack caused casualties among the soldiers.
According to Quds Press, the public relations department in Jenin affirmed that an exchange of fire happened between intifada young men and soldiers west of Qabatiya town.
A massive funeral procession was held for three martyrs in the town after the Israeli side handed over their bodies on the same day. The Israeli occupation army has been imposing a blockade on Qabatiya since last Wednesday and carrying out widespread arrests and raids on homes in the town after three local young men killed a police officer and injured others in east Jerusalem before being shot dead.
In a separate incident, a settler's car was exposed on the same day to gunfire near Ariel settlement, north of Salfit, according Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
According to Israel's channel 10, Israeli soldiers traded fire with Palestinian gunmen following the funeral of the three slain young men, who carried out Wednesday's deadly attack in Jerusalem.
The channel pointed out that a homemade explosive device was thrown at an Israeli military vehicles, without stating if the attack caused casualties among the soldiers.
According to Quds Press, the public relations department in Jenin affirmed that an exchange of fire happened between intifada young men and soldiers west of Qabatiya town.
A massive funeral procession was held for three martyrs in the town after the Israeli side handed over their bodies on the same day. The Israeli occupation army has been imposing a blockade on Qabatiya since last Wednesday and carrying out widespread arrests and raids on homes in the town after three local young men killed a police officer and injured others in east Jerusalem before being shot dead.
In a separate incident, a settler's car was exposed on the same day to gunfire near Ariel settlement, north of Salfit, according Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
An Israeli group known as Saving Jewish Jerusalem called for the immediate establishment of a “security fence” in occupied Jerusalem in order to separate it from its eastern part.
The group was founded by the former cabinet minister Haim Ramon and a number of Knesset members and former army leaders, Maariv Hebrew newspaper revealed.
“Saving Jewish Jerusalem's platform, which will also be presented to the public, calls for handing control of 28 Palestinian villages in East Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The villages in question had been an integral part of the West Bank until Israel annexed them in 1967.”
By removing some 200,000 Palestinians from the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem, the city’s Jews will constitute more than 80% of its residents, and the percentage of Palestinians will drop to less than 20%, from the nearly 40% today, according to the newspaper.
Not only that, the group stresses, revoking the Palestinians’ Israeli residency permits will ease the economic burden these villages impose on the Israeli taxpayer, some 2-3 billion Israeli shekels ($500-$750 million) in social and medical care.
Members of the movement argue that the Palestinian villages are massively detrimental to the prosperity of the Israeli capital in terms of security, demographic balance, standard of living and economic well-being.
The group was founded by the former cabinet minister Haim Ramon and a number of Knesset members and former army leaders, Maariv Hebrew newspaper revealed.
“Saving Jewish Jerusalem's platform, which will also be presented to the public, calls for handing control of 28 Palestinian villages in East Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The villages in question had been an integral part of the West Bank until Israel annexed them in 1967.”
By removing some 200,000 Palestinians from the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem, the city’s Jews will constitute more than 80% of its residents, and the percentage of Palestinians will drop to less than 20%, from the nearly 40% today, according to the newspaper.
Not only that, the group stresses, revoking the Palestinians’ Israeli residency permits will ease the economic burden these villages impose on the Israeli taxpayer, some 2-3 billion Israeli shekels ($500-$750 million) in social and medical care.
Members of the movement argue that the Palestinian villages are massively detrimental to the prosperity of the Israeli capital in terms of security, demographic balance, standard of living and economic well-being.