14 oct 2016
Head of the far left Israeli NGO B'tselem Hagi El-Ad spoke at the UN Security Council in a special session convened at the behest of the Palestinians on Friday; he called on the UN to take action immediately to end the '50 year long occupation of the Palestinian people.'
The UN Security Council held a special session at the behest of the Palestinians on the subject of the Israeli settlements. Israeli left-wing NGO B'tselem was invited by the Security Council to speak at the council condemning Israel over settlement activities.
B'tselem chairman Hagi El-Ad, used his time at the UN to attack the Israeli government’s policies, blame the government for violence against the Palestinians, “take action (against Israel), now.”
The Israeli leftist organization “Peace Now” was also invited to the session, but was unable to come, instead sending a representative from its US office. The representative said that “the values enshrined in the Israeli Declaration of Independence are in question.”
The unofficial hearing was the opening shot fired by the Palestinians to get a Security Council resolution passed against Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The session was officially convened by the countries of Malaysia, Venezuela, Senegal, and Angola after a Palestinian request. The name of the session was “Settlements as a barrier to peace and to the two state solution.”
The B'tselem CEO opened the session by thanking the UN Security Council for the opportunity to voice his organization’s positions at the UN.
“What I am about to tell you is not intended to shock you,” he began. “The occupation of Palestine is unjust – we are about to finish 50 years of occupation, and I am urging you all to take action. Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you, what does it mean to live practically 49 years under military rule? Living under military occupation means living under violence, violence directed at Palestinian lives from the cradle to the grave.”
“One wrong move and your rights are taken away,” El-Ad continued, speaking about the reality of living in the West Bank as a Palestinian. “Who can take checkpoints for half a century? Israel constantly enacts laws which are contrary to the Human Rights Council. Israel announced that 20 percent of West Bank land is state territory, and insists that all of these actions are legal under international law.”
“Despite the international agreements that these settlements are illegal,” El-Ad said, “the only thing which is growing are the settlements. Btzelem has been working for 27 years to document the live of the Palestinians. We are fighting against infringements on human rights. B'tselem mission is to explain to Israelis how the Palestinians live.”
“I feel it necessary to ask – how many Palestinian houses need to be demolished before action is taken? The Palestinians have the right to life and self determination. This is the time to take action. The Security Council doesn’t only have the power, but also has the obligation to take action and send a message to the world – Israel cannot occupy a population and call itself a democracy.
Israel was established based on international legitimacy. I am a citizen of that nation, it is my home, and I’ve lived my entire life with this reality, and millions of Israelis and Palestinians don’t know a different reality. We need your help – 50 years of occupation is too much. The occupation must end. The UN Security Council must act, and that time is now.”
In response, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Dannon said that the Palestinians are looking for any way they can to get out of negotiations, and are committing “diplomatic terrorism” against Israel.
“During these days when our souls are being weighed and we are praying for the unity of the Nation of Israel, it is sad and disappointing that Israeli organizations are providing moral cover for persecution against Israel at the UN. “
The UN Security Council held a special session at the behest of the Palestinians on the subject of the Israeli settlements. Israeli left-wing NGO B'tselem was invited by the Security Council to speak at the council condemning Israel over settlement activities.
B'tselem chairman Hagi El-Ad, used his time at the UN to attack the Israeli government’s policies, blame the government for violence against the Palestinians, “take action (against Israel), now.”
The Israeli leftist organization “Peace Now” was also invited to the session, but was unable to come, instead sending a representative from its US office. The representative said that “the values enshrined in the Israeli Declaration of Independence are in question.”
The unofficial hearing was the opening shot fired by the Palestinians to get a Security Council resolution passed against Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The session was officially convened by the countries of Malaysia, Venezuela, Senegal, and Angola after a Palestinian request. The name of the session was “Settlements as a barrier to peace and to the two state solution.”
The B'tselem CEO opened the session by thanking the UN Security Council for the opportunity to voice his organization’s positions at the UN.
“What I am about to tell you is not intended to shock you,” he began. “The occupation of Palestine is unjust – we are about to finish 50 years of occupation, and I am urging you all to take action. Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you, what does it mean to live practically 49 years under military rule? Living under military occupation means living under violence, violence directed at Palestinian lives from the cradle to the grave.”
“One wrong move and your rights are taken away,” El-Ad continued, speaking about the reality of living in the West Bank as a Palestinian. “Who can take checkpoints for half a century? Israel constantly enacts laws which are contrary to the Human Rights Council. Israel announced that 20 percent of West Bank land is state territory, and insists that all of these actions are legal under international law.”
“Despite the international agreements that these settlements are illegal,” El-Ad said, “the only thing which is growing are the settlements. Btzelem has been working for 27 years to document the live of the Palestinians. We are fighting against infringements on human rights. B'tselem mission is to explain to Israelis how the Palestinians live.”
“I feel it necessary to ask – how many Palestinian houses need to be demolished before action is taken? The Palestinians have the right to life and self determination. This is the time to take action. The Security Council doesn’t only have the power, but also has the obligation to take action and send a message to the world – Israel cannot occupy a population and call itself a democracy.
Israel was established based on international legitimacy. I am a citizen of that nation, it is my home, and I’ve lived my entire life with this reality, and millions of Israelis and Palestinians don’t know a different reality. We need your help – 50 years of occupation is too much. The occupation must end. The UN Security Council must act, and that time is now.”
In response, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Dannon said that the Palestinians are looking for any way they can to get out of negotiations, and are committing “diplomatic terrorism” against Israel.
“During these days when our souls are being weighed and we are praying for the unity of the Nation of Israel, it is sad and disappointing that Israeli organizations are providing moral cover for persecution against Israel at the UN. “
Palestine Advocacy Project, an NGO based in the Boston area, has launched a series of ads portraying prominent Israeli officials, such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and their disregard for the safety and well-being of Palestinians.
These ads feature violent and bigoted direct quotations which highlight the contempt Israel’s US-backed leaders display for basic Palestinian human rights.
“If you do your own research, you’ll quickly find many more hateful quotes,” said Palestine Advocacy Project member Maggie Liu. “As a college student living on a politically-active campus, I know firsthand how little young people know about the reality of the situation. I hope these ads will bring some much-needed dialogue to campuses across the country.”
According to the PNN, nine universities across the United States, including Harvard, Boston University, Cornell, and University of California-Berkeley are publishing these ads in their newspapers. The ads quote a number of Israeli officials, such as Israeli deputy defense minister Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan, who asserted that Palestinians “are beasts, they are not human.” The ads all include a link to a webpage, (www.pal-ad.org/quotes) with additional quotes from Israeli leaders.
“It is beyond disturbing that someone in a position of power can say these things and not even flinch,” noted Farida El Hefni, a University of Rochester student. “How are these politicians that are so quick to accuse people of being anti-Israel or anti-Semitic the same ones using racist language to describe an entire group of people?”
Palestine Advocacy Project created these ads in order to spark conversation among young Americans on university campuses across the United States. The ads present a side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that is seldom featured in the American mainstream media. The indisputable, direct quotes from prominent Israeli officials are provocative, and in many cases, explicitly racist.
Palestine Advocacy Project has spent the past two years exposing the hypocrisy surrounding the U.S.’s relationship with Israel, and challenging negative stereotypes of Palestinians.
The “One Word” campaign, which was released in 2014, showcased the many forms of violence Palestinians are subjected to on a daily basis.
More recently, PalAd brought the works of Palestinian Poet Laureate Mahmoud Darwish to public spaces. This latest campaign, which focuses on the violent rhetoric of the upper echelons of Israeli political leadership, will give the American public new information on why the oppression of Palestinians continues.
“The sooner people realize that this isn’t just about conflict over land and that there are people literally calling for the erasure of Palestinians,” continues El Hefni, “the sooner we can get somewhere.”
07/22/16 Lieberman: Mahmoud Darwish Poem Comparable to ‘Mein Kampf’
These ads feature violent and bigoted direct quotations which highlight the contempt Israel’s US-backed leaders display for basic Palestinian human rights.
“If you do your own research, you’ll quickly find many more hateful quotes,” said Palestine Advocacy Project member Maggie Liu. “As a college student living on a politically-active campus, I know firsthand how little young people know about the reality of the situation. I hope these ads will bring some much-needed dialogue to campuses across the country.”
According to the PNN, nine universities across the United States, including Harvard, Boston University, Cornell, and University of California-Berkeley are publishing these ads in their newspapers. The ads quote a number of Israeli officials, such as Israeli deputy defense minister Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan, who asserted that Palestinians “are beasts, they are not human.” The ads all include a link to a webpage, (www.pal-ad.org/quotes) with additional quotes from Israeli leaders.
“It is beyond disturbing that someone in a position of power can say these things and not even flinch,” noted Farida El Hefni, a University of Rochester student. “How are these politicians that are so quick to accuse people of being anti-Israel or anti-Semitic the same ones using racist language to describe an entire group of people?”
Palestine Advocacy Project created these ads in order to spark conversation among young Americans on university campuses across the United States. The ads present a side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that is seldom featured in the American mainstream media. The indisputable, direct quotes from prominent Israeli officials are provocative, and in many cases, explicitly racist.
Palestine Advocacy Project has spent the past two years exposing the hypocrisy surrounding the U.S.’s relationship with Israel, and challenging negative stereotypes of Palestinians.
The “One Word” campaign, which was released in 2014, showcased the many forms of violence Palestinians are subjected to on a daily basis.
More recently, PalAd brought the works of Palestinian Poet Laureate Mahmoud Darwish to public spaces. This latest campaign, which focuses on the violent rhetoric of the upper echelons of Israeli political leadership, will give the American public new information on why the oppression of Palestinians continues.
“The sooner people realize that this isn’t just about conflict over land and that there are people literally calling for the erasure of Palestinians,” continues El Hefni, “the sooner we can get somewhere.”
07/22/16 Lieberman: Mahmoud Darwish Poem Comparable to ‘Mein Kampf’
|
Palestine Advocacy Project Exposes US-Backed Israeli Leaders' Racist and Extremist Rhetoric
This election cycle, mainstream American politicians are lining up to condemn Donald Trump's racist, inflammatory rhetoric and repeated incitements of violence against political opponents. Yet in Israel, Trump's proposed apartheid wall already exists--across the occupied West Bank. More than 50 racist laws and counting directly target Palestinians with discrimination. Yet both the Democratic and Republican establishments, pandering to the well-funded Israel lobby, let Israel off the hook time and time again. Because, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it, “I know what America is. America is a thing you can move very easily, move it in the right direction.” |
Palestine Advocacy Project has taken notable quotations from Israel's US-backed political leaders and displayed them in prominent media outlets across the U.S. Scroll through them below. Isn't it about time America's leaders started connecting the dots and holding Israel's leaders accountable?
While most Americans were horrified when Trump proposed banning all Muslims from entering the U.S. and repeatedly urged his supporters to beat up protesters, the Prime Minister of Israel says that the way to deal with Palestinians is to “beat them up, not once but repeatedly, beat them up so it hurts so badly, until it’s unbearable. ” Israel's Minister of Education says “I’ve killed lots of Arabs in my life – and there’s no problem with that.” Donald Trump believes in "taking out [terrorists'] families." Meanwhile, Israel's Minister of Justice calls for murdering all Palestinians on her Facebook page: “[Palestinians] are all enemy combatants, and their blood shall be on all their heads; now this also includes the mothers of the martyrs, who send them to hell with flowers and kisses.”
We think enough is enough. Join our fight to change the discussion about Israel and Palestine in the United States.
sourceShttp://imeu.org/article/extremism-incitement-to-racial-hatred-senior-israeli-officials-in-their-own
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.702318
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/39692/fibi-netanyahu
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/192309#.Vmr_z7-udSE
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/03/10/israeli-foreign-minister-says-disloyal-arabs-should-be-beheaded/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-election-lieberman-idUSKBN0M71PN20150311
http://mondoweiss.net/2015/08/soldiers-protesters-occupied
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/world/middleeast/rashomon-on-the-west-bank-israelis-and-palestinians-debate-images-of-soldier-and-child.html?_r=0
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/01/nabi-saleh-images-illustrate-changing-asymmetry-of-israeli-palestinian-conflict
http://www.thenation.com/article/prominent-israelis-flatten-gaza-or-send-it-back-middle-ages/
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/israel-s-minister-of-incitement-1.479125
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/israeli-lawmakers-call-genocide-palestinians-gets-thousands-facebook-likes
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/05/07/israels-new-justice-minister-considers-all-palestinians-to-be-the-enemy/
http://www.timesofisrael.com/new-deputy-defense-minister-called-palestinians-animals/
http://972mag.com/next-head-of-civil-administration-said-palestinians-are-sub-human/106533/
https://books.google.com/books?id=l1OM6uwCnjIC&pg=PA169&lpg=PA169&dq=%22Some+say+it%27s+necessary+to+amputate+organs+but+at+the+moment+I+am+applying+chemotherapy.%22&source=bl&ots=Yu9Q_NbWQQ&sig=CznfvLL1PHgwyozqSD9Butgds2o&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1LE-Uev_IKu20AGotIDoCA#v=onepage&q=cancer&f=false
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/27/israel
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4369335,00.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2010/07/quote-for-the-day/184582/
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.663151
https://www.adalah.org/en/law/index
While most Americans were horrified when Trump proposed banning all Muslims from entering the U.S. and repeatedly urged his supporters to beat up protesters, the Prime Minister of Israel says that the way to deal with Palestinians is to “beat them up, not once but repeatedly, beat them up so it hurts so badly, until it’s unbearable. ” Israel's Minister of Education says “I’ve killed lots of Arabs in my life – and there’s no problem with that.” Donald Trump believes in "taking out [terrorists'] families." Meanwhile, Israel's Minister of Justice calls for murdering all Palestinians on her Facebook page: “[Palestinians] are all enemy combatants, and their blood shall be on all their heads; now this also includes the mothers of the martyrs, who send them to hell with flowers and kisses.”
We think enough is enough. Join our fight to change the discussion about Israel and Palestine in the United States.
sourceShttp://imeu.org/article/extremism-incitement-to-racial-hatred-senior-israeli-officials-in-their-own
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.702318
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/39692/fibi-netanyahu
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/192309#.Vmr_z7-udSE
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/03/10/israeli-foreign-minister-says-disloyal-arabs-should-be-beheaded/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-election-lieberman-idUSKBN0M71PN20150311
http://mondoweiss.net/2015/08/soldiers-protesters-occupied
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/world/middleeast/rashomon-on-the-west-bank-israelis-and-palestinians-debate-images-of-soldier-and-child.html?_r=0
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/01/nabi-saleh-images-illustrate-changing-asymmetry-of-israeli-palestinian-conflict
http://www.thenation.com/article/prominent-israelis-flatten-gaza-or-send-it-back-middle-ages/
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/israel-s-minister-of-incitement-1.479125
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/israeli-lawmakers-call-genocide-palestinians-gets-thousands-facebook-likes
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/05/07/israels-new-justice-minister-considers-all-palestinians-to-be-the-enemy/
http://www.timesofisrael.com/new-deputy-defense-minister-called-palestinians-animals/
http://972mag.com/next-head-of-civil-administration-said-palestinians-are-sub-human/106533/
https://books.google.com/books?id=l1OM6uwCnjIC&pg=PA169&lpg=PA169&dq=%22Some+say+it%27s+necessary+to+amputate+organs+but+at+the+moment+I+am+applying+chemotherapy.%22&source=bl&ots=Yu9Q_NbWQQ&sig=CznfvLL1PHgwyozqSD9Butgds2o&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1LE-Uev_IKu20AGotIDoCA#v=onepage&q=cancer&f=false
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/27/israel
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4369335,00.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2010/07/quote-for-the-day/184582/
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.663151
https://www.adalah.org/en/law/index
Irina Bokova
UNESCO's director general, Irina Bokova, spoke out harshly against the draft resolution that disregards the historical Jewish connection to Jerusalem; Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Education Minister Naftali Bennett also condemned the draft resolution.
Israel suspended cooperation with UNESCO on Friday, a day after the UN cultural agency adopted a draft resolution that Israel says denies the deep, historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem.
UNESCO's draft resolution, sponsored by several Arab countries, uses only the Islamic name for a hilltop compound sacred to both Jews and Muslims, which includes the Western Wall, a remnant of the biblical temple and the holiest site where Jews can pray. The validated resolution is expected early next week, but the wording is unlikely to change.
Israelis and many Jews around the world viewed it as the latest example of an ingrained anti-Israel bias at the United Nations, where Israel and its allies are far outnumbered by Arab countries and their supporters.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said he was "outraged" by the resolution. "Would UNESCO vote to deny the Christian connection to the Vatican? Or the Muslim connection to Mecca? The UNESCO vote claims that there is no connection between the Jewish people and the Western Wall. In fact, it is the UNESCO vote that has no connection to reality."
Education Minister Naftali Bennett informed UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova of Israel's decision on Friday.
"Following the shameful decision by UNESCO members to deny history and ignore thousands of years of Jewish ties to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, I have notified the Israel National Commission for UNESCO to suspend all professional activities with the international organization," Bennett said.
Israel captured east Jerusalem, with sites holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War. Palestinians claim the territory as part of their future state, and its fate is a central dispute.
Jews refer to the hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City as the Temple Mount, site of the two Jewish biblical temples. Muslims refer to it as the Noble Sanctuary, and it is home to the Al-Aqsa mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
"The heritage of Jerusalem is indivisible, and each of its communities has a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city," Bokova, the head of UNESCO, said in a statement, the second time that she has condemned the the body that she heads for its treatment of the Jewish connection to Jerusalem.
"To deny, conceal or erase any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site, and runs counter to the reasons that justified its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
"Nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space and interweave to the point that they support each other," she continued. "These cultural and spiritual traditions build on texts and references, known by all, that are an intrinsic part of the identities and history of peoples. In the Torah, Jerusalem is the capital of King David, where Solomon built the Temple and placed the Ark of the Covenant.
In the Bible, Jerusalem is the city of the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Koran, Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam, where Muhammad arrived after his night journey from Al Haram Mosq (Mecca) to Al Aqsa."
"In this microcosm of humanity’s spiritual diversity, different peoples worship the same places, sometimes under different names. The recognition, use of and respect for these names is paramount. The Al Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram al-Sharif, the sacred shrine of Muslims, is also the Har HaBayit – or Temple Mount – whose Western Wall is the holiest place in Judaism, a few steps away from the Saint Sepulcher and the Mount of Olives trees revered by Christians," she said.
"The outstanding universal value of the City, and the reason why it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, lies in this synthesis, which is an appeal for dialogue, not confrontation. We have a collective responsibility to strengthen this cultural and religious coexistence, by the power of acts and also by the power of words. This requirement is stronger than ever, to bridge the divisions that harm the multi-faith character of the Old City."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's government in the West Bank welcomed the resolution, as did Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza. A spokesman for Hamas, which is pledged to Israel's destruction, called it a "step in the right direction."
Related: Trump attacks UNESCO resolution in Facebook post
UNESCO's director general, Irina Bokova, spoke out harshly against the draft resolution that disregards the historical Jewish connection to Jerusalem; Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Education Minister Naftali Bennett also condemned the draft resolution.
Israel suspended cooperation with UNESCO on Friday, a day after the UN cultural agency adopted a draft resolution that Israel says denies the deep, historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem.
UNESCO's draft resolution, sponsored by several Arab countries, uses only the Islamic name for a hilltop compound sacred to both Jews and Muslims, which includes the Western Wall, a remnant of the biblical temple and the holiest site where Jews can pray. The validated resolution is expected early next week, but the wording is unlikely to change.
Israelis and many Jews around the world viewed it as the latest example of an ingrained anti-Israel bias at the United Nations, where Israel and its allies are far outnumbered by Arab countries and their supporters.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said he was "outraged" by the resolution. "Would UNESCO vote to deny the Christian connection to the Vatican? Or the Muslim connection to Mecca? The UNESCO vote claims that there is no connection between the Jewish people and the Western Wall. In fact, it is the UNESCO vote that has no connection to reality."
Education Minister Naftali Bennett informed UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova of Israel's decision on Friday.
"Following the shameful decision by UNESCO members to deny history and ignore thousands of years of Jewish ties to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, I have notified the Israel National Commission for UNESCO to suspend all professional activities with the international organization," Bennett said.
Israel captured east Jerusalem, with sites holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War. Palestinians claim the territory as part of their future state, and its fate is a central dispute.
Jews refer to the hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City as the Temple Mount, site of the two Jewish biblical temples. Muslims refer to it as the Noble Sanctuary, and it is home to the Al-Aqsa mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
"The heritage of Jerusalem is indivisible, and each of its communities has a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city," Bokova, the head of UNESCO, said in a statement, the second time that she has condemned the the body that she heads for its treatment of the Jewish connection to Jerusalem.
"To deny, conceal or erase any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site, and runs counter to the reasons that justified its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
"Nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space and interweave to the point that they support each other," she continued. "These cultural and spiritual traditions build on texts and references, known by all, that are an intrinsic part of the identities and history of peoples. In the Torah, Jerusalem is the capital of King David, where Solomon built the Temple and placed the Ark of the Covenant.
In the Bible, Jerusalem is the city of the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Koran, Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam, where Muhammad arrived after his night journey from Al Haram Mosq (Mecca) to Al Aqsa."
"In this microcosm of humanity’s spiritual diversity, different peoples worship the same places, sometimes under different names. The recognition, use of and respect for these names is paramount. The Al Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram al-Sharif, the sacred shrine of Muslims, is also the Har HaBayit – or Temple Mount – whose Western Wall is the holiest place in Judaism, a few steps away from the Saint Sepulcher and the Mount of Olives trees revered by Christians," she said.
"The outstanding universal value of the City, and the reason why it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, lies in this synthesis, which is an appeal for dialogue, not confrontation. We have a collective responsibility to strengthen this cultural and religious coexistence, by the power of acts and also by the power of words. This requirement is stronger than ever, to bridge the divisions that harm the multi-faith character of the Old City."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's government in the West Bank welcomed the resolution, as did Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza. A spokesman for Hamas, which is pledged to Israel's destruction, called it a "step in the right direction."
Related: Trump attacks UNESCO resolution in Facebook post
13 oct 2016
The Israeli groups, Peace Now and Ir Amim, have recently released a joint report on Israel’s settlement expansion in Batan al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan, the most sensitive and volatile areas in Occupied Jerusalem.
The report, titled “Broken Trust: State Involvement in Private Settlement in Batan Al-Hawa, Silwan,” describes how, since 2001, the government-backed Ateret Cohanim settler organization has been working on transforming Batan al-Hawa into a large Israeli settlement through questionable acquisition of Palestinian properties and forced eviction and removal of Palestinian families who have lived in the neighborhood for decades.
The report warned that Batan al-Hawa would become the largest settlement compound in a Palestinian neighborhood in the Historic Basin of the Old City, significantly contributing to the emerging ring of settlements around the Old City, creating an irreversible reality and severely undermining the possibility of a future two-state solution.
Ateret Cohanim’s frenzied attempts to take over the Palestinian neighborhood threaten to displace 100 families, composed of 600 Palestinians, from their homes.
By the end of 2015, the settler organization had quadrupled the number of housing units in its possession, taking over a total of some 27 units in six buildings in the neighborhood. There are also 12 other Palestinian units, where an additional 51 families are living, currently pending eviction claims.
The groups accused the government of acting through the General Custodian and the Registrar of Trusts, both under the Israeli ministry of justice, to facilitate settlers’ seizure of Batan al-Hawa, as well as providing roughly one million shekels each year to fund private security to radical settlers in the hearts of Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem.
“The settlement in Batan al-Hawa is an integral part of efforts by settler organizations and Israeli authorities to consolidate Jewish control of the Old City and the surrounding Palestinian neighborhoods, to create an irreversible reality in the Holy Basin around the Old City that deliberately subverts efforts to negotiate an agreed political resolution on Jerusalem,” the groups warned.
The report, titled “Broken Trust: State Involvement in Private Settlement in Batan Al-Hawa, Silwan,” describes how, since 2001, the government-backed Ateret Cohanim settler organization has been working on transforming Batan al-Hawa into a large Israeli settlement through questionable acquisition of Palestinian properties and forced eviction and removal of Palestinian families who have lived in the neighborhood for decades.
The report warned that Batan al-Hawa would become the largest settlement compound in a Palestinian neighborhood in the Historic Basin of the Old City, significantly contributing to the emerging ring of settlements around the Old City, creating an irreversible reality and severely undermining the possibility of a future two-state solution.
Ateret Cohanim’s frenzied attempts to take over the Palestinian neighborhood threaten to displace 100 families, composed of 600 Palestinians, from their homes.
By the end of 2015, the settler organization had quadrupled the number of housing units in its possession, taking over a total of some 27 units in six buildings in the neighborhood. There are also 12 other Palestinian units, where an additional 51 families are living, currently pending eviction claims.
The groups accused the government of acting through the General Custodian and the Registrar of Trusts, both under the Israeli ministry of justice, to facilitate settlers’ seizure of Batan al-Hawa, as well as providing roughly one million shekels each year to fund private security to radical settlers in the hearts of Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem.
“The settlement in Batan al-Hawa is an integral part of efforts by settler organizations and Israeli authorities to consolidate Jewish control of the Old City and the surrounding Palestinian neighborhoods, to create an irreversible reality in the Holy Basin around the Old City that deliberately subverts efforts to negotiate an agreed political resolution on Jerusalem,” the groups warned.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is expected to vote on a resolution proposal that ‘denies Jewish connections to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound & the Dome of the Rock, which is called the Temple Mount and Western Wall by Israelis, in Jerusalem, the Ha’aretz daily reported.
The proposal, presented by the Palestinians, along with Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and Sudan, condemns Israel on several issues related to Jerusalem and its holy sites.
Haaretz additionally reported that the proposal “acknowledges that the city of Jerusalem is holy to Judaism, Islam, and Christianity but says the Temple Mount holy site is sacred only to Muslims and fails to mention its significance to Jews.”
According to Israeli narrative, the site is considered Judaism’s holiest site. In Islam, it counts as the first Qiblah (prayer direction), and third holiest place.
Israel has, in the recent past, carried multiple excavations under the the mosque, putting it in danger.
The state condemned the resolution as “an attempt to rewrite history in a dangerous, unfair and one-sided manner.”
In addition, the Israeli foreign ministry published a brochure featuring “archaeological findings providing evidence of Jewish connections to Jerusalem generally and specifically to the Temple Mount complex,” as reported by i24.
According to the PNN, UNESCO passed a similar resolution in April referring to the Temple Mount soley as Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall as the Al-Buraq Plaza drawing harsh condemnations from Israel.
The proposal, presented by the Palestinians, along with Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and Sudan, condemns Israel on several issues related to Jerusalem and its holy sites.
Haaretz additionally reported that the proposal “acknowledges that the city of Jerusalem is holy to Judaism, Islam, and Christianity but says the Temple Mount holy site is sacred only to Muslims and fails to mention its significance to Jews.”
According to Israeli narrative, the site is considered Judaism’s holiest site. In Islam, it counts as the first Qiblah (prayer direction), and third holiest place.
Israel has, in the recent past, carried multiple excavations under the the mosque, putting it in danger.
The state condemned the resolution as “an attempt to rewrite history in a dangerous, unfair and one-sided manner.”
In addition, the Israeli foreign ministry published a brochure featuring “archaeological findings providing evidence of Jewish connections to Jerusalem generally and specifically to the Temple Mount complex,” as reported by i24.
According to the PNN, UNESCO passed a similar resolution in April referring to the Temple Mount soley as Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall as the Al-Buraq Plaza drawing harsh condemnations from Israel.