29 oct 2016
Thousands of Palestinian marched late Friday in al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip in solidarity with the four kidnapped Gazan youths in Egypt and in support of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
In his speech at the event, Director General of the Internal Security Forces Major General Tawfiq Abu Naim called on Egyptian authorities to release the four kidnapped youths as they were traveling via Rafah crossing for treatment and study purposes.
The four kidnapped youths’ case is one of our top priorities, he stressed, calling for an immediate end to their suffering.
On the other hand, Abu Naim pointed out that Palestinian administrative detainees’ number has reached 1000 in Israeli jails following Jerusalem Intifada.
Several prisoners are completely isolated in Israeli jails, while thousands others suffer different health problems, dozens of them suffer chronic diseases, Abu Naim added.
For his part, the leader in Hamas Movement Mussa Abu Samak stressed the necessity of releasing the four abducted men and ending their suffering.
Relatives of the abducted four youths have also participated in the event, demanding the safe return of their sons.
In his speech at the event, Director General of the Internal Security Forces Major General Tawfiq Abu Naim called on Egyptian authorities to release the four kidnapped youths as they were traveling via Rafah crossing for treatment and study purposes.
The four kidnapped youths’ case is one of our top priorities, he stressed, calling for an immediate end to their suffering.
On the other hand, Abu Naim pointed out that Palestinian administrative detainees’ number has reached 1000 in Israeli jails following Jerusalem Intifada.
Several prisoners are completely isolated in Israeli jails, while thousands others suffer different health problems, dozens of them suffer chronic diseases, Abu Naim added.
For his part, the leader in Hamas Movement Mussa Abu Samak stressed the necessity of releasing the four abducted men and ending their suffering.
Relatives of the abducted four youths have also participated in the event, demanding the safe return of their sons.
28 oct 2016
Deputy Minister Ayoob Kara attributes two earthquakes in Italy, during which he was on a state visit to the Vatican, to Italy's decision to vote for a UNESCO resolution disregarding Jewish connection to Jerusalem.
Deputy Minister Ayoob Kara (Likud) caused controversy when he blamed two massive earthquakes which hit Italy on Wednesday for the country's vote in favor of a UNESCO resolution disregarding a Jewish connection to the Temple Mount.
The deputy minister, who was in Italy when the earthquakes hit, ascribed the natural disasters to divine will.
The resolution itself sparked an outcry in Israel and among the international Jewish community since it disregarded the Jewish connection to its holy sites in Jerusalem.
Kara headed an Israeli delegation to the Vatican which was sent in an effort to shore up opposition for the resolution. Kara even managed to have a short conversation with the Pope during his visit.
"Going through the earthquake wasn't the most comfortable of experiences, but we trusted that the Holy See would keep us safe," Kara wrote in his memo.
"I'm sure that the earthquake happened because of the UNESCO decision, which the Pope strongly disagreed with. He even said publicly that the holy land is connected to the Nation of Israel."
After recovering from the earthquake, Kara met with the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, and tried to convince the cardinal to change the Vatican's position on the UNESCO decision.
Deputy Minister Ayoob Kara (Likud) caused controversy when he blamed two massive earthquakes which hit Italy on Wednesday for the country's vote in favor of a UNESCO resolution disregarding a Jewish connection to the Temple Mount.
The deputy minister, who was in Italy when the earthquakes hit, ascribed the natural disasters to divine will.
The resolution itself sparked an outcry in Israel and among the international Jewish community since it disregarded the Jewish connection to its holy sites in Jerusalem.
Kara headed an Israeli delegation to the Vatican which was sent in an effort to shore up opposition for the resolution. Kara even managed to have a short conversation with the Pope during his visit.
"Going through the earthquake wasn't the most comfortable of experiences, but we trusted that the Holy See would keep us safe," Kara wrote in his memo.
"I'm sure that the earthquake happened because of the UNESCO decision, which the Pope strongly disagreed with. He even said publicly that the holy land is connected to the Nation of Israel."
After recovering from the earthquake, Kara met with the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, and tried to convince the cardinal to change the Vatican's position on the UNESCO decision.
By Ramzy Baroud
Did Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, actually read the full text of the UNESCO resolution on Palestine and Israel, before he raved with anger?
“I think this is a mistaken, inconceivable resolution,” he said.
“It is not possible to continue with these resolutions at the UN and UNESCO that aim to attack Israel. It is shocking and I have ordered that we stop taking this position (his country’s abstention) even if it means diverging from the position taken by the rest of Europe,” he added.
Renzi, who became Prime Minister in 2014 at the relatively young age of 39 knows exactly how the game is played. In order to win favor with Washington, he must first please Tel Aviv.
His country has abstained from the October 12 vote on a resolution that condemns Israel’s violations of the cultural and legal status of Occupied East Jerusalem. This decision has ignited the ire of Israeli Ambassador to Rome, Ofer Zaks, who riled up the Jewish community in Italy to protest the abstention. Renzi, in turn, was converted into a champion of the ‘Temple Mount’, the name Israel uses to describe the Palestinian Muslim holy site.
Renzi cravenly went on damage control mode without truly understanding the nature of the resolution, which merely condemned Israel’s obvious violations of international law, and only calls for Israel to respect the status of Palestinian culture in the occupied city.
None of procedures that led to the vote on the UNESCO’s resolution – voted by 24-6, with 26 abstentions – violated protocol, nor was any of the wording inconsistent with international law. In fact, UNESCO was merely doing its job: attempting to protect and preserve the historical and cultural heritage of the world.
Jerusalem is a sacred and a holy city to a majority of humanity, simply because it is significant to the spiritual wellbeing of the adherents of the three monotheistic religions. In fact, the resolution stated so:
“Affirming the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions …”
Renzi’s outburst is quite disappointing, to say the least, for the young, eager politician simply tried to score cheap political points with Israel – thus the United States – without a full, or even partial comprehension of what the UNESCO resolution resolved. Nor did he seem aware of the fact that such text is largely a repeat of what has been discussed by the world’s leading cultural organization in April, and repeatedly before that date.
“If anyone wants to say something about Israel, let them say it, but they should not use UNESCO… To say that the Jews have no links to Jerusalem is like saying the sun creates darkness,” he said, paraphrasing the sentiment displayed by the Israeli Prime Minister.
It would be rather sad if Renzi sees a mentor in Benjamin Netanyahu, for the latter is one of the least liked world leaders who has made a mockery of international forums and derided the United Nations itself as anti-Semitic and its process as ‘theater of the absurd’.
This is what Netanyahu had said in response to the resolution and shortly before he suspended his country’s membership in UNESCO. Using a language that is as amusing as his cartoon depiction of the Iranian nuclear bomb in his famous UN spectacle in 2012, he said:
“To say that Israel has no connection to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall is like saying that China has no connection to the Great Wall of China or that Egypt has no connection to the Pyramids.”
Other Israeli officials followed suit with a chorus of denunciations, included Israeli President, Reuven Rivilin, who described the decision as an “embarrassment” for UNESCO. Culture Minister, Miri Regev, cut to the chase, by labeling the resolution “shameful and anti-Semitic.”
In fact, it was neither.
In addition to Renzi’s odd reaction, the United States and other western governments reacted with exaggerated anger, again without even addressing the situation on the ground, which prompted the resolution – and numerous other UN resolutions in the past – in the first place.
Even the Czech parliament jumped on board, voting to condemn what they described as a “hateful, anti-Israel’ sentiment.”
I have read the resolution repeatedly to pinpoint the specific text that could possibly be understood by Israel’s friends as hateful, to no avail. The entirety of the text was based on past international conventions, resolutions, international law, and refers to Israel as the Occupying Power, as per the diktat of the Geneva Conventions.
The Italian, Czech, American anger is, of course, misdirected and is largely political theater.
But, of course, there is an important context that they refuse to address.
Israel is working diligently to appropriate Muslim and Christian heritage in East Jerusalem, a city that is designated by international law as illegally occupied.
The Israeli army and police have restricted the movement of Palestinian worshipers and is excavating under the foundation of the third holiest Muslim shrine, Haram al-Sharif, in search of a mythological Temple.
In the process of doing so, numerous Palestinians, trying to defend their Mosque from the attacks staged by Israeli occupation forces and extremist Jewish groups, have been killed.
How is UNESCO to react to this?
The resolution merely, ‘called on Israel’ to “allow for the restoration of the historic status quo that prevailed until September 2000, under which the Jordanian Awqaf (Religious Foundation) Department exercised exclusive authority on Al-Aqṣa Mosque/Al-Ḥaram Al-Sharif.”
Moreover, it ‘stressed’, the “urgent need of the implementation of the UNESCO reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls.”
Where is the ‘hate’ and ‘Anti-Semitism’ in that?
Israel’s anger is, of course, fathomable. For nearly fifty years, following the illegal occupation and annexation of the Palestinian Arab city, Israel has done everything it could possibly do to strip the city of its universal appeal and Arab heritage, and make it exclusive to Jews only – thus the slogan of Jerusalem being Israel’s ‘eternal and undivided capital.’
Israel is angry because, after five decades of ceaseless efforts, neither UNESCO nor other UN institutions will accept Israel’s practices and designations. In 2011, following the admission of ‘Palestine’ as a member state, Israel ranted and raved as well, resulting in the US cutting off funding to UNESCO.
The latest resolution indicates that Israel and the US have utterly failed to coerce UNESCO.
What also caused much fury in Tel Aviv is that UNESCO used the Arabic references to Haram al-Sharif, Al-Aqsa Mosque and other Muslim religious and heritage sites. The same way they would refer to Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza and China’s Great Wall by their actual names. Hardly anti-Semitic.
Since its establishment atop Palestinian towns and village, Israel has been on a mission to rename everything Arabic with Hebrew alternatives. Recent years have seen a massive push towards the Judaization of Arab Christian and Muslim sites, streets and holy shrines, a campaign spear-headed by the Israeli right and ultranationalist groups.
To expect UNESCO to employ such language is what should strike as ‘absurd’.
Not only should the UNESCO resolution be respected, it should also be followed by practical mechanisms to implement its recommendations. Israel, an Occupying Power should not be given a free pass to besiege the holy shrines of two major world religions, restrict the movement and attack worshipers, annex occupied territories and destroy what is essential spiritual heritage that belongs to the whole world.
– Dr. Ramzy Baroud has been writing about the Middle East for over 20 years. He is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author of several books and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com.
Did Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, actually read the full text of the UNESCO resolution on Palestine and Israel, before he raved with anger?
“I think this is a mistaken, inconceivable resolution,” he said.
“It is not possible to continue with these resolutions at the UN and UNESCO that aim to attack Israel. It is shocking and I have ordered that we stop taking this position (his country’s abstention) even if it means diverging from the position taken by the rest of Europe,” he added.
Renzi, who became Prime Minister in 2014 at the relatively young age of 39 knows exactly how the game is played. In order to win favor with Washington, he must first please Tel Aviv.
His country has abstained from the October 12 vote on a resolution that condemns Israel’s violations of the cultural and legal status of Occupied East Jerusalem. This decision has ignited the ire of Israeli Ambassador to Rome, Ofer Zaks, who riled up the Jewish community in Italy to protest the abstention. Renzi, in turn, was converted into a champion of the ‘Temple Mount’, the name Israel uses to describe the Palestinian Muslim holy site.
Renzi cravenly went on damage control mode without truly understanding the nature of the resolution, which merely condemned Israel’s obvious violations of international law, and only calls for Israel to respect the status of Palestinian culture in the occupied city.
None of procedures that led to the vote on the UNESCO’s resolution – voted by 24-6, with 26 abstentions – violated protocol, nor was any of the wording inconsistent with international law. In fact, UNESCO was merely doing its job: attempting to protect and preserve the historical and cultural heritage of the world.
Jerusalem is a sacred and a holy city to a majority of humanity, simply because it is significant to the spiritual wellbeing of the adherents of the three monotheistic religions. In fact, the resolution stated so:
“Affirming the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions …”
Renzi’s outburst is quite disappointing, to say the least, for the young, eager politician simply tried to score cheap political points with Israel – thus the United States – without a full, or even partial comprehension of what the UNESCO resolution resolved. Nor did he seem aware of the fact that such text is largely a repeat of what has been discussed by the world’s leading cultural organization in April, and repeatedly before that date.
“If anyone wants to say something about Israel, let them say it, but they should not use UNESCO… To say that the Jews have no links to Jerusalem is like saying the sun creates darkness,” he said, paraphrasing the sentiment displayed by the Israeli Prime Minister.
It would be rather sad if Renzi sees a mentor in Benjamin Netanyahu, for the latter is one of the least liked world leaders who has made a mockery of international forums and derided the United Nations itself as anti-Semitic and its process as ‘theater of the absurd’.
This is what Netanyahu had said in response to the resolution and shortly before he suspended his country’s membership in UNESCO. Using a language that is as amusing as his cartoon depiction of the Iranian nuclear bomb in his famous UN spectacle in 2012, he said:
“To say that Israel has no connection to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall is like saying that China has no connection to the Great Wall of China or that Egypt has no connection to the Pyramids.”
Other Israeli officials followed suit with a chorus of denunciations, included Israeli President, Reuven Rivilin, who described the decision as an “embarrassment” for UNESCO. Culture Minister, Miri Regev, cut to the chase, by labeling the resolution “shameful and anti-Semitic.”
In fact, it was neither.
In addition to Renzi’s odd reaction, the United States and other western governments reacted with exaggerated anger, again without even addressing the situation on the ground, which prompted the resolution – and numerous other UN resolutions in the past – in the first place.
Even the Czech parliament jumped on board, voting to condemn what they described as a “hateful, anti-Israel’ sentiment.”
I have read the resolution repeatedly to pinpoint the specific text that could possibly be understood by Israel’s friends as hateful, to no avail. The entirety of the text was based on past international conventions, resolutions, international law, and refers to Israel as the Occupying Power, as per the diktat of the Geneva Conventions.
The Italian, Czech, American anger is, of course, misdirected and is largely political theater.
But, of course, there is an important context that they refuse to address.
Israel is working diligently to appropriate Muslim and Christian heritage in East Jerusalem, a city that is designated by international law as illegally occupied.
The Israeli army and police have restricted the movement of Palestinian worshipers and is excavating under the foundation of the third holiest Muslim shrine, Haram al-Sharif, in search of a mythological Temple.
In the process of doing so, numerous Palestinians, trying to defend their Mosque from the attacks staged by Israeli occupation forces and extremist Jewish groups, have been killed.
How is UNESCO to react to this?
The resolution merely, ‘called on Israel’ to “allow for the restoration of the historic status quo that prevailed until September 2000, under which the Jordanian Awqaf (Religious Foundation) Department exercised exclusive authority on Al-Aqṣa Mosque/Al-Ḥaram Al-Sharif.”
Moreover, it ‘stressed’, the “urgent need of the implementation of the UNESCO reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls.”
Where is the ‘hate’ and ‘Anti-Semitism’ in that?
Israel’s anger is, of course, fathomable. For nearly fifty years, following the illegal occupation and annexation of the Palestinian Arab city, Israel has done everything it could possibly do to strip the city of its universal appeal and Arab heritage, and make it exclusive to Jews only – thus the slogan of Jerusalem being Israel’s ‘eternal and undivided capital.’
Israel is angry because, after five decades of ceaseless efforts, neither UNESCO nor other UN institutions will accept Israel’s practices and designations. In 2011, following the admission of ‘Palestine’ as a member state, Israel ranted and raved as well, resulting in the US cutting off funding to UNESCO.
The latest resolution indicates that Israel and the US have utterly failed to coerce UNESCO.
What also caused much fury in Tel Aviv is that UNESCO used the Arabic references to Haram al-Sharif, Al-Aqsa Mosque and other Muslim religious and heritage sites. The same way they would refer to Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza and China’s Great Wall by their actual names. Hardly anti-Semitic.
Since its establishment atop Palestinian towns and village, Israel has been on a mission to rename everything Arabic with Hebrew alternatives. Recent years have seen a massive push towards the Judaization of Arab Christian and Muslim sites, streets and holy shrines, a campaign spear-headed by the Israeli right and ultranationalist groups.
To expect UNESCO to employ such language is what should strike as ‘absurd’.
Not only should the UNESCO resolution be respected, it should also be followed by practical mechanisms to implement its recommendations. Israel, an Occupying Power should not be given a free pass to besiege the holy shrines of two major world religions, restrict the movement and attack worshipers, annex occupied territories and destroy what is essential spiritual heritage that belongs to the whole world.
– Dr. Ramzy Baroud has been writing about the Middle East for over 20 years. He is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author of several books and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com.
The Israeli security cabinet recently decided in a secret meeting to pursue a carrot and stick plan, which was proposed by Israeli war minister Avigdor Lieberman, against the Palestinians in the West Bank.
During that cabinet meeting, Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, war minister Avigdor Liberman, interior minister Aryeh Deri, energy minister Yuval Steinitz and construction minister Yoav Galant voted in favor of the plan; whereas, education minister Naftali Bennett voted against it and justice minister Ayelet Shaked left a note opposing it.
According to Lieberman’s carrot and stick plan, severe punitive measures would be taken against residents of any Palestinian area in the West Bank if any one of them launched attacks against Israelis, while those prepared to live peacefully with Jewish settlers would receive privileges and construction permits.
The security cabinet decision, the first of its kind, was kept under wraps to avoid protest from Jewish communities in the region because it will give the Palestinians a chance to build homes in Area C of the West Bank, according to a Haaretz report Thursday. The decision was made on October 5.
During that cabinet meeting, Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, war minister Avigdor Liberman, interior minister Aryeh Deri, energy minister Yuval Steinitz and construction minister Yoav Galant voted in favor of the plan; whereas, education minister Naftali Bennett voted against it and justice minister Ayelet Shaked left a note opposing it.
According to Lieberman’s carrot and stick plan, severe punitive measures would be taken against residents of any Palestinian area in the West Bank if any one of them launched attacks against Israelis, while those prepared to live peacefully with Jewish settlers would receive privileges and construction permits.
The security cabinet decision, the first of its kind, was kept under wraps to avoid protest from Jewish communities in the region because it will give the Palestinians a chance to build homes in Area C of the West Bank, according to a Haaretz report Thursday. The decision was made on October 5.
27 oct 2016
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) decided on Thursday morning to reopen the entrance of the village of Beit Einun in the southern West Bank province of al-Khalil.
According to the PIC reporter, Israeli forces reopened the Iron Gate to the village after being closed for eight months under the pretext of alleged anti-occupation attacks.
The eight-month closure had led to periodic blockade of Palestinian neighboring villages, towns, checkpoints, and entire districts.
Israel’s response to alleged anti-occupation attacks, such as punitive home demolitions, the sealing of entire villages, mass detention campaigns, and withholding the bodies of Palestinians slain while committing attacks, has been condemned by rights groups, who have said the measures amount to “collective punishment” and represent a clear violation of the international law.
According to the PIC reporter, Israeli forces reopened the Iron Gate to the village after being closed for eight months under the pretext of alleged anti-occupation attacks.
The eight-month closure had led to periodic blockade of Palestinian neighboring villages, towns, checkpoints, and entire districts.
Israel’s response to alleged anti-occupation attacks, such as punitive home demolitions, the sealing of entire villages, mass detention campaigns, and withholding the bodies of Palestinians slain while committing attacks, has been condemned by rights groups, who have said the measures amount to “collective punishment” and represent a clear violation of the international law.
Israeli municipality approved Thursday morning the construction of new housing units in occupied Jerusalem starting from next week.
Israeli media sources affirmed that Israeli authorities approved the construction of 181 new housing units in the occupied city.
Under international law, Israeli settlements in occupied Jerusalem and West Bank are considered illegal. However, Netanyahu’s government continues its settlement projects despite the international backlash.
Israeli media sources affirmed that Israeli authorities approved the construction of 181 new housing units in the occupied city.
Under international law, Israeli settlements in occupied Jerusalem and West Bank are considered illegal. However, Netanyahu’s government continues its settlement projects despite the international backlash.
25 oct 2016
3,000 Israeli settlers stormed al-Aqsa Mosque over the past three months, Israeli media sources reported.
The Israeli sources quoted the Israeli extremist settler Yehuda Glick as saying that 3,000 Israeli settlers broke into the holy shrine in less than two months.
The sources pointed out that the past week had witnessed unprecedented settler break-ins as 1,192 settlers stormed the Mosque. 448 of them stormed the compound on Thursday.
Right-wing Israeli organizations called for intensifying settler break-ins into al-Aqsa, especially during Jewish holidays although the UNESCO had declared it a purely Islamic site.
The Israeli sources quoted the Israeli extremist settler Yehuda Glick as saying that 3,000 Israeli settlers broke into the holy shrine in less than two months.
The sources pointed out that the past week had witnessed unprecedented settler break-ins as 1,192 settlers stormed the Mosque. 448 of them stormed the compound on Thursday.
Right-wing Israeli organizations called for intensifying settler break-ins into al-Aqsa, especially during Jewish holidays although the UNESCO had declared it a purely Islamic site.
The UN on Monday called anew for necessarily maintaining the status quo at the Aqsa Mosque after Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu announced intents to participate personally in underground diggings beneath the Aqsa Mosque.
In recent press remarks, spokesman for the UN secretary-general Stephane Dujarric said that the position of the organization and Ki-moon was already very clear on the importance of upholding the status quo with regard to the holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem.
According to Quds Press, the UN spokesman reiterated this position in response to a journalist’s question about Netanyahu’s intent to take part personally in the tunnel diggings under the Islamic holy site.
Netanyahu plans to take this “serious step” in response to the UNESCO’s recent adoption of a resolution stating clearly that the Aqsa Mosque and its walls are purely Islamic heritage sites.
Observers have warned that Netanyahu’s intended visit to tunnel digs under the Mosque will add fuel to the fire of an already tense situation in the holy city and other occupied Palestinian areas.
In recent press remarks, spokesman for the UN secretary-general Stephane Dujarric said that the position of the organization and Ki-moon was already very clear on the importance of upholding the status quo with regard to the holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem.
According to Quds Press, the UN spokesman reiterated this position in response to a journalist’s question about Netanyahu’s intent to take part personally in the tunnel diggings under the Islamic holy site.
Netanyahu plans to take this “serious step” in response to the UNESCO’s recent adoption of a resolution stating clearly that the Aqsa Mosque and its walls are purely Islamic heritage sites.
Observers have warned that Netanyahu’s intended visit to tunnel digs under the Mosque will add fuel to the fire of an already tense situation in the holy city and other occupied Palestinian areas.