14 may 2015
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MK Moti Yogev touring a settlement in East Jerusalem's Silwan
Knesset Member Moti Yogev (Jewish Home) toured the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan Thursday morning. The tour comes as Palestinians commemorate 67 years to the Nakba. Heavily guarded by border police and special units for the protection of VIPs, Yogev wrote on his Facebook page that this was a “'usual' walking tour through the Yemenite village in East Jerusalem”. The Yemenite village is a reference to property in the area owned by |
Yemenite Jews prior to the 1948 Middle East war and on the basis of which Israeli courts have permitted the takeover of several Palestinian-owned homes in Silwan.
Yogev's tour comes as the Palestinian people are these days commemorating 67 years to the nakba, the catastrophe of the Palestinian people.
Yogev himself is a settler, living in the Jerusalem area settlement of Dolev.
The settler population in Silwan has more than doubled to some 700 persons in recent months as settlers occupied 23 houses in the neighbourhood in September while in the following month an additional two buildings were taken over. In March Israeli settlers took over a Palestinian-owned property in Silwan, as well as two plots of land belonging to two Palestinian families.
Fakhri Abu Diab, a member of Silwan's popular committee, told the Palestinian news agency Ma'an that over 62 percent of homes in Silwan are under the threat of demolition, after orders were "randomly" distributed as "collective punishment," which he says aims to displace the residents and control the neighbourhood.
Abu Diab added that some houses which were taken over by settlers last October were built without permits, but none of them received demolition orders.
Israeli Col. (res.) Shauli Arieli, a member of the Geneva Initiative and the Council for Peace and Security, told Haaretz that the presence of Israeli settlers in the heart of East Jerusalem neighbourhoods, does not have a demographic impact. “If we look at the past 20 years, the overall Israeli population has not exceeded 3,000 in a Palestinian population of 120,000”, he stated. “This cannot have a demographic effect.
This statement ignores, however, the deep impact that Israeli settlements have on East Jerusalem communities. Silwan itself is facing a process of “Hebron-isation”, in which a small number of settlers scattered across Silwan and protected by police and security forces are beginning to control the movement, services and freedoms in the neighbourhood, leading to high levels of tension, violence and further Palestinian displacement. Israel's new Agriculture Minister, Uri Ariel, also from the Jewish Home party, is reportedly considering a move to the Jewish settlement in Silwan.
Silwan has long been a target of Israeli settler groups.
Yogev's tour comes as the Palestinian people are these days commemorating 67 years to the nakba, the catastrophe of the Palestinian people.
Yogev himself is a settler, living in the Jerusalem area settlement of Dolev.
The settler population in Silwan has more than doubled to some 700 persons in recent months as settlers occupied 23 houses in the neighbourhood in September while in the following month an additional two buildings were taken over. In March Israeli settlers took over a Palestinian-owned property in Silwan, as well as two plots of land belonging to two Palestinian families.
Fakhri Abu Diab, a member of Silwan's popular committee, told the Palestinian news agency Ma'an that over 62 percent of homes in Silwan are under the threat of demolition, after orders were "randomly" distributed as "collective punishment," which he says aims to displace the residents and control the neighbourhood.
Abu Diab added that some houses which were taken over by settlers last October were built without permits, but none of them received demolition orders.
Israeli Col. (res.) Shauli Arieli, a member of the Geneva Initiative and the Council for Peace and Security, told Haaretz that the presence of Israeli settlers in the heart of East Jerusalem neighbourhoods, does not have a demographic impact. “If we look at the past 20 years, the overall Israeli population has not exceeded 3,000 in a Palestinian population of 120,000”, he stated. “This cannot have a demographic effect.
This statement ignores, however, the deep impact that Israeli settlements have on East Jerusalem communities. Silwan itself is facing a process of “Hebron-isation”, in which a small number of settlers scattered across Silwan and protected by police and security forces are beginning to control the movement, services and freedoms in the neighbourhood, leading to high levels of tension, violence and further Palestinian displacement. Israel's new Agriculture Minister, Uri Ariel, also from the Jewish Home party, is reportedly considering a move to the Jewish settlement in Silwan.
Silwan has long been a target of Israeli settler groups.
Arab Idol-star Haitham Khalaily feels an obligation to raise his voice about the Palestinian cause. PNN met him for an exclusive interview after his performance at a Nakba-event in Ramallah.
The vibrations from Haitham Khalailys voice sound through the streets of Ramallah and can be heard from kilometers away.
The epicenter is a stage in Arafat Square, where a few thousand people have gathered Wednesday to commemorate the anniversary of Nakba.
The official Nakba day is not until Friday, but the whole week is packed with demonstrations, marches and events all over the West Bank. The PA is behind this particular event at which Khalaily seems to be the big draw for the youngsters.
The 25-year-old singer, who grew up in a village near Nazareth, gained status as pop star all over the Middle East, as he came in second at the Arab Idol last year.
Almost every Palestinian family watches the show. For the past two years, their compatriots have made it to the finals and beat singers from countries like Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and even Kurdistan. In 2013, Muhammad Assaf from Gaza famously won the whole show.
A beautiful experience
The young audience is dancing on the plastic chairs and in the square in front of Khalaily, waving their Palestinian flags high. The singer uses one hand to hold the microphone and the other to accompany the narratives of his songs. A male choir dressed in matching uniforms delivers back-up vocals.
As the last phrase has been sung, Khalaily steps down from the stage where a group of fans crowds round him. He returns their smiles and shakes hands but soon disappears into the minibus he first arrived in.
PNNEnglish meets him half an hour later at the Grand Park Hotel in the outskirts of Ramallah. He seems happy about the concert.
"It was so beautiful at the square today. It is the first time in five months for me to gave concert in Ramallah so it was really something special" he says and explains that he just got back from a tour in the US and Canada.
No free movement
Even though he lives in an Israeli-occupied village that enforces the Israeli ID and passport on the Palestinians, Haytham has strong attachment to the Palestinian right of return.
He grew up in Majd El-Kroum village near Nazareth, which was occupied by the Israelis in the wake of Nakba 1948. Unlike the 700,000 Palestinians who were deported from their homes, most citizens in the Nazareth region were able to stay. Today, they represent a significant Arab minority.
In order to participate in Arab Idol in Lebanon last year, Khalaily had to acquire a special travel document, which gained him access via Jordan, a country on better terms with the Israelis.
Even so, his passport was confiscated when he returned home and the Israelis told him he was at risk of four years prison for participating in the show in Lebanon, considered an enemy state of Israel.
The tension between the two countries means Khalaily's Lebanese manager was not able to attend Wednesday's concert in Ramallah. The crew surrounding the singer in the hotel lounge during the interview consists of friends and supporters, he explains.
Together
The fact that Haitham Khalaily is from an area taken over by Israel several decades ago does not seem to affect his Palestinian identity.
"I think no matter what area we come from, we try to stand together. It makes us stronger. That is why it was also really important for me to sing here today and use my voice to commemorate Nakba," he says.
More than two million Youtube views of his perfomance in Arab Idol bears witness to the fact, that people do listen to Khaleily. And he is aware of that.
"People know who I am now. I have a lot of fans and people who listen to what I have to say. That makes it really important for me to use my voice to speak up about this" he says.
Songs of the homeland
Khalaily is particularly known for his melancholic Mawwal, the traditional introduction in Arabic singing before the instrumental part begins. In Arab Idol he sang various patriotic songs, among others the old Palestinian folklore, 'Ala dal'ona, in which the Mawwal sounds (translated):
The soil of your homeland cannot be exchanged for money
This land is not for sale
This land is for the people, who worked hard for it
And for the people who will pick its fruits with their hands
You have to plow your own land
"There is always a place for Palestine in my music. It is so important for me to show the world, that this is not only a land of war. There is also happiness here. There is a lot of amazing music, art, culture and talent."
Soon Haitham Khalaily will get the opportunity to show Palestinian talent to the world, as he is heading for another tour to the US and Canada. The following month, the star is destined for Germany.
The vibrations from Haitham Khalailys voice sound through the streets of Ramallah and can be heard from kilometers away.
The epicenter is a stage in Arafat Square, where a few thousand people have gathered Wednesday to commemorate the anniversary of Nakba.
The official Nakba day is not until Friday, but the whole week is packed with demonstrations, marches and events all over the West Bank. The PA is behind this particular event at which Khalaily seems to be the big draw for the youngsters.
The 25-year-old singer, who grew up in a village near Nazareth, gained status as pop star all over the Middle East, as he came in second at the Arab Idol last year.
Almost every Palestinian family watches the show. For the past two years, their compatriots have made it to the finals and beat singers from countries like Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and even Kurdistan. In 2013, Muhammad Assaf from Gaza famously won the whole show.
A beautiful experience
The young audience is dancing on the plastic chairs and in the square in front of Khalaily, waving their Palestinian flags high. The singer uses one hand to hold the microphone and the other to accompany the narratives of his songs. A male choir dressed in matching uniforms delivers back-up vocals.
As the last phrase has been sung, Khalaily steps down from the stage where a group of fans crowds round him. He returns their smiles and shakes hands but soon disappears into the minibus he first arrived in.
PNNEnglish meets him half an hour later at the Grand Park Hotel in the outskirts of Ramallah. He seems happy about the concert.
"It was so beautiful at the square today. It is the first time in five months for me to gave concert in Ramallah so it was really something special" he says and explains that he just got back from a tour in the US and Canada.
No free movement
Even though he lives in an Israeli-occupied village that enforces the Israeli ID and passport on the Palestinians, Haytham has strong attachment to the Palestinian right of return.
He grew up in Majd El-Kroum village near Nazareth, which was occupied by the Israelis in the wake of Nakba 1948. Unlike the 700,000 Palestinians who were deported from their homes, most citizens in the Nazareth region were able to stay. Today, they represent a significant Arab minority.
In order to participate in Arab Idol in Lebanon last year, Khalaily had to acquire a special travel document, which gained him access via Jordan, a country on better terms with the Israelis.
Even so, his passport was confiscated when he returned home and the Israelis told him he was at risk of four years prison for participating in the show in Lebanon, considered an enemy state of Israel.
The tension between the two countries means Khalaily's Lebanese manager was not able to attend Wednesday's concert in Ramallah. The crew surrounding the singer in the hotel lounge during the interview consists of friends and supporters, he explains.
Together
The fact that Haitham Khalaily is from an area taken over by Israel several decades ago does not seem to affect his Palestinian identity.
"I think no matter what area we come from, we try to stand together. It makes us stronger. That is why it was also really important for me to sing here today and use my voice to commemorate Nakba," he says.
More than two million Youtube views of his perfomance in Arab Idol bears witness to the fact, that people do listen to Khaleily. And he is aware of that.
"People know who I am now. I have a lot of fans and people who listen to what I have to say. That makes it really important for me to use my voice to speak up about this" he says.
Songs of the homeland
Khalaily is particularly known for his melancholic Mawwal, the traditional introduction in Arabic singing before the instrumental part begins. In Arab Idol he sang various patriotic songs, among others the old Palestinian folklore, 'Ala dal'ona, in which the Mawwal sounds (translated):
The soil of your homeland cannot be exchanged for money
This land is not for sale
This land is for the people, who worked hard for it
And for the people who will pick its fruits with their hands
You have to plow your own land
"There is always a place for Palestine in my music. It is so important for me to show the world, that this is not only a land of war. There is also happiness here. There is a lot of amazing music, art, culture and talent."
Soon Haitham Khalaily will get the opportunity to show Palestinian talent to the world, as he is heading for another tour to the US and Canada. The following month, the star is destined for Germany.
Israeli occupation forces Thursday noon, opened fire on youngsters staging Nakba anniversary demonstration near the 300 military checkpoint on the northern entrance of Bethlehem.
PNN reporter said that a boy was wounded in his leg during the clashes, where the soldiers carried and arrested him.
Reporter added that Israeli forces detained a number of boys during the demonstration.
PNN reporter said that a boy was wounded in his leg during the clashes, where the soldiers carried and arrested him.
Reporter added that Israeli forces detained a number of boys during the demonstration.
Issam Adwan, head of Hamas Refugee Affairs Department, called Wednesday on Palestinian refugees in Syria to head to their villages and cities in occupied Palestine via the occupied Golan Heights instead of illegally immigrate to Europe.
During a seminar marking the 67th anniversary of Nakba Day, Adwan stressed the need to create new strategies and ways to internationally activate the Palestinian issue.
He also called for uniting all national efforts to restore the Palestinian right of return through developing a plan to help creating an informed public opinion about the important need to return to Palestinian towns and cities in occupied territories.
"Restoring the Palestinian right of return can only be achieved by resistance option," he said.
All the countries, which were subjected to occupation, were liberated only through armed resistance, the senior Hamas official added.
During a seminar marking the 67th anniversary of Nakba Day, Adwan stressed the need to create new strategies and ways to internationally activate the Palestinian issue.
He also called for uniting all national efforts to restore the Palestinian right of return through developing a plan to help creating an informed public opinion about the important need to return to Palestinian towns and cities in occupied territories.
"Restoring the Palestinian right of return can only be achieved by resistance option," he said.
All the countries, which were subjected to occupation, were liberated only through armed resistance, the senior Hamas official added.
His excellent Manuel Hassassian, the Palestinian Ambassador to the United Kingdom will today (Thursday 14 May) be visiting the Scottish Parliament and meeting with MSPs as part of a visit to Scotland to commemorate Al-Nakba, the Catastrophe, which saw Israel destroy 531 villages and expel 750,000 Palestinians from their homes 67 years ago.
As well as his visit to the parliament, the ambassador will on Friday 15 May at 11.00am open an exhibition in Glasgow's St Enoch Square and launch of the Palestine Alliance. He will also be meeting representatives of the Scottish government and religious groups in Scotland, including an address to the Glasgow Central Mosque.
The Palestine Alliance, representing the Association of Palestinian Communities in Scotland and a number of Palestine solidarity organisations, is staging the exhibition in Glasgow's St Enoch's Square on Friday 15 May from 11.00am to 6.00pm to mark the 67th anniversary of Al-Nakba, or the Catastrophe, which took place in Palestine in 1948.
On 15 May each year Palestinians across the world commemorate the theft of the homes and land in 1948 and reaffirm their determination to return. Many Palestinians retain the title deeds to their land or even the keys to their homes.
The exhibition will comprise a series of displays and videos each looking at different aspects of Al-Nakba.
Following the events in St Enoch's Square, there will be a public meeting at 7.00pm in the University of Strathclyde Students Union.
Dr Issam Hijjawi, chair of the Association of Palestinian Communities in Scotland said
"In 1948 Israel brutally expelled 750,000 Palestinian Arabs from their homes and land and destroyed 531 villages. Today more than 7 million Palestinian refugees are spread across the world, denied the right to return to their land.
"Many Palestinians living in Scotland have never seen their home villages and are even denied the right to visit. Through continued occupation and settlement building, Israel provides citizenship to any Jewish person across the world, but continues to deny the right of return for Palestinians.
"We are delighted that the Palestinian Ambassador is visiting Scotland on the anniversary of such a significant day for all Palestinians. Following the events in Gaza last year and the support shown by so many MSPs, it is fitting that the UK representative of Palestine now visits the Parliament.
"We hope that in the not too distant future the Scottish government will be able to deliver on its call for an arms embargo on Israel."
As well as his visit to the parliament, the ambassador will on Friday 15 May at 11.00am open an exhibition in Glasgow's St Enoch Square and launch of the Palestine Alliance. He will also be meeting representatives of the Scottish government and religious groups in Scotland, including an address to the Glasgow Central Mosque.
The Palestine Alliance, representing the Association of Palestinian Communities in Scotland and a number of Palestine solidarity organisations, is staging the exhibition in Glasgow's St Enoch's Square on Friday 15 May from 11.00am to 6.00pm to mark the 67th anniversary of Al-Nakba, or the Catastrophe, which took place in Palestine in 1948.
On 15 May each year Palestinians across the world commemorate the theft of the homes and land in 1948 and reaffirm their determination to return. Many Palestinians retain the title deeds to their land or even the keys to their homes.
The exhibition will comprise a series of displays and videos each looking at different aspects of Al-Nakba.
Following the events in St Enoch's Square, there will be a public meeting at 7.00pm in the University of Strathclyde Students Union.
Dr Issam Hijjawi, chair of the Association of Palestinian Communities in Scotland said
"In 1948 Israel brutally expelled 750,000 Palestinian Arabs from their homes and land and destroyed 531 villages. Today more than 7 million Palestinian refugees are spread across the world, denied the right to return to their land.
"Many Palestinians living in Scotland have never seen their home villages and are even denied the right to visit. Through continued occupation and settlement building, Israel provides citizenship to any Jewish person across the world, but continues to deny the right of return for Palestinians.
"We are delighted that the Palestinian Ambassador is visiting Scotland on the anniversary of such a significant day for all Palestinians. Following the events in Gaza last year and the support shown by so many MSPs, it is fitting that the UK representative of Palestine now visits the Parliament.
"We hope that in the not too distant future the Scottish government will be able to deliver on its call for an arms embargo on Israel."
Israeli apartheid week activities were launched in several universities of the US, in coordination by the Students for Justice in Palestine organization, which has branches in many American universities, on Wednesday.
The action highlights the Israeli apartheid policies and daily human rights violations against Palestinians, in synchronization with the Palestinian Nakba (exodus) anniversary, on 15 May, 1948.
According to a statement by the student activists in Justice for Palestine organization which PLO Department of Palestinians Expatriates Affairs received, the apartheid week will be organized in tens of American universities including Northwestern University, Delaware, Houston, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York and Seattle.
Palestinian activist and entrepreneur at Students for Justice in Palestine, Omar Shanti, said that the event aims on exposing the dark Israeli history and systematic ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, in addition to the ongoing oppression and racism policies. The activity will support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement against Israel, in addition to seeking justice for Palestine and ending the Israeli occupation.
Throughout the week, there will be several speakers and activists of different backgrounds and cultures to raise awareness of the issue. Workshops will be held on the Palestinian resistance through cultural heritage, poetry and arts around the world.
Solidarity stands with Palestine will be conducted by setting checkpoints around campuses to explain the Israeli blockade, since about 67 Palestinian mothers between the years 2000-2005 had to deliver their babies on military checkpoints, leading to the death of 36 infants.
The other purpose of the apartheid week involved the ethnic minorities in the US, and the struggle to be free around the world, to achieve justice and equality for the oppressed.
The action highlights the Israeli apartheid policies and daily human rights violations against Palestinians, in synchronization with the Palestinian Nakba (exodus) anniversary, on 15 May, 1948.
According to a statement by the student activists in Justice for Palestine organization which PLO Department of Palestinians Expatriates Affairs received, the apartheid week will be organized in tens of American universities including Northwestern University, Delaware, Houston, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York and Seattle.
Palestinian activist and entrepreneur at Students for Justice in Palestine, Omar Shanti, said that the event aims on exposing the dark Israeli history and systematic ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, in addition to the ongoing oppression and racism policies. The activity will support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement against Israel, in addition to seeking justice for Palestine and ending the Israeli occupation.
Throughout the week, there will be several speakers and activists of different backgrounds and cultures to raise awareness of the issue. Workshops will be held on the Palestinian resistance through cultural heritage, poetry and arts around the world.
Solidarity stands with Palestine will be conducted by setting checkpoints around campuses to explain the Israeli blockade, since about 67 Palestinian mothers between the years 2000-2005 had to deliver their babies on military checkpoints, leading to the death of 36 infants.
The other purpose of the apartheid week involved the ethnic minorities in the US, and the struggle to be free around the world, to achieve justice and equality for the oppressed.
13 may 2015
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The Jewish state of Israel, since the beginning of its time, claimed political rights under a fake religious umbrella. The currently Israeli dominated lands were stolen from Palestinians, after the Jews fled European anti-Semitism in the mid 20th century. With the help of the British mandate, and the 1917 Balfour promise, the Israeli state was announced on the ruins of a Palestinian. But is Israel really religious? And does it have the “religious” right to exist?
Terry McIntosh, chairman of the Jesus Christ embassy Palestine, a few months ago launched a campaign to seek the peace of Jerusalem and Biblical recognition and restoration of Palestinian rights. |
The campaign reached out to millions of people around the world, and was the reason to retain the right understanding of God's messages to people. The embassy then designated 12 May, which comes three days before the Palestinian Nakba anniversary, as an International Day of Prayer for Jerusalem against the Israeli occupation. On Tuesday, 12th May 2015, JC embassy arranged an event for the campaign, with the presence of the Bethlehem governor and the Mufti of Bethlehem, Abdel Majid Amarneh.
In his speech at Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, annexed to the apartheid wall, McIntosh said: "On this side of the Wall, Palestinians will mourn Nakba and seek justice for Palestine. In the midst of it all, it is timely that the truth be told. Restoring long buried truths is difficult and hard for many to hear. It requires diligent effort. We must raise our voice like a trumpet and shout it loud. We cannot hold back".
On that day in 1948 Zionist leaders founded the Jewish state on Palestinian land by military force, a debate had raged among Zionist leaders as to what name the new state should be called. Judea and Zion were mentioned as two possibilities, though the name Israel was chosen. “All the Bible promises of God were at that time unjustly claimed for the benefit of Jews only as God’s Chosen people. It is one of the greatest deceptions in human history. The Chosen People are those with faith in God according to his precepts. It is not a state that rejects the way of God and denies basic human rights to Palestinians”, resolved McIntosh.
McIntosh, in his study, refers to DNA proof showing the relationship between the Palestinians and Jews, by tracing bloodlines of prophets. The Bible story traces the name of Israel first placed upon the ancestors of today’s Palestinians, not the Jews, and DNA testing confirms the Bible link. Some Jews are descendants of Israel, but not all of them. When the Zionists chose the name Israel, the world accepted the illusion that the Zionist state represents all of Israel’s descendants.
The Hebrew Scriptures and Christian Bible is confirmed by science with the advent of DNA testing which is a genetic tracer. The Palestinian ancestral House of Israel lost its national identity during the Assyrian captivity but God promised to keep a remnant in the land during periods of captivity, and He did that. The remnant went through several name changes over the centuries, but today is known as Palestinians.
The Bible Philistines disappeared from history, and the name Palestine has simply been shifted. A serious study of historical records and religious Holy Books confirm that a majority of Palestinians are descendants of the man Israel, and God has included the children of Ishmael, too. It is a difficult truth for many to hear, but the Hebrew University confirms DNA results along with several other leading academic research teams.
According to quotations from the Holy Bible which McIntosh read:
Jeremiah 3: 11-18 says in part, "The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel (Palestinian ancestors) is more righteous than unfaithful Judah (Jews). Go, proclaim this message toward the north: ‘Return, faithless Israel, (Palestinians) declares the Lord, ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord…At that time they will call Jerusalem “The Throne of the Lord”, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. In those days the people of Judah (Jews) will join the people of Israel (Palestinians), and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance."
Political Zionism is a foreign growth in the body of the Jewish people and several sects of Judaism reject it altogether. They actively seek justice for Palestinians, too. This same Zionism infected Christianity early on, and enslaved a powerful segment of the Christian community for the purpose of creating a greater Zionist state.
McIntosh called on the Zionist Israel to stop the collective punishment policies; tear down this Separation Wall built on stolen land and finally to stop stealing land in the name of God.
In his speech at Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, annexed to the apartheid wall, McIntosh said: "On this side of the Wall, Palestinians will mourn Nakba and seek justice for Palestine. In the midst of it all, it is timely that the truth be told. Restoring long buried truths is difficult and hard for many to hear. It requires diligent effort. We must raise our voice like a trumpet and shout it loud. We cannot hold back".
On that day in 1948 Zionist leaders founded the Jewish state on Palestinian land by military force, a debate had raged among Zionist leaders as to what name the new state should be called. Judea and Zion were mentioned as two possibilities, though the name Israel was chosen. “All the Bible promises of God were at that time unjustly claimed for the benefit of Jews only as God’s Chosen people. It is one of the greatest deceptions in human history. The Chosen People are those with faith in God according to his precepts. It is not a state that rejects the way of God and denies basic human rights to Palestinians”, resolved McIntosh.
McIntosh, in his study, refers to DNA proof showing the relationship between the Palestinians and Jews, by tracing bloodlines of prophets. The Bible story traces the name of Israel first placed upon the ancestors of today’s Palestinians, not the Jews, and DNA testing confirms the Bible link. Some Jews are descendants of Israel, but not all of them. When the Zionists chose the name Israel, the world accepted the illusion that the Zionist state represents all of Israel’s descendants.
The Hebrew Scriptures and Christian Bible is confirmed by science with the advent of DNA testing which is a genetic tracer. The Palestinian ancestral House of Israel lost its national identity during the Assyrian captivity but God promised to keep a remnant in the land during periods of captivity, and He did that. The remnant went through several name changes over the centuries, but today is known as Palestinians.
The Bible Philistines disappeared from history, and the name Palestine has simply been shifted. A serious study of historical records and religious Holy Books confirm that a majority of Palestinians are descendants of the man Israel, and God has included the children of Ishmael, too. It is a difficult truth for many to hear, but the Hebrew University confirms DNA results along with several other leading academic research teams.
According to quotations from the Holy Bible which McIntosh read:
Jeremiah 3: 11-18 says in part, "The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel (Palestinian ancestors) is more righteous than unfaithful Judah (Jews). Go, proclaim this message toward the north: ‘Return, faithless Israel, (Palestinians) declares the Lord, ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord…At that time they will call Jerusalem “The Throne of the Lord”, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. In those days the people of Judah (Jews) will join the people of Israel (Palestinians), and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance."
Political Zionism is a foreign growth in the body of the Jewish people and several sects of Judaism reject it altogether. They actively seek justice for Palestinians, too. This same Zionism infected Christianity early on, and enslaved a powerful segment of the Christian community for the purpose of creating a greater Zionist state.
McIntosh called on the Zionist Israel to stop the collective punishment policies; tear down this Separation Wall built on stolen land and finally to stop stealing land in the name of God.
Violent confrontations were erupted Wednesday afternoon outside Ofer prison to the west of Ramallah during popular march to mark the 67th anniversary of Nakba (catastrophe).
Dozens of Palestinian youths marched towards Ofer prison in commemoration of Nakba anniversary. The clashes broke out when the protesters started stoning the Israeli soldiers and setting fire to tires in the vicinity of the prison.
In their turn, Israeli soldiers heavily fired tear gas bombs and rubber bullets towards the protesters. A number of them suffered breathing problems after inhaling tear gas canisters.
Dozens of Palestinian youths marched towards Ofer prison in commemoration of Nakba anniversary. The clashes broke out when the protesters started stoning the Israeli soldiers and setting fire to tires in the vicinity of the prison.
In their turn, Israeli soldiers heavily fired tear gas bombs and rubber bullets towards the protesters. A number of them suffered breathing problems after inhaling tear gas canisters.
A commemoration was held Wednesday by the Palestinian Embassy in Spain to mark the 67th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba.
Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Dr. Ziad Abu Amr briefed a group of Spanish journalists on the current state of affairs in the Palestinian territories and the repercussions of Israel’s hegemonic policies.
He spoke out against Israel’s dragging of its feet vis-à-vis the peace process and Palestinian statehood bids.
A lecture, outlining the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Nakba, was delivered by Abu Amr at the Central University of Madrid in the presence of official Spanish diplomats and students of political science and media.
Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Dr. Ziad Abu Amr briefed a group of Spanish journalists on the current state of affairs in the Palestinian territories and the repercussions of Israel’s hegemonic policies.
He spoke out against Israel’s dragging of its feet vis-à-vis the peace process and Palestinian statehood bids.
A lecture, outlining the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Nakba, was delivered by Abu Amr at the Central University of Madrid in the presence of official Spanish diplomats and students of political science and media.
The key is a symbol of the houses which Palestinians left as part of the Nakba.
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi: “The Nakba did not end with the creation of Israel; rather, it is an ongoing process that seeks to displace Palestine and replace it with ‘Greater Israel’ at the expense of its people and their rights.”
On the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the Nakba, PLO Executive Committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi stated:
"In 1948, Israel destroyed 531 Palestinian towns and villages and took control of an additional 774, and more than 800,000 Palestinians were forced to become refugees.
However, the Nakba (“catastrophe”) did not end with the creation of Israel; rather, it is an ongoing process that seeks to displace Palestine and replace it with ‘Greater Israel’ at the expense of its people and their rights. For the past sixty-seven years, Palestinians have been subjected to countless injustices and an ongoing cycle of violence, terror and war crimes, while Israel has pursued systematic and dehumanizing policies of military occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing.
These include Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise, apartheid walls and checkpoints, the demolition of Palestinian homes, structures and villages and the confiscation of land and resources in Jerusalem and Area C, the eviction of Palestinians from their homes, the revocation of Jerusalem IDs, the imprisonment of more than 6,000 Palestinian political prisoners, the implementation of racist and discriminatory laws, legislation and practices against the Palestinians, the targeting of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and its worshipers, and the continued siege on Gaza and the horrific wars waged on its people, among other violations of international law.
Palestinian people, whether the indigenous population in Israel or under occupation in the 1967 territories or in exile, remain vulnerable and continue to be victimized by Israel, as well as regional developments.
Currently, there are more than seven million Palestinian refugees residing in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in exile; the majority of them live in thirty-one refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. This Palestinian refugee crisis remains a disastrous problem that must be resolved and put to an end by the international community in accordance with international law and conventions, including the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194 (1948), the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).
In spite of Israel’s systematic and flagrant efforts to negate and erase our history, culture, heritage, and narrative, we will remain steadfast and resilient with our non-violent resistance and determined efforts to stay on our land.
The Palestinian leadership is committed to pursue diplomatic and multilateral initiatives to safeguard the rights of the Palestinian people and to ensure self-determination, independence and justice for all Palestinians. We will continue to join multilateral organizations and agencies and move forward to ensure accountability for Israel in the International Criminal Court and in other venues.
We are not accidents of history, and it is time for the tragic injustice of the Nakba and the grave suffering of the Palestinian people to end.”
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi: “The Nakba did not end with the creation of Israel; rather, it is an ongoing process that seeks to displace Palestine and replace it with ‘Greater Israel’ at the expense of its people and their rights.”
On the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the Nakba, PLO Executive Committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi stated:
"In 1948, Israel destroyed 531 Palestinian towns and villages and took control of an additional 774, and more than 800,000 Palestinians were forced to become refugees.
However, the Nakba (“catastrophe”) did not end with the creation of Israel; rather, it is an ongoing process that seeks to displace Palestine and replace it with ‘Greater Israel’ at the expense of its people and their rights. For the past sixty-seven years, Palestinians have been subjected to countless injustices and an ongoing cycle of violence, terror and war crimes, while Israel has pursued systematic and dehumanizing policies of military occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing.
These include Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise, apartheid walls and checkpoints, the demolition of Palestinian homes, structures and villages and the confiscation of land and resources in Jerusalem and Area C, the eviction of Palestinians from their homes, the revocation of Jerusalem IDs, the imprisonment of more than 6,000 Palestinian political prisoners, the implementation of racist and discriminatory laws, legislation and practices against the Palestinians, the targeting of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and its worshipers, and the continued siege on Gaza and the horrific wars waged on its people, among other violations of international law.
Palestinian people, whether the indigenous population in Israel or under occupation in the 1967 territories or in exile, remain vulnerable and continue to be victimized by Israel, as well as regional developments.
Currently, there are more than seven million Palestinian refugees residing in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in exile; the majority of them live in thirty-one refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. This Palestinian refugee crisis remains a disastrous problem that must be resolved and put to an end by the international community in accordance with international law and conventions, including the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194 (1948), the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).
In spite of Israel’s systematic and flagrant efforts to negate and erase our history, culture, heritage, and narrative, we will remain steadfast and resilient with our non-violent resistance and determined efforts to stay on our land.
The Palestinian leadership is committed to pursue diplomatic and multilateral initiatives to safeguard the rights of the Palestinian people and to ensure self-determination, independence and justice for all Palestinians. We will continue to join multilateral organizations and agencies and move forward to ensure accountability for Israel in the International Criminal Court and in other venues.
We are not accidents of history, and it is time for the tragic injustice of the Nakba and the grave suffering of the Palestinian people to end.”
Right of return remains ink on paper for Palestinians
In a massive protest march, thousands of Palestinians marched Wednesday, to late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s square in Ramallah, to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the Nakba which befell the Palestinian people in 1948.
The Nakba, an Arabic word for ‘catastrophe’, is the term given to the forced displacement or expulsion of some 800,000 Palestinian refugees before, during and since the creation of the state of Israel, WAFA reports.
Marked by Palestinians throughout the world every May 15th, the Nakba represents a historic injustice, where approximately 800,000 Palestinians or 67% of the Palestinian people by 1948, became refugees and approximately 418 Palestinian villages were depopulated and/or destroyed, said PLO Negotiations Affairs Department.
The events featured speeches delivered by key Palestinian officials, in addition to national musical performances by Palestinian traditional troupes. Protestors with Palestinian Keffiyeh draped around their shoulders hung up big banners stressing the Palestinian refugees’ internationally-recognized right to return to their homes they were expelled from and condemning the Nakba. Similar events were organized across the West Bank districts.
These events came a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed his coalition government which includes ministers who are honest about their racist and genocidal tendencies against the Palestinian people.
The newly-nominated Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked has called for murdering Palestinian mothers so that they do not bring out more ‘snakes’. Similarly, the Head of the Israeli Civil Administration Ben Dahan has openly supported ethnic cleansing and genocide.
In a press release, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) affirmed that having this new racist right-wing Israeli government formed, any call for the resumption of negotiations would be meaningless unless a deadline is set not for completing the negotiations, but for ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories that started in 1967.
The PLO slammed the Nakba as ‘the most heinous modern crime against humanity’ that the Zionist gangs perpetrated in an attempt to obliterate the existence of the Palestinian people and establish their entity by means of murder and intimidation.
“Over the last 67 years, Israel has been inflicting a Nakba ‘catastrophe’ upon the Palestinian people utilizing the same terrorist mentality that paved the way to its creation at the expense of the political rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination on the land of our forefathers,” the PLO said in the press release.
Meanwhile, Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights said, “The Nakba fundamentally altered Palestine. However the idea of forcible displacement of the indigenous Palestinian people did not end with the establishment of Israel in 1948, it rather started that year.”
“Since the Nakba almost every passing year has witnessed a wave of forcible displacement, whereby in some years the wave is higher than in others. So for instance during the year 1967, another 400,000 Palestinian became refugees,” added the center.
It stressed that, “Forced population transfer is illegal and has constituted an international crime since the Allied Resolution on German War Crimes, adopted in 1942. The strongest and most recent codification of the crime is found in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which clearly defines forcible transfer of population and implantation of settlers as war crimes.”
-- --
Andalou Agency further reports, via Al Ray, that sixty-seven years have now passed since the Palestinian Nakba and the forced eviction of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their ancestral homes and villages.
Nevertheless, the only UN resolution granting these Palestinians the right to return to their homes and villages continues to be mere ink on paper.
On Dec. 11, 1948, the UN General Assembly issued Resolution 194. Thirty-five UN member states approved the resolution, 15 rejected it and eight abstained from voting.
The resolution sent a ray of hope to Palestinians forcibly evicted from their villages after the creation of the state of Israel.
Nevertheless, year after year, this ray of hope has turned into frustration – and then fury – because of the failure to implement the resolution.
This failure boils down to the fact – among other things – that UN General Assembly resolutions are not binding.
Article 11 of the resolution says that refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date. It adds that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the government or authorities responsible.
This means that Resolution 194 directly recognized the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and villages, deeming this an important principle of international law.
It also gave refugees the freedom to choose whether or not to stay where they were or return to Palestine. Years passed and the Palestinians' hope of returning dimmed. Worse still, most of the refugees who were alive when the resolution was adopted are no longer living.
The Nakba generation is no longer alive today for the most part. They left this world holding onto the keys of the homes they left behind when they had to leave their land.
They also died as they waited for the UN resolution to be implemented.
"Every year, the UN General Assembly issues a recommendation for implementing Resolution 194," Raed Abu Badawieh, an international law professor at An-Najah National University in the West Bank city of Nablus, said.
He said the resolution calls for the return of the refugees and for compensating those who do not want to go back to their homes.
Abu Badawieh noted that soon after adopting the resolution, the UN founded two agencies to help the Palestinians, namely, the UNRWA and a mediation committee that sought to find a lasting solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.
"The committee stopped working, however, in the early 1960s," Abu Badawieh said. "This means that the UNRWA is about the only international agency working to help the Palestinian refugees."
He noted that the Palestinian Authority, which rules part of the occupied West Bank, keeps pressuring the international community to implement Resolution 194.
He added, however, that Palestinian refugees started to lose hope when peace negotiations kicked off in 1991, followed by the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.
"Oslo does not mention that Resolution 194 was one of its references," Abu Badawieh said. "On the contrary, it depends on other resolutions that do not refer to the Palestinians right of return."
Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Front, Wasil Abu Youssef, for his part, said the right of return was at the "heart" of the Palestinian issue.
"By the same token, nobody can disregard or abolish Resolution 194," Abu Youssef told Anadolu Agency. He said the resolution has never been implemented because of the international community's failure to put pressure on Israel in this regard.
Palestinians use the word Nakba to refer to the destruction of hundreds of cities and villages in historical Palestine and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their land by what Palestinians describe as Zionist groups and the subsequent establishment of Israel in 1948.
The Israel -Palestine conflict began in 1917 when the British government, in the now-famous "Balfour Declaration," called for "the establishment inPalestine of a national home for the Jewish people." In 1948, a newly-formed state inside historical Palestine – "Israel" – was established.
The Palestinian diaspora has since become one of the largest in the world. Palestinian refugees are now spread across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and other countries, while many settled in refugee camps in the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The right to return to their homes in historical Palestine remains a key demand for many Palestinians.
In a massive protest march, thousands of Palestinians marched Wednesday, to late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s square in Ramallah, to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the Nakba which befell the Palestinian people in 1948.
The Nakba, an Arabic word for ‘catastrophe’, is the term given to the forced displacement or expulsion of some 800,000 Palestinian refugees before, during and since the creation of the state of Israel, WAFA reports.
Marked by Palestinians throughout the world every May 15th, the Nakba represents a historic injustice, where approximately 800,000 Palestinians or 67% of the Palestinian people by 1948, became refugees and approximately 418 Palestinian villages were depopulated and/or destroyed, said PLO Negotiations Affairs Department.
The events featured speeches delivered by key Palestinian officials, in addition to national musical performances by Palestinian traditional troupes. Protestors with Palestinian Keffiyeh draped around their shoulders hung up big banners stressing the Palestinian refugees’ internationally-recognized right to return to their homes they were expelled from and condemning the Nakba. Similar events were organized across the West Bank districts.
These events came a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed his coalition government which includes ministers who are honest about their racist and genocidal tendencies against the Palestinian people.
The newly-nominated Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked has called for murdering Palestinian mothers so that they do not bring out more ‘snakes’. Similarly, the Head of the Israeli Civil Administration Ben Dahan has openly supported ethnic cleansing and genocide.
In a press release, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) affirmed that having this new racist right-wing Israeli government formed, any call for the resumption of negotiations would be meaningless unless a deadline is set not for completing the negotiations, but for ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories that started in 1967.
The PLO slammed the Nakba as ‘the most heinous modern crime against humanity’ that the Zionist gangs perpetrated in an attempt to obliterate the existence of the Palestinian people and establish their entity by means of murder and intimidation.
“Over the last 67 years, Israel has been inflicting a Nakba ‘catastrophe’ upon the Palestinian people utilizing the same terrorist mentality that paved the way to its creation at the expense of the political rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination on the land of our forefathers,” the PLO said in the press release.
Meanwhile, Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights said, “The Nakba fundamentally altered Palestine. However the idea of forcible displacement of the indigenous Palestinian people did not end with the establishment of Israel in 1948, it rather started that year.”
“Since the Nakba almost every passing year has witnessed a wave of forcible displacement, whereby in some years the wave is higher than in others. So for instance during the year 1967, another 400,000 Palestinian became refugees,” added the center.
It stressed that, “Forced population transfer is illegal and has constituted an international crime since the Allied Resolution on German War Crimes, adopted in 1942. The strongest and most recent codification of the crime is found in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which clearly defines forcible transfer of population and implantation of settlers as war crimes.”
-- --
Andalou Agency further reports, via Al Ray, that sixty-seven years have now passed since the Palestinian Nakba and the forced eviction of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their ancestral homes and villages.
Nevertheless, the only UN resolution granting these Palestinians the right to return to their homes and villages continues to be mere ink on paper.
On Dec. 11, 1948, the UN General Assembly issued Resolution 194. Thirty-five UN member states approved the resolution, 15 rejected it and eight abstained from voting.
The resolution sent a ray of hope to Palestinians forcibly evicted from their villages after the creation of the state of Israel.
Nevertheless, year after year, this ray of hope has turned into frustration – and then fury – because of the failure to implement the resolution.
This failure boils down to the fact – among other things – that UN General Assembly resolutions are not binding.
Article 11 of the resolution says that refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date. It adds that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the government or authorities responsible.
This means that Resolution 194 directly recognized the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and villages, deeming this an important principle of international law.
It also gave refugees the freedom to choose whether or not to stay where they were or return to Palestine. Years passed and the Palestinians' hope of returning dimmed. Worse still, most of the refugees who were alive when the resolution was adopted are no longer living.
The Nakba generation is no longer alive today for the most part. They left this world holding onto the keys of the homes they left behind when they had to leave their land.
They also died as they waited for the UN resolution to be implemented.
"Every year, the UN General Assembly issues a recommendation for implementing Resolution 194," Raed Abu Badawieh, an international law professor at An-Najah National University in the West Bank city of Nablus, said.
He said the resolution calls for the return of the refugees and for compensating those who do not want to go back to their homes.
Abu Badawieh noted that soon after adopting the resolution, the UN founded two agencies to help the Palestinians, namely, the UNRWA and a mediation committee that sought to find a lasting solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.
"The committee stopped working, however, in the early 1960s," Abu Badawieh said. "This means that the UNRWA is about the only international agency working to help the Palestinian refugees."
He noted that the Palestinian Authority, which rules part of the occupied West Bank, keeps pressuring the international community to implement Resolution 194.
He added, however, that Palestinian refugees started to lose hope when peace negotiations kicked off in 1991, followed by the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.
"Oslo does not mention that Resolution 194 was one of its references," Abu Badawieh said. "On the contrary, it depends on other resolutions that do not refer to the Palestinians right of return."
Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Front, Wasil Abu Youssef, for his part, said the right of return was at the "heart" of the Palestinian issue.
"By the same token, nobody can disregard or abolish Resolution 194," Abu Youssef told Anadolu Agency. He said the resolution has never been implemented because of the international community's failure to put pressure on Israel in this regard.
Palestinians use the word Nakba to refer to the destruction of hundreds of cities and villages in historical Palestine and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their land by what Palestinians describe as Zionist groups and the subsequent establishment of Israel in 1948.
The Israel -Palestine conflict began in 1917 when the British government, in the now-famous "Balfour Declaration," called for "the establishment inPalestine of a national home for the Jewish people." In 1948, a newly-formed state inside historical Palestine – "Israel" – was established.
The Palestinian diaspora has since become one of the largest in the world. Palestinian refugees are now spread across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and other countries, while many settled in refugee camps in the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The right to return to their homes in historical Palestine remains a key demand for many Palestinians.
The Islamic Movement in the 1948 occupied lands decided to organize a procession of 20 buses next Friday to transport Arab citizens from different occupied villages and towns in the Negev to the ethnically-cleansed village of Igzem.
About one thousand citizens are expected to participate in the day of return to Igzem, according to the organizers.
The event will take place at the invitation of Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement, who urged last Friday during a sermon in the Lakiya village the Arab citizens of the Negev to take part in the procession to Igzem.
About one thousand citizens are expected to participate in the day of return to Igzem, according to the organizers.
The event will take place at the invitation of Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement, who urged last Friday during a sermon in the Lakiya village the Arab citizens of the Negev to take part in the procession to Igzem.
