Palestine Note

West Bank crossings halt for Rosh Hashanah

Editor — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:28:00 GMT

Washington - The Israeli military announced that crossings in and out of the West Bank will be closed for four days during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, Ma'an News Agency reported Tuesday. The crossings are set to be closed on midnight September 7 to midnight September 11.

Israeli stop sign [Hoyasmeg - Flickr]

Tensions are particularly high given the recent Hebron attacks in which 4 Israeli settlers died and 2 were injured.

Medical officials, NGO workers and lawyers along with those in need of medical attention will be allowed entry into Israel, the report said.

This year, the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, coincides with Rosh Hashanah. The report noted that "special arrangements" will be made to accommodate the Islamic holiday, but did not specify what these arrangements would entail.

The Israeli military has imposed such restrictions in the past for official Jewish holidays as a security measure.

Rights groups coordinate massive flotilla

Editor — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:19:00 GMT

Washington - According to Israeli Hebrew-language daily Ma'ariv, rights groups are planning the "mother of all flotillas" to send aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, Ma'an News Agency reported Tuesday.

The Turkish-owned Mavi Marmara, above, was site of the worst violence during Israel's high-seas raid of the May 31 "Freedom Flotilla." 9 activists were killed by Israeli commandos. [Freegazaorg - Flickr]

The report read:

European Jews for a Just Peace is one of the organizers of the mission to send more than 30 ships to protest Israel's four-year blockade of the coastal enclave, Hebrew-language daily Ma'ariv reported.

An organizer said 1,000 activists from Spain, Greece, New Zealand, England, the US, Israel and Arab state would participate, Ma'ariv said.

The report added that Israeli-Swedish artist Dror Feiler would be amongst the passengers.

Feiler was onboard the 31 May flotilla which Israeli forces violently raided, killing nine passengers on board and sparking international condemnation. The UN is investigating the raid, which was launched in international waters.

Following the May 31 "Freedom Flotilla" raid, rights groups across the world vowed to send more ships to run the Gaza blockade. So far, no ship has successfully maneuvered past the Israeli navy.

Gaza has been under a tightened blockade since 2007. Select goods have been allowed in, and almost nothing has been allowed out. The severe isolation has crippled the economy and caused unemployment to sky rocket. Humanitarian authorities say Gaza is suffering a humanitarian crisis and the majority of Gazans are food aid-dependent.

Israeli ambassador 'ashamed' of child deportations

Editor — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:57:00 GMT

Washington - Former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dan Gillerman joined those protesting the government's decision to deport 400 children of foreign workers, Ynet reported Tuesday.

Canadian marchers demonstrate against the deportation of illegal laborers. [Lordiable - Flickr]

The children of 400 foreign workers who did not meet asylum criteria will be deported after the upcoming holidays, which kick off with Rosh Hashanah (Jewish new year) Wednesday.

Ynet quoted Gillerman about the deportations: "Even if it happens, and I hope it doesn't, I will be thanking God that I am not the one representing Israel at this time."

Foreign workers are not allowed to have children in Israel, and workers have been forced to choose between staying with their children and losing their visas. The deportation originally targeted a much larger number of children, but asylum requirements like proficiency in Hebrew and matriculation in Israel schools secured safe haven for some children but not all. Israel's foreign workers come from less developed places like the Philippines, China and African countries in order to earn a better living.

Interior Minister Eli Yishai has been a proponent of the deportation, prompting protestors Tuesday to carry signs saying, "Deport Eli Yishai."

The deportation issue has been divisive in Israel - Defense Minister Ehud Barak called it un-Jewish - and Gillerman said the move greatly tarnishes Israel's image. Ynet reported:

Gillerman added that during his stint at the UN he made great efforts to show Israel's positive side. "Such a move will destroy years of work and will present Israel as our enemies desire. This move is wrong and cruel and has elements which Judaism prohibits. I, as an Israeli, am ashamed."

Poets Roni Somek, Agi Mishol and Yehuda Atlas will be reading poems against the deportation during the protest.

Immigration Authority officials said Tuesday that they have not planned any special operations ahead of the deportation and noted that the 30-day countdown for those leaving voluntarily had begun on September 1. Migrants who have asked to stay and were rejected will have 30 days to leave the country beginning on the day their applications were rejected.

Interior Minister Eli Yishai sent a harsh letter to the attorney general on Tuesday demanding that an investigation be launched against Yoel Marshak, a senior official at the Kibbutz Movement who offered to hide kids facing deportation. "One cannot remain silent in the face of such a message of incitement and rebellion," Yishai wrote.

Egypt: ElBaradei calls for election boycott

Editor — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:35:00 GMT

Washington - Former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei has urged Egyptians to boycott the upcoming November parliamentary elections in order to challenge the stagnant regime of Hosni Mubarak that Egypt has endured for three decades. ElBaradei has stated that "anyone who participates in the vote either as a candidate or a voter goes against the national will," The Guardian reported Tuesday.

Mohamed ElBaradei has been hinted as a presidential candidate. [IAEA - Wikimedia Commons]

Current President Hosni Mubarak, 82, is said to be in deteriorating health and has not announced plans for re-election. It is speculated that his son Gamal, 47, is being prepared to succeed his father's presidency. ElBaradei has referred to Mubarak's presidency as a "decaying, nearly collapsing temple" and is optimistic that a regime change can occur within one year.

ElBaradei presides over the National Association for Change, a movement that seeks to end this political tradition of nepotism and strive for democracy and social justice. The report stated that the National Association for Change has compiled approximately 1 million signatures in support of ElBaradei's call for constitutional reform, and seeks to gain 2-3 million more signatures in the coming months. Unless these reforms take place, ElBaradei has stated that he will not stand in next year's elections.

ElBaradei has accused the current regime of launching a campaign against via Facebook. A photo of his daughter in a bathing suit with alcohol bottles was circulated on a Facebook page named "Secrets of the ElBaradei family," the report said. This page also referred to the ElBaradei family as atheists, a politically crippling accusation in dominantly Muslim country. The ruling National Democratic Party has denied any accusations of their involvement in this campaign, however.

ElBaradei has called for many reforms in order to create fair and free elections such as the repeal of Article 76 of the Egyptian constitution, which essentially bars independent candidates from running in elections.

ElBaradei has also called for the support of the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned but highly influential political opposition group. The Brother's leadership, however, remains divided on whether to support ElBaradei's boycott plea as the group's conservative members tend to avoid confrontational movements against the government.

ElBaradei stated that "civil disobedience is our last resort if demands for reform are not heeded," the BBC reported Tuesday.

The upcoming parliamentary elections are set to be held in November. Many political opposition groups have yet to decide on their support of ElBaradei's boycott.

PA asks for US intervention on settlements

Editor — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:15:00 GMT

Washington - Over the weekend, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he will pull out of direct negotiations with Israel if the settlement construction freeze, due to end Sept. 26, is not extended. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the Palestinian president has asked the US to step in on the settlement issue to keep talks on track.

Israeli settlements (like those above) are a major obstacle in direct negotiations, which began last week. [Farfuglinn - Flickr]

Palestinian and Israeli leadership held the first direct peace negotiations in Washington, DC last week since December 2008.

The Obama administration, which facilitated getting the both parties to the negotiating table as well as the peace talks themselves, has been conservative with information regarding the settlement freeze. Last week, it was reported US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to extend the settlement building freeze, but there was no further substantiation to that report.

Monday, AP said, Abbas asked that the US "intervene in the settlement issue.

"The U.S. will be present at the negotiations, not necessarily behind closed doors, but (U.S. mediators) can be inside the room, or outside," AP quoted Abbas.

PA official and member of the negotiations delegation Nabil Shaath said Tuesday that settlements will be a major issue for Israeli leadership to overcome.

"Some say he is not serious and practicing PR," Shaath was quoted telling reporters. He continued: "But we are going to test him on two imminent issues - the settlement slowdown and then at the negotiating table."

Netanyahu has indicated in recent weeks and months that he will not extend the settlement freeze. Doing so could cause him considerable political harm, as much of his ruling coalition and political support base is made up of pro-settlement factions.

Netanyahu said in a Rosh Hashanah (Jewish new year) address Tuesday that peace is not guaranteed by engaging the Palestinians, Haaretz reported. In his remarks, Netanyahu honed in, as he did in his remarks in Washington, on Palestinian recognition of Israel as Jewish state.

President Abbas reportedly told Palestinian daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi that such recognition is not on the Palestinian agenda. The Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, recognized the state of Israel during the Oslo peace process in the 1990s. The Palestinian leadership feels that recognition is sufficient, and recognizing Israel as a Jewish state undermines the rights of Palestinian Israelis and strengthens attempts to block the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

Netanyahu said in his address: "We are trying in good faith, but not naivety, to reach a peace agreement. Any arrangement between us and the Palestinians will be based on two criteria: security and recognition of Israel as a Jewish state."

Abbas said in Al-Quds interview, "I told them that this is their business and that they are free to call themselves whatever they want." But, "for us, there is the state of Israel and we won't recognize Israel as a Jewish state," the president said.

Middle East's largest flagpole planned for Bethlehem

Editor — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:42:00 GMT

Washington - The largest flagpole in the Middle East is currently planned to be set in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Ma'an News Agency reported Monday. A local radio station announced that it will fly a 65-meter Palestinian flag.

The Palestinian flag as it's seen today was created in 1964. [Perealbiac - Flickr]

Bethlehem was the city of choice so as to have the flag visible from Jerusalem, Hebron, Jericho, and Ramallah, the report said.

This idea emulated the largest flagpole in the world that flies the Arab Revolt flag located in Aqaba in southern Jordan. The flag of the Arab Revolt originated in World War I during which Arab nationalists revolted against the Ottoman Empire and was created by English diplomat Sir Mark Sykes. The horizontal green, black, and white stripes represent the Abbasid, Umayyad, and Fatimid caliphates, respectively. The red triangle represents the Hashemite dynasty. The Hashemites cooperated with the British against the Ottomans in World War I and were granted rule in what is currently known as The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Many Arab states including but not limited to Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait and Syria use some variation of the Arab Revolt flag as their own.

The flagpole is to be manufactured in Dubai and enter the West Bank via the Allenby Bridge. There is some fear regarding whether or not Israeli authorities will allow for this entry to occur, however.

King Abdullah II briefs Syrian president on peace talks

Editor — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:09:00 GMT

Washington - Jordan's King Abdullah II met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Monday to discuss the status of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks held in Washington, DC last week, Haaretz reported Monday.

Jordan's King Abdullah II (above) and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak were both invited to Washington to support the Israeli-Palestinian direct negotiations last week. [World Economic Forum - Flickr]

In DC, King Abdullah II met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak US President Barack Obama, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The King and President Assad discussed the importance of resolving the conflict in accordance with the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which grants Israel recogniztion by the all Arab states once peace brokering conditions are met.

King Abdullah II and President Assad also emphasized the need for the Arab states to foster pan-Arab cooperation in order "to cope with common challenges," the report said. The two heads of state agreed upon "coordination and consultation at the top level vis-à-vis the various bilateral and regional issues, in the best interest of both countries," The Jordan Times reported Tuesday. They expressed their support of a two-state solution as "the basis for comprehensive and just regional peace."

Syria and Jordan have been continuously working this past year to strengthen their economic ties, leading to a increase in commercial and tourist activity between the two states.

The second round of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks are scheduled to take place in Egypt on September 14 and 15.

'No peace without Gaza'

Editor — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:39:00 GMT

Washington - In an interview with Kuwaiti daily Ar-Ray Tuesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Gaza is key to any peace agreement with Israel, Ma'an News Agency reported Tuesday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Kuwaiti daily Ar-Ray Gaza will not be left out of the peace process. [Wikimedia Commons]

The Palestinian Authority will "not leave Gaza or the West Bank to Hamas or others," Abbas was quoted.

Abbas' comments to Ar-Ray came "after several high-ranking PLO officials had already confirmed that Gaza would be central to any peace deal," Ma'an said.

Ma'an continued:

“Everybody knows the circumstances that led to the coup and to rivalry. We decided to avoid any armed confrontation with our brothers, and instead we will try to end rivalry through dialogue," he said.

Abbas rebuffed criticism by Arab leaders over his decision to re-enter negotiations, a move not endorsed by all factions within the PLO.

"Let [Israel] wage war and we will be at the front lines, but we don't want them to chose to wage their war against ... the Intifada which erupted in 2000 destroyed all that we built and what was built by our predecessors," Abbas said.

Countering criticism, Abbas further said the Ramallah-based leadership had “played the role of mediator to launch indirect negotiations between Israel and Syria to be sponsored by Turkey.”

Direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority were re-launched in Washington, DC last week. The two leaderships had not met face-to-face for peace talks since December 2008. Those talks broke down when Israel launched a 22-day assault on the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,400 Palestinians. This time around, settlements are the major obstacle, as Palestinian leadership has vowed to back out of negotiations if the building moratorium in place until Sept. 26 is not extended.

President Abbas was quoted Monday as saying he asked the US "to intervene in the settlement issue."

Abbas: 'We won't recognize Israel as a Jewish state'

Editor — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:44:00 GMT

Washington - After Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's declaration of "historic compromise" between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to effect a peace deal while in Washington, DC last week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed and denied many of the prime minister's compromise issues, The Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday.

The president made his comments in an interview with Al-Quds newspaper, JPost said.

Abbas said no compromises would be made on Jerusalem or borders, the report said. The Palestinian president said further that the Palestinians would not recognize Israel as a Jewish state (the PLO, the official representative of the Palestinian people, recognized the state of Israel in the 90s):

"We're not talking about a Jewish state and we won't talk about one," Abbas said in an interview with the semi-official Al-Quds newspaper. "For us, there is the state of Israel and we won't recognize Israel as a Jewish state."

Abbas elaborated, saying that in meetings with Jewish community leaders in the US, he had already made it plain that recognizing Israel as a Jewish state was not on the Palestinian agenda. Abbas was quoted: "I told them that this is their business and that they are free to call themselves whatever they want ... But [I told them] you can't expect us to accept this."

Abbas said the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is a means to strip Palestinian-Israelis of their rights, JPost reported. President Abbas continued, saying it is also an attempt by PM Netanyahu to block Palestinian refugees from returning to homes and lands inside Green-Line Israel lost in 1948, the report said.

As many Palestinian Authority (PA) officials have mentioned before, Abbas also addressed the prospect of dismantling the PA, created during the Oslo peace process in the 1990s. Abbas said dismantling the PA is possible is the peace talks go nowhere.

"However, he stressed that this option was not on the table at present," JPost said.

Above: Israeli flag [Templar 1307 - Flickr]

Peace could cost $50b

Editor — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:30:00 GMT

Egypt FM says PA could get billions in compensation

Washington - Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told Cairo's official news agency Tuesday that a Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement could cost the international community $40-50 billion, mostly to ensure the sustainability of the Palestinian state, Ynet news reported.

The funds would also go toward compensation for lands and services lost the building of the Palestinian state, the report said.

Sunday Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was reported to have told Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that without an extension to the settlement construction freeze (due to end Sept. 26), the Palestinians would pull out of negotiations. Aboul Gheit said settlements will be "the first test to Israel earnest in the process," Ynet quoted.

The report continued:

The volatile issue, he added, may bring about the end of the negotiations if it is not handles properly, since "the Palestinians are sure to halt the talks if the (freeze) in not extended.

"I have been hearing many good things about the good intentions of senior Israeli officials, but that has to be translated into viable negotiation stands on the ground," he concluded.

The first round of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority since December 2008 were held in Washington, DC last week. The next round are slated for Sept. 14-15 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Above: US 50 and 100 dollar bills [Jtyerse - Flickr]

US group to send aid plane to Gaza

Editor — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:19:00 GMT

Washington - This summer has been filled with sea-bound aid convoys, but now a US pro-Palestine group plans to send an aid plane to the beleaguered Gaza Strip, Ma'an News Agency reported Sunday.

"We intend to send an aircraft to Gaza in much the same way boats were used -- without going through Israeli or Egyptian airspace," Ma'an quoted Paul Larudee, an organizer for the aid flight.

The California-based Free Palestine Movement is sponsoring the aerial aid mission.

Ma'an continued:

Authorities in Gaza are supportive of the initiative and are working to locate a landing site, Larudee said. Gaza's now-defunct Yasser Arafat International Airport is not being considered, he told Ma'an.

In the meantime, Free Palestine Movement officials will look for a plane designed for rough landings and takeoffs such as those used in Alaska and other locales lacking proper aviation facilities, Larudee said. The plan is to send a light aircraft equipped with material sometime in the spring of 2011, after the next sea voyage.

"Breaking the blockade by air may be even more feasible than by sea. An aircraft cannot be boarded while in flight, and the right aircraft can land almost anywhere in Gaza," a statement on the group's website says.

Israel has been successful so far this summer in thwarting all attempts to break the blockade of Gaza, and Israeli authorities are unsure of how to block this attempt without causing casualties, Israeli daily Haaretz reported:

The current initiative to send an aircraft into Gaza poses a unique security challenge as it would be difficult for Israeli forces to intercept an airplane without causing casualties. However, diplomatic pressure could still thwart the mission.

Above: TWA experimental prop plane [Steve Lodefink - Wikimedia Commons]

Lieberman vows resumed construction

Editor — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:05:00 GMT

Israeli FM says he will ensure settlement freeze ends

Washington - Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman said Monday that his right-wing Yisrael Beitenu party would block any moves to extend the settlement construction freeze in place until Sept. 26, AFP news agency reported.

Lieberman told Israeli army radio, "there is no need to extend the freeze," AFP said. He continued, explaining that his party could ensure settlement building resumes: "Yisrael Beitenu has enough power in the government and in parliament to ensure that no such proposal succeeds."

The Palestinian Authority has said repeatedly that settlement expansion will mean the end to direct peace negotiations, and President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly told Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu personally that Palestine will pull out of the peace talks unless the settlement building freeze is extended.

AFP added:

The negotiations "will last through this month and, if the Israeli government extends the decision to halt settlements, then we will continue the negotiations. If they do not, then we will walk out," the Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam quoted Abbas as saying.

Lieberman has already reported a pessimistic view of the peace talks, AFP reported:

On Sunday, Lieberman reportedly brushed off the latest round of talks, from which he has been largely sidelined.

"I do not believe that a comprehensive agreement with the Palestinians is possible within a year, nor even during the next generation," he told Yisrael Beitenu members at a party function, according to army radio.

Direct peace talks, which the Palestinians broke off when Israel launched a devastating offensive against the Islamist-ruled Gaza Strip in December 2008, resumed in Washington on Thursday with the target of a deal within a year.

Above: Israeli FM Avidgor Lieberman [Wikimedia Commons], left, and an Israeli settlement [DaveH - Flickr]

Hollywood joins Ariel boycott

Editor — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:45:00 GMT

Washington - According to Jewish Voice for Peace, more than 150 stage and screen performers have sign a letter supporting Israeli actors who refused to perform in the West Bank settlement of Ariel, The Associated Press reported Monday.

"Sex and the City" actress Cynthia Nixon is among the supports of the Ariel actors boycott. [Daniella Stanek - Wikimedia Commons]

Among the signatories are actresses Vanessa Redgrave and "Sex and the City" star Cynthia Nixon along with playwright Tony Kushner.

Jewish Voice for Peace organized the letter of support.

AP continued its report:

A group of Israeli actors sparked a vocal debate in Israel last month when they said they would refuse to perform at a new theater in the settlement of Ariel. They aimed to protest Israeli control of the West Bank.

The actors' boycott drew support from a group of 150 Israeli academics and dozens of authors, including well-known writers Amos Oz and David Grossman.

A statement from Jewish Voice for Peace quoted by Israeli daily Ynet read:

"On August 27th, dozens of Israeli actors, directors, and playwrights made the brave decision not to perform in Ariel, one of the largest of the West Bank settlements, which by all standards of international law are clearly illegal. As American actors, directors, critics and playwrights, we salute our Israeli counterparts for their courageous decision.

"Most of us are involved in daily compromises with wrongful acts," the petition noted. "When a group of people suddenly have the clarity of mind to see that the next compromise looming up before them is an unbearable one, and when they somehow find the strength to refuse to cross that line – we can't help but be overjoyed and inspired and grateful.

"It's thrilling to see that these Israeli theater artists have refused to allow their work to be used to normalize a cruel occupation which they know to be wrong, which violates international law and which is impeding the hope for a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike. They made a wonderful decision and they deserve the respect of people everywhere who dream of justice. We stand with them."

Most of the signatories are Jewish, Ynet reported:

Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace Rebecca Vilkomerson said: "The response of American and UK artists to the actions of their courageous Israeli counterparts is just phenomenal. It is especially notable that so many of the signatories are Jewish with long-standing connections to Israel."

She further added, "We hope that the strong show of solidarity will help spark a new conversation in both countries, one that acknowledges that the Jewish settlements in the occupied territories are illegal by every measure of international law, contribute to the daily violation of human rights of Palestinians, and are a major obstacle to a just peace in the region."

Erekat: Hamas could make peace with Israel

Editor — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:22:00 GMT

Washington - Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Israel's Army Radio Sunday that Islamist group Hamas could accept a peace agreement with Israel if core Palestinian issues are resolved, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Saeb Erekat, right, engages Israeli President Shimon Peres, left, in 2007. [World Economic Forum - Flickr]

Erekat said further that for Israel "it is now time for decisions, not for negotiations" where the extension of the settlement construction freeze is concerned. Erekat has said repeatedly that Israel must choose between settlements and peace.

Those "core issues" include borders for the future Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem, the right of return for Palestinian refugees, prisoners in Israeli jails, water rights, and security, JPost said.

The report continued:

Erekat and other PA officials warned that the talks would be suspended if the government resumed construction in the settlements.

“If they continue with settlement construction, they will close the door to negotiations,” he cautioned.

“Settlements and peace can’t go together.”

The Palestinians hoped that Israel would do what it did in Sinai and the Gaza Strip, when it evacuated settlements, Erekat said.

“Israel destroyed settlements in the Gaza Strip and Sinai, and we hope that this experience will be repeated for the third time in the West Bank,” he said.

2 dead in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes

Editor — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:08:00 GMT

Washington - Two bodies have been uncovered after Israeli warplanes bombed southern Gaza overnight, Gaza medical officials told Ma'an News Agency Sunday.

Israeli warplanes fly overhead. [Shemer - Flickr]

The Israeli military told Ma'an the airstrikes came in response to a projectile fired into the Negev Saturday. The projectile caused no damage or injury.

The report continued:

Gaza medical services spokesman Adham Abu Silmiyya said the body of 19-year-old Khalil Muhammad Al-Hattab from Al-Bureij refugee camp was found in the tunnel area in Rafah. One person is still missing, he added.

Earlier, Abu Slimiyya said the body of 35-year-old Khalid Abdul-Karim Al-Khatib from the Bureij refugee camp was evacuated from the site of the air raids and transferred to the Abu Yousef An-Najjar Hospital in Rafah.

A Gaza Health Ministry spokesman said three injured people also arrived at Abu Yousef An-Najjar and the An-Nasser hospitals shortly after the airstrikes on tunnels in the As-Salam neighborhood of Rafah and the nearby Khan Younis area. The airstrikes targeted three areas in total, medics and security officials said.

The airstrikes targeted Gaza's tunnel network in the south. The statement from the Israeli military said targets for the air raid included "a tunnel designed for the infiltration of terrorists into Israel in order to carry out terror attacks against soldiers and civilians," Ma'an quoted.

The military added that the air raid was also in response to a series of shootings in the West Bank last week that killed four Israeli settlers and injured two others. The attacks were claimed by Hamas' militant wing, but the Islamist group's political apparatus, which controls Gaza, insisted it had no part in the shootings.

Abbas: No talks without freeze

Editor — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:51:00 GMT

Palestinian Pres. tells Israeli PM talks will fail unless freeze extended

Washington - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has informed Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that he will pull out of direct negotiations unless Israel extends its settlement building moratorium, due to end Sept. 26, The Associated Press reported Sunday.

According to Ma'an News and AP: "Abbas told PLO activists in Libya late Saturday that 'if the freeze period is not extended by the end of the month, there will be no negotiations'."

Abbas also told the PLO members that he has made this point clear to PM Netanyahu. The first direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leadership were held Thursday Sept. 2 in Washington, DC. The next round is scheduled for Sept. 14-15 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Netanyahu has indicated in the past he will not extend the building freeze, and doing so could cost him serious political capital - much of his support and ruling coalition is made up of pro-settlement expansion factions.

It was reported Friday that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Netanyahu to extend the freeze, but no further comment came from that report. The Palestinian Authority has said repeatedly that settlements will be the death blow to peace negotiations.

Settlements are one of the most visible issues in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Considered illegal installation of an occupying population on occupied territory under international law, much of the international community condemns Israeli settlements and supports the building freeze. The building freeze, begun in November 2009, has been widely violated in observant areas and has unobserved completely in East Jerusalem and areas administratively designated East Jerusalem by Israeli authorities.

Settlements are a key impediment to the two state solution, as they prevent the determination of borders for the future Palestinian state.

Above: Bulldozer, left, President Mahmoud Abbas, right [Wikimedia Commons]

Abbas slams Ahmadinejad for Palestine comments

Editor — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:29:00 GMT

Washington - In response to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's criticism of the Palestinian Authority reentering direct negotiations with Israel, the Palestinian President's office lashed out Saturday, saying Ahmadinejad has no right to comment on Palestine.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [Daniella Zalcman - Flickr]

AFP news agency reported Saturday:

The Iranian president, "who does not represent the Iranian people, who falsified elections and took power by fraud does not have the right to talk about Palestine, its president or its representatives," Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rodeina said in a statement distributed by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

"We are defending our national rights and interests" and will not allow anyone to "threaten us or question the legitimacy of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation" led by president Mahmud Abbas, Rodeina added.

Celebrating Jerusalem Day in Iran Friday, Ahmadinejad called Abbas a hostage of Israel, the report said, and further remarked that Abbas has no right to make concessions in the name of the Palestinian people.

The report continued:

"What do they want to negotiate about? Who are they representing? What are they going to talk about?" Ahmadinejad asked rhetorically about Abbas' negotiating team during a rally Friday in Tehran.

"Who gave them the right to sell a piece of Palestinian land? The people of Palestine and the people of the region will not allow them to sell even an inch of Palestinian soil to the enemy. The negotiations are stillborn and doomed."

Jerusalem Day was launched by Ayatollah Khomenini in 1979 to celebrate international Muslim solidarity for Palestine on the last Friday of Ramadan.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad supporters also celebrated the event in Gaza, condemning the negotiations. Hamas has said repeatedly Abbas does not have the authority to cede any part of Jerusalem.

Israeli, Palestinian reps to meet in Jericho Monday

Editor — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:10:00 GMT

Washington - Following the first face-to-face sit-down between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in 20 months and an agreement to meet again Sept. 14-15 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, representatives from both sides will meet to further the peace process agenda, Ynet news reported Saturday.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Mideast envoy George Mitchell, left, sat down with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, at the State Department Thursday [State Department]

Nabil Shaath, senior Palestinian official and Fatah Central Committee member with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Washington this week, told Ramallah newspaper al-Ayyam Friday that members of the Washington peace talk delegations would meet in Jericho Monday, the report said.

Ynet continued:

In an interview with the Ramallah-based al-Ayyam newspaper, Shaath also revealed details from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' meeting Thursday.

The Palestinian delegation would be led by chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, while the Israeli delegation would be headed by Netanyahu's advisor, Attorney Yitzhak Molcho. According to Erekat, the meeting would be held in the presence of an American representative.

Shaath said the meeting would be held in preparation of the second round of talks between the parties, which would be held on September 14 and 15 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, and which would be attended by Netanyahu, Abbas and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

He added that US President Barack Obama informed Abbas of his plan to visit the region in a bid to advance the peace process. He made it clear, however, that a date for such a visit had yet to be set.

Shaath noted that Obama had stressed the American commitment to an independent Palestinian state and his perception that this was a US interest.

According to Shaath, the Israeli team clarified that the freeze would end on September 30 rather than on September 26, giving both sides additional time for preparation meetings.

In his opening remarks Thursday, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu honed in on Israel's security needs as paramount to negotiations. Shaath further explained that security would be the first issue under discussion in the negotiations, Ynet said.

Speaking with Cyprus' foreign minister Marcos Kyprianou Friday, Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman said, "I prefer to focus all our efforts on security and economic issues," explained that a resolution may not be possible for "emotional conflict" like Jerusalem and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

Lieberman said, "the best or realistic approach is a long-term intermediate agreement or solution." Palestinian leadership has commented that after signing the Oslo accords in the 90s, they will never be a party to an intermediate agreement again.

President Abbas and PM Netanyahu have agreed to meet bi-weekly for the duration of the talks. President Barack Obama hopes to have a peace agreement signed within a year.

The report continued:

According to Shaath, Abbas briefed Netanyahu on the stage the parties had reached on each of the issues. He added that Netanyahu had expressed an interest in everything Abbas had to say and had written it all down.

The Palestinian official admitted that there remained a deep dispute on the settlement issue, adding that the Israelis had made it clear that it would be difficult to extend the construction freeze, "while we view it as a material fact."

He stressed that it would be impossible to continue the negotiations should the settlement construction be resumed. "We have made out stand clear on this matter," he said.

Rocket fired into Israel from Gaza

Editor — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:09:00 GMT

Washington - An projectile exploded in the western Negev Saturday, Haaretz reported.

Exploded ordinance [Flyk3r - Flickr]

No injuries have been reported. Projectiles launched from Gaza into southern Israel are not uncommon and frequently not the work of Hamas. It is not clear if Israel will respond to the rocket, but in the past projectiles launched into the Negev have elicited a strong response from Israel - usually Israeli warplanes striking sites across Gaza and the tunnel networks in Gaza's south.

No group has claimed Saturday's projectile, but Haaretz said the rocket comes as Hamas militants claimed a series of deadly shootings targeting settlers this week.

The Israeli military warned Thursday that Israelis could see "a possible wave of attacks as Hamas militants try to sabotage Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts," Haaretz said.

"There may be more attacks," Haaretz quoted Brig. Gen. Nitzan Alon on Army Radio. "We knew opposition elements like Hamas would try to carry out attacks to try and disrupt the diplomatic process."

However Hamas has said the shootings are not related to the peace negotiations, which the Hamas political apparatus opposes.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Thursday: "Operations of resistance will continue and the measures by the occupation and Fatah will not block them."

Hamas defends targeting settlers

Editor — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:39:00 GMT

Politburo official: settlers are military targets

Washington - After a series of shootings this week targeting Israeli settlers and claimed by Hamas' militant wing, a member of the Hamas politburo defended the attacks, saying settlers are legitimate military targets.

Politburo member Ezzat al-Rashk made the comments to Arabic-language newspaper Al-Hayat, Haaretz said.

Hamas' political apparatus has praised the shootings and has insisted its non-involvement, saying the militant wing, Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, can plan attacks independent of the political wing.

Haaretz reported Saturday:

"Attacking settlers is a natural thing," al-Rashk told Al-Hayat on Saturday, saying the "Zionist settlers are the occupation's first reserve military force."

"They are now a real army in every sense of the word, with more than 500,000 automatic weapons at their disposal, on top of the basic protection by the [Israel Defense Forces]," the Hamas official said.

Al-Rashk also referred to the ongoing attempt to relaunch talks between Israel and the PA, saying they were noting more "than a media circus through which the U.S. administration wants to market its policy."

Another Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, the organization's Lebanon spokesperson, told the London-based newspaper that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was willing to forfeit "99 percent of the Palestinians' rights, saying negotiations were over before they even began.

Hamas has also insisted that the shootings are not related to the peace process, which the Islamist group has condemned.

Above: Hamas militants [MATEUS - Flickr]

One solution: Two states

Lara Friedman — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:55:00 GMT

WASHINGTON, DC - The steady march of settlements, the rightward shift in Israeli politics, the growing sense that a conflict-ending peace agreement is impossible - all these things are feeding some pundits' impulse to declare the death of the two-state solution as a means of ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But what are the alternatives?

Some support a "one-state" solution. Anti-Zionists and some post-Zionists imagine a Palestinian-majority, secular, democratic state; some Israeli right-wingers envision Israel annexing the West Bank, using ploys to disenfranchise its Palestinian residents and finally getting rid of Gaza.

Both visions are illusions. No Israeli government will dissolve the State of Israel. And Israel will never be able to justify, even to its closest allies, formalising its own version of apartheid in the West Bank while turning Palestinians in Gaza into a futureless, stateless people imprisoned on the edge of the Sinai.

Others want to revive interest in the "make-the-Palestinians-someone-else's-problem" scenario, popular in Israel in the 1970s and 1980s with slogans like "Jordan is Palestine" and "Gaza is Egypt."

But this, too, is an illusion. Neither Egypt nor Jordan will willingly collude in killing the dream of Palestine. Neither will take on Palestinian populations that would almost certainly be destabilising, domestically and regionally. Neither will agree to Israel annexing East Jerusalem. And any effort by Israel to force the issue - by trying to dump Gaza in Egypt's lap and force parts of the West Bank on Jordan - would likely cost Israel its peace treaties with both countries.

Still others are adopting a "variation-on-the-status-quo" approach. They suggest that the current situation can be tweaked to be bearable for both sides, until Israelis and Palestinians evolve to the point where a permanent, conflict-ending agreement is possible.

This idea is disconnected from reality. The occupation cannot be neutered by clever arrangements. Any continuation of the status quo, however tweaked, will lead inevitably to more settlement expansion and a deepening of Israel's hold on East Jerusalem - to the point that even if the hoped-for sea changes someday occurred in both societies, there would be nothing left for the newly enlightened peoples to negotiate.

And finally, a growing number of Israelis are advocating the "no solution" paradigm. This is the view that there is simply no way of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Like the others, the "no solution" paradigm is an illusion - the product of the fact that the status quo is generally quite bearable for most Israelis. It reflects an almost child-like belief that the situation is static - that the status quo will endure even if Israel signals that it has no intention of ending the occupation. It assumes that Palestinians denied even the hope of a political horizon, will not abandon restraint and fight harder and more violently for their freedom. It assumes that the de facto détente that Israel has achieved with the Arab world won't crumble.

Because things generally seem to get worse in the Middle East, we often forget that they can also change for the better. Today, 32 years after Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's 1978 visit to Jerusalem, which heralded the beginning of the land-for-peace era, and 17 years after the Oslo Accords, which signalled the birth of the two-state paradigm, there are those who argue that the land-for-peace and two-state paradigms are as fantastical as the others. They are wrong.

The two-state solution is still possible, even if it becomes harder to imagine - and to implement - with each passing day. And it is the only option that holds the promise of anything other than a permanent state of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, and between Israel and the Arab world. Israelis and Palestinians seem to recognise this - polls show that majorities of both populations still support the two-state solution, even as each doubts the seriousness of the other side's commitment to achieving it. Recent polling shows that majorities in the Arab world feel the same and recognise that if the two-state solution is gone, the most likely result will be intense conflict.

Those of us who care about the future of Israel and the Palestinians should be doing everything we can to capitalise on this realism and to realise the two-state solution, before the opportunity is truly lost. And we should be pushing back hard against casual talk about post-two-state paradigms - because the "alternatives" are just illusions.

This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) with permission from the author.

Hope for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Aziz Abu Sarah — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:51:00 GMT

JERUSALEM - There many reasons to be pessimistic and at times to despair about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet even when things look hopeless, hope has a way of appearing, offering a vision of what can be rather than what is. Recently, I caught a glimpse of this hope in an unlikely place - the Israeli health care system.

In December, I went for a routine check-up with my family doctor in east Jerusalem and received the news everyone fears - I had cancer. What had seemed like a small lump in my neck was in fact thyroid cancer - devastating news for someone in his late 20's. I was quickly scheduled for surgery and given a date of May 17.

I immediately called my close friend Dr. Adel Misk, a Palestinian neurologist from east Jerusalem. Misk works in both Israeli and Palestinian hospitals, treating Palestinians and Israelis alike. He referred me to his colleague, Dr. Shila Nagar, a Jewish Israeli endocrinologist.

When Misk referred me to Nagar, he was not thinking in terms of Palestinians and Israelis, but rather in terms of which specialist could best treat me. He was not concerned about her religious practices or political opinions. He was only concerned about her track record as a doctor.

In the waiting room outside Nagar's office, I could not help but notice how many Palestinians were there. It did not bother them that she was Jewish, just like Misk's Jewish patients do not mind that he is Palestinian. All the stereotypes and fences of nationalist fervour were replaced with basic survival instincts.

I shared my thoughts about Israeli-Palestinian medical cooperation with Nagar, who told me a story of a Jewish friend of hers who had prostate problems. One night he was suffering from a painful blockage and went to the emergency room. The doctor on duty was an Arab woman. He was not pleased: It is doubly bad, he thought, an Arab and a woman. At first he refused to let her treat him; however, as the pain increased he changed his mind and called her in. Years later this Arab woman is his permanent doctor and a close friend. This personal experience was Nagar's example of how humanity (and physical necessity!) can overcome nationalism.

Fast forward to the day of my surgery. In an ironic twist of fate, here I was, a Palestinian journalist, draped in a hospital gown covered in Stars of David. I was stressed and fearful. Yet none of these emotions had to do with the nationality of my doctors or the pattern on my hospital gown. I was afraid of the surgery, and the possibility of not waking up again. However, when I was brought to the operating room, I was again given another dose of hope.

I had two surgeons, a Palestinian Arab and an Israeli Jew. The anaesthesiologist was an extremely experienced and competent Russian who joked with me until I fell asleep. My life was in the hands of an ideal team.

Meanwhile, my family waited outside. My wife and mother were both in tears, and later told me that a Jewish woman waiting for news of her relative's surgery comforted them.

In the midst of the hatred, anger and bitterness of the conflict, you can still find glimpses of goodness. Unfortunately this light often passes unnoticed. Yet it offers a practical example of the dream we all share, of a future where we can live safe and full lives without fear of injury.

My surgery went extremely well, and I recovered quickly. Moreover, through this painful experience, I caught a glimmer of hope in what seems like a hopeless environment. I have many criticisms of Israeli policies and politics, but the functioning universal health care system in Israel and its ability to separate politics from medicine earns my praise.

This is not to say that the system is perfect. Like any future Israel and Palestine might share, there is the possibility of getting distracted by issues of insurance and bureaucracy. However, when it matters most, Israeli and Palestinian doctors share a commitment to human life regardless of ethnicity, religion or nationality. Moreover, when it comes time to choose doctors, we base our choice on who is mostly likely to promote human life. If only we voted on the same basis!

Unfortunately, I had to experience the health care system personally before being able to appreciate this example of what Israelis and Palestinians can achieve. Despite the pain and suffering, I am grateful to have discovered such a hidden treasure of humanity at its best.

Republished from the Common Ground News Service (CGNews)

Source: Jerusalem Post, www.jpost.com

Avoid the misunderstandings to get to peace

Ray Hanania — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:07:00 GMT

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House with President Obama, they were careful not to make fun of Obama, whose popularity is lower than his bow to the king of Saudi Arabia.

Netanyahu didn't ask Obama if he celebrates Ramadan, and Abbas didn't call Obama a "Zionist hack." Those were good things that came out of the first face-to-face talks in two years. But they need to make sure to avoid creating misunderstandings as were created at Camp David, when Ehud Barak thought he offered a real peace deal to Yasser Arafat, and Arafat thought that peace was based on meeting face-to-face.

Misunderstandings, in fact, have been the major cause of most of the conflicts in the Middle East. Just look at the history

The history of Arab-Israeli relations is filled with misunderstandings, even before the misunderstanding that took place last July when Israeli and Lebanese forces exchanged fire over the trimming of a Cypress tree.

In 1948, it was all just a misunderstanding when Jewish immigrants from Europe arrived in Israel and declared their own state. They thought they were in New York where the Jewish population was vibrant and the Arabs of New York, who were all called "Syrians," welcomed the Jews with open arms.

In 1956, Israel launched an assault on the Suez Canal and captured the Sinai when someone yelled in a Tel Aviv coffee shop "The Egyptians are claiming that since the Hebrews left Egypt, they have no right of return."

In 1967, Egyptian president Gamal Abdul Nasser yelled about "driving the Jews in to the sea." But the Egyptian dialect is filled with heavy with guttural-based sounds easily misunderstood. What Nasser really said was he wanted to drive the Jews "to" the sea.

In 1973, Egypt's President Anwar Sadat attacked Israel because he thought it was the "Day of Kipper," which is his favorite fish; and you can't get a great Kipper dish anywhere else in the Middle East except in Israel, although there is Nasrallah's café off Shadeed Street in South Beirut. But Egyptians are less desired there than the Israelis.

When Yasser Arafat, Bill Clinton and Ehud Barak were at Camp David, Arafat felt uncomfortable being at a hotel named after the Hebrew King David. Arafat was concerned because he recalled that Jewish resistance fighters had blown up the King David Hotel 53 years earlier. Maybe Clinton could have hosted the peace talks on more neutral ground, like in Beirut where both Arafat and Barak would both fear for their lives together.

Arafat did feel slightly snubbed when Barak refused to meet with him face-to-face at Camp David. No one explained to Arafat that Barak spent most of his days at Camp David at the local boutiques checking out the new dresses. Israelis know that prime ministers don't last long and can be quickly out of a job and he might have to return to hunting down Israel's most wanted.

When Ariel Sharon walked upon the Haram al ash-Sharif in 2000, he made a declaration that so many Arabs simply misunderstood. Sharon said Jerusalem will always be the "capitol" of Israel, he was using the word "capital" which referenced the city's monetary value.

The 2nd Intifada began with a misunderstanding, too, when a Palestinian heard that the Israelis had decided that instead of returning the West Bank they were going to keep all of it. Wanting to make sure they had everything, a Palestinian picked up a stone and tossed it towards the Israelis in a gesture of cooperation, yelling "Don't forget this piece of the West Bank."

Even the Gaza War in 2008 began with a misunderstanding. Hamas was abiding, for the most part, to the truce or "Lull" with Israel that summer. So in honor of having dramatically cut back the number of Qassam Rockets fired at Israeli civilians, Hamas decided to celebrate with their own fireworks display, shooting off Chinese-made bottle rockets. Of course, Hamas never mailed the celebratory invites to the Israelis, who saw the Chinese bottle rockets as being more of a deadlier threat than the Qassams.

Oy Vey. That's all one can say in the Middle East. Although that is a misunderstanding, too. The guy who said the phrase wasn't declaring anguish but merely trying to get his donkey, named Oy, turn to the right, or go "that way."

Misunderstandings. They happen all the time. Like when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised the Palestinians that he would "freeze" all the settlements. He meant he was going to buy air conditioners for all the settlers, a promise he said would be completed by Sept. 26.

And when Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas refused to negotiate with the Israelis until those settlements are frozen, he was merely waiting for the temperature in the settlements to chill, because the settlers because they are such an emotional people. Step one foot on "their" land and they go berserk, twisting their beards into braided knots.

Of course, the worst moment was when an Israeli negotiator told an Arab negotiator at the very first peace talks back in 1993, "If you compromise, we can both live in peace."

The Arab responded angrily, rejecting compromise and declaring, "No Jew is going to tell me what to do!"

Behind the Israeli wall: A lesson in reality

Ramzy Baroud — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:04:00 GMT

Writers often romanticize their subjects. At times they even manipulate their readers. A book - or any piece of writing for that matter - is meant to provide a sense of completion. Sociological explanations are offered to offset the confusion caused by apparent inconsistency in human behavior. At times a reader is asked to take a stance, or choose sides.

This is especially true in writings which deal with compelling human experiences. In Behind the Wall: Life, Love and Struggle in Palestine (Potomac Books, 2010), Rich Wiles undoubtedly directs his readers, although implicitly, towards taking a stance. But he is unabashed about his moral priorities and makes no attempt to disguise his objectives.

As I began reading Wiles' book, various aspects struck me as utterly refreshing in contrast to the way Palestine is generally written about. We tend to complicate what was meant to be straightforward and become too selective as we construct our narrative. And we tend to consider the possible political implications of our writings, and thus compose the conclusions with only this political awareness in mind.

Much of this is understandable. The situation in Palestine is appalling, and also worsening. If our writing is not meant to influence positive change, then why bother? But a hyped awareness of the consequences and over-politicization of narratives and texts can prove limiting and intellectually confining. Worse, at times it provides a particular contextualization of the conflict - with all of its internal offshoots and external outcomes - that does much injustice to other important contexts. It neglects facts and paints an unrealistic picture of a subject already confused in the minds of many readers.

Thus when the conflict is deciphered by a writer, all players take positions. Israel is pitted against 'the Arabs'. Palestinians are often sliced off into two competing parties, while Israel is largely shown as maintaining a sense of political and institutional integrity. Palestinians are radicals or moderates, Islamists or secularists. The 'conflict' is right in the center, and within it are the sub-topics: the peace process, the occupation, the settlements and numerous others. Without such lucid configuration there is no structure. Publishers get frustrated. The writer is urged to revisit and restructure his work.

But real life is not a well-organized academic argument. It can be, and often is chaotic, strange and puzzling, but it is real. Only by understanding reality the way it is - not the way we feel that it ought to be for any reason - can we meaningfully position ourselves to appreciate the subject at hand.

Can we understand the conflict in Palestine and Israel without subscribing to the same language, confronting the same political and historical milestones? Can Palestinians be understood outside the confines of political and ideological affiliations?

That is what Rich Wiles attempted to do in Behind the Wall, and in my opinion, very much succeeded.

Wiles relocated the conflict historically, geographically and sociologically to the side most affected by it: the Palestinians. The book is located in the West Bank, mostly Aida refugee camp, where Wiles spent years dedicating his time and efforts as an artist and a writer to help children share their stories and talents with the rest of the world. The writing is a non-elitist, part and parcel, which is a prerequisite to a factual understanding of the struggle in Palestine. Equally important, Wiles provides a depiction of the Palestinian not as the victim, despite the protracted process of victimization that Palestinians have endured for generations. Wiles' subjects might have been imprisoned or deeply scarred by war, but they are confident and complex human beings.

A chapter entitled "A Child and a Balcony" starts with this line: "'On Friday, December 8, 2006, I was shot.' Miras is unemotional as he tells his story." Miras should be emotional, but he is not, and Wiles doesn't attempt to rectify the seemingly inconsistent behavior. It turns out that Miras, a child (now a promising young photographer, thanks to Wiles' help) almost died when a bullet carved its way through his body and penetrated his abdominal from one end and emerged from the other. He was playing with his siblings and cousins at a balcony in the refugee camp, when an Israeli sniper hit him from the watchtower. The story is short, but rich in emotionally powerful detail: the father's panic and near hallucination, the mother confusion, the sense of solidarity that unifies the refugees and strengthens their resolve even when their situation seems so helpless.

Wiles is not an anthropologist or a detached ethnographer, and he doesn't pose as one. He is part of the story, at times an important character. In "Memories", he accompanies a young Palestinian boy on the journey of his life, from the confines of the small refugee camp to Jerusalem. The boy is visiting his very ill grandfather at a hospital in the Arab side of the city. (No other member of the family was granted an Israeli permission to make the short journey, thus the need for Wiles' intervention). Wiles provides an extremely honest and vivid account, bringing to life the bravery of the boy and the sense of freedom he experiences as he crosses the checkpoints into Jerusalem.

At the same time, Wiles does not attempt to assemble the perfect, heroic and infallible character of the Palestinian. He includes the story of a son of drug user who was mysteriously killed (perhaps by a Palestinian group that suspected him as a collaborator with Israel). The son became involved in the resistance to redeem the family's honor. His impulsive resistance (an attempt to burn a hole in the Israeli wall that surrounded his refugee camp) earned him time in an Israeli prison. Yasser Jedar (known as Yasser 'Wall' owing to his obsession with trying to bring down the Israeli wall) was certainly not a poster child revolutionary. But he is refreshingly real, which is what should matter the most to an inquisitive reader.

Wiles' work is an important contribution to what I insist on referring to as a 'People's History of Palestine'. In order for this genre to endure and flourish, it must remain honest, and duty-bound to the truth - to reality as it is, not how we wish it to be.

Give them something to lose

Fadi Elsalameen — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:56:00 GMT

Whatever prior commitments Netanyahu and Abbas made to their respective constituencies must be set aside throughout the duration of direct talks.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced earlier this week that he will consider Israel fully to blame for the collapse of the negotiations that were scheduled to commence yesterday, should it resume construction in the settlements. That statement could be seen as a reiteration of last week's reports by several news outlets that the PA intended to pull out of the peace talks with Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fails to extend the partial West Bank settlement freeze when it expires on September 26.

Even as they were getting ready to commence with direct talks, the PA and Israel were both preparing for the day when they will pull out of them. The announcements made by Abbas and others in the PA were a response to information they had that, regardless of what Netanyahu may hint about a continuation to the freeze, he will not extend it in the end. Therefore, Abbas is already making it clear to the world why he plans to quit the talks at the end of the month.

Last month, I met with senior PA and Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan at his office in Ramallah. Dahlan told me: "We know that Netanyahu signed a letter to [Likud MK and minister] Benny Begin and others promising them not to extend the settlement freeze." The letter, Dahlan explained, confirmed a secret deal that the premier had made with Begin. Dahlan added that Netanyahu's plan was to reveal the existence of the letter when the nine-month period of the freeze elapses, and say: "'Look, I signed this as an earlier commitment, and before we entered direct talks. I can't back out now, it would be at a huge political cost for me.'"

Dahlan added that when that time comes, the Palestinians' plan is to walk out of the talks.

The fact that both the Palestinians and the Israelis are entering the U.S.-sponsored negotiations in bad faith is not only disturbing, but extremely dangerous. If indeed Netanyahu does not extend the freeze beyond the deadline, rest assured he will have hammered the last nail in the PA's coffin.

Likewise, Israel will be left without a partner for peace or even cooperation in security matters on the Palestinian side.

The failure of direct talks will automatically bolster Hamas and strengthen its standing among the Palestinians. The Islamist organization is already preparing for the moment it can tell the Palestinian public: "We told you so. Talking with the Israelis can only lead to more talks, while they continue to take away our land to build settlements." In fact, Hamas' killing of four Israeli settlers in the southern Hebron Hills on Tuesday, and another, failed attack the following night, show how far it will go to spoil the direct talks, and to make its presence felt.

What is crucial at this point, then, is for the Palestinians and Israelis to find a way to continue the direct talks, and not allow the issue of ongoing settlement construction to be a deal breaker. After all, according to President Abbas, the so-called proximity talks and the insistence on direct talks conditioned on a prior agreement by Israel to freeze construction in the territories, were American ideas, not Palestinian or Israeli ones.

The United States' role as a mediator allows it to offer creative solutions to both sides. To be effective, these solutions must address Abbas' and Netanyahu's concerns at home. Abbas does not want an end to the settlement freeze, while Netanyahu does not want his coalition to collapse on him. Is there a middle ground?

Knowing what we know about how unconvinced both Palestinians and Israelis are about the chances of success in Washington, President Obama might do well to establish a ground rule to the effect that, whatever prior commitments were made by either Netanyahu or Abbas to their own constituencies, these commitments must be set aside throughout the duration of direct talks. This point should be communicated clearly and publicly to Netanyahu and Abbas.

If Netanyahu agrees to this proposal, he can accomplish two goals: He will have appeased the settler movement by not formally extending the settlement freeze. This will allow the premier to play a double game: to show good will to the United States and the international community, while at the same time keeping his Palestinian partner engaged in direct talks.

So long as negotiations continue, Netanyahu will be giving Abbas something very concrete to lose if he chooses to walk away from direct talks. Furthermore, Netanyahu will in this way protect Israel's image internationally and prevent the world from blaming Israel for the failure of the talks.

For the Palestinians, continuing to engage in the talks will be the only way to guarantee that the bulldozers and cement mixers remain idle in the West Bank.

This article was published first on the Haaretz

Secretary Clinton pushes the peace process

Editor — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:15:00 GMT

Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with representatives of Palestine TV and Israel Channel 2 on Friday morning to comment on Thursday's negotiations with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas and the wider peace process.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton [Marcn - Flickr]

Amira Hanania Rishmawi of Palestine TV and Udi Segal of Israel Channel 2 posed a series of questions to Secretary Clinton regarding the US's involvement and motives in these peace talks and clarifying Secretary Clinton's personal stance on the resolution of this conflict.

Clinton's first and foremost response was: "I think that time is not on the side of either Israeli or Palestinian aspirations for security, peace, and a state." She cited Iran's "sponsorship of terror and its supply of weapons to groups that are trying to destabilize countries and societies" as a justification for her plea for urgency, as the destructive forces active in the regions are growing more restless. Iran supports the Islamic militant group Hamas which controls the Gaza strip. Both Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hamas have dismissed the peace talks as futile.

The West Bank settlement freeze that is set to end on September 26 was a splinter in the Thursday negotiations. Palestinian leadership has threatened to walk out the negotiation if settlement construction in areas observing the freeze resumes.

Secretary Clinton's response to what would happen if the moratorium is not extended was, "...I have known Prime Minister Netanyahu for many years, and I am convinced that he understands and accepts the importance of achieving a two-state solution. He publicly committed to that, something he had not done before, and he negotiated with the Palestinians in the past. He and President Abbas know each other. They have, in my presence, been very clear that they want to work extremely hard to get to a final agreement."

Reports earlier Friday said Clinton told Netanyahu to extend the freeze during the negotiations Thursday.

The interviewers also inquired as to the United States interests in the peace talks, asking if "the peace talks are intended to appease Arabs or the Arabs before some kind of military action against Iran." Secretary Clinton did acknowledge the growing threat of Iran with regards to "state-sponsored terrorism" as a problem not only for the US but also for the security of the region. She also cited the Arab Peace initiative spearheaded by the Saudis and King Abdullah in which surrounding Arab nations acknowledged that a resolution to the conflict is necessary.

Secretary Clinton was also reminded of a statement she made during her presidential candidacy in which she refered to "Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel." Her response was somewhat dodging as she reiterated her commitment to safety and security for both Israel and Palestine in a two-state solution.

Clinton spoke optimistically and applauded President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu for the renewal of peace talks. She spoke of her experiences with Israelis and Palestinians of younger generations and commended "their motivation, their ambition, their curiosity, their intelligence" and expressed a realistic potential for a peaceful two-state solution.

President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu have agreed to meet for a second round of negotiations two weeks from now in Egypt.

Read the full transcript of Secretary Clinton's joint interview here.

WATCH: The NYC taxi stabbing and Islamophobia in the US

Editor — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:59:00 GMT

Washington - The stabbing of New York City taxi driver Ahmed Sharif upped the ante on a national conversation about Islamophobia, as picket lines fill over the Park51 Islamic community center in lower Manhattan.

Photo: Courtesy Park51/Cordoba House Initiative

Now GRITtv with Laura Flanders takes a look at the stabbing in the context of an increasingly polarized American society. Last weekend, conservative pundit Glenn Beck took to the National Mall for his "Restoring Honor" rally. GRIT calls it "Restoring the Culture War."

Bhairavi Desai, Executive Director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, commented after seeing Sharif in the hospital:

"And every single one of us, without saying a word to each other, knew this was because of the environment from this so-called debate around the Islamic center. And you know, we represent a workforce that's almost 50% Muslim. And we're a very visible public, Muslim workforce. For us this almost felt inevitable, as workers are so vulnerable. Then on top of that you have this layer of hatred and animosity. ... It felt almost inevitable."

"There's no question that this attack was the result of the climate of hate," commented Lee Gang, a blogger on Think Progress and researcher for the Center for American Progress.

This tone of Islamophobia is not relegated to New York, Fang said, pointing the Sept. 11 Qur'an burning planning in Florida this month, attacks on Muslim in Tennessee, and the defacing of a mosque in Sacramento.

Tense final Friday of Ramadan

Editor — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:32:00 GMT

Washington - Tensions ran high in Jerusalem as tens of thousands of Muslims gathered at the Haraam Ash-Sharif plaza for prayers during the final Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Ma'an News Agency reported Friday.

Al-Aqsa Mosque- [Palestine Note, Anam Raheem]

Approximately 2,000 Israeli Border Police troops enforced restrictions upon entering the holy sites, Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock, the report said. Entry was barred from men under 50 and women under 40 without special permits from entering the Haraam Ash-Sharif plaza in which these sites are located. Due to these restrictions, thousands carried out their prayers in the streets of the Old City amidst Israeli security forces.

However, tensions were not exclusive to Jerusalem this Friday. The Jerusalem Post reported Friday that thousands rallied in support of Palestine in the major Iranian cities, Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Masshad in honor of "Al-Quds Day."

The Jerusalem Post also reported that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed a rally at Tehran University, commenting that the current Washington peace talks are futile as "American negotiators are accomplices to Israeli 'crimes' against Palestinians."

Iranian ambassador to the UAE, Hamid-Reza Asefi commented on the significance of Al-Quds Day: "By their glorious presence [in the Jerusalem Day rally], the Muslims of the world will tell the oppressed nation of Palestine that they are still beside the Palestinian people and ideals." Asefi also commented that the peace negotiations were doomed to fail, and that these rallies threaten Israel more than any diplomatic measure could.

'Al-Quds Day' began with the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who declared the final Friday of Ramadan as "a day of confrontation between the oppressed and the oppressors."

Report: Abbas pressued to stay in talks

Editor — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:33:00 GMT

Washington - After the first day of direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leadership, Haaretz reported a "senior Palestinian source" said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is under pressure from the US to remain in talks even if settlement construction resumes.

Settlement construction has been designated a final straw by the Palestinian Authority, which has said repeatedly that they will pull out of negotiations if settlement construction in areas observing the building freeze resume construction. Following a series of deadly West Bank shootings targeting Israeli settlers claimed by Hamas' militant wing, settlers have begun construction in defiance of the freeze and the peace process. Earth movers and cement mixers were in full force Wednesday, but there has yet to be a comment from the Abbas camp on the matter.

Haaretz reported Friday:

According to the source, a Palestinian okay to the renewal of construction just as direct talks are resumed is politically impossible. Sources in Ramallah said yesterday that both the Israelis and Americans know Abbas' likely course of action. At first, Abbas will demand that the talks not last longer than a year, culminating with the establishment of a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders, and with Jerusalem as its capital.

Abbas would not be able to give up Palestinian sovereignty in East Jerusalem and especially the Temple Mount, but large Jewish neighborhoods would be retained by Israel. If this much is achieved, Abbas will be able to agree that the refugee issue will be resolved primarily within the borders of the new Palestinian state, with only a few tens of thousands receiving Israeli citizenship as a humanitarian gesture.

The international legal guarantee to refugees' right of return figured into Abbas' opening remarks Thursday, but Haaretz reported "the Palestinian Authority does not seem to be determined to demand Israel take historical responsibility for the refugee problem," which would be ideal for Israel, as Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu characterized peace as "the end of claims and the end of conflict."

Haaretz said in earlier negotiations the PA signaled an agreement to give refugees a choice between forms of compensation, financial renumeration and return to their hometowns in Israel "subject to an agreed quota."

The report also said the PA would agree to NATO troops but not Israeli troops in the West Bank and Jordan Valley, assumably referencing the Palestinian source. It said further that land swaps would be "at a ratio of 1:1 in size and quality - in other words, it would not agree to swap fertile West Bank lands for Israeli deserts."

The report continued:

A key contention could arise around the future of the large settlement of Ariel. The PA does not believe it can agree to the city being annexed to Israel in a future agreement, since it is located near the middle of the West Bank, cutting into the territorial contiguity of a future state.

However, the PA might agree to allow some settlers to remain as Palestinian citizens, and realizes other settlement blocs - Gush Etzion, Maaleh Adumim and the Jewish neighborhoods around Jerusalem - will remain in Israeli hands in a future agreement.

Abbas may be under pressure to stay in talks by the US, but several political factions in Palestine continue to protest the negotiations with Israel, Hamas saying loudly that the PA has no authority to make concessions, especially where Jerusalem is concerned.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad supporters gathered in Gaza City Friday to celebrate Jerusalem Day, Ma'an News Agency reported.

Hamas leader Ismail al-Ashqar told the gathered crowed: "Jerusalem is under Israeli attack to empty of its people and the demolition of their homes, which requires support of the city and its people because it is not the question of Palestine alone, but the question of Muslims."

Israeli right-wingers want to see Israel retain Jerusalem in its entirety in the event of two states, and Palestinians in East Jerusalem feel the push from Israeli authorities, as building permits are rarely distributed, families are frequently removed from their homes on dubious grounds, and Palestinians social structures receive a fraction of the services Jewish social structures in West Jerusalem do. Israel currently controls East and West Jerusalem, as it occupied and later annexed the eastern half of the city in 1967.

He then condemned the negotiations, accusing the PA of "treason" for negotiating Palestinian rights and the status of Jerusalem.

Above: President Obama with President Obama [White House]

Report: Clinton demands freeze extended

Editor — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:25:00 GMT

Secretary tells Netanyahu at talks to extend building moratorium

Washington - According to Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that he must extend the settlement freeze through the end of the year, Ma'an News Agency reported Friday.

Without that, talks will collapse, the report said.

Clinton reportedly made her remarks to the prime minister Thursday as direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority resumed for the first time in 20 months.

Ma'an continued:

The newspaper also quoted senior US sources as saying the US administration would not accept Netanyahu’s reasoning that the political price for extending the partial settlement freeze would be too high.

Netanyahu said in July that extending the 10-month moratorium, due to expire on 26 September, could lead to the collapse of his right-wing coalition.

Senior US officials said Netanyahu could not retain his political status at the expense of President Mahmoud Abbas’ domestic standing, Ma’ariv reported.

Israeli daily Haaretz reported this morning that President Abbas to remain in the talks should settlement expansion begin again. Netanyahu's ruling coalition and much of his support comes from a pro-settlement worldview, and an extension of the settlement freeze could spell trouble for him politically.

Above: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at Thursday's direct peace negotiations. [State Department - Flickr]

Group calls on Obama to stop abuse of Palestinian kids

Editor — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:54:00 GMT

Washington - Reports of abuse against Palestinian children by the Israeli army are not new. An Al-Jazeera report from the beginning of the summer accused officers of sexually molesting detainees, including children.

Al-Awda Right to Return Coalition released a statement Thursday calling on the Obama administration to do something about abuse against Palestinian children.

Al-Awda reported:

According to the Palestine Section of Defense for Children International, each year, about 700 Palestinian children from the West Bank are prosecuted in Israeli military courts. Out of 100 sworn affidavits collected by lawyers in 2009, 69% of the children were beaten and kicked, 49% were threatened, 14% were held in solitary confinement, 12% were threatened with sexual assault, including rape, and 32% were forced to sign confessions written in Hebrew, a language they do not understand. Israel's treatment of detained Palestinian children is considered to be torture by the United Nations under international law.

Al-Awda has called on the White House "to immediately release and end to the systematic and institutionalized abuse of all Palestinian children in Israeli prisons in accordance with international law."

"The US government, which supports Israel to the tune of billions of taxpayer dollars a year while most ordinary Americans are suffering in a very bad economy," the statement continued, "is bound by its laws to cut off all aid to Israel until it ends all of its violations of human rights and basic freedoms in a verifiable manner."

Above: Palestinian children [Moonstarsilverwolf - Flickr]

Infant heart surgery saves lives in East Jerusalem

Editor — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:27:00 GMT

Washington - Political factions are protesting the Palestinian Authority's engagement with Israel, and tensions are high in Jerusalem on the last Friday of Ramadan, but at Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, some 200 children have been saved by open-heart surgery in 2010.

Effective heart surgery on infants was almost non-existent before PCRF started bringing in teams to perform surgeries and train local doctors.

Palestine Children's Relief Fund brings teams of doctors into the Palestinian territories to preform life-saving surgeries and train local physicians in addition to taking children out of Palestine to the US or elsewhere in the region for surgical care.

This past week, a cardiac team from Italy came to East Jerusalem to treat infants from the across the territories, PCRF CEO Steve Sosebee wrote Friday:

On August 28, a five-member team of doctors and nurses from University Hospital in Padova, Italy arrived in East Jerusalem for a week of life-saving open-heart surgery on sick babies from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The Palestine Children's Relief Fund has been sponsoring pediatric cardiac surgery missions to Palestine for over 10 years and have saved the lives of thousands of children from all over the country.

This team, led by Prof. Giovanni Stellin, the Director of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Surgery at the hospital, included Dr. Demetrio Pittarello, a pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist, Dr. Vladimiro Vido, a pediatric cardiac surgeon, Fabio Zanella, a perfusionist and Elisabetta Cattelan, an OR Scrub Nurse.

The Italian surgical team is hard at work in East Jerusalem

This was their first trip to Palestine through PCRF. Already in 2010, nearly 200 children from all over the occupied territories have had life-saving open-heart surgery at Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem.

Photos courtesy of PCRF

Abbas, Netanyahu agree to bi-weekly talks

Editor — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:56:00 GMT

Washington - After Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu entered into direct negotiations Thursday, US Middle East envoy announced that the parties agreed to a second round of talks, scheduled now for Sept. 14-15 in the Middle East - most likely Sharm el-Sheikh, an Egyptian resort town on the Sinai Peninsula - The Guardian reported. The two have reportedly agreed to meet every two week for the duration of the talks.

Senator Mitchell said in a Thursday press conference that he and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will attend the second round of talks in Sharm el-Sheikh. Senator Mitchell said of the meeting this morning:

The parties have just concluded the first round of trilateral talks. The meeting lasted about an hour and a half. It began with a plenary session involving the full U.S., Israeli, and Palestinian delegations on the eighth floor of the State Department and then broke to a smaller meeting in the Secretary of State’s personal office involving Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Abbas, Secretary Clinton, and myself. Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas then went into a separate meeting for a direct discussion. That meeting is still going on right now.

In the trilateral meeting, there was a long and productive discussion on a range of issues. President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed their intent to approach these negotiations in good faith and with a seriousness of purpose. They also agreed that for these negotiations to succeed, they must be kept private and treated with the utmost sensitivity. So what I and they are able to disclose to you today and in the future will be limited, but I will now describe some of the key items that were addressed in the trilateral meeting.

Both Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas condemned all forms of violence that target innocent civilians and pledged to work together to maintain security. They reiterated their common goal of two states for two peoples and to a solution to the conflict that resolves all issues, ends all claims, and establishes a viable state of Palestine alongside a secure state of Israel. President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed that these negotiations can be completed within one year and that the aim of the negotiations is to resolve all core issues.

Hamas militants have taken credit for two shootings since Tuesday in the West Bank, which claimed the lives of four Israeli settlers - one of whom was pregnant - near Hebron and wounded two other settlers in Ramallah. The Hamas political apparatus has insisted it had no role in the shootings, saying its militant wing - Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades - could have planned the shootings independently. Hamas has decried the direct talks, and many within and without Palestinian society are concerned that with so many in objection to the talks within Palestinian political factions, the talks will fail.

The Guardian quoted Mitchell on the issue of Hamas and the peace process:

"We do not expect Hamas to play a role in this immediate process. But as Secretary of State Clinton and I have said publicly many times, while in the Middle East and in the United States, we welcome the full participation by Hamas and all relevant parties once they comply with the basic requirements of democracy and nonviolence that are, of course, a prerequisite to engage in these serious types of discussions."

Mitchell then raised the issue of comparing Hamas to the IRA, given his long involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process:

"There has been a good deal of a discussion about references to Northern Ireland, and I have repeatedly been asked by reporters and individuals when I make public appearances, well, Senator, you talk to the IRA in Northern Ireland, but don't you talk to Hamas here. The questions reflect an incomplete understanding of what occurred in Northern Ireland and its relationship to this situation.

"So, first, let me say they're very different. It's not useful to try to make direct comparisons because the participants, the circumstances, the situation, the timing are all very different. And while we should learn what we can from other processes, each is unique.

"But on the central point, the reality is that in Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin, the political party that is affiliated with the IRA, did not enter the negotiations until after 15 months had elapsed in the negotiations, and only then because they met two central conditions that had been established. The first was a ceasefire, and the second was a publicly stated commitment to what came to be known as the Mitchell Principles because I was the chairman of the commission that established them."

After Tuesday's fatal shooting, Israeli settlers vowed to defy the settlement construction freeze currently in place. Settlers began construction in defiance of the ban and the peace talks Thursday.

The Palestinian Authority has said repeatedly that it will pull out of negotiations if settlement construction in areas observing the freeze resumes. No mention was made of the settlement construction at opening remarks for the talks at the State Department this morning or in this latest report.

Above: Obama watches as Abbas and Netanyahu shake hands in Sept. 2009. [Pete Souza - White House]

The French Connection & Middle East Talks

Steve Clemons — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:44:00 GMT

Originally featured on The Washington Note

European High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy Baroness Catherine Ashton decided to head to China instead of participating in the Middle East stakeholders dinner hosted by President Obama in the Old Family Dining Room this week.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy with Nancy Pelosi [Speaker Pelosi - Flickr]

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair covered a lot of national and transnational categories as head of the Quartet -- meaning theoretically that the EU, Russia, and the UN were in the room along with the US, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, and Jordan.

But two notable stakeholders were absent, and President Obama's team took care to address this by issuing a "readout" of phone conversations between himself and France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and Saudi King Abdullah.

Here is the readout:

Readout of President Obama's Recent Calls on the Middle East
President Obama called President Sarkozy earlier today to thank him for his support for a comprehensive Middle East peace, and to consult on next steps to encourage further progress in the direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The President noted that he had a productive series of meetings yesterday, and said that he believed the two parties were committed to achieving progress. President Sarkozy affirmed his full support for the peace talks and his commitment to working with President Obama and the other leaders to advance the process. Both leaders agreed to remain in close touch on this issue as part of their ongoing cooperation.

Earlier in the week on Tuesday*, August 31, the President called King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to discuss the situation in the region, including direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians and the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq.

I don't know whether the Saudi King wanted to attend, but through the grapevine have learned that France's political CEO was miffed not to be included. France takes affairs in the Middle East and what is unfolding with Israel-Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria -- as well as Iran -- very seriously.

An Obama-Sarkozky phone call on the fringe of this renewed effort is probably not enough, and France needs to be built in more directly. Lady Ashton has other affairs to tend to -- and these make sense -- but when there is a chance of securing a new equilibrium in the Middle East, France on its own merits should be a core partner.

One of the realities of the "messy status quo" that was reachieved by restarting direct peace negotiations is that Hamas remains outside the camp of those consulted. Hamas' power and influence have grown with attempts to isolate it -- and ultimately, Hamas needs to be part of the package.

While there are enormous political impediments to the US managing direct discussions with Hamas -- which only contributes to a sense in the Middle East that America's affections in this mess are one-sided -- the US can "remove the veto" on other nations dealing with Hamas to see how its views and parameters can be heard or potentially moved through some kind of engagement.

In my view, the only modern day Kissinger who is operating in European foreign circles today is French national security adviser to the President Jean-David Levitte, former French Ambassador to the United States.

One senior US State Department official I discussed Levitte with and who took mental stock of the various foreign policy hands in important European positions today saw Jean-David Levitte as the only one who had both a granular understanding of equities at play in the Middle East and a good vision of where things needed to go.

There is a behind the scenes veto on our allies dealing with Hamas, and this needs to be lifted. Levitte is the right one to be working quietly and privately to see if Hamas can be brought into a structure largely consistent with that which could be forged by Netanyahu, Abbas and the others in the rather limited group trying to jump start the Middle East peace process.

What is said and what is not said

Mazin Qumsiyeh — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:30:00 GMT

Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel told his governing coalition that he did not promise an extension to the partial suspension in settlement construction when it expires in September (BTW, the suspension did not cover most of the settlement areas which are around Jerusalem and did not cover existing construction in other areas not infrastructure, schools, synagogue constructions etc. In other words there was really no suspension.) Standing next to President Obama he simply emphasized that the topic to be discussed with Palestinians is how we can prevent attacks on illegal settlers in the West Bank.

Six months ago, Abbas, encouraged by Obama, agreed to negotiations with Netanyahu only if Israel fulfill its obligations per the road map of a total settlement freeze including in East Jerusalem. Abbas stated about his decision to renew direct negotiations without even a promise of partial settlement suspension: “Palestinians are not powerful to dictate preconditions of negotiations” later in a prime time speech to the people “we did not want the difference between us and the Israelis to come down to differences on modality of negotiations…we want to build a peace based on security for both people”. He did not once mention the right of refugees to return to their homes and lands. If Netanyahu can use the excuse of having a coalition that can break apart if he gave up an inch, then how can Abbas who is now ruling by Fiat and hjas already given up 78% of Palestine resist further pressure for further back-downs without rebuilding a representative PLO?

President Obama has been a strong advocate of Israel and half the staff in his administration that have anything to do with US policy in the Middle East are Jewish Zionists (people like Rahm Emanuel and Dennis Ross). Thus it is not surprising that he never ever said any words to acknowledge Palestinians have any rights to anything (only aspirations for statehood). By contrast he speaks of rights of Israelis (the occupiers) to security and peace.

But in my decades of involvement with the struggle for freedom, I have never seen such a disconnect between people and politicians claiming to represent them. Even in Israeli papers, comments from average Israelis are lopsided against colonial settlers and highly cynical of the Israeli politicians. Palestinians almost uniformly (with the exception of those directly benefiting) oppose the politicians ruling from Ramallah or Gaza. US Citizens are extremely unhappy with a situation of two unwinnable wars, over 1000 suicides in US troops serving in those wars, and the destruction of the US economy to serve special interest lobbies (like AIPAC) with endless wars. The good news is that more and more people awake will eventually turn this system around. In this regard, we mourn the loss of our friend Sherif Fam who died yesterday in Boston. Sherif was an exceptional radio host. I interviewed with him many times (e.g. http://www.archive.org/details/TWIP-090802-MazinQumsiyeh). Our deepest condolences to his family and colleagues. We will miss him.

Action: Urge Obama to insist Israel respects Palestinian rights

http://www.aaper.org/

Must read: Israeli study of the challenges it faces (much of what is said here confirms our strategy)

“Together, these campaigns and others form a global systematic and systemic attack against Israel and its political-economic model. Their form continually shifts and adapts and their momentum is gaining. Their ultimate aim is to delegitimize Israel in order to precipitate its implosion, inspired by the collapses of countries such as the Soviet Union and apartheid South Africa. ….the delegitimization offensive against Israel is constantly adapting, and the network that produced the flotillas will find a new logic and battle cry. Thus, Israel's response to future flotillas, as well as to the entire campaign being waged against it, requires a comprehensive systemic treatment of the delegitimization challenge.“

http://www.reut-institute.org/gazaflotillacasestudy.pdf

Your Palestinian Gandhis Exist ... in Graves and Prisons, Alison Weir, CounterPunch, January 8-10, 2010 http://ifamericansknew.org/cur_sit/bono.html

Audacity of Hope: US boat to Gaza

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT9gd8zyBOg

A great article from our friend Reverend David Good: A cure for the disease of Islamophobia http://www.theday.com/article/20100822/OP05/308229889

Gaza doctor writes book of hope despite murder of his three daughters

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/15/palestinian-doctor-izzeldin-abuelaish-gaza-war

Peace process: Hope or nope?

Amjad Atallah — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:05:00 GMT

To President Obama's credit, he is going for the gold medal by working to finally end the Israeli-Arab conflict that has been at the heart of America's credibility issues in the Middle East. On Tuesday, the president announced to the world that combat operations in Iraq were over and showed the Arab world that the United States had no intention to continue occupying or colonizing Iraq. On the very next day, the president launched direct peace talks whose results will have to be an end to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory. Coincidental or not, the two events highlight a new and positive narrative for the United States in the Middle East - IF the President can ultimately secure the ultimate goal of a comprehensive peace.

Pundits may argue that the president shouldn't put his prestige on the line, even for a goal defined as a vital national security interest by both the president and top military leaders, because it's too hard. But that is what presidents do. They defend American interests even when they are opposed by well organized lobby groups.

But the greatest risk to America's prestige, as opposed to the president's alone, will be failure that results from relying on the same parties that have been negotiating for 19 years in the same process to conclude an agreement without intervention from American, European, and Muslim-majority nations. For a host of reasons, not least the asymmetry in power, the Palestinians and the Israelis are structurally incapable of using the Oslo process to arrive at a mutually agreed upon end to the occupation on their own. The United States does want peace more than some of the parties - and the process we put in place to achieve it will have to reflect that central fact.

Republished from Politico's 'The Arena'

Negotiating With the Israeli Settlers

Will Netanyahu or the Israeli government ever be able to bring the settler movement on board in any peace process?

U.S. Support for the Occupation

The discussions over a two-state agreement have primarily been a conversation between the Israeli liberal center and Palestinian nationalists. At its core has been an Israeli belief that the only way to keep a Jewish polity democratic is by divorcing Israel from the Arabs in the West Bank and the Gaza strip.

For Netanyahu, the settlers form a comfortable scapegoat for his own reluctance to end Israeli control over Palestinians.

All peace negotiations over ending the occupation have effectively turned into conversations about how Israel could maintain as much territory as possible with as few Arabs as possible. Concerns over Palestinian rights or the illegality of the occupation have never saturated Israeli discourse as thoroughly as the demographic argument has - hence the reason Palestinians and Israelis have spoken past each other for two decades now.

This basic assumption of liberal Zionism is still being challenged by the religious and secular right and parts of the settler community. They view all the occupied Palestinian territory as an integral part of Israel, regardless of what the maps at the State Department might show.

For many, the attachment to the land of the West Bank is more divinely ordained than that of the cosmopolitan and distinctly non-biblical Tel Aviv. For these Israelis, it is possible for Israel to maintain a Jewish polity and all the land up to the Jordan River - albeit at the expense of Palestinian national rights or individual equality for non-Jews. This help explains why the 1967 borders do not hold much sway in the current Israeli government's negotiating strategy.

It is this reality that Israeli centrists like Ehud Olmert and Ehud Barak have called essentially unsustainable, as the Jewish diaspora would not long continue to support a Jewish state that, in their own words, is practicing apartheid.

But this internal Israeli debate won't require resolution as long as the United States covers up the reality of the situation. The truth is that as long as the United States gets weak-kneed at the mention of Palestinian national rights (as opposed to economic needs) and as long as it continues to provide political, diplomatic and economic support to the occupation, Netanyahu need not worry about bringing settlers on board. In fact, they form a comfortable scapegoat for his own reluctance to end Israeli control over Palestinians.

Many have argued that Netanyahu is ultimately a pragmatist, and he may very well be, but the pragmatist in him presumably realizes that as long as the U.S. provides material support to the occupation, he will never need to have a fight about it with those further to the right inside Israel.

Republished from the NY Times

Spoiler Alert

The United States and Israel have long attempted to cut Hamas out of the diplomatic game. But as direct talks kick off in Washington, the party appears more than happy to sit on the sidelines.

On Aug. 31, four Israeli settlers were killed by Palestinian gunmen near the West Bank city of Hebron. Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas's military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said the group "announces its full responsibility for the heroic operation in Hebron."

The killings suggest that Hamas will overreach in trying to gain political capital from widespread Palestinian opposition to the negotiations hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington this week. This may weaken Hamas at the expense of secular parties opposed to the format of the talks, but not necessarily to the gain of Fatah, the flagging party headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The negotiations come on the heels of four months of failed "proximity talks," in which the Ramallah-based Palestinian leadership and U.S. special envoy George Mitchell were unable to productively engage the Israelis on any of the core issues of the dispute or even convince the Israelis to agree on an agenda for the talks. Abbas, like virtually all other Palestinian politicians, had insisted that Israel agree to basic parameters for negotiations and end continued settlement activity on occupied Palestinian territory. Having to climb down without any of his terms being met has emboldened other Palestinian leaders, parties, and organizations, which have united to denounce the talks.

As Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu head to the negotiating table, some observers are lamenting the Obama administration's failure to include Hamas in its diplomatic engagement efforts. But given the relative unanimity of so many groups opposing the talks in their current format, this complaint misses the point. Hamas leaders do not want to be part of negotiations because they are confident they will fail.

What defines "failed talks" for Hamas? On a practical level, Hamas would consider talks that entrench Fatah's authority over liberated territory at its expense as a failure. The concern over whether Palestine will have a pluralistic political system is one of great concern to Palestinians -- concern that has only been deepened by the continuing entrenchment of political power both in the Gaza Strip and in West Bank cities administered by the Palestinian Authority.

But when it comes to its views on a final settlement to the conflict, Hamas shares many of the same positions as other secular Palestinian parties, including Fatah. These groups similarly believe that any negotiations must end the occupation that Israel began in 1967 and ensure Palestinians' ability to exercise sovereignty over their state. Yes, Hamas has demanded the Palestinian right of return for millions of Palestinians and their descendants who were displaced before, during, and after Israel's creation in 1948, but the group has never suggested a practical means to obtain this goal. Hamas would certainly consider talks that "sign away" Palestinian rights as a failure. But again, this is a standard position of Fatah as well. This accordance of views suggests that, under the right conditions, Hamas's inclusion in a Palestinian national movement that endorses negotiations could potentially strengthen the chances for peace.

(True, Hamas, like the Israeli political parties on the right such as the governing Likud, have charters, party platforms, or constitutions that contradict their more reasonable publicly stated positions. However, waiting for ideological consistency in either case is probably counterproductive.)

Some in Hamas likely favor continuing its cease-fire with Israel and trying to reap political capital from the daily humiliations it expects Netanyahu to inflict on the Palestinian negotiators. Yet the Aug. 31 attack on settlers suggest that not everyone in the group believes the talks will fail on their own.

It is doubtful, however, that there would be significant Palestinian support for a renewal of violence against Israelis during negotiations, and Hamas stands to lose considerable domestic standing if it pursues that route. A recent poll indicated that almost one-third of Palestinians in the occupied territories support direct negotiations and another third support proximity talks. Regardless of the accuracy of the poll, most critics of direct negotiations have focused on Abbas's inability to convince Israel to commit to ending provocations on the ground or to agree on terms of reference for the talks -- not the concept of peace itself.

As Rob Malley, Peter Harling, and Daniel Levy have pointed out recently, a better approach to the Israeli-Arab conflict would be to launch multilateral talks across all fronts while simultaneously encouraging Palestinian reconciliation. That could help keep potential spoilers from seeking to thwart a negotiated settlement -- and reinvigorate the Palestine Liberation Organization as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people as a whole. And the Obama administration could avoid the domestic political blowback that would inevitably result from dealing directly with Hamas.

Such an approach would give Abbas far more strength to negotiate a comprehensive agreement with Israel than he possesses now. It is true that, to satisfy a newly invigorated PLO, he would also have to negotiate far more aggressively than in the past -- but any resulting deal would be more likely to stick. Given the current distribution of political power in Palestine, it is still an open question whether Abbas could generate majority support for a peace deal that he is forced to negotiate without the support of the PLO or any member party, including his own Fatah.

A new and inclusive Palestinian national movement that included not only Fatah and Hamas, but also Mustafa Barghouti's Palestinian National Initiative and Salam Fayyad's Third Way, along with the old-guard parties such as the Popular and Democratic Fronts for the Liberation of Palestine, would be able to better safeguard a democratic and pluralistic future for Palestine. The more such parties are convinced they can benefit by the creation of a system that guarantees a level political playing field, the more likely they will be to support an agreement.

Allowing the emergence of a unified Palestinian national movement would be a good start toward reaching a lasting settlement, but it must also be coupled with aggressive, multilateral U.S. diplomacy. The United States should seek to resolve not only Israel's dispute with the Palestinians, but also its conflicts with Syria and Lebanon. Such a regional approach would create a significant group of stakeholders that would reinforce Palestinian engagement and discourage actions that violate international law, including killings of civilians.

The question for Obama now is whether the United States is prepared to undertake the necessary diplomatic engagement -- and accompanying political risks -- to finally end the occupation of Palestinian and Syrian territory. If the answer is no, Hamas will not be the only party arguing against any form of negotiations. Ultimately, there will be no Palestinian party, including Fatah, that will be able to make the argument for too much longer that the United States can be an interlocutor for justice and peace. And if that happens, these talks may ultimately bury the dream of a two-state solution forever.

Republished from the Foreign Policy

The Jewish holidays are a time of reflection… For everyone

Steve Feldman — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:15:00 GMT

Our Jewish holidays are almost here again. Our celebrations are different from those of other people and contribute to the separation we feel from the non-Jewish people around us. It is a time that I reflect on how we perceive people in other religions, and how they perceive us.

I received an email from a Christian who explained to me that Talmudic Judaism is supremacist teaching. How strange and misguided that view is! I studied Talmudic Judaism in Hebrew School, and the principles we learned were entirely consistent with American principles of equality of all people, Jewish and non-Jewish.

But I can understand how people in one religion often misunderstand the faith of another.

Judaism is not about Biblical stories of animal sacrifice, genocide or treatment of others as lesser. Our understanding of being the Chosen People is that we have the responsibility to act within the constraints of the highest moral principles (something we share with people of many other faiths).

Having grown up in an insular Jewish community, I could see how easy it is to misunderstand other people. I knew very little about the Christian faith. I knew from Jewish history that Christians had treated Jews horribly in the past, but little else. Only later did I learn that Christians share with Jews a profound commitment to peace and justice.  

I watch today as the misunderstanding of people of other faith continues rampant. The understanding I held of Christianity was horribly warped, and I've seen how warped the perception of Judaism can be from outside the Jewish community.

Today we see otherwise enlightened Americans who doubt that Islam is a religion or who, describing Islam as a satanic faith, call for burning of the Qur'an. Non-Muslim Americans purport to understand Islam and claim it violent, intolerant and repressive; these aren't how Muslims view their religion. The virulence of anti-Islamic sentiment expressed in comments over the proposal for a Ground Zero mosque is horrifying.

I hope we see the day when the mistaken view many American Jews and Christians hold of the Islamic faith is corrected. Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, teaches peace, tolerance, justice and charity and it is entirely consistent with American values.

I would hope when people form opinions about the Jewish faith, they would speak to Jews and not try to understand Judaism only from ancient documents, or the words of pastors and imams.

Similarly, I think we owe it to our Muslim brethren to speak to them about how they view their faith, and not depend on Quranic quotes selected by non-Muslims, rabbis or reverends who haven't sought to understand Islam as Muslims understand it.

I love to hear people of all religions describe their faiths to me; I'm not so keen on listening to people tell me how evil they think other peoples faiths are.

A new Netanyahu

MJ Rosenberg — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:35:00 GMT

I am trying hard to be optimistic about the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that were kicked off at the White House on September 1st.

It's not that I believe that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wants to exchange the territories for peace (or even that he will ever really freeze settlements). It's not that I believe that President Mahmoud Abbas can deliver the Palestinians either (he does not speak for Hamas or even for much of his own Fatah party).

My sole reason for optimism is that I cannot imagine that President Barack Obama would have initiated this effort if it was doomed to failure. Why bother?

Between the economic situation (America's #1 problem, by far), the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the seeming Republican surge, he has more than enough on his plate without dragging Israelis and Palestinians off to negotiations that neither party is enthusiastic about.

Netanyahu is more enthusiastic than Abbas, perhaps because he wants Obama to look more favorably on an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, should he decide to order one. He could be playing nice now for gains later. Plus, he is certainly not averse to an Israeli-Palestinian agreement that would end the conflict while allowing Israel to keep most of the territories. If he could pull that off, he'd be lionized back home.

Abbas, for his part, probably won't accept anything less than the 22% of historic Palestine that is encompassed by Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. He believes that conceding 78% of historic Palestine to Israel (i.e., Israel prior to 1967) in exchange for ending the conflict forever is a pretty good deal for both sides.

He also looks at the Egyptian precedent. President Sadat offered peace in exchange for 100% of the Sinai Peninsula (also captured in the '67 war). When Israel offered 90% and then 98%, he said no. He insisted on getting all his territory back.

And, with President Jimmy Carter's backing, he got it. The result: not a single shot has been fired in anger on or near the Israeli-Egyptian border for over 30 years.

I don't expect Abbas to ever agree to 90% or even 99.9% either. He wants the full 100% of the 22%. The good news is that he would concede the so-called settlement blocs adjacent to Israel in exchange for other unpopulated areas inside Israel, just so he can tell his people that he got his 100% (of 22%).

It is hard to imagine Netanyahu going for that kind of two-state deal anytime soon. On the other hand, his determination to preserve Israel as a Jewish state may impel him to divest himself of the areas where Palestinians constitute an overwhelming majority. If he doesn't, one of his successors will - or accept the transformation of Israel from a Jewish state to a state where Israelis and Palestinians share sovereignty. There is no third alternative (at least, not one without mass carnage).

But back to my reason for limited optimism.

It is that President Obama is aware of all the things I just wrote and much, much more. Nonetheless, he is investing his energy and his prestige in this effort. He must believe that it has a chance of success.

Unfortunately, he cannot achieve an agreement without putting pressure on both sides, and particularly on Netanyahu who, after all, holds all the cards (plus all the territory).

But Netanyahu knows that if Obama applies pressure on him, the President will outrage even his Democratic allies in Congress. Lobby-led Representatives and Senators (Democrats as much as Republicans) will oppose asking Netanyahu to do anything he does not want to do. (Count on the donors, the lobby and the Israeli embassy to organize the opposition.)

This applies to any territorial concession Netanyahu might be asked to make. It even applies to an Israeli attack on Iran which, should it come, would have the enthusiastic support of some of the most liberal, anti-war Democrats (let alone Republicans). That is certainly true just prior to an election, but it is also true when an election is two years away. The lobby owns this issue, not the President.

And that is why, in the end, we have to hope that Netanyahu has finally come to understand that the occupation poses an existential threat to Israel as a Jewish state.

If Netanyahu has actually come around to that understanding (as Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert seemed to), it is possible - even probable - that progress will be made.

After all, Netanyahu can deliver the lobby and, with it, Congress.

It may be true that only a hard-liner like Netanyahu can achieve peace by ending the occupation. "After all," it is said, "it took a Nixon to go to China." The difference might be that Nixon wanted to go to China. Does Netanyahu want peace?

The first sign will come on September 26^th when he either will, or won't, say "yes" to extending the partial settlement freeze. Either way, we'll have our answer.

If he is serious about these negotiations, Obama will tell Netanyahu that "no" is not an option.

PA arrests 2 in connection with West Bank shootings

Editor — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:33:00 GMT

Washington - Hundreds of Hamas-affiliates or alleged affiliates were detained by Palestinian Authority forces overnight Tuesday after Hamas militants took credit for the gunning down of 4 Israeli settlers near Hebron. Tensions ran high Wednesday as militants wounded two more settlers in Ramallah. Now the PA forces say they have arrested two men suspected of involvement in the attacks, Haaretz reported Thursday.

PA police push people back in Gaza. [blhphotography - Flickr]

Haaretz reported:

Following the incident, Palestinian security forces in the West Bank carried out one of the largest arrest sweeps in history, bringing in over 300 suspects in efforts to locate the culprits.

The vehicle from which the attack was carried out was located on Wednesday, and the evidence had apparently led the authorities to the suspects apprehended on Wednesday.

The suspects are two Hamas-affiliated residents of Hebron.

Hamas' militant wing - Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades - have vowed more violence, Ma'an News Agency reported Thursday.

An al-Qassam Brigades spokesman was quoted saying attacks will continue "in any form and in any place," including inside Israel and Gaza, Ma'an said.

The report continued:

Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida said the second attack was "a slap in the face" for those who said the deadly shooting near Hebron would not be repeated.

Abu Obeida said the Ramallah shooting was timed "according to field circumstances" but added that it conveyed a message to negotiators who "conceded and went along with the forces of the occupation and made their efforts to chase the resistance fighters in the wake of the heroic Hebron attack."

Following the shooting in Hebron, Palestinian Authority security forces launched an arrest campaign in Hebron. At a press conference in Gaza on Thursday Hamas spokesman Sami Abu-Zuhri accused the PA of arresting 550 of the Islamist movement's affiliates.

Abu Zuhri reiterated Abu Obeida's insistence that the attacks would continue, and said the shootings in Hebron and Ramallah were "an evidence of the option of resistance and its resolve" in the face of security coordination between Israel and the PA.

Hamas' political apparatus, which controls the Gaza Strip, has insisted it had no part in the attacks but said they easily could have been planned independently by the militant wing.

Vehicle linked to Hebron shootings seized

Editor — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:15:00 GMT

Washington - The car said to be involved with two deadly shootings in the West Bank has been seized, Ma'an News Agency reported Thursday

Palestinian car [Mariam Hamed for Palestine Note]

The car seizure comes as Israeli and Palestinian forces detain numbers of suspects potentially involved in a shooting that killed four Tuesday and wounded two Wednesday.

A discrepancy exists regarding the number of people detained by the Israeli military. Palestinian security sources claim 8 were detained whereas Israeli military sources claim 5, however, both sides confirm that 3 were detained from the Al-Fawwar refugee camp, located 6 kilometers southwest of Hebron. During these detention raids, a vehicle suspected to be involved with the attacks was also seized.

Hamas' military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, has taken ownership of the attacks, as has an unknown group, the Haq Brigades, Ma'an reported.

Hamas and several other Palestinian factions have voiced opposition to direct talks, but Hamas political body has insisted it played no role in the shootings and also said the shootings and the talks are not related.

President Abbas pledged "to find those responsible for the shootings." Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's had a similar response to the attacks: "We condemn this operation, which goes against Palestinian interests."

Until further investigation has been completed, the Israeli military has denied travel on the Route 60 bypass and residential access to the village.

Turkish flotilla probe presents report to UN

Editor — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:57:00 GMT

Washington - The Turkish investigation into Israel's high-seas raid of aid vessels en route to Gaza has submitted its report to the United Nations, World Bulletin reported Thursday.

The Mavi Marmara [Freegazaorg - Flickr]

The Turkish-owned Mavi Marmara was the key interest in the investigation, the report said, as Israeli commandos killed 8 Turkish citizens and a US citizens of Turkish nationality during the raid. They were the only casualties.

World Bulletin reported:

Turkish Ambassador Mithat Rende presented Turkey's report to UN investigation committee in New York.

Sources said that Turkey's contacts and initiatives in this issue would continue.

Following the raid, outcry was heard most strongly from Turkey, who greatly reduced ties with Israel. Turkey called for Israel to yield to demands that would restore diplomatic relations between the two nations - Israel must establish and international commission under the UN Security Council to investigate the raid, Israel must issue a formal apology for the raid and pay compensation to those injured and the families of those killed, and lift the blockade on Gaza.

Israel responded that it would not apologize or entertain the other demands.

Turkish Foreign Minister called again Thursday for Israel to issue an apology, Ynet news reported:

"Israel can apologize to Turkey, but the most important thing is that the apology be an open declaration to the international community," said the minister.

Direct talks begin, both parties hint at contentious issues

Editor — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:26:00 GMT

Washington - After an opening (video of remarks to be found here later today) by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu gave his remarks in the Benjamin Franklin room at the US Department of State.

Netanyahu, speaking in English, focused on the historic oppotunity before him and President Abbas, the importance of Israel's security after two days of drive-by shootings targeting Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and the recognition of Israel as the Jewish state.

"A true peace, a lasting peace, would be achieved only with mutual and painful concessions from both sides," the prime minister said, but he did not list what those concessions might be.

"The people of Israeli and I as their prime minister [are] prepared to walk this road and go a long way, a long way in a short time" - President Obama hopes to have a peace agreement signed within a year - "to achieve a genuine peace that will bring our people security, prosperity, and good neighbors."

PM Netanyahu then discussed the "pillars of peace," legitimacy and security, saying just as the Palestinians expect the Israelis to recognize their nation and eventually their state, the Israelis hope the Palestinians will be "prepared to recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people."

He discussed again the paramount importance of security: "Achieving security is a must. Security is the foundation of peace. Without it, peace will unravel. With it, People will be stable and will endure."

"President Abbas," he said turning down the table to his counterpart, "I am full aware and I respect your people's desire for sovereignty. I'm convinced it is possible to reconcile that desire with Israel's need for security." Israel's vision for the Palestinian state involves one that is demilitarized with little to no control over its borders, which does not fit the textbook definition of complete sovereignty.

In his final comments, Netanyahu framed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as that between Isaac and Ishmael, the two sons of Abraham. Isaac is the father of the Jewish people, he said, and Ishmael the father of the Arabs. Despite their animosity, the two brothers came home to bury their father, he said with optimism for the upcoming negotiations.

However, Netanyahu's analogy implies all Arabs are Muslims, as Ishmael is the father of Islam as a faith, not Arabs as a people. Indeed, there are a great number of Christian Palestinians who would not fit into this analogy, and there have long been Arab Jews who, under Netanyahu's framing, would belong to both the house of Isaac and the house of Ishmael.

President Abbas' remarks, delivered in Arabic and simultaneously translated, focused on international rule of law, the rights of refugees (which responded intentionally or not to Netanyahu's call for an "end to claims and to conflict"), end to settlement activity, and the PLO's long-standing commitment to effecting peace with Israel.

"Peace is a vital interest not only for the Palestinians and the Israelis but for the region," President Abbas said. As for Netanyahu's desire for Israel to be recognized as the Jewish state, Abbas said the PLO recognized the state of Israel on Sept. 9, 1993.

Influential Fatah Central Committee member and Abbas advisor Mohammad Dahlan said to Palestine Note Wednesday about recognition of Israel as a Jewish state:

"Obama should not be involved in allowing Israel define or not define its identity. They (Israel) can call it a Jewish or a catholic state. The Palestinians as well as Obama shouldn't have to pick that name for them."

Dahlan also said about settlements as many already have: "No peace with settlements. These negotiations cannot succeed if Israel continues its settlement activities."

The Guardian reported this afternoon that Abbas and Netanyahu have agreed to their next round of negotiations, scheduled to be held Sept. 14-15 in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Above: Israeli flag [Templar 1307 - Flickr], Palestinian flag [Perealbiac - Flickr]

Settlers begin construction after shootings

Editor — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:21:00 GMT

Washington - Israeli settlers, who live on West Bank installations considered illegal under international law, announced Wednesday that they would defy the settlement construction freeze after Hamas militants shot dead four settlers near Hebron, one of whom was pregnant, and wounded two in Ramallah.

Israeli settlements, considered illegal installations of an occupying power on occupied land, are under heavy guard, with as many as four Israeli soldiers to every settler. [Daveh Dr Hamptn - Flickr]

Thursday, Israeli daily Haaretz reported building has begun in defiance of the freeze in at least 80 settlements. While Palestinian leadership has been adamant that it will pull out of peace negotiations is settlement construction resumes in areas observing the freeze, no mention was made of the construction efforts as peace talks kicked off in Washington, DC Thursday morning.

Settler advocate Naftali Bennett said the settlers decided to double the number of buildings they intended to start after the first shooting Tuesday when two more settlers were shot in Ramallah Wednesday evening. Hamas militants took credit for these shootings as well. Hamas' political apparatus was quick to it had no role in the shootings, saying it's militant wing, Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, could have planned the shootings independently.

"The real test between the Palestinians' radical Islam and Israel is the on-the-ground test of who is stronger and who is here to stay ... Once they (Palestinians) understand Israel is here to stay and only growing stronger day by day, they will give up," Haaretz quoted Bennett, conflating the actions of Hamas militants with Muslim Palestinians.

Haaretz reported:

Naftali Bennett, director of the settlers' Yesha council, said settlers would begin building homes and public structures in at least 80 settlements, breaking a partial government freeze on building that ends on September 26.

"The idea is that de facto it (the freeze) is over," Bennett said, criticizing the U.S.-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian talks as aiming for a "phony peace" and rejecting Palestinian demands for a halt to settlement building on land they want for a state.

"Once they understand Israelis are here to stay and only growing stronger day by day, they will give up," Bennett said.

The settlers, who have threatened to depose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he does not let them resume building after September 26, ended the freeze unilaterally on Wednesday, the day after gunmen killed four settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Pro-settler groups make up the majority of PM Netanyahu's coalition and his backing. It has already been well-discussed that he could find himself in hot political water if he extends the settlement freeze to further the peace process.

The Palestinian Authority has said consistently that the expansion of settlements is the death knell for the peace process and announced repeatedly that they would pull out of the direct negotiations if settlement building in areas observing the freeze resumed.

Direct negotiations began Thursday at the State Department, but the Palestinians have given no indication they intend to pull out of the talks because of this construction.

After Tuesday's shooting, violence against Palestinians and Palestinian property broke out in the West Bank. PM Netanyahu called for restraint and rule of law among the settlers.

Abbas calls for peace after second shooting

Editor — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:35:00 GMT

Washington - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for peace and condemned a second drive-by shooting targeting settlers in the West Bank in remarks from the White House Wednesday evening, Ma'an News Agency reported.

Israeli ambulance [Mantiochous - Flickr]

"It is time to make peace, it is time to end the occupation that began in 1967, and for the Palestinian people to achieve their freedom, independence and justice ... We condemned what happened today. We do not want any drop of blood to be shed neither from Palestinians nor Israelis. We want peace between our two peoples. We want to live as partners and neighbors. Let us sign a final peace agreement and end, forever, a long era of conflict," Abbas was quoted as saying.

He continued: "It is time to end the conflict in the Middle East region permanently."

Abbas made his remarks at a press conference following a dinner held by President Obama for the direct negotiations participants and supporters. Held in the Old Family Dining Room, those present were President Barack Obama, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, Tony Blair, the international Middle east envoy and former British Prime Minister, and President Hosni Mubarek of Egypt.

Wednesday's shooting, which injured two Israelis in Ramallah, was claimed by Hamas' militant wing, Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades. The Wednesday shooting following the fatal shoots of four Israeli settlers in Hebron Tuesday.

Hamas' political apparatus has praised the attacks and decried the Palestinian engagement in the peace process, but it has insisted the shootings are not related to the peace talks.

Ynet news reported Thursday:

Senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Zahar said there was no connection between this week's terror attacks in the West Bank and the launching of direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

In an interview with London-based Arabic daily a-Sharq al-Awsat published Thursday, al-Zahar said the attempt to link the attacks to the peace talks is "fundamentally wrong," adding that the decision to carry out the attacks was made by "people in the field."

"There are those who are saying the timing of the attacks was deliberate, but this is not true. When people have an opportunity, as well as the capabilities and targets, they act."

WATCH LIVE: Sec. Clinton kicks off direct talks

Editor — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:11:00 GMT

Washington - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hosts a re-launch of direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian leadership at the US State Department in Washington, DC Thursday. Watch the opening remarks live at 10am EST.

The last round of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority broke down in December 2008 when Israel launched a 22-day offensive on the Gaza Strip that killed roughly 1,400 Palestinians. This time around, a series of shootings aimed at Israeli settlers in the West Bank and claimed by Hamas' militant wing have tested the mettle of the negotiations, but both Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have expressed an urgent desire to move forward to effect peace.

If the video cannot be viewed on Palestine Note, please see Secretary Clinton's remarks here.

To be a Fly on the White House Old Family Dining Room Wall. . .

Steve Clemons — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:39:00 GMT

Originally posted on the Washington Note

This is the roster of who is coming to dinner tonight:

President Obama
President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt

King Abdullah of Jordan

Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel

President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Quartet Representative Tony Blair

According to a pool report written by Huffington Post's Sam Stein, the White House won't be sharing "many, if any details" from tonight's dinner. All we can expect is an official photo.

OK then! I'm hooked.

Holding back is a good way to keep us me interested.

Above: Direct negotiations delegates and participants - clockwise from left, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, Tony Blair, the international Middle east envoy and former British Prime Minister, and President Hosni Mubarek of Egypt, in the Old Family Dining Room of the White House, Sept. 1, 2010 [Pete Souza - White House]

Call It what It Is: Murder

Mitchell Plitnick — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:40:00 GMT

I am not usually inclined to use this space for what others might call a "rant." But this day, I feel there are some points that need to be made.

Today, Hamas claimed responsibility for the murders of four Israeli settlers along a West Bank road. One good friend of mine questioned why I use the term "murder" rather than killing. Another good friend spoke of the need to put the killings in "context" of occupation and the ongoing crimes attached thereto.

The car that was shot up in the West Bank today

And so, I was motivated to write, because when I hear these things from good people I start to wonder about our moral compass.

Why is this murder? Well, it seems to me when gunmen ambush a car full of civilians (yes, even if the civilians are criminals) and shoot them to death in cold blood, outside of anything that could remotely be called a combat situation, that's murder.

Settlements are criminal; they are impediments to peace and encroachments on land that does not belong to Israel. They cause enormous human rights violations to Palestinians. But those who live in them have not thereby forfeited or in any way diminished their right to keep their lives.

I don't see, quite frankly, what is so complicated about this. Hamas' diabolical act today was not an act of desperation. It was not a cry from an oppressed and occupied people. It was a calculated act of murder, intended to further Hamas' political goals. Was their goal, as many assume, to derail the direct peace talks before they even got started? Was it, as Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum "...meant to highlight the failure of the security cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and Israel?" Whichever it was, the tool Hamas chose to further their goal was murder.

If an Israeli soldier or settler willfully kills a Palestinian outside of a combat situation and without immediate provocation, we rightly show zero tolerance for that. And we rightly call it murder. This is no different.

And some may argue that we in the peace movement should contextualize this so people can understand the need to end the occupation.

Nonsense. Sure, this act wouldn't have happened if the Israelis weren't there, but the occupation is simply wrong, and must end. Let's not send Hamas the message that the way to convince Israel of that is to kill civilians. It's just what they want to hear, and they will no doubt happily comply.

I suspect for some on the left - those who have been bending over backwards to make the case that Hamas is reasonable and really not the right-wing, reactionary sort of group that most in the West believe - there will be scrambling to criticize the act while at the same time saying it is understandable and to be expected because of the occupation.

That is wrong-headed and shows just how far some of us have wandered off the path. An act like this is never understandable, it is never justifiable and there is no context in which it is anything less than cold-blooded murder.

An attack such as this one leveled at soldiers is also illegal and unjustifiable. But in this case, along the roads in the South Hebron Hills, it is not hard to find Israeli soldiers. This attack was therefore directed quite intentionally at civilians, despite the fact that it need not have been.

On every level, this was a heinous act. Anyone who fancies him or herself a progressive should have no trouble condemning it unequivocally, just as he or she would if an Israeli soldier knowingly and intentionally shoots a Palestinian in Gaza carrying a white flag. There is no moral difference between the two.

And yet, too many on the left will downplay the horrific nature of this act and somehow continue to make excuses for Hamas.

We'll also know that we've made progress when it is politically feasible for the Palestinian Authority to condemn such acts for being wrong, not just because they are against Palestinian interests (which they most certainly are) but simply because they are wrong.

I have said (and am even currently working an article to reiterate) that it is necessary to talk to Hamas, to bring them into a unified Palestinian government. That is a practical necessity. But today's act reminds us that we in the US and our fellows in Israel may have to do that, but we should never forget who it is we're dealing with. And we who work for peace and justice must keep in mind that these principles apply to all, and we should stop romanticizing those, like Hamas, who would commit such acts as the one that they committed today.

Middle East peace requires real courage from both sides

Ray Hanania — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:35:00 GMT

On the eve of a long-hoped-for meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, members of the Hamas terrorist organization killed four members of the Israeli terrorist settler movement.

The murders of the four settlers took place at Kiryat Arba in the West Bank where settlers have celebrated the memory of Dr. Baruch Goldstein, the American Jewish mass murderer who killed 29 Palestinians while they were praying at the Hebron Mosque. Amazingly, he wore an Israeli military uniform and the mosque was under the control of the Israeli army.

Talk about an inside job.

This act of terror is more than just a reminder that violence takes place on both sides - yes, Israel settlers kill Palestinians, too. It should remind us of the objective of extremist Palestinians and extremists Israelis, which is to block the peace process.

The extremists have been encouraged by Netnayhau who has been hesitant to give up his drive to take all of the land of the Palestinians in the West Bank and convert them in to illegal Israeli settlements. He has refused to really freeze settlement expansion and despite a minor hold on some insignificant "outposts," the settlements continue to expand with new construction and more settlers.

Abbas has been trying his best to embrace peace, demanding only that Israel stop expelling Palestinian homeowners from East Jerusalem, which is located in the Israeli occupied West Bank and is a Palestinian majority. Israel has been building homes for settlers in East Jerusalem while demolishing the homes of Palestinian families there for the past decade.

The problem facing both Netanyahu and Abbas is a political problem. And the question is, do they have the courage to do the right thing? Do they have the courage to stand up to the fanatics in their own community and confront the growing anger from the moderates who are pulled apart by violence, failure, and the actions of the other side?

We know what the peace agreement is. Two states. Israel closes some settlements and gives the Palestinian lands in Israel in exchange for the illegal settlements that it keeps.

East Jerusalem is divided not by a wall but by sovereignty with people able to travel throughout the Holy City. The Jewish section though falls under Israeli control and the Palestinian sections, three quarters of the city, come under Palestinian control.

The Palestinian refugees are addressed with real options, not false promises of returning to lands they will never see. Relocation to the Palestinian State. A fund to support their development. An apology and acknowledgement from Israel for that country's role in intentionally taking their homes, lands and destroying their villages in 1948, an event that took place more than 62 years ago.

Most importantly, an internationally recognized border is drawn between Palestine and Israel that for the first time in history gives Palestine the power of international law if Israel breaks its agreement. Sovereignty gives Palestinians a power they have never had. They have always been the outcast in every international debate about their situation. Their non-sovereignty status has allowed Israel to do all the talking and direct all the action. Israel's violence has been defined as "defense" while Palestinian violence has always been defined as "terrorism."

A peace accord would change the power balance to fairness.

Palestine could continue to prosecute crimes as could Israel. Palestine could continue to push for more humanitarian treatment of Palestinians seeking to be compensated for lost lands and homes taken by Israel and so could Jews seeking to be compensated for lost lands and homes in the Arab World.

But if Netanyahu has the courage to stand up to the fanatics in Israel who are beating the drums of hatred and rejection, he could go down as one of the most influential Jewish leaders in modern human history.

If Abbas can push ahead and let go of Palestinian injured ego and pride, he could become the most important Palestinian leader, eclipsing the Hamas terrorist organization which claims power only on the basis of their ability to murder Israeli settlers and civilians and to threaten violence.

In peace, Hamas would slowly disappear. Their power would vanish. It is only in conflict that Hamas has power. And, it is only in rejection that the Israeli settler fanatics -- who murder innocent Palestinians all the time without even a mention in the mainstream American news media - find power. The settlers would disappear as a violent extremist force, too. And that is good for Israeli politics.

Take away power from the fanatics and the extremists on both sides by doing the right thing. And the right thing is for Abbas and Palestine and Netanyahu and Israel to return from their meetings in Washington D.C. with President Barack Obama by holding up an agreement for the world to see.

Make the peace now. Address the details we've been haggling over later. We know there will be fights over the line "dividing" Jerusalem. We know there will be fights over which lands Israel must surrender in exchange for the keeping the illegal settlements like Ariel and Gilo.

But we also know that failure means a future of far more violence than what we have witnessed over the past six months. From the attack on the civilians on the Gaza flotilla to the attack on the settlers at Kiryat Arba.

It's a simple choice. Peace. Or, violence.

Israel's Bedouins call for intervention from Obama

Editor — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:35:00 GMT

Washington - The Bedouin village of Al-Arakib in the Negev Desert in Israel has been demolished by Israeli forces four times, and Israel's marginalized Bedouin community is calling on President Barack Obama for intervention as peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians kick off tonight.

CAT D10 bulldozer [Wikimedia Commons]

The villagers have rebuilt the village each time it was demolished by the government. Al-Arakib is one of dozens of "unrecognized" Bedouin villages in Israel's Negev (Naqab) desert, which have a combined population of 76,000. These communities, some of which have existed since before the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948, receive no water, electricity, or government services of any kind.

Israeli bulldozers first destroyed Al-Arakib on July 27 after police in riot gear evacuated the the town's 300 residents from their homes. Hundreds of teenage civilian volunteers assisted the police in dismantling the town. The destruction has been described as ethnic cleansing.

In a letter sent to the White House, The Popular Committee for the Protection of Al-Araqib Recognition Forum and The Coalition of Organizations for Recognition of the Unrecognized Villages in the Negev called on President Obama to intervene against the destruction of Bedouin villages.

Read the letter to President Obama made available to Palestine Note:

On behalf of Bedouin citizens of the unrecognized Arab Bedouin villages in Israel and the residents of Al Araqib village in particular, we respectfully turn to you with this desperate appeal.

It may surprise you to receive this letter since it is not usual for citizens of a democratic state to approach the head of another state in order to receive help and protection. Unfortunately, Israel which claims to be a democracy constantly discriminates against its Arab citizens on ethnic-racial grounds. In this case, our government is using all possible resources to destroy our homes and confiscate our lands.

In the “Negev-Naqab” region in southern Israel, there is a considerable long-standing community of Arab Bedouin who are the indigenous inhabitants of the area and who today number some 190,000. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, its policies have consistently aimed at confiscating the traditional lands of the Bedouin people. Such is the policy of "non-recognition", leaving the Bedouin villages for the past 60 years without infrastructure, services and building permits, hoping to 'convince' the residents of these villages to forgo their lands. Today only 3% of the traditional lands are still available to the Bedouin people, and the government is attempting at reducing this even further.

Accordingly, the Government of Israel has recently increased its measures against its Bedouin citizens: over the past few months entire villages have been demolished to the ground over and over again. In the past month (August, 2010) the historic village of Al Araqib was totally demolished four times. The homes were wiped off the face of the earth, olive and carob trees were uprooted, dovecots and sheep folds were destroyed and personal property confiscated. The government intends to continue the demolitions, to arrest the residents and to charge this poor and deprived community for the costs of the demolitions and for the conduct of financially and emotionally draining law suits, in its attempt at convincing the people to leave their lands.

The letter further explained phenomenon of the Bedouin citizens of Israel, highly marginalized and given little to no support from the state of Israel when they occupy unrecognized villages:

During the war of 1948 and into the 1950’s the majority of the Bedouin community living in the northern and western Negev was banished to the Sinai peninsula in Egypt and to Jordan, leaving only some 10% of the original Bedouin inhabitants within Israel. From 1951-1959 most of the remaining Bedouin were driven into a confined area known as the ‘restricted zone’ in the eastern Negev. All the lands that the Bedouin were forced to abandon were declared to be ownerless and were registered as State lands.

During the 1970s and 1980s approximately half of the Bedouin population were moved into townships which since have become rife with unemployment and with neglect in all facets of life. The other half of the community live in some 45 unrecognized villages to which the state refuses to grant the most basic services such as health, running water, electricity and roads. It should be noted that some of these villages existed hundreds of years before the establishment of the state of Israel, while others were created in response to the transfer of the Bedouin from their ancestral lands by the Israeli army after the establishment of the State.

The Bedouin villages were not granted any land or municipal rights. A function of the fact that they are unrecognized and are not subject to any master-plan means that any building carried out there is considered illegal. The state demolishes some 250 homes each year, and most of the buildings in these unrecognized villages are threatened by standing demolition orders. Now the government is threatening to increase the demolitions to 700 homes a year. And what are the residents to do? Where will they house their children and grandchildren? The only solution offered by the State is to concentrate the community in more crowded townships, the model for which has been notoriously unsuccessful. The villagers are unwilling to accept this solution, particularly since they are in possession of proofs of land ownership dating back to the Ottoman Empire and the period of the British Mandate.

The restrictions on the community do not end with the withholding of services and demolitions of property but include the prohibition of working the land, destruction of some 2,000 acres of crops per year and the restriction of grazing areas, an important branch of agriculture for the community.

We cry out for your help. We turn to you as a world leader to call on the Israeli government to honour the most basic of human rights, to grant the Arab Bedouin the rights accorded to indigenous peoples under international conventions: to recognize the villages, to end the destruction of crops, and to allow the Bedouin to live the life of their choice; but most of all - to recognize the traditional land ownership of the Bedouin and to end the demolition of homes - which is a basic right of all human beings.

President Obama met Wednesday with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and has continued meetings with King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.

The White House will hold a dinner tonight at 8pm in to kick off the peace process, as Israeli and Palestinian leadership sit down face-to-face for the first time in 20 months.

President Obama hopes to secure a peace agreement within a year.

Bedouin land fight

Jonathan Cook — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:27:00 GMT

Claim for native title threatens Jewish state

Nuri al Uqbi's small cinderblock home in a ramshackle neighbourhood of Hura, a Bedouin town in Israel's Negev desert, hardly looks like the epicentre of a legal struggle that some observers say threatens Israel's Jewish character.

Inside, the 68-year-old Bedouin activist has stacks of bulging folders of tattered and browning documents, many older than the state of Israel itself, that he hopes will overturn decades of harsh government policy towards the Negev's 180,000 Bedouin.

For the past few months, Mr al Uqbi has been in court pursuing a case that has pitted his own expert witnesses against those of the state.

Mr al Uqbi claims the right to return to a patch of 82 hectares in the Negev, close to the regional capital, Beersheva, that he says has belonged to his family for generations. But as both the government and the judge in the case, Sarah Dovrat, seem to appreciate, much more is at stake.

Should Mr al Uqbi win his case, tens of thousands of Bedouin, who long ago had their properties confiscated, could be entitled to repossess their agricultural lands or seek enormous sums in compensation.

Theoretically, it might also open the door to claims by millions of Palestinian refugees scattered across the Middle East.

The Negev, constituting nearly two-thirds of Israel's territory, has been almost entirely nationalised by the state, with the land held in trust for world Jewry. But the Bedouin have outstanding legal claims on nearly 80,000 hectares of ancestral property.

Tom Segev, an Israeli historian, observed that the historical documents presented by Mr al Uqbi "raise a fundamental question: Who does this country belong to?"

The lawyers and witnesses in the case, Mr Segev added, were not just "arguing over a plot of land. They are arguing over the justness of Zionism".

Such high stakes may explain why over the past few weeks, as Ms Dovrat has been considering her verdict, the authorities have sped up plans to plant over Mr al Uqbi's land a "peace forest", paid for by an international Zionist charity called the Jewish National Fund (JNF).

Until now the main obstacle in their way has been a small village, Al Araqib, re-established a decade ago by several Bedouin families who, rather than pursue Mr al Uqbi's legal route, have simply reoccupied the land.

Last week, about 300 Bedouin were again evicted when the police destroyed the village's 40 homes for the fourth time in less than a month.

Mr al Uqbi, a father of eight, said that five years ago - after years of challenging the land confiscation with protests and appeals to the authorities - he launched the lengthy legal process that has finally reached the Beersheva court.

"I realised that the authorities were simply waiting for me to die. When all the old people are gone, who will be left to come and testify?"

Mr al Uqbi said his father, Sheikh Suleiman al Uqbi, and the other villagers were "tricked" by the authorities in 1951. They were told that they would have to relocate "temporarily" while military exercises were carried out in the area.

Mr al-Uqbi, who was nine at the time, remembers the tribe being forcibly moved to a new site, next to Hura, where they have lived ever since, although their neighbourhood has never been recognised by the state.

All these years later, Mr al Uqbi's home, like his neighbours', is still illegal, and they are all denied water, electricity and other services.

The only option they had been offered to make their lives legal again, Mr al Uqbi said, was to move to one of seven government "townships" set up in the 1970s. All are sunk at the very bottom of Israel's social and economic tables.

The families have refused, protesting that they would also have to renounce both their claim to their ancestral lands and a pastoral and agricultural way of life known by the Bedouin for centuries. The Uqbi tribe's fate is far from unique. Tens of thousands of other Bedouin were also moved by the army and have been faced with a similar, stark choice.

Today, 90,000 Bedouin, or half the Negev's Bedouin population, live in unrecognised communities, according to a human rights group.

Mr al Uqbi's court case has set two noted Israeli geography professors in sharp opposition.

The state's position is represented by Ruth Kark, of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who claims that the Negev Bedouin were nomads with no ties to the land. Instead, she argues, most of the Negev was considered "mawat", or dead, and its ownership passed to Israel in 1948 as the new sovereign ruler.

On these grounds, the state has long classified the Bedouin as "trespassers" and "invaders".

But Mr al Uqbi's expert, Oren Yiftachel, of Ben Gurion University in Beersheva, has countered that there was a well-established system of Bedouin land ownership and crop cultivation in the Negev long before Israel's creation.

He says Bedouin deeds - though never formally recorded - were recognised by the Ottomans, the British and even early Zionist organisations such as the JNF, which bought land from the Bedouin.

A 1921 document from the public records office in London unearthed by Mr Yiftachel shows that Winston Churchill, the colonies minister, signed an agreement with Bedouin in the Beersheva area that exempted them from registering their lands and set up a special tribal court to settle land disputes.

Mr al Uqbi has kept a large store of documents passed on to him, showing that his father cultivated crops on the land and paid regular tithes on the profits to the Ottoman and British authorities.

He also has a copy of the treaty signed in 1948 between 16 Bedouin tribes, including the Uqbi, and the new Israeli army, pledging loyalty in return for a guarantee that they could continue living on their lands.

Mr Yiftachel said the legal battles of the Bedouin should be compared to those waged by other indigenous peoples in countries such as Australia, Canada, South Africa, India and Brazil. "Like them, they are fighting for recognition of 'native title'," he said.