25 oct 2019
A Palestinian child can be seen outside her home in the poverty-stricken quarter of Al-Zaytoon in Gaza City on 29 September 2014
Qatari envoy Mohammed Al-Emadi arrived in the Gaza Strip last weekend with $180 million to distribute among Palestinians in need.
In Gaza’s case, that means virtually the whole population as they lurch from one humanitarian crisis to another thanks to the brutal siege imposed by Israel on one side and Egypt on the other.
The cash from Qatar is needed desperately to cover fuel for electricity, salaries and financial aid for Palestinian families struggling to live under the siege.
The special delivery will come as no surprise to Israel, because Qatar announced back in May that it would send $480 million to the occupied West Bank and Gaza to “aid the brotherly Palestinian people in obtaining their basic needs.”
The money has flowed in with support (no doubt reluctant) from Tel Aviv, which has entered into an “unofficial” Egypt-brokered truce with Hamas, which still basically governs the Gaza Strip.
The money will be used to pay Palestinian Authority civil servants and has allowed the UN to step up aid efforts.
However, the fact that this is happening at all is hugely significant and should now be used as evidence to bring an end to the Kafkaesque drama which saw five Palestinian Americans jailed in what has been described as one of the worst ever cases of miscarriages of justice in the United States.
The drama started in 2004 when the FBI along with the US Treasury Department and a bunch of assorted police forces from Texas and California arrested officials at the Holy Land Foundation in dawn raids.
The “HLF Five” were — still are — Shukri Abu Baker, Mohammad El-Mezain, Ghassan Elashi, Mufid Abdulqader and Abdulrahman Odeh, who had founded the Muslim community charity in 1990.
The five were accused of giving material support to Hamas and in their first trial there was a hung jury. The retrial in Dallas Federal Court began in September 2008, and included unprecedented testimony given in secret by an Israeli spy known simply as “Avi”.
The defence team was unable to question Avi’s background and credentials.
Judge Jorge Solis did tell the jury that it was allowed to weigh the agent’s credibility in light of his anonymity, but he brushed aside the defendants’ right under the Sixth Amendment “to be confronted with the witnesses against him.”
Nothing in the US Constitution until then permitted conviction by anonymous accusations, but the court went ahead and convicted all five men.
One accusation in the 108-count indictment stated that the Holy Land Foundation encouraged suicide bombings by providing welfare to the bombers’ orphaned children.
It has since emerged that of the 200 suicide bombers who operated in Palestine during that period, none had any children. In fact — and in startling contrast — the HLF actually gave financial assistance to the children of men that Hamas had executed for collaborating with Israel.
It also emerged that the dawn raids and the arrest of the five came in response to allegations made by the state of Israel that the charity was a front for an illegal money-laundering operation, diverting funds to Hamas (declared a terrorist organisation by the US under President Bill Clinton) via Zakat Committees in the Occupied West Bank.
Similar allegations led to British charity Interpal being designated by the US as a “global terrorist entity” in 2003 without a shred of evidence ever being produced by the American (or Israeli) government.
That designation is still in place today, despite Interpal operating legally in Britain and still delivering aid to Palestinians in need.
During the second HLF trial the men were convicted of providing “material support” to Hamas and, in 2009, were sentenced to between 15 and 65 years in prison.
The trial has been exposed as a farce in a hard-hitting book published last year by Mike Peled, the son of a famous Israeli general and a passionate anti-Zionist.
Peled interviewed the convicted men as well as their families, and even visited the men’s birthplaces in the West Bank.
His detailed account of the case of the Holy Land Foundation Five proves without a shadow of a doubt that this was a political case driven forward by the Zionist lobbies and Israel to undermine, intimidate and criminalise anyone working for or donating money to charities helping needy Palestinians.
The fact of the matter is simple: it is impossible to distribute money in occupied Palestine without seeking the permission of the authorities in charge.
In the occupied West Bank, money will go to charities registered not only with the Palestinian Authority but also Israel, and in some cases the Jordanian government.
Money transfers will have to be cleared by the Israeli banking system, and if anyone goes in person on behalf of a charity, they will have to get clearance from the same authorities to enter the country.
In the case of the Gaza Strip, this means the democratically-elected government run by Hamas, and all charities have to be registered with the PA and Israelis.
No money changes hands in this process, but aid agencies and charities operate by permission of the authorities.
Now that we know that Qatar despatched an envoy carrying $180 million in cash to Gaza with the green light for this coming from Tel Aviv, then it should be grounds for an appeal by the Holy Land Foundation Five as it drives a tank through the nonsense of the ubiquitous “material support” argument.
The US justice system should hang its head in shame as these men continue to languish in prison for doing nothing more than humanitarian work.
The real criminals aren’t those putting bread in the mouths of Palestinian children, but those in the Trump Administration who would rather watch the children of Gaza starve than let them have a semblance of a normal life in what are extremely abnormal circumstances.
Qatari envoy Mohammed Al-Emadi arrived in the Gaza Strip last weekend with $180 million to distribute among Palestinians in need.
In Gaza’s case, that means virtually the whole population as they lurch from one humanitarian crisis to another thanks to the brutal siege imposed by Israel on one side and Egypt on the other.
The cash from Qatar is needed desperately to cover fuel for electricity, salaries and financial aid for Palestinian families struggling to live under the siege.
The special delivery will come as no surprise to Israel, because Qatar announced back in May that it would send $480 million to the occupied West Bank and Gaza to “aid the brotherly Palestinian people in obtaining their basic needs.”
The money has flowed in with support (no doubt reluctant) from Tel Aviv, which has entered into an “unofficial” Egypt-brokered truce with Hamas, which still basically governs the Gaza Strip.
The money will be used to pay Palestinian Authority civil servants and has allowed the UN to step up aid efforts.
However, the fact that this is happening at all is hugely significant and should now be used as evidence to bring an end to the Kafkaesque drama which saw five Palestinian Americans jailed in what has been described as one of the worst ever cases of miscarriages of justice in the United States.
The drama started in 2004 when the FBI along with the US Treasury Department and a bunch of assorted police forces from Texas and California arrested officials at the Holy Land Foundation in dawn raids.
The “HLF Five” were — still are — Shukri Abu Baker, Mohammad El-Mezain, Ghassan Elashi, Mufid Abdulqader and Abdulrahman Odeh, who had founded the Muslim community charity in 1990.
The five were accused of giving material support to Hamas and in their first trial there was a hung jury. The retrial in Dallas Federal Court began in September 2008, and included unprecedented testimony given in secret by an Israeli spy known simply as “Avi”.
The defence team was unable to question Avi’s background and credentials.
Judge Jorge Solis did tell the jury that it was allowed to weigh the agent’s credibility in light of his anonymity, but he brushed aside the defendants’ right under the Sixth Amendment “to be confronted with the witnesses against him.”
Nothing in the US Constitution until then permitted conviction by anonymous accusations, but the court went ahead and convicted all five men.
One accusation in the 108-count indictment stated that the Holy Land Foundation encouraged suicide bombings by providing welfare to the bombers’ orphaned children.
It has since emerged that of the 200 suicide bombers who operated in Palestine during that period, none had any children. In fact — and in startling contrast — the HLF actually gave financial assistance to the children of men that Hamas had executed for collaborating with Israel.
It also emerged that the dawn raids and the arrest of the five came in response to allegations made by the state of Israel that the charity was a front for an illegal money-laundering operation, diverting funds to Hamas (declared a terrorist organisation by the US under President Bill Clinton) via Zakat Committees in the Occupied West Bank.
Similar allegations led to British charity Interpal being designated by the US as a “global terrorist entity” in 2003 without a shred of evidence ever being produced by the American (or Israeli) government.
That designation is still in place today, despite Interpal operating legally in Britain and still delivering aid to Palestinians in need.
During the second HLF trial the men were convicted of providing “material support” to Hamas and, in 2009, were sentenced to between 15 and 65 years in prison.
The trial has been exposed as a farce in a hard-hitting book published last year by Mike Peled, the son of a famous Israeli general and a passionate anti-Zionist.
Peled interviewed the convicted men as well as their families, and even visited the men’s birthplaces in the West Bank.
His detailed account of the case of the Holy Land Foundation Five proves without a shadow of a doubt that this was a political case driven forward by the Zionist lobbies and Israel to undermine, intimidate and criminalise anyone working for or donating money to charities helping needy Palestinians.
The fact of the matter is simple: it is impossible to distribute money in occupied Palestine without seeking the permission of the authorities in charge.
In the occupied West Bank, money will go to charities registered not only with the Palestinian Authority but also Israel, and in some cases the Jordanian government.
Money transfers will have to be cleared by the Israeli banking system, and if anyone goes in person on behalf of a charity, they will have to get clearance from the same authorities to enter the country.
In the case of the Gaza Strip, this means the democratically-elected government run by Hamas, and all charities have to be registered with the PA and Israelis.
No money changes hands in this process, but aid agencies and charities operate by permission of the authorities.
Now that we know that Qatar despatched an envoy carrying $180 million in cash to Gaza with the green light for this coming from Tel Aviv, then it should be grounds for an appeal by the Holy Land Foundation Five as it drives a tank through the nonsense of the ubiquitous “material support” argument.
The US justice system should hang its head in shame as these men continue to languish in prison for doing nothing more than humanitarian work.
The real criminals aren’t those putting bread in the mouths of Palestinian children, but those in the Trump Administration who would rather watch the children of Gaza starve than let them have a semblance of a normal life in what are extremely abnormal circumstances.
14 oct 2019
Incoming European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Madrid, Spain
The European Union’s incoming Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell has already signalled a continuation of the bloc’s prevailing politics when it comes to Palestine – preserve the two-state compromise by ensuring funding to the Palestinian Authority.
“If anyone helps the Palestinians today and their right to have their own state, that is Europe,” Borrell declared at the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs. The truth is Europe does neither; it is merely concerned with maintaining its influence when it comes to the two-state compromise and peace-building narratives, all of which serve the EU’s political agenda.
Summarising the gist of the EU’s foreign policy when it comes to Palestine, Borrell tweeted: “The EU contributes almost one million € a day to attend the Palestinian Authority. We must continue to defend a peaceful coexistence and the two states solution.” A succinct description of what EU funding constitutes – providing the PA with the necessary backing to function without the existence of a Palestinian state.
For the EU, maintaining the two-state paradigm at the helm of policy works better than implementation, which is now inapplicable anyway. The pretence of state-building, which the PA forms part of, is also a veneer that shifts focus away from the EU’s lucrative trade deals with Israel. Borrell has already stated, unsurprisingly, that the EU’s trade agreements with Israel will not be broken. In 2017, Israel-EU trade amounted to €36.2 billion, which pales in comparison to EU assistance to the PA.
For Palestinians, therefore, the EU only finances hypotheses – in Borrell’s words, “the possibility of the creation of a Palestinian state that can coexist peacefully with an Israeli state.” The EU can claim to be the biggest donor to the Palestinians, yet it is financing its own agenda, rather than providing the means for Palestinians to demand their legitimate political rights.
The European Union’s incoming Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell has already signalled a continuation of the bloc’s prevailing politics when it comes to Palestine – preserve the two-state compromise by ensuring funding to the Palestinian Authority.
“If anyone helps the Palestinians today and their right to have their own state, that is Europe,” Borrell declared at the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs. The truth is Europe does neither; it is merely concerned with maintaining its influence when it comes to the two-state compromise and peace-building narratives, all of which serve the EU’s political agenda.
Summarising the gist of the EU’s foreign policy when it comes to Palestine, Borrell tweeted: “The EU contributes almost one million € a day to attend the Palestinian Authority. We must continue to defend a peaceful coexistence and the two states solution.” A succinct description of what EU funding constitutes – providing the PA with the necessary backing to function without the existence of a Palestinian state.
For the EU, maintaining the two-state paradigm at the helm of policy works better than implementation, which is now inapplicable anyway. The pretence of state-building, which the PA forms part of, is also a veneer that shifts focus away from the EU’s lucrative trade deals with Israel. Borrell has already stated, unsurprisingly, that the EU’s trade agreements with Israel will not be broken. In 2017, Israel-EU trade amounted to €36.2 billion, which pales in comparison to EU assistance to the PA.
For Palestinians, therefore, the EU only finances hypotheses – in Borrell’s words, “the possibility of the creation of a Palestinian state that can coexist peacefully with an Israeli state.” The EU can claim to be the biggest donor to the Palestinians, yet it is financing its own agenda, rather than providing the means for Palestinians to demand their legitimate political rights.
Oslo Accords, the 25th Anniversary
The Oslo Accords, which allowed Israel to colonise additional Palestinian land, have not been repudiated by the EU. On the contrary, there has been no contestation of the framework on the grounds that it has stripped Palestinians of what remained of their land and freedom.
With the PA a willing accomplice, the EU has never been challenged by Palestinian political bureaucrats to uphold the rights of the Palestinian people. Conversely, the PA reaches out to the EU for assistance in maintaining the violations imposed by Israel and to which the international community turns a blind eye.
Europe is not helping Palestinians towards statehood – it is maintaining the illusion of statehood as an interim project, while Israel colonises what remains of Palestinian territory. The Oslo Accords are vague and so is EU policy towards Palestine. Instead of seeking clear parameters to decolonise Palestine, the EU is adopting the same ambiguities that have transformed Palestinians into a humanitarian project against their will.
The EU is merely financing its unwarranted justification of the two-state paradigm and forcing Palestinians into conditional financial aid. While nothing new is expected when it comes to the EU’s farcical peace and state-building for Palestinians, Borrell has indicated the EU’s agenda upfront – the financing of agendas and illusions to enable Israel’s ongoing colonial project.
The Oslo Accords, which allowed Israel to colonise additional Palestinian land, have not been repudiated by the EU. On the contrary, there has been no contestation of the framework on the grounds that it has stripped Palestinians of what remained of their land and freedom.
With the PA a willing accomplice, the EU has never been challenged by Palestinian political bureaucrats to uphold the rights of the Palestinian people. Conversely, the PA reaches out to the EU for assistance in maintaining the violations imposed by Israel and to which the international community turns a blind eye.
Europe is not helping Palestinians towards statehood – it is maintaining the illusion of statehood as an interim project, while Israel colonises what remains of Palestinian territory. The Oslo Accords are vague and so is EU policy towards Palestine. Instead of seeking clear parameters to decolonise Palestine, the EU is adopting the same ambiguities that have transformed Palestinians into a humanitarian project against their will.
The EU is merely financing its unwarranted justification of the two-state paradigm and forcing Palestinians into conditional financial aid. While nothing new is expected when it comes to the EU’s farcical peace and state-building for Palestinians, Borrell has indicated the EU’s agenda upfront – the financing of agendas and illusions to enable Israel’s ongoing colonial project.
5 oct 2019
Essam Yousef, the head of the “Miles Of Smiles” convoys in the Gaza Strip, has reported, Friday, that “Miles Of Smiles” has made it into the besieged coastal region, carrying essential medical equipment and vehicles for transporting persons with physical challenges.
Yousef said the convoy carried six ambulances, 10 buses with dedicated for transporting wheelchair users and people with special physical needs, in addition to 50 electric wheelchairs.
He added that this was the fourth “Miles of Smiles” medical convoy since May of this year, and that the aid was used in a number of charitable projects, in addition to providing supplies, which enable surgeons to perform surgeries on many Palestinians, who were injured by Israeli army fire during the Great Return March processions.
In addition, the convoys carried food supplies and financial assistance, which were given to families and individuals impacted by the ongoing illegal Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip and the repeated aggression.
Yousef also stated that the health conditions in the Gaza Strip are very difficult, and require constant assistance, especially when taken into consideration the ongoing and devastating Israeli siege on the coastal region.
Yousef said the convoy carried six ambulances, 10 buses with dedicated for transporting wheelchair users and people with special physical needs, in addition to 50 electric wheelchairs.
He added that this was the fourth “Miles of Smiles” medical convoy since May of this year, and that the aid was used in a number of charitable projects, in addition to providing supplies, which enable surgeons to perform surgeries on many Palestinians, who were injured by Israeli army fire during the Great Return March processions.
In addition, the convoys carried food supplies and financial assistance, which were given to families and individuals impacted by the ongoing illegal Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip and the repeated aggression.
Yousef also stated that the health conditions in the Gaza Strip are very difficult, and require constant assistance, especially when taken into consideration the ongoing and devastating Israeli siege on the coastal region.
28 aug 2019
A London-based pro-Israel newspaper suffered embarrassment this week as The Jewish Chronicle newspaper published a public apology and agreed to pay damages to a pro-Palestine charity after falsely accusing it of supporting terrorism.
The Palestinian Relief and Development Fund, also known as Interpal, is a British-charity which provides relief and development aid to Palestinian refugees in occupied Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan.
The Israel-supporting paper published the apology on Friday over an article it released in March 2019 titled: “Corbyn spoke at conference calling for release of terrorists”.
"We accept that neither Interpal, nor its Trustees, have ever been involved with or provided support for terrorist activity of any kind. We apologize unreservedly to the Trustees for any distress caused.”
"Following the apology, Interpal's reputation has now been rescued but this story has raised new questions about The Jewish Chronicle, who seem to have form in libelling and defaming British Muslim organisations and pro-Palestine activists. The language used in these articles can create negative consequences for those targeted."
Another example took place in January 2014, when the paper apologized and paid substantial damages to British relief agency, Human Appeal International, after falsely accusing it of supporting suicide bombings.
I also met with Marc Wadsworth, a life-long anti-racism activist who complained to the press regulator IPSO about The Jewish Chronicle’s choice of words in an article published in 2018. The article allegedly used misleading terms to describe an exchange between Wadsworth and pro-Israel Labour MP Ruth Smeeth.
Wadsworth went on to explain the abuse he received following the articles release.
The JC eventually agreed to change the wording of the Wadsworth article but allegedly refused to allow him a chance to clear his name with a follow up article. So for affected pro-Palestine activists like Wadsworth an apology or word change can not fix all of the damages.
The Palestinian Relief and Development Fund, also known as Interpal, is a British-charity which provides relief and development aid to Palestinian refugees in occupied Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan.
The Israel-supporting paper published the apology on Friday over an article it released in March 2019 titled: “Corbyn spoke at conference calling for release of terrorists”.
"We accept that neither Interpal, nor its Trustees, have ever been involved with or provided support for terrorist activity of any kind. We apologize unreservedly to the Trustees for any distress caused.”
"Following the apology, Interpal's reputation has now been rescued but this story has raised new questions about The Jewish Chronicle, who seem to have form in libelling and defaming British Muslim organisations and pro-Palestine activists. The language used in these articles can create negative consequences for those targeted."
Another example took place in January 2014, when the paper apologized and paid substantial damages to British relief agency, Human Appeal International, after falsely accusing it of supporting suicide bombings.
I also met with Marc Wadsworth, a life-long anti-racism activist who complained to the press regulator IPSO about The Jewish Chronicle’s choice of words in an article published in 2018. The article allegedly used misleading terms to describe an exchange between Wadsworth and pro-Israel Labour MP Ruth Smeeth.
Wadsworth went on to explain the abuse he received following the articles release.
The JC eventually agreed to change the wording of the Wadsworth article but allegedly refused to allow him a chance to clear his name with a follow up article. So for affected pro-Palestine activists like Wadsworth an apology or word change can not fix all of the damages.
