24 july 2013
Israeli, Arab teens meet in US, discuss harsh reality. 'If I were him I would also call it occupation,' Israeli says of encounter with Palestinian
Dozens of Israeli youths returned last week from a summer camp with fellow teenagers from the Middle East, including the Palestinian Authority.
They ate and slept together, weighed in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and discussed the feelings and difficulties they encounter due to their environment.
"In one of the dialogues I said the word 'occupation' in quotation marks. One of the Palestinian students got really mad and shouted at me," Michael, a participant, recounted.
"I didn't think at that moment about the repercussions of my actions, and then I understood that though I disagree, if I were at his place I would also have called it occupation."
He and his friends described the camp as a "once in a lifetime experience," and added that in the course of the project "we talked about historical events and shared our fears with them, and they described to us their way of life and their daily difficulties vis-à-vis the IDF .
"I've made five new friends, and what's sad is that they live 30 km away from us but we had to travel tens of thousands of kilometers to meet."
The Seeds of Peace NGO, the group behind the summer camp, was established in 1993 to encourage teenagers from the Middle East to meet in a neutral location and promote peace.
Every summer Israeli youth travel to camps in Maine, New England, where they meet with teens from neighboring countries.
This time, the Israelis met with teenagers from the Palestinian Authority, east Jerusalem, Gaza, Egypt, Jordan and the United States.
"The meaning is that our children are at the front," Iris Cohen, the Education Ministry appointed delegation head, explained.
"All the beliefs, opinions and sometimes facts that the others arrive with sound to their ears obtuse and unpleasant. The first meetings were very charged, they saw the enemy.
"But slowly they discover one another, learn to listen, and something is built."
Dozens of Israeli youths returned last week from a summer camp with fellow teenagers from the Middle East, including the Palestinian Authority.
They ate and slept together, weighed in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and discussed the feelings and difficulties they encounter due to their environment.
"In one of the dialogues I said the word 'occupation' in quotation marks. One of the Palestinian students got really mad and shouted at me," Michael, a participant, recounted.
"I didn't think at that moment about the repercussions of my actions, and then I understood that though I disagree, if I were at his place I would also have called it occupation."
He and his friends described the camp as a "once in a lifetime experience," and added that in the course of the project "we talked about historical events and shared our fears with them, and they described to us their way of life and their daily difficulties vis-à-vis the IDF .
"I've made five new friends, and what's sad is that they live 30 km away from us but we had to travel tens of thousands of kilometers to meet."
The Seeds of Peace NGO, the group behind the summer camp, was established in 1993 to encourage teenagers from the Middle East to meet in a neutral location and promote peace.
Every summer Israeli youth travel to camps in Maine, New England, where they meet with teens from neighboring countries.
This time, the Israelis met with teenagers from the Palestinian Authority, east Jerusalem, Gaza, Egypt, Jordan and the United States.
"The meaning is that our children are at the front," Iris Cohen, the Education Ministry appointed delegation head, explained.
"All the beliefs, opinions and sometimes facts that the others arrive with sound to their ears obtuse and unpleasant. The first meetings were very charged, they saw the enemy.
"But slowly they discover one another, learn to listen, and something is built."
Dozens of employees of the Israeli daily Ma'ariv have gone on strike to protest job conditions and layoffs.
The employees gathered outside the locked gates of the Israeli newspaper south of Tel Aviv on Tuesday to protest financial problems, repeated replacement of managers and unpredictable future of the newspaper.
The protesters said they will keep protesting until their demands are met.
Financial problems have led to the dismissal of the owner of the newspaper, and the new manager plans to fire a number of employees and cut salaries in a bid to save costs.
The new owner also shut the paper’s printing house last week due to economic problems - nearly 11 months sooner than planned.
“We want a written commitment that the days when the paper was not printed will be counted as workdays and not as part of the voluntary retirement agreement,” an employee said.
“We have no agreement, we have no layoff notices, and the printing has moved elsewhere…We’ve been deceived and lied to from the beginning,” said another.
High taxes and low salaries have had adverse effects on the lives of Israelis, specifically the middle class, in recent years.
The 2013 budget of the Tel Aviv regime has also hit Israelis deep in their pockets with raised taxes and slashed benefits.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Israel grapples with a high poverty rate.
On July 14, thousands of Israelis took to the streets to protest against Tel Aviv’s austerity measures and to demand social justice.
The employees gathered outside the locked gates of the Israeli newspaper south of Tel Aviv on Tuesday to protest financial problems, repeated replacement of managers and unpredictable future of the newspaper.
The protesters said they will keep protesting until their demands are met.
Financial problems have led to the dismissal of the owner of the newspaper, and the new manager plans to fire a number of employees and cut salaries in a bid to save costs.
The new owner also shut the paper’s printing house last week due to economic problems - nearly 11 months sooner than planned.
“We want a written commitment that the days when the paper was not printed will be counted as workdays and not as part of the voluntary retirement agreement,” an employee said.
“We have no agreement, we have no layoff notices, and the printing has moved elsewhere…We’ve been deceived and lied to from the beginning,” said another.
High taxes and low salaries have had adverse effects on the lives of Israelis, specifically the middle class, in recent years.
The 2013 budget of the Tel Aviv regime has also hit Israelis deep in their pockets with raised taxes and slashed benefits.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Israel grapples with a high poverty rate.
On July 14, thousands of Israelis took to the streets to protest against Tel Aviv’s austerity measures and to demand social justice.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah
The secretary general of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has condemned the European Union’s decision to declare the group's armed wing a “terrorist” organization.
In a televised speech on Wednesday, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah said that the EU made the “cowardly decision under pressure from Israel and the US.”
"I don't feel at all that this decision is a sovereign European decision. It was dictated to the Europeans," he said, noting that “the Israelis are behind this decision, and they have said so themselves. The United States is with them 100 percent.”
"Europe bowed down, and it was not convinced... There were 28 states -- some of which view themselves as being among the world's most important -- that bowed down to an American and Israeli decision," the Hezbollah leader added.
Nasrallah said the bloc’s decision only serves Israeli interests and makes the EU an accomplice in any future Israeli aggression against Lebanon.
“These (European) states have made themselves fully responsible for any Israeli attack on Lebanon or Lebanon's resistance (Hezbollah) or any target of the resistance," he pointed out.
"These states need to know... that they are giving legal cover to Israel for any attack on Lebanon, because Israel can now claim to be fighting terrorism and to be bombing terrorist targets," he added.
The Hezbollah leader said that if the bloc had any justification for the move it would have blacklisted Hezbollah much sooner.
Nasrallah went on to say that such decisions would not affect the morale of the resistance fighters.
"This decision does not affect our willingness. Its objective is to make us bow, to force us to step back and to be afraid,” he said.
"But I tell you (Europeans): all you will get is failure and disappointment," he noted.
On Monday, the European Union's 28 foreign ministers unanimously agreed to put Hezbollah’s military wing on the union’s blacklist following hours of discussions. The move came after prolonged diplomatic pressure from Washington and Tel Aviv.
Following the EU’s decision, Lebanese President Michel Sleiman said he hoped that the bloc would reconsider its decision.
"We hope the EU reconsiders its decision out of its keenness not to take hasty decisions, to preserve Lebanon's stability," he told EU ambassador to Lebanon Angelina Eichhorst later in the day.
The US and Israel both welcomed the decision, with US Secretary of State John Kerry calling on other countries to follow in the EU’s footsteps.
The secretary general of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has condemned the European Union’s decision to declare the group's armed wing a “terrorist” organization.
In a televised speech on Wednesday, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah said that the EU made the “cowardly decision under pressure from Israel and the US.”
"I don't feel at all that this decision is a sovereign European decision. It was dictated to the Europeans," he said, noting that “the Israelis are behind this decision, and they have said so themselves. The United States is with them 100 percent.”
"Europe bowed down, and it was not convinced... There were 28 states -- some of which view themselves as being among the world's most important -- that bowed down to an American and Israeli decision," the Hezbollah leader added.
Nasrallah said the bloc’s decision only serves Israeli interests and makes the EU an accomplice in any future Israeli aggression against Lebanon.
“These (European) states have made themselves fully responsible for any Israeli attack on Lebanon or Lebanon's resistance (Hezbollah) or any target of the resistance," he pointed out.
"These states need to know... that they are giving legal cover to Israel for any attack on Lebanon, because Israel can now claim to be fighting terrorism and to be bombing terrorist targets," he added.
The Hezbollah leader said that if the bloc had any justification for the move it would have blacklisted Hezbollah much sooner.
Nasrallah went on to say that such decisions would not affect the morale of the resistance fighters.
"This decision does not affect our willingness. Its objective is to make us bow, to force us to step back and to be afraid,” he said.
"But I tell you (Europeans): all you will get is failure and disappointment," he noted.
On Monday, the European Union's 28 foreign ministers unanimously agreed to put Hezbollah’s military wing on the union’s blacklist following hours of discussions. The move came after prolonged diplomatic pressure from Washington and Tel Aviv.
Following the EU’s decision, Lebanese President Michel Sleiman said he hoped that the bloc would reconsider its decision.
"We hope the EU reconsiders its decision out of its keenness not to take hasty decisions, to preserve Lebanon's stability," he told EU ambassador to Lebanon Angelina Eichhorst later in the day.
The US and Israel both welcomed the decision, with US Secretary of State John Kerry calling on other countries to follow in the EU’s footsteps.
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A political commentator has condemned the recent EU decision to blacklist the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, saying the Israeli military is just a dangerous terrorist outfit.
In an exclusive interview with Press TV on Wednesday, Jennifer Loewenstein, the Associate Director of the Middle East Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said influential Israeli lobby groups in Europe pressured the EU to adopt the anti-Hezbollah move. “It is political expediency…. I think that Israel has had a strike against it by the EU’s recent vote and … Netanyahu’s pressuring EU members to vote that the military wing of Hezbollah be considered terrorist is primarily political,” she commented. |
Loewenstein also strongly rejected allegations that Israeli armed forces have caused the least collateral damage in their operations, saying it was “one of the biggest pieces of propaganda and one of the worst lies” she has ever heard.
She pointed to the loss of more than a thousand civilian lives during the three-week Israeli land, sea and air offensive on the besieged Gaza Strip at the turn of 2009 as a clear proof of Israeli army’s brutality.
More than 1,400 Palestinians were killed during the Israeli aggression on Gaza during the winter of 2008-2009. The offensive also inflicted USD 1.6 billion damage on the Gazan economy.
Loewenstein further noted that she has been to the Gaza Strip on a number of occasions, and that she has witnessed Israeli troops shooting Palestinian children.
She added that in one example she heard an Israeli fighter jet flying over one of the most crowded neighborhoods of Gaza, dropping a bomb on an apartment building, killing 15 civilians in the summer of 2002.
She pointed to the loss of more than a thousand civilian lives during the three-week Israeli land, sea and air offensive on the besieged Gaza Strip at the turn of 2009 as a clear proof of Israeli army’s brutality.
More than 1,400 Palestinians were killed during the Israeli aggression on Gaza during the winter of 2008-2009. The offensive also inflicted USD 1.6 billion damage on the Gazan economy.
Loewenstein further noted that she has been to the Gaza Strip on a number of occasions, and that she has witnessed Israeli troops shooting Palestinian children.
She added that in one example she heard an Israeli fighter jet flying over one of the most crowded neighborhoods of Gaza, dropping a bomb on an apartment building, killing 15 civilians in the summer of 2002.
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The European Union should have imposed embargoes against the Israeli army over its criminal acts in the occupied Palestinian territories instead of blacklisting Lebanon’s Hezbollah, a political analyst tells Press TV.
“If they (the EU) were serious, they would put sanctions on Israeli military. That would show that they were serious, not this half measure,” said Randy Short in a Tuesday interview. The analyst pointed to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its crimes against the people of Gaza and the West Bank, noting, “They could stop this by simply putting some of the sanctions that they are putting on Hezbollah ... on the Israeli military and on Mossad.” |
On July 22, under pressure from the US and Israel, EU foreign ministers unanimously decided to place Hezbollah’s military wing on the bloc’s blacklist.
Hezbollah rejected the EU decision in a Tuesday statement, stating that the bloc was bowing to pressure from the US and the Israeli regime.
The movement also said that the hostile measure “does not in any way echo the interests of the people of the EU and goes against the principles of the European people which are supportive of freedom and independence.”
“This is an effort, whether it's a half measure or not, to destroy the single political force that has been able to defend Lebanon to thwart part of the covert war that destroyed the righteous Syrian Republic led by President [Bashar] al-Assad,” Short added
Hezbollah rejected the EU decision in a Tuesday statement, stating that the bloc was bowing to pressure from the US and the Israeli regime.
The movement also said that the hostile measure “does not in any way echo the interests of the people of the EU and goes against the principles of the European people which are supportive of freedom and independence.”
“This is an effort, whether it's a half measure or not, to destroy the single political force that has been able to defend Lebanon to thwart part of the covert war that destroyed the righteous Syrian Republic led by President [Bashar] al-Assad,” Short added
Israeli authorities began implementing a new ethnic cleansing policy aims at evacuating East Jerusalem of its Palestinian residents by not recognizing the Palestinians as citizens but only as residents.
Khalil Tafakji, the settlement affairs expert in Jerusalem, told PNN that Palestinians who have recently renewed their Israeli-issued identity card have noticed that a new addition has been added on the it which says the holder of the ID card is a resident only and that his or her residency is valid for 10 years. Adding that, after the 10 years, Israel will decide whether to ask the Palestinians to submit new documents to the Israeli Ministry of Interior or they will cancel the IDs.
This policy proves that Israel does not recognize the Palestinians in East Jerusalem as citizens, yet temporary residents who have to constantly prove residency in the city by providing all needed documents to the Israeli Ministry of Interior, said Tafakji.
Tafakji also said that this policy along with the construction of apartheid wall and settlements, the demolishing of houses and other series of aggressive policies against the Palestinians and their properties aim to evacuate the city of its Palestinian residents and displace more than 300,000 Palestinians from the city.
It's worth mentioning that this policy is not new, as Israel started to apply this policy in 1994. More than 14,000 Jerusalem residents have lost their Identities since the applying of the policy.
Israel classifies Jerusalem natives as noncitizens
The Israeli ministry of interior has come up with a new plan to expel the Palestinian natives of occupied Jerusalem from their city through classifying them as "noncitizens," lawyer Ahmed Roweidi revealed. Roweidi stated on Tuesday that the Israeli interior ministry started to specify periods for the residence of the natives in Jerusalem and classified them as noncitizens who are susceptible to deportation anytime.
Roweidi described this new measure as a prelude to a new ethnic-cleansing campaign against the Palestinian natives in the holy city.
He affirmed that a number of Jerusalemite citizens went lately to the Israeli occupation authority to renew their IDs and noticed that the word "resident" was added into the new cards with an expiry date for their residence in the holy city.
Khalil Tafakji, the settlement affairs expert in Jerusalem, told PNN that Palestinians who have recently renewed their Israeli-issued identity card have noticed that a new addition has been added on the it which says the holder of the ID card is a resident only and that his or her residency is valid for 10 years. Adding that, after the 10 years, Israel will decide whether to ask the Palestinians to submit new documents to the Israeli Ministry of Interior or they will cancel the IDs.
This policy proves that Israel does not recognize the Palestinians in East Jerusalem as citizens, yet temporary residents who have to constantly prove residency in the city by providing all needed documents to the Israeli Ministry of Interior, said Tafakji.
Tafakji also said that this policy along with the construction of apartheid wall and settlements, the demolishing of houses and other series of aggressive policies against the Palestinians and their properties aim to evacuate the city of its Palestinian residents and displace more than 300,000 Palestinians from the city.
It's worth mentioning that this policy is not new, as Israel started to apply this policy in 1994. More than 14,000 Jerusalem residents have lost their Identities since the applying of the policy.
Israel classifies Jerusalem natives as noncitizens
The Israeli ministry of interior has come up with a new plan to expel the Palestinian natives of occupied Jerusalem from their city through classifying them as "noncitizens," lawyer Ahmed Roweidi revealed. Roweidi stated on Tuesday that the Israeli interior ministry started to specify periods for the residence of the natives in Jerusalem and classified them as noncitizens who are susceptible to deportation anytime.
Roweidi described this new measure as a prelude to a new ethnic-cleansing campaign against the Palestinian natives in the holy city.
He affirmed that a number of Jerusalemite citizens went lately to the Israeli occupation authority to renew their IDs and noticed that the word "resident" was added into the new cards with an expiry date for their residence in the holy city.
Israeli officials stated Tuesday [July 23, 2013] that Israel has fortified its missile defense systems near its southern border with Egypt, allegedly to fend off any attacks by extremists fighting the Egyptian security forces in Sinai.
The Israeli decision came after more than 20 persons have been killed near the border area in nearly daily clashes and attacks carried out since Mohammad Morsi was removed from his post as the president of Egypt on July 3.
Israeli Defense Minister, Moshe Yaalon, stated that there are daily attacks in that area, and that Israel fears those attacks will eventually target Israel, “therefore, we boosted our deployment on borders, and strengthened our defense systems”.
He added that Egypt has been heavily acting against “extremist elements I Sinai” since the removal of former President, Morsi.
Furthermore, Reuters quoted an unnamed Israeli source stating that Israel expects certain attacks amidst the ongoing Israeli army campaign against armed extremists in Sinai.
The official said that these groups would try to prove their power by firing missiles into Israel despite the Egyptian campaign against it.
The Israeli decision came after more than 20 persons have been killed near the border area in nearly daily clashes and attacks carried out since Mohammad Morsi was removed from his post as the president of Egypt on July 3.
Israeli Defense Minister, Moshe Yaalon, stated that there are daily attacks in that area, and that Israel fears those attacks will eventually target Israel, “therefore, we boosted our deployment on borders, and strengthened our defense systems”.
He added that Egypt has been heavily acting against “extremist elements I Sinai” since the removal of former President, Morsi.
Furthermore, Reuters quoted an unnamed Israeli source stating that Israel expects certain attacks amidst the ongoing Israeli army campaign against armed extremists in Sinai.
The official said that these groups would try to prove their power by firing missiles into Israel despite the Egyptian campaign against it.
22 july 2013
Lapid to haredi MKs: You give your sector a bad name
Finance Minister Yair Lapid responded on behalf of the government to a no confidence motion in the Knesset and addressed the haredi MKs from the podium: "The problem isn't that you're haredi, but that you give haredim a bad name."
Lapid added: "We read the haredi press which compares secular girls to prostitutes and me to Hitler. There is no incitement or abuse against you, only equality. There are no more privileges and no more exaggerated funding."
Finance Minister Yair Lapid responded on behalf of the government to a no confidence motion in the Knesset and addressed the haredi MKs from the podium: "The problem isn't that you're haredi, but that you give haredim a bad name."
Lapid added: "We read the haredi press which compares secular girls to prostitutes and me to Hitler. There is no incitement or abuse against you, only equality. There are no more privileges and no more exaggerated funding."
Against the backdrop of the government's intention to concentrate aid to Holocaust survivors within the auspices of the welfare department, the Knesset’s State Control Committee held a heated discussion on the subject of assistance to survivors.
Avraham Berkowitz, a Holocaust survivor, accosted Welfare Minister Meir Cohen and told him, "You want to move us to the poorest, most disadvantaged department." Berkowitz then turned to Finance Minister Yair Lapid and said, "Don’t allow this. You want to transfer the survivors to the department that is not allocated anything.
We will get up on our feet and demonstrate." Lapid explained the decision, saying, "We do this to concentrate all referrals to a single phone."
Avraham Berkowitz, a Holocaust survivor, accosted Welfare Minister Meir Cohen and told him, "You want to move us to the poorest, most disadvantaged department." Berkowitz then turned to Finance Minister Yair Lapid and said, "Don’t allow this. You want to transfer the survivors to the department that is not allocated anything.
We will get up on our feet and demonstrate." Lapid explained the decision, saying, "We do this to concentrate all referrals to a single phone."
20 july 2013
Israel has been protesting all week, but to no avail. On Friday, the EU issued new guidelines prohibiting bloc money from going to Israeli institutions operating in the settlements. President Peres warned the measure could "cause a crisis."
Israel is furious. New European Union guidelines preventing bloc funds from being distributed to Israeli institutions operating in settlements outside the country's 1967 borders have triggered protest from the highest levels. Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres have criticized the ban and asked Brussels to reconsider.
ANZEIGE On Friday, the day on which the EU officially published the new guidelines, [PDF] it seemed as though the German Foreign Ministry may have been listening. Speaking with mass-circulation daily Bild, a spokeswoman from the ministry said that the European Commission "developed the guidelines on their own prerogative." That, of course, is only partially true. EU foreign ministers approved the guidelines unanimously. But it may indicate that the vociferous protests from Israel, including several calls from Netanyahu to European leaders, are having an effect. While Netanyahu's office has refused to divulge the contents of those calls, Israeli media have reported that he asked his European counterparts to delay the implementation of the guidelines, which are currently scheduled to go into effect at the beginning of 2014.
EU Isn't Budging
The complaints, though, have fallen on deaf ears in Brussels. On Friday, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton released a statement saying the guidelines "reiterate the long-held position that bilateral agreements with Israel do not cover the territory that came under Israel's administration in June 1967." It also states: "It has been the EU's long-held position that it will recognize changes made to the borders once agreed by both parties."
In other words, the EU isn't budging.
The guidelines themselves are not likely to result in massive changes to the EU's presence in Israel. They merely stipulate that institutions based in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem are not eligible to receive grants, prizes or other financial instruments funded by the common European Union budget as of Jan. 1, 2014. The document published on Friday clearly states that "the EU does not recognize Israel's sovereignty over any of the (occupied) territories."
The spat between the EU and Israel comes as the US is making a major push to encourage the Israelis and the Palestinians to resume peace negotiations. US Secretary of State John Kerry was in the Middle East on Thursday in an attempt to facilitate talks, and he was backed by a strong statement from the White House urging Netanyahu to work with Kerry "to resume negotiations with Palestinians as soon as possible."
With the Palestinians demanding preconditions that are unpalatable to the Israelis, it seems unlikely that negotiations will begin anytime soon. But Israeli President Peres suggested that the EU ban could also have a negative effect on the push. On Thursday, he said that the EU should "give priority to peace" and added that the regulations "could cause another crisis."
'Homeland'
Despite the doomsday tone, however, Peres' comments were a far cry from the sharp words chosen by members of the Netanyahu government earlier in the week. "This is a decision marked with racism and discrimination against the Jewish people that is reminiscent of boycotts against the Jews from over 66 years ago," said Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel, according to a report earlier this week in the Jerusalem Post. A deputy minister and close ally of Netanyahu's, Ofir Akunis, said that "steps like this, before the Palestinians even said they are ready to return to negotiations, push talks away and do not bring them closer." He added, referring to the West Bank, that "Judea and Samaria are not occupied, they are the cradle of the homeland of the Jewish people."
According to an Israeli government official, Israel called in ambassadors from Britain, France and Germany on Friday to discuss the EU guidelines and to warn that they could trigger a serious crisis between the EU and Israel. "We have asked the ambassadors to inform their capitals that no Israeli government can accept the aforementioned guidelines," an unnamed Israeli diplomat told the news agency AFP on Friday. Still, the frustration in Israel was not unanimous this week. Several center-left parliamentarians said the EU move was a wakeup call for the Netanyahu government to move forward with peace negotiations. "Prime Minister Netanyahu must immediately start negotiations with the Palestinian Authority and work toward a final agreement," Shelly Yacimovich, a leading parliamentarian with the Labor party, said according to the Jerusalem Post.
EU foreign policy chief Ashton was eager on Friday to emphasize that Europe remains dedicated to peace talks in the Middle East. "The EU is deeply committed to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and fully supports Secretary Kerry's intense efforts to restart negotiations at a particularly delicate stage," she said in her statement. "In this way, the EU hopes to further contribute to an atmosphere conducive to a meaningful and sustainable negotiation leading to a peace agreement between the parties."
EU Publishes Guidelines Banning Funding for Israeli Settlements
In spite of strong Israeli objections, the European Union Friday went ahead and published guidelines that ban EU funding of projects and individuals in the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territory. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement meant to clarify the EU position in advance of negotiations of agreements with Israel during the forthcoming financial perspective commencing in 2014 that the guidelines reiterate “the long-held position that bilateral agreements with Israel do not cover the territory that came under Israel's administration in June 1967.”
She rejected Israeli claims that publishing the guidelines would undermine peace efforts spearheaded by the United States and stressed that “in no way will this prejudge the outcome of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.”
Ashton said that “the EU is deeply committed to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and fully supports (US) Secretary (of State John) Kerry's intense efforts to restart negotiations at a particularly delicate stage. In this way, the EU hopes to further contribute to an atmosphere conducive to a meaningful and sustainable negotiation leading to a peace agreement between the parties.”
The specific provisions of the guidelines will not be implemented before 1 January 2014.
Israel is furious. New European Union guidelines preventing bloc funds from being distributed to Israeli institutions operating in settlements outside the country's 1967 borders have triggered protest from the highest levels. Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres have criticized the ban and asked Brussels to reconsider.
ANZEIGE On Friday, the day on which the EU officially published the new guidelines, [PDF] it seemed as though the German Foreign Ministry may have been listening. Speaking with mass-circulation daily Bild, a spokeswoman from the ministry said that the European Commission "developed the guidelines on their own prerogative." That, of course, is only partially true. EU foreign ministers approved the guidelines unanimously. But it may indicate that the vociferous protests from Israel, including several calls from Netanyahu to European leaders, are having an effect. While Netanyahu's office has refused to divulge the contents of those calls, Israeli media have reported that he asked his European counterparts to delay the implementation of the guidelines, which are currently scheduled to go into effect at the beginning of 2014.
EU Isn't Budging
The complaints, though, have fallen on deaf ears in Brussels. On Friday, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton released a statement saying the guidelines "reiterate the long-held position that bilateral agreements with Israel do not cover the territory that came under Israel's administration in June 1967." It also states: "It has been the EU's long-held position that it will recognize changes made to the borders once agreed by both parties."
In other words, the EU isn't budging.
The guidelines themselves are not likely to result in massive changes to the EU's presence in Israel. They merely stipulate that institutions based in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem are not eligible to receive grants, prizes or other financial instruments funded by the common European Union budget as of Jan. 1, 2014. The document published on Friday clearly states that "the EU does not recognize Israel's sovereignty over any of the (occupied) territories."
The spat between the EU and Israel comes as the US is making a major push to encourage the Israelis and the Palestinians to resume peace negotiations. US Secretary of State John Kerry was in the Middle East on Thursday in an attempt to facilitate talks, and he was backed by a strong statement from the White House urging Netanyahu to work with Kerry "to resume negotiations with Palestinians as soon as possible."
With the Palestinians demanding preconditions that are unpalatable to the Israelis, it seems unlikely that negotiations will begin anytime soon. But Israeli President Peres suggested that the EU ban could also have a negative effect on the push. On Thursday, he said that the EU should "give priority to peace" and added that the regulations "could cause another crisis."
'Homeland'
Despite the doomsday tone, however, Peres' comments were a far cry from the sharp words chosen by members of the Netanyahu government earlier in the week. "This is a decision marked with racism and discrimination against the Jewish people that is reminiscent of boycotts against the Jews from over 66 years ago," said Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel, according to a report earlier this week in the Jerusalem Post. A deputy minister and close ally of Netanyahu's, Ofir Akunis, said that "steps like this, before the Palestinians even said they are ready to return to negotiations, push talks away and do not bring them closer." He added, referring to the West Bank, that "Judea and Samaria are not occupied, they are the cradle of the homeland of the Jewish people."
According to an Israeli government official, Israel called in ambassadors from Britain, France and Germany on Friday to discuss the EU guidelines and to warn that they could trigger a serious crisis between the EU and Israel. "We have asked the ambassadors to inform their capitals that no Israeli government can accept the aforementioned guidelines," an unnamed Israeli diplomat told the news agency AFP on Friday. Still, the frustration in Israel was not unanimous this week. Several center-left parliamentarians said the EU move was a wakeup call for the Netanyahu government to move forward with peace negotiations. "Prime Minister Netanyahu must immediately start negotiations with the Palestinian Authority and work toward a final agreement," Shelly Yacimovich, a leading parliamentarian with the Labor party, said according to the Jerusalem Post.
EU foreign policy chief Ashton was eager on Friday to emphasize that Europe remains dedicated to peace talks in the Middle East. "The EU is deeply committed to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and fully supports Secretary Kerry's intense efforts to restart negotiations at a particularly delicate stage," she said in her statement. "In this way, the EU hopes to further contribute to an atmosphere conducive to a meaningful and sustainable negotiation leading to a peace agreement between the parties."
EU Publishes Guidelines Banning Funding for Israeli Settlements
In spite of strong Israeli objections, the European Union Friday went ahead and published guidelines that ban EU funding of projects and individuals in the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territory. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement meant to clarify the EU position in advance of negotiations of agreements with Israel during the forthcoming financial perspective commencing in 2014 that the guidelines reiterate “the long-held position that bilateral agreements with Israel do not cover the territory that came under Israel's administration in June 1967.”
She rejected Israeli claims that publishing the guidelines would undermine peace efforts spearheaded by the United States and stressed that “in no way will this prejudge the outcome of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.”
Ashton said that “the EU is deeply committed to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and fully supports (US) Secretary (of State John) Kerry's intense efforts to restart negotiations at a particularly delicate stage. In this way, the EU hopes to further contribute to an atmosphere conducive to a meaningful and sustainable negotiation leading to a peace agreement between the parties.”
The specific provisions of the guidelines will not be implemented before 1 January 2014.
Laborers working at the construction site of a new housing project at the settlement of Gilo in al-Quds
The (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council [(P)GCC] has hailed the European Union’s plans to ban the bloc from funding projects in Israeli settlements built on Palestinian territories.
The six-member state council welcomed "the European Union's decision which they hope will back international efforts to revive peace talks between Palestinians and Israel, and press Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories," Secretary-General of the Council Abdullatif al-Zayani, said on Saturday.
The EU published new guidelines in its Official Journal on Friday, banning its 28 members from funding projects in Israeli settlements in al-Quds (Jerusalem), the West Bank or Golan Heights, which the Tel Aviv regime occupied during the 1967 war.
Zayani said the EU ban was “wise” and “reflects the EU's solid stance in rejecting Israel's settlement policy and its confiscating of Palestinian territories in a clear violation of all agreements, international law, and UN resolutions."
The Guidelines are part of the 2014-20 financial frameworks which incorporate all sectors of cooperation between the EU and Israel, including economics, science, culture, sports and academia.
On Thursday, Israeli officials met with the British, French, and German ambassadors over the EU ban, claiming that the move would lead to a serious crisis between Israel and the EU.
Earlier in the day, Israeli President Shimon Peres joined the chorus of Israeli officials criticizing the EU decision. He claimed that the new directive would undermine attempts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to relaunch peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
The Tel Aviv regime has increased its illegal settlement expansion following an upgrade of Palestine’s status at the UN to a non-member observer state on November 29, 2012.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds. The international community considers the settlements illegal.
The (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council [(P)GCC] has hailed the European Union’s plans to ban the bloc from funding projects in Israeli settlements built on Palestinian territories.
The six-member state council welcomed "the European Union's decision which they hope will back international efforts to revive peace talks between Palestinians and Israel, and press Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories," Secretary-General of the Council Abdullatif al-Zayani, said on Saturday.
The EU published new guidelines in its Official Journal on Friday, banning its 28 members from funding projects in Israeli settlements in al-Quds (Jerusalem), the West Bank or Golan Heights, which the Tel Aviv regime occupied during the 1967 war.
Zayani said the EU ban was “wise” and “reflects the EU's solid stance in rejecting Israel's settlement policy and its confiscating of Palestinian territories in a clear violation of all agreements, international law, and UN resolutions."
The Guidelines are part of the 2014-20 financial frameworks which incorporate all sectors of cooperation between the EU and Israel, including economics, science, culture, sports and academia.
On Thursday, Israeli officials met with the British, French, and German ambassadors over the EU ban, claiming that the move would lead to a serious crisis between Israel and the EU.
Earlier in the day, Israeli President Shimon Peres joined the chorus of Israeli officials criticizing the EU decision. He claimed that the new directive would undermine attempts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to relaunch peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
The Tel Aviv regime has increased its illegal settlement expansion following an upgrade of Palestine’s status at the UN to a non-member observer state on November 29, 2012.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds. The international community considers the settlements illegal.
19 july 2013
Quarry in Mount Avital, Golan Heights. To lose funding
Despite Israeli leaders' appeals, European Union releases guidelines denying Israeli entities operating beyond Green Line of EU funding. Decision to go into effect next year
The European Union on Friday issued its official guidelines on the funding of Israeli projects beyond the Green Line which will dramatically reduce the ability of Israeli entities operating in the West Bank to receive grants and prizes from EU states. The guidelines will go into effect in the beginning of next year.
The EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton also issued a statement in which it was stated that, “Today the EU published a document that reiterates the long-held position that bilateral agreements with Israel do not cover the territory that came under Israel's administration in June 1967.
"This is meant to clarify the EU's position in advance of negotiations of agreements with Israel during the forthcoming financial perspective commencing in 2014.
"In no way will this prejudge the outcome of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. It has been the EU's long held position that it will recognise changes made to the borders once agreed by both parties.
"The EU is deeply committed to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and fully supports Secretary Kerry's intense efforts to restart negotiations at a particularly delicate stage. In this way, the EU hopes to further contribute to an atmosphere conducive to a meaningful and sustainable negotiation leading to a peace agreement between the parties."
Ashton further added that the EU looks forward to working and consulting with Israel on a broad range of bilateral issues, and has invited Israel to hold discussions on the territorial scope of agreements with the EU that are currently under preparation."
Israel led a failed campaign to postpone the release of the guidelines. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed to various European leaders as did President Shimon Peres.
Netanyahu anyahu called a meeting with Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett stressing that "We will not follow any demands regarding our borders. These issues will be resolved only through direct negotiations."
The European decision followed months of discussions at the various EU bodies. Europe warned Israel many times of possible sanctions against settlements but Jerusalem tended to disregard such threats.
The guidelines will have a dramatic effect on various projects but will not affect funding of institutions that employ settlers. Entities that are based inside Israel will continue to enjoy EU cooperation as will government agencies and ministries some of which are physically located beyond the Green Line.
Related stories:
Despite Israeli leaders' appeals, European Union releases guidelines denying Israeli entities operating beyond Green Line of EU funding. Decision to go into effect next year
The European Union on Friday issued its official guidelines on the funding of Israeli projects beyond the Green Line which will dramatically reduce the ability of Israeli entities operating in the West Bank to receive grants and prizes from EU states. The guidelines will go into effect in the beginning of next year.
The EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton also issued a statement in which it was stated that, “Today the EU published a document that reiterates the long-held position that bilateral agreements with Israel do not cover the territory that came under Israel's administration in June 1967.
"This is meant to clarify the EU's position in advance of negotiations of agreements with Israel during the forthcoming financial perspective commencing in 2014.
"In no way will this prejudge the outcome of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. It has been the EU's long held position that it will recognise changes made to the borders once agreed by both parties.
"The EU is deeply committed to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and fully supports Secretary Kerry's intense efforts to restart negotiations at a particularly delicate stage. In this way, the EU hopes to further contribute to an atmosphere conducive to a meaningful and sustainable negotiation leading to a peace agreement between the parties."
Ashton further added that the EU looks forward to working and consulting with Israel on a broad range of bilateral issues, and has invited Israel to hold discussions on the territorial scope of agreements with the EU that are currently under preparation."
Israel led a failed campaign to postpone the release of the guidelines. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed to various European leaders as did President Shimon Peres.
Netanyahu anyahu called a meeting with Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett stressing that "We will not follow any demands regarding our borders. These issues will be resolved only through direct negotiations."
The European decision followed months of discussions at the various EU bodies. Europe warned Israel many times of possible sanctions against settlements but Jerusalem tended to disregard such threats.
The guidelines will have a dramatic effect on various projects but will not affect funding of institutions that employ settlers. Entities that are based inside Israel will continue to enjoy EU cooperation as will government agencies and ministries some of which are physically located beyond the Green Line.
Related stories:
EU says will recognize Israel border changes once PA agrees
The European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton issued a statement after the EU formally issued the settlement ban document. "This is meant to clarify the EU's position in advance of negotiations of agreements with Israel during the forthcoming financial perspective commencing in 2014," Ashton's statement said.
It was further added, "In no way will this prejudge the outcome of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. It has been the EU's long held position that it will recognise changes made to the borders once agreed by both parties. The EU fully supports Secretary Kerry's intense efforts to restart negotiations at a particularly delicate stage.
The European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton issued a statement after the EU formally issued the settlement ban document. "This is meant to clarify the EU's position in advance of negotiations of agreements with Israel during the forthcoming financial perspective commencing in 2014," Ashton's statement said.
It was further added, "In no way will this prejudge the outcome of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. It has been the EU's long held position that it will recognise changes made to the borders once agreed by both parties. The EU fully supports Secretary Kerry's intense efforts to restart negotiations at a particularly delicate stage.
A man walks in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Beit El.
Israel met the ambassadors of Britain and France, and Germany's deputy envoy over plans by the EU to ban its 28 members from having any dealings with Jewish settlements, an official said on Friday.
Israel warned the envoys of a serious crisis between it and the European Union over the move, the high-ranking foreign ministry official told AFP.
"The British and French ambassadors and German number two were invited yesterday to the ministry... for discussions on the EU guidelines," he said.
"We asked the ambassadors to tell their capitals that no Israeli government would accept these conditions, and they could provoke a serious crisis with Israel," he warned.
The guidelines, published in the EU's Official Journal Friday morning, forbid EU member states from funding or dealing with entities in territories occupied by Israel in 1967.
Germany and France confirmed the Thursday meetings but the British embassy did not immediately comment.
Christophe Bigot, France's ambassador in Tel Aviv, said the Israeli foreign ministry's director, Rafi Barak, had called the meetings.
"The Israelis informed us of their concerns" over the EU plan, he said. "I reminded them that the new guidelines were a continuation of European policy on settlements."
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton also said in a Friday statement that the guidelines simply "reiterates the long-held position that bilateral agreements with Israel do not cover the territory that came under Israel's administration in June 1967."
The preamble to the guidelines says that "the EU does not recognize Israel's sovereignty over... the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including east Jerusalem... and does not consider them to be part of Israel's territory, irrespective of their legal status under domestic law".
The guidelines apply to "grants, prizes and financial instruments," it adds.
"Only Israeli entities having their place of establishment within Israel's pre-1967 borders will be considered eligible as final recipients" of this kind of funding.
Of particular concern to officials was a scientific cooperation deal with the EU, "Horizon 2020", which would generate investments worth hundreds of millions of dollars in Israeli technology companies, Haaretz newspaper quoted a foreign ministry official as saying.
More than 80 percent of Israelis are opposed to the new EU guidelines, according to a survey published Friday by pro-government newspaper Israel Hayom.
Settlement building in the territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War is illegal under international law.
Israel met the ambassadors of Britain and France, and Germany's deputy envoy over plans by the EU to ban its 28 members from having any dealings with Jewish settlements, an official said on Friday.
Israel warned the envoys of a serious crisis between it and the European Union over the move, the high-ranking foreign ministry official told AFP.
"The British and French ambassadors and German number two were invited yesterday to the ministry... for discussions on the EU guidelines," he said.
"We asked the ambassadors to tell their capitals that no Israeli government would accept these conditions, and they could provoke a serious crisis with Israel," he warned.
The guidelines, published in the EU's Official Journal Friday morning, forbid EU member states from funding or dealing with entities in territories occupied by Israel in 1967.
Germany and France confirmed the Thursday meetings but the British embassy did not immediately comment.
Christophe Bigot, France's ambassador in Tel Aviv, said the Israeli foreign ministry's director, Rafi Barak, had called the meetings.
"The Israelis informed us of their concerns" over the EU plan, he said. "I reminded them that the new guidelines were a continuation of European policy on settlements."
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton also said in a Friday statement that the guidelines simply "reiterates the long-held position that bilateral agreements with Israel do not cover the territory that came under Israel's administration in June 1967."
The preamble to the guidelines says that "the EU does not recognize Israel's sovereignty over... the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including east Jerusalem... and does not consider them to be part of Israel's territory, irrespective of their legal status under domestic law".
The guidelines apply to "grants, prizes and financial instruments," it adds.
"Only Israeli entities having their place of establishment within Israel's pre-1967 borders will be considered eligible as final recipients" of this kind of funding.
Of particular concern to officials was a scientific cooperation deal with the EU, "Horizon 2020", which would generate investments worth hundreds of millions of dollars in Israeli technology companies, Haaretz newspaper quoted a foreign ministry official as saying.
More than 80 percent of Israelis are opposed to the new EU guidelines, according to a survey published Friday by pro-government newspaper Israel Hayom.
Settlement building in the territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War is illegal under international law.
18 july 2013
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A political analyst says the latest threat by the European Union (EU) to impose financial ban on Israeli organizations operating in the occupied West Bank will not really change anything on the ground and will not put pressure on Israel to stop its settlement expansion activities, Press TV reports.
In an exclusive interview with Press TV on Thursday, Abd al-Sattar Qassem -- professor of political science at An-Najah National University in the West Bank city of Nablus, stated that Europeans usually make certain statements about Israel’s settlement activities in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, but they hardly take any effective measures against the Israeli regime. |
Qassem further noted that the presence of powerful pro-Israeli lobbies in Europe and the US unwavering support for Israel prevent European states from adopting any practical anti-Israeli measure.
He said Europeans are divided on how to solve the Palestinian issue, arguing that Washington and Tel Aviv monopolize ideas and policies concerning relationship with Palestinians and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Israeli settlements are considered illegal by the UN and most countries because the territories were captured by Israel in a 1967 war and are hence seen as being subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.
Israel agreed to freeze settlement construction under the Roadmap for Peace in 2002. But it has failed to comply with that commitment despite repeated and widespread international condemnation.
Not only has the presence and continued expansion of these settlements been a major source of international criticism against Israel, but they are also considered one of the main obstacles to Middle East peace.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
He said Europeans are divided on how to solve the Palestinian issue, arguing that Washington and Tel Aviv monopolize ideas and policies concerning relationship with Palestinians and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Israeli settlements are considered illegal by the UN and most countries because the territories were captured by Israel in a 1967 war and are hence seen as being subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.
Israel agreed to freeze settlement construction under the Roadmap for Peace in 2002. But it has failed to comply with that commitment despite repeated and widespread international condemnation.
Not only has the presence and continued expansion of these settlements been a major source of international criticism against Israel, but they are also considered one of the main obstacles to Middle East peace.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
Judge Joseph Shapira
State Comptroller finds lack of law enforcement for traffic, construction violations, illegal theft of water in West Bank; reveals major shortage of ABC kits
State Comptroller Judge Joseph Shapira has released his annual report Wednesday, revealing a string of failures in the field of security, specifically in the State's and IDF's management of law enforcement in the West Bank, the manner the IDF and Defense Ministry disclose issues pertaining to their budgets, and the Home Front Command's is preparing the home front for non-conventional warfare. Regarding the West Bank, the report revealed major shortcomings in the fields of law enforcement in Judea and Samaria, specifically in the fields of building, sanitation, water and traffic, as well as management of State lands. According to the comptroller, the majority of problems stem from issues that need to be addressed by their respective ministers, and the current conditions render the West Bank lawless in certain fields and costs the State millions in losses.
Regarding the defense budget, the comptroller argued the Finance Ministry's Budget Division fails to update its parallel governmental committee in changes regarding non-classified materials. According to the report, despite the government's decision that any budgetary change ranging from five to NIS 50 million ($4-14 million) requires the division to formally inform the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the finance ministry ignores the decision and continually fails to do so, leaving major budgetary shifts unknown and unaccounted for.
Judge Shapira also found major discrepancies in the information passed on by the Defense Ministry to Knesset committee, thus hindering legislators ability to supervise the defense budget.
Regarding the Home Front Command, the comptroller found that a large portion of Israel's citizens are not protected in the case of an attack by non-conventional weapons. Despite the fact that it was decided in 2009 that within two years every citizen in Israel will have an ABC kit, it was revealed that the current reserves fall short of the number of citizens. The report also found failures in the coordination between the different bodies involved in the kits' distribution, as well as in the alert systems intended to warn citizens in case of an attack.
Wild West Bank
Regarding the West Bank, the comptroller painted a very disturbing picture on law enforcement, or lack thereof, both in regards to Israelis and Palestinians.
Specifically, the comptroller found that the Police and the Civil Administration's Inspection Unit refused to open criminal proceedings against zoning and construction offenses throughout Judea and Samaria. He also found that both Israeli and Palestinian offenders in this field are not prosecuted at all because both bodies claim it does not fall under their responsibility. The result, the comptroller wrote, is that the West Bank area is completely lacking in regulatory or investigatory authorities and hence residents, both Israelis and Palestinians, do as they please.
He also noted that to a lack of coordination between the IDF and the police. Despite the fact that the 1994 Shamgar Committee demanded clear directives to be produced regarding the cooperation between the police and the IDF in this field, the comptroller found that because the IDF is better located in the field and tends to reach crime scenes faster than police do, they fail to collect evidence or pass on information to the police, thus effectively damaging the ability to prosecute or convict offenders. The report also noted failures in the two bodies' enforcement of criminal offenses related to the environment thus posing a threat both to nature and to the health of local residents.
Water theft
The report also focused on the widespread phenomenon of water theft in the West Bank.
According to the comptroller, a large number of civil, military and police units are involved in enforcing the law in this regard, but administrative problems – specifically the lack of a single organizing and coordinating body – create a void allowing water theft and illegal water drilling to become prevalent. The comptroller also found that some crops, mostly Palestinian grown, still have remnants of pesticides not allowed on the Israeli market, but these crops are 'laundered' by being sold to Israeli packaging and passed on to Israeli markets as Israeli grown crops. In terms of traffic offenses, the report found that since 2008, the Judea and Samria Military Advocate General (MAG) stopped prosecuting offenses related to driving barring those ending in death or hit-and-runs. To add insult to injury this decision has been done without coordination with police.
In his concluding chapter on the West Bank, the comptroller wrote that the massive list of shortcomings stems, among others, from the lack of delineation of responsibilities between the plenum of organizations and bodies active in the West Bank, among them the IDF, the police, the Civil Administration, the Water Authority and more.
Neglecting land
The most financially painful finding in the comptroller's report was the list of failures regarding monument of State lands in the West Bank.
According to the report, the government appointee for this matter fails to properly sign contracts with settlers leasing agricultural lands, Israelis working on land belonging to Palestinians, as well as recurring failure to collect rent. "The result of this ongoing negligence and lack of enforcement is a loss of hundreds of millions of NIS every year," the comptroller wrote. He also named those responsible for fixing the failures, specifically naming Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz , Israel Land Administration head Bentzi Lieberman and Brigadier General Eitan Dangot, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In response, the IDF Spokesperson Unit stated: "The IDF welcomes the report. The IDF's main mission in the Judea and Samaria region is protecting the residents and persevering stability. In addition, the IDF is also charged with protecting the public order, and this includes law enforcement. This responsibility is instilled in each and every soldier and commander before they are deployed, and it is a skill practiced before operations, together with the police and with the Border Guard. Successful enforcement requires coordination and commitment between all of the law enforcing bodies as well as the government." The IDF promised to look into the technical shortcomings.
In response to the report, the Defense Ministry noted: "Civil supervision over the defense budget is extensive, despite the security classification demanded in managing a security budget. Defense and Finance Ministry officials are in ongoing dialogue, both verbal and written, and any change in the budget is not passed on to the Knesset until the Finance Ministry receives answers to the preliminary questions it has requested. During Knesset committee proceedings, budgetary changes are reported in full transparency with all the required explanations, and any question posed by any committee member is answered."
The ministry further said that "following the report's notes, the defense establishment will work to create computerized supervision systems."
State Comptroller finds lack of law enforcement for traffic, construction violations, illegal theft of water in West Bank; reveals major shortage of ABC kits
State Comptroller Judge Joseph Shapira has released his annual report Wednesday, revealing a string of failures in the field of security, specifically in the State's and IDF's management of law enforcement in the West Bank, the manner the IDF and Defense Ministry disclose issues pertaining to their budgets, and the Home Front Command's is preparing the home front for non-conventional warfare. Regarding the West Bank, the report revealed major shortcomings in the fields of law enforcement in Judea and Samaria, specifically in the fields of building, sanitation, water and traffic, as well as management of State lands. According to the comptroller, the majority of problems stem from issues that need to be addressed by their respective ministers, and the current conditions render the West Bank lawless in certain fields and costs the State millions in losses.
Regarding the defense budget, the comptroller argued the Finance Ministry's Budget Division fails to update its parallel governmental committee in changes regarding non-classified materials. According to the report, despite the government's decision that any budgetary change ranging from five to NIS 50 million ($4-14 million) requires the division to formally inform the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the finance ministry ignores the decision and continually fails to do so, leaving major budgetary shifts unknown and unaccounted for.
Judge Shapira also found major discrepancies in the information passed on by the Defense Ministry to Knesset committee, thus hindering legislators ability to supervise the defense budget.
Regarding the Home Front Command, the comptroller found that a large portion of Israel's citizens are not protected in the case of an attack by non-conventional weapons. Despite the fact that it was decided in 2009 that within two years every citizen in Israel will have an ABC kit, it was revealed that the current reserves fall short of the number of citizens. The report also found failures in the coordination between the different bodies involved in the kits' distribution, as well as in the alert systems intended to warn citizens in case of an attack.
Wild West Bank
Regarding the West Bank, the comptroller painted a very disturbing picture on law enforcement, or lack thereof, both in regards to Israelis and Palestinians.
Specifically, the comptroller found that the Police and the Civil Administration's Inspection Unit refused to open criminal proceedings against zoning and construction offenses throughout Judea and Samaria. He also found that both Israeli and Palestinian offenders in this field are not prosecuted at all because both bodies claim it does not fall under their responsibility. The result, the comptroller wrote, is that the West Bank area is completely lacking in regulatory or investigatory authorities and hence residents, both Israelis and Palestinians, do as they please.
He also noted that to a lack of coordination between the IDF and the police. Despite the fact that the 1994 Shamgar Committee demanded clear directives to be produced regarding the cooperation between the police and the IDF in this field, the comptroller found that because the IDF is better located in the field and tends to reach crime scenes faster than police do, they fail to collect evidence or pass on information to the police, thus effectively damaging the ability to prosecute or convict offenders. The report also noted failures in the two bodies' enforcement of criminal offenses related to the environment thus posing a threat both to nature and to the health of local residents.
Water theft
The report also focused on the widespread phenomenon of water theft in the West Bank.
According to the comptroller, a large number of civil, military and police units are involved in enforcing the law in this regard, but administrative problems – specifically the lack of a single organizing and coordinating body – create a void allowing water theft and illegal water drilling to become prevalent. The comptroller also found that some crops, mostly Palestinian grown, still have remnants of pesticides not allowed on the Israeli market, but these crops are 'laundered' by being sold to Israeli packaging and passed on to Israeli markets as Israeli grown crops. In terms of traffic offenses, the report found that since 2008, the Judea and Samria Military Advocate General (MAG) stopped prosecuting offenses related to driving barring those ending in death or hit-and-runs. To add insult to injury this decision has been done without coordination with police.
In his concluding chapter on the West Bank, the comptroller wrote that the massive list of shortcomings stems, among others, from the lack of delineation of responsibilities between the plenum of organizations and bodies active in the West Bank, among them the IDF, the police, the Civil Administration, the Water Authority and more.
Neglecting land
The most financially painful finding in the comptroller's report was the list of failures regarding monument of State lands in the West Bank.
According to the report, the government appointee for this matter fails to properly sign contracts with settlers leasing agricultural lands, Israelis working on land belonging to Palestinians, as well as recurring failure to collect rent. "The result of this ongoing negligence and lack of enforcement is a loss of hundreds of millions of NIS every year," the comptroller wrote. He also named those responsible for fixing the failures, specifically naming Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz , Israel Land Administration head Bentzi Lieberman and Brigadier General Eitan Dangot, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In response, the IDF Spokesperson Unit stated: "The IDF welcomes the report. The IDF's main mission in the Judea and Samaria region is protecting the residents and persevering stability. In addition, the IDF is also charged with protecting the public order, and this includes law enforcement. This responsibility is instilled in each and every soldier and commander before they are deployed, and it is a skill practiced before operations, together with the police and with the Border Guard. Successful enforcement requires coordination and commitment between all of the law enforcing bodies as well as the government." The IDF promised to look into the technical shortcomings.
In response to the report, the Defense Ministry noted: "Civil supervision over the defense budget is extensive, despite the security classification demanded in managing a security budget. Defense and Finance Ministry officials are in ongoing dialogue, both verbal and written, and any change in the budget is not passed on to the Knesset until the Finance Ministry receives answers to the preliminary questions it has requested. During Knesset committee proceedings, budgetary changes are reported in full transparency with all the required explanations, and any question posed by any committee member is answered."
The ministry further said that "following the report's notes, the defense establishment will work to create computerized supervision systems."
Israeli President Shimon Peres called on the EU Thursday to delay adopting settlement funding curbs as Palestinians and Israelis inch toward fresh peace talks.
"The coming days are critical," his office quoted him as saying in a statement. "Wait with your decision, give priority to peace."
The European Union is to publish new guidelines for its 28 member states on Friday that will block all funding of, or dealings with, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in neighboring Jordan on his latest bid to revive direct negotiations between Israel and the PLO and warned that the EU was "damaging efforts to restart the talks".
Peres on Thursday said there were signs of progress in Kerry's shuttle diplomacy.
"From the latest information at my disposal, Secretary of State John Kerry has succeeded in advancing the chances of renewing peace talks," the statement quoted him as saying. "We are within touching distance."
"I appeal to our friends in Europe...do not lead a process of irresponsible sanctions which will torpedo diplomatic negotiations," he said.
The EU's office in Israel said on Thursday that Kerry, Peres and Netanyahu all called European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso on Wednesday night to discuss the guidelines.
It said in a statement that the EU is ready to negotiate with Israel regarding their planned entry into force from January 1 next year.
"Following a request from Israeli authorities the EU stands ready to engage in consultations on their implementation," it said.
"The coming days are critical," his office quoted him as saying in a statement. "Wait with your decision, give priority to peace."
The European Union is to publish new guidelines for its 28 member states on Friday that will block all funding of, or dealings with, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in neighboring Jordan on his latest bid to revive direct negotiations between Israel and the PLO and warned that the EU was "damaging efforts to restart the talks".
Peres on Thursday said there were signs of progress in Kerry's shuttle diplomacy.
"From the latest information at my disposal, Secretary of State John Kerry has succeeded in advancing the chances of renewing peace talks," the statement quoted him as saying. "We are within touching distance."
"I appeal to our friends in Europe...do not lead a process of irresponsible sanctions which will torpedo diplomatic negotiations," he said.
The EU's office in Israel said on Thursday that Kerry, Peres and Netanyahu all called European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso on Wednesday night to discuss the guidelines.
It said in a statement that the EU is ready to negotiate with Israel regarding their planned entry into force from January 1 next year.
"Following a request from Israeli authorities the EU stands ready to engage in consultations on their implementation," it said.
New EU guidelines barring its 28 members from funding projects in settlements mean Israel must move towards resuming peace talks instead of stalling, or risk international isolation, officials and commentators say.
The guidelines forbid dealing with or funding Israeli entities that lie outside Israel proper and beyond the so-called 1967 Green Line -- that is, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Golan Heights.
They also require any future signed agreements to recognize that these areas are not part of Israel.
This creates a dilemma for Israel over whether to continue occupying the West Bank and risk damaging its relations with the international community -- not to mention its trade prospects -- or to comply fully.
And compliance would by default mean a move towards negotiating a peace with the Palestinians, commentators and officials said on Wednesday.
Justice minister and chief peace negotiator Tzipi Livni, who warned earlier this month that the European Union would begin boycotting Israel if there was no progress on peace efforts, said the guidelines were a clear warning.
"The policy of stagnation on the Palestinian issue is creating a void the international community is trying to fill," she told public radio.
"I hope this constitutes a warning signal that will lead to a resumption of negotiations with the Palestinians."
Opposition and Labor party leader Shelly Yachimovich told public radio Israel faced "international isolation" by trying to maintain the status quo on the Palestinian issue.
And the effects of the new guidelines, which are to be implemented from January 2014, could include the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars for Israel, media said.
Haaretz newspaper said the "moment of truth" was approaching for Israel's peace talks policy.
"Israel's government needs to decide if it is ready to continue to endanger the country's future for the sake of continuing the occupation," it warned.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected what he called "external dictates on our borders."
He also said the Europeans appeared to have a distorted sense of priorities, saying in a statement that the settlement and Palestinian issues were not as urgent as "the Syrian civil war or Iran's race to obtain nuclear weapons."
Many in the cabinet also railed against the EU guidelines, with ministers in Netanyahu's Likud party saying the initiative would undermine efforts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to bring about a resumption of peace talks, which have stalled since 2010.
"Nothing good will come of this decision, certainly not regarding talks with the Palestinians, who will use it as a pretext not to come to the negotiating table," said Communications Minister Gilan Erdan.
"It's a decision void of any logic whilst Kerry tries to restart talks," he told public radio.
But Yediot Aharonot newspaper insisted, in a Wednesday editorial, that Netanyahu must move to resume peace talks, and stop stalling.
"The tangle that is now coming to light with Europe requires Netanyahu to make decisions of historic dimensions," it said.
The Palestinians, meanwhile, have welcomed the guidelines, with both foreign minister Riyad al-Malki and Gaza rulers Hamas on Wednesday praising the EU decision.
"This hugely helps the Palestinians and their position. It is a very important message for us... we welcome this step," Malki said in a newspaper interview.
And an official Hamas statement praised the decision, saying it is "a step in the right direction and pressures the occupation.
The guidelines forbid dealing with or funding Israeli entities that lie outside Israel proper and beyond the so-called 1967 Green Line -- that is, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Golan Heights.
They also require any future signed agreements to recognize that these areas are not part of Israel.
This creates a dilemma for Israel over whether to continue occupying the West Bank and risk damaging its relations with the international community -- not to mention its trade prospects -- or to comply fully.
And compliance would by default mean a move towards negotiating a peace with the Palestinians, commentators and officials said on Wednesday.
Justice minister and chief peace negotiator Tzipi Livni, who warned earlier this month that the European Union would begin boycotting Israel if there was no progress on peace efforts, said the guidelines were a clear warning.
"The policy of stagnation on the Palestinian issue is creating a void the international community is trying to fill," she told public radio.
"I hope this constitutes a warning signal that will lead to a resumption of negotiations with the Palestinians."
Opposition and Labor party leader Shelly Yachimovich told public radio Israel faced "international isolation" by trying to maintain the status quo on the Palestinian issue.
And the effects of the new guidelines, which are to be implemented from January 2014, could include the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars for Israel, media said.
Haaretz newspaper said the "moment of truth" was approaching for Israel's peace talks policy.
"Israel's government needs to decide if it is ready to continue to endanger the country's future for the sake of continuing the occupation," it warned.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected what he called "external dictates on our borders."
He also said the Europeans appeared to have a distorted sense of priorities, saying in a statement that the settlement and Palestinian issues were not as urgent as "the Syrian civil war or Iran's race to obtain nuclear weapons."
Many in the cabinet also railed against the EU guidelines, with ministers in Netanyahu's Likud party saying the initiative would undermine efforts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to bring about a resumption of peace talks, which have stalled since 2010.
"Nothing good will come of this decision, certainly not regarding talks with the Palestinians, who will use it as a pretext not to come to the negotiating table," said Communications Minister Gilan Erdan.
"It's a decision void of any logic whilst Kerry tries to restart talks," he told public radio.
But Yediot Aharonot newspaper insisted, in a Wednesday editorial, that Netanyahu must move to resume peace talks, and stop stalling.
"The tangle that is now coming to light with Europe requires Netanyahu to make decisions of historic dimensions," it said.
The Palestinians, meanwhile, have welcomed the guidelines, with both foreign minister Riyad al-Malki and Gaza rulers Hamas on Wednesday praising the EU decision.
"This hugely helps the Palestinians and their position. It is a very important message for us... we welcome this step," Malki said in a newspaper interview.
And an official Hamas statement praised the decision, saying it is "a step in the right direction and pressures the occupation.
PLO Negotiations Affairs Department distributed on Wednesday, a Fact Sheet prepared for a visiting EU Parliamentarian Delegation in May 2013. It is entitled "EU Trade with Israeli Settlements":
The transfer by an Occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies constitutes a grave breach of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention and violates the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Such acts are war crimes under international law. Yet this has been the policy of the Government of the State of Israel since the beginning of its occupation in 1967. Forty-six years later, the Israeli settlement enterprise in the Occupied State of Palestine is a profitable undertaking based on the theft and colonization of Palestinian land and natural resources with seemingly no political, legal, or diplomatic cost for Israel. This must change.
The European Union (EU) is Israel's largest import and export market. In 2011, trade between Israel and the EU amounted to €29.4 billion (USD 38.7 billion), of which €12.6 billion (USD 16.6 billion) came from Israeli exports. These figures include trade with Israeli settlements, all of which are illegal according to international law. While official import and export statistics do not reveal the exact volume of exports from the Israeli settlements to the EU, the most recent estimated value is €229 million (USD 300 million) per year.
Agricultural products, mostly grown in the Jordan Valley, are one of the main exports of Israeli settlements. Fresh fruits, such as grapes and dates, as well as vegetables, make up a high proportion of the settlement goods exported to the EU. For example, more than 80% of dates and approximately 70% of grapes produced by the illegal Jordan Valley settlements are directed for export.
The EU – Israel Association Agreement, which gives Israel a number of trade benefits, but from which Israeli settlements are supposed to be excluded due to the fact they are situated illegally in the occupied State of Palestine, is conditioned upon progress in the Peace Process and Israel's respect of human rights norms. Israel is in blatant violation of these conditions but faces no consequences beyond condemnatory statements.
In fact, in 2012, despite Israel's ongoing settlement construction, the EU-Israel Association Council, one of two bodies established to monitor the implementation of the Association agreement, approved 60 concrete activities in over 15 specific fields, including cooperation with a number of EU agencies.
CONTINUE READING THE FACT SHEET
The transfer by an Occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies constitutes a grave breach of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention and violates the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Such acts are war crimes under international law. Yet this has been the policy of the Government of the State of Israel since the beginning of its occupation in 1967. Forty-six years later, the Israeli settlement enterprise in the Occupied State of Palestine is a profitable undertaking based on the theft and colonization of Palestinian land and natural resources with seemingly no political, legal, or diplomatic cost for Israel. This must change.
The European Union (EU) is Israel's largest import and export market. In 2011, trade between Israel and the EU amounted to €29.4 billion (USD 38.7 billion), of which €12.6 billion (USD 16.6 billion) came from Israeli exports. These figures include trade with Israeli settlements, all of which are illegal according to international law. While official import and export statistics do not reveal the exact volume of exports from the Israeli settlements to the EU, the most recent estimated value is €229 million (USD 300 million) per year.
Agricultural products, mostly grown in the Jordan Valley, are one of the main exports of Israeli settlements. Fresh fruits, such as grapes and dates, as well as vegetables, make up a high proportion of the settlement goods exported to the EU. For example, more than 80% of dates and approximately 70% of grapes produced by the illegal Jordan Valley settlements are directed for export.
The EU – Israel Association Agreement, which gives Israel a number of trade benefits, but from which Israeli settlements are supposed to be excluded due to the fact they are situated illegally in the occupied State of Palestine, is conditioned upon progress in the Peace Process and Israel's respect of human rights norms. Israel is in blatant violation of these conditions but faces no consequences beyond condemnatory statements.
In fact, in 2012, despite Israel's ongoing settlement construction, the EU-Israel Association Council, one of two bodies established to monitor the implementation of the Association agreement, approved 60 concrete activities in over 15 specific fields, including cooperation with a number of EU agencies.
CONTINUE READING THE FACT SHEET
17 july 2013
Laborers work on a housing construction site in the Israeli settlement of Har Homa in al-Quds.
The European Union (EU) has issued a directive requiring Israel to acknowledge the occupation of settlements in the West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem (al-Quds).
According to a statement released on Tuesday, the move will forbid the issuance of grants, funding, prizes or scholarships unless a settlement exclusion clause is included.
The directive is reportedly part of the 2014-20 financial frameworks which incorporate all sectors of cooperation between the EU and Israel, including economics, science, culture, sports and academia.
In reaction, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We will not accept any external diktats about our borders.”
After the release of the statement, an emergency meeting was organized in the office of the prime minister where Ze'ev Elkin, Israel's rightwing deputy foreign minister, and other ministers called for a strict reaction, an ultimatum to Europe and the suspension of all relations with the EU.
It was finally decided that Netanyahu contact EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton to ask her to delay the official announcement of the decision.
A senior Israeli foreign ministry official said that Netanyahu would have told Ashton that in case of the promulgation of the directive he would face internal pressure not to give any concessions to the Palestinian side, driving peace talks to impasse.
The Tel Aviv regime continues expanding its illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
On June 26, Israel approved final plans to construct nearly 70 new settler units in East al-Quds.
The units will be built in Har Homa, an illegal settlement neighborhood in the southern sector of the city.
The settlements are considered illegal by the international community because the territories were captured by Israel and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied land.
The continued expansion of the Israeli settlements has also created a major obstacle for the efforts to establish peace in the Middle East.
The European Union (EU) has issued a directive requiring Israel to acknowledge the occupation of settlements in the West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem (al-Quds).
According to a statement released on Tuesday, the move will forbid the issuance of grants, funding, prizes or scholarships unless a settlement exclusion clause is included.
The directive is reportedly part of the 2014-20 financial frameworks which incorporate all sectors of cooperation between the EU and Israel, including economics, science, culture, sports and academia.
In reaction, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We will not accept any external diktats about our borders.”
After the release of the statement, an emergency meeting was organized in the office of the prime minister where Ze'ev Elkin, Israel's rightwing deputy foreign minister, and other ministers called for a strict reaction, an ultimatum to Europe and the suspension of all relations with the EU.
It was finally decided that Netanyahu contact EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton to ask her to delay the official announcement of the decision.
A senior Israeli foreign ministry official said that Netanyahu would have told Ashton that in case of the promulgation of the directive he would face internal pressure not to give any concessions to the Palestinian side, driving peace talks to impasse.
The Tel Aviv regime continues expanding its illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
On June 26, Israel approved final plans to construct nearly 70 new settler units in East al-Quds.
The units will be built in Har Homa, an illegal settlement neighborhood in the southern sector of the city.
The settlements are considered illegal by the international community because the territories were captured by Israel and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied land.
The continued expansion of the Israeli settlements has also created a major obstacle for the efforts to establish peace in the Middle East.
The Palestinian government on Tuesday strongly denounced the racist measures taken by the Israeli occupation regime against the Palestinians in the 1948 occupied lands, especially its recent plan to forcibly displace thousands of Negev Bedouins from their villages. In a press release issued following its weekly cabinet meeting in Gaza, the government urged the Palestinians in the 1948 occupied lands to be united and pool their efforts to confront Israel's racist policies against them.
The government also condemned the Israeli court verdicts issued against Jerusalemite lawmaker Mohamed Totah and former minister Khaled Abu Arafa, and considered these rulings part of Israel's Judaization and racist policies in the holy city
It urged in its press release all human rights groups and the world's free people to actively and urgently move to save the hunger strikers and the patients in Israeli jails, and called on the UN and the Red Cross to intervene in this regard.
In another context, the government appealed to the Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah border crossing fully before passengers and goods and to find a swift mechanism for trade exchange between Gaza and Cairo.
The government also deplored the Egyptian media for spreading false news and information against the Palestinian people, and called for stopping fabricating lies against them, warning that such smear campaign is detrimental to the Palestinian cause.
The government also expressed its concerns about the irresponsible media policy pursued by the Saudi satellite channel Al-Arabiya and some other TV channels, asserting its right to take legal action against them.
The government also condemned the Israeli court verdicts issued against Jerusalemite lawmaker Mohamed Totah and former minister Khaled Abu Arafa, and considered these rulings part of Israel's Judaization and racist policies in the holy city
It urged in its press release all human rights groups and the world's free people to actively and urgently move to save the hunger strikers and the patients in Israeli jails, and called on the UN and the Red Cross to intervene in this regard.
In another context, the government appealed to the Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah border crossing fully before passengers and goods and to find a swift mechanism for trade exchange between Gaza and Cairo.
The government also deplored the Egyptian media for spreading false news and information against the Palestinian people, and called for stopping fabricating lies against them, warning that such smear campaign is detrimental to the Palestinian cause.
The government also expressed its concerns about the irresponsible media policy pursued by the Saudi satellite channel Al-Arabiya and some other TV channels, asserting its right to take legal action against them.
A housing construction site in the Israeli settlement of Har Homa is pictured in East Jerusalem.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday rejected European Union guidelines barring the bloc's 28 member states from funding projects in Jewish settlements.
"We shall not accept any external dictates on our borders," his office quoted him as telling an emergency ministerial meeting. "That is an issue that will be decided only in direct negotiations between the sides."
Netanyahu convened his justice and trade ministers and his deputy foreign minister after the EU revealed the guidelines, which will affect all EU grants, prizes and funding from 2014 onwards, with no further funding available to Israeli entities beyond the 1967 Green Line.
Netanyahu said the Europeans appeared to have a distorted sense of priorities.
"I would expect those who concern themselves with peace and stability in the region to only debate such an issue after resolving problems which are slightly more urgent, such as the Syrian civil war or Iran's race to obtain nuclear weapons," the statement from his office said.
A senior Israeli official said that the EU move was likely to prove a stumbling block to US Secretary of State John Kerry's diplomatic effort to revive stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
"Some in Europe seem to be determined to undermine this effort and to undermine the chance of returning to direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks," he told AFP. "Why would any Palestinian leader enter negotiations when they receive what they want without negotiation?".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday rejected European Union guidelines barring the bloc's 28 member states from funding projects in Jewish settlements.
"We shall not accept any external dictates on our borders," his office quoted him as telling an emergency ministerial meeting. "That is an issue that will be decided only in direct negotiations between the sides."
Netanyahu convened his justice and trade ministers and his deputy foreign minister after the EU revealed the guidelines, which will affect all EU grants, prizes and funding from 2014 onwards, with no further funding available to Israeli entities beyond the 1967 Green Line.
Netanyahu said the Europeans appeared to have a distorted sense of priorities.
"I would expect those who concern themselves with peace and stability in the region to only debate such an issue after resolving problems which are slightly more urgent, such as the Syrian civil war or Iran's race to obtain nuclear weapons," the statement from his office said.
A senior Israeli official said that the EU move was likely to prove a stumbling block to US Secretary of State John Kerry's diplomatic effort to revive stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
"Some in Europe seem to be determined to undermine this effort and to undermine the chance of returning to direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks," he told AFP. "Why would any Palestinian leader enter negotiations when they receive what they want without negotiation?".
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) welcomes news of new EU guidelines excluding illegal Israeli settlements from EU and member state agreements, PSC said in a press statement. The EU has taken action to limit financial cooperation with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
According to press reports, the guidelines set out that cooperation and contracts between the EU, member states and Israel must explicitly exclude Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.
Director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign welcomed Sarah Colborne, stated:
"Repeated statements from the EU condemning Israel's settlement building, and restating their illegality, have simply been thrown into the wastepaper bin by Israeli officials."
Palestine Solidarity Campaign has campaigned for years for the European Union to turn their words into policy actions. A year ago last summer, thousands of our members and supporters wrote to their MEPs demanding that EU programmes stop benefiting Israeli businesses which operate illegally in occupied Palestinian territory.
For example, Ahava – an Israeli company which illegally exploits Palestinian resources – has benefited from EU research funding.
In January this year PSC members and supporters sent thousands more letters to Catherine Ashton and William Hague, pressing them to ban all financial transactions that support the illegal settlements. It appears that the EU has gone some way into meeting those demands.
For too long the European Union has been all talk and no action. We've seen countless statements condemning Israeli settlement expansion as illegal, but then continued financial cooperation at both state and EU level which has financially benefited illegal Israeli settlements, added PSC.
This guidance is a welcome step, but needs to go much further. It is essential that this is guidance is binding, rather than advisory.
Companies should be excluded from receiving EU and member state public funding if they operate in the occupied Palestinian territory – not only if they are based there. It is also contradictory to the guidelines if the EU allows continued interaction with Israeli Government ministries which are illegally sited in occupied East Jerusalem.
PSC said they will wait for the full guidance to be published and carefully study the ramifications. But on the face of it this is a very important development – the first time the EU has turned their words of censure against Israel's colonisation of Palestinian land into tangible action which goes some small way to discourage Israel from continued settlement growth.
However, more action will be needed to halt and begin to reverse Israel's colonisation of Palestinian land. PSC is calling for the British government, and the EU, to adopt a clear approach of no more 'business as usual' with Israel until it complies with international law and basic principles of human rights.
PSC concluded, companies such as the Cooperative have already taken important steps, and have a clear ethical policy of refusing to use suppliers which source from the illegal settlements. And given that both the EU and the British government repeatedly have accepted that settlements are illegal under international law, they should ban goods grown, made or packed in those settlements."
According to press reports, the guidelines set out that cooperation and contracts between the EU, member states and Israel must explicitly exclude Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.
Director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign welcomed Sarah Colborne, stated:
"Repeated statements from the EU condemning Israel's settlement building, and restating their illegality, have simply been thrown into the wastepaper bin by Israeli officials."
Palestine Solidarity Campaign has campaigned for years for the European Union to turn their words into policy actions. A year ago last summer, thousands of our members and supporters wrote to their MEPs demanding that EU programmes stop benefiting Israeli businesses which operate illegally in occupied Palestinian territory.
For example, Ahava – an Israeli company which illegally exploits Palestinian resources – has benefited from EU research funding.
In January this year PSC members and supporters sent thousands more letters to Catherine Ashton and William Hague, pressing them to ban all financial transactions that support the illegal settlements. It appears that the EU has gone some way into meeting those demands.
For too long the European Union has been all talk and no action. We've seen countless statements condemning Israeli settlement expansion as illegal, but then continued financial cooperation at both state and EU level which has financially benefited illegal Israeli settlements, added PSC.
This guidance is a welcome step, but needs to go much further. It is essential that this is guidance is binding, rather than advisory.
Companies should be excluded from receiving EU and member state public funding if they operate in the occupied Palestinian territory – not only if they are based there. It is also contradictory to the guidelines if the EU allows continued interaction with Israeli Government ministries which are illegally sited in occupied East Jerusalem.
PSC said they will wait for the full guidance to be published and carefully study the ramifications. But on the face of it this is a very important development – the first time the EU has turned their words of censure against Israel's colonisation of Palestinian land into tangible action which goes some small way to discourage Israel from continued settlement growth.
However, more action will be needed to halt and begin to reverse Israel's colonisation of Palestinian land. PSC is calling for the British government, and the EU, to adopt a clear approach of no more 'business as usual' with Israel until it complies with international law and basic principles of human rights.
PSC concluded, companies such as the Cooperative have already taken important steps, and have a clear ethical policy of refusing to use suppliers which source from the illegal settlements. And given that both the EU and the British government repeatedly have accepted that settlements are illegal under international law, they should ban goods grown, made or packed in those settlements."
Like a bucket of cold water poured on the head of a drunk, so the EU's decision reminded the power drunk government of Israeli of the reality in which we live," said Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc. "From now on, should the government seek to sign agreements and maintain relations with the EU and its member countries, it will have to note officially that the agreement does not apply to the settlements nor to East Jerusalem."
In a press statement issued Tuesday, Gush Shalom continued, "Already for forty-six years, the State of Israel is maintaining by force of arms an occupation of the West Bank, amounting to more than seventy percent of the Israel's total history - yet nobody regards these territories as part of Israel (nor are they such under Israel's own laws). For forty-six years, successive governments are grabbing Palestinian land and constructing settlements on it, devoting an enormous part of the country's resources to this enterprise – yet nobody in the world accepts these accomplished facts. For forty-six years, the State of Israel claims East Jerusalem as part of its capital city - and nobody in the world recognizes it as such (and Israel itself treats the inhabitants of East Jerusalem as an occupied population)."
"The EU has started to confront the government of Israel – and every citizen of Israel - with a road sign that cannot be ignored. One path leads to peace with our Palestinian neighbors and the Arab countries, and to enjoying international esteem and sympathy. The other path - to war and more war, to being an international pariah. The time to choose between these two paths is running out," Gush Shalom concluded.
In a press statement issued Tuesday, Gush Shalom continued, "Already for forty-six years, the State of Israel is maintaining by force of arms an occupation of the West Bank, amounting to more than seventy percent of the Israel's total history - yet nobody regards these territories as part of Israel (nor are they such under Israel's own laws). For forty-six years, successive governments are grabbing Palestinian land and constructing settlements on it, devoting an enormous part of the country's resources to this enterprise – yet nobody in the world accepts these accomplished facts. For forty-six years, the State of Israel claims East Jerusalem as part of its capital city - and nobody in the world recognizes it as such (and Israel itself treats the inhabitants of East Jerusalem as an occupied population)."
"The EU has started to confront the government of Israel – and every citizen of Israel - with a road sign that cannot be ignored. One path leads to peace with our Palestinian neighbors and the Arab countries, and to enjoying international esteem and sympathy. The other path - to war and more war, to being an international pariah. The time to choose between these two paths is running out," Gush Shalom concluded.
Israeli Man Stabbed In Jerusalem
Israeli TV Channel 7 has reported on Tuesday at night [July 16, 2013] that an Israeli man, 33, was moderately injured after being stabbed in Bab Al-’Amoud area, in occupied East Jerusalem. The Israeli Police claimed that “two young Arab men stabbed the man and fled the scene”. However, Israeli Ynet News reported that the attack likely carries nationalistic motives.
The man was stabbed six times in the chest and waist, and is currently in a stable condition.
The Ynet said that the man told officers after he was moved to hospital that he was stabbed as he exited the “Western Wall” area.
The Police said that the two suspects fled the scene after stabbing the man, and that an investigation was launched; no arrests has been made.
Israeli TV Channel 7 has reported on Tuesday at night [July 16, 2013] that an Israeli man, 33, was moderately injured after being stabbed in Bab Al-’Amoud area, in occupied East Jerusalem. The Israeli Police claimed that “two young Arab men stabbed the man and fled the scene”. However, Israeli Ynet News reported that the attack likely carries nationalistic motives.
The man was stabbed six times in the chest and waist, and is currently in a stable condition.
The Ynet said that the man told officers after he was moved to hospital that he was stabbed as he exited the “Western Wall” area.
The Police said that the two suspects fled the scene after stabbing the man, and that an investigation was launched; no arrests has been made.
