8 apr 2017
The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz revealed on Thursday that the number of the Jews who migrated to Israel from the United States and France has sharply fallen in the recent months.
The paper said that 309 Jews arrived in Israel from the United States during the first three months of 2017, which is 25% less than the 413 immigrants who migrated to Israel in the same period in 2016.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, there was a 29% decline in the number of the Jews from France between January and March 2017. The number of the Jews who arrived in Israel reached 559, a number that is considered high compared with other countries, but it is far lower than the number of the Jews coming from France in the same period in 2016, which amounted to 782.
Overall, during the first three months of 2017, Israel has absorbed 5,311 Jews from all over the world, which is 6% less that the number of the immigrants who came in the same period in 2016. The only country that has an increasing percentage of immigrants is Russia.
The paper said that 309 Jews arrived in Israel from the United States during the first three months of 2017, which is 25% less than the 413 immigrants who migrated to Israel in the same period in 2016.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, there was a 29% decline in the number of the Jews from France between January and March 2017. The number of the Jews who arrived in Israel reached 559, a number that is considered high compared with other countries, but it is far lower than the number of the Jews coming from France in the same period in 2016, which amounted to 782.
Overall, during the first three months of 2017, Israel has absorbed 5,311 Jews from all over the world, which is 6% less that the number of the immigrants who came in the same period in 2016. The only country that has an increasing percentage of immigrants is Russia.
24 mar 2017
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted, during its 34th session held on Friday in Geneva, four pro-Palestine and anti-occupation resolutions.
The Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said that the four adopted resolutions are entitled “Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, The Palestinian people's right to self-determination, The situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Violations of international law in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
"The Palestinian draft resolutions were reformulated according to the rules of the international laws in accordance with the Palestinian national demands to hold Israeli leaders accountable for committing war crimes against our people," he said.
Al-Maliki strongly denounced the statements made by the Israeli ambassador to the UNHRC, stressing that Israel’s illegal practices on the ground violate the international law.
He invited all countries that had voted against the resolutions to review their positions and to stand behind the principles of international law.
He also stressed the urgent need to prosecute Israel for violating international laws and principles, and to provide international protection for the Palestinian people.
The Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said that the four adopted resolutions are entitled “Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, The Palestinian people's right to self-determination, The situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Violations of international law in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
"The Palestinian draft resolutions were reformulated according to the rules of the international laws in accordance with the Palestinian national demands to hold Israeli leaders accountable for committing war crimes against our people," he said.
Al-Maliki strongly denounced the statements made by the Israeli ambassador to the UNHRC, stressing that Israel’s illegal practices on the ground violate the international law.
He invited all countries that had voted against the resolutions to review their positions and to stand behind the principles of international law.
He also stressed the urgent need to prosecute Israel for violating international laws and principles, and to provide international protection for the Palestinian people.
David Friedman, a longtime friend and bankruptcy lawyer of US President Donald Trump, was approved by the Senate on Thursday to serve as ambassador to Israel.
Two of the chamber's 52 Republicans did not vote and two of the 48 Democrats voted against their camp to approve Friedman.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Twitter that Friedman "will be warmly welcomed as President Trump's representative and as a close friend of Israel".
The vote saw an unprecedented partisan split over an Israel envoy: Only two Democrats, Senators Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, joined a united Republican caucus in favor of Friedman’s nomination.
Friedman faced heavy criticism from the political Left and American Jewish organizations for his rhetoric during the 2016 presidential campaign, in which he suggested former president Barack Obama was anti-Semitic and called J Street, a left-wing Jewish organization which advocates for a two-state solution, “worse than kapos.” He apologized for those remarks in his Senate testimony.
J Street put out a statement after the vote saying it was “heartened” by the level of opposition Friedman faced. “Almost half of the Senate voted to oppose this deeply unqualified and inappropriate nominee, whose predecessors had all been confirmed without a single vote cast against them,” the lobby said.
An Orthodox Jew and the son of a New York rabbi, Friedman is a bankruptcy lawyer who has worked on Trump's behalf for the past 15 years. He joined the presidential election campaign last year as Trump's adviser on Israel.
Before becoming the ambassadorial nominee, Friedman was known as a vocal supporter of Israeli causes, including the building of illegal settlements on Palestinian land in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.
Israeli daily Haaretz revealed recently that he was a donor to the American branch of Ateret Cohanim, a far-right Israeli group that settles Jews in key locations in East Jerusalem, and especially around al-Aqsa, the most sensitive Islamic site in the region.
He is also the president of American Friends of Beit El Institutions, which raises millions of dollars each year for a settlement outpost close to the Palestinian city of Ramallah.
Two of the chamber's 52 Republicans did not vote and two of the 48 Democrats voted against their camp to approve Friedman.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Twitter that Friedman "will be warmly welcomed as President Trump's representative and as a close friend of Israel".
The vote saw an unprecedented partisan split over an Israel envoy: Only two Democrats, Senators Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, joined a united Republican caucus in favor of Friedman’s nomination.
Friedman faced heavy criticism from the political Left and American Jewish organizations for his rhetoric during the 2016 presidential campaign, in which he suggested former president Barack Obama was anti-Semitic and called J Street, a left-wing Jewish organization which advocates for a two-state solution, “worse than kapos.” He apologized for those remarks in his Senate testimony.
J Street put out a statement after the vote saying it was “heartened” by the level of opposition Friedman faced. “Almost half of the Senate voted to oppose this deeply unqualified and inappropriate nominee, whose predecessors had all been confirmed without a single vote cast against them,” the lobby said.
An Orthodox Jew and the son of a New York rabbi, Friedman is a bankruptcy lawyer who has worked on Trump's behalf for the past 15 years. He joined the presidential election campaign last year as Trump's adviser on Israel.
Before becoming the ambassadorial nominee, Friedman was known as a vocal supporter of Israeli causes, including the building of illegal settlements on Palestinian land in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.
Israeli daily Haaretz revealed recently that he was a donor to the American branch of Ateret Cohanim, a far-right Israeli group that settles Jews in key locations in East Jerusalem, and especially around al-Aqsa, the most sensitive Islamic site in the region.
He is also the president of American Friends of Beit El Institutions, which raises millions of dollars each year for a settlement outpost close to the Palestinian city of Ramallah.
23 mar 2017
On March 21st, Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs, Gilad Erdan, announced that his ministry seeks to create a new database of Israeli citizens who support the grassroots Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to secure Palestinian human rights.
In response, Mahmoud Nawajaa, the General Coordinator of the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), said:
This new database is consistent with the Israeli government’s ongoing efforts to suppress the BDS movement for Palestinian rights, precisely because support for the movement is growing both inside Israel and around the world. This new database targeting Israeli citizens who support BDS is in addition to another database that the Israeli government is already preparing, which targets BDS supporters from other countries, and which a recently-passed Israeli law seeks to use to bar international supporters of Palestinian rights from entering into Israel and occupied Palestinian Territory. It’s also in addition to a law passed in 2011 that allows civil suits to be filed against Israeli citizens who call for boycotts related to Israeli human rights abuses. Now, the Israeli government seeks to further repress Israeli citizens for their political thought and human rights work.
It is not at all surprising that Mr. Erdan and his government should spy on Israeli citizens, whether Jewish or Palestinian, or set up a database of those supporting BDS in order to target anyone working for the freedom, justice and equality of Palestinians. Support for the BDS movement has been growing around the globe in recent years, as more and more people recognize the brutal reality of Israel’s apartheid regime and nearly 50-year-old military occupation of Palestinian lands. Israel’s repressive efforts to suppress the BDS movement further illustrate the justice of our cause and will thus only strengthen worldwide support for our nonviolent struggle for our freedom and rights.
The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) is the largest coalition in Palestinian civil society that leads and supports the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
In response, Mahmoud Nawajaa, the General Coordinator of the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), said:
This new database is consistent with the Israeli government’s ongoing efforts to suppress the BDS movement for Palestinian rights, precisely because support for the movement is growing both inside Israel and around the world. This new database targeting Israeli citizens who support BDS is in addition to another database that the Israeli government is already preparing, which targets BDS supporters from other countries, and which a recently-passed Israeli law seeks to use to bar international supporters of Palestinian rights from entering into Israel and occupied Palestinian Territory. It’s also in addition to a law passed in 2011 that allows civil suits to be filed against Israeli citizens who call for boycotts related to Israeli human rights abuses. Now, the Israeli government seeks to further repress Israeli citizens for their political thought and human rights work.
It is not at all surprising that Mr. Erdan and his government should spy on Israeli citizens, whether Jewish or Palestinian, or set up a database of those supporting BDS in order to target anyone working for the freedom, justice and equality of Palestinians. Support for the BDS movement has been growing around the globe in recent years, as more and more people recognize the brutal reality of Israel’s apartheid regime and nearly 50-year-old military occupation of Palestinian lands. Israel’s repressive efforts to suppress the BDS movement further illustrate the justice of our cause and will thus only strengthen worldwide support for our nonviolent struggle for our freedom and rights.
The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) is the largest coalition in Palestinian civil society that leads and supports the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
20 mar 2017
One-third percent of Israelis think seriously of leaving Israel if they could, according to a poll commissioned by Israel's Channel 10.
According to the survey, 36% of the respondents would leave Israel if they had the opportunity to do so.
The majority of those surveyed were young and single adults aged between 23-29 years old.
According to the survey, 36% of the respondents would leave Israel if they had the opportunity to do so.
The majority of those surveyed were young and single adults aged between 23-29 years old.
19 mar 2017
Head of the European Tawasul Forum, Zaher Birawi, called on the Arab Summit set to be held on March 29 in Jordan to adopt the findings of a recent report by ESCWA accusing Israel of apartheid.
Birawi urged the Arab Summit to take on board the findings of a report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) accusing Israel of imposing apartheid on the Palestinians.
Birawi further pushed for the need to rehabilitate the status of ESCWA’s Secretary General, Dr. Rima Khalaf, who resigned following pressure to rescind the report.
“The Arab League is at stake. It should make a brave step . . . so as to put into effect ESCWA’s findings and push for prosecuting the Israeli occupation,” said Birawi.
Birawi stressed the need to expose the pressure exerted by the Israeli-American lobby on the UN organs, dubbing it a threat to international peace and security.
Birawi described the position adopted by the UN Secretary-General as “shameful” and one that contravenes UN’s advocacy of human rights.
“The UN Secretary-General would have rather stepped down and disclosed the pressure exerted on him instead of pressurize Dr. Khalaf,” he added.
Birawi expressed the pride felt by the Palestinian people and the world’s free people as regards Khalaf’s position and her refusal to succumb to the US-Israel pressure.
The activist acclaimed ESCWA’s report as a professional, objective, and authentic document.
Birawi urged the Arab Summit to take on board the findings of a report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) accusing Israel of imposing apartheid on the Palestinians.
Birawi further pushed for the need to rehabilitate the status of ESCWA’s Secretary General, Dr. Rima Khalaf, who resigned following pressure to rescind the report.
“The Arab League is at stake. It should make a brave step . . . so as to put into effect ESCWA’s findings and push for prosecuting the Israeli occupation,” said Birawi.
Birawi stressed the need to expose the pressure exerted by the Israeli-American lobby on the UN organs, dubbing it a threat to international peace and security.
Birawi described the position adopted by the UN Secretary-General as “shameful” and one that contravenes UN’s advocacy of human rights.
“The UN Secretary-General would have rather stepped down and disclosed the pressure exerted on him instead of pressurize Dr. Khalaf,” he added.
Birawi expressed the pride felt by the Palestinian people and the world’s free people as regards Khalaf’s position and her refusal to succumb to the US-Israel pressure.
The activist acclaimed ESCWA’s report as a professional, objective, and authentic document.
A new UN report offers explicit backing for the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign to end Israeli apartheid and support a just peace.
The landmark report’s endorsement of boycotts, economic sanctions and other grassroots initiatives comes at a moment when Israel is desperately attempting to criminalize and suppress international support for Palestinian rights.
Published by the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the report concludes that “Israel has established an apartheid regime that dominates the Palestinian people as a whole.”
Palestinians welcomed the landmark UN report. Meanwhile Israel and its US patron have reacted with rage.
A senior United Nations official has resigned, following pressure from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to withdraw the landmark report published earlier this week finding Israel guilty of apartheid.
The UN SG has also ordered the report to be removed from the UN website.
“The fact that a UN secretary general has bowed to threats and intimidation from the Trump administration to protect Israel from accountability, yet again, is hardly news,” the BNC said. “The real news is that this time round, Israel, with all its influence in Washington, cannot put the genie back into the bottle.”
The landmark report’s endorsement of boycotts, economic sanctions and other grassroots initiatives comes at a moment when Israel is desperately attempting to criminalize and suppress international support for Palestinian rights.
Published by the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the report concludes that “Israel has established an apartheid regime that dominates the Palestinian people as a whole.”
Palestinians welcomed the landmark UN report. Meanwhile Israel and its US patron have reacted with rage.
A senior United Nations official has resigned, following pressure from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to withdraw the landmark report published earlier this week finding Israel guilty of apartheid.
The UN SG has also ordered the report to be removed from the UN website.
“The fact that a UN secretary general has bowed to threats and intimidation from the Trump administration to protect Israel from accountability, yet again, is hardly news,” the BNC said. “The real news is that this time round, Israel, with all its influence in Washington, cannot put the genie back into the bottle.”
Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi denounced, in a statement released Saturday, the decision by the United Nations to remove the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) report from its website, which concluded that “Israel is guilty of policies and practices that constitute the crime of apartheid as legally defined in instruments of international law.”
She said, “Instead of succumbing to political blackmail or allowing itself to be censured or intimidated by external parties, the UN should condemn the acts described in the report and hold Israel responsible.”
She explained, according to WAFA, that the report constitutes a “step in the right direction and highlights the true reality on the ground, which is one of apartheid, ethnic cleansing and military occupation.”
Ashrawi called on UN Secretary-General António Guterres to do what is right, reinstate the ESCWA report and “undertake serious and concrete measures to hold Israel accountable for its persistent violations of international law and human rights.”
“We also extend our deep appreciation to Dr. Rima Khalaf whose resignation from her post as UN ESCWA Executive Secretary should have never been accepted by UN Secretary-General Guterres. We will continue to remain grateful to Dr. Khalaf for assuming a principled and courageous stand on behalf of the people of Palestine.”
She said, “Instead of succumbing to political blackmail or allowing itself to be censured or intimidated by external parties, the UN should condemn the acts described in the report and hold Israel responsible.”
She explained, according to WAFA, that the report constitutes a “step in the right direction and highlights the true reality on the ground, which is one of apartheid, ethnic cleansing and military occupation.”
Ashrawi called on UN Secretary-General António Guterres to do what is right, reinstate the ESCWA report and “undertake serious and concrete measures to hold Israel accountable for its persistent violations of international law and human rights.”
“We also extend our deep appreciation to Dr. Rima Khalaf whose resignation from her post as UN ESCWA Executive Secretary should have never been accepted by UN Secretary-General Guterres. We will continue to remain grateful to Dr. Khalaf for assuming a principled and courageous stand on behalf of the people of Palestine.”