29 jan 2017
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed on Sunday his support for the US embassy to Israel moving from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, further adding that “all embassies should come here.”
In a statement during the Israeli security cabinet’s weekly meeting, Netanyahu emphasized the “fundamental” relationship between the United States and Israel.
“There is no substitute for this alliance. Our relations are tight and getting tighter, and I would like to take this opportunity to make it unequivocally clear that our position has always been, and will always be, that the US embassy needs to be here, in Jerusalem,” the prime minister said.
“Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and it is proper that not only should the American embassy be here, but all embassies should come here, and I believe that over time most of them will indeed come here, to Jerusalem.”
Netanyahu’s statements came two days after US President Donald Trump told Fox News that it was “too early” to talk about his controversial campaign promise to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.
Mark Zell, the co-chairman of the Republican Overseas Israel group had accused Netanyahu earlier on Sunday of being behind Trump’s decision to delay the embassy move, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The prospect of an embassy location change has been met with applause by right-wing Israeli officials and strongly condemned by Palestinians and the international community.
The move would in effect amount to American recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, effectively torpedoing efforts to implement a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state.
The fate of Jerusalem has been a focal point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades, with numerous tensions arising over Israeli threats regarding the status of non-Jewish religious sites in the city, and the "Judaization" of East Jerusalem through settlement construction and mass demolitions of Palestinian homes.
The Israeli government has openly expressed its anticipation for a Trump presidency, which right-wing politicians believe will make it easier to advance plans to expand Israeli settlements and consolidate Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank.
Last month, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General Saeb Erekat warned that the PLO would revoke all previously signed agreements with Israel as well as the PLO’s 1993 recognition of Israel if Trump followed through on his pledge to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Erekat reportedly said such a move would indicate the US’s acceptance of “Israel’s illegal annexation of East Jerusalem,” and further warned that “any hope of peace in the future will just vanish."
While members of the international community have rested the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the discontinuation of illegal Israeli settlements and the establishment of a two-state solution, Israeli leaders have instead shifted further to the right as many Knesset members have called for an escalation of settlement building in the occupied West Bank, and with some having advocated for its complete annexation.
In a statement during the Israeli security cabinet’s weekly meeting, Netanyahu emphasized the “fundamental” relationship between the United States and Israel.
“There is no substitute for this alliance. Our relations are tight and getting tighter, and I would like to take this opportunity to make it unequivocally clear that our position has always been, and will always be, that the US embassy needs to be here, in Jerusalem,” the prime minister said.
“Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and it is proper that not only should the American embassy be here, but all embassies should come here, and I believe that over time most of them will indeed come here, to Jerusalem.”
Netanyahu’s statements came two days after US President Donald Trump told Fox News that it was “too early” to talk about his controversial campaign promise to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.
Mark Zell, the co-chairman of the Republican Overseas Israel group had accused Netanyahu earlier on Sunday of being behind Trump’s decision to delay the embassy move, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The prospect of an embassy location change has been met with applause by right-wing Israeli officials and strongly condemned by Palestinians and the international community.
The move would in effect amount to American recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, effectively torpedoing efforts to implement a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state.
The fate of Jerusalem has been a focal point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades, with numerous tensions arising over Israeli threats regarding the status of non-Jewish religious sites in the city, and the "Judaization" of East Jerusalem through settlement construction and mass demolitions of Palestinian homes.
The Israeli government has openly expressed its anticipation for a Trump presidency, which right-wing politicians believe will make it easier to advance plans to expand Israeli settlements and consolidate Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank.
Last month, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General Saeb Erekat warned that the PLO would revoke all previously signed agreements with Israel as well as the PLO’s 1993 recognition of Israel if Trump followed through on his pledge to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Erekat reportedly said such a move would indicate the US’s acceptance of “Israel’s illegal annexation of East Jerusalem,” and further warned that “any hope of peace in the future will just vanish."
While members of the international community have rested the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the discontinuation of illegal Israeli settlements and the establishment of a two-state solution, Israeli leaders have instead shifted further to the right as many Knesset members have called for an escalation of settlement building in the occupied West Bank, and with some having advocated for its complete annexation.
28 jan 2017
Former member of Israeli Knesset Yair Gabai has called for the evacuation of UN headquarters in Jebal Mukaber neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem, Iroshalim Hebrew newspaper revealed.
UN headquarters, which was used as the headquarters of the British authorities in Palestine during the British Mandate, has been built on an area of 80 dunums overlooking Jabal Mukaber neighborhood.
The paper claimed that the land is owned by Israel and UN staff are secondary tenant and have no right on it.
The headquarters was used by the UN Observers following the 1967 war to monitor the truce agreement between Israel and Jordan.
Gabai strongly opposes the UN presence on the land, launching a petition calling for its evacuation.
UN headquarters, which was used as the headquarters of the British authorities in Palestine during the British Mandate, has been built on an area of 80 dunums overlooking Jabal Mukaber neighborhood.
The paper claimed that the land is owned by Israel and UN staff are secondary tenant and have no right on it.
The headquarters was used by the UN Observers following the 1967 war to monitor the truce agreement between Israel and Jordan.
Gabai strongly opposes the UN presence on the land, launching a petition calling for its evacuation.
24 jan 2017
The Israeli occupation army said it replaced the controversial Hannibal directive with a new protocol of rules allowing its troops to use excessive force during wartime to prevent the abduction of soldiers.
According to the army radio on Monday, the new harsher protocol will replace the previous one called Hannibal that granted troops limited permission to do whatever was necessary to prevent the abduction of a fellow soldier.
The Israeli army has refused to reveal the name of the new protocol, which took effect on January 1st.
Under the new protocol, the soldiers are ordered to target captors and abducted soldiers more violently and open heavy fire inside Israel’s border areas without hesitation if the incident happens somewhere there.
However, the new directive threatens the captive soldier’s life more than before because it demands the use of unreasonable force to prevent the abduction operation.
According to the army radio on Monday, the new harsher protocol will replace the previous one called Hannibal that granted troops limited permission to do whatever was necessary to prevent the abduction of a fellow soldier.
The Israeli army has refused to reveal the name of the new protocol, which took effect on January 1st.
Under the new protocol, the soldiers are ordered to target captors and abducted soldiers more violently and open heavy fire inside Israel’s border areas without hesitation if the incident happens somewhere there.
However, the new directive threatens the captive soldier’s life more than before because it demands the use of unreasonable force to prevent the abduction operation.
19 jan 2017
An Israeli woman employed as a radio host with the Israeli government-run Army Radio was fired from her job Thursday after expressing on Facebook that she could understand the frustration of a Bedouin man who allegedly ran over a police officer who had come to destroy the Bedouin’s village.
Khen Elmaleh wrote on her Facebook page, “I would also run over a police officer if I were being removed from my home in order to make room for a town built for those more powerful than me”.
Her boss, Army Radio Commander Yaron Deckel, contacted her to fire her from her job – then he tweeted that those who support running over police have no place in the radio station.
It is still unclear whether the Bedouin man, Yaqub Musa Abu Qi’an, ran over the officer on purpose, or if he lost control of his vehicle – as local villagers say. After his vehicle hit the officer, he was shot multiple times and killed.
According to the leftist Israeli +972 magazine, “Elmaleh’s post was a sincere attempt at putting oneself in another’s shoes, but beyond that it also sought to draw a connection between the Bedouin struggle to remain on their land, and the decades-long Mizrahi struggle for public housing and against evictions.
Perhaps Elmaleh thought that expressing empathy with those who have lost or are about to lose their homes — to try and imagine what it might feel like to fight a seemingly endless battle against a government that doesn’t exactly want you here — would strike a chord with Israeli Jews. Perhaps Elmaleh believed that there was solidarity to be had among various the various groups living in Israel who are subject, day in and day out, to the brute force of the authorities. But by early morning the politicians and media had already portrayed Abu Qi’an as an ISIS-supporting terrorists. Elmaleh, in effect, had crossed the Rubicon: she expressed support for the ‘enemy.'”
Following her dismissal from her job, Elmaleh received many comments to her Facebook page – many of them critical of her earlier post, and calling her a supporter of murder and terrorism. She responded, “I do not support murder, and I will not let the headlines turn me into a supporter of murder,” Elmaleh continued, adding that today it may have been the Bedouin fighting for their rights, but “tomorrow it could be Mizrahi residents in south Tel Aviv. How easy is it to turn this whole discussion into one over a ‘vehicular attack.’”
Khen Elmaleh wrote on her Facebook page, “I would also run over a police officer if I were being removed from my home in order to make room for a town built for those more powerful than me”.
Her boss, Army Radio Commander Yaron Deckel, contacted her to fire her from her job – then he tweeted that those who support running over police have no place in the radio station.
It is still unclear whether the Bedouin man, Yaqub Musa Abu Qi’an, ran over the officer on purpose, or if he lost control of his vehicle – as local villagers say. After his vehicle hit the officer, he was shot multiple times and killed.
According to the leftist Israeli +972 magazine, “Elmaleh’s post was a sincere attempt at putting oneself in another’s shoes, but beyond that it also sought to draw a connection between the Bedouin struggle to remain on their land, and the decades-long Mizrahi struggle for public housing and against evictions.
Perhaps Elmaleh thought that expressing empathy with those who have lost or are about to lose their homes — to try and imagine what it might feel like to fight a seemingly endless battle against a government that doesn’t exactly want you here — would strike a chord with Israeli Jews. Perhaps Elmaleh believed that there was solidarity to be had among various the various groups living in Israel who are subject, day in and day out, to the brute force of the authorities. But by early morning the politicians and media had already portrayed Abu Qi’an as an ISIS-supporting terrorists. Elmaleh, in effect, had crossed the Rubicon: she expressed support for the ‘enemy.'”
Following her dismissal from her job, Elmaleh received many comments to her Facebook page – many of them critical of her earlier post, and calling her a supporter of murder and terrorism. She responded, “I do not support murder, and I will not let the headlines turn me into a supporter of murder,” Elmaleh continued, adding that today it may have been the Bedouin fighting for their rights, but “tomorrow it could be Mizrahi residents in south Tel Aviv. How easy is it to turn this whole discussion into one over a ‘vehicular attack.’”
15 jan 2017
A copy of the letter distributed by council members
Five members of the Kiryat Arba city council write and sign a letter protesting the hiring of Arab drivers from east Jerusalem villages such as Jabel Mukaber, Isawyia and Shuafat in light of last week's terror attack.
The change in public transportation companies in Kiryat Arba has raised concern amongst several city council members because some of the new drivers are residents of east Jerusalem.
During the weekend, five Kiryat Arba council members wrote a letter to city residents in which they claimed they did not want Arab-Israeli drivers from east Jerusalem operating bus lines.
"We were told that the new drivers of the city lines are residents of east Jerusalem and places like Jabel Mukaber, Shuafat, Silwan and others. We are afraid for our families. We unfortunately saw an example this week," they wrote referring to the terrorist attack in Jerusalem last week.
"We don't want terrorists working here," wrote Councilman Yisrael Bramson, one of the five signatories. "Our request is legitimate. When the driver is an Arab resident of east Jerusalem from a place like Jabel Mukaber or Isawiya, there are fears that he will 'accidentally' drive to Arab Hebron with our children and we don't want that to happen. After all, the terrorist who murdered the soldiers in the truck attack was carrying a blue identity card."
The letter also stated that residents of Kiryat Arba demand military service or national service as a condition to employing drivers in the city.
Head of the council Malachi Levinger takes issue with the letter and is attempting to solve the issue on behalf of residents with the Minister of Transportation.
Five members of the Kiryat Arba city council write and sign a letter protesting the hiring of Arab drivers from east Jerusalem villages such as Jabel Mukaber, Isawyia and Shuafat in light of last week's terror attack.
The change in public transportation companies in Kiryat Arba has raised concern amongst several city council members because some of the new drivers are residents of east Jerusalem.
During the weekend, five Kiryat Arba council members wrote a letter to city residents in which they claimed they did not want Arab-Israeli drivers from east Jerusalem operating bus lines.
"We were told that the new drivers of the city lines are residents of east Jerusalem and places like Jabel Mukaber, Shuafat, Silwan and others. We are afraid for our families. We unfortunately saw an example this week," they wrote referring to the terrorist attack in Jerusalem last week.
"We don't want terrorists working here," wrote Councilman Yisrael Bramson, one of the five signatories. "Our request is legitimate. When the driver is an Arab resident of east Jerusalem from a place like Jabel Mukaber or Isawiya, there are fears that he will 'accidentally' drive to Arab Hebron with our children and we don't want that to happen. After all, the terrorist who murdered the soldiers in the truck attack was carrying a blue identity card."
The letter also stated that residents of Kiryat Arba demand military service or national service as a condition to employing drivers in the city.
Head of the council Malachi Levinger takes issue with the letter and is attempting to solve the issue on behalf of residents with the Minister of Transportation.
10 jan 2017
South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma has asked his citizens not travel to Israel in order to show solidarity with the Palestinian people, who suffer from occupation and oppression, according to Africa News website.
At the 105th anniversary ceremony of the African National Congress in Soweto on Sunday, Zuma stated that “the people of Palestine continue to suffer in their rightful quest for self-determination.”
He expressed the party’s support for the December 2016 UN Security Council resolution against Israel’s settlement construction and called on the Palestinian people to unite and work on achieving their goals.
The president also vowed that Johannesburg would never cease its support for the Palestinian cause.
The government of South Africa has accused Israel several times of pursuing racist and apartheid policies towards the Palestinians.
It also sanctioned new rules to prevent its citizens who hold dual citizenship from joining the Israeli army and imposed restrictions on Israeli products entering the country.
At the 105th anniversary ceremony of the African National Congress in Soweto on Sunday, Zuma stated that “the people of Palestine continue to suffer in their rightful quest for self-determination.”
He expressed the party’s support for the December 2016 UN Security Council resolution against Israel’s settlement construction and called on the Palestinian people to unite and work on achieving their goals.
The president also vowed that Johannesburg would never cease its support for the Palestinian cause.
The government of South Africa has accused Israel several times of pursuing racist and apartheid policies towards the Palestinians.
It also sanctioned new rules to prevent its citizens who hold dual citizenship from joining the Israeli army and imposed restrictions on Israeli products entering the country.
9 jan 2017
A Palestinian citizen of Israel was shot and killed in the northern Israeli town of Sakhnin between Sunday and Monday, Israeli police said.
Hilal Ghanayim, 32, was shot near the Doha Stadium in Sakhnin after midnight, Israeli police said, and was transferred to a hospital in critical condition before being declared dead.
Israeli police said that, following an investigation, it detained a 27-year-old suspected of being involved in the case.
Israeli authorities imposed a temporary gag order on the case between 10.30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday, Israeli police spokeswoman Luba al-Samri reported.
However, at the police's request, a Nazareth district judge later issued a gag order on the case effective until Jan. 15, raising questions surrounding the circumstances of the murder.
Hilal Ghanayim, 32, was shot near the Doha Stadium in Sakhnin after midnight, Israeli police said, and was transferred to a hospital in critical condition before being declared dead.
Israeli police said that, following an investigation, it detained a 27-year-old suspected of being involved in the case.
Israeli authorities imposed a temporary gag order on the case between 10.30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday, Israeli police spokeswoman Luba al-Samri reported.
However, at the police's request, a Nazareth district judge later issued a gag order on the case effective until Jan. 15, raising questions surrounding the circumstances of the murder.
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