5 jan 2019
A section of the “Finds Gone Astray” exhibition at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem, January 3, 2019. Photo credit: Bible Lands Museum.
POSTED BY: ALTERNATIVE INFORMATION CENTER JANUARY 4, 2019
The exhibit ‘Finds Gone Astray’ in Jerusalem constitutes a violation of international law, yet frames Israel as a preserver of history.
On Monday, December 31, 2018, the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem unveiled an exhibit of antiquities seized by Israeli authorities from the occupied West Bank.
The exhibit “Finds Gone Astray” displays 20 antiquities seized by the Israeli Civil Administration from alleged “looters” and “unauthorized dealers in antiquities” in the West Bank. The exhibition claims that most of the artifacts originated from archaeological sites in the West Bank, while others were smuggled into the area from elsewhere in the Middle East, including Syria.
Emek Shaveh, an Israeli organization that opposes the politicization of archaeology, released a statement condemning the exhibition. First, the group emphasizes that looted artifacts “are of no scientific value” because without knowing the objects’ excavation sites, one cannot determine their origins or age with any certainty. “So what is the purpose of the exhibition?” Emek Shaveh asks. “To portray the Palestinians as robbers and destroyers while we Israelis save and preserve the heritage and antiquities of the past because they are ours.”
Indeed, while “Finds Gone Astray” laments looters in the West Bank, it makes no mention of the violations of international law inherent in the exhibit. Geneva, Hague and UNESCO Conventions prohibit Israel as an occupying power from assuming ownership of West Bank antiquities or transferring such artifacts out of the territory. To date, according to Emek Shaveh, the Civil Administration has seized 40,000 allegedly looted artifacts from the West Bank since Israel occupied the area in 1967.
Israel is one of the few countries to permit trade in antiquities. “By permitting trade in antiquities, Israel creates a market for antiquities robbers,” adds Emek Shaveh.
POSTED BY: ALTERNATIVE INFORMATION CENTER JANUARY 4, 2019
The exhibit ‘Finds Gone Astray’ in Jerusalem constitutes a violation of international law, yet frames Israel as a preserver of history.
On Monday, December 31, 2018, the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem unveiled an exhibit of antiquities seized by Israeli authorities from the occupied West Bank.
The exhibit “Finds Gone Astray” displays 20 antiquities seized by the Israeli Civil Administration from alleged “looters” and “unauthorized dealers in antiquities” in the West Bank. The exhibition claims that most of the artifacts originated from archaeological sites in the West Bank, while others were smuggled into the area from elsewhere in the Middle East, including Syria.
Emek Shaveh, an Israeli organization that opposes the politicization of archaeology, released a statement condemning the exhibition. First, the group emphasizes that looted artifacts “are of no scientific value” because without knowing the objects’ excavation sites, one cannot determine their origins or age with any certainty. “So what is the purpose of the exhibition?” Emek Shaveh asks. “To portray the Palestinians as robbers and destroyers while we Israelis save and preserve the heritage and antiquities of the past because they are ours.”
Indeed, while “Finds Gone Astray” laments looters in the West Bank, it makes no mention of the violations of international law inherent in the exhibit. Geneva, Hague and UNESCO Conventions prohibit Israel as an occupying power from assuming ownership of West Bank antiquities or transferring such artifacts out of the territory. To date, according to Emek Shaveh, the Civil Administration has seized 40,000 allegedly looted artifacts from the West Bank since Israel occupied the area in 1967.
Israel is one of the few countries to permit trade in antiquities. “By permitting trade in antiquities, Israel creates a market for antiquities robbers,” adds Emek Shaveh.
4 jan 2019
The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is demanding that Germany defund organizations perceived as critical of Israel, including the Jewish Museum Berlin, which has educated millions about the Jewish culture that the Nazis tried to destroy. (via Facebook)
Israel is demanding that Germany stop funding the Jewish Museum Berlin, an institution that has educated millions of people about the Jewish culture that the Nazis tried to exterminate.
The museum is one of dozens of cultural and human rights organizations Israel wants defunded because they allow free discussion of Palestine or criticism of Israel’s human rights record
Israel wants the organizations muzzled as a condition of any future German funding.
In a letter to the German government, Israel also demanded that human rights organizations including B’Tselem, the Coalition of Women for Peace and Breaking the Silence receive no German funds.
Israel also wants funding stopped to the renowned Berlinale film festival and the Israeli publication +972 Magazine.
A copy of the seven-page letter was obtained by the German newspaper taz last month.
The letter accuses the Jewish Museum Berlin and the Berlinale of “anti-Israel activities.”
Although it had no letterhead, no addressee and was not signed, a German government spokesperson told taz that the Israeli government handed over information to German officials when they discussed support for nongovernmental organizations.
Writing at the World Socialist Web Site late last month, Sybille Fuchs cited reports that the letter was “personally handed over” to German officials by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The letter “bears the hallmark” of NGO Monitor, a right-wing organization that works with the Israeli government to smear human rights organizations, taz notes.
But Gerald Steinberg, the head of NGO Monitor, denied having anything to do with the letter, according to taz.
“Shocked”
In an open letter published by taz, dozens of Israeli artists urge the German government and parliament to reject the Israeli demands.
“We are shocked to hear that our prime minister and his government have demanded that the German government stop its support for the Jewish Museum in Berlin because of the latter’s special exhibition about Jerusalem,” the artists state. “This exhibition has been insincerely and incorrectly alleged to reflect a mainly Muslim-Palestinian narrative.”
“In recent years, we in Israel have witnessed myriad attempts by the government, in cooperation with populist and ultra-rightwing parties, to shrink the spaces of cultural expression and limit pluralist, critical discourse,” the Israeli artists add.
The Israeli government claims, according to taz, that the Jewish Museum Berlin only reflects a “Palestinian-Muslim view of Jerusalem” in its exhibition “Welcome to Jerusalem.”
Israel also accuses the museum of hosting supporters of BDS – boycott, divestment and sanctions – as speakers.
“We believe that an open discussion involving sometimes controversial views is essential to enable our visitors to form their own, differentiated judgment,” a museum spokesperson told taz.
Among the signatories are Micha Ullman, the artist who designed the Berlin memorial on the spot where in May 1933 Nazis burned 20,000 books.
“Absurd”
The Israeli government letter characterizes German funding for civil society and human rights groups as unwarranted interference in Israel’s internal affairs.
For example the letter attacks +972 Magazine, which is funded through the Green Party-linked Heinrich Böll Foundation, because its writers “regularly accuse Israel of apartheid.”
The Böll foundation, which itself publishes propaganda promoting Israel as a “start-up nation” and disseminates “progressive” attacks on the nonviolent BDS movement for Palestinian rights, dismissed the claims in the Israeli government’s letter as “absurd.”
The Israeli government letter also takes aim at medical charity Medico International, Catholic charity Miserior and the Protestant churches’ relief agency Bread for the World.
Targeting BDS
Israel also criticizes the Berlinale film festival for its alleged relationship with the BDS movement. It wants the German government to make future support conditional on the exclusion of BDS supporters.
The Israeli government may be irritated that British filmmaker Ken Loach was in 2014 awarded the Berlinale’s lifetime achievement award, the Golden Bear, and his films are often screened at the festival.
Loach is an outspoken supporter of the academic and cultural boycott of Israel.
The premiere of Palestinian director Raed Andoni’s documentary Ghost Hunting at the Berlinale in 2017 may also have caused annoyance.
The film shows how Israel tries to break the spirit of Palestinian prisoners with abuse and torture.
And Israeli director Udi Aloni, who won a top audience award at the 2016 Berlinale, called the Israeli government “fascist” before the screening of his movie Junction 48.
He also urged Germany to stop arming Israel.
But Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick is not giving in to Israeli pressure.
“The views can be controversial, but our job is to work for the freedom of art within the framework of democratic order,” Kosslick said.
The organizations under Israeli attack can draw some hope from a German federal government spokesperson who told taz that the “promotion of a vibrant civil society is a goal of German foreign and development policy.”
Protection of human rights and freedom of expression are basic principles, the spokesperson added.
Nonetheless, the Israeli government’s escalating demands for censorship come against a background of official intolerance and repression in Germany of free expression in support of full Palestinian rights.
As long as the German government “sticks to its principles” of nominal support for freedom of speech, the pressure from Israel “is likely to continue,” taz predicts.
Israel is demanding that Germany stop funding the Jewish Museum Berlin, an institution that has educated millions of people about the Jewish culture that the Nazis tried to exterminate.
The museum is one of dozens of cultural and human rights organizations Israel wants defunded because they allow free discussion of Palestine or criticism of Israel’s human rights record
Israel wants the organizations muzzled as a condition of any future German funding.
In a letter to the German government, Israel also demanded that human rights organizations including B’Tselem, the Coalition of Women for Peace and Breaking the Silence receive no German funds.
Israel also wants funding stopped to the renowned Berlinale film festival and the Israeli publication +972 Magazine.
A copy of the seven-page letter was obtained by the German newspaper taz last month.
The letter accuses the Jewish Museum Berlin and the Berlinale of “anti-Israel activities.”
Although it had no letterhead, no addressee and was not signed, a German government spokesperson told taz that the Israeli government handed over information to German officials when they discussed support for nongovernmental organizations.
Writing at the World Socialist Web Site late last month, Sybille Fuchs cited reports that the letter was “personally handed over” to German officials by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The letter “bears the hallmark” of NGO Monitor, a right-wing organization that works with the Israeli government to smear human rights organizations, taz notes.
But Gerald Steinberg, the head of NGO Monitor, denied having anything to do with the letter, according to taz.
“Shocked”
In an open letter published by taz, dozens of Israeli artists urge the German government and parliament to reject the Israeli demands.
“We are shocked to hear that our prime minister and his government have demanded that the German government stop its support for the Jewish Museum in Berlin because of the latter’s special exhibition about Jerusalem,” the artists state. “This exhibition has been insincerely and incorrectly alleged to reflect a mainly Muslim-Palestinian narrative.”
“In recent years, we in Israel have witnessed myriad attempts by the government, in cooperation with populist and ultra-rightwing parties, to shrink the spaces of cultural expression and limit pluralist, critical discourse,” the Israeli artists add.
The Israeli government claims, according to taz, that the Jewish Museum Berlin only reflects a “Palestinian-Muslim view of Jerusalem” in its exhibition “Welcome to Jerusalem.”
Israel also accuses the museum of hosting supporters of BDS – boycott, divestment and sanctions – as speakers.
“We believe that an open discussion involving sometimes controversial views is essential to enable our visitors to form their own, differentiated judgment,” a museum spokesperson told taz.
Among the signatories are Micha Ullman, the artist who designed the Berlin memorial on the spot where in May 1933 Nazis burned 20,000 books.
“Absurd”
The Israeli government letter characterizes German funding for civil society and human rights groups as unwarranted interference in Israel’s internal affairs.
For example the letter attacks +972 Magazine, which is funded through the Green Party-linked Heinrich Böll Foundation, because its writers “regularly accuse Israel of apartheid.”
The Böll foundation, which itself publishes propaganda promoting Israel as a “start-up nation” and disseminates “progressive” attacks on the nonviolent BDS movement for Palestinian rights, dismissed the claims in the Israeli government’s letter as “absurd.”
The Israeli government letter also takes aim at medical charity Medico International, Catholic charity Miserior and the Protestant churches’ relief agency Bread for the World.
Targeting BDS
Israel also criticizes the Berlinale film festival for its alleged relationship with the BDS movement. It wants the German government to make future support conditional on the exclusion of BDS supporters.
The Israeli government may be irritated that British filmmaker Ken Loach was in 2014 awarded the Berlinale’s lifetime achievement award, the Golden Bear, and his films are often screened at the festival.
Loach is an outspoken supporter of the academic and cultural boycott of Israel.
The premiere of Palestinian director Raed Andoni’s documentary Ghost Hunting at the Berlinale in 2017 may also have caused annoyance.
The film shows how Israel tries to break the spirit of Palestinian prisoners with abuse and torture.
And Israeli director Udi Aloni, who won a top audience award at the 2016 Berlinale, called the Israeli government “fascist” before the screening of his movie Junction 48.
He also urged Germany to stop arming Israel.
But Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick is not giving in to Israeli pressure.
“The views can be controversial, but our job is to work for the freedom of art within the framework of democratic order,” Kosslick said.
The organizations under Israeli attack can draw some hope from a German federal government spokesperson who told taz that the “promotion of a vibrant civil society is a goal of German foreign and development policy.”
Protection of human rights and freedom of expression are basic principles, the spokesperson added.
Nonetheless, the Israeli government’s escalating demands for censorship come against a background of official intolerance and repression in Germany of free expression in support of full Palestinian rights.
As long as the German government “sticks to its principles” of nominal support for freedom of speech, the pressure from Israel “is likely to continue,” taz predicts.
Ultra-Orthodox children of Ethiopian descent are not accepted by Talmud Torah institutions in Jerusalem, while one official is recorded telling parents their child was rejected due to his skin color.
Ultra-Orthodox children of Ethiopian descent have been rejected in recent weeks by Talmud Torah schools in Jerusalem, on the grounds that dark-skinned children will "cause trauma" for their classmates. The Talmud Torah schools are a religious-educational framework for kindergarten and elementary students, and enjoy substantial annual budgets from the state.
While Ultra-Orthodox families can choose whether to send their children to these schools or a regular educational institution, many of those children rejected by Talmud Torah are forced to travel far to attend other schools where they are accepted.
The parents, who live in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods and maintain a strictly religious lifestyle, say that they were given a range of excuses as to why their children had been rejected, including claims that, "you are not our style," "this could cause trauma to the rest of the children" and "Sephardi children were also rejected."
A Talmud Torah school official told Ynet that one of the main reasons children of Ethiopian origin were not accepted was because "other children are experiencing difficulties in dealing with a black child."
The Education Ministry said it would consider revoking the funding for Talmud Torah schools, and outgoing Education Minister Naftali Bennett threatened to shut down any institutions discriminating between white and black children.
"Any school that refuses to accept a student due to his origin will be closed. Racism is an ugly phenomenon, which we must root out of Israeli society. All of Israel's students, from all sectors and backgrounds, are our children," Bennett said.
"We are all equals, and people in the education system who don't understand that will be removed. I've instructed the Education Ministry to conduct a thorough inspection on the matter. In cases in which children were discriminated (based on the color of their skin), we will not hesitate to act against those schools, including imposing sanctions on them," Bennett added.
"I say this loud and clear—educational institution that discriminates against any student, thereby degrading the education system, will not continue to be part of it. Not on my watch," the education minister said.
But officials from the religious-Zionist movement Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah expressed surprise at Bennett's reaction, in light of the fact the "over the past three years, the minister has certified a number of Talmud Torah schools that directly and indirectly screen students of low socioeconomic status and of Ethiopian descent."
"Instead of strengthening the public education, Bennett surrendered to pressure, approving the opening of private institutions, or those that act as such. Declaring the shutdown of those institutions is usually useless, since it is difficult to monitor cases of discrimination in informal schools," Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah added.
"The government should narrow its support for private institutions, which harm public education in Israel," the movement said.
The families have also appealed to the Justice Ministry, requesting it to intervene and put an end to the discrimination.
Yesh Atid Knesset member Pnina Tamano-Shata, the first Ethiopian-born woman to become an MK, last month wrote a strong letter of complaint on the issue to Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion. The mayor has yet to respond.
"Those who immigrated from Ethiopia are dealing with racism that has been alive and kicking for the past 40 years, and the state is not doing enough to prevent it. If more strict punitive measures are not imposed and discriminatory institutions are not shut down, we cannot be surprised things stay the same," Tamano-Shata said.
The Talmud Torah schools deny that certain children were rejected due to their Ethiopian origin, stressing that "one boy of Ethiopian origin" began attending their institution, while the parents argue the boy was accepted to meet the minimum quota and to stave off racism allegations.
But a Talmud Torah representative was recorded admitting to parents that their child was not accepted due to his Ethiopian origin.
"I could have told you that I reviewed your application and came to the conclusion your child does not meet our demands, or some other excuse," the representative is heard saying.
A mother of a child rejected by Talmud Torah said: "Many Ethiopian families share my problem. Since our children are rejected, they have no choice but to attend schools with high dropout rates.
"On the phone we are told there is room for our children, but when we arrive we are told the school is full. There are people who leave Jerusalem because they know that their children won't be accepted at the schools they want. It is a terrible feeling," she said.
Another Talmud Torah official told Ynet that more mature children of Ethiopian origin are accepted to the ultra-Orthodox schools, but when it comes to kindergarten, things are different.
"The reason is not racism, but the fact that handling something different can be very traumatic for small children," the official said.
Speaking off the record, additional officials admitted the exclusion of Ethiopian children does exist. "It not only happens in Jerusalem, but also in other places."
The Jerusalem municipality said in a statement that, "The Talmud Torah schools, which are in question, are private institutions, and as such, the registration for them is not done through City Hall. Nevertheless, the Jerusalem Municipality is acting and will continue acting to treat all students as equals, enabling them to attend any school of their choice.
"The municipality condemns any kind of discrimination and works to eradicate it," the statement said.
The Legal Aid Department in the Ministry of Justice said that, "the issue is being reviewed and possible solutions are being examined."
"According to the amendment to the Prohibition of Discrimination in Products, Services and Entry into Places of Entertainment and Public Places Law, the Legal Aid Department provides representation and legal counseling to anyone who needs it on issues of discrimination, without the need to meet any socioeconomic criteria," the Justice Ministry said.
In response, the superintendent of the Or Shraga Talmud Torah School said, "The fact a student of Ethiopian descent was accepted at our school proves there is no racism in our admission process.
"Two other children of Ethiopian origin were rejected—one due to incompatibility, and the second did not pass the entry exam. There is no significance to skin color, but only to the level of compatibility for the Talmud Torah schools," the superintendent added.
Ultra-Orthodox children of Ethiopian descent have been rejected in recent weeks by Talmud Torah schools in Jerusalem, on the grounds that dark-skinned children will "cause trauma" for their classmates. The Talmud Torah schools are a religious-educational framework for kindergarten and elementary students, and enjoy substantial annual budgets from the state.
While Ultra-Orthodox families can choose whether to send their children to these schools or a regular educational institution, many of those children rejected by Talmud Torah are forced to travel far to attend other schools where they are accepted.
The parents, who live in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods and maintain a strictly religious lifestyle, say that they were given a range of excuses as to why their children had been rejected, including claims that, "you are not our style," "this could cause trauma to the rest of the children" and "Sephardi children were also rejected."
A Talmud Torah school official told Ynet that one of the main reasons children of Ethiopian origin were not accepted was because "other children are experiencing difficulties in dealing with a black child."
The Education Ministry said it would consider revoking the funding for Talmud Torah schools, and outgoing Education Minister Naftali Bennett threatened to shut down any institutions discriminating between white and black children.
"Any school that refuses to accept a student due to his origin will be closed. Racism is an ugly phenomenon, which we must root out of Israeli society. All of Israel's students, from all sectors and backgrounds, are our children," Bennett said.
"We are all equals, and people in the education system who don't understand that will be removed. I've instructed the Education Ministry to conduct a thorough inspection on the matter. In cases in which children were discriminated (based on the color of their skin), we will not hesitate to act against those schools, including imposing sanctions on them," Bennett added.
"I say this loud and clear—educational institution that discriminates against any student, thereby degrading the education system, will not continue to be part of it. Not on my watch," the education minister said.
But officials from the religious-Zionist movement Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah expressed surprise at Bennett's reaction, in light of the fact the "over the past three years, the minister has certified a number of Talmud Torah schools that directly and indirectly screen students of low socioeconomic status and of Ethiopian descent."
"Instead of strengthening the public education, Bennett surrendered to pressure, approving the opening of private institutions, or those that act as such. Declaring the shutdown of those institutions is usually useless, since it is difficult to monitor cases of discrimination in informal schools," Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah added.
"The government should narrow its support for private institutions, which harm public education in Israel," the movement said.
The families have also appealed to the Justice Ministry, requesting it to intervene and put an end to the discrimination.
Yesh Atid Knesset member Pnina Tamano-Shata, the first Ethiopian-born woman to become an MK, last month wrote a strong letter of complaint on the issue to Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion. The mayor has yet to respond.
"Those who immigrated from Ethiopia are dealing with racism that has been alive and kicking for the past 40 years, and the state is not doing enough to prevent it. If more strict punitive measures are not imposed and discriminatory institutions are not shut down, we cannot be surprised things stay the same," Tamano-Shata said.
The Talmud Torah schools deny that certain children were rejected due to their Ethiopian origin, stressing that "one boy of Ethiopian origin" began attending their institution, while the parents argue the boy was accepted to meet the minimum quota and to stave off racism allegations.
But a Talmud Torah representative was recorded admitting to parents that their child was not accepted due to his Ethiopian origin.
"I could have told you that I reviewed your application and came to the conclusion your child does not meet our demands, or some other excuse," the representative is heard saying.
A mother of a child rejected by Talmud Torah said: "Many Ethiopian families share my problem. Since our children are rejected, they have no choice but to attend schools with high dropout rates.
"On the phone we are told there is room for our children, but when we arrive we are told the school is full. There are people who leave Jerusalem because they know that their children won't be accepted at the schools they want. It is a terrible feeling," she said.
Another Talmud Torah official told Ynet that more mature children of Ethiopian origin are accepted to the ultra-Orthodox schools, but when it comes to kindergarten, things are different.
"The reason is not racism, but the fact that handling something different can be very traumatic for small children," the official said.
Speaking off the record, additional officials admitted the exclusion of Ethiopian children does exist. "It not only happens in Jerusalem, but also in other places."
The Jerusalem municipality said in a statement that, "The Talmud Torah schools, which are in question, are private institutions, and as such, the registration for them is not done through City Hall. Nevertheless, the Jerusalem Municipality is acting and will continue acting to treat all students as equals, enabling them to attend any school of their choice.
"The municipality condemns any kind of discrimination and works to eradicate it," the statement said.
The Legal Aid Department in the Ministry of Justice said that, "the issue is being reviewed and possible solutions are being examined."
"According to the amendment to the Prohibition of Discrimination in Products, Services and Entry into Places of Entertainment and Public Places Law, the Legal Aid Department provides representation and legal counseling to anyone who needs it on issues of discrimination, without the need to meet any socioeconomic criteria," the Justice Ministry said.
In response, the superintendent of the Or Shraga Talmud Torah School said, "The fact a student of Ethiopian descent was accepted at our school proves there is no racism in our admission process.
"Two other children of Ethiopian origin were rejected—one due to incompatibility, and the second did not pass the entry exam. There is no significance to skin color, but only to the level of compatibility for the Talmud Torah schools," the superintendent added.
A senior Israeli official alluded, on Wednesday, that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is controlling the United States of America, Israeli media reported.
This came as the senior Israeli official had revealed information about Netanyahu’s visit to Brazil, mainly his meeting with the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.
Describing the domination of the Israeli agenda over the US affairs, the senior Israeli official said that Pompeo granted Netanyahu “seven out of eight” of his requirements.
He also said that Netanyahu came out of the meeting with Pompeo feeling that the Israeli occupation state has the ability to influence US policy, according to Days of Palestine.
The senior Israeli official said that the US and Israel are now working on plans to make US the protector of the Israeli occupation state.
It is worth noting that more than 25 American states are considering signing a pledge not to boycott or criticize the Israeli occupation, as a requirement for securing government employment.
This came as the senior Israeli official had revealed information about Netanyahu’s visit to Brazil, mainly his meeting with the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.
Describing the domination of the Israeli agenda over the US affairs, the senior Israeli official said that Pompeo granted Netanyahu “seven out of eight” of his requirements.
He also said that Netanyahu came out of the meeting with Pompeo feeling that the Israeli occupation state has the ability to influence US policy, according to Days of Palestine.
The senior Israeli official said that the US and Israel are now working on plans to make US the protector of the Israeli occupation state.
It is worth noting that more than 25 American states are considering signing a pledge not to boycott or criticize the Israeli occupation, as a requirement for securing government employment.
2 jan 2019
Talks
will be held by Israel and the United States with Honduras in an
attempt to urge the latter to open an embassy in occupied Jerusalem, the
countries said on Tuesday, as several countries refused to follow U.S.
President Donald Trump’s much-criticized move.
U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez held a meeting in the Brazilian capital on the sidelines of the inauguration of right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro
The three agreed to hold meetings in the capitals of each country “to advance the decision process to open embassies in both Tegucigalpa and Jerusalem,” as well as “strengthen political relations and coordinate development cooperation in Honduras,” the countries said in a joint statement.
The right-leaning Hernandez is the latest leader to consider following Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the occupied city of Jerusalem, which infuriated Palestinians and drew international condemnation.
Hernandez told reporters the trilateral talks represented “an important political alliance.”
Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut off aid to Honduras, a poor nation of less than 10 million people, over caravans of migrants crossing Mexico heading for the U.S. border.
Guatemala, another country seeking closer U.S. ties, quickly joined Trump’s decision and moved its embassy to occupied Jerusalem just two days after the U.S. opened offices in May. Paraguay also followed, but a new government backtracked in September
U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez held a meeting in the Brazilian capital on the sidelines of the inauguration of right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro
The three agreed to hold meetings in the capitals of each country “to advance the decision process to open embassies in both Tegucigalpa and Jerusalem,” as well as “strengthen political relations and coordinate development cooperation in Honduras,” the countries said in a joint statement.
The right-leaning Hernandez is the latest leader to consider following Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the occupied city of Jerusalem, which infuriated Palestinians and drew international condemnation.
Hernandez told reporters the trilateral talks represented “an important political alliance.”
Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut off aid to Honduras, a poor nation of less than 10 million people, over caravans of migrants crossing Mexico heading for the U.S. border.
Guatemala, another country seeking closer U.S. ties, quickly joined Trump’s decision and moved its embassy to occupied Jerusalem just two days after the U.S. opened offices in May. Paraguay also followed, but a new government backtracked in September
More than a year after announcing their withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Israel and the United States’ decision officially went into effect at the last second of December 31, 2018.
UNESCO was the first UN body to grant full membership to Palestine in 2011, which led the Obama administration to stop paying its annual contributions. In 2017, the UN heritage agency passed a resolution designating the Tomb of Patriarchs, in Hebron, as a Palestinian World Heritage Site.
The decision was opposed by the Jewish community because of the holy site’s significance in Judaism.
According to a statement made by the U.S. Department of State, on October 12, 2017, the withdrawal was in response to “the mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO.”
The Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, also commented on the withdrawal on January 1, 2019: “UNESCO is a body that continues to rewrite history, among other things, by attempts to erase the Jewish connection to Jerusalem.”
UNESCO was the first UN body to grant full membership to Palestine in 2011, which led the Obama administration to stop paying its annual contributions. In 2017, the UN heritage agency passed a resolution designating the Tomb of Patriarchs, in Hebron, as a Palestinian World Heritage Site.
The decision was opposed by the Jewish community because of the holy site’s significance in Judaism.
According to a statement made by the U.S. Department of State, on October 12, 2017, the withdrawal was in response to “the mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO.”
The Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, also commented on the withdrawal on January 1, 2019: “UNESCO is a body that continues to rewrite history, among other things, by attempts to erase the Jewish connection to Jerusalem.”
1 jan 2019
Over the course of 2018, the United Nations has voted to adopt some 27 condemnations — the vast majority of which were directed at Israel.
According to Hillel Neuer, executive director of United Nations Watch, 21 of the 27 condemnations were aimed at Israel.
Iran, Syria, North Korea, Russia, Myanmar and the United States each received one.
The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas had none.
Weeks ago, the UN refused to pass a U.S.-led resolution that would have condemned Hamas for allegedly firing on Israel.
According to Hillel Neuer, executive director of United Nations Watch, 21 of the 27 condemnations were aimed at Israel.
Iran, Syria, North Korea, Russia, Myanmar and the United States each received one.
The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas had none.
Weeks ago, the UN refused to pass a U.S.-led resolution that would have condemned Hamas for allegedly firing on Israel.
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