13 july 2019
Polls opened at 7:00 this morning in seven localities in the West Bank commencing voting in the 2019 re-run of local council elections, said the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC).
The total number of eligible voters reached 29,589 registered in 14 polling centers, said the CEC.
A total 194 candidates in 23 electoral lists are competing over 79 local council seats in seven localities in the West Bank, which are: Hizma in the Jerusalem district, Qifeen in Tulkarem district, Qabalan in Nablus, Jayyous in Qalqilya, Kafr al-Deek in Salfit and Beit Awwa in Hebron district.
Polling centers will close at 7 in the evening and the counting of votes will commence immediately after at the polling stations. The preliminary elections results will be announced by noon tomorrow, said the CEC.
The Palestinian cabinet has called on May 6 to hold re-run local elections on 13 July in 14 localities in the West Bank in addition to the three other localities included in a cabinet decision issued on May 20.
While elections were being held today in seven localities, only one list has registered in seven other local council, which means a win by default for that list, and no candidates have registered in three local councils, which means most likely the government will appoint the members of the local council.
The total number of eligible voters reached 29,589 registered in 14 polling centers, said the CEC.
A total 194 candidates in 23 electoral lists are competing over 79 local council seats in seven localities in the West Bank, which are: Hizma in the Jerusalem district, Qifeen in Tulkarem district, Qabalan in Nablus, Jayyous in Qalqilya, Kafr al-Deek in Salfit and Beit Awwa in Hebron district.
Polling centers will close at 7 in the evening and the counting of votes will commence immediately after at the polling stations. The preliminary elections results will be announced by noon tomorrow, said the CEC.
The Palestinian cabinet has called on May 6 to hold re-run local elections on 13 July in 14 localities in the West Bank in addition to the three other localities included in a cabinet decision issued on May 20.
While elections were being held today in seven localities, only one list has registered in seven other local council, which means a win by default for that list, and no candidates have registered in three local councils, which means most likely the government will appoint the members of the local council.
7 july 2019
|
|
Despite efforts by Zionist groups to cancel the event, the 2019 Palestine Expo kicked off as planned on Saturday at Olympia London in the UK.
Organized by Friends of al-Aqsa, a UK-based NGO working to defend the human rights in Palestine, thousands of people attended the two-day event. Virtual reality tours of Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque and exhibits on the struggles of providing healthcare under Gaza's blockade have been on show at the Palestine Expo in London this weekend. Being the largest event of its type in Europe, organizers have described it |
as a way to experience Palestinian culture and listen at the same time to thought-provoking discussions about the Israeli occupation.
The event includes discussions on US president Donald Trump's so-called deal of the century, Gaza's Great March of Return protests, the blockade on Gaza, and Israel's Nation State law.
Palestine Expo (6th & 7th July) is the biggest Palestine event in Europe. It attracted over 15,000 visitors in its debut in 2017.
The event includes discussions on US president Donald Trump's so-called deal of the century, Gaza's Great March of Return protests, the blockade on Gaza, and Israel's Nation State law.
Palestine Expo (6th & 7th July) is the biggest Palestine event in Europe. It attracted over 15,000 visitors in its debut in 2017.
5 july 2019
Europe’s “Scramble for Africa” began in earnest in 1881, but never ended. The attempt at dominating the continent using old and new strategies continues to define the western relationship with this rich continent.
This reality was further validated when I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya on 23 June. Although my objective was to address various Kenyan audiences at universities, public forums and the media, I also came here to learn. Kenya, like the rest of Africa, is a source of inspiration for all anti-colonial, liberation movements around the world. We, Palestinians, can learn a great deal from the Kenyan struggle.
Although African countries have fought valiant battles for their freedom against their western colonizers, neocolonialism now defines the relationship between many independent African countries and their former occupiers. Political meddling, economic control and, at times, military interventions, as in the recent cases of Libya and Mali, point to the unfortunate reality that Africa remains, in myriad ways, hostage to western priorities, interests and dictates.
In the infamous Berlin Conference of 1884, western colonial regimes attempted to mediate among the various powers that were competing over Africa’s largesse. It assigned each with a share of the African continent, as if Africa was the property of the west and its white colonists. Millions of Africans died in that protracted, bloody episode unleashed by the west which, shamelessly, promoted its genocidal oppression as a ‘civilization project’.
Like most colonized countries in the Southern hemisphere, Africans fought disproportionate battles to gain their precious freedom. Here in Kenya, which became an official British colony in the 1920s, Kenya’s freedom fighters rose in rebellion against the brutality of their oppressors. Most notable among the various resistance campaigns, the “Mau Mau” rebellion of the 1950s remains a stark example of the courage of Kenyans and the cruelty of colonial Britain. Thousands of people were killed, wounded, disappeared or were imprisoned under the harshest of conditions.
Palestine fell under British occupation, the so-called British Mandate, around the period that Kenya also became a British colony. Palestinians, too, fought and fell in their thousands as they employed various methods of collective resistance, including the legendary strike and rebellion of 1936.
The same British killing machine that operated in Palestine and Kenya around that time, also operated, with the same degree of senseless violence, against numerous other nations around the world.
While Palestine was handed over to the Zionist Movement to establish the State of Israel in May 1948, Kenya achieved its independence in December 1963.
At one of my recent talks in Nairobi, I was asked by a young participant about “Palestinian terrorism”. I told her that Palestinian fighters of today are Kenya’s “Mau Mau” rebels of yesteryear. That, if we allow western and Israeli propaganda to define the discourse of national liberation on Palestine, then we condemn all national liberation movements throughout the Southern hemisphere, including Kenya’s own freedom fighters.
We, Palestinians, however, must shoulder part of the blame of why our narrative as an oppressed, colonized and resisting nation is now misunderstood in parts of Africa.
When the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) committed its historical blunder by signing off Palestinian rights in Oslo in 1993, it abandoned a decades-long Palestinian discourse of resistance and liberation. Instead, it subscribed to a whole new discourse, riddled with carefully-worded language sanctioned by Washington and its European allies. Whenever Palestinians dared to deviate from their assigned role, they were decreed by the west to return to the negotiating table,” as the latter became a metaphor of obedience and submission.
Throughout these years, Palestinians mostly abandoned their far more meaningful alliances in Africa. Instead, they endlessly appealed to the goodwill of the west, hoping that the very colonial powers that have primarily created, sustained and armed Israel, would miraculously become more balanced and humane.
However, Washington, London, Paris, Berlin, etc., remained committed to Israel and, despite occasional polite criticism of the Israeli government, continued to channel their weapons, warplanes and submarines to every Israeli government that has ruled over Palestinians for the last seven decades.
Alas, while Palestinians were learning their painful lesson, betrayed repeatedly by those who avowed to respect democracy and human rights, many African nations began seeing in Israel a possible ally. Kenya is, sadly, one of those countries.
Understanding the significance of Africa in terms of its economic and political potential (support for Israel at the UN General Assembly), right-wing Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has launched his own “Scramble for Africa”. Netanyahu’s diplomatic conquests on the continent have been celebrated by Israeli media as “historic”, while the Palestinian leadership remained oblivious to the rapidly changing political landscape.
Kenya is one of Israel’s success stories. In November 2017, Netanyahu attended the inauguration of Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, who supposedly received an astonishing 98 per cent of votes in the last elections. While Kenyans rose in rebellion against their corrupt ruling classes, Netanyahu was seen embracing Kenyatta as a dear friend and ally.
Netanyahu’s strategy in Kenya – and the rest of Africa – has been based on the same logic, where Israel would use its security technology to support corrupt and undemocratic regimes, in exchange for their political support.
Tel Aviv had hoped that the first-ever Israel-Africa summit in Togo would usher in a complete paradigm shift in Israeli-African relations. However, the October 2017 conference never actualized, due to pressure by various African countries, including South Africa. There is still enough support for Palestine on the continent to defeat Israeli stratagem. But that could change soon in favor of Israel if Palestinians and their allies do not wake up to the alarming reality.
The Palestinian leadership, intellectuals, artists and civil society ambassadors must shift their attention back to the Southern hemisphere – Africa, in particular – rediscovering the untapped wealth of true, unconditional human solidarity that is provided by the peoples of this ever-generous continent.
The legendary Tanzanian freedom fighter, Mwalimu Nyerere – who is also celebrated in Kenya – knew too well where his solidarity lay. “We have never hesitated in our support for the right of the people of Palestine to have their own land,” he once said, a sentiment that was repeated by the iconic late South African leader, Nelson Mandela, and many other African liberation leaders.
This generation of African leaders should not deviate from that noble legacy. If they betray it, they betray themselves, along with the righteous struggles of their own peoples.
- Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor of Palestine Chronicle. He has authored a number of books on the Palestinian struggle including ‘The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story’. Baroud has a Ph.D. in Palestine Studies from the University of Exeter and is a Non-Resident Scholar at Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, University of California Santa Barbara.
This reality was further validated when I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya on 23 June. Although my objective was to address various Kenyan audiences at universities, public forums and the media, I also came here to learn. Kenya, like the rest of Africa, is a source of inspiration for all anti-colonial, liberation movements around the world. We, Palestinians, can learn a great deal from the Kenyan struggle.
Although African countries have fought valiant battles for their freedom against their western colonizers, neocolonialism now defines the relationship between many independent African countries and their former occupiers. Political meddling, economic control and, at times, military interventions, as in the recent cases of Libya and Mali, point to the unfortunate reality that Africa remains, in myriad ways, hostage to western priorities, interests and dictates.
In the infamous Berlin Conference of 1884, western colonial regimes attempted to mediate among the various powers that were competing over Africa’s largesse. It assigned each with a share of the African continent, as if Africa was the property of the west and its white colonists. Millions of Africans died in that protracted, bloody episode unleashed by the west which, shamelessly, promoted its genocidal oppression as a ‘civilization project’.
Like most colonized countries in the Southern hemisphere, Africans fought disproportionate battles to gain their precious freedom. Here in Kenya, which became an official British colony in the 1920s, Kenya’s freedom fighters rose in rebellion against the brutality of their oppressors. Most notable among the various resistance campaigns, the “Mau Mau” rebellion of the 1950s remains a stark example of the courage of Kenyans and the cruelty of colonial Britain. Thousands of people were killed, wounded, disappeared or were imprisoned under the harshest of conditions.
Palestine fell under British occupation, the so-called British Mandate, around the period that Kenya also became a British colony. Palestinians, too, fought and fell in their thousands as they employed various methods of collective resistance, including the legendary strike and rebellion of 1936.
The same British killing machine that operated in Palestine and Kenya around that time, also operated, with the same degree of senseless violence, against numerous other nations around the world.
While Palestine was handed over to the Zionist Movement to establish the State of Israel in May 1948, Kenya achieved its independence in December 1963.
At one of my recent talks in Nairobi, I was asked by a young participant about “Palestinian terrorism”. I told her that Palestinian fighters of today are Kenya’s “Mau Mau” rebels of yesteryear. That, if we allow western and Israeli propaganda to define the discourse of national liberation on Palestine, then we condemn all national liberation movements throughout the Southern hemisphere, including Kenya’s own freedom fighters.
We, Palestinians, however, must shoulder part of the blame of why our narrative as an oppressed, colonized and resisting nation is now misunderstood in parts of Africa.
When the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) committed its historical blunder by signing off Palestinian rights in Oslo in 1993, it abandoned a decades-long Palestinian discourse of resistance and liberation. Instead, it subscribed to a whole new discourse, riddled with carefully-worded language sanctioned by Washington and its European allies. Whenever Palestinians dared to deviate from their assigned role, they were decreed by the west to return to the negotiating table,” as the latter became a metaphor of obedience and submission.
Throughout these years, Palestinians mostly abandoned their far more meaningful alliances in Africa. Instead, they endlessly appealed to the goodwill of the west, hoping that the very colonial powers that have primarily created, sustained and armed Israel, would miraculously become more balanced and humane.
However, Washington, London, Paris, Berlin, etc., remained committed to Israel and, despite occasional polite criticism of the Israeli government, continued to channel their weapons, warplanes and submarines to every Israeli government that has ruled over Palestinians for the last seven decades.
Alas, while Palestinians were learning their painful lesson, betrayed repeatedly by those who avowed to respect democracy and human rights, many African nations began seeing in Israel a possible ally. Kenya is, sadly, one of those countries.
Understanding the significance of Africa in terms of its economic and political potential (support for Israel at the UN General Assembly), right-wing Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has launched his own “Scramble for Africa”. Netanyahu’s diplomatic conquests on the continent have been celebrated by Israeli media as “historic”, while the Palestinian leadership remained oblivious to the rapidly changing political landscape.
Kenya is one of Israel’s success stories. In November 2017, Netanyahu attended the inauguration of Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, who supposedly received an astonishing 98 per cent of votes in the last elections. While Kenyans rose in rebellion against their corrupt ruling classes, Netanyahu was seen embracing Kenyatta as a dear friend and ally.
Netanyahu’s strategy in Kenya – and the rest of Africa – has been based on the same logic, where Israel would use its security technology to support corrupt and undemocratic regimes, in exchange for their political support.
Tel Aviv had hoped that the first-ever Israel-Africa summit in Togo would usher in a complete paradigm shift in Israeli-African relations. However, the October 2017 conference never actualized, due to pressure by various African countries, including South Africa. There is still enough support for Palestine on the continent to defeat Israeli stratagem. But that could change soon in favor of Israel if Palestinians and their allies do not wake up to the alarming reality.
The Palestinian leadership, intellectuals, artists and civil society ambassadors must shift their attention back to the Southern hemisphere – Africa, in particular – rediscovering the untapped wealth of true, unconditional human solidarity that is provided by the peoples of this ever-generous continent.
The legendary Tanzanian freedom fighter, Mwalimu Nyerere – who is also celebrated in Kenya – knew too well where his solidarity lay. “We have never hesitated in our support for the right of the people of Palestine to have their own land,” he once said, a sentiment that was repeated by the iconic late South African leader, Nelson Mandela, and many other African liberation leaders.
This generation of African leaders should not deviate from that noble legacy. If they betray it, they betray themselves, along with the righteous struggles of their own peoples.
- Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor of Palestine Chronicle. He has authored a number of books on the Palestinian struggle including ‘The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story’. Baroud has a Ph.D. in Palestine Studies from the University of Exeter and is a Non-Resident Scholar at Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, University of California Santa Barbara.
4 july 2019
The Palestine Football Association (PFA), today, announced a delay in the final Palestine Cup game, scheduled to be played in the West Bank, today, after Israel delayed issuing of permits for the Gaza-based team to play in the West Bank, said the PFA.
“The Palestine Football Association regrets to announce the postponement of the Palestine Cup Final Match between Balata FC and Khadamat Rafah FC due yet another flagrant intervention by the Israeli occupation Authorities to deny Palestinians their basic right to play football,” it said in a statement, according to WAFA.
“Preparations for this final match of the Palestine Cup, which is one of Palestine’s two senior official competitions, have been finalized a few days ago, yet, the Israeli Occupation authorities are still denying entry permits to the Khadamat Rafah delegation under the convenient pretext of ‘security reasons’,” it said.
Out of the 35 people on the Khadamat Rafah delegation list, only four were approved; the club president, vice president, one doctor, and one single player. Two extra’ administrators would be approved provided they agree to undergo interrogation at the Israeli-controlled crossing between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, said the PFA.
The PFA called on FIFA and the six football confederations under its umbrella to help the Palestine Football Association safeguard its right to play football, to organize national competitions and participate in international competitions by taking effective measures to make sure football is played in Palestine without hindrance.
“The Palestine Football Association regrets to announce the postponement of the Palestine Cup Final Match between Balata FC and Khadamat Rafah FC due yet another flagrant intervention by the Israeli occupation Authorities to deny Palestinians their basic right to play football,” it said in a statement, according to WAFA.
“Preparations for this final match of the Palestine Cup, which is one of Palestine’s two senior official competitions, have been finalized a few days ago, yet, the Israeli Occupation authorities are still denying entry permits to the Khadamat Rafah delegation under the convenient pretext of ‘security reasons’,” it said.
Out of the 35 people on the Khadamat Rafah delegation list, only four were approved; the club president, vice president, one doctor, and one single player. Two extra’ administrators would be approved provided they agree to undergo interrogation at the Israeli-controlled crossing between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, said the PFA.
The PFA called on FIFA and the six football confederations under its umbrella to help the Palestine Football Association safeguard its right to play football, to organize national competitions and participate in international competitions by taking effective measures to make sure football is played in Palestine without hindrance.
1 july 2019
|
|
“Kenya is a natural ally of the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation. If Kenyans believe that Palestinians are terrorists because they resist occupation and colonialism by Israel, then they are betraying their own history and anti-colonial struggle legacy. Israel’s ‘aid’ and investment in Kenya is not free. In return, Israel demands Kenyan silence about Israeli crimes against Palestinians.”
This was the main message from Palestinian author and journalist, Ramzy Baroud, who is currently on a 10-day tour of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, as part of Kenya’s Palestine Solidarity Week. Baroud, who is a guest of the Kenyan Palestine Solidarity Movement (KPSM), is the first Palestinian writer to embark on such a tour of Kenya, and is impressed by the depth and quality of discussions that he is having with hundreds of Kenyans from all walks of life at diverse events across Nairobi. |
“I have met with civil society, various media, religious groups, writers, poets and political activists. In some cases, the questions that Kenyans asked were far superior to those that I have been asked in North America,” admitted Baroud in an interview with the Afro-Palestine Newswire Service.
At the end of Baroud’s first event hosted by Amnesty International Kenya at Ufungamano House on June 25, the audience was chanting ‘Free Palestine’. This was an important moment for Baroud as it demonstrated to him that Kenyans were a natural ally for Palestinians because of their unique history and anti-colonial struggle. “From that moment onwards, I realized that there is a very real understanding among Kenyans of what Palestinians are going through. This is value-based solidarity based on personal experience,” says Baroud.
Kenya’s struggle for independence and Palestine’s current liberation struggle mirror each other. “If we were to change the dates and places and replace ‘Kenya’ with ‘Palestine’ it would be like reading my own history,” says the widely-published and highly acclaimed Palestinian writer.
Baroud, however, is not interested only in Kenya’s past struggles. Through the Ukombozi Library, he was able to meet and engage with young social justice activists from Mathare and Dandora, to gain a better understanding of the current challenges facing Kenya.
“It is shameful that the Israeli government is exploiting Kenya’s socio-economic challenges to whitewash its oppression of the Palestinians,” says Baroud, referring to Israeli offers of assistance to the Kenyan investment, trade, security, technology and agriculture sectors.
Israel’s “philanthropy” in Kenya and the rest of the continent, Baroud says, is a replica of apartheid South Africa’s attempts to buy support for its apartheid policies.
“The South African apartheid regime also developed a policy of ‘helpfulness’ towards poorer African nations, offering to share its agricultural and mining know-how. Most African nations refused Pretoria’s offers, and ultimately formed the frontline of resistance against South African apartheid. Like South Africa’s ‘neighborliness’, Israel’s ‘aid’ and investment in Kenya is not free. The repayment that Israel demands is Kenyan silence about Israeli crimes against Palestinians,” warned Baroud.
Baroud was also able to reach out to the city’s Muslim community, by speaking at Nairobi’s iconic Jamia Mosque – the largest and one of the most important mosques in the country.
KPSM co-chairperson, Naomi Barasa, is encouraged by the response that Baroud has received. “A Palestinian voice has long been missing in Kenya, and we hope that this is the first of many such visits by Palestinians who will be able to explain – first-hand – the true nature of Israel’s brutal occupation.” Barasa also commended the Kenyan Human Rights Commission (KHRC) for their unwavering support for human rights in Kenya and beyond. The KHRC, along with KPSM, supported and co-hosted Kenya Palestine Solidarity Week.
KHRC’s executive director, George Kegoro, regards the Palestine Solidarity Week initiative as a crucial part of human rights work in Kenya. “Listening to Ramzy Baroud and attending the various events during Palestine Solidarity Week has demonstrated the importance of having Palestine solidarity as a permanent fixture on the international solidarity agenda of KHRC and all justice-seeking organizations in Kenya,” said Kegoro.
Kegoro added that KHRC, along with the assistance of others, would continue to mobilize support in Kenya for the struggle against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
- Source: Afro-Palestine Newswire Service
At the end of Baroud’s first event hosted by Amnesty International Kenya at Ufungamano House on June 25, the audience was chanting ‘Free Palestine’. This was an important moment for Baroud as it demonstrated to him that Kenyans were a natural ally for Palestinians because of their unique history and anti-colonial struggle. “From that moment onwards, I realized that there is a very real understanding among Kenyans of what Palestinians are going through. This is value-based solidarity based on personal experience,” says Baroud.
Kenya’s struggle for independence and Palestine’s current liberation struggle mirror each other. “If we were to change the dates and places and replace ‘Kenya’ with ‘Palestine’ it would be like reading my own history,” says the widely-published and highly acclaimed Palestinian writer.
Baroud, however, is not interested only in Kenya’s past struggles. Through the Ukombozi Library, he was able to meet and engage with young social justice activists from Mathare and Dandora, to gain a better understanding of the current challenges facing Kenya.
“It is shameful that the Israeli government is exploiting Kenya’s socio-economic challenges to whitewash its oppression of the Palestinians,” says Baroud, referring to Israeli offers of assistance to the Kenyan investment, trade, security, technology and agriculture sectors.
Israel’s “philanthropy” in Kenya and the rest of the continent, Baroud says, is a replica of apartheid South Africa’s attempts to buy support for its apartheid policies.
“The South African apartheid regime also developed a policy of ‘helpfulness’ towards poorer African nations, offering to share its agricultural and mining know-how. Most African nations refused Pretoria’s offers, and ultimately formed the frontline of resistance against South African apartheid. Like South Africa’s ‘neighborliness’, Israel’s ‘aid’ and investment in Kenya is not free. The repayment that Israel demands is Kenyan silence about Israeli crimes against Palestinians,” warned Baroud.
Baroud was also able to reach out to the city’s Muslim community, by speaking at Nairobi’s iconic Jamia Mosque – the largest and one of the most important mosques in the country.
KPSM co-chairperson, Naomi Barasa, is encouraged by the response that Baroud has received. “A Palestinian voice has long been missing in Kenya, and we hope that this is the first of many such visits by Palestinians who will be able to explain – first-hand – the true nature of Israel’s brutal occupation.” Barasa also commended the Kenyan Human Rights Commission (KHRC) for their unwavering support for human rights in Kenya and beyond. The KHRC, along with KPSM, supported and co-hosted Kenya Palestine Solidarity Week.
KHRC’s executive director, George Kegoro, regards the Palestine Solidarity Week initiative as a crucial part of human rights work in Kenya. “Listening to Ramzy Baroud and attending the various events during Palestine Solidarity Week has demonstrated the importance of having Palestine solidarity as a permanent fixture on the international solidarity agenda of KHRC and all justice-seeking organizations in Kenya,” said Kegoro.
Kegoro added that KHRC, along with the assistance of others, would continue to mobilize support in Kenya for the struggle against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
- Source: Afro-Palestine Newswire Service
