25 jan 2014
Israeli settlers take pictures of an elderly Palestinian shepherd after he was pushed on the ground near the southern hills of the West Bank city of Hebron on Jan. 25, 2014
An overwhelming majority of Israelis think current peace talks with the Palestinians will not lead to an agreement, according to a poll published on Saturday.
A huge 87 percent of respondents answered "no" when asked if they thought the negotiations would result in a peace deal.
Only seven percent said "yes," according to the survey conducted by Shiluv Millward Brown and broadcast on the privately owned Channel 2 television.
The deadline of the nine-month framework for US-brokered direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians is the end of April with no visible results, as both sides express seemingly irreconcilable demands.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, who has made 11 trips to Israel and the West Bank in his first year in office, is trying to hammer out a framework deal to chart the talks going forward by establishing guidelines on the most contentious issues.
One such issue would be the future of Jerusalem, which Israel considers its "eternal and undivided" capital, while the Palestinians envision the annexed eastern sector as the capital of their future state.
According to the poll, 63 percent think Israel should not relinquish east Jerusalem, compared with 26 percent who said it should.
More than three quarters of those asked (77 percent) firmly backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's demand that Palestinians recognize Israel as the Jewish state -- a demand they dismiss.
Just 17 percent of Israelis thought this unnecessary.
Asked whether Kerry was a fair broker, 38 percent said he was "biased in favor of the Palestinians" while 27 percent said his conduct was "fair."
Only two percent said he was pro-Israel, and 32 percent did not have a view on the question.
The survey was conducted among 502 respondents with a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.
An overwhelming majority of Israelis think current peace talks with the Palestinians will not lead to an agreement, according to a poll published on Saturday.
A huge 87 percent of respondents answered "no" when asked if they thought the negotiations would result in a peace deal.
Only seven percent said "yes," according to the survey conducted by Shiluv Millward Brown and broadcast on the privately owned Channel 2 television.
The deadline of the nine-month framework for US-brokered direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians is the end of April with no visible results, as both sides express seemingly irreconcilable demands.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, who has made 11 trips to Israel and the West Bank in his first year in office, is trying to hammer out a framework deal to chart the talks going forward by establishing guidelines on the most contentious issues.
One such issue would be the future of Jerusalem, which Israel considers its "eternal and undivided" capital, while the Palestinians envision the annexed eastern sector as the capital of their future state.
According to the poll, 63 percent think Israel should not relinquish east Jerusalem, compared with 26 percent who said it should.
More than three quarters of those asked (77 percent) firmly backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's demand that Palestinians recognize Israel as the Jewish state -- a demand they dismiss.
Just 17 percent of Israelis thought this unnecessary.
Asked whether Kerry was a fair broker, 38 percent said he was "biased in favor of the Palestinians" while 27 percent said his conduct was "fair."
Only two percent said he was pro-Israel, and 32 percent did not have a view on the question.
The survey was conducted among 502 respondents with a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.
A political committee of 12 members representing the Palestine Liberation Organization's various factions convened in Ramallah and agreed on recommendations to take the Palestinian plight to the UN and its various bodies, a PLO official said on Saturday.
Hanna Amirah, a member of the Executive Committee of the PLO, told Ma'an on Saturday that the committee recommended addressing the United Nations regardless of whether the ongoing peace talks make any progress or not, although he added that a date had not been set.
The goal of these recommendations, he said, is to enhance the Palestinian position. However, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO Executive Committee need to approve them before they can be put into effect.
The Palestinian Authority is currently trying to counter demands made by the United States and Israel, added Amirah.
He asserted that the recent suggestions made by the US Secretary of State John Kerry were completely unacceptable to the Palestinians.
He highlighted that the proposals made related to Jerusalem, to Israeli settlements, and to Palestinian refugees were unacceptable in particular as well as the proposed Israeli military and civilian presence in the Jordan Valley.
Earlier this week, PLO official Wasil Abu Yousif, who is a member of the PLO’s political committee, said the committee agreed on prerequisites the PA needs to fulfill before signing international conventions and joining UN agencies and different bodies.
It is of great importance, he added, that the PA joins the International Criminal Court because that will enable the PA to sue the Israeli occupation over war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Hanna Amirah, a member of the Executive Committee of the PLO, told Ma'an on Saturday that the committee recommended addressing the United Nations regardless of whether the ongoing peace talks make any progress or not, although he added that a date had not been set.
The goal of these recommendations, he said, is to enhance the Palestinian position. However, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO Executive Committee need to approve them before they can be put into effect.
The Palestinian Authority is currently trying to counter demands made by the United States and Israel, added Amirah.
He asserted that the recent suggestions made by the US Secretary of State John Kerry were completely unacceptable to the Palestinians.
He highlighted that the proposals made related to Jerusalem, to Israeli settlements, and to Palestinian refugees were unacceptable in particular as well as the proposed Israeli military and civilian presence in the Jordan Valley.
Earlier this week, PLO official Wasil Abu Yousif, who is a member of the PLO’s political committee, said the committee agreed on prerequisites the PA needs to fulfill before signing international conventions and joining UN agencies and different bodies.
It is of great importance, he added, that the PA joins the International Criminal Court because that will enable the PA to sue the Israeli occupation over war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will not be established within the coming 20 years, a member of the Central Committee of the Palestinian Authority's ruling party Fatah said on Saturday.
Tawfiq Tirawi told Beirut-based al-Mayadeen satellite channel on Friday that "It is not possible under any circumstances that a Palestinian state will be established in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip 20 years from now."
"Those who believe a state can be established are misled, as negotiations will bring nothing," he added.
Tirawi urged the Palestinians to resume resistance in all aspects as a result.
"We have to resume action, as action can change many things. I mean resistance in all its aspects, but under a united Palestinian plan agreed by all factions including PLO factions and factions outside the PLO."
The Fatah official highlighted that his movement had not dropped resistance as a choice including armed resistance. "That was reiterated in the movement’s sixth congress held in Bethlehem."
The framework agreement which US secretary of state John Kerry is promoting will be refused by the Palestinians, added Tirawi.
Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians were relaunched in July under the auspices of the US after nearly three years of impasse.
Israel's government has announced the construction of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements since peace talks began.
Tawfiq Tirawi told Beirut-based al-Mayadeen satellite channel on Friday that "It is not possible under any circumstances that a Palestinian state will be established in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip 20 years from now."
"Those who believe a state can be established are misled, as negotiations will bring nothing," he added.
Tirawi urged the Palestinians to resume resistance in all aspects as a result.
"We have to resume action, as action can change many things. I mean resistance in all its aspects, but under a united Palestinian plan agreed by all factions including PLO factions and factions outside the PLO."
The Fatah official highlighted that his movement had not dropped resistance as a choice including armed resistance. "That was reiterated in the movement’s sixth congress held in Bethlehem."
The framework agreement which US secretary of state John Kerry is promoting will be refused by the Palestinians, added Tirawi.
Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians were relaunched in July under the auspices of the US after nearly three years of impasse.
Israel's government has announced the construction of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements since peace talks began.
Leftist Palestinian parties on Saturday held demonstrations across the West Bank in opposition to negotiations with Israel and US Secretary of State John Kerry's framework proposal that will serve as the basis for future negotiations.
Leftist rallies in Hebron and in Nablus brought hundreds to the street to reject the negotiations proposals from the US leader, which they claimed were intended to "liquidate the question of Palestine and prolong the Israeli occupation."
Kerry is expected to announce a framework proposal to guide ongoing negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority within the coming days.
Some expect the proposal to include demands that Palestinians relinquish control over large areas of the West Bank upon which Israel has built settlements, as well as demands that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
The rally in Hebron kicked off in front of al-Hussein Ibn Ali football stadium in the southern West Bank city. Demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and flags of leftist factions, alongside signs denouncing the "pressure" the US and Israel are putting on the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority to accept negotiations.
Member of the central committee of the Palestinian People's Party Fahmi Shahin delivered a speech during the rally, calling upon the Palestinian Authority to "immediately stop peace negotiations and to reject the US sponsorship to these talks."
The US proposals “to accept the Israeli occupation as a fact must be rejected," he added.
Shahin urged the Palestinian Authority to reject any move to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and called upon them to demand the implementation of the Palestinian refugees' right of return to the villages from which they were expelled in 1948.
The demonstrators later headed to a protest tent erected by UNRWA employees in the city, in order to show solidarity with local workers currently on strike against the UN refugee agency due to a series of layoffs.
In Nablus, hundreds attended a rally starting at the Martyrs' roundabout in the northern West Bank city center.
The rally condemned Kerry's proposed framework agreement and the perceived US bias in favor of Israel in ongoing peace talks, as well as any proposal to extended negotiations or impose an agreement upon the Palestinians.
Participants stressed that the agreement represents a blow to the Palestinian national consensus, as it comes not from international guidance but under US supervision, and is being brought forward without a halt to Israeli settlement construction on occupied Palestinian land.
Leftist rallies in Hebron and in Nablus brought hundreds to the street to reject the negotiations proposals from the US leader, which they claimed were intended to "liquidate the question of Palestine and prolong the Israeli occupation."
Kerry is expected to announce a framework proposal to guide ongoing negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority within the coming days.
Some expect the proposal to include demands that Palestinians relinquish control over large areas of the West Bank upon which Israel has built settlements, as well as demands that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
The rally in Hebron kicked off in front of al-Hussein Ibn Ali football stadium in the southern West Bank city. Demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and flags of leftist factions, alongside signs denouncing the "pressure" the US and Israel are putting on the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority to accept negotiations.
Member of the central committee of the Palestinian People's Party Fahmi Shahin delivered a speech during the rally, calling upon the Palestinian Authority to "immediately stop peace negotiations and to reject the US sponsorship to these talks."
The US proposals “to accept the Israeli occupation as a fact must be rejected," he added.
Shahin urged the Palestinian Authority to reject any move to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and called upon them to demand the implementation of the Palestinian refugees' right of return to the villages from which they were expelled in 1948.
The demonstrators later headed to a protest tent erected by UNRWA employees in the city, in order to show solidarity with local workers currently on strike against the UN refugee agency due to a series of layoffs.
In Nablus, hundreds attended a rally starting at the Martyrs' roundabout in the northern West Bank city center.
The rally condemned Kerry's proposed framework agreement and the perceived US bias in favor of Israel in ongoing peace talks, as well as any proposal to extended negotiations or impose an agreement upon the Palestinians.
Participants stressed that the agreement represents a blow to the Palestinian national consensus, as it comes not from international guidance but under US supervision, and is being brought forward without a halt to Israeli settlement construction on occupied Palestinian land.
Member of the political bureau of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Ramzi Rabah said that Kerry's repeated visits to the region have served as a way to give Israel more time to continue settlement activities, in the process imposing a new status quo that is destroying the possibility of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem.
Rabah added that the framework agreement represents a great danger that has been rejected by the Palestinian people as being inconsistent with their national rights.
He added that the agreement is a cover to allow Israel to speed up the processes of settlement and the Judaization of Jerusalem, in the process restricting the choices available to Palestinians.
Rabah demanded that Palestinian leadership declare its outright rejection of the Kerry plan and any extension of the negotiations, calling for an end to the vicious circle of futile negotiations that he said only benefit the Israeli occupation.
Rabah also praised the position of the European Union, which has launched a comprehensive boycott of Israeli settlement products and Israeli institutions built in areas occupied by Israel in 1967.
Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians were relaunched in July under the auspices of the US after nearly three years of impasse.
Israel's government has announced the construction of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements since peace talks began.
Palestinian officials have repeatedly said that recognizing the concept of Israel as a "Jewish state" is unnecessary and threatens the rights of nearly 1.3 million Palestinian citizens of Israel who remained in their homes during the displacement of the majority of the Palestinian population during the 1948 war.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
Rabah added that the framework agreement represents a great danger that has been rejected by the Palestinian people as being inconsistent with their national rights.
He added that the agreement is a cover to allow Israel to speed up the processes of settlement and the Judaization of Jerusalem, in the process restricting the choices available to Palestinians.
Rabah demanded that Palestinian leadership declare its outright rejection of the Kerry plan and any extension of the negotiations, calling for an end to the vicious circle of futile negotiations that he said only benefit the Israeli occupation.
Rabah also praised the position of the European Union, which has launched a comprehensive boycott of Israeli settlement products and Israeli institutions built in areas occupied by Israel in 1967.
Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians were relaunched in July under the auspices of the US after nearly three years of impasse.
Israel's government has announced the construction of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements since peace talks began.
Palestinian officials have repeatedly said that recognizing the concept of Israel as a "Jewish state" is unnecessary and threatens the rights of nearly 1.3 million Palestinian citizens of Israel who remained in their homes during the displacement of the majority of the Palestinian population during the 1948 war.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
By Ramzy Baroud
Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com.
His latest book is "My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story."
Israel is often viewed by Washington politicians as the most 'stable' ally in the Middle East. But stability from the American perspective can mean many things. Lead amongst them is that the 'ally' must be unconditionally loyal to the diktats of the US administration.
This rule has proven to be true since the United States claimed a position of ascendancy, if not complete hegemony over many regions of the world after World War II.
Israel, however, remained an exception.
The rules by which US-Israeli relations are governed are perhaps the most bewildering of all foreign policies of any two countries.
An illustration of this would be to consider these comments by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon quoted in the Israeli news portal Ynetnews.
"The American security plan presented to us is not worth the paper it's written on," he said, referring to efforts underway since July by American Secretary of State John Kerry, "who turned up here determined and acting out of misplaced obsession and messianic fervor."
Kerry "cannot teach me anything about the conflict with the Palestinians," said Ya'alon.
So far, Kerry has made ten trips to the Middle East with the intention of hammering out an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Based on media reports, it seems that the potential agreement is composed in such a way that it mostly accommodates Israel's 'security' whims and obsessions, including a proposal to keep eastern West Bank regions and the Jordan Valley under Israeli military control.
In fact, there is growing interest in the idea of "land swaps" which was floated by Israel’s notorious Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman ten years ago.
"When Mr. Lieberman first proposed moving Arab-populated Israeli towns near the present border into Palestine in exchange for Jewish settlement blocs in the Palestinians' West Bank being incorporated into Israel, he was branded a racist firebrand," wrote the Economist on Jan. 18.
"Liberals accused him of promoting the forcible 'transfer' plan, akin to ethnic cleansing, proclaimed by a rabbi, Meir Kahane, who vilified Arabs while calling for a pure Jewish state."
Those days are long gone, as Israeli society drifted rightward.
"Even some dovish Israeli left-wingers find such ideas reasonable." Back then, the Americans themselves were irked, even if just publicly, whenever such ideas of 'population transfers' and ethnic cleansing were presented by Israel's ultra-right politicians.
Now, the Americans find them malleable and a departure point for discussion. And it's Kerry himself who is leading the American efforts to accommodate Israel's endless list of demands -- of security and racial exclusiveness even if at the expense of Palestinians.
So why is Ya'alon unhappy?
The Defense Minister, who sat immediately next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during talks with Kerry, was unapologetic about his reasoning: "Only our continued presence in Judea and Samaria and the River Jordan will endure."
It means unrelenting Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Netanyahu is hardly an innocent bystander in all of this, although for diplomatic reasons he often entrusts his government minions to deliver such messages.
The Prime Minister is busy issuing more orders to populate the occupied West Bank with Jewish settlements, and berating every government that rejects such insidious behavior as being anti-Israel, 'pro-Palestinian' or worse, anti-Semitic. This was the case again in recent days following another announcement of settlement expansion.
On Jan. 17, Netanyahu called on Europe to stop its "hypocrisy."
On the same day, Israel's foreign ministry summoned the ambassadors of Britain, France, Italy and Spain, "accusing their countries of pro-Palestinian bias," reported the BBC online. According to the ministry, the "perpetual one-sided stance" of these countries is unacceptable.
Yet, considering that Europe has supported Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian territories for decades, economically sustained the 'Jewish state' and its over 100 illegal Jewish settlements, and continue with its often unconditional military support of Israel, the accusations may appear strange and equally bewildering to that of Ya'alon against John Kerry.
How could a country the size of Israel have so much sway over the world's greatest powers, where it gets what it wants and more, hurls regular insults against those who sustain it, and still asks for more?
European countries found themselves in Israel's firing line because a day earlier, the four EU countries took the rare step of summoning Israeli ambassadors to object to the Netanyahu government's latest announcement of illegal settlement expansion (that of an additional 1,400 new homes).
EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton has even went to the extent of calling the settlements "an obstacle to peace," although hardly an advanced position considering that Israel's colonial project in Palestine has been in motion for 46 years.
But even that is too much from the Israeli point of view.
"The EU calls our ambassadors in because of the construction of a few houses?" Netanyahu asked as if baffled by a seemingly foreboding act, in a Jan. 16 press conference.
He even had the audacity to say this: "This imbalance and this bias against Israel doesn't advance peace," and also this, "I think it pushes peace further away because it tells the Palestinians: 'Basically you can do anything you want, say anything you want and you won't be held accountable.'"
There is no sense in arguing with Netanyahu's strange logic, but the question regarding Israel's stronghold over the US and EU remains more pressing than ever, especially when one considers the ruckus in US Congress.
No, the congress is not revolting because of the unmitigated power of the Zionist lobby, but for something far more interesting.
There seems to be a level of confusion in US Congress because members of the Senate are yet to feel serious pressure by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) over a bill that proposes more sanctions on Iran.
"The powerful pro-Israel lobby has not engaged in a shoe-leather lobbying campaign to woo wayward senators and push Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to schedule a vote on the bill ... While the group supports the bill -- authored by Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) -- it is not yet putting its political muscle behind a push for an immediate vote," reported Politico, citing key senators and their aides.
To say the least, it is disturbing that the US Senate is completely bewildered that AIPAC, which lobbies for the interest of a foreign power, is yet to provide its guidelines regarding the behavior of America's supposedly most respected political representatives.
"I don't know where AIPAC is. I haven't talked to anybody," said Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.).
"I don't know what they're doing," said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
This alone should shed some light on the seemingly bewildering question of the 'strong bond' and 'stable' alliance of Israel and the US -- and to a lesser degree EU countries.
This is not to suggest that Israel has complete dominance over US foreign policy in the Middle East, but to ignore Israel's indispensable role in shaping the outlook of US foreign policy is dishonest and inconsistent with the facts, to put it mildly.
The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect Ma'an News Agency's editorial policy.
Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com.
His latest book is "My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story."
Israel is often viewed by Washington politicians as the most 'stable' ally in the Middle East. But stability from the American perspective can mean many things. Lead amongst them is that the 'ally' must be unconditionally loyal to the diktats of the US administration.
This rule has proven to be true since the United States claimed a position of ascendancy, if not complete hegemony over many regions of the world after World War II.
Israel, however, remained an exception.
The rules by which US-Israeli relations are governed are perhaps the most bewildering of all foreign policies of any two countries.
An illustration of this would be to consider these comments by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon quoted in the Israeli news portal Ynetnews.
"The American security plan presented to us is not worth the paper it's written on," he said, referring to efforts underway since July by American Secretary of State John Kerry, "who turned up here determined and acting out of misplaced obsession and messianic fervor."
Kerry "cannot teach me anything about the conflict with the Palestinians," said Ya'alon.
So far, Kerry has made ten trips to the Middle East with the intention of hammering out an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Based on media reports, it seems that the potential agreement is composed in such a way that it mostly accommodates Israel's 'security' whims and obsessions, including a proposal to keep eastern West Bank regions and the Jordan Valley under Israeli military control.
In fact, there is growing interest in the idea of "land swaps" which was floated by Israel’s notorious Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman ten years ago.
"When Mr. Lieberman first proposed moving Arab-populated Israeli towns near the present border into Palestine in exchange for Jewish settlement blocs in the Palestinians' West Bank being incorporated into Israel, he was branded a racist firebrand," wrote the Economist on Jan. 18.
"Liberals accused him of promoting the forcible 'transfer' plan, akin to ethnic cleansing, proclaimed by a rabbi, Meir Kahane, who vilified Arabs while calling for a pure Jewish state."
Those days are long gone, as Israeli society drifted rightward.
"Even some dovish Israeli left-wingers find such ideas reasonable." Back then, the Americans themselves were irked, even if just publicly, whenever such ideas of 'population transfers' and ethnic cleansing were presented by Israel's ultra-right politicians.
Now, the Americans find them malleable and a departure point for discussion. And it's Kerry himself who is leading the American efforts to accommodate Israel's endless list of demands -- of security and racial exclusiveness even if at the expense of Palestinians.
So why is Ya'alon unhappy?
The Defense Minister, who sat immediately next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during talks with Kerry, was unapologetic about his reasoning: "Only our continued presence in Judea and Samaria and the River Jordan will endure."
It means unrelenting Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Netanyahu is hardly an innocent bystander in all of this, although for diplomatic reasons he often entrusts his government minions to deliver such messages.
The Prime Minister is busy issuing more orders to populate the occupied West Bank with Jewish settlements, and berating every government that rejects such insidious behavior as being anti-Israel, 'pro-Palestinian' or worse, anti-Semitic. This was the case again in recent days following another announcement of settlement expansion.
On Jan. 17, Netanyahu called on Europe to stop its "hypocrisy."
On the same day, Israel's foreign ministry summoned the ambassadors of Britain, France, Italy and Spain, "accusing their countries of pro-Palestinian bias," reported the BBC online. According to the ministry, the "perpetual one-sided stance" of these countries is unacceptable.
Yet, considering that Europe has supported Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian territories for decades, economically sustained the 'Jewish state' and its over 100 illegal Jewish settlements, and continue with its often unconditional military support of Israel, the accusations may appear strange and equally bewildering to that of Ya'alon against John Kerry.
How could a country the size of Israel have so much sway over the world's greatest powers, where it gets what it wants and more, hurls regular insults against those who sustain it, and still asks for more?
European countries found themselves in Israel's firing line because a day earlier, the four EU countries took the rare step of summoning Israeli ambassadors to object to the Netanyahu government's latest announcement of illegal settlement expansion (that of an additional 1,400 new homes).
EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton has even went to the extent of calling the settlements "an obstacle to peace," although hardly an advanced position considering that Israel's colonial project in Palestine has been in motion for 46 years.
But even that is too much from the Israeli point of view.
"The EU calls our ambassadors in because of the construction of a few houses?" Netanyahu asked as if baffled by a seemingly foreboding act, in a Jan. 16 press conference.
He even had the audacity to say this: "This imbalance and this bias against Israel doesn't advance peace," and also this, "I think it pushes peace further away because it tells the Palestinians: 'Basically you can do anything you want, say anything you want and you won't be held accountable.'"
There is no sense in arguing with Netanyahu's strange logic, but the question regarding Israel's stronghold over the US and EU remains more pressing than ever, especially when one considers the ruckus in US Congress.
No, the congress is not revolting because of the unmitigated power of the Zionist lobby, but for something far more interesting.
There seems to be a level of confusion in US Congress because members of the Senate are yet to feel serious pressure by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) over a bill that proposes more sanctions on Iran.
"The powerful pro-Israel lobby has not engaged in a shoe-leather lobbying campaign to woo wayward senators and push Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to schedule a vote on the bill ... While the group supports the bill -- authored by Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) -- it is not yet putting its political muscle behind a push for an immediate vote," reported Politico, citing key senators and their aides.
To say the least, it is disturbing that the US Senate is completely bewildered that AIPAC, which lobbies for the interest of a foreign power, is yet to provide its guidelines regarding the behavior of America's supposedly most respected political representatives.
"I don't know where AIPAC is. I haven't talked to anybody," said Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.).
"I don't know what they're doing," said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
This alone should shed some light on the seemingly bewildering question of the 'strong bond' and 'stable' alliance of Israel and the US -- and to a lesser degree EU countries.
This is not to suggest that Israel has complete dominance over US foreign policy in the Middle East, but to ignore Israel's indispensable role in shaping the outlook of US foreign policy is dishonest and inconsistent with the facts, to put it mildly.
The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect Ma'an News Agency's editorial policy.
Ahmed Bahar, first deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), denounced the invitation by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver a speech at the PLC. Bahar said in a press statement: "Abbas's invitation to Netanyahu is nationally, legally and morally unacceptable, and constitutes a violation of the status of the Palestinian national consensus that rejects political positions that detract from our rights and our national constants, provokes the feelings of our people ... and ignores the crimes and Judaization and settlement schemes that aim to liquidate our cause."
Bahar expressed his surprise at inviting Netanyahu to the PLC, while the head of the Legislative Council Aziz Dweik and other deputies are prevented from entering the council's headquarters in Ramallah.
He pointed out that Abbas does not have the legal and constitutional authority to invite Netanyahu to the Legislative Council, according to the Palestinian Basic Law.
Bahar called on Abbas to apologize to the Palestinian people for his remarks that harm the efforts to achieve national reconciliation, not to waiver the rights and national constants, and to take bold decisions and courageous positions to achieve reconciliation and end the division.
Bahar expressed his surprise at inviting Netanyahu to the PLC, while the head of the Legislative Council Aziz Dweik and other deputies are prevented from entering the council's headquarters in Ramallah.
He pointed out that Abbas does not have the legal and constitutional authority to invite Netanyahu to the Legislative Council, according to the Palestinian Basic Law.
Bahar called on Abbas to apologize to the Palestinian people for his remarks that harm the efforts to achieve national reconciliation, not to waiver the rights and national constants, and to take bold decisions and courageous positions to achieve reconciliation and end the division.
Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, has called on Fatah faction, that is controlling the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, to withdraw from negotiations with the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) without further delay. Abu Zuhri said in a statement on Saturday that his movement calls on Fatah to withdraw from the negotiations with the IOA immediately in light of the serious information leaked about US secretary of state John Kerry’s so-called Framework Agreement.
The spokesman warned that Kerry’s plan, as the information indicated, would lead to liquidating the Palestine cause.
He said that Fatah should stop adopting unilateral decisions concerning fateful Palestinian issues and should respect the national unanimity in refusing those negotiations.
The spokesman warned that Kerry’s plan, as the information indicated, would lead to liquidating the Palestine cause.
He said that Fatah should stop adopting unilateral decisions concerning fateful Palestinian issues and should respect the national unanimity in refusing those negotiations.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday that Palestinians must be assured that the Israeli "occupation" would end as a result of a peace deal.
"Palestinians need to know that at the end of the day their territory will be free of Israeli troops -- that occupation ends," Kerry said at the global economic forum in Davos, Switzerland.
An Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement must include a "full-phased, final withdrawal of the Israeli army," he said, adding that Israel would need to be assured of its security.
At the same time, Kerry called for mutual recognition of "the Jewish state of Israel and the Arab state of Palestine."
He also said the failure current peace talks would threaten Israel's Jewish demographic character.
If talks fail, "the demographic dynamic will make it impossible to preserve its future as a democratic Jewish state," Kerry said.
Israel's security cannot be assured unless it secures its democratic future, he added.
The failure of the peace talks, Kerry said, would be dangerous for Palestinians.
"Failure will only embolden extremists and empower hardliners at the expense of the moderates, who have been committed to a nonviolent track to try to find peace."
He added: "Palestinians will be no closer to the sovereignty that they seek, no closer to their ability to be the masters of their own fate, no closer to their ability to grow their own economy, no closer to solving the refugee problem that has been allowed to fester for decades."
Kerry then discussed the benefits of a peace agreement for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel would gain recognition from several Arab and Islamic states, and therefore would have new opportunities for economic partnership, he said.
He said Palestinians would also be able to take new economic initiatives once they had achieved "a new life, free from occupation."
Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians were relaunched in July under the auspices of the US after nearly three years of impasse.
Israel's government has announced the construction of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements since peace talks began.
Palestinian officials have repeatedly said that recognizing the concept of Israel as a "Jewish state" is unnecessary and threatens the rights of nearly 1.3 million Palestinian citizens of Israel who remained in their homes during the displacement of the majority of the Palestinian population during the 1948 war.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
"Palestinians need to know that at the end of the day their territory will be free of Israeli troops -- that occupation ends," Kerry said at the global economic forum in Davos, Switzerland.
An Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement must include a "full-phased, final withdrawal of the Israeli army," he said, adding that Israel would need to be assured of its security.
At the same time, Kerry called for mutual recognition of "the Jewish state of Israel and the Arab state of Palestine."
He also said the failure current peace talks would threaten Israel's Jewish demographic character.
If talks fail, "the demographic dynamic will make it impossible to preserve its future as a democratic Jewish state," Kerry said.
Israel's security cannot be assured unless it secures its democratic future, he added.
The failure of the peace talks, Kerry said, would be dangerous for Palestinians.
"Failure will only embolden extremists and empower hardliners at the expense of the moderates, who have been committed to a nonviolent track to try to find peace."
He added: "Palestinians will be no closer to the sovereignty that they seek, no closer to their ability to be the masters of their own fate, no closer to their ability to grow their own economy, no closer to solving the refugee problem that has been allowed to fester for decades."
Kerry then discussed the benefits of a peace agreement for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel would gain recognition from several Arab and Islamic states, and therefore would have new opportunities for economic partnership, he said.
He said Palestinians would also be able to take new economic initiatives once they had achieved "a new life, free from occupation."
Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians were relaunched in July under the auspices of the US after nearly three years of impasse.
Israel's government has announced the construction of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements since peace talks began.
Palestinian officials have repeatedly said that recognizing the concept of Israel as a "Jewish state" is unnecessary and threatens the rights of nearly 1.3 million Palestinian citizens of Israel who remained in their homes during the displacement of the majority of the Palestinian population during the 1948 war.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
Sheikh Ikrema Sabri, a Khatib (preacher) of the Aqsa Mosque, has declared that the attempt to declare Israel a “Jewish state” is null and void and will never be accepted. Sabri, addressing the Friday congregation in the Aqsa Mosque, said that the attempt contradicted the divine ruling that Palestine is Islamic.
Furthermore, recognizing Israel as a Jewish state would mean the expulsion of the Palestinians from their own land with no hope for the right of return for millions of refugees, he added.
Sabri said that the recognition would allow Israel to destroy and wipe out all Islamic relics and mosques and would mean that the Jews would ask for compensations from the Palestinians for the period they lived in that “Jewish state”!
The Aqsa Khatib said that Muslims should be aware of the seriousness of such calls, which he described as “racist and arrogant”.
Furthermore, recognizing Israel as a Jewish state would mean the expulsion of the Palestinians from their own land with no hope for the right of return for millions of refugees, he added.
Sabri said that the recognition would allow Israel to destroy and wipe out all Islamic relics and mosques and would mean that the Jews would ask for compensations from the Palestinians for the period they lived in that “Jewish state”!
The Aqsa Khatib said that Muslims should be aware of the seriousness of such calls, which he described as “racist and arrogant”.
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Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that Tel Aviv would not remove a single Israeli settlement in the occupied territories, and that any ideas proposed now to advance peace talks, “are just proposals.”
His statements came during the Davos Conference on Friday when he responded to a question about Israel’s settlements in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank. His response referred to Israel’s settlements and settlement blocs, in the occupied territories, and not only the Jordan Valley. “I will not remove any settlement”, he said, “I will not uproot any Israeli” |
Netanyahu stated that the United States just presented ideas and suggestions regarding a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Following the conference, Netanyahu held a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry, and discussed the political “process” between Tel Aviv and Ramallah.
He said Kerry is not talking about a framework agreement for a peace deal, but only presented ideas to Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
The statements came after Kerry said a frame agreement is closer than ever, and after a statement by the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, who said that peace talks are based on a full Israeli withdrawal from the territories Israel captured in 1967, including Jerusalem.
Commenting on BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) campaigns around the world, the Israeli Prime Minister alleged that more international companies “are showing interest in investing in Israel.”
On his part, Kerry said that should direct peace talks collapse, the Israeli and Palestinians will be harmed by ongoing violence.
He also “warned” that, should the talks fail, “It will be impossible for Israel to continue its future as a Jewish democratic state”.
Kerry stated that the core issues the U.S. is working for are establishing an “independent” Palestinian state, security for Israel, a withdrawal of the Israeli army, and “an agreed solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees”.
He said that ending the conflict should be final; a full Palestinian recognition of the “Jewish State”, and an Israeli recognition of the “nation-state of the Palestinians”, Israeli daily, Haaretz, has reported.
The US official also said that Israel will become a strong state after achieving peace with the Palestinians, and that his government has a security plan for the borders between the occupied West Bank and Jordan.
There are more than 11.679 Jewish settlers living in the Jordan Valley, and more than 400.000 Jewish settlers living in Israel’s illegitimate settlements in the occupied West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem.
Israel’s settlements, built on Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, and, along with the Annexation Wall, have turned the Palestinian communities into isolated cantons separating the Palestinians from each other, and from their farmlands and orchards.
Settlements are also built in vital areas in Palestine, including hilltops, water and natural resources, especially in the Jordan Valley, depriving the Palestinians from basic rights, including the right to their own land.
Following the conference, Netanyahu held a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry, and discussed the political “process” between Tel Aviv and Ramallah.
He said Kerry is not talking about a framework agreement for a peace deal, but only presented ideas to Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
The statements came after Kerry said a frame agreement is closer than ever, and after a statement by the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, who said that peace talks are based on a full Israeli withdrawal from the territories Israel captured in 1967, including Jerusalem.
Commenting on BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) campaigns around the world, the Israeli Prime Minister alleged that more international companies “are showing interest in investing in Israel.”
On his part, Kerry said that should direct peace talks collapse, the Israeli and Palestinians will be harmed by ongoing violence.
He also “warned” that, should the talks fail, “It will be impossible for Israel to continue its future as a Jewish democratic state”.
Kerry stated that the core issues the U.S. is working for are establishing an “independent” Palestinian state, security for Israel, a withdrawal of the Israeli army, and “an agreed solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees”.
He said that ending the conflict should be final; a full Palestinian recognition of the “Jewish State”, and an Israeli recognition of the “nation-state of the Palestinians”, Israeli daily, Haaretz, has reported.
The US official also said that Israel will become a strong state after achieving peace with the Palestinians, and that his government has a security plan for the borders between the occupied West Bank and Jordan.
There are more than 11.679 Jewish settlers living in the Jordan Valley, and more than 400.000 Jewish settlers living in Israel’s illegitimate settlements in the occupied West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem.
Israel’s settlements, built on Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, and, along with the Annexation Wall, have turned the Palestinian communities into isolated cantons separating the Palestinians from each other, and from their farmlands and orchards.
Settlements are also built in vital areas in Palestine, including hilltops, water and natural resources, especially in the Jordan Valley, depriving the Palestinians from basic rights, including the right to their own land.
24 jan 2014
By Daoud Kuttab
Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist and former professor of journalism at Princeton University.
How similar is today to yesteryear?
When U.S. president Bill Clinton failed to move Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat on the issue of Jerusalem at the 2000 Camp David talks, he decided to turn to America's Arab allies.
He tried and failed.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, unable to change Mahmoud Abbas' position, is trying to do the same. He will also fail.
The contentious issues appear to concern Jerusalem and convincing Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Kerry began his recent Arab trip with quick visits to Amman and Riyadh, on Jan. 5, before the meeting in Paris, on Jan. 12, with the Arab Peace Initiative follow-up committee.
Shortly after Kerry's visit, on Jan. 8, Amman was host to a quick visit by the Palestinian president.
He made a statement to the effect that Palestinians will not accept any deal short of having East Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Palestine. Abbas also reiterated the Palestinian refusal of any recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.
This consistent position was interpreted by Israelis as a rejection of the Kerry initiative.
Israeli officials claimed that Abbas' statements show that Palestinians are not ready to make the tough decisions needed for peace.
Perhaps the clearest sign of Abbas' thinking regarding Kerry's ability to change Arab opinion were his subsequent statements in Ramallah.
Speaking to a group of representatives from East Jerusalem, Abbas said, referring to the US diplomat: "He will hear from the Arab ministers that without Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, there will be no agreement."
Normally the Arab League is the last address the Palestinian leader consults before making difficult decisions.
The follow-up committee consists of foreign ministers from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the secretary of the Arab League. It usually endorses the position of the Ramallah-based leadership, providing Abbas with the necessary Arab umbrella for difficult decisions.
Abbas' most recent meeting with the committee was last July, prior to agreeing to resume the current nine-month peace talks with Israel.
Pushed into a corner during the Camp David talks in the fall of 2000, Arafat had asked for a chance to speak to Arab leaders. The Palestinian leader posed a simple question to each, one by one: whether they agree to surrender sovereignty over East Jerusalem and, specifically, Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Arafat knew their answers before he asked the question.
Leaks coming out of the ongoing marathon talks between Kerry and Abbas focus on two obstacles: Israel's insistence that Palestinians recognize Israel as the national homeland of the Jewish people and the fact that the current round of talks aimed at reaching a framework does not include any mention of Jerusalem.
The Palestinians' rejection of both these conditions, as evident in Abbas' statement, has left some to conclude that Kerry's mission is futile.
While the April 2014 deadline for the talks to conclude is fast approaching, Kerry will certainly continue pushing for a framework agreement that would allow for an extension of the negotiations.
The Palestinians, however, are determined to go to the International Court of Justice and other international agencies to address the decades old illegal Israeli occupation.
When it comes to the sensitive issue of Jerusalem and recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, Arab leaders have proved, over and over, that they will not budge under American pressure, and Abbas knows this well.
Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist and former professor of journalism at Princeton University.
How similar is today to yesteryear?
When U.S. president Bill Clinton failed to move Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat on the issue of Jerusalem at the 2000 Camp David talks, he decided to turn to America's Arab allies.
He tried and failed.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, unable to change Mahmoud Abbas' position, is trying to do the same. He will also fail.
The contentious issues appear to concern Jerusalem and convincing Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Kerry began his recent Arab trip with quick visits to Amman and Riyadh, on Jan. 5, before the meeting in Paris, on Jan. 12, with the Arab Peace Initiative follow-up committee.
Shortly after Kerry's visit, on Jan. 8, Amman was host to a quick visit by the Palestinian president.
He made a statement to the effect that Palestinians will not accept any deal short of having East Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Palestine. Abbas also reiterated the Palestinian refusal of any recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.
This consistent position was interpreted by Israelis as a rejection of the Kerry initiative.
Israeli officials claimed that Abbas' statements show that Palestinians are not ready to make the tough decisions needed for peace.
Perhaps the clearest sign of Abbas' thinking regarding Kerry's ability to change Arab opinion were his subsequent statements in Ramallah.
Speaking to a group of representatives from East Jerusalem, Abbas said, referring to the US diplomat: "He will hear from the Arab ministers that without Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, there will be no agreement."
Normally the Arab League is the last address the Palestinian leader consults before making difficult decisions.
The follow-up committee consists of foreign ministers from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the secretary of the Arab League. It usually endorses the position of the Ramallah-based leadership, providing Abbas with the necessary Arab umbrella for difficult decisions.
Abbas' most recent meeting with the committee was last July, prior to agreeing to resume the current nine-month peace talks with Israel.
Pushed into a corner during the Camp David talks in the fall of 2000, Arafat had asked for a chance to speak to Arab leaders. The Palestinian leader posed a simple question to each, one by one: whether they agree to surrender sovereignty over East Jerusalem and, specifically, Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Arafat knew their answers before he asked the question.
Leaks coming out of the ongoing marathon talks between Kerry and Abbas focus on two obstacles: Israel's insistence that Palestinians recognize Israel as the national homeland of the Jewish people and the fact that the current round of talks aimed at reaching a framework does not include any mention of Jerusalem.
The Palestinians' rejection of both these conditions, as evident in Abbas' statement, has left some to conclude that Kerry's mission is futile.
While the April 2014 deadline for the talks to conclude is fast approaching, Kerry will certainly continue pushing for a framework agreement that would allow for an extension of the negotiations.
The Palestinians, however, are determined to go to the International Court of Justice and other international agencies to address the decades old illegal Israeli occupation.
When it comes to the sensitive issue of Jerusalem and recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, Arab leaders have proved, over and over, that they will not budge under American pressure, and Abbas knows this well.
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A Palestinian Authority (PA) official says the PA should shift its current function and become an anti-Israel “resistance authority.”
Israel’s Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted Mohammed Shtayyeh as saying on Wednesday that the PA “can’t continue in its present form. It should change its function to a resistance authority.” Shtayyeh recently resigned from the PA negotiating team in protest at the lack of progress in the US-brokered Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, which resumed in July 2013. He currently serves as senior advisor to acting PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas. The PA official further stated the Israeli-Palestinian talks “will end in failure” as Tel Aviv continues its illegal settlement activities in the occupied |
Palestinian territories, stressing, “No deal is better than a weak one.”
According to Shtayyeh, the PA chief is planning to seek membership at the United Nations after the failure of the talks with Israel in an effort to prosecute the Israeli regime over war crimes.
The Israeli regime has turned a cold shoulder to international calls for a halt in its illegal settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian lands.
Tel Aviv’s settlement policy has also drawn angry reactions from European countries, including Britain, Italy, France and Spain, which summoned Israeli envoys to their countries in protest at the regime’s illegal settlement plans earlier this month.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem) in 1967.
Abbas has stated that the Israeli regime has been using the talks as a “cover” to expand the settlements in the occupied West Bank.
According to Shtayyeh, the PA chief is planning to seek membership at the United Nations after the failure of the talks with Israel in an effort to prosecute the Israeli regime over war crimes.
The Israeli regime has turned a cold shoulder to international calls for a halt in its illegal settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian lands.
Tel Aviv’s settlement policy has also drawn angry reactions from European countries, including Britain, Italy, France and Spain, which summoned Israeli envoys to their countries in protest at the regime’s illegal settlement plans earlier this month.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem) in 1967.
Abbas has stated that the Israeli regime has been using the talks as a “cover” to expand the settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Germany is insisting that research support and cooperation with Israel exclude Jewish settlements built on Palestinian land, Israeli media said Thursday, weeks ahead of a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
According to the report in Haaretz daily, Berlin's decision "represents a significant escalation in European measures against the settlements" in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Haaretz notes that a 1986 treaty of the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development states that the foundation will only sponsor projects "within the geographic areas under the jurisdiction of the State of Israel" prior to the 1967 Middle East war.
The Germans want to apply that clause to the "German-Israeli funding program (DIP)", an agreement signed in 1970 that is renewed annually on March 31, as well as to an agreement between the states providing "German funding for industrial and applied research and development," Haaretz said.
Merkel is due in Israel at the end of next month.
Germany's steadfast support of Israel has been a constant since World War II in atonement for its Nazi past, and Berlin is widely seen as Israel's closest ally in Europe.
Haaretz said the German demand was effectively extending the settlement ban to "private companies" in occupied territories.
But an Israeli diplomatic source told AFP there was "nothing new here" since "the territorial limitations have applied since 1986 and nothing has changed."
And a spokeswoman for the German foreign ministry said Berlin had "a great interest in continuing and expanding scientific cooperation with Israel."
According to the report in Haaretz daily, Berlin's decision "represents a significant escalation in European measures against the settlements" in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Haaretz notes that a 1986 treaty of the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development states that the foundation will only sponsor projects "within the geographic areas under the jurisdiction of the State of Israel" prior to the 1967 Middle East war.
The Germans want to apply that clause to the "German-Israeli funding program (DIP)", an agreement signed in 1970 that is renewed annually on March 31, as well as to an agreement between the states providing "German funding for industrial and applied research and development," Haaretz said.
Merkel is due in Israel at the end of next month.
Germany's steadfast support of Israel has been a constant since World War II in atonement for its Nazi past, and Berlin is widely seen as Israel's closest ally in Europe.
Haaretz said the German demand was effectively extending the settlement ban to "private companies" in occupied territories.
But an Israeli diplomatic source told AFP there was "nothing new here" since "the territorial limitations have applied since 1986 and nothing has changed."
And a spokeswoman for the German foreign ministry said Berlin had "a great interest in continuing and expanding scientific cooperation with Israel."
During the ongoing World Economic Forum (21-25 of January), U.S Secretary of State John Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are said to be “meeting on the sidelines” to continue ongoing peace negotiations.
Pressure has been mounting on the Israelis as not only the European Union are threatening with economic sanctions but also there are internal pressure from within the Knesset to push for a peace deal.
Referring to Netanyahu's meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Davos planned for Friday, Herzog said "Netanyahu and Abbas must decide whether they will move toward peace or blink, retract and lead us to adverse developments” the Jerusalem Post reports.
Netanyahu are not expected to be talking about the ongoing sanctions that have been made as a threat for the Israelis to reach an agreement with Palestine.
Pressure has been mounting on the Israelis as not only the European Union are threatening with economic sanctions but also there are internal pressure from within the Knesset to push for a peace deal.
Referring to Netanyahu's meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Davos planned for Friday, Herzog said "Netanyahu and Abbas must decide whether they will move toward peace or blink, retract and lead us to adverse developments” the Jerusalem Post reports.
Netanyahu are not expected to be talking about the ongoing sanctions that have been made as a threat for the Israelis to reach an agreement with Palestine.
Dr. Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations in New York, said that the international community must act collectively to hold Israel accountable for its violations and crimes and salvage the prospects for the realization of peace and justice in this year.
Mansour statements were made in identical letters sent to the UN Secretary-General, President of the Security Council (Jordan) and President of the UN General Assembly, on Israeli aggressive and illegal actions against the Palestinian people.
Mansour said in his letter: "While serious peace efforts are being undertaken both regionally and internationally to achieve peace and to salvage the Two-State solution, Israel instead continues to choose aggression and colonization. Since the resumption of peace talks, the occupying Power hasn't ceased its oppressive and destructive measures which threatening to derail the peace talks.
He pointed out to "the latest spate of Israeli crimes took place on Wednesday, 22 January, in the Gaza Strip, an integral part of the State of Palestine, which remains under an oppressive, unlawful blockade. For the second time in a week, Israeli occupying forces launched military strikes against the Gaza Strip, firing a missile at a car carrying Ahmed Zaanin, 21 years old, and Mahmoud Zaanin, 23 years old, killing them both."
He added, "In addition to the killing of Palestinian civilians, Israel continues with its illegal, provocative measures that continue to aggravate tensions. While all these issues were highlighted during the State of Palestine's intervention at the Security Council on 20 January 2014, in particular the issue of continued settlement activities, which more than 40 Member States who addressed the Council reiterated the illegality of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and the obstacle they pose to peace."
He also pointed out to the Israeli decision that was made in 22 January to "move forward with its plans for another 261 new units in two settlements located deep in the West Bank. This includes 256 units in the so-called settlement of "Nofei Prat", between Jerusalem and Jericho, which according to Peace Now dramatically changes the settlement, expanding its size and population significantly, in fact tripling its size. Another five settlement units in the massive settlement of "Ariel" in the North."
He also talked about the announcement made by the Jerusalem municipality to build a new settlement "neighborhood" south of the City, which would include 1700 settlement units. Furthermore, a further 381 new settlement units were approved to be built in the so-called settlement of "Givat Zeev" north of Jerusalem.
"Along with the innumerable violations to Palestinian rights as a result of illegal settlements, racist and fanatic Israeli settlers continue to wreak havoc and destruction on Palestinian properties and land throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem," said Mansour.
In the recent period, extremist settlers have continued to vandalize homes and to destroy olive groves and other farm lands. The most recent attacks occurred yesterday when Israeli settlers uprooted over 600 recently planted olive and almond saplings in the village of Sinjil, north of Ramallah in the West Bank. It should be noted that the saplings were planted by the International Committee of the Red Cross to support Palestinian farmers, and would have benefited more than 70 families."
"The occupying Power is also pushing ahead with excavation plans for a so-called second "visitors' center" at the entrance to Wadi Hilweh in Silwan, a densely-populated neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Such excavations by the occupying Power at the entrance to Wadi Hilweh are destroying deep-rooted Islamic antiquities from the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphate eras."
Mansour confirmed that all of these illegal Israeli policies and practices are fueling tensions on the ground, inciting violence and provoking deeper mistrust. The negative impact of such Israeli breaches on the situation on the ground is vast and is deepening pessimism in respect to the potential for the success of the current peace negotiations and the ultimate viability of the two-State solution.
He stressed that a clear demand must be made to Israel to cease its illegal actions and commit to the path of peace. He said, "The international community, foremost the Security Council, has clear responsibilities in this regard and must no longer tolerate the occupying Power's empty pretexts, deception and blatant contempt for international law."
Mansour statements were made in identical letters sent to the UN Secretary-General, President of the Security Council (Jordan) and President of the UN General Assembly, on Israeli aggressive and illegal actions against the Palestinian people.
Mansour said in his letter: "While serious peace efforts are being undertaken both regionally and internationally to achieve peace and to salvage the Two-State solution, Israel instead continues to choose aggression and colonization. Since the resumption of peace talks, the occupying Power hasn't ceased its oppressive and destructive measures which threatening to derail the peace talks.
He pointed out to "the latest spate of Israeli crimes took place on Wednesday, 22 January, in the Gaza Strip, an integral part of the State of Palestine, which remains under an oppressive, unlawful blockade. For the second time in a week, Israeli occupying forces launched military strikes against the Gaza Strip, firing a missile at a car carrying Ahmed Zaanin, 21 years old, and Mahmoud Zaanin, 23 years old, killing them both."
He added, "In addition to the killing of Palestinian civilians, Israel continues with its illegal, provocative measures that continue to aggravate tensions. While all these issues were highlighted during the State of Palestine's intervention at the Security Council on 20 January 2014, in particular the issue of continued settlement activities, which more than 40 Member States who addressed the Council reiterated the illegality of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and the obstacle they pose to peace."
He also pointed out to the Israeli decision that was made in 22 January to "move forward with its plans for another 261 new units in two settlements located deep in the West Bank. This includes 256 units in the so-called settlement of "Nofei Prat", between Jerusalem and Jericho, which according to Peace Now dramatically changes the settlement, expanding its size and population significantly, in fact tripling its size. Another five settlement units in the massive settlement of "Ariel" in the North."
He also talked about the announcement made by the Jerusalem municipality to build a new settlement "neighborhood" south of the City, which would include 1700 settlement units. Furthermore, a further 381 new settlement units were approved to be built in the so-called settlement of "Givat Zeev" north of Jerusalem.
"Along with the innumerable violations to Palestinian rights as a result of illegal settlements, racist and fanatic Israeli settlers continue to wreak havoc and destruction on Palestinian properties and land throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem," said Mansour.
In the recent period, extremist settlers have continued to vandalize homes and to destroy olive groves and other farm lands. The most recent attacks occurred yesterday when Israeli settlers uprooted over 600 recently planted olive and almond saplings in the village of Sinjil, north of Ramallah in the West Bank. It should be noted that the saplings were planted by the International Committee of the Red Cross to support Palestinian farmers, and would have benefited more than 70 families."
"The occupying Power is also pushing ahead with excavation plans for a so-called second "visitors' center" at the entrance to Wadi Hilweh in Silwan, a densely-populated neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Such excavations by the occupying Power at the entrance to Wadi Hilweh are destroying deep-rooted Islamic antiquities from the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphate eras."
Mansour confirmed that all of these illegal Israeli policies and practices are fueling tensions on the ground, inciting violence and provoking deeper mistrust. The negative impact of such Israeli breaches on the situation on the ground is vast and is deepening pessimism in respect to the potential for the success of the current peace negotiations and the ultimate viability of the two-State solution.
He stressed that a clear demand must be made to Israel to cease its illegal actions and commit to the path of peace. He said, "The international community, foremost the Security Council, has clear responsibilities in this regard and must no longer tolerate the occupying Power's empty pretexts, deception and blatant contempt for international law."
