1 june 2019
The European Union has denounced as “illegal” Israel’s settlement activities on occupied Palestinian territories, saying that the Tel Aviv regime's land grab policy is an obstacle to peace.
In a statement released Saturday, the EU said it is "strongly opposed to Israel's settlement policy, including in East Jerusalem, which is illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace."
The statement came after Israel's Housing Ministry this week issued construction tenders for over 800 new housing units in East Jerusalem al-Quds.
"The policy of settlement construction and expansion in East Jerusalem” al-Quds undermines the so-called two-state solution, the statement from EU Spokesperson Maja Kocijancic read.
About 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.
The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.
The Israeli move comes as the US administration prepares to unveil the first phase of its so-called Middle East peace plan, rejected by the Palestinian leadership, in an economic conference in Manama, Bahrain, on June 25-26.
All Palestinian factions have boycotted the event, accusing Washington of offering financial rewards for accepting the Israeli occupation.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have said they will send delegations to the Manama forum and Israel’s Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon has said he intends to attend.
The United States has kept the so-called "deal of the century", which it says is aimed at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, under wraps. Leaked information, however, indicate that it features serious violations of the Palestinian’s age-old demands.
In a statement released Saturday, the EU said it is "strongly opposed to Israel's settlement policy, including in East Jerusalem, which is illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace."
The statement came after Israel's Housing Ministry this week issued construction tenders for over 800 new housing units in East Jerusalem al-Quds.
"The policy of settlement construction and expansion in East Jerusalem” al-Quds undermines the so-called two-state solution, the statement from EU Spokesperson Maja Kocijancic read.
About 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.
The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.
The Israeli move comes as the US administration prepares to unveil the first phase of its so-called Middle East peace plan, rejected by the Palestinian leadership, in an economic conference in Manama, Bahrain, on June 25-26.
All Palestinian factions have boycotted the event, accusing Washington of offering financial rewards for accepting the Israeli occupation.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have said they will send delegations to the Manama forum and Israel’s Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon has said he intends to attend.
The United States has kept the so-called "deal of the century", which it says is aimed at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, under wraps. Leaked information, however, indicate that it features serious violations of the Palestinian’s age-old demands.
a general view of participants at the 14th Islamic summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, June 1, 2019
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has urged member countries to take "appropriate measures" against countries that move their embassies to Jerusalem al-Quds.
The OIC summit in Mecca, in its final statement Saturday, condemned US recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as the "capital" of Israel as well as any position that supports prolonging occupation of Palestinian territories.
Saudi Arabia tried to hijack the summit's agenda for its Iran-bashing campaign, creating sharp differences among OIC member-states on a gamut of issues.
But the final statement left out the kingdom's political grandstanding, instead stressing support for a future Palestinian state.
It also rejected any deal or plan that prolongs Israeli occupation and undermines the right of return for Palestinian refugees, in an implicit rejection of a US plan touted by President Donald Trump as "the deal of the century".
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the special privy among the Arab states to Washington's plan which is reportedly riding roughshod on Palestine's core issues, including its statehood and return of refugees.
A meeting next month in Bahrain aimed at rallying Arab economic support for the US plan is being boycotted by the Palestinians, but Saudi Arabia and the UAE are attending amid growing ties with Israel.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman used the summit's opening to attack Iran over recent mysterious blasts which he described as "terrorist acts" that targeted oil tankers off the UAE coast of Fujairah.
Iran has called for the clarification of the exact dimensions of the incident the vigilance of regional states "in the face of any adventurism by foreign elements", and warned against "plots by ill-wishers to disrupt regional security".
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani had his own message for OIC leaders ahead of the summit, urging them to stay focused on the rights of Palestinians.
In a letter published online Friday, Rouhani said Muslim leaders should not let the importance of Palestinian statehood be "marginalized" in the face of the Trump administration's forthcoming plan.
Rouhani also noted in the letter he was not invited to the Islamic summit, but expressed Iran's readiness to work with all Muslim leaders to confront the White House's "deal of the century".
Iran had a representative present at the 57-nation OIC summit. On Friday, it regretted "Saudi Arabia's abuse of its privilege as the host" of the OIC "to sow division between Islamic and regional countries".
In its final statement, the OIC refused to accept any proposal for peaceful settlement that did not accord with Palestinians' legitimate inalienable rights.
It also underlined the need to protect the right of return for Palestinian refugees under UN General Assembly Resolution 194.
The group further opposed Israel's illegal measures aimed at changing facts in the occupied Palestinian territories and undermining the so-called two-state solution.
Israel's claim to Syria's Golan
Elsewhere in its statement, the OIC rejected any decision to change the legal and demographic status of Syria's Golan Heights, especially the recent US move to recognize Israeli "sovereignty" over the occupied territory.
The organization called for Israel's complete withdrawal from the Golan and its return to the 1967 borders in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.
Back in March, Trump signed a controversial decree recognizing Israeli “sovereignty” over the occupied Golan in a move which is in obvious contravention of international law.
Islamophobia concerns
Additionally, the OIC expressed concerns about growing Islamophobia across the world.
Islamophobia, "as a contemporary form of racism and religious discrimination, continues to grow in many parts of the world, as evident by the increase in incidents of religious intolerance, negative stereotyping, and hatred and violence against Muslims," it said.
The OIC also condemned the inhumane situation of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims, demanding a halt to violence against the minority group.
Myanmar's government has the responsibility to protect its citizens, it noted.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has urged member countries to take "appropriate measures" against countries that move their embassies to Jerusalem al-Quds.
The OIC summit in Mecca, in its final statement Saturday, condemned US recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as the "capital" of Israel as well as any position that supports prolonging occupation of Palestinian territories.
Saudi Arabia tried to hijack the summit's agenda for its Iran-bashing campaign, creating sharp differences among OIC member-states on a gamut of issues.
But the final statement left out the kingdom's political grandstanding, instead stressing support for a future Palestinian state.
It also rejected any deal or plan that prolongs Israeli occupation and undermines the right of return for Palestinian refugees, in an implicit rejection of a US plan touted by President Donald Trump as "the deal of the century".
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the special privy among the Arab states to Washington's plan which is reportedly riding roughshod on Palestine's core issues, including its statehood and return of refugees.
A meeting next month in Bahrain aimed at rallying Arab economic support for the US plan is being boycotted by the Palestinians, but Saudi Arabia and the UAE are attending amid growing ties with Israel.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman used the summit's opening to attack Iran over recent mysterious blasts which he described as "terrorist acts" that targeted oil tankers off the UAE coast of Fujairah.
Iran has called for the clarification of the exact dimensions of the incident the vigilance of regional states "in the face of any adventurism by foreign elements", and warned against "plots by ill-wishers to disrupt regional security".
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani had his own message for OIC leaders ahead of the summit, urging them to stay focused on the rights of Palestinians.
In a letter published online Friday, Rouhani said Muslim leaders should not let the importance of Palestinian statehood be "marginalized" in the face of the Trump administration's forthcoming plan.
Rouhani also noted in the letter he was not invited to the Islamic summit, but expressed Iran's readiness to work with all Muslim leaders to confront the White House's "deal of the century".
Iran had a representative present at the 57-nation OIC summit. On Friday, it regretted "Saudi Arabia's abuse of its privilege as the host" of the OIC "to sow division between Islamic and regional countries".
In its final statement, the OIC refused to accept any proposal for peaceful settlement that did not accord with Palestinians' legitimate inalienable rights.
It also underlined the need to protect the right of return for Palestinian refugees under UN General Assembly Resolution 194.
The group further opposed Israel's illegal measures aimed at changing facts in the occupied Palestinian territories and undermining the so-called two-state solution.
Israel's claim to Syria's Golan
Elsewhere in its statement, the OIC rejected any decision to change the legal and demographic status of Syria's Golan Heights, especially the recent US move to recognize Israeli "sovereignty" over the occupied territory.
The organization called for Israel's complete withdrawal from the Golan and its return to the 1967 borders in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.
Back in March, Trump signed a controversial decree recognizing Israeli “sovereignty” over the occupied Golan in a move which is in obvious contravention of international law.
Islamophobia concerns
Additionally, the OIC expressed concerns about growing Islamophobia across the world.
Islamophobia, "as a contemporary form of racism and religious discrimination, continues to grow in many parts of the world, as evident by the increase in incidents of religious intolerance, negative stereotyping, and hatred and violence against Muslims," it said.
The OIC also condemned the inhumane situation of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims, demanding a halt to violence against the minority group.
Myanmar's government has the responsibility to protect its citizens, it noted.
Protesters, including Lebanese nationals and Palestinian refugees, wave Palestinian and Lebanese flags during a demonstration in the medieval Beaufort Castle, known in Arabic as al-Shaqif Citadel, near Arnoun, Lebanon, May 15, 2018
US President Donald Trump's "the deal of the century" wants Palestinian refugees to be naturalized and settled in several countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq, Israeli daily Haaretz reports.
As the world marked the International Quds Day on Friday, political leaders warned of mysterious aspects of the much-touted US plan and its ramifications for the future of Palestinians.
Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said one definite prospect is that the plan seeks to do away with the issue of returning 6 million refugees to their homeland.
"To realize this goal, America is about to arrange an economic deal and get its money from the miserable Persian Gulf countries," he said in Tehran.
Haaretz said Washington is thought to be pressing Lebanon to grant citizenship to Palestinian refugees living in the country.
"In the process, this is seen as defusing the issue of a right of return of refugees to Israel, which has been a major obstacle to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," the paper said.
According to UNRWA, the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, about 450,000 Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon.
Other reports have put the figure lower, prompting Lebanese groups to say that the census had been conducted under US pressure designed to underreport the real numbers because that way Lebanon could absorb a modest-sized population.
The Lebanese constitution, however, provides that the country's territory is indivisible and that refugees living there are not to receive citizenship.
The official reason for this is that the absorption of Palestinian refugees would impair their claim to a right of return.
However, the US has sugarcoated the plan with a lifeline to extract Lebanon from its economic crisis, where the country's debt is estimated at more than $85 billion (about 155 percent of GDP), Haaretz said.
According to the Israeli paper, giving Palestinians citizenship is likely to prompt the roughly 1 million Syrian refugees in the country to demand similar status.
However, Lebanon isn't the only country concerned about Washington dictating a solution to the refugee problem.
Jordan is horrified over the prospect that the United States will demand it absorb hundreds of thousands or even a million Palestinian refugees in the country, Haaretz added.
The paper cited investigative journalist Vicky Ward recounting in her new book "Kushner Inc.: Greed. Ambition. Corruption" that the Trump administration's plan sees Jordan providing territory to the Palestinians and receiving Saudi territory in return.
The Saudis, for their part, would get the islands of Sanafir and Tiran from Egypt, it said.
"Land swaps appear to be the magic formula that the Trump administration has adopted, and not just for Jordan," Haaretz said.
According to Ward, it has been suggested that Egypt give up territory along the Sinai coast between Gaza and el-Arish, to which some of the Gaza population would be transferred. In return, Israel would give Egypt territory of equivalent size in the western Negev.
Haaretz, meanwhile, revealed lucrative projects to be funded by European countries, the US and wealthy Arab states, including an underwater tunnel which Israel would allow to be dug between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Egypt, the paper said, has been promised a whopping $65 billion to help boost its economy which is currently in shambles.
The plan also says Palestinian refugees in Syria, Iraq and other Arab countries would receive citizenship in exchange for generous assistance to the host countries.
The Israeli paper, however, cast doubt on the viability of the "plan of generous financial compensation and empty tracts of land for new housing".
"The problem is that the Palestinian refugees are the supreme symbols of Palestinian nationhood," it said.
"An American deal that blatantly relies on buying up that symbol for cash, even lots of it, can't be acceptable to the Palestinian leaders in the West Bank and Gaza," it added.
The Trump administration is set to unveil the economic portion of the so-called “deal of the century” during a conference in Manama, Bahrain, on June 25-26.
All Palestinian factions have boycotted the event, accusing Washington of offering financial rewards for accepting the Israeli occupation.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have said they will send delegations to the Manama forum and Israel’s Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon has said he intends to attend.
US President Donald Trump's "the deal of the century" wants Palestinian refugees to be naturalized and settled in several countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq, Israeli daily Haaretz reports.
As the world marked the International Quds Day on Friday, political leaders warned of mysterious aspects of the much-touted US plan and its ramifications for the future of Palestinians.
Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said one definite prospect is that the plan seeks to do away with the issue of returning 6 million refugees to their homeland.
"To realize this goal, America is about to arrange an economic deal and get its money from the miserable Persian Gulf countries," he said in Tehran.
Haaretz said Washington is thought to be pressing Lebanon to grant citizenship to Palestinian refugees living in the country.
"In the process, this is seen as defusing the issue of a right of return of refugees to Israel, which has been a major obstacle to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," the paper said.
According to UNRWA, the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, about 450,000 Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon.
Other reports have put the figure lower, prompting Lebanese groups to say that the census had been conducted under US pressure designed to underreport the real numbers because that way Lebanon could absorb a modest-sized population.
The Lebanese constitution, however, provides that the country's territory is indivisible and that refugees living there are not to receive citizenship.
The official reason for this is that the absorption of Palestinian refugees would impair their claim to a right of return.
However, the US has sugarcoated the plan with a lifeline to extract Lebanon from its economic crisis, where the country's debt is estimated at more than $85 billion (about 155 percent of GDP), Haaretz said.
According to the Israeli paper, giving Palestinians citizenship is likely to prompt the roughly 1 million Syrian refugees in the country to demand similar status.
However, Lebanon isn't the only country concerned about Washington dictating a solution to the refugee problem.
Jordan is horrified over the prospect that the United States will demand it absorb hundreds of thousands or even a million Palestinian refugees in the country, Haaretz added.
The paper cited investigative journalist Vicky Ward recounting in her new book "Kushner Inc.: Greed. Ambition. Corruption" that the Trump administration's plan sees Jordan providing territory to the Palestinians and receiving Saudi territory in return.
The Saudis, for their part, would get the islands of Sanafir and Tiran from Egypt, it said.
"Land swaps appear to be the magic formula that the Trump administration has adopted, and not just for Jordan," Haaretz said.
According to Ward, it has been suggested that Egypt give up territory along the Sinai coast between Gaza and el-Arish, to which some of the Gaza population would be transferred. In return, Israel would give Egypt territory of equivalent size in the western Negev.
Haaretz, meanwhile, revealed lucrative projects to be funded by European countries, the US and wealthy Arab states, including an underwater tunnel which Israel would allow to be dug between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Egypt, the paper said, has been promised a whopping $65 billion to help boost its economy which is currently in shambles.
The plan also says Palestinian refugees in Syria, Iraq and other Arab countries would receive citizenship in exchange for generous assistance to the host countries.
The Israeli paper, however, cast doubt on the viability of the "plan of generous financial compensation and empty tracts of land for new housing".
"The problem is that the Palestinian refugees are the supreme symbols of Palestinian nationhood," it said.
"An American deal that blatantly relies on buying up that symbol for cash, even lots of it, can't be acceptable to the Palestinian leaders in the West Bank and Gaza," it added.
The Trump administration is set to unveil the economic portion of the so-called “deal of the century” during a conference in Manama, Bahrain, on June 25-26.
All Palestinian factions have boycotted the event, accusing Washington of offering financial rewards for accepting the Israeli occupation.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have said they will send delegations to the Manama forum and Israel’s Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon has said he intends to attend.
Hundreds of thousands protested on the last Friday of Ramadan in about 30 countries around the world to mark the International Quds Day.
Associations and national factions in different countries organized mass rallies to express their support of Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause and their rejection of the "deal of the century" which is expected to be launched by the end of June in Bahrain.
The demonstrations included countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, India, the US, Australia, as well as other countries in Europe and Africa.
Associations and national factions in different countries organized mass rallies to express their support of Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause and their rejection of the "deal of the century" which is expected to be launched by the end of June in Bahrain.
The demonstrations included countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, India, the US, Australia, as well as other countries in Europe and Africa.
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Thousands took to the streets in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa on Friday in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation. The protests were part of the worldwide Quds Day protests which take place on the last Friday of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadaan.
In Nigeria, demonstrations took place in Yobe State, Katsina, and Sokoto State while hundreds gathered at the National mosque in the capital, Abuja. Protesters called on Israel to end its occupation of Palestine and criticized Muhammadu Buhari’s normalization of ties with Israel. The Nigerian government has invited Israeli leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, to attend Democracy Day celebrations on June 12. |
If Netanyahu were to honor the invitation, it would be the first time in 61 years that an Israeli prime minister set foot on Nigerian soil. According to Israel’s ambassador to Nigeria, Shimon Ben-Shosan, Israel also wants Buhari to visit Israel.
In Mombasa, Kenyans lambasted the Trump administration’s “Deal of the Century” and called it an imperialist deal. “Palestine is not for sale,” was the message of the Kenya Palestine Solidarity Movement and its supporters. Smaller protests were also held in the capital, Nairobi.
In Johannesburg, South African protesters gathered at the Johannesburg City Council to call on the City Council to adopt a motion to rename Sandton Drive after Palestinian resistance icon, Leila Khaled. According to spokesperson, Alex Mdakane, a motion to rename the road was brought to council by the ANC in November 2018, which passed with a majority.
“To date, however, the Democratic Alliance-led executive, under Mayor Herman Mashaba, is preventing the implementation of this street name change,” explained Mdakane. Protest actions were also held in Cape Town.
- Source: Afro-Palestine Newswire Service
In Mombasa, Kenyans lambasted the Trump administration’s “Deal of the Century” and called it an imperialist deal. “Palestine is not for sale,” was the message of the Kenya Palestine Solidarity Movement and its supporters. Smaller protests were also held in the capital, Nairobi.
In Johannesburg, South African protesters gathered at the Johannesburg City Council to call on the City Council to adopt a motion to rename Sandton Drive after Palestinian resistance icon, Leila Khaled. According to spokesperson, Alex Mdakane, a motion to rename the road was brought to council by the ANC in November 2018, which passed with a majority.
“To date, however, the Democratic Alliance-led executive, under Mayor Herman Mashaba, is preventing the implementation of this street name change,” explained Mdakane. Protest actions were also held in Cape Town.
- Source: Afro-Palestine Newswire Service
