Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israel’s Ministry of the Interior is expected to approve could become the most populous single settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories since 1967, an Israeli newspaper reported on Wendesday.
The Hebrew-language daily Ma’ariv stated that the project, prepared by both the Ministry of the Interior and the Jerusalem Municipality, calls for the construction of 14,000 housing units for 40,000 Jewish Israelis on 3,000 dunums (three square kilometers) of land near the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
The land in question is owned by Palestinians in the West Bank village of Al-Walaja, sandwiched between the settlement of Gilo and the Gush Etzion settlement bloc.
The newspaper added that the project is supported by senior political leaders in the ruling Likud party and far right parties, who want to expand and consolidate the ring of settlements around Jerusalem.
Maariv notes that the project “faces two obstacles, firstly the large number of the Palestinian homes in the village of Al-Walaja which were built without licenses under Israeli law and will be demolished.
The second obstacle, the newspaper says “is the committee that was formed in Al-Walaja to defend the lands of the village and is trying to stop the confiscations and home demolition. This committee is supported by the Israeli leftist parties. There is also European Union support and American intervention in this issue.”
Despite these obstacles those who support this project will go on with their project demolishing all of the Palestinian homes that were built “illegally”.
The new project is unique in that the bloc of 14,000 units are proposed to be build in one go, whereas previous settlements were built in stages.
Source:
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Facebook shuts Obama be killed poll, Secret Service is investigating
Screen shot of "Should Obama be killed" poll courtesy of the Huffington PostRight wing loonies are at it again - this time posting a highly inappropriate online poll on the popular social networking site Facebook. The poll asks, "Should Obama be killed?" and implies that passage of health care reform is reason enough to kill the President. Some people might find it funny to post such a poll but given the highly polarized divide between the right and left, the political atmosphere is reaching a dangerous crescendo that may be getting close to boiling point.
I understand that the health care debate has strong opinions on both sides but there are those who want to use the issue to stoke hate, division and violence. It is a level of discourse that we cannot allow or encourage because there may be lone wolves who are just waiting for their fuse to be lit.
Last week US Department of Commerce and Bureau of Census employee Bill Sparkman, 51 was found hanging naked in the Daniel Boone National Forest, Clay County, Kentucky. Mr. Sparkman had the word "FED" scrawled across his chest.
A witness Jerry Weaver of Fairfield, Ohio, said that he was among a group of relatives who discovered the body of Bill Sparkman on Sept. 12. Weaver found the part-time census worker's body hanging in a Kentucky cemetery naked and his hands and feet were bound with duct tape. Sparkman was a substitute teacher who worked part-time for the census. The coroners office released a terse statement saying Sparkman died from asphyxiation.
We don't want another Bill Sparkman.
Anger against the government is not a reason to kill. We have an electoral process to settle scores. To encourage violence and hatred over the power of the ballot box is irresponsible and in some cases, it may cross over the liberties the First Amendment grants us.
Clearly, the architect of the Facebook poll knew what he or she was doing. In my humble opinion, there was intent to stoke the flames of racial division, anger and hate. People do not have a right to scream fire in a theater and may be held culpable for any injuries or death that may result from a stampede.
Last month GOP gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell's repeated "jokes" about hunting President Barack Obama has received national play in the mainstream media and on the Web that included praises in right wing and racist blogs. In a Maryland town hall meeting, a man held up a sign that said "Death to Obama" and "Death to Michelle and her two stupid kids."
The tea parties that happened last month were also full of incendiary language and imagery. Take a look around the 5 minute mark of this YouTube video. Statements that the President would round up "anglo-saxons" are clearly aimed at stoking fear and violence and igniting the fringe and perhaps the violent psychotic few.
These times are tense and it is never a good time to be joking about assassinations. If people want to talk about health care, do so in civilized and thoughtful way. Hitler imagery, gun carrying protesters to presidential events and threats of violence do not advance the discourse on health care. The United States has many problems and we face uncertain times but it is never appropriate to call for the death of the President of the United States or anyone for that matter.
Unfortunately, there are a few who may take after Lynette Fromme and John Hinckley, Jr and all they need is a hair trigger to set them off on a mission. I hope the United States Secret Service finds the sick individual that created the poll along with 731 people who participated.
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Monday, September 21, 2009
Brzezinski: U.S. should forcibly prevent IAF strike on Iran
Zbigniew Brzezinski, the former national security adviser to U.S. President Jimmy Carter, said on Sunday that U.S. forces should forcibly prevent the Israel Air Force from reaching Iran to strike its nuclear facilities.
In an interview with news Web site the Daily Beast, Brzezinski said that the U.S. forces were "not exactly impotent little babies," saying that Israel forces have "to fly over our airspace in Iraq. Are we just going to sit there and watch?"
When asked what should the United States do in case Israeli jets fly over Iraq anyway, the former national security advisor said the United States would "have to be serious about denying them that right."
"That means a denial where you aren't just saying it. If they fly over, you go up and confront them," Brzezinski said, adding that Israeli fighters would then "have the choice of turning back or not."
Brzezinski added that "No one wishes for this but it could be a Liberty in reverse," referring to the IDF attack on the U.S.S. Liberty during the Six Day War, which Israel claims was a case of mistaken identity.
Late last year, Brzezinski had told Haaretz that Israel could do harm to its relations with the United States if it insisted on lobbying Washington for an American military strike on Iran.
Brzezinski told Haaretz: "One [piece of] advice that I would give the Israeli government is not to engage in this campaign for an American attack on Iran, because I don't think America is going to attack Iran, and if it did, and the consequences would be disastrous."
On Sunday Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told CNN that Israeli President Shimon Peres told him that Israel would not launch an attack on Iran..
The Russian president described such an attack as "the worst thing that can be imagined." He said Peres made the comment at a meeting in the Russian resort of Sochi in August.
"When he visited me in Sochi, Israeli President Peres said something important for us all: 'Israel does not plan to launch any strikes on Iran, we are a peaceful country and we will not do this'," Medvedev said in the interview, which was recorded on Tuesday, according to a Kremlin transcript.
Source:
In an interview with news Web site the Daily Beast, Brzezinski said that the U.S. forces were "not exactly impotent little babies," saying that Israel forces have "to fly over our airspace in Iraq. Are we just going to sit there and watch?"
When asked what should the United States do in case Israeli jets fly over Iraq anyway, the former national security advisor said the United States would "have to be serious about denying them that right."
"That means a denial where you aren't just saying it. If they fly over, you go up and confront them," Brzezinski said, adding that Israeli fighters would then "have the choice of turning back or not."
Brzezinski added that "No one wishes for this but it could be a Liberty in reverse," referring to the IDF attack on the U.S.S. Liberty during the Six Day War, which Israel claims was a case of mistaken identity.
Late last year, Brzezinski had told Haaretz that Israel could do harm to its relations with the United States if it insisted on lobbying Washington for an American military strike on Iran.
Brzezinski told Haaretz: "One [piece of] advice that I would give the Israeli government is not to engage in this campaign for an American attack on Iran, because I don't think America is going to attack Iran, and if it did, and the consequences would be disastrous."
On Sunday Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told CNN that Israeli President Shimon Peres told him that Israel would not launch an attack on Iran..
The Russian president described such an attack as "the worst thing that can be imagined." He said Peres made the comment at a meeting in the Russian resort of Sochi in August.
"When he visited me in Sochi, Israeli President Peres said something important for us all: 'Israel does not plan to launch any strikes on Iran, we are a peaceful country and we will not do this'," Medvedev said in the interview, which was recorded on Tuesday, according to a Kremlin transcript.
Source:
Friday, September 18, 2009
King warns Israel trying to create political vacuum
AMMAN (JT) - His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday underlined the need to prevent any Israeli scheme to forestall peace negotiations in an attempt to create a vacuum that Israel will use to maintain the status quo.
At a meeting with visiting US envoy for the Middle East George Mitchell, King Abdullah said Israel will use such a stalemate to continue building settlements and proceed with its unilateral measures that undermine the possibility of establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.
His Majesty cautioned against wasting the opportunity currently at hand to bring about peace, saying it is a must that these measures be stopped, especially the construction of settlements.
Launching negotiations that lead to peace is a priority that all should work to realise, King Abdullah said, adding that the alternative is a political vacuum that will only increase tension and conflict in the region.
The Monarch underlined the leading role the US plays in these negotiations and the need to put in place mechanisms that ensure the internationally accepted two-state solution is implemented within a specific time frame.
King Abdullah said it is important to extend all Arab and international support to the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his efforts to realise the rights of the Palestinians, especially their right to independence and statehood, through negotiations, which the King said should start as soon as possible.
His Majesty also said he highly valued Mitchell's efforts and US President Barack Obama's stand considering an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as a strategic US interest.
The King said he was looking forward to working with Obama to achieve a lasting and permanent peace in the region in accordance with the relevant terms of reference that ensure the creation of an independent Palestinian state on Palestinian national soil.
The US envoy briefed the King on the outcome of his talks in the region with a view towards launching Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.
In remarks after the meeting with King Abdullah, Mitchell described the meeting as "excellent", stressing that the US and Jordan are strongly committed to realising a comprehensive peace by resolving the conflict based on the two-state solution.
The envoy said his country urges the Israelis, the Palestinians and the Arabs to take tangible steps to create a positive atmosphere for relaunching the peace process.
Also Thursday, Mitchell held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in his bid to push for a resumption of talks, Reuters reported.
After meetings with Mubarak, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman that lasted more than two hours, Mitchell made a short statement to reporters.
"We reiterated the shared commitment of the United States and Egypt to comprehensive peace in the Middle East including an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on a two-state solution," Mitchell said.
"The United States is asking all the parties - Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab states - to take responsibility for peace through concrete actions that will help create a positive context for the relaunch of negotiations," he added.
Mitchell met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and will meet him again on Friday to push for a West Bank settlement freeze, a key demand of the United States and the Palestinians.
Mitchell did not comment on whether a planned meeting at next week's United Nations General Assembly between US President Barack Obama, Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would go ahead.
Abbas has made a resumption of peace negotiations with Israel, suspended since December, conditional on halting settlement activity as stipulated by a US-backed 2003 peace "roadmap" charting a course towards Palestinian statehood.
Netanyahu has said he would be prepared to temporarily limit the scope of building but projects under way would continue.
Mubarak called on Israel to stop all settlement activities and resume talks with Palestinians in a meeting with Netanyahu in Cairo on Sunday.
Source:
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Justice in Gaza
By RICHARD GOLDSTONE
Published: September 17, 2009
I ACCEPTED with hesitation my United Nations mandate to investigate alleged violations of the laws of war and international human rights during Israel’s three-week war in Gaza last winter. The issue is deeply charged and politically loaded. I accepted because the mandate of the mission was to look at all parties: Israel; Hamas, which controls Gaza; and other armed Palestinian groups. I accepted because my fellow commissioners are professionals committed to an objective, fact-based investigation.
But above all, I accepted because I believe deeply in the rule of law and the laws of war, and the principle that in armed conflict civilians should to the greatest extent possible be protected from harm.
In the fighting in Gaza, all sides flouted that fundamental principle. Many civilians unnecessarily died and even more were seriously hurt. In Israel, three civilians were killed and hundreds wounded by rockets from Gaza fired by Hamas and other groups. Two Palestinian girls also lost their lives when these rockets misfired.
In Gaza, hundreds of civilians died. They died from disproportionate attacks on legitimate military targets and from attacks on hospitals and other civilian structures. They died from precision weapons like missiles from aerial drones as well as from heavy artillery. Repeatedly, the Israel Defense Forces failed to adequately distinguish between combatants and civilians, as the laws of war strictly require.
Israel is correct that identifying combatants in a heavily populated area is difficult, and that Hamas fighters at times mixed and mingled with civilians. But that reality did not lift Israel’s obligation to take all feasible measures to minimize harm to civilians.
Our fact-finding team found that in many cases Israel could have done much more to spare civilians without sacrificing its stated and legitimate military aims. It should have refrained from attacking clearly civilian buildings, and from actions that might have resulted in a military advantage but at the cost of too many civilian lives. In these cases, Israel must investigate, and Hamas is obliged to do the same. They must examine what happened and appropriately punish any soldier or commander found to have violated the law.
Unfortunately, both Israel and Hamas have dismal records of investigating their own forces. I am unaware of any case where a Hamas fighter was punished for deliberately shooting a rocket into a civilian area in Israel — on the contrary, Hamas leaders repeatedly praise such acts. While Israel has begun investigations into alleged violations by its forces in the Gaza conflict, they are unlikely to be serious and objective.
Absent credible local investigations, the international community has a role to play. If justice for civilian victims cannot be obtained through local authorities, then foreign governments must act. There are various mechanisms through which to pursue international justice. The International Criminal Court and the exercise of universal jurisdiction by other countries against violators of the Geneva Conventions are among them. But they all share one overarching aim: to hold accountable those who violate the laws of war. They are built on the premise that abusive fighters and their commanders can face justice, even if their government or ruling authority is not willing to take that step.
Pursuing justice in this case is essential because no state or armed group should be above the law. Western governments in particular face a challenge because they have pushed for accountability in places like Darfur, but now must do the same with Israel, an ally and a democratic state.
Failing to pursue justice for serious violations during the fighting will have a deeply corrosive effect on international justice, and reveal an unacceptable hypocrisy. As a service to the hundreds of civilians who needlessly died and for the equal application of international justice, the perpetrators of serious violations must be held to account.
Richard Goldstone, the former chief prosecutor for war-crime tribunals on Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, is the head of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict.
Source:
Published: September 17, 2009
I ACCEPTED with hesitation my United Nations mandate to investigate alleged violations of the laws of war and international human rights during Israel’s three-week war in Gaza last winter. The issue is deeply charged and politically loaded. I accepted because the mandate of the mission was to look at all parties: Israel; Hamas, which controls Gaza; and other armed Palestinian groups. I accepted because my fellow commissioners are professionals committed to an objective, fact-based investigation.
But above all, I accepted because I believe deeply in the rule of law and the laws of war, and the principle that in armed conflict civilians should to the greatest extent possible be protected from harm.
In the fighting in Gaza, all sides flouted that fundamental principle. Many civilians unnecessarily died and even more were seriously hurt. In Israel, three civilians were killed and hundreds wounded by rockets from Gaza fired by Hamas and other groups. Two Palestinian girls also lost their lives when these rockets misfired.
In Gaza, hundreds of civilians died. They died from disproportionate attacks on legitimate military targets and from attacks on hospitals and other civilian structures. They died from precision weapons like missiles from aerial drones as well as from heavy artillery. Repeatedly, the Israel Defense Forces failed to adequately distinguish between combatants and civilians, as the laws of war strictly require.
Israel is correct that identifying combatants in a heavily populated area is difficult, and that Hamas fighters at times mixed and mingled with civilians. But that reality did not lift Israel’s obligation to take all feasible measures to minimize harm to civilians.
Our fact-finding team found that in many cases Israel could have done much more to spare civilians without sacrificing its stated and legitimate military aims. It should have refrained from attacking clearly civilian buildings, and from actions that might have resulted in a military advantage but at the cost of too many civilian lives. In these cases, Israel must investigate, and Hamas is obliged to do the same. They must examine what happened and appropriately punish any soldier or commander found to have violated the law.
Unfortunately, both Israel and Hamas have dismal records of investigating their own forces. I am unaware of any case where a Hamas fighter was punished for deliberately shooting a rocket into a civilian area in Israel — on the contrary, Hamas leaders repeatedly praise such acts. While Israel has begun investigations into alleged violations by its forces in the Gaza conflict, they are unlikely to be serious and objective.
Absent credible local investigations, the international community has a role to play. If justice for civilian victims cannot be obtained through local authorities, then foreign governments must act. There are various mechanisms through which to pursue international justice. The International Criminal Court and the exercise of universal jurisdiction by other countries against violators of the Geneva Conventions are among them. But they all share one overarching aim: to hold accountable those who violate the laws of war. They are built on the premise that abusive fighters and their commanders can face justice, even if their government or ruling authority is not willing to take that step.
Pursuing justice in this case is essential because no state or armed group should be above the law. Western governments in particular face a challenge because they have pushed for accountability in places like Darfur, but now must do the same with Israel, an ally and a democratic state.
Failing to pursue justice for serious violations during the fighting will have a deeply corrosive effect on international justice, and reveal an unacceptable hypocrisy. As a service to the hundreds of civilians who needlessly died and for the equal application of international justice, the perpetrators of serious violations must be held to account.
Richard Goldstone, the former chief prosecutor for war-crime tribunals on Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, is the head of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict.
Source:
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The one thing worse than denying the Gaza report
On Friday an Israel Defense Forces soldier called to protest the publication of another story in Haaretz which in his words, tainted not only the troops' image but also his Sabbath day.
The soldier was referring to Gaza resident Zinat Samouni's account of how soldiers killed her 46-year-old husband and their 4-year-old son Ahmed - just two of the 29 people of the same family the army killed between January 4 and 5.
The soldier, who said he participated in the fighting, said he didn't believe the women's statements were true, though he did believe soldiers "scrawled stupid things on the walls, and that's really not right."
This is a common Israeli solution - in this case, to admit to the graffiti's existence, but downplay its seriousness or view it as everyday Israeli high jinks.
Everything else can be denied. It can always be said that photographs of civilians killed were fabricated. The Palestinians' accounts can be dismissed as lies, intrigues of Hamas, embellishment or, at best, facts taken out of context since Gazans are, after all, afraid of what Hamas would do to them if they told the truth.
Jurists will argue over the meaning of international law and will suggest contradicting analyses. Politicians will justifiably note that the United States does not have commissions of inquiry thrust upon it by the United Nations. Others will say that if Judge Richard Goldstone was reliable enough to be a prosecutor in the International Criminal Court cases on Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and his Pakistani colleague Hina Jilani was fit to participate in the international investigation into Darfur, there is no reason to suddenly cast doubt on their credentials now that they are examining Israel's deeds in Gaza. The Goldstone Commission's findings are in line with what anyone who didn't shut his or her eyes and ears to witness testimony already knows.
B'Tselem, Breaking the Silence, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Haaretz and the international media - to Israelis, these have all fallen into the trash bin of the mendacious Palestinians. In the best case, they have become trapped in their own pure-hearted naivete, and in the worst, into collaborating with efforts to besmirch Israel and bolster prejudices against it. Like the Serbs of yore, we Israelis continue thinking it's the world that is wrong, and only we who are right.
Israel struck a civilian population that remains under its control, it didn't fulfill its obligation to distinguish between civilians and militants and used military force disproportionate with the tangible threat to its own civilians. Air Force drones and helicopters fired deadly missiles at civilians, many of them children; the Tank Corps and Navy shelled civilian neighborhoods with weapons not designed for precision strikes; soldiers received orders to fire on rescue crews; others fired on civilians carrying white flags; and others killed people in or near their homes. Troops used Gazans as human shields, soldiers detained civilians in abusive conditions, the army used white phosphorus shells in dense civilian areas and, on the eve of withdrawing, destroyed wide residential, industrial and agricultural areas.
There is only thing worse than denial - the admission that the IDF indeed acted as has been described, but that these actions are both normal and appropriate.
Source:
The soldier was referring to Gaza resident Zinat Samouni's account of how soldiers killed her 46-year-old husband and their 4-year-old son Ahmed - just two of the 29 people of the same family the army killed between January 4 and 5.
The soldier, who said he participated in the fighting, said he didn't believe the women's statements were true, though he did believe soldiers "scrawled stupid things on the walls, and that's really not right."
This is a common Israeli solution - in this case, to admit to the graffiti's existence, but downplay its seriousness or view it as everyday Israeli high jinks.
Everything else can be denied. It can always be said that photographs of civilians killed were fabricated. The Palestinians' accounts can be dismissed as lies, intrigues of Hamas, embellishment or, at best, facts taken out of context since Gazans are, after all, afraid of what Hamas would do to them if they told the truth.
Jurists will argue over the meaning of international law and will suggest contradicting analyses. Politicians will justifiably note that the United States does not have commissions of inquiry thrust upon it by the United Nations. Others will say that if Judge Richard Goldstone was reliable enough to be a prosecutor in the International Criminal Court cases on Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and his Pakistani colleague Hina Jilani was fit to participate in the international investigation into Darfur, there is no reason to suddenly cast doubt on their credentials now that they are examining Israel's deeds in Gaza. The Goldstone Commission's findings are in line with what anyone who didn't shut his or her eyes and ears to witness testimony already knows.
B'Tselem, Breaking the Silence, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Haaretz and the international media - to Israelis, these have all fallen into the trash bin of the mendacious Palestinians. In the best case, they have become trapped in their own pure-hearted naivete, and in the worst, into collaborating with efforts to besmirch Israel and bolster prejudices against it. Like the Serbs of yore, we Israelis continue thinking it's the world that is wrong, and only we who are right.
Israel struck a civilian population that remains under its control, it didn't fulfill its obligation to distinguish between civilians and militants and used military force disproportionate with the tangible threat to its own civilians. Air Force drones and helicopters fired deadly missiles at civilians, many of them children; the Tank Corps and Navy shelled civilian neighborhoods with weapons not designed for precision strikes; soldiers received orders to fire on rescue crews; others fired on civilians carrying white flags; and others killed people in or near their homes. Troops used Gazans as human shields, soldiers detained civilians in abusive conditions, the army used white phosphorus shells in dense civilian areas and, on the eve of withdrawing, destroyed wide residential, industrial and agricultural areas.
There is only thing worse than denial - the admission that the IDF indeed acted as has been described, but that these actions are both normal and appropriate.
Source:
Israel seeks Obama backing over Gaza war probe
Israel Wednesday asked a number of senior members of the Obama administration to assist in curbing the international fallout from the Goldstone Commission report released this week, which accuses Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead.
The Foreign Ministry decided Wednesday to focus their efforts to combat the report's accusations on the United States, Russia and a few other members of the United Nations Security Council and the Human Rights Council that are involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Israeli message is that the Goldstone report threatens those countries because it makes the war on terror very difficult, and therefore efforts must be made to prevent it from being brought before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the issue Wednesday with U.S. special Middle East envoy George Mitchell, while Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon discussed it with U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice and other senior officials.
The international commission appointed by the UN Human Rights Council and headed by Judge Richard Goldstone accuses Israel of war crimes, and is passing on its recommendations to the ICC in The Hague.
According to the report: "Some of the actions of the Government of Israel might justify a competent court finding that crimes against humanity have been committed," and "...the Mission finds that there have been a number of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law."
The Foreign Ministry has established a forum of legal experts to follow any lawsuits that could be filed as a result of the report and to prepare for a scenario in which a suit would be brought forward in The Hague.
Ayalon, who is on a working visit to the United States, began Tuesday to transmit messages to senior members of the U.S. administration and Congress on the need to object to the report. He noted that the same approach that was taken to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 equating Zionism with racism needs to be taken regarding the Goldstone report.
President Shimon Peres Wednesday released a statement saying that the Goldstone report "made a mockery of history."
The Prime Minister's Office decided Wednesday that Peres would take the front lines in Israel's campaign against the report. Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman would not express themselves publicly on the matter, but would engage in quiet diplomacy.
Senior Foreign Ministry officials said Wednesday that Israel's decision not to cooperate with the Goldstone Commission was the right one. They insisted this was the case, despite the fact that every Israeli who testified before the Goldstone Commission independently, like Noam Shalit, father of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, had an impact on the report and Goldstone himself related to each of the Israeli testimonies.
"We knew the report was going to be harsh, but Goldstone surprised us with how harsh," a senior Foreign Ministry official said. "It just goes to show we were right not to cooperate. If we would have, we would have legitimized this scandal."
The 575-page report describes 36 specific cases in which the IDF ostensibly broke international laws. A great many of the cases were already investigated by the IDF following the operation, within the units that took part in the fighting and by five committees established by order of Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi. In most cases, the investigations determined that the soldiers acted according to orders as well as international law. However, it has not yet been decided whether to make public use of the material gathered by the IDF to refute the findings of the Goldstone panel, or to leave it as evidence in the event that suits are brought against specific Israel Defense Forces officers abroad.
The IDF and the Justice Ministry are concerned that the report will make it difficult for Israeli officers to travel abroad. A joint panel of the Justice Ministry, IDF and Foreign Ministry already has a team of legal experts that advise officers not to leave the country and in some cases has prevented them from visiting specific countries.
Every soldier and officer is required to undergo a security briefing before traveling abroad; over the past year, some officers who have participated in the fighting in Gaza, particularly if their names have appeared in the media, are required to undergo a special briefing.
Legal sources said that civilian experts are mainly involved in dealing with the issue, rather than the Military Advocate General's office.
Other than its participation in the joint panel, the IDF has officially declined to respond to the allegations in the Goldstone report. The army has decided to leave responses to criticism abroad of its actions to the Foreign Ministry.
Following Operation Cast Lead, Haaretz revealed a directive by the IDF not to publish the names and photos of battalion commanders who took part in the operation due to fear of legal reprisals against them. A few months later, the IDF reversed itself on the matter.
Israel is concerned that officers, and even senior government officials and ministers who were involved in approving the operation, would be at risk of being arrested in any country that is a signatory to the treaty recognizing the ICC in The Hague and is therefore obligated to respect its arrest warrants.
The authorities are particularly concerned about officers visiting countries that allow their legal systems "universal jurisdiction" - following complaints filed by private citizens or the initiatives of investigative judges - to try an individual suspected of war crimes in another country. Such countries include Britain, Belgium, Spain and Norway.
To date, there has only been one case of an IDF officer at risk of being tried in a foreign country - Maj. Gen. Doron Almog, former GOC Southern Command - who had to remain on board the plane when he flew to London and return to Israel for fear of being arrested, after a Palestinian group filed a suit against him for war crimes.
Source:
The Foreign Ministry decided Wednesday to focus their efforts to combat the report's accusations on the United States, Russia and a few other members of the United Nations Security Council and the Human Rights Council that are involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Israeli message is that the Goldstone report threatens those countries because it makes the war on terror very difficult, and therefore efforts must be made to prevent it from being brought before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the issue Wednesday with U.S. special Middle East envoy George Mitchell, while Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon discussed it with U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice and other senior officials.
The international commission appointed by the UN Human Rights Council and headed by Judge Richard Goldstone accuses Israel of war crimes, and is passing on its recommendations to the ICC in The Hague.
According to the report: "Some of the actions of the Government of Israel might justify a competent court finding that crimes against humanity have been committed," and "...the Mission finds that there have been a number of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law."
The Foreign Ministry has established a forum of legal experts to follow any lawsuits that could be filed as a result of the report and to prepare for a scenario in which a suit would be brought forward in The Hague.
Ayalon, who is on a working visit to the United States, began Tuesday to transmit messages to senior members of the U.S. administration and Congress on the need to object to the report. He noted that the same approach that was taken to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 equating Zionism with racism needs to be taken regarding the Goldstone report.
President Shimon Peres Wednesday released a statement saying that the Goldstone report "made a mockery of history."
The Prime Minister's Office decided Wednesday that Peres would take the front lines in Israel's campaign against the report. Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman would not express themselves publicly on the matter, but would engage in quiet diplomacy.
Senior Foreign Ministry officials said Wednesday that Israel's decision not to cooperate with the Goldstone Commission was the right one. They insisted this was the case, despite the fact that every Israeli who testified before the Goldstone Commission independently, like Noam Shalit, father of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, had an impact on the report and Goldstone himself related to each of the Israeli testimonies.
"We knew the report was going to be harsh, but Goldstone surprised us with how harsh," a senior Foreign Ministry official said. "It just goes to show we were right not to cooperate. If we would have, we would have legitimized this scandal."
The 575-page report describes 36 specific cases in which the IDF ostensibly broke international laws. A great many of the cases were already investigated by the IDF following the operation, within the units that took part in the fighting and by five committees established by order of Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi. In most cases, the investigations determined that the soldiers acted according to orders as well as international law. However, it has not yet been decided whether to make public use of the material gathered by the IDF to refute the findings of the Goldstone panel, or to leave it as evidence in the event that suits are brought against specific Israel Defense Forces officers abroad.
The IDF and the Justice Ministry are concerned that the report will make it difficult for Israeli officers to travel abroad. A joint panel of the Justice Ministry, IDF and Foreign Ministry already has a team of legal experts that advise officers not to leave the country and in some cases has prevented them from visiting specific countries.
Every soldier and officer is required to undergo a security briefing before traveling abroad; over the past year, some officers who have participated in the fighting in Gaza, particularly if their names have appeared in the media, are required to undergo a special briefing.
Legal sources said that civilian experts are mainly involved in dealing with the issue, rather than the Military Advocate General's office.
Other than its participation in the joint panel, the IDF has officially declined to respond to the allegations in the Goldstone report. The army has decided to leave responses to criticism abroad of its actions to the Foreign Ministry.
Following Operation Cast Lead, Haaretz revealed a directive by the IDF not to publish the names and photos of battalion commanders who took part in the operation due to fear of legal reprisals against them. A few months later, the IDF reversed itself on the matter.
Israel is concerned that officers, and even senior government officials and ministers who were involved in approving the operation, would be at risk of being arrested in any country that is a signatory to the treaty recognizing the ICC in The Hague and is therefore obligated to respect its arrest warrants.
The authorities are particularly concerned about officers visiting countries that allow their legal systems "universal jurisdiction" - following complaints filed by private citizens or the initiatives of investigative judges - to try an individual suspected of war crimes in another country. Such countries include Britain, Belgium, Spain and Norway.
To date, there has only been one case of an IDF officer at risk of being tried in a foreign country - Maj. Gen. Doron Almog, former GOC Southern Command - who had to remain on board the plane when he flew to London and return to Israel for fear of being arrested, after a Palestinian group filed a suit against him for war crimes.
Source:
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Israel soldiers speak out on Gaza
A group of soldiers who took part in Israel's assault in Gaza say widespread abuses were committed against civilians under "permissive" rules of engagement.
The troops said they had been urged to fire on any building or person that seemed suspicious and said Palestinians were sometimes used as human shields.
Breaking the Silence, a campaign group made up of Israeli soldiers, gathered anonymous accounts from 26 soldiers.
Israel denies breaking the laws of war and dismissed the report as hearsay.
The report says testimonies show "the massive and unprecedented blow to the infrastructure and civilians" was a result of Israeli military policy, articulated by the rules of engagement, and encouraged by a belief "the reality of war requires them to shoot and not to ask questions".
One soldier is quoted saying: "The soldiers were made to understand that their lives were the most important, and that there was no way our soldiers would get killed for the sake of leaving civilians the benefit of the doubt."
Another says: "People were not instructed to shoot at everyone they see, but they were told that from a certain distance when they approach a house, no matter who it is - even an old woman - take them down."
Many of the testimonies are in line with claims made by human rights organisations that Israeli military action in Gaza was indiscriminate and disproportionate.
Amnesty International has accused both Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in charge in Gaza, of committing war crimes during the 22-day conflict which ended on 18 January.
Israeli officials insist troops went to great lengths to protect civilians, that Hamas endangered non-combatants by firing from civilian areas and that homes and buildings were destroyed only when there was a specific military need to do so.
'Ill discipline'
Other allegations in the testimonies of the 14 conscripts and 12 reserve soldiers include:
• Civilians were used as human shields, entering buildings ahead of soldiers
• Large swathes of homes and buildings were demolished as a precaution or to secure clear lines of fire for the future.
• Some of the troops had a generally aggressive, ill-disciplined attitude
• There was incidents of vandalism of property of Palestinians
• Soldiers fired at water tanks because they were bored, at a time of severe water shortages for Gazans
• White phosphorus was used in civilian areas in a way some soldiers saw as gratuitous and reckless
• Many of the soldiers said there had been very little direct engagement with Palestinian militants.
The report says Israeli troops and the people who justify their actions are "slid[ing] together down the moral slippery slope".
"This is an urgent call to Israeli society and its leaders to sober up and investigate anew the results of our actions," Breaking the Silence says.
Israel said the purpose of Operation Cast Lead had been to end rocket fire from Gaza aimed at its southern towns.
Palestinian rights groups say about 1,400 Palestinians died during the operation. Thirteen Israelis died in the conflict, including 10 soldiers serving in Gaza.
According to the UN, the campaign damaged or destroyed more than 50,000 homes, 800 industrial properties, 200 schools, 39 mosques and two churches.
Investigations
Reacting to the report, Israeli military spokeswoman Lt Col Avital Leibovich said:
"The IDF [Israel Defence Forces] regrets the fact that another human rights organisation has come out with a report based on anonymous and general testimony - without investigating their credibility."
She dismissed the document as "hearsay and word of mouth".
"The IDF expects every soldier to turn to the appropriate authorities with any allegation," Lt Col Leibovich added. "This is even more important where the harm is to non-combatants. The IDF has uncompromising ethical values which continue to guide us in every mission."
There have been several investigations into the conduct of Israel's operation in Gaza, and both Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that runs the territory, have faced accusations of war crimes.
An internal investigations by the Israeli military said troops fought lawfully, although errors did take place, such as the deaths of 21 people in a house that had been wrongly targeted.
A fact-finding team commissioned by the Arab League concluded there was enough evidence to prosecute the Israeli military for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and that "the Israeli political leadership was also responsible for such crimes".
It also said Palestinian militants were guilty of war crimes in their use of indiscriminate rocket attacks on civilians.
Source:
The troops said they had been urged to fire on any building or person that seemed suspicious and said Palestinians were sometimes used as human shields.
Breaking the Silence, a campaign group made up of Israeli soldiers, gathered anonymous accounts from 26 soldiers.
Israel denies breaking the laws of war and dismissed the report as hearsay.
The report says testimonies show "the massive and unprecedented blow to the infrastructure and civilians" was a result of Israeli military policy, articulated by the rules of engagement, and encouraged by a belief "the reality of war requires them to shoot and not to ask questions".
One soldier is quoted saying: "The soldiers were made to understand that their lives were the most important, and that there was no way our soldiers would get killed for the sake of leaving civilians the benefit of the doubt."
Another says: "People were not instructed to shoot at everyone they see, but they were told that from a certain distance when they approach a house, no matter who it is - even an old woman - take them down."
Many of the testimonies are in line with claims made by human rights organisations that Israeli military action in Gaza was indiscriminate and disproportionate.
Amnesty International has accused both Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in charge in Gaza, of committing war crimes during the 22-day conflict which ended on 18 January.
Israeli officials insist troops went to great lengths to protect civilians, that Hamas endangered non-combatants by firing from civilian areas and that homes and buildings were destroyed only when there was a specific military need to do so.
'Ill discipline'
Other allegations in the testimonies of the 14 conscripts and 12 reserve soldiers include:
• Civilians were used as human shields, entering buildings ahead of soldiers
• Large swathes of homes and buildings were demolished as a precaution or to secure clear lines of fire for the future.
• Some of the troops had a generally aggressive, ill-disciplined attitude
• There was incidents of vandalism of property of Palestinians
• Soldiers fired at water tanks because they were bored, at a time of severe water shortages for Gazans
• White phosphorus was used in civilian areas in a way some soldiers saw as gratuitous and reckless
• Many of the soldiers said there had been very little direct engagement with Palestinian militants.
The report says Israeli troops and the people who justify their actions are "slid[ing] together down the moral slippery slope".
"This is an urgent call to Israeli society and its leaders to sober up and investigate anew the results of our actions," Breaking the Silence says.
Israel said the purpose of Operation Cast Lead had been to end rocket fire from Gaza aimed at its southern towns.
Palestinian rights groups say about 1,400 Palestinians died during the operation. Thirteen Israelis died in the conflict, including 10 soldiers serving in Gaza.
According to the UN, the campaign damaged or destroyed more than 50,000 homes, 800 industrial properties, 200 schools, 39 mosques and two churches.
Investigations
Reacting to the report, Israeli military spokeswoman Lt Col Avital Leibovich said:
"The IDF [Israel Defence Forces] regrets the fact that another human rights organisation has come out with a report based on anonymous and general testimony - without investigating their credibility."
She dismissed the document as "hearsay and word of mouth".
"The IDF expects every soldier to turn to the appropriate authorities with any allegation," Lt Col Leibovich added. "This is even more important where the harm is to non-combatants. The IDF has uncompromising ethical values which continue to guide us in every mission."
There have been several investigations into the conduct of Israel's operation in Gaza, and both Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that runs the territory, have faced accusations of war crimes.
An internal investigations by the Israeli military said troops fought lawfully, although errors did take place, such as the deaths of 21 people in a house that had been wrongly targeted.
A fact-finding team commissioned by the Arab League concluded there was enough evidence to prosecute the Israeli military for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and that "the Israeli political leadership was also responsible for such crimes".
It also said Palestinian militants were guilty of war crimes in their use of indiscriminate rocket attacks on civilians.
Source:
Monday, September 7, 2009
Anger at Israeli settlement plan
Israel has officially approved the construction of more than 450 new homes in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli defence ministry has announced.
This is the first new government-approved construction project in the West Bank since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to power in March.
It comes despite US pressure to halt settlement building.
A senior Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said the move "nullified" the effect of any future building freeze.
Palestinians have ruled out resumption of peace talks with Israel until there is a complete halt to settlement construction.
Mr Erekat said Israel's decision further undermined its credibility as a partner for peace.
"Israel's decision to approve the construction nullifies any effect that a settlement freeze, when and if announced, will have," Mr Erekat said.
"Given the choice between making peace and making settlements, they have chosen to make settlements," he added.
Mitchell visit
"Defence Minister Ehud Barak has authorised the construction of 455 housing units in settlement blocs," the Israeli defence ministry said in a statement.
It updated its earlier statement that said Mr Barak had approved the building of 366 housing units.
The homes will be built in six settlements - all of which are included in the settlement blocs that Israel wants to keep under any peace agreement, according to Israel's Haaretz newspaper.
It says the settlements include Har Gilo, Modiin Illit and Ariel.
Last week, Israeli officials announced that Mr Netanyahu would give the go-ahead for the new housing units.
The issue is expected to be discussed when Mr Netanyahu's aides meet US special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, later this week.
BBC Jerusalem correspondent Tim Franks says there is little doubt that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu is feeling pressure from the settlers - who dismissed this latest approval to build as insultingly limited.
But today's announcement can only complicate a possible resumption of meaningful peace talks with the Palestinians.
"What Netanyahu is doing is clearly at the scale of a grand deception," said Fatah spokesperson Hanan Ashrawi.
"He thinks that he can deceive the rest of the world... but what he is doing under a variety of pretexts is the continuation of settlements and at the same time demanding a price in return."
The Americans, who are trying to broker new peace negotiations, have already expressed their displeasure, our correspondent says.
They say they are trying to build credibility across the Middle East in a new Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The question for the US special envoy is whether he will, in the end, accept the Israeli version of a settlement freeze.
Close to 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem.
Some 2,500 housing units are currently under construction.
The settlements are illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
Source:
This is the first new government-approved construction project in the West Bank since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to power in March.
It comes despite US pressure to halt settlement building.
A senior Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said the move "nullified" the effect of any future building freeze.
Palestinians have ruled out resumption of peace talks with Israel until there is a complete halt to settlement construction.
Mr Erekat said Israel's decision further undermined its credibility as a partner for peace.
"Israel's decision to approve the construction nullifies any effect that a settlement freeze, when and if announced, will have," Mr Erekat said.
"Given the choice between making peace and making settlements, they have chosen to make settlements," he added.
Mitchell visit
"Defence Minister Ehud Barak has authorised the construction of 455 housing units in settlement blocs," the Israeli defence ministry said in a statement.
It updated its earlier statement that said Mr Barak had approved the building of 366 housing units.
The homes will be built in six settlements - all of which are included in the settlement blocs that Israel wants to keep under any peace agreement, according to Israel's Haaretz newspaper.
It says the settlements include Har Gilo, Modiin Illit and Ariel.
Last week, Israeli officials announced that Mr Netanyahu would give the go-ahead for the new housing units.
The issue is expected to be discussed when Mr Netanyahu's aides meet US special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, later this week.
BBC Jerusalem correspondent Tim Franks says there is little doubt that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu is feeling pressure from the settlers - who dismissed this latest approval to build as insultingly limited.
But today's announcement can only complicate a possible resumption of meaningful peace talks with the Palestinians.
"What Netanyahu is doing is clearly at the scale of a grand deception," said Fatah spokesperson Hanan Ashrawi.
"He thinks that he can deceive the rest of the world... but what he is doing under a variety of pretexts is the continuation of settlements and at the same time demanding a price in return."
The Americans, who are trying to broker new peace negotiations, have already expressed their displeasure, our correspondent says.
They say they are trying to build credibility across the Middle East in a new Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The question for the US special envoy is whether he will, in the end, accept the Israeli version of a settlement freeze.
Close to 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem.
Some 2,500 housing units are currently under construction.
The settlements are illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
Source:
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Palestinian Organs for Sale and Experiments
By Kawther Salam
Many Palestinian bodies which had their organs removed are still in the refrigerators of the Israeli jails and hospitals, and many Palestinian bodies (about 300) which had their organs removed are still in secret and cemeteries with numbered graves. Israel is the only State in the world which continues holding the bodies of Palestinian victims and pursues it’s criminal policies as a cover for concealing up the proof of the theft of Palestinian organs. Since the seventies, Israel refuses to give these bodies back to their families in a clear violation to basic norms of human behavior, Israeli laws, the Geneva conventions and other international treaties”.
READ MORE
Many Palestinian bodies which had their organs removed are still in the refrigerators of the Israeli jails and hospitals, and many Palestinian bodies (about 300) which had their organs removed are still in secret and cemeteries with numbered graves. Israel is the only State in the world which continues holding the bodies of Palestinian victims and pursues it’s criminal policies as a cover for concealing up the proof of the theft of Palestinian organs. Since the seventies, Israel refuses to give these bodies back to their families in a clear violation to basic norms of human behavior, Israeli laws, the Geneva conventions and other international treaties”.
READ MORE
Israeli forces beat citizen attempting to file complaint at DCO
Qalqiliya – Ma’an – Eyewitnesses reported Israeli forces beating a citizen at the District Coordination Office checkpoint east of Qalqiliya Saturday evening.
The witnesses said Israeli forces attacked a man they identified as 43-year-old Ayman Abdul Maksoud Tebbieh, pulled him from his car and beat him.
In a statement following the incident Tebbieh said he had gone to the DCO to lodge a complaint about the treatment he and his children received at a different West Bank checkpoint earlier in the week. He said he was surprised when his attempt to file a report was stymied and soldiers at the office began beating him.
Tebbieh said that when he fell to the floor from the impact of the blows one soldier poured a hot cup of tea on his body, causing mild burns.
The man was transferred to the Dr Darwish Hospital in Qalqiliya to receive treatment. Doctors described his condition as moderate, noting he suffered from burns and internal bleeding.
Israeli military officials said they had not heard of any such incident but were investigating the report.
Source:
The witnesses said Israeli forces attacked a man they identified as 43-year-old Ayman Abdul Maksoud Tebbieh, pulled him from his car and beat him.
In a statement following the incident Tebbieh said he had gone to the DCO to lodge a complaint about the treatment he and his children received at a different West Bank checkpoint earlier in the week. He said he was surprised when his attempt to file a report was stymied and soldiers at the office began beating him.
Tebbieh said that when he fell to the floor from the impact of the blows one soldier poured a hot cup of tea on his body, causing mild burns.
The man was transferred to the Dr Darwish Hospital in Qalqiliya to receive treatment. Doctors described his condition as moderate, noting he suffered from burns and internal bleeding.
Israeli military officials said they had not heard of any such incident but were investigating the report.
Source:
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Jane Fonda joins boycott of Toronto film festival over homage to Israel
Jane Fonda, Danny Glover and Eve Ensler have joined the growing list of artists who are boycotting the Toronto film festival over a program honoring Tel Aviv's 100th anniversary, gossip blogger Perez Hilton reported on Friday.
The three have added their names to a letter aimed at festival officials claiming that Tel Aviv was built on violence, ignoring the "suffering of thousands of former residents and descendants," Hilton reported.
Several Israeli films are being screened at the festival's new City to City event, which this year celebrates Tel Aviv's centennial.
Culture critic Naomi Klein and director John Greyson are among those who had already announced their protest over the homage to Tel Aviv.
Two-time Oscar winner Rabbi Marvin Hier, who founded the Simon Wiesenthal Center, called the boycott "an attack on the heart and soul of Israel."
"People who support letters like this are people who do not support a two-state solution," he was quoted as saying on Hilton's blog.
"By calling into question the legitimacy of Tel Aviv, they are supporting a one-state solution, which means the destruction of the State of Israel. I applaud the organizers of the festival for celebrating on the 100th anniversary of Tel Aviv. If every city in the Middle East would be as culturally diverse, as open to freedom of expression as Tel Aviv is, then peace would long have come to the Middle East."
Fonda, 72, rose to fame as an actress in the 1960s, but has since become known for her political activism, including her opposition to the Vietnam and Iraq wars.
Glover, who is probably best known for co-starring with Mel Gibson in the four Lethal Weapon movies, has also been politically active since his student days. He made headlines in 2006 when he traveled to Venezuela with a group of celebrities to show solidarity with president Hugo Chavez.
Ensler, whose father is reportedly Jewish, is an American playwright and activist who wrote The Vagina Monologues.
Source:
The three have added their names to a letter aimed at festival officials claiming that Tel Aviv was built on violence, ignoring the "suffering of thousands of former residents and descendants," Hilton reported.
Several Israeli films are being screened at the festival's new City to City event, which this year celebrates Tel Aviv's centennial.
Culture critic Naomi Klein and director John Greyson are among those who had already announced their protest over the homage to Tel Aviv.
Two-time Oscar winner Rabbi Marvin Hier, who founded the Simon Wiesenthal Center, called the boycott "an attack on the heart and soul of Israel."
"People who support letters like this are people who do not support a two-state solution," he was quoted as saying on Hilton's blog.
"By calling into question the legitimacy of Tel Aviv, they are supporting a one-state solution, which means the destruction of the State of Israel. I applaud the organizers of the festival for celebrating on the 100th anniversary of Tel Aviv. If every city in the Middle East would be as culturally diverse, as open to freedom of expression as Tel Aviv is, then peace would long have come to the Middle East."
Fonda, 72, rose to fame as an actress in the 1960s, but has since become known for her political activism, including her opposition to the Vietnam and Iraq wars.
Glover, who is probably best known for co-starring with Mel Gibson in the four Lethal Weapon movies, has also been politically active since his student days. He made headlines in 2006 when he traveled to Venezuela with a group of celebrities to show solidarity with president Hugo Chavez.
Ensler, whose father is reportedly Jewish, is an American playwright and activist who wrote The Vagina Monologues.
Source:
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Israel summons Norway envoy to protest divestment from arms firm
The director general of the Foreign Ministry, Yossi Gal, on Thursday summoned the Norwegian ambassador to Israel, Jakken Bjørn Lian, to protest Norway's decision to pull all of its investments from the Israeli arms firm Elbit.
Following the meeting, the Foreign Ministry relayed that, "Israel will consider further steps of protest in the future."
Norway's finance minister, Kristin Halvorsen, announced at a press conference in Oslo earlier in the day that the divestment was due to Elbit's involvement in the construction of the West Bank separation fence.
According to a political source in Jerusalem, the Foreign Ministry had planned to issue a harsh statement of condemnation immediately after the announcement, but following the meeting with Lian the ministry decided to tone it down.
The explanations for the divestment provided by the Norwegian envoy at the meeting were apparently the reason for the ministry's moderation of its response.
At the press conference, Halvorsen said the decision was based on the recommendation of Norway's Ministry of Finance council on ethics, whose role is to ensure that government investments abroad meet ethical guidelines.
"We do not wish to fund companies that so directly contribute to violations of international humanitarian law," said the minister. She said the shares were sold secretly ahead of the announcement.
Elbit manufactures a monitoring system installed on several parts of the separation fence.
The recommendation submitted by the Ministry of Finance council on ethics stated that it considered "the fund's investment in Elbit to constitute an unacceptable risk of complicity in serious violations of fundamental ethical norms."
The council is thus explicitly referring to a 2004 International Court of Justice ruling, stating that the separation fence represented a breach of international law.
Israel erected the fence following a wave of Palestinian terror attacks at the height of the second intifada; it says the barrier is a necessary measure to stop Palestinian suicide bombers and protect settlers. The Palestinians oppose the fence's route, saying it is designed to grab land they want for a future state.
Palestinian as well as Israeli anti-occupation groups, aided by Norwegian leftists, have all protested extensively against Norwegian involvement in companies involved in West Bank development and construction over last two years, which have seen an increase in Norway's investment in Israeli firms.
Norway's pension fund is invested in 41 different Israeli companies.
A research project by the Coalition of Women for Peace called "Who profits from the occupation" found that almost two thirds of those firms are involved in West Bank construction and development.
Source:
Following the meeting, the Foreign Ministry relayed that, "Israel will consider further steps of protest in the future."
Norway's finance minister, Kristin Halvorsen, announced at a press conference in Oslo earlier in the day that the divestment was due to Elbit's involvement in the construction of the West Bank separation fence.
According to a political source in Jerusalem, the Foreign Ministry had planned to issue a harsh statement of condemnation immediately after the announcement, but following the meeting with Lian the ministry decided to tone it down.
The explanations for the divestment provided by the Norwegian envoy at the meeting were apparently the reason for the ministry's moderation of its response.
At the press conference, Halvorsen said the decision was based on the recommendation of Norway's Ministry of Finance council on ethics, whose role is to ensure that government investments abroad meet ethical guidelines.
"We do not wish to fund companies that so directly contribute to violations of international humanitarian law," said the minister. She said the shares were sold secretly ahead of the announcement.
Elbit manufactures a monitoring system installed on several parts of the separation fence.
The recommendation submitted by the Ministry of Finance council on ethics stated that it considered "the fund's investment in Elbit to constitute an unacceptable risk of complicity in serious violations of fundamental ethical norms."
The council is thus explicitly referring to a 2004 International Court of Justice ruling, stating that the separation fence represented a breach of international law.
Israel erected the fence following a wave of Palestinian terror attacks at the height of the second intifada; it says the barrier is a necessary measure to stop Palestinian suicide bombers and protect settlers. The Palestinians oppose the fence's route, saying it is designed to grab land they want for a future state.
Palestinian as well as Israeli anti-occupation groups, aided by Norwegian leftists, have all protested extensively against Norwegian involvement in companies involved in West Bank development and construction over last two years, which have seen an increase in Norway's investment in Israeli firms.
Norway's pension fund is invested in 41 different Israeli companies.
A research project by the Coalition of Women for Peace called "Who profits from the occupation" found that almost two thirds of those firms are involved in West Bank construction and development.
Source:
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Israel hints it may legalize controversial settlements
The state prosecutor's representative twice hinted that construction in West Bank settlements might be retroactively legalized Wednesday, seemingly representing a major policy turnaround.
The two responses are a departure from the state's usual response that the structures are illegal and are expected to be demolished.
The responses, coming three weeks after Deputy Premier and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon said that the state prosecutor is not faithfully representing the current government's view on settlements, seems to signal a change in policy.
In several past cases, including construction in the settlements of Harsha, Hayovel, Neveh Tzuf, Netiv Haavot and Amona, the state told the court the structures were illegal and were due to be destroyed in keeping with the priorities of the defense establishment.
The first of the two cases Wednesday was a petition by Peace Now with a request to issue a demolition order for 12 new structures in the settlement of Kiryat Netafim. The state responded that "while the work is illegal, a detailed master plan had been published in the past with the aim of arranging the planning status of the settlement. This situation requires a deep scrutiny of the issue by the government."
The state also told the court it opposed an interim order against populating the structures, another unusual move.
The second petition, submitted by Yesh Din, sought the demolition of 12 mobile homes in the settlement of Kokhav Yaakov, which was built on Palestinian land.
Unusually, the state's response ignored the issue of the ownership of the land, which the settlers say belongs to the state, but rather said orders to stop work have been issued and that the settlers "have been summoned to a meeting of the oversight subcommittee to discuss the matter of demolition orders. It goes without saying that after these meetings and in keeping with the outcome, we will act according to priorities."
Peace Now secretary general Yariv Oppenheimer wrote Wednesday to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz that political pressure coming from senior ministers was behind the change in the state's responses. "We ask you to instruct the High Court petitions department to ignore any hint of political pressure. Surrender to pressure, as manifest in the two responses of the state, will lead to the crumbling of the rule of law," he wrote.
The head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, Shaul Goldstein, who had protested to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the state prosecution's responses to the High Court, said Wednesday that he was pleased with the state's responses. "The whole issue of construction is a political issue, not a legal issue," Goldstein said.
Source:
The two responses are a departure from the state's usual response that the structures are illegal and are expected to be demolished.
The responses, coming three weeks after Deputy Premier and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon said that the state prosecutor is not faithfully representing the current government's view on settlements, seems to signal a change in policy.
In several past cases, including construction in the settlements of Harsha, Hayovel, Neveh Tzuf, Netiv Haavot and Amona, the state told the court the structures were illegal and were due to be destroyed in keeping with the priorities of the defense establishment.
The first of the two cases Wednesday was a petition by Peace Now with a request to issue a demolition order for 12 new structures in the settlement of Kiryat Netafim. The state responded that "while the work is illegal, a detailed master plan had been published in the past with the aim of arranging the planning status of the settlement. This situation requires a deep scrutiny of the issue by the government."
The state also told the court it opposed an interim order against populating the structures, another unusual move.
The second petition, submitted by Yesh Din, sought the demolition of 12 mobile homes in the settlement of Kokhav Yaakov, which was built on Palestinian land.
Unusually, the state's response ignored the issue of the ownership of the land, which the settlers say belongs to the state, but rather said orders to stop work have been issued and that the settlers "have been summoned to a meeting of the oversight subcommittee to discuss the matter of demolition orders. It goes without saying that after these meetings and in keeping with the outcome, we will act according to priorities."
Peace Now secretary general Yariv Oppenheimer wrote Wednesday to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz that political pressure coming from senior ministers was behind the change in the state's responses. "We ask you to instruct the High Court petitions department to ignore any hint of political pressure. Surrender to pressure, as manifest in the two responses of the state, will lead to the crumbling of the rule of law," he wrote.
The head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, Shaul Goldstein, who had protested to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the state prosecution's responses to the High Court, said Wednesday that he was pleased with the state's responses. "The whole issue of construction is a political issue, not a legal issue," Goldstein said.
Source:
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