‘…According to the documents released by Wikileaks, Sarkozy is said to have considered restarting the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks without US involvement…’
via François Hollande holds emergency meeting after WikiLeaks claims US spied on three French presidents | World news | The Guardian.
Tag: Palestine
Voting in Israeli Elections while in Palestine – Who can do it?
Hagai El-Ad, the executive director of B’Tselem, writes in The New York Times:
‘..Does that mean nobody in the occupied territories has a meaningful vote? No. In fact, some people do: Israeli settlers.
In August 1970, the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, discussed amending the Knesset Election Law, which stipulated that Israelis — with few exceptions like diplomats on duty abroad — had to be inside Israel to vote. The amendment sought to expand the exception to include Israelis “residing in the territories held by the Israel Defense Force.” In other words, Israeli settlers could vote for the Knesset from outside Israel; their Palestinian neighbors could not participate from anywhere.
In a Knesset session discussing the amendment before it passed, one legislator and peace activist, Uri Avnery, expressed a widely held belief that peace initiatives would soon make the amendment obsolete. He expressed the hope that “it won’t be long — a year, a year and a half, two at most — before the thing called ‘the held territories’ is no more, and the I.D.F. pulls back into Israel’s borders.”
More than four decades later, what has become obsolete is not the amendment, but rather the accuracy of a description of Knesset elections often heard here: general, national, direct, equal, confidential and proportional.
How can elections be “general” when millions of people under Israel’s control for almost 50 years cannot take part in electing the institutions that hold sway over them? Let’s face it. Only the first six of Israel’s parliamentary elections — those held before 1967 — were truly “general.” Even though the Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel proper were under military rule inside its borders at the time, they could vote.
Settlers now have voted in their communities in 14 Knesset elections. Over time, their numbers rose from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands. Yet one thing remained constant: Millions of Palestinians could not cast a meaningful vote, even as the voting of their settler neighbors — citizens of an occupying power — helped decide the fate of the disenfranchised.
via Israel’s Charade of Democracy – NYTimes.com.
George W Bush makes a painting of Sheldon Adelson’s casino in Singapore
File under ‘shit stupid too make up, therefore it must be true‘
‘…The New York Times has reported that George W. Bush, who began painting amateur portraits in 2012, gave Adelson one of his original paintings at last month’s Republican Jewish Coalition conference in Las Vegas.
According to the Times, the painting is of Adelson’s Marina Bay Sands resort and casino in Singapore, which is one of the most expensive buildings ever constructed….’
via Adelson primary heats up — fawning George Bush gives him a painting of his casino.
Israel Jails Palestinian for Facebook posts
Notice that the NYT assures us that this is rare.
TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli court on Tuesday sentenced a Palestinian for incitement and for supporting a terrorist organization based on Facebook posts that applauded militant attacks, his lawyer said. It was a rare case in which statements on social media were regarded as a crime.
[….] “These posts motivated other Facebook users who shared the inciting contents with their friends and followers, who in turn supported the posts by pressing the “like” button,” the indictment said. “The mere use of this media, as the defendant has done, serves as a severe act, given the extensive circulation of the messages, as well as the ease with which these messages spread.”
Mr. Shalabi’s lawyer, Tariq Bargouth, said the basis for the conviction and punishment never established that Mr. Shalabi’s posts had encouraged any specific militant attack.
via Israel Jails Palestinian Who Applauded Militant Attacks on Facebook – NYTimes.com.
Historic Nuclear Deal with Iran has Prevented a New War in the Middle East
Former Ambassador Seyed Hossen Mousavian on Democracy Now….
‘I think there’s no difference between Israel and North Korea because North Korea has a few number of nuclear bombs. Israel has about 400 nuclear bombs. Therefore, they both are the same. They have nuclear bombs. There is a big difference between Iran and Israel. They really belong to two different wars on nonproliferation. Iran is member of the Nonproliferation Treaty and Israel has never been ready to accept it. There is no evidence in Iranian nuclear program. Iran does not have nuclear bomb. Israel has about 400 nuclear bombs. During last 10 years, Iran has given more than 7000 mandate inspections to International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA. This is completely unprecedented during the history of IAEA, no other country in the world has given access to IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, like Iran during the last decade. Israel, during last 50, 60 years, has not given even one inspection to the IAEA. Therefore, I believe the war and international community, they should judge who is wrong, who is right. Iran does not have nuclear bomb. Iran has accepted every level of inspection, transparency. Iran has accepted to have completely open nuclear program, and Israel does have a nuclear bomb and the country which does have nuclear bomb is blaming Iran, which does not have nuclear bomb.’
via Former Iranian Ambassador: Historic Nuclear Dear has Prevented a New War in the Middle East | Democracy Now!.
Video: Gaza’s only grand piano repaired
‘The only concert grand piano in war-ravaged Gaza has been rediscovered and brought back to life after years of neglect. It survived last year’s war with Israel – though only just – but was unplayable until a restorer arrived on a special mission from France, and paved the way for a rare concert…’
via Saving Gaza’s only grand piano – BBC News.
watch the video…
Treason by any other name — the Israeli edition
…But there is a real scandal here, and that’s Israel using stolen intelligence as part of a deliberate campaign of messing around with American partisan politics. That’s why the White House is angry: "It is one thing for the U.S. and Israel to spy on each other. It is another thing for Israel to steal U.S. secrets and play them back to U.S. legislators to undermine U.S. diplomacy," a senior US official told Entous.
If Entous’ reporting is correct, the Israeli government used the leaked information to help Republicans build support for new sanctions among Democrats, which would be necessary to overcome Obama’s veto. Israel was using stolen information to help Mitch McConnell and John Boehner foment a Democratic rebellion against the president….’
via Israel stole classified US information and used it to help congressional Republicans – Vox.
Hamdi Aburahma Photos – After Netanyahu was reelected, Palestinians fight back (non-violently)
After Netanyahu was reelected, Palestinians continue the resistance against the Israeli occupation
Palestine, West Bank, 20.3.15,
A group of Palestinian activists joined Bil’in their non violent weekly demonstration carrying posters with messages against the new Israeli government. The Palestinians courageously stood up for the rights of the Palestinian people against the new Zionist government elected earlier this week. They will continue their struggle against the occupation and some of the protesters referred to the elected government as fascist.
As usual, the Israeli army used unnecessary violence against the protesters by using rubber bullets and tear gas.
via Hamdi Aburahma – After Netanyahu was reelected, Palestinians….
Peace with Iran could mean less profits
‘…The possibility of an Iran nuclear deal depressing weapons sales was raised by Myles Walton, an analyst from Germany’s Deutsche Bank, during a Lockheed earnings call this past January 27th. Walton asked Marillyn Hewson, the chief executive of Lockheed Martin, if an Iran agreement could “impede what you see as progress in foreign military sales.” Financial industry analysts such as Walton use earnings calls as an opportunity to ask publicly-traded corporations like Lockheed about issues that might harm profitability.
Hewson replied that “that really isn’t coming up,” but stressed that “volatility all around the region” should continue to bring in new business. According to Hewson, “A lot of volatility, a lot of instability, a lot of things that are happening” in both the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region means both are “growth areas” for Lockheed Martin…’
via Big Bank’s Analyst Worries That Iran Deal Could Depress Weapons Sales – The Intercept.
US money paid for Bibi Netanyahu’s reelection
JERUSALEM (JTA) — More than 90 percent of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection funds have come from the United States.
Of the total contributions of nearly $259,000 — slightly over 1 million shekels — about $237,000 came from American donors, according to records made public by Israel’s State Comptroller and first published by BuzzFeed. Three wealthy families donated about half the amount from the Americans. Israeli politicians may accept a maximum donation of about $11,500.
The three families are the Falics of Florida, owners of the Duty Free Americas stores found in airports; the Books of New Jersey, owners of Jet Support Services, Inc.; and the Schottensteins of Ohio, owners of the American Eagle clothing chain.
via US donors providing most of Netanyahu’s reelection funds – Israel News – Jerusalem Post.
in the direction of exclusion
An interview with Nadav Eya
‘You know, I have a friend in India who’s a journalist. A Hindi nationalist party is now in power in India. Like us, they have a neighboring country, Pakistan, with whom they are locked in a territorial dispute, except that they have nuclear weapons. I asked my friend about the nationality clause in the Indian constitution, and it turns out that there isn’t one. India was founded on the ancient Indian idea of unity in diversity. My friend was very surprised that we are allowing the nation-state legislation to go forward. I asked him what would happen in similar circumstances in India, and he didn’t even want to think about it. Laws like that only weaken us.
The societies that are moving in the direction of exclusion are shrinking into religiosity, into ethnicity. They are closed to external influence, rigid and inflexible in their thought, and the end result of that inflexibility is extremism or implosion. We know the examples.
via The lesson SodaStream taught Israel – Features – Israel News | Haaretz. [archived text]
The enemies of the USA are now allies, and therefore not terrorists
Iran and Hezbollah have troops fighting ISIL, therefore the enemy of the US’s enemy is no longer an enemy, but now a friend – plus, this is the day after the Israeli election!
‘An annual security report submitted recently to the US Senate by James Clapper, director of National Intelligence, removed both Iran and Hezbollah from the list of terrorism threats to the United States for the first time in years…’
via US removes Iran and Hezbollah from list of terror threats.
Ali Abunimah: Why I’m relieved Netanyahu won
Ali Abunimah writes about the Bibi victory in the Israeli elections…
But what has distinguished Netanyahu is that he strips away the opportunities for the so-called “international community” to hide its complicity with Israel’s ugly crimes behind a charade of a “peace process.”
Moreover Netanyahu’s open alliance with the most racist, white supremacist, Islamophobic and bigoted elements of the North American and European right – his speech to Congress earlier this month was a manifestation of this – place Israel in the correct ideological camp. Israel can no longer practice apartheid at home, while falsely presenting itself as a beacon of liberalism around the world.
In short, Netanyahu’s re-election is like the “Nutrition Facts” label on a box of junk food: it tells you about the toxic ingredients inside.
via Why I’m relieved Netanyahu won | The Electronic Intifada.
And furthermore, now that Bibi displayed his real face in saying that there will never be a Palestinian state as long as he is Prime Minister, at last!, the Palestinians will no longer feel required to take part in fake ‘peace talks.’ — At least until Bibi leaves office.
Gideon Levy: The only democracy in the Middle East, isn’t a democracy
Gideon Levy writes
‘There’s no such thing as half pregnant, and there’s no such thing as half democracy, and what will take place here today is barely half democracy. The occupying people will go to the polls. On a good day, the occupied people can only dream about the polls. Their fate will be determined in their masters’ elections. Their masters will determine their future; they have no right to participate in that process. In the meantime, their prime minister is to all intents and purposes an Israeli general who determines most of their daily lives.
The real hole in the ozone of Israeli democracy is the ongoing lives of over four million people living under a brutal, violent rule, all the while having not even the slightest amount of participation or involvement. There is no other country in the world in which millions of its subjects are denied the right to vote – while that country is labeled a democracy, and not just any democracy, but the only (!) democracy in the region…’
via Israeli occupiers, go to the polls – Israel election 2015 – Israel News | Haaretz.
The 12th Anniversary Of Rachel Corrie’s Stand In Gaza
The Corrie Family writes:
‘…Our family’s legal options in Israel are nearly exhausted, but our search for justice for Rachel goes forward. Back in Washington DC, we have come full circle. We ask again that U.S. officials address their responsibility to U.S. citizens and to all civilians whose lives are impacted and cut short by military actions supported with U.S. taxpayer funding. We ask that they determine what to do when a promise from a key ally’s head of state to our own goes unfulfilled. March 16, 2003, was the very worst day of our lives. Our family deserves a clear and truthful explanation for how what happened to Rachel that day could occur, and to know there is some consequence to those responsible. Rachel deserves this…’
via THE 12th ANNIVERSARY OF RACHEL CORRIE’S STAND IN GAZA – FAMILY STATEMENT | The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice.
There is a very thin line between the Islamic State and the Jewish State
‘…”Those with us, should receive everything” in terms of rights, he says, according to Israel’s Channel 2. “Those against us, it cannot be helped, we must lift up an axe and behead them – otherwise we will not survive here,” Lieberman said during an election rally…’
via Lieberman: Behead Arabs who aren’t loyal to Israel.
UK bans misleading Israeli advert
‘Britain’s advertising watchdog banned an Israeli government tourism advert for suggesting that the Old City of Jerusalem was part of Israel [….] The newspaper brochure showed a panorama of the walled Old City with the text “Israel has it all,” and was ruled misleading by the Advertising Standards Authority, which said it implied the UNESCO World Heritage Site was part of Israel.
The international community regards the Old City as occupied Palestinian territory, while Israel has claimed it as part of its capital…’
via UK bans ad for implying Jerusalem Old City part of Israel | Maan News Agency.
Bibi says: Iran, Iran Iran, and Stand. Down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Txrcpl49GQ
Banksy goes to Gaza – new video
Graffiti artist Banksy goes to Egypt and arrives in Israeli besieged Gaza Palestine via a tunnel. Banksy says more in 1:55 minutes than all CNNNBCCBSABCPBS reports in the previous 12 months, I think. Well done Mr Banksy, I hope we see more videos of yours from occupied Palestine.