Israelis could normalize relations with all Arabs with help of Palestinians

By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz

Ghassan Rubeiz

It is sad that Palestinians have to wait and wait for justice to prevail. At the present, and probably for the next decade, the international community will be preoccupied with Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, and with other troubled Mideast countries.

This bleak regional situation will continue to keep the Palestine-Israel conflict on the backburner, despite President Trump’s desire to unveil a unilateral peace plan this September – at the United Nations General Assembly annual meeting- which Palestinians have already rejected. Egypt is also brokering a truce between Hamas and Israel for Gaza, regrettably, linking humanitarian aid to political compliance.

Israel these days acts as if it has no opposition; announcing approval of 1000 housing units to the settlements and having its state attorney argue for annexing the West Bank. To slow erosion of justice, Palestinians ought to stick to their land, unite as one people, elect new leaders, concentrate on advocacy, and continue to work with Israeli peace activists. Peace with Israelis will eventually materialize. But as long as Netanyahu in Israel, and Hamas in Gaza, wield power, it is hard to visualize peace.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (first from left), U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (second from left), Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (third from left), and U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George C. Mitchell (fourth from left) chat after their meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on September 14, 2010. Department photo/ Public Domain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The region is in need of fresh ideas and better leadership to help push the peace process forward. A lasting peace between Israel and Palestinians requires normalization with Arab states, attitude change, and a measure of reconciliation. In the delicate and gradual process of normalizing relations with the Arab world, Israel would need the Palestinians to be on their side; they can be the natural future mediators for the Jewish community with neighboring Arab societies. Generally secular and educated, Palestinians speak Hebrew while Israelis do not speak Arabic. More significantly, despite the painful reality of the occupation, the two sides (occupier and occupied) have been in contact for decades, be it in courts, prisons, at checkpoints, in hospitals, places of work, even in business, and in secret bilateral meetings on security and intelligence. With all the misery, insult and deprivation, which the political system imposes on Palestinians, there still is ongoing human exchange between Arab and Jew. Along this daily exchange some life lessons are learned. The majority on both sides have come to accept the nationalism of the other.

In expropriating vast Palestinian land, building expanding settlements and imposing an aggressive military presence, Israelis have brought about an irreversible reality: hard-to-undo coexistence. The two rival communities are inextricably linked by roads, checkpoints, land, labor, prisons, resources, checkpoints, separating walls, security measures, laws and borders.

It is no longer obvious that separation of Palestinians from Israelis is the preferred political solution for the existing conflict. As Israel shows no interest in tolerating a future Palestinian state west of the Jordan River, occupied Palestinians have no choice but to demand recognition of citizenship in a state with expanded borders. If Israeli leaders are scared of a scenario of coexistence with Palestinians their policies have not reflected long term planning.

Israel’s hawks are under the illusion that every generation they can count on a miracle to keep them living with the occupation and enjoying economic prosperity. The first miracle was the 1948 military victory over unprepared and poorly led Arab armies. The second miracle was the US supported 1967 six-day war – a complete conquest of the rest of Historic Palestine. The third was not of a military nature: building of settlements for six hundred thousand Israelis in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and annexing the Syrian Golan Heights. Such a scandalous record of violation of international law has occurred free of any collective sanctions from the international community: a third miracle. The fourth miracle is a rare juxtaposition of four self serving and insecure leaders: Trump and  Netanyahu at the steering wheel, with Saudi Mohammad Ben Salman and Egypt’s Sisi going along. These four leaders are in harmony to distance statehood further from Palestinians.

Miracles, like dreams, evolve. Demographic change has limited military might and diplomatic power to create a challenge for Israel: the threat of losing the Zionist dream of a separate Jewish nation-state. It is hard to find a sober Israeli analyst that could point to a safe exit for Israel from an existential demographic conundrum, of its own making. With demographic trends continuing, Israel’s Jewish community is heading to be a minority population ruling over a majority of Palestinians between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Palestinians have almost won the race to establish a “one-state” solution, albeit a state in which they are second class citizens, for the present time.  But a state with one standard of laws for a privileged community and another for the non-privileged (apartheid in process) is not sustainable in this day and age.  Responding to sustained and consistent nonviolent resistance, the world will surely rally in solidarity with the Palestinians, to bring about equality for all residents between the River and the Sea.

To survive and prosper, Israel has to build humane bridges with its neighbors. With justice prevailing, the Arabs could turn Israel from a threat to an opportunity. Liberated, Palestinians would be natural partners for Israelis. It will be harder for Israel to extricate itself from the region with force than to integrate with peace.

J.B. Pritzker’s Muslim problem lingers

Illinois’ Arab American community continues to grow in strength which is why more and more many candidates for public office are courting them for their voter support. By racism is not something that can just be ignored and has to be addressed forthrightly and with an apology. That doesn’t always happen and it is dogging the popularity of J.B. Pritzker among many Arab and Muslim American voters.

By Ray Hanania

The Arab and the Muslim vote has increased significantly during the past decade and that’s one reason why so many candidates for public office are soliciting Arab and Muslim voter support.

There are more than 78,000 verified active Arab American voters, according to data obtained and compiled by my media company Urban Strategies Group. It took a lot of effort to compile the list based on merging the limiting U.S. Census data, the state’s voter records, and other surveys. But when the matching was done, 78,000 Arab voters is significant.

I think the number is actually low because the U.S. Census, which measures other ethnic groups, excludes Arabs and Muslims from their count. Not all voters or Illinois residents publicly identify themselves as “Arab.” And many other Arab and Muslim voters are under the radar screen of activity. Some “Arabs” are not even considered “Arabs,” such as some segments of the Lebanese American community which is big in downstate Peoria. And Middle East Christians like Assyrians, who have a large presence of more than 100,000 people on Chicago’s North and Northwest Side, are also not included.

Regardless, Arab and Muslim voters can’t be ignored. It’s an issue every candidate must address, recognizing that Arabs and Muslims are patriotic Americans who served in the nation’s military honorably and with distinction, pay their taxes, and manage many large and small successful businesses.

Arabs and Muslims are a part of our society and should be treated with respect. And while it is easy for many candidates to make mistakes, their willingness to address those mistakes and to apologize for remarks they make int he heat of elections that are considered or viewed as racist or offensive is a measure of their character.

One candidate, however, who doesn’t agree with J.B. Pritzker, the Democratic candidate for Governor against Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner.

In 1998 when Pritzker was running for congress in the 9th Congressional district to succeed Congressman Sidney Yates, Pritzker didn’t hesitate to slam Muslims as a religious group or Arabs as an ethnic group, stereotyping them for political benefit.

One of Pritzker’s rivals, State Sen. Howard Carroll, attended an event hosted by the American Muslim Council. Pritzker immediately denounced Carroll asserting that the American Muslim Council was a terrorist organization. Why? Because he claimed several of its members ad activists were harshly critical of Israel and supportive of Hamas, the Islamic resistane movement that was fighting Israel at the time and continues to fight Israeli oppression.

At the time, Muslims and Arabs demanded that Pritzker apologize, but he refused. And worse, the mainstream American news media, which is also racist and biased against Arabs and Muslims, ignored the controversy almost completely. It was brushed off.

But the racist comment did help Pritzker attract votes among some of the district’s voters who are easily moved by racism and stereotypes to vote and they supported him. Fortunately, Pritzker lost the election. The winner is the progressive and forward thinking Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.

Pritzker, Carroll and Schakowsky are all Jewish, but that is really irrelevant to the issue. Many Jewish Americans support freedom and justice in the Middle East and are criticial of Israel’s government. Because the real issue in Israel is not about Israelis themselves, but about the rightwing extremist policies of the Israeli government which oppose freedom and justice for Palestinian Christians and Muslims. Israel’s government opposes th Two-State Solution, and even has oppressed and harassed many Jewish Americans who support pace based on compromise, including most recently Jewish journalist Peter Beinart.

This Tribune story from Jan. 20, 1998 is the extent of the news media’s coverage of an incident that was so incendiary to the Arab and Muslim community, but that means nothing to the Chicago Tribune, the regional news media or to Pritzker:

Local representatives of the American Muslim Council on Monday accused congressional candidate J.B. Pritzker of making racial slurs against Muslim Americans and Indian Americans.

Pritzker, running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Illinois’ 9th District, had charged one of his opponents, state Sen. Howard Carroll (D-Chicago), with accepting money from a group that Pritzker said has been supportive of the anti-Israeli terrorist organization Hamas. Pritzker made the accusations after learning Carroll attended a Friday fundraiser that he said was sponsored by leaders of the American Muslim Council.

The Tribune story continued, that  when Carroll demanded that Pritzker apologize. But instead of apologizing, Pritzker brushed it off as unimportant:

Pritzker defended his remarks, saying the U.S. leader of the American Muslim Council has endorsed Hamas. And a Pritzker spokesman said the charges were based on an article published in a Jewish newspaper in New York.

The media rarely covers the Arab or Muslim community unless it is a negative story. So very little was written. Had the remark attacked a Jewish group or another ethnic group, the Tribune probably would have turned it into a Constitutional Crises splashing a screaming headline about racism across its biased frontpage.

Look up the issue. So little was written about it because the news media is biased and racist against Arabs and Muslims, and that bias and racism against Arabs and Muslims allows politicians like J.B. Pritzker to ignore the criticism. For more than 20 years.

The Reader memntioned it in a small paragraph in a long recap of the high profile election, writing:

This month Pritzker lambasted Carroll for taking money from the American Muslim Council, which Pritzker claims supports Hamas, the militant Palestinian group. Moin Kahn, the council’s Illinois representative, had a hand in organizing a fund-raiser for Carroll on January 16, but Kahn condemns Hamas. The national spokesman for the council, Fahhim Abdulhadi, says, “We emphatically condemn every act of terrorism,” though he added that the group takes no position on Hamas. Carroll responded by accusing Pritzker of “race baiting,” trying to tie all Muslims to terrorists.

Moon Khan is one of the best most reputable political activists in the Illinois Muslim community.

Well, that changed and Pritzker tried to address the issue in announcing his candidacy for governor, running against Democrat Chris Kennedy int he March Democratic Primary election. Kennedy ran on a platform that rejected all forms of racism and discrimination, noting that as an Irish American he and his people have been victimized by racism and discrimination.

Pritzker met with a small group of Arab and Muslim activists that he knew and behind closed doors allegedly “apologized.” I’m told he actually tried to explain it away rather than apologizing but who knows, I wasn’t at that “meeting.” But many Arab American activists like Samir Khalil have demanded that Pritzker address the issue head on as have other candidates.

One local candidate accused of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim racism is Palos Township Trustee Sharon Brannigan. When confronted by the community, she apologized and has in fact issued three apologies. But, I imagine because she is Republican, apologies don’t matter to the politically driven. I interviewed Brannigan about her remarks and she was convincingly apologetic. I know many Arab Christians and much of the Muslim community, which is forgiving, has accepted her apology and shake their head at the protestors who embarrass the community with their yelling, screaming, and disruptive bullying at Palos Township board meetings preventing the board from acting on more important issues.

But no one is bullying Pritzker. Khalil has said only that Pritzker should address the issue publicly with courage, and not try to bury it in the hopes it won’t hurt his election chances.

Pritzker should publicly address the issue, even if it is 20 years old. It’s the elephant in the room that everyone sees and that won’t go away.

He should apologize. It will be interesting to see how his apology is treated by some members of the community who seem to think apologies are insignificant.

I think they are important. Any candidate who wants the support of the Arab and Muslim community should speak to the community directly, not through their small group of cronies and pals.

Pritzker should issue a public apology.

Here are the results fromt hat 1998 congressional election, suggesting the racism wasn’t Pritzker’s only issue.

Lipinski urges humanitarian aid for Palestinians in face of Trump cuts

Conservative Democrat Dan Lipinski urges immediate humanitarian aid to Palestinians living in the besieged Gaza Strip, warning of dire consequences that not only threatens the life of the nearly 2 million civilians but also jeopardizes the chances of peace between Israel and Palestine. Americans for Peace Now also issued a statement in support of continuing humanitarian aid

By Ray Hanania

U.S. Congressman Dan Lipinski (D-3rd) has urged in a detailed letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US National Security Advisor John Bolton that the government immediately work towards finding ways to alleviate the “ongoing humanitarian crisis” in the Gaza Strip.

Lipinski acknowledged the role of Hamas in the region’s turmoil but argued that is a higher issue of civilians who need immediate support including “basic utilities, medical care, and other necessities” to avoid both “a complex humanitarian and security crisis.”

The letter, dated August 22, 2018, argued that the population does not have enough food and very little water to survive. Lipinski cited as “critical” the ongoing work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), both of which have been hit by cutbacks in U.S. financial support.

The administration of President Donald Trump, seeking to pressure Palestinians to return to the negotiation table with Israel, has used humanitarian aid as leverage and has ordered a suspension of all U.S. funding to the Palestinians including funds to UNRWA and USAID.

Congressman Dan Lipinski

Trump has already ordered a cutback in $65 million in aid to the Palestinians, fueling a massive humanitarian crisis in both the Gaza Strip and in the Israeli occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and this week ordered that the remaining $200 million in aid to UNRWA and USAID by redirecting that aid to other unidentified programs.

“In Gaza, the unemployment rate is 41 percent, and 47 percent of the population is food insecure,” Lipinski wrote. “Only around 3 percent of tap water is drinkable and in many places, electricity is unavailable for up to 20 hours a day. These dire conditions are contributing to an unimaginably poor quality of life for Gaza residents and threatening regional stability.”

Lipinski, a conservative Democratic — often called a “Reagan Democrat” — was first elected to office in 2005 succeeding his father, a former Chicago alderman and ward committeeman who held the district for more than 20 years. The 3rd District currently represents one of the largest concentrations of Palestinian Americans, mostly Christian, in the nation.

Explosion at the Said Al-Mishael (Meshal) theater in Gaza. In a terrorist attack targeting civilians, Israel’s military attacked and destroyed Gaza’s al-Mishal (Meshal) Performing Arts Center. The violence is a part of Israel’s on-going campaign to kill Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land

“Resources provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) are preventing the humanitarian situation from deteriorating further and I urge you to take action to ensure that the agency can continue to provide critical aid,” Lipinski wrote. “As a strong supporter of the United States’ commitment to the safety and dignity of Palestinians and Israelis, I urge you to restore the U.S. funding commitment to UNRWA and release appropriated USAID funding for humanitarian projects.”

Lipinski argued that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza”has created serious security concerns for our ally Israel,” adding that one of Israel’s highest military leaders, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has warned that “if the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is not alleviated, spiraling economic and social conditions in Gaza could threaten Israel’s security.”

Lipinski said that continued humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza “plays a critical role in the larger U.S. Strategy to secure peace and stability in the region.”

The Illinois Congressman argued that the health and well-being of civilians should not be used as pawns in the larger political battle between Israel and Palestine and the Trump administration.

“While blame for the current situation rests on many parties, Hamas featuring prominently among them, U.S. support for the basic human rights of Palestinians living in Gaza must not be conditioned on progress on security and political fronts,” Lipinski wrote.

“The U.S. should encourage all parties to increase access to electricity flow into Gaza to meet the critical need for reliable energy. … Alleviating the poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, and lack of access to adequate health, clean water, and electricity in Gaza is a critical first step to improving the security and safety of both Palestinians and Israelis.”

Lipinski has been meeting with Arab American leaders in the 3rd Congressional District including the Rev. Donald Wagner, Linda Kateeb and Samir Khalil to identify ways to help avoid the humanitarian crisis.

Khalil issued a statement praising and thanking Lipinski for being one of the only members of the U.S. Congress to place humanitarian concerns above political expediency. Khalil is the president of the influential Arab American Democratic Club which is hosting a candidate’s forum and brunch on Oct. 21, 2018 before the November 6 general election. More than 600 Arab Americans are expected to attend the event to continue to add resonance to their growing voice in not only the 3rd Congressional District but also in Illinois and the Midwest.

Americans for Peace Now, a pro-Israel group that supports the Israeli movement Shalom Achshav (Peace Now), released the following statement on Trump’s proposed aid cuts:

APN Appalled by Trump’s Cutting Palestinian Aid; Warns of Grave Repercussions

Americans for Peace Now (APN) condemns the decision by the Trump administration to slash $200 million in aid appropriated by Congress for humanitarian projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. According to a leaked report, this action will shortly be followed by a Trump administration announcement that it will cut support for programs of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the West Bank, ask Israel to consider restricting UNRWA’s activities there, and dramatically reduce the number of Palestinians the United States recognizes as refugees.

Of most immediate concern is the humanitarian impact of these actions on Palestinians who depend on programs administered by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and UNRWA. Struggling financially under earlier cuts by the United States, previously its largest donor, UNRWA has warned that it does not currently have funds to operate schools through the end of 2018. Humanitarian programs through UNRWA and USAID also provide health care and vaccinations, food assistance, water treatment, infrastructure development, and support for good governance and conflict prevention.

These latest moves are likely to severely impact Israel, as well. Deepening Gaza’s profound economic crisis may contribute to further radicalization among Palestinians there and impoverishing Palestinians in the West Bank will likely disrupt security and stability there. Weakening the Palestinian Authority and possibly instigating its collapse would leave a vacuum for Hamas and elements which are even more radical, and force Israel, which remains the occupying power, to pick up the pieces.

The Trump administration claims it is acting in the interests of Israel and peace. Nothing could be further from the truth. Punishing and humiliating the Palestinians will not bring them to the negotiating table or persuade them to accept a deal which fails to address the legitimate national interests of the Palestinian people. A weakened, humiliated, impoverished Palestinian neighbor across the Green Line is not in Israel’s interest either.

Trump’s latest anti-Palestinian moves are likely to provoke a multidimensional crisis – humanitarian, political, economic, and security – of Washington’s own making.

Israel legalizes theft of Christian, Muslim lands for illegal Jewish-only settlements

The Israeli District Court in Jerusalem ruled that settlers in an outpost established on private Palestinian land have rights to the land

The Jerusalem District Court (Judge Arnon Darel) ruled today, August 28, 2018, that the settlers of the Mitzpe Karmim outpost, east of Ramallah, have rights to the private land of the Palestinians on which the outpost was built. This means that according to the ruling (which is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court), the Palestinian landowners have no right to demand the eviction of the settlers from their land, but rather to demand compensation.

Peace Now: “In the beginning, the state’s position was that the settlers had no right to the land, and that they should be evacuated. After the establishment of the current government and the appointment of Mendelblit as Attorney General, the state’s position changed completely and presented the court with the opposite view. The court today chose to “align” with the project of annexation and dispossession of the Israeli government led by the Netanyahu and the Jewish Home.
It is absurd to attribute “good faith” to the settlers of an illegal outpost whose homes were built illegally and without permits on private Palestinians land, because of a “mistake” made by the authorities in allocating the land. The Israeli Authorities should protect the properties of the people under their control, and failing to do so cannot be used as an excuse to take the land from the Palestinian owners. Let us hope that the Supreme Court will erase this shame.”

To read the courts ruling (Hebrew) – click here.

Mitzpe Karmim illegal Israeli settlement outpost, courtesy of Peace Now, Israel

Background: “Mitzpe Karmim” Outpost

The Mitzpe Karmim outpost was established in 1999 on lands of the village of Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah, without government approval, without a building plan and without permits. The land on which the outpost was built is privately-owned land, registered in the Land Registry in the name of the Palestinian owners, and near the settlement of Kochav HaShachar, which was established in the 1970s.

2011 – Petition of the landowners for the evacuation of the outpost – In 2011, some of the landowners petitioned the High Court of Justice by means of attorney Husam Yunas, demanding the evacuation of the outpost and the return of their land (HCJ 953/11).  In response, the settlers claimed that they had invaded the land with the assistance of the authorities, based on the government’s promise that the place would be retroactively authorized, and that they had even received an “authorization certificate” granting them land rights from the Settlement Division of the World Zionist Organization. They claimed that they settled on the land in good faith, and therefore Section 5 of the Order Concerning Government Property (the “Market Regulations”) must be applied and the land should be given to them. The state, on the other hand, claimed that this was private land and an invasion without permits that could not be authorized in arrears. According to the state, inasmuch as there were government promises and valid contracts for the settlers, this was done in error, with the mistaken assumption that the land of the outpost was included in a military seizure order of the 1970s.

2013 – The settlers’ claim in the District Court to register the land in their names – In an attempt to delay the proceedings in the High Court of Justice, the settlers filed a claim in the Jerusalem District Court in which they demanded that the land be registered in their name. In the State’s defense statement submitted in early 2014 regarding the settlers’ claim, it in turn claimed that the land should remain Palestinian-owned, and that the settlers’ invasion, without building permits and without official approval, could not be considered an act in “good faith”.

July 2018 – State summaries: The land can be expropriated – the settlers’ claim was dragged out for years, during which time various witnesses testified about the circumstances of the outpost’s establishment and the state of affairs in terms of land rights. Among other things, one of the individuals who testified had been in charge of government property in the 1980s and signed the land allocation contract with the Settlement Division in 1981. He claimed that the contract signed with the Settlement Division did include the land on which the outpost was built and that he truly believed that it was part of the military’s seizure order.

In the state’s summaries, contrary to its position in the High Court of Justice and at the beginning of the proceeding, contended that, in view of the testimonies in the trial, it could indeed be argued that there had been “good faith” in the authorities’ handling of the outpost.

This is a 180-degree change from the state’s position at the beginning of the process, and is part of a change, which has been evident since Avihai Mandelblit was appointed Attorney General two years ago, regarding the legal interpretation of what is permitted in the Occupied Territories and in the settlements.

The meaning of the judgment – actual implementation of the principles of the “Regulation Law”

This is the first ruling that applies the “market regulation” doctrine to settlers who built their homes on private Palestinian land. According to Section 5 of the Order Concerning Government Property, known as the “Market Regulations”, in certain cases, if a person invades the land in good faith, the landowner receives compensation and the squatter takes possession of the land (see below for an extension of the “market regulation”).

In addition, Judge Darel is willing to attribute good faith even to the case where the construction was done illegally, without valid permits and plans.

The ruling does not give carte blanche to legalize all the thousands of settlement structures built on private Palestinian land. It is a special case in which the settlers received documents from the authorities that grant them rights in the land, and in which the state claims that this mistake was done in good faith.

It is important to mention that the judgment is still expected to be decided by the Supreme Court in the framework of an appeal to be submitted.

A mistake in the allocation of land – Judge Darel asserts that the mistake made in the allocation of land can be ascribed to good faith, and that the allocation contract granted by the Civil Administration to the Settlement Division in 1981 also included the area of the outpost (although this was private Palestinian land that was not seized for military purposes). As such, the Settlement Division was able in good faith to allocate the land to settlers who had built their home in good faith (illegally). During the trail in almost all the testimonies of the military and civil administration personnel who dealt with the subject in the relevant years, the gloomy picture emerged of how Israel manages the lands in the territories, and the disregard for the Palestinians’ private ownership (the transfer of rights by inaccurate maps, unclear seizure orders and closure orders Etc.) One of the many examples of how Palestinians’ assets were managed is given in the testimony of Shlomo Moskowitz, who was the head of the Planning Bureau of the Civil Administration for decades:

“It was customary at the time until the mid-1980s or so, all the orders I know … were carried out in such a way that there was no connection between the order and the actual location.

Q: Ok, that means that in 1981 or 82, when the commissioner assigned the WZO territory, he had no idea what space he was allocating, right?

A. He knew about the area, but not the exact location and not the exact boundaries. “

The result is absurd: As the occupying power that has assumed responsibility for the Occupied Territories for the last 51 years, the state should have protected the property rights of Palestinians who have no civil rights nor the ability to defend their own land. In effect, the ruling means that because the state has failed to protect their land, it is now possible to take the land from the Palestinians and give it to the settlers.

Use of the “market regulation” doctrine to expropriate Palestinian land – actual implementation of the principles of the “Regulation Law”

The doctrine of “market regulation” is a legal arrangement that, in certain cases, allows the person who purchased property without the owner’s consent due to an honest error (e.g., a property sold by a thief so that the buyer had no reason to suspect that the seller is not the owner) to prevent the return of the property to its owner and to pay him monetary compensation. The idea is to prevent a situation in which the chain of transfers of an asset could collapse at any moment, if it so happens that someone disagreed with the transfer along the way, possibly causing great harm to the market activity and trade in property.

In mid-November 2017, the state notified the High Court of Justice of its intention to expropriate 45 dunams of land from Palestinians in the Ofra area in order to approve a building plan that would legalize parts of the settlement. The legal justification given in the state’s response to the High Court of Justice is the use of the “market regulation” doctrine set out in section 5 of the Order Concerning Government Property. It states that in certain cases, when a transaction is made between the Custodian of Government and Abandoned Property in the Civil Administration and any other party that sides thought in good faith it was “state land”, the transaction will not be disqualified and will remain valid (i.e. the land is expropriated with the obligation to compensate the owner). In other words, there is no obligation to evacuate the invaders and return the land to its owners.

The state’s response is based on a summary of a discussion held by the Attorney General in December 2017, in which he actually approved the application of the section to certain cases in which the Civil Administration had, in good faith, appropriated land that it did not own and transferred it to the use of the settlers. In fact, the Attorney General order allows for the expropriation of Palestinian land for the benefit of the settlements, which is forbidden by international law and is considered by the Israeli legal system to be a red line that cannot be crossed. Although the Attorney General limits the expropriation to cases in which there was an allocation by the Civil Administration (CA), it also includes, for instance, cases of illegally built houses, i.e. without building permits and contrary to the master plans that are in force. The issue of the CA acting in good faith is questionable, as it is clear that the CA has been negligent in its task of finding out the status of the private lands it has allocated. Therefore, according to the position of the Attorney General, negligence and good faith can coexist.

It should be noted that the Regulation Law enacted by the Knesset does, in effect, stipulate that private land that settlers invaded will not be returned, but will be expropriated from the owners in return for compensation. In the Attorney General’s response to the High Court of Justice that was filed in objection to the law, he states that the law is unconstitutional and should be disqualified. In the present opinion on “market regulation” it turns out that the principle underlying the expropriation law is acceptable to him, the only question being under what conditions it is permissible to apply it.

Read more about the changes made by Mendelblit in the rules of the game of Israeli occupation – click here.

By the time he died on Saturday, Senator John McCain orchestrated a four-day celebration of his life alongside an unmistakable rebuke to POTUS Trump and his agenda.

On Monday night after the Press had left, in a closed door meeting with evangelical leaders, POTUS Trump repeated his debunked claim that he had gotten “rid of” a law forbidding churches and charitable organizations from endorsing political candidates.

By Eileen Fleming

That law remains on the books, but Trump cited this alleged accomplishment as one in a series of gains he has made for his fundamentalist Christian supporters who he warned, “You’re one election away from losing everything that you’ve got… This Nov. 6 election is very much a referendum on not only me, it’s a referendum on your religion, it’s a referendum on free speech and the First Amendment.”

The First Amendment guarantees: Freedom of Religion. Freedom of Speech. Freedom of the Press. Freedom to Assemble Peaceably. Freedom to Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances.

Mr. McCain’s service kicks off with the singing of “Amazing Grace” and ends with Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.”

On Sunday, Senator McCain’s oldest son, Doug, will deliver the final reading from Ephesians: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.”

When I read that, I remembered that I titled my second book: Third Intifada/Uprising: Nonviolent, But with Words Sharper than a Two-Edged Sword, because the following words ran through my head all during my fourth journey to Israel Palestine in November 2006:

“The word of God is living and active. Sharper than a two-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him whom we must give account.”- Hebrews 4:12-13

I dedicated that book to the Palestinian Christians with hope that their Exodus from the Holy Land will soon end, and that the Holy Land will be whole indeed.

Reality is that POTUS Trump’s agenda and Jared Kushner’s chutzpah has depressed me. However, they inspired Palestinian Christian, author and Sabeel activist Samia Khoury to write “The Emperor”

Mr. Trump, who on earth appointed you the Emperor of the universe as to think you can undo treaties, cancel UN resolutions, and impose sanctions on countries all over the world.

Ever since you took office you have been handling matters according to your whims and wishes antagonizing people and regimes, whereby the whole world seems to be in a big mess, and on the verge of a war, here and there.

Because you have the power and money, you think you can get away with all this.  The day will come when all your actions will boomerang, and your own people might be the first to raise their voice against your actions.  Let alone all other countries whose destiny you have been meddling with.

As a Palestinian, I ask you what right do you have to cancel the UN resolution regarding the “right of return of the Palestinians,” and the money allocated by the UN to UNRWA, which was established as a temporary organization until the Palestinian refugees would be able to go back to their homes.

You are morally and financially obligated to see to it that those refugees are granted their right. And until that happens you are still obligated to fund UNRWA because it is the veto power of the US used along the years that has been the reason behind the failure of the implementation of UN resolutions that would redress the grave injustice inflicted upon the Palestinians in 1948 as well as in 1967.

You are dealing with issues with the principle of MIGHT is RIGHT.  We are no more in a jungle Mr. Trump.  There are rules and regulations, and an international law that governs actions of governments.  If you want the law of the jungle to prevail, then wake up, because that law will not spare anybody, and the emperor will eventually be exposed  “as naked as can be”. -Samia Khoury, August 5, 2018.

An investigation by Foreign Policy earlier this month published leaked emails written by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and envoy for the ‘peace’ process.

On January 11, Kushner wrote in one email: “It is important to have an honest and sincere effort to disrupt UNRWA. This [agency] perpetuates a status quo, is corrupt, inefficient and doesn’t help peace.”

Dylan Williams of J Street, a pro-Israel group responded: “Jared Kushner’s attempt to ‘disrupt’ UNRWA by slashing their funding — against the recommendations of the Pentagon, State Department and US intelligence community — is both callous and dangerous. These cuts have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and contributed to instability that, according to Israel’s generals, threatens Israeli security. This is just the latest evidence that the Trump administration is more interested in punitive action against Palestinians than in the serious pursuit of peace.”

Peace is defined as a state of tranquility and equanimity in all situations, freedom from oppressive thoughts or emotions, harmony in personal relations and: “Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures” as President John F. Kennedy said.

Trump, Christian Fundamentalists and many Evangelicals are ignorant of the following facts:

Before Emperor Constantine brought Christianity into the mainstream, all the early Church Fathers taught that Christians should not serve in the army but instead willingly suffer rather than inflict harm on any other.

St. Augustine was the first Church Father to consider the concept of a Just War. Within 100 years after Constantine, the Empire required that all soldiers in the army must be baptized Christians and thus, the decline of Christianity began.

In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine legitimized Christianity and thus, those who had been considered rebels and outlaws began to enjoy political power and prestige.

Jesus’ other name is The Prince of Peace, and with the marriage of church and state, his true teachings were reinterpreted. The justification of warfare and the use of state sponsored violence corrupted what Jesus modeled and taught and thus is antiChrist!

Jesus was always on about WAKE UP: The Divine already indwells you and all others.

Jesus taught that to follow him requires that one must love ones enemies; one must forgive those who hate, curse and revile them, without payback.

Jesus lived a life that proved evil can be opposed without being mirrored, and that the cycle of a “tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye”, will never bring peace and justice.

The term Christianity was not coined until three decades after Jesus walked the earth. Until the day of Paul, followers of Jesus were called members of The Way; and the way was defined in what he taught and modeled with his life.

Jesus was never a Christian, but he was a social justice, radical revolutionary nonviolent Palestinian devout Jewish road warrior who rose up/intifada to challenge the corrupt Temple authorities and disturb the status quo of the Roman occupying forces by teaching that God was on the side of the poor and outcasts.

Clement, Tertillian, Polycarp and every other early Church Father taught that violence was a contradiction of what Christ was all about. There have always been those Christians who spoke out against this corruption of scripture and they have been ignored, reviled, rejected, mocked, persecuted and maligned throughout time.

There have always been Christians who have never abandoned the true teachings, such as the Quakers, Mennonites, some Catholics and Protestants who have been faithful witnesses to Christ by denouncing violence and caring for the poor.

There have also always been Jews, Muslims, atheists, anarchists, secularists and other’s who have lived lives that embody the message Jesus delivered.

The spiritual battle between McCain and Trump will continue to play out in the political realm because good and evil cut through every human heart and free will means we get to choose which rules ours!

All life is interconnected and interdependent and so we deal with wars waging in individual’s hearts whenever they erupt into society and especially when inspired by those in power.

America’s prophet Reverend Martin Luther King taught, “Peace is not some distant goal we seek, but a MEANS by which we achieve that goal.”

The MEANS we employ will expose the intent of our heart.

In the Bible’s Old Testament, better known as the Hebrew Scriptures, the prophet Jeremiah issued: “Jerusalem’s Final Warning” from which I excerpt:

For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain. From prophet to priest, all practice deceit. They have dressed the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all…

Excerpted from Wabi-Sabi Body: Eternal Spirit

Arun Gandhi was born in 1934 in Durban, South Africa, and he is the fifth grandson of Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi. Arun grew up under South Africa apartheid laws and was beaten by White South Africans for being too Black and by Black South Africans for being too White.

Arun Gandhi said:

One thing that I’ve observed over the years is that unfortunately peace is the most abused and most misunderstood word in the dictionary. We become aware of peace only when there is a war and then we try to work hard to put an end to the war, and once the war is over we think that we have achieved peace. That really is not peace. 



Peace begin from within, that we have to be at peace with ourselves, and the only way we can be at peace with ourselves is by understanding and acknowledging our own weaknesses and doing an introspection to find out what our weaknesses are and how can we transform those weaknesses into strength….

Anger became a very important aspect of [my Grandfather’s] philosophy of nonviolence. 

 Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi explained, “that anger is like electricity. It’s just as useful and just as powerful as electricity is but only if we use it intelligently. But it can be just as deadly and destructive if we abuse it. So just as we channel electrical energy and bring it into our lives and use it for the good of humanity we must learn to channel anger also in the same way so that we can use that energy intelligently rather than abuse anger and cause death and destruction.”

Peace will never be wrought through violence. Peace or violence is felt within and usually expressed through language and actions. Hatred, frustration and anger will view all opponents as enemies and neglect to see the opportunity they provide us to grow. Gandhi encouraged us to recognize that our ‘enemies’ are only our misguided brothers and sisters in the Human Family…

Eileen Fleming writes

HERE

Eileen Fleming produced the UNCENSORED “30 Minutes with Vanunu” Mordechai, Israel’s nuclear whistleblower

Contact her HERE 

On Saturday at the National Cathedral in D.C., Joe Lieberman spoke about his and John McCain’s Jerusalem dream; which is also a dream of Palestinian refugees.

By Eileen Fleming

Former senator Joe Lieberman’s eulogy for his friend and colleague Senator John McCain, recounted many tales depicting McCain as a friend, politician, and a moral man.

Lieberman spoke about John McCain as “a source of hope and inspiration for oppressed people throughout the world, as it was a source of security for allied countries that share our values” in particular Jerusalem.

Jerusalem was “one of John’s favorite cities in the world” and “one of his favorite things to do there was to stand on the balcony with Lindsey and me of our hotel looking out at the old city and discussing all of the religious and political history that happened there over the centuries.”

Lieberman recalled when he first told McCain that he had decided not to run for the senate again in 2012, he was “a little angry. But then the next day he called me and this is my best recollection of the conversation. He said ‘You know, I’ve been thinking if you go out into the private sector, you’re going to make some more money, and then you can afford to buy a second home in Jerusalem that has an extra room for me with a balcony where we can look out and that city and its history.’”

Lieberman continued, “Now sadly fate has intervened before we could realize that dream but I am comforted by the fact that Jerusalem is not just a holy, historic city, it is also the visionary symbol of the dreams that all people share and the destiny we all desire. It is the original heavenly shining city on the hill. In that sense for many people in the life of the spirit, Jerusalem, the shining city on the hill are really heaven, and it is to that heavenly Jerusalem where I am confident the soul of John Sidney McCain III is going now. I want to imagine that there is going to be a beautiful home waiting for him there with a balcony from which he can contemplate the shining city and hopefully inspire us here on earth to conduct ourselves with just some of the patriotism, principles and courage that characterize his magnificent life of service to America and to so many noble causes greater than himself…”

As I heard Lieberman speak those worlds I recalled this quote from Einstein:

‘This is a time when there seems to be a particular need for men of philosophical persuasion—that is to say, friends of wisdom and truth—to join together…We Jews should be, and remain, the carriers and patrons of spiritual values. But we should also always be aware of the fact that these spiritual values are and always have been the common goal of mankind.’

Then I remembered I first quoted that quote because of a Palestinian Muslim 1948 refugee, whose life inspired my first book, an historical fictional in which everything is true and almost everything actually happened.

An excerpt from KEEP HOPE ALIVE:

Chapter One: THE MORNING AFTER APRIL 4, 1968

Mary woke at dawn and re-entered the living room for the first time since she had said goodnight the night before. She was not surprised to see Khaled sprawled out in his recliner or Riad at peace on the sofa. But she was dismayed to see Art curled in fetal position on the black and white checkered tile at the front door.

She gently stepped over him into the red and white kitchen as the morning sun broke through the garden window. The sun illuminated the cherry-blonde slab stump of an ancient olive tree that had been hewn into a kitchen table and received as a wedding gift from family and friends, who lived in Khaled’s hometown, the village of Majd Al Krum, in Upper Galilee. Even on the most frigid morning, Mary felt warmed by the high-gloss patina of the tabletop, but held more dear the signatures and marks from the entire town etched underneath.

Mary silently performed the morning ritual of brewing the first of many pots of Turkish coffee for the day, gratefully inhaled the piquant aroma, and then quickly exited up the back staircase to the bedrooms to wake her daughter for school. When Mary returned to her kitchen after escorting Ahmeena to her third grade classroom, she was not surprised to find Khaled and Riad at the table, downing a second pot of the Turkish brew.

“Please, Mary, don’t say a word. I drank too much, and now I am paying the price.”

“Khaled, the pain in your face brings me to tears; you are clearly suffering. I will not add to your misery. But you, Riad–you look buoyant. What’s your secret?”

Riad chuckled. “Tolerance.”

Mary marveled at how his gleaming pate radiated the sun’s rejection through the garden window that showcased a pendulous purple wisteria and birdbath, where blue jays had immediately gathered to eat the seed she had just put out.

At that moment, Art stumbled into the room, banging his shoulder against the wall and hip into the butcher-block counter. “Oiy! Sylvia is going to fry me! I thought I’d be back at her sister’s by noon, but that bad news about Martin Luther King, Jr., hit us all like a left to the liver! I thought last night would be only good reminiscing, but reality intruded. Hmm, Thanks, Mary, I need this brew.” He nodded and gratefully downed the pungent coffee that Mary had just set before him.

“So, who wants breakfast?”

“Just toast, Mary, my love,” Khaled whimpered weakly.

“Same for me.” Riad beamed, and Mary thought how grateful she was to know him.

Art whispered, “Have you any Mylanta, Mary?”

Mary suppressed a smile as she turned to retrieve it, when the unmistakable seven knock’s of Ahmad was heard at the front door….

Riad beamed. “Jack, your brother is a wise man to think of such a just penance for Christians who may forget the other names for Jesus, like Emmanuel, meaning ‘God is with us,’ and the Prince of Peace. And Martin Luther King, Jr., walked in his footsteps; I hope we never forget his message of justice and equality for all humanity.”

Khaled met Art’s eyes and gently spoke. “You know, Martin Luther King is foremost the voice for the Negro, but he also speaks for all who seek justice. He said, ‘We have come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. Now is the time for justice; now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to lift our nation from injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.’”

Art stabbed out his cigarette and injected, “Yeah, and do you know what Reverend King said just a few weeks ago? He said, ‘Peace for Israel means security, and we stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.’”

Khaled nearly blubbered, “Reality? The reality is that Israel’s democracy does not extend to Palestinians, whose families have lived there for centuries! Martin Luther King also spoke about not ‘being satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.’8 Reverend King also spoke about his people’s great trials, tribulations, and creative suffering. He spoke about injustice, but offered such hope for change, because the American dream is that all men are created equal. This is also the Palestinian dream. Reverend King spoke of his dream, and I, too, have a dream, that underneath the shade of olive trees, the descendants of Abraham will one day sit down at the table of brotherhood.”

Art lit another cigarette as he added, “My rabbi always says, ‘If we would all just do like Micah told, we’d be alright. Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.’”

Khaled erupted. “I wonder if Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol ever read Micah. I read that when his generals told him that the IDF was the greatest army since King David, he became ecstatic! I cannot understand why the American government is ignoring the situation in my homeland, when, in 1956, the US demanded Israel withdraw from the Sinai Desert back to the international border after only three months. The Six Day War was a year ago, and no such demands were made.

“They have turned a blind eye to the destruction of Palestinian towns, and I cannot believe America has not stood up to the Israelis. Not a word of condemnation about the massive building projects in the West Bank, Sinai, Eastern Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights! Not a word that Palestinians are still living in refugee camps, and their homes and olive groves have been plowed over!

“Why doesn’t America demand equally just treatment for Palestinians, too? Yes, yes, yes, America is focused on Vietnam. Now we mourn Martin Luther King in America, and I mourn the lack of justice in my homeland.”

Art violently snuffed out his cigarette and boomed, “Look, the situation is untenable. We got nowhere discussing this last night, and you cannot forget what my people, my very family, suffered beyond belief from the Nazis! You cannot compare the two! Then, we must endure the inflammatory rhetoric to ‘push the Jews into the sea!’ Why, of course we believed another Holocaust was about to happen. How can you blame us after all we have suffered while the world remained mute? Nobody spoke out to protect us when the Nazis were exterminating us in ovens. My God! How can you blame us for attacking first? Anyone would have, if they had suffered as my people have. How can you blame us for attacking first?”

Khaled kindly replied, “Of course, we all deeply regret the atrocities that were inflicted upon the Jewish people. But that pain should not be used as a reason to inflict pain on others.”

Riad shook his head, removed his thick-lens, thin wire-rimmed spectacles and rubbed his myopic eyes. “Yes, we all agree and we must be sensitive to the suffering the Jewish people have endured throughout history. I was in Egypt when the UN forces stationed on the Egyptian-Israeli border left, and what happened next? The Egyptians blockaded the Straits of Tiran and cut off Israeli shipping access to the Port of Eliat. Such infantile behavior from world leaders! It’s always about control and keeping power. If I were Irish, it would certainly get my Irish up!”

Jack and Riad shared a smile as Art erupted. “Yes, Khaled, it is true that just a few weeks after that blockade, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq signed a mutual defense agreement designed to facilitate a combined attack on Israel. They want to obliterate Israel! You see Khaled, Israel had no choice but to attack first!”

Khaled was miserable. “I read that President Johnson was asked to intervene, but I am sad. Vietnam preoccupies this country. I am sad about many things. It was only seven years ago in his farewell address that President Eisenhower warned the American people to beware of the military-industrial complex. He warned us of the danger of becoming dependent on the manufacturing of weapons to stimulate our economy. It was a year ago that Martin Luther King warned us that ‘any nation, who, year after year, spends more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.’What I see going on in the world is that everyone seems to believe that stockpiling weapons will ensure peace and provide many jobs. This is false security, and sows the seeds that war is the way to peace.”

Riad rubbed his gleaming dome and looked directly at Art. “The Jewish people have been threatened throughout their entire history. It is understandable they are paranoid. It is justified! But, that does not justify them treating others unjustly. The Israeli nation is surrounded by refugee camps–refugee camps filled with indigenous Palestinians who were forced off their land by threat of their own holocaust. Poor leadership on all sides brings us to this place in time. The horrors and injustice of the Holocaust are still fresh in Jewish minds. It should remain fresh within all our minds. We should never forget the injustice of the Holocaust. We should never forget that man’s inhumanity to man was able to proliferate because good people did nothing. The nations of the world turned a blind eye to the pain and injustice the Jewish people suffered until too many had died. Now, the Palestinians are being ignored by the world and are fighting back in ways that will not help their cause. Injustice must always be confronted and be withstood by peaceful means. When will this be understood?”

“Get real, Riad. The PLO wants to wipe us out! But God is on our side. After all, we won the war in only six days! The Arab nations received a left to the liver by Israeli’s pre-emptive strike, and now we control the Sinai, Gaza Strip, Suez Canal in Egypt, West Bank, and East Jerusalem. The entire city of Jerusalem is under Israeli control! Surely you see the hand of God in this?”

Khaled was steaming, while Riad gently spoke. “I know you do, Art, but I see a different side. Superior military force, and the fact that Israel was supplied with American intelligence and knew exactly where to strike, won it. Eighteen thousand Arab soldiers died, and Palestinian refugees continue to be ignored. By her silence, America has legitimized the Israeli victory, and I fear ahead of us will be more injustice, death, and destruction. Last December, George Habash founded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. It is a terrorist organization inspired by communism. Each side ups the ante with more death and destruction. When will it ever be enough?”

Art sighed deeply and offered, “You are right, Riad; when will it be enough? The Torah teaches that everyone is a part of God and created in the divine image. We can even agree with Jesus that the greatest command is that we love God with our whole hearts, souls, minds, and strength. I suppose, if everyone did that, it would be a perfect world….

Riad interrupted, “I won’t comment on that, but in 1965, the Second Vatican Council issued a declaration on the relationship of the church to non-Christian religions, condemning anti-Semitism, and recognizing ‘the bond that spiritually ties the people of the New Covenant to Abraham’s stock.’ Now, I realize nineteen centuries of anti-Semitism and some very unholy behavior will not erase the sins of the fathers, but with this new revelation begins the healing. Hope emerges every time a wrong has been admitted and corrected.”

Art had returned unnoticed and had silently stood in the doorway until Riad finished and then softly spoke. “Excuse me. The book Sylvia had been reading to me while we traveled–it’s a collection of Einstein’s essays. I was driving down your street when a white cat darted in front of me, and I hit the brakes. The book fell on the floor, and that cat flew up a tree and sat, and just stared down at me with his icy blue eyes. The book fell open to ‘The Calling of The Jews’ and I quote: ‘This is a time when there seems to be a particular need for men of philosophical persuasion—that is to say, friends of wisdom and truth—to join together…We Jews should be, and remain, the carriers and patrons of spiritual values. But we should also always be aware of the fact that these spiritual values are and always have been the common goal of mankind.’

Eileen Fleming writes

HERE

Eileen Fleming produced the UNCENSORED “30 Minutes with Vanunu” Mordechai, Israel’s nuclear whistleblower

Contact her HERE 

The Post Sept. 11, 2001 victims of hate in America

This column was published in 2007 and addresses the fight to recognize the victims of the reprisals that stemmed from the Sept. 11, 2001. Many Americans refused to recognize the Americans, Arab, Muslims and “Middle East looking” who were attacked in revenge assaults in the weeks after the terrorism of Sept. 11, 2001. Those victims killed after Sept. 11, 2001, should be included among those who were killed on Sept. 11, 2001. “Fighting for the last victims of September 11”

By Ray Hanania

راى حنانيا
Ray Hanania

Everyone is familiar with the nearly 3,000 people who were murdered when al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four airplanes and crashed them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in a field outside of Philadelphia.

Very few people are aware that eight or more Americans were killed in the days and weeks after the terrorist attacks, as a result of Sept. 11th linked hate backlash.

While the families of the Sept. 11 victims qualify for funding and public support, the families of victims killed because they were either Arab, Muslim or because they simply “looked Middle Eastern” have gotten scant attention. Scant attention, that is, from everyone but a petite Jewish woman who lives in a suburb of Chicago who believes the post-Sept. 11 backlash victims deserve the same compassion as the nearly 3,000 who died on Sept. 11.

“Three of these murders are incontrovertibly linked to Sept. 11,” says Anya Cordell, who launched the Campaign for Collateral Compassion in February 2002 to bring attention to these subsequent Sept. 11 killings.

“There is no question at all that these three victims were the result of hate backlash linked to Sept. 11. At least five other murders are highly probably linked to the 9/11 hate-backlash.”

Cordell, who has followed reports of Sept. 11 related hate backlash incidents closely, says the majority of the cases she has focused on what took place in the three months after the terrorist attacks in New York. Yet none of the murder victims have been officially categorized as Sept. 11 related killings, and none of the families or relatives of these murder victims have qualified for any of the more than $2.9 billion raised to help Sept. 11 victims.

“I focused on the murders because I knew that if I couldn’t get attention for those victims, then I certainly would not be able to do anything for the victims of assaults and vandalism,” Cordell said.

“They deserve to have their experience validated and have the public recognize what happened to them.”

In most cases, reports of the Sept. 11 hate backlash were restricted to local news stories and local police investigations.

Cordell said she doesn’t understand why none have been relieved by any of the primary Sept. 11 funds created to raise money for Sept. 11 victims’ families.

“The victims should be treated exactly the same as if they had died in the World Trade Center,” said Cordell.

That sentiment was echoed by New Jersey Congressman Rush Holt who has championed the cause of one of the victims’ family member who faced deportation because the murdered victim was his family’s sponsor for citizenship at the time of the killing.

Most of the other victims were already citizens. Several of the murders occurred in California and Texas, but crisscrossed the nation from New York to Michigan to Oklahoma to Tennessee. There was no conspiracy linking the killings other than the killers were driven by Sept. 11 related anger and hate. Although some of the killers were arrested and later convicted, still many others remain at large and uncharged.

Some of the victims

Cordell has compiled a list of potential Sept. 11 hate backlash victims from newspaper and police reports, and from firsthand interviews and meetings she conducted with surviving family members.

Three cases are crystal clear, Cordell says.

Balbir Singh Sodhi was gunned down on Sept. 15, 2001 in Mesa, Arizona. The turban-wearing Sikh was killed outside his gas station. Sodhi’s killer spent the hours before the murder in a bar, bragging of his intention to “kill the ragheads responsible for September 11.” He has been convicted and sits on death row.

Waqar Hasan of Dallas, Texas was also murdered on Sept. 15, 2001. The 46-year-old Pakistani, was shot to death in a convenience store he owned. Hasan was murdered by Mark Stroman, who was convicted of also murdering Vasudev Patel days later in nearby Mesquite, Texas.

Cordell noted that Stroman admitted to authorities to blinding a third victim, a Bangladeshi, in between the murders of Hasan and Patel. After his arrest Stroman bragged, “I did what every American wanted to do after Sept. 11th but didn’t have the nerve.”

Cordell says the Sodhi, Hasan and Patel cases are indisputable examples of having links to Sept. 11 related hate backlash. Yet, none of the three families have received any compensation from any of the September 11th funds.

“There are certainly others that likely fall into this category,” Cordell said.

Other probable Sept. 11 linked hate backlash victims include:

Adel Karas, 48, a grocer from Egypt and a Coptic Christian, who was killed Sept. 15, 2001 in his San Gabriel, California store.

Another victim was Ali Almansoop, an American citizen and father of four. He was murdered six days later on Sept. 21, 2001 at his Detroit, Michigan home. Almansoop was a Yemen native. Prosecutors charged a Garden City man with first-degree murder in his shooting death. Allegedly, Almansoop was dating the ex-girlfriend of his killer, although the killer reportedly claimed he was glad he shot him because of Sept. 11.

Jawed Wassel of Queens, New York was an Afghani American (according to a friend of the family). Wassel had just finished producing a film about Iraq when he got into a dispute with one of his film’s investors. The investor was later charged with decapitating Wassel and chopping up his body in the days after Sept. 11.

“It was as if Sept. 11 gave the investor permission to vent his rage against this guy. He had some conflict. Maybe he would have assaulted him. But would he have decapitated him and chopped his body into pieces, if not for the climate after 9/11?” Cordell asked.

The day before Abdo Ali Ahmed, 51, was murdered, he found a note on his car threatening to kill him and deriding his ethnicity. Ahmed, a Yemeni shopkeeper in Reedly, California, showed the note to friends and family but threw it away after concluding the threat was little more than typical post-Sept. 11 rage.

The next day, on Sept. 29, Ahmed was found murdered. Police have never charged a suspect in the case and they did not find the note he showed to his friends and family. Ahmed was a father of eight. The family lived in California for 35 years. The killing so frightened his surviving family members that they moved and till this day remain in hiding.

Abdullah Mohammed Nimer, 53, was a door-to-door salesman who lived and worked in Los Angeles, California. The motive in his Oct. 13, 2001 murder did not appear to be robbery. When his body was found, his car was unlocked and filled with valuable merchandise worth thousands of dollars. Police found several hundred dollars in cash with the victim that was also untouched.

Hate Crimes Escalate

Cordell said the killings fit into a 1700 percent increase in the number of overall assaults and vandalism cases reported by Human Rights Watch during the first year after Sept. 11.

“In the cases where the murderers are still at large, there were no witnesses. So they have been categorized as homicides. But in every single one of those cases, no money was taken. Cash registers were left open and filled with money. Wallets were untouched and other valuables remained at the scenes,” Cordell said.

There were no post-Sept. 11th backlash murders in Illinois, but there were many acts of violence Irshad Khan owns a gas station in Naperville, Ill., with his uncle, Jafar Khan. They filed a defamation lawsuit saying it was the only way to save their business.

The Khans filed the lawsuit against several people who the Khans alleged spread rumors immediately after September 11th via the Internet that the Khan gas station had become a shrine, of sorts, to alleged Sept. 11th mastermind and al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden.

Bin Laden’s face has been posted on American buildings across the United States and in Afghanistan where he is reportedly in hiding, but the Khans said that people spread rumors that they had put up a picture of Bin Laden to glorify him and praise his terror. There was no such picture, but rumors are powerful in America, especially those targeting Arab and Muslim Americans.

The Khans reported that their gasoline and grocery sales had fallen by about a third after the e-mail rumor circulated. “Some people are just looking for scapegoats, and they’re just pointing fingers at other ethnicities,” Khan was quoted as saying. “I was losing my whole business.”

Across the country in Houston, 30-year-old Iraqi Hassan Al-Asfur was shot in the leg while sitting in his car on Sept. 21, 2001. Police said a man approached Al-Asfur’s car, held a gun to his head and said, “Your people killed my people.”

Further west in California, Swaran Kaur Bhullar, a Sikh, was stabbed in the head at a traffic light in early October 2001. The attackers fled when another car pulled up to the victim’s car. Said Bhullar, “If that car hadn’t driven up, I might have died.”

But Arabs and Muslims were also among the nearly 3,000 people who died in the World Trade Center buildings when they collapsed.

They include: Salman Hamdani, a 23-year-old laboratory technician from Bayside near Queens left home September 11th to work at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, at the Rockefeller Center, in Manhattan. He never returned.

He was trained in emergency medical assistance. Relatives believe he climbed aboard an ambulance headed for the World Trade Center after the first of the planes hit. He never even got to his office. Salman was a Muslim born in Karachi, Pakistan who came to America at the age of one.

Other World Trade Center victims include Samad Afridi, Omar Namoos, Asad Samir, Yusuf Saad, Talat Hussain, Azam Ahsan, Qasim Ali Khan, Naseema Simjee, Ashraf Ahmad Babu, Mohammad Chaudhury, Jumma Haque.

No funds for hate victims

None of the families of victims murdered as a result of alleged Sept. 11 linked hate backlash, including those identified by Cordell, have ever received support from any of the various charitable funds that were established to raise money to support the surviving families.

These organizations include the September 11th Fund, the Red Cross and the Families of Freedom Fund which provided scholarships to the children of victims. With other 9/11 charities, they raised more than $2.9billion, disbursed to surviving families and relatives, and to owners of businesses and homes damaged in the attacks.

The amount doesn’t include the Government Victim Compensation Fund, which is also distributing $7 billion to survivors and family members. Ironically, Arab Americans donated $90,000 to the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund for 9/11 families, but received nothing when they were victimized.

Ironically just before his murder, Cordell said, Balbir Singh Sodhi emptied the contents of his wallet, $75, into a Red Cross 9/11 Fund relief jar–though when he became the victim, his family received nothing.

Cordell said she is most surprised by the failure of the September 11th Fund to donate money to the survivors of hate backlash victims, considering that more than 58 percent of their donors expressly indicated they wanted funds to be used for that purpose.

“The Fund specified the category of Sept. 11 backlash in their survey, and then conducted the survey twice, in October of 2001 and again in November 2001. Donor intent for relief to flow to the hate-backlash victims rose from 40 to 58 percent by November. This represents millions of donors and many millions of dollars,” Cordell explained.

“The Fund highlighted on their web site the point that donors had expanded their view of who should be treated as a Sept. 11 victims. And then they utterly ignored that completely, violating the public trust with which they had been charged. I never received an explanation of why they did so.”

Cordell said that she is also driven by the fear of another backlash if there is another terrorist attack in the United States. The country has been placed on a heightened state of alert and officials of the Bush administration have warned they expect an attack to occur.

“It’s not just to relieve these people who are suffering because of their losses for the last three years but to also prevent this from happening again if there is another terrorist incident and more innocent Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Arabs, or others have to suffer the consequences,” Cordell said.

The attacks and assaults have been ongoing since September 11, with new ones reported every week, though not on the radar of the national news media.

Cordell charged that comments made by civic leaders may have even contributed to the climate, such as the remark by North Carolina Congresswoman Sue Myrick, who, speaking about terrorism said, “Look who runs the convenience stores in every little town in this country.”

On the first anniversary of Sept. 11th, Lynn Cheney, the wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, said “we don’t want that pap about diversity.”

Cordell said that she was particularly moved to feel compassion and to work for these victims because she is Jewish. “As a Jew, whose community has experienced such enormous intolerance, I believe that Jewish people should be front and center when our neighbors are experiencing any irrational tolerance,” Cordell said.

Cordell has produced a 28 minute audio CD of her meetings with the victims, her very unique post 9/11 journey, and the personal story of how she came to be so driven by this mission.

Information on the CD, which is priced at $8 to cover the costs of production and distribution, can be found on her website at www.CollateralCompassion.org.

(Ray Hanania is an award-winning nationally syndicated Palestinian American columnist, author and writer based in Chicago. His web page is www.hanania.com.)

END

Taybeh Oktoberfest to rock the West Bank this weekend

Nadim Khoury and David Khoury, co-founders of Taybeh Brewing Company, announce the 14^th annual Taybeh Oktoberfest will take place at the Taybeh Brewery, on Saturday and Sunday, September 8 & 9, from 1 pm until 11 pm on both days.

The festival has been a unique and traditional event in the region since 2005 when it was initiated collaboratively with the community while David Khoury was serving as mayor of Taybeh. The 1 pm opening on Saturday, September 8, will feature Hungarian Music with Live Act Folk, fusion of Hungarian folk songs, modern jazz and beatbox; Raya Palestinian Dance Troup and Special guest Aldo Brasil, singer & composer from Brazil.

“Taybeh Oktoberfest is a distinctive way to promote Palestinian culture and heritage not just the first micro-brewed beer in the Middle East and the new boutique wines with the Nadim label. Music groups in past years from Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil and many others countries reflected a musical cultural exchange,” stated David Khoury.

Musician Bashar Murard
and his band at the Taybeh OktoberFest

Master Brewer Canaan Khoury will have limited special brews released just for Oktoberfest: Arabic Coffee Nitro Stout; Shatta Ale with locally grown hot pepper; Double IPA; Spontaneous Fern aged in Cabernet Sauvignon Oak Barrel from Taybeh Winery and Palestinian Herbal Lager with za’atar, sage , sumac and anise.  The Taybeh Beer competition will continue to be a favorite with the first lady brewer of Palestine, Madees Khoury.

Entertainment will include alternative music with Ghazall from Nazareth; Bashar Murard, pop music; Zaid Hilal Band/Bethlehem, party rock with oriental flavor; Ahmed Marwan, former Arab Idol semi-finals; Rap music by Elie Kawas for new talent and Synaptik-Palestinian-Jordanian rapper. Return all-time favorites: DAM-Palestinian Hip-Hop; MINA Band – Palestinian Traditional Music w/Nazal Zanayed; Ramallah Band w/Jack Tanous and Alrowwad Cultural & Arts Society with several local dance groups.

Children’s activities: Puppet making and storytelling with Rinad: face painting with clowns; Meeting with Sponge Bob, Dora and the trolls; Henna body art (tattoos) and variety of games.  Visitors can escape the crowds and view Palestinian art exhibited at the lobby of the Taybeh Golden Hotel by prominent Palestinian artists, Sliman Mansour, Nabil Anani, and Tayseer Barakat. Taybeh Oktoberfest is the perfect way to spend your weekend in Palestine.  A camping night with campfire is a new addition to the Oktoberfest celebration.

For additional information contact Dr. Maria C. Khoury.

Tel: 0599-318-347  or  02-289-9440

Email: Khourymaria@hotmail.com

For interviews contact Nadim Khoury or David Khoury at Tel: 0599-371-105

Saturday, September 8th, 6:00 pm “Elos Byuri” Rap by Elie. RapAlternative original music from Ramallah delivered by Elie Kawas

Taybeh Oktoberfest opening celebration 1 pm Saturday 8th September
Live Act Folk Fusion of Hungarian folk songs, modern jazz and beat box

Saturday, September 8th, 8:30 pm Bashar Murard / Experimental Pop Music

Special Guest to Taybeh Oktoberfest Aldo Brasil, singer and composer of the city of Guarulhos / São Paulo Brazil. Aldo works with the dissemination of several Brazilian rhythms as: Forró, Samba, Bossa Nova and own compositions.

Taybeh OktoberFest 2018 flyer

Taybeh OktoberFest 2018 flyer

Letter exposes racism and hate at New York Times

The Arab Daily News is proud to publish this anonymous letter that we received from a high ranking official reader of the New York Times newspaper. The letter details the bigotry and racism that takes place at the newspaper against Arab Americans and Muslims, and the hypocrisy of the newspaper’s coverage of Israel.

I am a Part of the resistance in the New York Times

I work for the New York Times but like-minded colleagues and I have vowed to thwart parts of the newspaper’s agenda and its worst inclinations.

The New York Times and the mainstream American news media is facing a test to its legitimacy unlike any faced by a modern American newspaper or news media.

The editors and publishers of the New York Times, “America’s newspaper,” have intentionally engaged in policies and practices of racism and discrimination against Arab Americans, refusing to give them a platform to air their views exposing the depths of the war crimes and atrocities of the “State of Israel.”

Many of the editors are active in the pro-Israel community and they engage openly in the demonization of Arabs and especially Palestinians, hiding behind a claim of “objectivity” and “accuracy” that in fact consists of a very sophisticated practice of exaggerating hate and violence by Palestinians against Israel while diminishing similar accusations of hate and violence by Israel against Palestinians.

The New York Times Front Page from November 15, 2012, courtesy of Wikipedia

In fact, its senior columnist Tom Friedman constantly softballs issues addressing Israel while defining in a negative manner issues that present the Arab World and Palestinians in a negative light.

The newspaper publishers openly have declared in the newsroom that they will not hire Arabs who have any sympathy with the plight of the Palestinians, and have threatened the few Arab and Muslim journalists who work there that their careers will be destroyed if they do what pro-Israel writers at the newspaper are free to do all the time, write propaganda to strengthen the positive image of Israel.

The New York Times has an unwritten policy that it will promote anything that is Muslim, as long as it does not lend too much support to any effort to criticize Israel.

The newspaper that I work for every day is engaged in a sophisticated racism against Arabs and Muslims. They support non-Arab Muslims but place Arab Muslims, especially those who support Palestinian rights or who are too critical of Israel, under surveillance. They reject stories about positive images of the Palestinians while elevating the profile of stories that exaggerate Israel’s positives.

In fact, the newspaper’s saying is “All the pro-Israel news that is fit to print.”

The New York Times will run stories that are critical of Israel, but the criticism is “leveled,” a newspaper term meaning that the edge is removed and the criticism is blunted. Criticism of Palestinians and Arabs, however, is not “leveled.”

The New York Times has dozens of fulltime reporters that cover Israel and Israeli life inside Israel, but only pays minimum wage to one freelance writer based int he Gaza Strip and two freelance writers based in Ramallah. The majority of news reporting, even about Israeli attacks in Gaza or in the West Bank, for example, are often based on press releases and interviews provided by Israeli officials.

In fact, the New York Times has a policy in which no accusation can be published against Israel, unless it is accompanied by three confirmed sources, and two quotes denouncing it from members of the Israeli government.

Additionally, any story critical of Israel must be reviewed by Israeli officials — who have a policy requiring that all news about controversial stories involving Palestinian-Israeli contacts must be approved by Israel. (Israel censors all of the news published in Western news media and those publications that refuse to submit to their censorship practices will be denied visas or credentials inside Israel.

Further, Israel prohibits Palestinian and Arabs who have expressed support for Palestinian rights, from covering Israeli government offices such as the Knesset. And reporters have been warned not to seek comment from Arab members of the Knesset and to only report on criticism or negative actions of the Arab Knesset members.

I am writing this letter anonymously fearing that I will be fired if my identity is released. The New York Times practices are also practiced by many other American newspapers including the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, the Miami Herald, the Seattle Times, USA Today, the Boston Globe, and the Chicago Sun-Times.

The public should know that the news media is racist and biased when it comes to reporting facts and events involving the Palestinians and Israel. The public should know that they are only get a small part of the story about the suffering of the Palestinians, but are being spoon fed carefully crafted propaganda to promote Israel and make Israel look good. The public has a right to know that the New York Times and all of the nation’s major newspapers have rule to reject Op-Eds that are too critical of Israel or that are excessive in positive coverage of the Palestinians.

This letter was delivered to the New York Times with an urgent appeal to publish it, and the newspaper initially agreed believing it was an expose ridiculing President Donald Trump and the Trump Administration, but declined when it became obvious that the letter is about criticism of Israel, instead.

The writer is a satire official in the New York Times newspaper mind.

On September 11, “Fear: Trump in the White House” will be released to the public who can already read many damning and depressing details at The Washington Post and New York Times.

One of POTUS Trump’s many twitter responses was but one word: “Treason?” 

By Eileen Fleming

Treason is a betrayal of trust or “the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance or to kill or personally injure the sovereign or the sovereign’s family.”

This reporter will focus on “the betrayal of a trust” issue vis-a-vis the Mainstreams Media’s response to the events of September 11, 2001 because the MEDIA failed to ask hard questions but took down dictation from fear-filled politicians who were willing to cast blame without any apparent reflection of their complicity.

However it was President George W. Bush’s first televised address to Americans when he told us if we wanted to help we should“GO SHOP!” and that “They hated us because we were free” that inspired this American to research, join a peace building organization, travel and write about my gut wrenching experiences from both sides of Israel’s Wall in Palestine. As I reflected on the events of the last few days I recalled my evening with Helen Thomas.

In this YouTube Helen Thomas tested Obama’s “credibility” regarding Middle East nuclear weapons but he blew her off claiming he didn’t want to “speculate” while her ‘peers’ remained mute regarding USA-Israeli nuclear deceptions:

I asked Ms. Thomas what she thought of reporters who fail to follow the facts and Helen replied, “They have no conscience.”

Others claim the media’s lack of integrity borders on treason!

Read about Trump’s collusion in Israel’s nuclear deceptions HERE

I was not a reporter when I met Israel’s nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu for the first time in June 2005, but I became one because Vanunu told me:

Did you know that President Kennedy tried to stop Israel from building atomic weapons? In 1963, he forced Prime Minister Ben Guirion to admit the Dimona was not a textile plant, as the sign outside proclaimed, but a nuclear plant. The Prime Minister said, ‘The nuclear reactor is only for peace.’

Kennedy insisted on an open internal inspection. He wrote letters demanding that Ben Guirion open up the Dimona for inspection.

The French were responsible for the actual building of the Dimona. The Germans gave the money; they were feeling guilty for the Holocaust, and tried to pay their way out. Everything inside was written in French, when I was there, almost twenty years ago. Back then, the Dimona descended seven floors underground.

In 1955, Perez and Guirion met with the French to agree they would get a nuclear reactor if they fought against Egypt to control the Sinai and Suez Canal. That was the war of 1956. Eisenhower demanded that Israel leave the Sinai, but the reactor plant deal continued on.

When Johnson became president, he made an agreement with Israel that two senators would come every year to inspect. Before the senators would visit, the Israelis would build a wall to block the underground elevators and stairways. From 1963 to ’69, the senators came, but they never knew about the wall that hid the rest of the Dimona from them.

Nixon stopped the inspections and agreed to ignore the situation. As a result, Israel increased production. In 1986, there were over two hundred bombs. Today, they may have enough plutonium for ten bombs a year.

I also asked Ms. Thomas what she would advise anyone who wanted to go into the field of journalism and she encouraged:

Go for it! It’s the greatest profession in the world because you are always learning and you are aware of the world, so you just might be able to affect change.

You cannot have a democracy without an informed people. 

Information is everything; it enlarges your intellect and that guides you.

 The job is to follow the truth and report where it leads you!

 Right and wrong is not relative. Empathy is fine but kindness and sympathy do not change the facts and conscience is everything! Leaders are suppose to do the right thing and we should back up the president when he does the right thing; but drop him when he doesn’t.

 The WHY is the most important question-not that something happened- but WHY did it happen?

Somewhere along the way America lost its soul. People have to rise up but Americans have become so passive and power overwhelmingly abusive.

I asked, “So how do we fix this situation?”

Ms. Thomas replied, “It’s being done!”

Then I asked Ms. Thomas if she had always wanted to be a journalist and her persistent smile broadened and the gleam in her eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she replied, “When my first article was published in the high school paper and I saw my byline, I was hooked!”

I shot back, “I had a similar but opposite experience!”

I explained that when I was a child, my dream was to grow up and become a Brenda Starr, the red headed, ace investigative journalist and star reporter for the metropolitan daily, The Flash. The fictional Brenda traveled the world solving mysteries and unearthing scoops and she intuitively knew when somebody was not telling the truth.

But when my first assignment for the high school newspaper was edited beyond my recognition but my name was attached, my Irish temper erupted and I immediately confronted the faculty member on the paper and inquired, “Why did you publish an article with my name but with words I did NOT write?”

I was told that it was just standard procedure for the faculty to edit all of the student’s work and I replied, “Not mine you don’t! I quit!”

Ms. Thomas pointed her finger at me and said, “That’s ethics!”

Ethics are moral principles that govern a person’s behavior and activity.

To the senior official in the Trump administration who wrote the anonymous Oped published on Sept 5, by The New York Times,“I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration”, this reporter replies “quiet resistance” is no different than “silent support” because both lack the ethical integrity to visibly stand up and by one’s own words.

Despite the fact that in 2015, Mordechai Vanunu “fired” me as a supporter and “dismissed” and disrespected me as a reporter, I continue to honor my vow to write the Vanunu saga UNTIL Israel allows their nuclear whistle blower his right to fade into the world instead of having to report on Vanunu’s ‘struggle’ to leave Israel, which he must tweet about because The Media continues to fail to report on Israel’s nuclear weapons.

This American’s first two question to Mordechai Vanunu:

Eileen Fleming writes for TADN: HERE

Eileen Fleming produced the UNCENSORED:
“30 Minutes with Vanunu”

Contact her HERE 

Taybeh Oktoberfest is Happening Right Now!

Religious leaders offer blessings at the opening of the annual Taybeh OktoberFest which celebrates the Fall harvest and the local economy of the Palestinians living in one of Palestine’s few Christian hubs. The festival is popular among Christian Palestinians, and also many Muslims, to show support.

By Maria C. Khoury, Ed. D. 

You are asking me to attend a beer festival?

Yes, your Beatitude, with all due respect, it is not just a beer festival, it means the whole world to me if you please come and give Taybeh your blessing for this unique event.

But, patriarchs do not attend beer festivals!

Ok.  However, it is so critical that we have your blessing for this strange way that we promote our heritage and culture in a village that is one of the most ancient places in Palestine, Biblical Ephraim; of course you know it is the last stop our Lord Jesus made before His glorious entry into Jerusalem.

Please, Your Beatitude, I need you to be at the opening reception for the 2018 Taybeh Oktoberfest at the Taybeh Golden Hotel.

Mina Band: All time Oktoberfest favorite performing annually
with Oriental & Traditional Palestinian music

Needless to say, not too many patriarchs showed up today (Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018) in Taybeh for the opening of the 14th Annual Taybeh Oktoberfest, but our most favorite patriarch certainly came.  It has been a tradition, throughout the many years, that if His Beatitude, the former Patriarch of Jerusalem Msgr.  Michel Sabbah is in the country, most likely he offers the prayer at the Taybeh Oktoberfest since 2005.

What a great blessing this continues to be for Taybeh and I am personally grateful for this critical support. We had a double blessing since His Grace Bishop Mounib Younan, retired Lutheran bishop of Jerusalem accompanied the patriarch who also happens to be the most famous resident of Taybeh.  His Beatitude served in Jerusalem from 1987 – 2008, and was the first non-Italian to hold this position in more than five centuries.

We are so happy some of the bishops find it worthy to grant us their blessing. Some people have referred to Taybeh Oktoberfest as the “Highlight of Palestine,” but actually for others, it has been an interesting and practical event to gather a multicultural audience meaning Christians, Muslims, Jews, locals, internationals, and secular people.  Today, more than twenty ambassadors, consul generals and representatives of different countries to the Palestine Authority showed up in Taybeh from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Lithuania, Switzerland, Romania, and many others.

There was an amazing performance with the Hungarian Band, Live Act Folk and wonderful guitar music by Aldo from Brazil while a young Taybeh vocalist, Naheel Munther Hanna sang a beautiful song for Jerusalem. All in all, with new artists such as Bashar Murard and Ghazall band from Nazareth, the local Palestinian dance seems to be the most popular among American Embassy staff visiting with all of their armored jeeps and strict security.

Hope you visit Taybeh one day too. Cheers!

Trump and Netanyahu: a dangerous mix

By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz

Ghassan Rubeiz

President Trump has just closed the Palestine Authority’s office in Washington for refusing to negotiate with his team, led by his son-in-law, on a dubious peace plan, and for taking Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes. The US Administration has recently cut aid (around 300 million dollars annually) to the United Nations Palestinian Relief for Palestinian refugees program (UNRWA) and eliminated its slightly smaller contributions to projects of human service and development. US aid to Palestinians is relatively minimal but still significant symbolically.

Blaming the victim, Washington is challenging Palestine’s refugees even for their right to remain in the status of refugees (specifically descendents of the displaced of 1948 war: nearly 5 million residents of refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria). The US has accused UNRWA for “perpetuating the problem”, depressed the prospects of Palestinian statehood and ignored Israel’s new legislation which formally marginalizes non-Jewish citizens, numbering over a quarter of the population of Israel of 1948.

The Trump administration has been closer to Netanyahu’s government than any other US President. Trump is following the steps of the current Israeli government on every central Mideast issue.  Ignoring his international partners, he has trashed US participation in the Iran nuclear deal, and intensified diplomatic efforts and economic measures in confronting Iran.  He has inserted US troops in a strategic oil producing region of Syria and condoned Israel’s air attacks on selected targets of the Assad regime.  He has expanded sanctions on Lebanon’s Hezbollah and joined the efforts of Arab Gulf states in their scandalous war on Yemen. Trump is exactly where Netanyahu wants him to be on the most sensitive aspects of Mideast policies.

Why are these two leaders so close? There are two main reasons. The first is the similarity in mindset between these two men. Both are populists, self serving and prone to ignore norms; they are under investigation for crime by their own systems of justice. Both live comfortably with denial of facts. Both are fueled by anger. They are oblivious to scientifically established facts and widely ratified codes.

The second reason connecting these two leaders is a set of domestic political conditions which helped them win votes. Factors like societal fear of “foreigners”, a right-wing social climate, glaring sectarian politics and a subculture of “might makes right” have facilitated electing manipulative leaders who are willing to sacrifice national interests for personal gain.

It is not a hard to see the connection between Israel’s irrational fear of a growing Palestinian population and the fear of privileged Americans of emigrants. Has Netanyahu’s isolation wall in the West Bank inspired Trump to call for a “protective” wall on its southern border with Mexico?

Second, the ideological shift in Israel from the Labor Party to Likud, mirrors in the US the demise of Democrats and ascendance of Republicans in both houses of Congress.

Third, the there is a parallel in the disturbing role of religion in politics. The ascendance of the Hasidic and Orthodox communities in Israeli politics is matched by an emboldened US extreme Evangelist grassroots movement. No wonder, Israel’s wildest dreams are facilitated by America’s religious fanatics. The extreme Evangelists are more Zionist in passion and action than regular Israeli citizens.

The fourth parallel societal trend is the heavy spending on the military, to preserve superiority in defense.  Trump keeps bragging that he has increased the military budget substantially, ignoring the fact that the US outspends any nation in the world on arms; the US has active military presence in 150 countries. Similarly, the confidence with which Netanyahu threatens Iran reveals how far Israel is willing to take risk of starting a new regional war.  Israel, a relatively small country, relies on the most sophisticated technology to perpetuate occupation, annexation and suppression.

Unquestionably, the link between Trump and Netanyahu delays peace, but these two leaders are not likely to stay long in power. However, societal factors which interfere with justice tend to be more lasting than specific regimes. It will take considerable time, attitude change, and inspired reform to deal with fear of coexistence, with right-wing ideology (e.g. passion for tax reduction, weak sensitivity to inequality, addiction to gun ownership), control sectarian politics and moderate defense spending. As a result, the US Mideast policy and Israel’s attachment to the occupation is here to stay for the near future.

No group is as painfully and anxiously observing the threats of current, parallel and interactive social trends to America and Israel as the Jewish community in the US. Jewish Americans are generally liberal, except on issues pertaining to Israel. Notwithstanding blind spots, this community remains very sensitive to social justice. It is painful for many in America and elsewhere to watch Israel become too strong and too wealthy to accept limits in power, resources and borders. The future of the Middle East is intimately tied to how effective the Jewish Diaspora will be in saving Israel from itself.

One would have asked the same of, and made the same plea to, the Arab Diasporas. But Arabs abroad are not as powerful in America or in their region.

Trump and Netanyahu are a dangerous mix but their emergence and linkage are symptoms of deeper political trends in their societies.

Ghassan Michel Rubeiz, retired from a post with the Geneva-based World Council of Churches, writes and lectures on Middle East affairs. He can be reached by email: Rubeizg@gmail.com.

Press Release: Ashrawi laments flaws in peace process, Israeli bad faith

Dr. Ashrawi: “The built-in flaws in the Declaration of Principles and Israeli negotiations in bad faith have brought conditions to a critical phase”

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (DOP), PLO Executive Committee Member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi today held a briefing with a select group of international media correspondents and journalists at the PLO Headquarters in Ramallah.

Dr. Ashrawi stressed, “Israel’s violations, expansionism and total disregard for Palestinian rights and the requirements of peace have led to the entrenchment of the military occupation and the placing of the two-state solution in serious jeopardy.

The briefing addressed the structural and procedural flaws and shortcomings in substance and content of the DOP that have enhanced the power asymmetry between the belligerent occupier and a people under occupation and given Israel more time to act unilaterally.

Dr. Hanan Ashrawi

The discussion also focused on the US administration’s latest illegal and unilateral measures which have disqualified it as an even-handed peace broker and clearly exposed its role as a partner in the Israeli occupation.

Dr. Ashrawi stated, “The United States administration’s reckless and spiteful political moves, including recognizing occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, relocating the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, defunding Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem and UNRWA, redefining the status of Palestinian refugees, refusing to refer to the 1967 borders and the two-state solution, refraining from addressing the illegality of settlements, and most recently its closure of the General Delegation of the PLO in Washington D.C., all form a comprehensive and deliberate assault, not just on Palestinian rights and the components of peace, but also on the global legal and institutional system of laws and resolutions.

The Palestinian people are constantly placed on probation and subject to threats and extortion by the US while Israel is rewarded and given free license to persist in its aggression on Palestine as a whole with full impunity.”

Senator Marco Rubio’s email response arrived on Saturday to this American’s concerns regarding Mr. Trump’s agenda in Israel, which negates Palestinian human rights.

Senator Rubio’s email reply negates –as in denies the existence or truth of- the USA enabled Israeli Occupation of Palestine.

By Eileen Fleming

This American who votes in Florida wrote Senators Rubio and Nelson regarding POTUS Trump’s agenda in Israel after his announcement of moving America’s Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

Senator Nelson has not yet replied, but Senator Rubio emailed the following on September 15, and my response to him and ALL of Congress follows:

Dear Mrs. Fleming,

Thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Understanding your views helps me better represent Florida in the United States Senate, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond.

For decades, the United States has been deeply invested in achieving a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by leading efforts to bring the two parties together for negotiations. However, it has been a troubling time for those who want to see a peaceful future for both Israelis and Palestinians. Over the last year, Palestinian terrorists have committed hundreds of attacks against Israeli civilians, the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas has tightened its grip on the Gaza strip and rearmed its arsenal with thousands of rockets and guns, and the Palestinian Authority continues to incite violence and terrorism against Israeli citizens.

As a strong supporter of our ally, Israel, and its own desire for peace with all of its neighbors, I am committed to supporting policies that will lead to a peaceful future for both the Israeli and Palestinian people.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve you as your United States Senator. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I will keep your thoughts in mind as I consider these issues and continue working to ensure America remains a safe and prosperous nation

Sincerely,

Marco Rubio
United States Senator

Senators cannot serve America’s foreign interests unless they actually know what every American can regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Congress’s collusion in it, courtesy of IfAmericansKnew:

Since 6 December 2017, when Trump announced that the US would recognize Jerusalem as “the capital of Israel,” 27 Palestinians, 2 Israelis have died. However the Associated Press/AP reports on Israeli deaths at a rate nearly four times greater than they report on Palestinian deaths. News reporting Israeli deaths average 471 words in length but reports regarding Palestinian deaths average 171 words.

Legislation to give Israel $38 billion over the next ten years is working its way through Congress and it is the largest military aid package in U.S. history.

The proposed military aid amounts to $23,000 per every Jewish Israeli family of four. (Aid to Israel has been on average about 7,000 times greater per capita than U.S. aid to others around the world.)

America’s 2019 military spending bill contains a provision giving Israel 550 million dollars(i.e. $5.5 billion over 10 years). This has already passed both houses of Congress and was signed into law on August 16.

However the “United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018,” will give Israel approximately $33 billion and is currently working its way through the House as H.R.5141.

During Fiscal Year 2018, the U.S. is providing Israel with at least $10.5 million per day in aid and ZERO to the Palestinians.

America’s 35th president John F. Kennedy warned, Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.

Good and Evil cut through every human heart and Free Will means we get to choose which rules ours.

Mahatma Gandhi taught, “Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.”

Silence in response to willful ignorance, oppression, and injustice becomes complicit with it.

For Israel to be secure, Palestine must be free, and all people treated equally.

Eileen Fleming writes for TADN: HERE

Eileen Fleming produced the UNCENSORED:
“30 Minutes with Vanunu”

Contact her HERE 

Podcast Interview with David Abitbol of Jewlicious.com

Yalla! Fight Back is a part of the US Arab Radio Network hosted by Laila Alhusini … in an effort to energize and empower Arab Americans to stand up for their rights … for more information go to my website at www.Hanania.com …

Click this link or use the widget below:

David and I talk about the things that Palestinians and Israelis have in common and touch on some of the controversial things that keep us apart. We discuss the challenges of overcoming opposition to “normalization” and discuss the real differences between moderates and extremists.

Read Hanania’s columns in English and Arabic online at the Arab News newspaper and online at the ArabNews.com and at www.TheDailyHookah.com. Locally Ray writes for the Southwest News Newspaper group … every week … doing my best to upset as many people as possible …

Go to YallaFightBack.com and get info on the radio show, listen online, buy my new book Yalla! Fight Back, and standup and FIGHT BACK for Arab, Chaldean and Muslim rights … Follow Ray Hanania on Twitter at RayHanania.

For podcasts visit http://RayHanania.Podbean.com

For Ray Hanania’s columns visit http://www.TheDailyHookah.com

35 US Senators urge Trump to restore Palestinian aid

14 Democrats and 51 Republicans, mostly Senators who have received huge campaign donations from Israel’s lobby AIPAC, refused to sign the letter including those who have claimed to be advocates for “peaceful negotiations with Israel.” The letter was immediately applauded by Churches for Middle East Peace

Today U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.) led a letter of 34 Democratic Senators to President Trump to express strong opposition to his decision to cut more than $500 million in aid to the Palestinian people – funding that was passed into law to provide clean water, food, education, and critical medical services to families in the West Bank and Gaza.

“We are deeply concerned that your strategy of attempting to force the Palestinian Authority to the negotiating table by withholding humanitarian assistance from women and children is misguided and destined to backfire. Your proposed cuts would undermine those who seek a peaceful resolution and strengthen the hands of Hamas and other extremists in the Gaza Strip, as the humanitarian crisis there worsens,” the Senators wrote.

They continued, “For these reasons, we strongly believe it is in the national security interest of the United States, our ally Israel, the Palestinian people, and our other partners and allies in the region to expeditiously obligate the FY17 Economic Support Fund assistance originally planned for the West Bank and Gaza and to sustain U.S. contributions to UNRWA. We urge you to reverse your decision and look forward to your prompt response.”

Official photo of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein courtesy of Wikipedia

Working with United States Agency for International Development’s implementing partners, Senator Van Hollen’s office has prepared a snapshot of programs and partnerships impacted by these cuts in funding that can be found below:

In addition to Senators Van Hollen, Feinstein, and Coons, the letter was signed by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patricia Murray (D-Wash.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and Gary Peters (D-Mich.).

The full text of the letter is available here.

Dear President Trump:

We write in strong opposition to your decision to cut some $200 million in Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) Economic Support Fund assistance originally planned for the West Bank and Gaza and to end U.S. contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), including more than $300 million in assistance this fiscal year. Eliminating funds for programs that provide clean water, food, education, and medical services for Palestinians will exacerbate poverty, fuel extremism, further reduce the chance of a future peace agreement and threaten Israel’s security. Both the FY17 and FY18 funds were approved by the Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support—a recognition among Republicans and Democrats alike that these programs are in the U.S. national interest. We urge you to reverse course and obligate these funds as Congress originally intended.

By law, U.S. foreign assistance cannot be directed to the Palestinian Authority or Hamas. Instead, Congress has appropriated funds to provide assistance directly to the Palestinian people, including millions of children in the Palestinian territories. The cuts you have proposed would make a desperate situation even worse.

Specifically, according to the organizations implementing USAID-funded programs in the West Bank and Gaza, these cuts will prevent:

• nearly 140,000 individuals from receiving emergency food aid;
• 3,000 children and their caregivers from receiving healthcare for anemia and malnutrition;
• up to 71,000 individuals from receiving access to clean water;
• 800 children from receiving rehabilitation services for cerebral palsy; and,
• 16,000 women from receiving clinical breast cancer treatment.

In addition, your decision to end U.S. contributions to UNRWA puts at risk:

• civilian, secular education for 525,000 kids, 50 percent of which are girls, in more than 700 schools;
• food assistance to one million residents in Gaza, half of its population; and,
• public health in the refugee population, where UNRWA has long achieved a 100 percent vaccination rate.

We are deeply concerned that your strategy of attempting to force the Palestinian Authority to the negotiating table by withholding humanitarian assistance from women and children is misguided and destined to backfire. Your proposed cuts would undermine those who seek a peaceful resolution and strengthen the hands of Hamas and other extremists in the Gaza Strip, as the humanitarian crisis there worsens.

For these reasons, we strongly believe it is in the national security interest of the United States, our ally Israel, the Palestinian people, and our other partners and allies in the region to expeditiously obligate the FY17 Economic Support Fund assistance originally planned for the West Bank and Gaza and to sustain U.S. contributions to UNRWA. We urge you to reverse your decision and look forward to your prompt response.

Below is the statement from Churches for Middle East Peace on the letter and on funding for the Palstinians and how funding can encourage peace:

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Applauds Senate Letter in Support of U.S. Assistance to Palestinians and UNRWA

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) applauds Sens. Chris Van Hollen (MD), Dianne Feinstein (CA), and Chris Coons (DE) for their letter calling the Trump Administration to reverse its decision to cut $200 million in USAID funded programs in the West Bank and Gaza and a complete end to U.S. funds for UNRWA. Signed by 34 Democratic senators, the letter makes clear the devastating impact these funding cuts will have on the most vulnerable Palestinians, including those who rely on the congressionally appropriated funds to receive emergency food assistance, medical services, education and access to clean water. CMEP believes the withholding of such funding will only exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and lead to further destabilization in the West Bank and the region as a whole.

Through USAID funded projects, including those administered by CMEP member group Catholic Relief Services (CRS), hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are afforded job training opportunities, receive life-saving medical treatment for cancer and other diseases, and emergency food. By cutting funds to UNRWA, the U.S. is jeopardizing the education of over 500,000 Palestinian refugee children, fifty percent of whom are girls. As the letter states, the decision by the Administration to withhold aid as a mechanism through which to get Palestinians back to the “negotiating table” is misguided and will only further threaten regional stability. CMEP strongly believes humanitarian and economic assistance should be provided solely based on need and never used as a political bargaining chip.

“Humanitarian funding and the provision of basic services for livelihoods should never be used for political ends,” says CMEP’s executive director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon. “The exploitation of the poor and the vulnerable in Palestine for political purposes is reprehensible. We are calling for all U.S. funding for humanitarian assistance and economic provisions to be restored.”

CMEP calls upon all members of Congress–Republicans and Democrats alike–to put further pressure on the administration to reverse this misguided decision. Allocating all congressionally appropriated funds to Palestinians and continuing to fund UNRWA is the first step in ensuring the U.S. can play a productive role in working for a just and sustainable end to the conflict in Israel-Palestine.

Birzeit students win gold in international innovation challenge

A team of Birzeit University engineering students has recently won the Gold Award at the 10th International Invention of Exhibitions and the 3rd World Invention and Innovation Forum (IEI & WIIF 2018), held in Foshan, China, for their invention of a prosthetic arm.

The team, made up of Ahmad Al-Bisher, Ahmad Sajdyeh, Mahmoud Ashour, and Nasir Dalash and supervised by Professor of Mechanical Engineering Sameh Abu Awad, created an artificial arm that can be controlled via signals sent from the muscles, allowing amputees or people with disabilities to manipulate everyday items with ease.

The idea for the project came from Sajdyeh’s own need for a relatively-inexpensive prosthetic arm after a bomb left by Israeli soldiers in Qalandiya amputated his right hand in November 2014.

Birzeit University Campus courtesy of Birzeit University, Palestine

Sajdyeh contacted several international prosthetics companies in hopes of regaining mobility and dexterity, but the solutions they offered were extremely expensive. He also approached Palestinian charities and associations which help amputees travel abroad for prosthetic implants, but they also couldn’t help him.

Despite the odds stacked against him, Sajdyeh didn’t lose hope and decided to create a prosthetic arm himself with the help of his colleagues.

Sponsored by the China Association of Inventors and the International Federation of Inventors’ Association, the International Invention of Exhibitions and the World Invention and Innovation Forum present the world’s latest inventions, achievements, and services. The events include a professional committee of judges who appraise the inventions and grant Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Special awards.

Jordan’s King rejects Trump’s actions at United Nation speech

Jordan’s King denounces Jerusalem decision, urges Two-State Solution and calls for International help on Refugees during United Nation’s speech. King Adbullah II of Jordan told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday Sept. 25, 2018 that “challenges do not make collective action and mutual respect less important,” and spotlighted the need for all countries to “pull together to get [the Middle East] peace process back on track.”

In the name ofGod, the Merciful, the Compassionate; Madam President, Mr. Secretary General, Your Excellencies, Thank you. It is an honour to take part, once again, in this great General Assembly.

The United Nations was born in the ashes of the Second World War, out of a deep desire to protect new generations from suffering, destruction, and want. Today, these hopes still face challenges; peace and stability have met threats in every region; too many people remain excluded from the promise of prosperity, and global terror continues to target all nations. Here in this chamber, I’ve called it a third world war.

My friends. These challenges do not make collective action and mutual respect less important. They make our partnership more important. Because what is the alternative? A world without the peace and accord we need to work together, trade together, expand opportunity together? A world where crises are not resolved but magnified? Violence spreads, more refugees flee, because we can’t work together to help people stay safe and thrive?

We have a long way to go to deliver global opportunity and hope, but we can’t simply give up because the task is hard. All our countries benefit when we unite in common cause. I am compelled to talk about this today because of the critical role of collective action in ending the serious crises in my region, and especially the key crisis—the long denial of a Palestinian state.

Jordans King Abdullah II at UN Sept. 25, 2018. Photo courtesy of the United Nations

Every UN resolution since the beginning of this crisis—every resolution, whether from the General Assembly or the Security Council—^recognises the equal rights of the Palestinian people to a future of peace, dignity, and hope. This is the heart of the two-state settlement, the only path to a comprehensive, lasting peace.

Only a two-state solution based on international law and relevant UN resolutions can meet the needs of both sides: an end to conflict, a viable, independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a secure Israel, fully part of its own region, recognised by Arab and Muslim states around the world.

Arab and Muslim countries are committed to a comprehensive peace; the Arab Peace Initiative has been on offer for more than 16 years. Indeed, every major country in the world, the UN, the European Union, all have worked to
help the parties reach a durable peace that can last. The US administration has long been committed to peace, and has a leading role in our progress going forward.

Yes, we have a long way to go, but we can’t give up because the task is hard. Because, what is the alternative? Can we afford to let one of the world’s most strategic regions be tied to an endless cycle of violence in its midst? How long must Jerusalem, a holy city to more than half the world’s people, face dangers to its multi-faith heritage and identity How can we accept a status quo of continuing crisis and bigotry? Palestinian families displaced for generations, their children’s very identity denied. Israeli families, living in continuing national self-isolation; without the security of peaceful relationships worldwide.

And what could possibly be the future of what some propose: a single, binational state, whose very foundation is a rejection of the equality of its own people? That’s the ugly, undemocratic reality of the one-state idea. It is by no means an alternative to a two-state peace settlement, it is an abandonment of peace, a new way to go AWOL from the work of reconciliation, and the opposite of what both sides need, and have sought for so long.

My friends. There is no such thing as a unilateral agreement; it takes at least two parties to make an agreement. Helping the parties achieve that agreement, and work together to build a new future, deserves the strong, steady support of all our world.

Our countries need to pull together to get this peace process back on track. That means utterly rejecting actions that jeopardise negotiations, whether by illegal encroachments, land confiscations, or threats to the welfare of
innocents, especially children. We need to support full funding of UNRWA and other vital efforts to protect families, keep communities stable, and prepare young people for productive lives. It would be a terrible mistake to abandon youth to the forces of radicalism and despair. Such support is urgently needed to ensure UNRWA fulfills its role, in accord with its UN mandate.

Above all, we need to safeguard the heritage and peace of Jerusalem, a holy city to billions of people around the world. The Hashemite Custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem is a duty that Jordan is proud to carry, and we will counter any attempts to change the holy city’s historic Arab Christian and Muslim identity.

But Jerusalem’s future is not Jordan’s concern alone; it is yours. There are global implications when religious worship is threatened and international law is undermined.

My friends, Collective action is also vital when it comes to resolving other conflicts and crises that threaten our world. Jordan will continue to support all multilateral efforts to help Syria achieve a political solution, based on the Geneva process, and UN Security Council Resolution 2254, to safeguard the country’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and create the conditions for stability and rebuilding.

An effective global response to terror also requires continued collective action. Let’s be clear about it: for all our victories, the fight against these outlaws, the khawarej of Islam, is not over. Winning the war demands a longterm, holistic approach, one that pairs security measures with strong initiatives that support inclusion and hope. Online and offline, we must counter all—I say all—ideologies of hatred, including Islamophobia. Jordanians have led efforts to unite the world in mutual respect and understanding.

Finally, we must also strengthen our collective response to the global refugee crisis. As many of you know, Jordan has carried a massive, disproportionate burden as a refugee host. Our people have opened their homes, schools, public services, hospitals. We have shared our country’s scarce resources, our food and energy, our precious water. The crisis has held back economic growth and job creation, jobs urgently needed by our young people, more than 60percent of our population.

Jordanians have borne this refugee burden in full accord with our country’s long humanitarian traditions, but we know, and the world knows, that this crisis is a global responsibility. The sacrifices we and other host countries make every day can only continue if donor nations hold up their side of the partnership. That means continued, multi-track efforts in development support and humanitarian assistance; efforts which not only prepare refugees to return home and rebuild their countries, but also give hope to the people of host countries, who have sacrificed so much.

My friends. The world cannot address the refugee crisis, or any global crisis, unless we work together to support those who are doing the right thing for the future we all share. Peace and prosperity demand constant, collective action. The alternative is to fail our history, and fail our future. Let us choose, instead, to succeed, to give the world’s people, especially young people, confidence in global justice, hope for new opportunity, and international laws and agreements and institutions that everyone can rely on.

Thank you.
King Abdullah

Oslo and the peace process were never really the problem

Critics who assert that the Oslo Peace Accords failed because they were flawed are actually the extremists who engaged in a campaign to block the success of the Oslo Peace Accords. The very people attacking the Oslo Peace Accords and the Two-State Solution are the causes of its failure. Those extremists include Hamas, the late anti-Arab mass-murderer Ariel Sharon, and Sharon’s successor Benjamin Netanyahu. Oslo didn’t die because it failed. It is still alive and the fanatics who oppose it continue to stand in its way

By Ray Hanania

راى حنانيا
Ray Hanania

Many people look back at the Oslo Peace Accords from 25 years ago and call them flawed. But what was really flawed was the absence of unity and a national desire for peace by the Palestinian people, themselves. Extremists, who oppose any peace based on compromise, exploited that Palestinian disarray and fanned the flames of violence to block the peace.

The truth is that the peace process is not dead. What is dead is the Palestinian mentality that they can achieve peace through negotiations, rather than through violence.

Violence can only achieve one goal, preventing compromise. But the price is steep, with Palestinians continuing to exist in a limbo of violence, frustration and depression.

Even if the peace process failed before, it thrived on hope and commonsense, and that at least allowed many Palestinians to aspire to a future that is brighter than the dark existence that has plagued their lives since the UN-imposed partition in 1947.

But pursuing peace offers the Palestinians a real chance to establish a state and eventually take control of their own lives, rather than remaining refugees to the world or benefactors of the state powers of others. Declaring the peace process dead present a serious risk that the Palestinians will fade into the sunset on the backs of fanatics who have no concern about exploiting Palestinian emotions, Palestinian frustrations and continued Palestinian suffering.

What really killed Oslo? Hamas, Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu.

In truth, Hamas was Netanyahu’s biggest asset. They gave him exactly what he wanted but couldn’t get through the Oslo Peace Accord. They gave him the excuse to block peace. And they continue to do that.

The first major act of violence targeting the peace process occurred on Feb. 25, 1994 when an America with dual Israeli citizenship, Dr. Baruch Goldstein, murdered 29 Muslims and injured 125 more as they prayed at the Ibrahimi Mosque. Who said Americans are not terrorists?

Within weeks, Hamas responded by exploding a suicide bombing. Although there had been three suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians between the first Intifada in 1989 and 1993 before the peace process, the first post-peace process suicide bombing occurred in response both to the peace process and to Goldstein’s barbaric terrorist attack on April 6, 1994 in Afula. The Target of the Hamas suicide bomber was civilians boarding a bus. It was supported by Islamic Jihad of Gaza.

Despite the attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Yizhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat continued with their determination to implement Oslo. The toughest issue for Israel and for the Palestinians was the Right of Return. The two sides were discussing the possibility that some of the refugees could return to Israel, but the vast majority would have to accept settlement in Palestine.

It’s called compromise, and it made sense. Israel was to return most of the West Bank with the exception of some settlements, but Israel would trade land inside Israel equal to the settlement lands in the West Bank. And, the Palestinians would have a presence inside the Old City of Jerusalem that they could declare as their capitol in a shared arrangement that gave Israel control of the city but Palestinians an independent presence.

After 45 years of brutal conflict, the Oslo Peace Accord was the best deal that Palestinians could hope for. And while the agreement did not absolve either side of the violence they committed between 1947 and 1993, it did seek to find a new start that would nurture friendship and understanding.

That’s not what the Palestinian extremists or the Israeli extremists wanted. And Hamas and Islamic Jihad Palestinian rejectionists initiated eight more suicide bombing attacks that targeted Jewish civilians and killed nearly100 while wounding scores more. At the same time, Israel’s military forces killed more than 146 civilians. Nearly 40 Palestinians were killed by settlers who opposed Oslo.

https://www.btselem.org/statistics/first_intifada_tables

Oslo was derailed, however on November 4, 1995 when Rabin was murdered by an Israeli extremist, Yigal Amir. How did the Israeli terrorist get past Rabin’s bodyguards? Amir was a disciple rightwing extremist and anti-peace politician Benjamin Netanyahu, who was elected Prime Minister the following year.

Had Rabin lived, we would have Two-States today. Despite the violence by Palestinian extremists, Rabin’s assassination is the single greatest blow to derail the peace process. Since then, fanatics on both sides have blocked the peace process, with Palestinians complaining that the peace process doesn’t give them enough and while Israeli fanatics insisting the peace process surrenders too much.

Israeli fanatics are empowered by Palestinian extremists and by the “extremist inspired” failure of Oslo. What Palestinians should be doing is to fight for peace and re-engage the peace process in order to undermine Israel’s extremist government. One idea is to replace Hamas in the Gaza Strip with a moderate leadership and declare Gaza as a Palestinian State. Then, through negotiations, work with Israel and use the empowerment that Statehood provides to free the West Bank and establish a presence in Jerusalem.

It’s the only way.

Ray Hanania is an award-winning Palestinian American columnist and the author of several books including “Yalla! Fight Back.” His personal website is www.Hanania.com. Twitter: @RayHanania.