Byggstopp i bosättningarna - palestinierna utan jobb

Byggstopp i bosättningarna - palestinierna utan jobb
Larry Derfner skriver om situationen på västbanken efter att byggstoppet i bosättningarna trätt i karft. Det är kanske inte så många som tänker på att byggstoppet betyder att tusentals palestinier blir utan arbete.
Läs mera: Ripples in cement
"Asked about the construction freeze, the tractor driver, a Jerusalemite, shakes his head. "The inspectors were here and they shut down some of the jobs. It's not a problem for me, I can get work anywhere, but what are these people going to do?"
Calling over the young man from east Jerusalem who is cementing the curb, the tractor driver asks him in Arabic what he thinks of the freeze, then translates his answer: "This is our livelihood, I don't care about anything else, I have a wife and children at home. I also have to support the wife and children of my brother, who died of a heart attack."
The tractor driver and several settlers I talked to stress that the freeze is hurting the Palestinian workers above everyone else. "If they don't work, they won't eat, and then they'll start throwing stones and there'll be another intifada. Is that what Obama wants?"

Jordaniens förenta stater
Ett alternativ till tvåstatslösningen har presenterats av Giora Eiland. Istället för en ny palestinsk stat föreslår han bildandet av "Jordaniens förenta stater" som skulle bestå av tre delstater, Östbanken (Jordanien), Västbanken och Gaza.
Läs mera här: Eiland calls to establish 'US of Jordan'
"Forget a two-state solution, the way to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to create a United States of Jordan that would include three states governed by a federal government in Amman: the East Bank, West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
As an alternative to becoming locked into the two-state mindset, Eiland proposes a Jordanian-Palestinian federation whereby Gaza and the West Bank would be states in a Jordanian kingdom, much like Pennsylvania and New York are American states.
"They will have full independence on domestic issues as well as a budget, governmental institutions, laws, a police force, and symbols of independence, but similar to Pennsylvania or New Jersey they will not have responsibility for two issues: foreign policy and military forces. Those two areas, exactly as in the United States, will remain the responsibility of the 'federal' government in Amman."
Eiland says the benefits of this proposal to the Palestinians are enormous. First and foremost it would ensure that an independent Palestinian state would not be ruled by Hamas. In addition, he writes, "the Palestinians also understand that under a two-state alternative, they will become citizens of a tiny state. Such a small state is not viable and will have security limitations (for example, conceding sovereignty over its airspace). It is preferable to be equal citizens in a large, respected country where the Palestinians will form the demographic majority."
Jordan would benefit, he continues, because the way to prevent instability in Jordan, which would be fueled by a future Hamas regime in the West Bank, is through Jordanian military control over this territory.
And Israel would gain, he says, because it is more likely to get the security it desires if the territories are incorporated into a greater Jordanian state, rather than if a new - and most likely failed - mini-state is created on its doorstep."

Raketer och granater mot Israel
10 grantarer och 5 raketer har avfyrts mot Israel de senaste dagarna. En Katyusharaket landade i närheten av staden Ashkelon. Israel har svarat på attackerna med flyganfall mot bl.a. smuggeltunnlar.
Rockets, mortar shells fall on Negev, Ashkelon
Fyra israeliska flygattacker mot Hamas i Gaza
Nya palestinska granatangrepp mot Israel
Dagens Nyheters debila propaganda mot Israel