Fyra civila israeler slaktades nära Kiryat Arba (nära Hebron) i kväll. Två män och två kvinnor sköts ihjäl på nära håll. Det är den värsta terrorattacken på länge och den utfördes när Israel och palestinierna just skall inleda förhandlingar i Washington.
Hamas utryckte sin glädje över attacken men har åtminstone inte ännu tagit på sig ansvaret.
Uppdatering. Hamas har tagit på sig ansvaret för attacken.
Four Israelis killed in shooting attack near Hebron
Barak: 'Israel will exact a price from the murderers'
Hamas fröjdar sig över terrorattacken men också de palestinska myndigheterna håller dörren öppen för krig om inte Jerusalem återlämnas till dess rätta ägare, palestinierna.(Historieförfalskning!)
Följande tal är av de palestinska myndigheternas minister med ansvar för de religiösa frågorna. Mahmoud Abbas sitter bland åhörarna.
Palestinian Authority Minister of Religious Affairs threatens war over Jerusalem
Speaker: Mahmoud Al-Habbash, PA Minister of Religious Affairs PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is in the audience. "Jerusalem is not just a city. Al-Aqsa is not just a mosque. Jerusalem is the key to peace, and Jerusalem can ignite a thousand and one wars. Unless the issue of Jerusalem is solved, so that it returns to its owners; unless Jerusalem will be Palestinian, as it was throughout history, the capital of the Palestinian state and the capital of the Palestinian people, the place which is the object of heartfelt longing and which all Muslims aspire to reach; unless Jerusalem is like that way, there is no peace. There is no peace without Jerusalem. There is no stability without Jerusalem. If Jerusalem is dishonored, if Jerusalem is disgraced, if [Jerusalem] is lost, it may leave the door open to all possibilities of struggle, all possibilities of war. The term 'war' cannot be erased from the lexicon of this region as long as Jerusalem is occupied, as long as Jerusalem is dishonored, as long as the residents of Jerusalem are being targeted. It's not possible; Jerusalem has to return to its owners. And we are its owners."
Palestinian TV (Fatah)
Aug. 20, 2010
tisdag 31 augusti 2010
torsdag 26 augusti 2010
UNIFIL ger Israel rätt
UNIFIL:s undersökning slår fast att IDF:s soldater som besköts av libanesiska trupper för några veckor sedan befann sig på den israeliska sidan av gränsen.
UNIFIL: IDF did not cross Blue Line
UNIFIL: IDF did not cross Blue Line
Terrorist fick hedersbegravning
Abbas vid begravningen av Al-Hindi [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 19, 2010]Dem 5 september 1972 bröt sig 8 medlemmar av terrrororganisationen Svarta September in i de israeliska idrottsmännens förläggning i Munchen. Elva israeler dödades i attacken. Den senaste veckan dog Amin Al-Hindid, en av huvudarkitekterna bakom attacken.
De palestinska myndigheterna gav honom en hedersbegravning (närvarande var både president Abbas och premiärminister Fayyad) och han utmålades i tidningarna som en hjälte.
"Alla känner till att Amin Al-Hindi var en av stjärnorna som tindrade vid den stormigaste tidpunkten på internationell nivå - operationen som utfördes vid Olympiska spelen i Munchen i Tyskland 1972. Det var bara en av många lysande hållplatser."
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 20,2010
Palestinian Media Watch presenterar tre utdrag ur palestinska dagstidiningar:
"On Wednesday I felt sad to the point of choking, because my friend Amin Al-Hindi, a national leader with a full resume, returned to Gaza to be buried in its ground...Amin Al-Hindi, gentle as a morning breeze, was strong inside and as unyielding as granite rock. Perhaps this quality - the power raging beneath the calm surface - is what turned him into one of the prominent members of Fatah in Germany, and led him in the direction of the difficult tasks which require quiet people of this sort, who don't like tumult and who make full use of all the wisdom, imagination and planning [ability] that Allah has given them for the purpose of completing their difficult tasks...Everyone knows that Amin Al-Hindi was one of the stars who sparkled at one of the stormiest points on the international level - the operation that was carried out at the [Olympics] sports stadium in Munich, Germany, in 1972. That was just one of many shining stations."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 20,2010]
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 20,2010]
"Secretary General of the President's office, Al-Tayeb Abd Al-Rahim, delivered a speech in which he praised the good qualities of the deceased. He stressed that the loss of Al-Hindi is a great loss to the Palestinian people, who have lost a prominent national leader.Abd Al-Rahim noted that the deceased had been taught by the founders of the Palestinian dream, and was a member of the founding generation of the [Palestinian] revolutionary movement... The Secretary General of the Presidential office said: 'We shall continue in the path of the Shahid (Martyr) Yasser Arafat and his fellow Shahids, such as Amin Al-Hindi, until the realization of the dream of establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.'"
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 19, 2010]
"The Palestinian leadership, along with President Mahmoud Abbas, parted yesterday from the body of the Fatah leader and fighter patriot Amin Al-Hindi. This was at an imposing official military funeral that was held at the [PA] headquarters to bid farewell to the Shahid (Martyr)...Present at the headquarters for the farewell ceremony and for the official military funeral, along with the President [Abbas], were Prime Minister Dr. Salam Fayyad; Secretary General of the Presidential office, Al-Tayeb Abd Al-Rahim; members of the PLO Executive Council and of the Fatah Central Committee; several ministers, commanders of security forces, senior civic and military personnel, as well as relatives of the deceased.The body of Al-Hindi, which was wrapped in shrouds, arrived draped with the Palestinian flag and was borne on the shoulders of his [metaphorical] sons - officers of the Guard of Honor at the presidential headquarters. A red carpet was laid out for the arrival of the body, and the military band played the final farewell melody. A squad from the Guard of Honor fired 21 shots. President Abbas and the participants at the funeral cast a final parting look at the body, and laid wreaths. Afterwards, the President and those present read the opening sura [of the Quran] for the elevation of his pure soul."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 19, 2010]
onsdag 25 augusti 2010
Amnesty ordförande i Finland i blåsväder
Frank Johansson, ordförande för Amnesty International i Finland har råkat i blåsväder. I en bloggartikel kallade han Israel för en skurkstat. Bloggen Tundra Tabloid översatte Johanssons uttalande till engelska och Jerusalem Post tog kontakt med Johansson som i en intervju höll fast vid vad han skrivit. På en fråga om han kunde ge exmpel på andra skurkstater svarade han nekande.
Bloggartikeln har av någon orsak nu tagits bort.
Amnesty har ibland kritiserats för att ensidigt kritisera Israel och dylika uttalanden ökar naturligtvis inte förtroendet för organisationen.
Tundra Tabloids rapport här: CHAIRMAN OF FINNISH AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CALLS ISRAEL A SCUM STATE.......
Jerusalem Post intervju med Johansson här: Amnesty Int'l Finland: Israel scum state
Frank Johanssons blogginlägg här: TUNDRA TABLOIDS MENTIONED IN TODAY'S EDITION OF THE J'LEM POST AS AMNESTY HEAD SHOVES OWN POST DOWN THE MEMORY HOLE.......
och här originalet på finska: Israel on nilkkimaa
Frank Johansson verkar inte ha besökt Israel på närmare 20 år. Han skulle ha en del att lära av Tony Blair som varit där ganska ofta. Såhär säger han om Johanssons skurkstat:
Blair: Delegitimization of Israel is affront to humanity
To delegitimize Israel is an affront not only to Israelis, but to those “everywhere, in every part of humanity, who share the values of a free and independent human spirit,” Quartet envoy Tony Blair said on Tuesday, in an exceptionally warm speech at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya.Blair, the keynote speaker at a conference on the delegitimization of Israel, said the best answer to those who sought to delegitimize the Jewish state “lies in the character of Israel itself, in the openness, fairmindedness and creativity of the Israelis.”
There were two forms of the delegitimization of Israel, Blair said. The first was “traditional, obvious and, from certain quarters, expected,” and came from those who openly attacked Israel’s right to exist. Pointing to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as an example, he said that his form of delegitimization – calling for Israel to be wiped off the map – was easier to deal with “because it is so clear.”
The more pernicious form, however, was not as open, and came from those who were unwilling to recognize that Israel had a legitimate point of view, Blair said.“The issue of delegitimization is not simply about an overt denial of Israel’s right to exist. It is the advocating of prejudice in not allowing that Israel has a point of view that should be listened to,” he asserted.Blair said that “a consistent conversation I have with some, but by no means all, of my European colleagues, is to argue not to apply rules to the government of Israel that they would never dream of applying to their own governments or their own countries
Bloggartikeln har av någon orsak nu tagits bort.
Amnesty har ibland kritiserats för att ensidigt kritisera Israel och dylika uttalanden ökar naturligtvis inte förtroendet för organisationen.
Tundra Tabloids rapport här: CHAIRMAN OF FINNISH AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CALLS ISRAEL A SCUM STATE.......
Jerusalem Post intervju med Johansson här: Amnesty Int'l Finland: Israel scum state
Frank Johanssons blogginlägg här: TUNDRA TABLOIDS MENTIONED IN TODAY'S EDITION OF THE J'LEM POST AS AMNESTY HEAD SHOVES OWN POST DOWN THE MEMORY HOLE.......
och här originalet på finska: Israel on nilkkimaa
Frank Johansson verkar inte ha besökt Israel på närmare 20 år. Han skulle ha en del att lära av Tony Blair som varit där ganska ofta. Såhär säger han om Johanssons skurkstat:
Blair: Delegitimization of Israel is affront to humanity
To delegitimize Israel is an affront not only to Israelis, but to those “everywhere, in every part of humanity, who share the values of a free and independent human spirit,” Quartet envoy Tony Blair said on Tuesday, in an exceptionally warm speech at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya.Blair, the keynote speaker at a conference on the delegitimization of Israel, said the best answer to those who sought to delegitimize the Jewish state “lies in the character of Israel itself, in the openness, fairmindedness and creativity of the Israelis.”
There were two forms of the delegitimization of Israel, Blair said. The first was “traditional, obvious and, from certain quarters, expected,” and came from those who openly attacked Israel’s right to exist. Pointing to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as an example, he said that his form of delegitimization – calling for Israel to be wiped off the map – was easier to deal with “because it is so clear.”
The more pernicious form, however, was not as open, and came from those who were unwilling to recognize that Israel had a legitimate point of view, Blair said.“The issue of delegitimization is not simply about an overt denial of Israel’s right to exist. It is the advocating of prejudice in not allowing that Israel has a point of view that should be listened to,” he asserted.Blair said that “a consistent conversation I have with some, but by no means all, of my European colleagues, is to argue not to apply rules to the government of Israel that they would never dream of applying to their own governments or their own countries
måndag 23 augusti 2010
BBC Panorama - Vad som hände på Mavi Marmara
BBC har gjort en dokumentärfilm om vad som hände vid den israeliska bordningen av skeppet Mavi Marmara. Filmen har gjort många anti-israeliska grupper ursinniga eftersom den inte är så negativ i sin inställning till Israels agerande som man kanske hade förväntat sig.
Filmen kans ses nedan uppdelad i två avsnitt.
Filmen kans ses nedan uppdelad i två avsnitt.
Fredsförhandlingar på gott och ont
Det verkar nu som om USA och en del andra stater har lyckats tvinga palestinierna att inleda direkta förhandlingar med Israel. Förhandlingarna skall inledas 2 september i USA.
Den ena statsledaren efter den andra uttycker sin tillfredsställelser över att förhandlingarna nu kommer i gång. Att föhandlingarna kommer igång är ju bra - eller...?
Israel har hela tiden sagt sig vara villig att inleda förhandlingar. Den israleliska regeringen säger att ett förhandlingsresultat måste innebära att vissa säkerhetsarrangemang uppfylls (bl.a. israeliska trupper vid östgränsen mot Jordanien), att den palestinska staten är demilitariserad, att Israel erkänns som det judiska folkets nationalstat och att förhandlingsresutatet innebär ett slut på konfliken.Dessutom anser man att Jerusalem är Israels odelbara huvudstad.
Palestinierna har i snart två års tid vägrat förhandla med Israel.För att inleda förhandlingar har man krävt att Israel på förhand går med på olika krav. Bl.a. att 1967 års gränser (som egentligen bara var en vapenstilleståndslinje) skall utgöra grunden för den palestinska statens gränser, att östra Jerusalem skall bli Palestiniernas huvudstad och att allt byggande i bosättningarna öster om vapenstilleståndslinjen måste stoppas.
De flesta aktörerna på den palestinska sidan, med Hamas i spetsen, motsätter sig att Abbas nu har gått med på att förhandla.
En del säger också att Abbas inte har något mandat att förhandla överhuvudtaget eftersom hans presidentperiod gick ut redan för snart ett år sedan.
Värt att notera är att Abbas endast representerar palestinierna på västbanken. Han har inget inflytande över vad som händer i Gaza som enväldigt styrs av Hamas.
Dessutom är det PLO som anser sig ha ensamrätt på att representera palestinierna i fredsförhandlingarna vilket betyder att det som de palestinska myndigheterna (PA) kommer överens om inte nödvändigtvis tillfresställer PLO.
Abbas har bett PLO:s Executive Committe om tillstånd att inleda förhandlingar och fick tydligen i fredags lov att gå med på förhandlingar.
Det verkar ändå som om det endast är fråga om en månads lång provperiod och det sägs att Abbas förväntar sig att förhandlingarna bryter samman när byggstoppet i de judiska bosättningarna tar slut den 26 september.
Abbas har överlämnat ett brev till Kvartetten där han säger att palestinierna kommer att dra sig ur förhandlingarna om byggandet i bosättningarna återupptas.
Israeliska politiker har åtminstone hittills sagt att byggstoppet inte kommer att förlängas.
Utgående från detta kan man alltså redan innan förhandlingarna kommit igång se att ett sammanbrott är sannolikt.
Man kan fråga sig hur klokt det är att tvinga parterna till förhandlingar när det inte verkar finnas vilja och förutsättningar att komma överens.
Förhandlingar inger människor hopp, när förhandlingarna bryter samman skapar det frustration och i värsta fall en återgång till terrorattacker.
De palestinska myndigheterna har alltjämt fortsatt att hylla terrorister som hjältar och framställer dem som rollmodeller för ungomen.
Flera palestinska ledare har också sagt att "väpnat motstånd" (=terrorism) inte är uteslutet, men allt har sin tid.
När de israeliska och palestinska ledarna reser till USA för att förhandla kan vi i värsta fall få se en uppprening av händelserna år 2000 när Arafat och Barak förde förhandlingar som bröt samman, och Arafat reste hem och statade de våldamma oroligheterna som under några år krävde tusentals offer både bland israeler och palestinier.
En pessimistisk syn på händelserna? Eller kanske realistisk?
Alternativet skulle vara att låta de indirekta förhandlingarna fortsätta i långsam takt.
Det går nämligen ekonomiskt relativt bra både för Israel och för palestinierna på Västbanken. Det är inte längre beväpnade gäng som härjar på gatorna i de palestinska områdena. De palestinska poliserna och säkerhetsstyrkorna i ett visst samarbete med israelisk militär håller relativt god ordning vilket gör att man t.ex i Ramallah bygger nya lyxhotell, bostäder restauranger m.m.
Terroristattackerna mot Israel från västbanken förekommer för tillfället nästan inte alls.
Borde man i nuläget låta den låsta politiska situationen vara i fred och i stället satsa på att låta människorna få bygga upp sina liv och helt enkelt får det ekonomiskt bättre? Och sedan hoppas på att det skulle framtvinga förändringar på den politiska sidan. Vilket kunde betyda att palestinierna inte längre skulle vara beredda att starta oroligheter som kunde leda till att allt de byggt upp förstörs.
Det var kanske en alltför optimistisk syn?
Men faktum är att omvärlden tagit en stor risk genom att framtvinga förhandlingar. För att förhandlingar skall ha ens en liten chans att lyckas måste båda parterna ha en vilja att förhandla. Så verkar inte nu vara fallet.
Det är inte heller omöjligt att de palestinska ledarna ser det som så att de har allt att vinna på att förhandlingarna bryter samman.
Sammanbrottet kommer att skyllas på Israel, och omvärlden kanske därefter kan tvinga Israel till eftergifter som palestinierna aldrig skulle kunna uppnå genom förhandlingar.
Som bekant har t.ex.EU redan slagit fast sina krav på Israel och en del av kraven står direkt i strid med tidigare internationella överenskommelser och löften till det judiska folket.
Det hälper inte mycket att spekulera, vi får se hur det går och över allt detta hänger Irans mörka skugga. Iran är i nuläget ett betydligt allvarligare problem både för Israel och omvärlden även om alla kanske inte har insett hur farlig situationen är.
Den ena statsledaren efter den andra uttycker sin tillfredsställelser över att förhandlingarna nu kommer i gång. Att föhandlingarna kommer igång är ju bra - eller...?
Israel har hela tiden sagt sig vara villig att inleda förhandlingar. Den israleliska regeringen säger att ett förhandlingsresultat måste innebära att vissa säkerhetsarrangemang uppfylls (bl.a. israeliska trupper vid östgränsen mot Jordanien), att den palestinska staten är demilitariserad, att Israel erkänns som det judiska folkets nationalstat och att förhandlingsresutatet innebär ett slut på konfliken.Dessutom anser man att Jerusalem är Israels odelbara huvudstad.
Palestinierna har i snart två års tid vägrat förhandla med Israel.För att inleda förhandlingar har man krävt att Israel på förhand går med på olika krav. Bl.a. att 1967 års gränser (som egentligen bara var en vapenstilleståndslinje) skall utgöra grunden för den palestinska statens gränser, att östra Jerusalem skall bli Palestiniernas huvudstad och att allt byggande i bosättningarna öster om vapenstilleståndslinjen måste stoppas.
De flesta aktörerna på den palestinska sidan, med Hamas i spetsen, motsätter sig att Abbas nu har gått med på att förhandla.
En del säger också att Abbas inte har något mandat att förhandla överhuvudtaget eftersom hans presidentperiod gick ut redan för snart ett år sedan.
Värt att notera är att Abbas endast representerar palestinierna på västbanken. Han har inget inflytande över vad som händer i Gaza som enväldigt styrs av Hamas.
Dessutom är det PLO som anser sig ha ensamrätt på att representera palestinierna i fredsförhandlingarna vilket betyder att det som de palestinska myndigheterna (PA) kommer överens om inte nödvändigtvis tillfresställer PLO.
Abbas har bett PLO:s Executive Committe om tillstånd att inleda förhandlingar och fick tydligen i fredags lov att gå med på förhandlingar.
Det verkar ändå som om det endast är fråga om en månads lång provperiod och det sägs att Abbas förväntar sig att förhandlingarna bryter samman när byggstoppet i de judiska bosättningarna tar slut den 26 september.
Abbas har överlämnat ett brev till Kvartetten där han säger att palestinierna kommer att dra sig ur förhandlingarna om byggandet i bosättningarna återupptas.
Israeliska politiker har åtminstone hittills sagt att byggstoppet inte kommer att förlängas.
Utgående från detta kan man alltså redan innan förhandlingarna kommit igång se att ett sammanbrott är sannolikt.
Man kan fråga sig hur klokt det är att tvinga parterna till förhandlingar när det inte verkar finnas vilja och förutsättningar att komma överens.
Förhandlingar inger människor hopp, när förhandlingarna bryter samman skapar det frustration och i värsta fall en återgång till terrorattacker.
De palestinska myndigheterna har alltjämt fortsatt att hylla terrorister som hjältar och framställer dem som rollmodeller för ungomen.
Flera palestinska ledare har också sagt att "väpnat motstånd" (=terrorism) inte är uteslutet, men allt har sin tid.
När de israeliska och palestinska ledarna reser till USA för att förhandla kan vi i värsta fall få se en uppprening av händelserna år 2000 när Arafat och Barak förde förhandlingar som bröt samman, och Arafat reste hem och statade de våldamma oroligheterna som under några år krävde tusentals offer både bland israeler och palestinier.
En pessimistisk syn på händelserna? Eller kanske realistisk?
Alternativet skulle vara att låta de indirekta förhandlingarna fortsätta i långsam takt.
Det går nämligen ekonomiskt relativt bra både för Israel och för palestinierna på Västbanken. Det är inte längre beväpnade gäng som härjar på gatorna i de palestinska områdena. De palestinska poliserna och säkerhetsstyrkorna i ett visst samarbete med israelisk militär håller relativt god ordning vilket gör att man t.ex i Ramallah bygger nya lyxhotell, bostäder restauranger m.m.
Terroristattackerna mot Israel från västbanken förekommer för tillfället nästan inte alls.
Borde man i nuläget låta den låsta politiska situationen vara i fred och i stället satsa på att låta människorna få bygga upp sina liv och helt enkelt får det ekonomiskt bättre? Och sedan hoppas på att det skulle framtvinga förändringar på den politiska sidan. Vilket kunde betyda att palestinierna inte längre skulle vara beredda att starta oroligheter som kunde leda till att allt de byggt upp förstörs.
Det var kanske en alltför optimistisk syn?
Men faktum är att omvärlden tagit en stor risk genom att framtvinga förhandlingar. För att förhandlingar skall ha ens en liten chans att lyckas måste båda parterna ha en vilja att förhandla. Så verkar inte nu vara fallet.
Det är inte heller omöjligt att de palestinska ledarna ser det som så att de har allt att vinna på att förhandlingarna bryter samman.
Sammanbrottet kommer att skyllas på Israel, och omvärlden kanske därefter kan tvinga Israel till eftergifter som palestinierna aldrig skulle kunna uppnå genom förhandlingar.
Som bekant har t.ex.EU redan slagit fast sina krav på Israel och en del av kraven står direkt i strid med tidigare internationella överenskommelser och löften till det judiska folket.
Det hälper inte mycket att spekulera, vi får se hur det går och över allt detta hänger Irans mörka skugga. Iran är i nuläget ett betydligt allvarligare problem både för Israel och omvärlden även om alla kanske inte har insett hur farlig situationen är.
onsdag 18 augusti 2010
Double Standards Out of Control
En läsvärd artikel av Khaled Abu Toameh:
Middle East's Western Media Hypocrisy, Double Standards Out of Control
"The arrest last week of seven Palestinian university lecturers at the hands of Palestinian Authority security services in the West Bank is yet another example of how the international media functions in this part of the world.
Some Palestinian stringers and reporters offered the story about the arrest of the academics to at least a dozen foreign correspondents and newspaper editors in North America and Europe.
Only one foreign journalist agreed to write about the story. His colleagues gave different excuses for turning their backs on the story...
...Earlier this week, a disenchanted Ramallah-based Palestinian journalist decided to put her Western colleagues to the test. She contacted the same group of newsmen and editors who had been offered the story on the academics' arrest with a "new idea" for a news item.
The Palestinian journalist proposed that the foreign press write about a Palestinian university professor who complained that Israeli authorities had turned down his request to visit Israel together with his wife and three children.
The response from the international journalists came almost instantly. All but two said it was a "great story" and expressed readiness to start working on it immediately."
Läs hela artikeln här
Middle East's Western Media Hypocrisy, Double Standards Out of Control
"The arrest last week of seven Palestinian university lecturers at the hands of Palestinian Authority security services in the West Bank is yet another example of how the international media functions in this part of the world.
Some Palestinian stringers and reporters offered the story about the arrest of the academics to at least a dozen foreign correspondents and newspaper editors in North America and Europe.
Only one foreign journalist agreed to write about the story. His colleagues gave different excuses for turning their backs on the story...
...Earlier this week, a disenchanted Ramallah-based Palestinian journalist decided to put her Western colleagues to the test. She contacted the same group of newsmen and editors who had been offered the story on the academics' arrest with a "new idea" for a news item.
The Palestinian journalist proposed that the foreign press write about a Palestinian university professor who complained that Israeli authorities had turned down his request to visit Israel together with his wife and three children.
The response from the international journalists came almost instantly. All but two said it was a "great story" and expressed readiness to start working on it immediately."
Läs hela artikeln här
söndag 15 augusti 2010
Förhandla eller inte?
Det ryktas igen om att direkta fredsförhandlingar snart skall komma igång mellan Israel och palestinierna. Hittills har palestinierna envist vägrat men nu verkar det som om den så kallade Kvartetten skall komma med ett uttalande som skall tvinga parterna till förhandlingsbordet.
'Direct talks to begin next week'
Sources in the Palestinian Authority have stated that direct negotiations between Israel and the PA will start next week in Cairo, according to a report in the Saudi newspaper Okaz on Sunday. The report said the Quartet is expected to issue an announcement setting the frame of reference for the talks.
Hamas och flera andra palestinska organisationer motsätter sig åtminstone fortfarande förhandlingar.
Hamas opposes direct negotiations
Hamas, along with other Palestinian organizations based in Damascus expressed their opposition to resuming direct talks with Israel, AFP reported Sunday.US policy towards direct talks aims to mask Israel's plan to continue expanding settlements and take control of Jerusalem, the groups claimed during their meeting.
Bakgrundsinformation finns i följande artikel av Jackson Diehl:
Why doesn't Abbas want peace talks?
Give Mahmoud Abbas credit, at least, for consistency. Eighteen months ago, when the then-new Obama administration tried to jump start Middle East peace negotiations, the Palestinian president balked. He said he would not agree even to meet the newly-elected Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, unless Netanyahu made several big concessions in advance -- including recognition of a Palestinian state on the basis of Israel's 1967 borders and a freeze on all Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank.
Palestinian Media Watch har plockat ihop några citat av palestinska ledare där de ger sin syn på fortsatt väpnat "motstånd" mot Israel.
PA: Armed conflict is functionof its profitability (by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik)
Former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei (Abu Alaa) said in an interview that the use of armed conflict - "resistance" - is a function of its profitability: "If it gives me [benefit] without costing me, yes."Abu Alaa's message that armed conflict is not being rejected, but is to be used based on loss/gain considerations, is a principle that the Palestinian Authority has emphasized throughout the current ceasefire.While the PA continues to reassure the international community that it is committed to non-violence, during the three months of the proximity talks the PA has repeatedly told its people in Arabic that armed conflict remains an option. Violent resistance is suspended only because it is not in the PA's present interests.Following is the interview with Ahmad Qurei, along with more examples of "armed conflict" being presented in recent months as a legitimate and even admirable Palestinian option, depending on its profitability and capability.
1- Interview with Ahmad Qurei (Abu Alaa), former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister, head of the PLO's Jerusalem Department, on the conflict with Israel:
Qurei: "All the options are open, as I see it. Negotiations, political activity, popular activity and [armed] resistance - and we must continue with it."Question: "Today, what is the [best] option, in your opinion?"Qurei: "All of the above."Question: "Including [armed] resistance?"Qurei: "I see and analyze. And if it [resistance] gives me [benefit] without costing me, yes."
[Al Sharq Al-Awsat (London),
reprinted in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 5, 2010]
2- Nabil Shaath, member of Palestinian Parliament, Fatah Commissioner of Foreign Relations and member of the Fatah Central Committee, says negotiations are "tactical" and "temporary"
"Dr. Nabil Shaath, Commissioner of International Relations and member of the Fatah Central Committee... stated that the decision to renew negotiations was a tactical decision, i.e., a temporary, defensive decision... and it is dependent upon the possibility of attaining tangible results for the Palestinians. He concluded: 'Even the resistance uses defensive tactics in order not to miss opportunities.'"
[Al-Dustur (Jordan), June 10, 2010]
3- Nabil Shaath, member of Palestinian Parliament, Fatah Commissioner of Foreign Relations and member of the Fatah Central Committee, defends the right to armed struggle when it is in the "people's interest"
"Dr. Nabil Shaath, member of the Fatah Central Committee... emphasized that 'the Palestinian people has the right to defend itself, and it has the right to act in the way of the armed struggle. We have acted in this way for 100 years. Fatah led it [the armed struggle] for 23 years, and Hamas adopted it for 15 years. We are proud of all of our Shahids (Martyrs), and it is our right to return to the armed conflict whenever we view that as our people's interest.'"
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 7, 2010]
4- Nabil Shaath, member of Palestinian Parliament, Fatah Commissioner of Foreign Relations and member of the Fatah Central Committee, explains the "inability" to engage in armed struggle now
"MP Dr. Nabil Shaath, member Fatah Central Committee and Commissioner of Foreign Relations... emphasized that the Fatah's stated strategy for the struggle is to adopt the growing popular and 'non-violent' struggle against Israel, because of the inability to engage in the armed struggle, which has become undesirable now, although it is the right of the Palestinian people, which all international treaties and resolutions have guaranteed... Shaath said: 'I have said this to the leaders of Hamas, I have said to [Hamas PM] Ismail Haniyeh during my meeting with him in Gaza, that Arab, regional and to engage in the armed struggle...' Shaath emphasized that the non-violent struggle is no less honorable than the armed struggle, and that it does not signify submission to Israeli demands."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 20, 2010]
5- Nabil Shaath, member of Palestinian Parliament, Fatah Commissioner of Foreign Relations and member of the Fatah Central Committee, says that armed struggle is not rejected
"Dr. Nabil Shaath, Fatah... [said] The current distancing from the armed struggle does not mean its absolute rejection... He noted that the difficulty of the conflict required the Palestinian people to diversify its activities of struggle - along with an emphasis on the importance of the armed struggle, which laid the basis for the existence of the state and contributed to maintaining the right and presenting it to the world - especially since the armed struggle at the present time is not possible, or is not effective, because of to the difficulties with which the Palestinian people contends."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 21, 2010]
6- Editorials in the PA official daily: "Armed struggle is impossible now."
"I have no doubt that the occupation is destined to pass from the world... I also have no doubt that out of the options for the national struggle to be rid of the occupation, the popular struggle is the one that is needed, since the option of the armed struggle is impossible now."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (Fatah), May 24, 2010]
7- Fatah leader Abbas Zaki, member of the Fatah Central Committee, justifies violence:
"Abbas Zaki, member of the Fatah Central Committee, does not believe that a Palestinian-Israeli agreement will be achieved in the shadow of the extreme right-wing [Israeli] government, but he leaves the door open to a 'return to [UN] Resolution 181 [1947 Partition Plan] and to all forms of the struggle, including the armed struggle, if the negotiations fail... the door is open to a return to the UN, such that Resolutions 242 and 338 will no longer have any value, and there will be a return to Resolution 181 [of November 29, 1947], which is the Partition Plan and the birth certificate of the State of Israel and of the Palestinian State. In addition, [there will be] a return to UN Resolution 3236, which grants the Palestinian people the right to all forms of the struggle, including the armed struggle...'He called for 'a gathering that will bring together the Fatah and Hamas leadership, under Mahmoud Abbas' ... and added: 'We are in favor of anyone who defends the homeland and bears arms in order to defend it, because he supports the idea of Fatah and of the resistance [armed conflict].'"
[Al-Ghad (Jordan), May 22, 2010]
Click here to see more examples from PMW's website of how the PA uses the Violence-Diplomacy strategy.
'Direct talks to begin next week'
Sources in the Palestinian Authority have stated that direct negotiations between Israel and the PA will start next week in Cairo, according to a report in the Saudi newspaper Okaz on Sunday. The report said the Quartet is expected to issue an announcement setting the frame of reference for the talks.
Hamas och flera andra palestinska organisationer motsätter sig åtminstone fortfarande förhandlingar.
Hamas opposes direct negotiations
Hamas, along with other Palestinian organizations based in Damascus expressed their opposition to resuming direct talks with Israel, AFP reported Sunday.US policy towards direct talks aims to mask Israel's plan to continue expanding settlements and take control of Jerusalem, the groups claimed during their meeting.
Bakgrundsinformation finns i följande artikel av Jackson Diehl:
Why doesn't Abbas want peace talks?
Give Mahmoud Abbas credit, at least, for consistency. Eighteen months ago, when the then-new Obama administration tried to jump start Middle East peace negotiations, the Palestinian president balked. He said he would not agree even to meet the newly-elected Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, unless Netanyahu made several big concessions in advance -- including recognition of a Palestinian state on the basis of Israel's 1967 borders and a freeze on all Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank.
Palestinian Media Watch har plockat ihop några citat av palestinska ledare där de ger sin syn på fortsatt väpnat "motstånd" mot Israel.
PA: Armed conflict is functionof its profitability (by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik)
Former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei (Abu Alaa) said in an interview that the use of armed conflict - "resistance" - is a function of its profitability: "If it gives me [benefit] without costing me, yes."Abu Alaa's message that armed conflict is not being rejected, but is to be used based on loss/gain considerations, is a principle that the Palestinian Authority has emphasized throughout the current ceasefire.While the PA continues to reassure the international community that it is committed to non-violence, during the three months of the proximity talks the PA has repeatedly told its people in Arabic that armed conflict remains an option. Violent resistance is suspended only because it is not in the PA's present interests.Following is the interview with Ahmad Qurei, along with more examples of "armed conflict" being presented in recent months as a legitimate and even admirable Palestinian option, depending on its profitability and capability.
1- Interview with Ahmad Qurei (Abu Alaa), former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister, head of the PLO's Jerusalem Department, on the conflict with Israel:
Qurei: "All the options are open, as I see it. Negotiations, political activity, popular activity and [armed] resistance - and we must continue with it."Question: "Today, what is the [best] option, in your opinion?"Qurei: "All of the above."Question: "Including [armed] resistance?"Qurei: "I see and analyze. And if it [resistance] gives me [benefit] without costing me, yes."
[Al Sharq Al-Awsat (London),
reprinted in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 5, 2010]
2- Nabil Shaath, member of Palestinian Parliament, Fatah Commissioner of Foreign Relations and member of the Fatah Central Committee, says negotiations are "tactical" and "temporary"
"Dr. Nabil Shaath, Commissioner of International Relations and member of the Fatah Central Committee... stated that the decision to renew negotiations was a tactical decision, i.e., a temporary, defensive decision... and it is dependent upon the possibility of attaining tangible results for the Palestinians. He concluded: 'Even the resistance uses defensive tactics in order not to miss opportunities.'"
[Al-Dustur (Jordan), June 10, 2010]
3- Nabil Shaath, member of Palestinian Parliament, Fatah Commissioner of Foreign Relations and member of the Fatah Central Committee, defends the right to armed struggle when it is in the "people's interest"
"Dr. Nabil Shaath, member of the Fatah Central Committee... emphasized that 'the Palestinian people has the right to defend itself, and it has the right to act in the way of the armed struggle. We have acted in this way for 100 years. Fatah led it [the armed struggle] for 23 years, and Hamas adopted it for 15 years. We are proud of all of our Shahids (Martyrs), and it is our right to return to the armed conflict whenever we view that as our people's interest.'"
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 7, 2010]
4- Nabil Shaath, member of Palestinian Parliament, Fatah Commissioner of Foreign Relations and member of the Fatah Central Committee, explains the "inability" to engage in armed struggle now
"MP Dr. Nabil Shaath, member Fatah Central Committee and Commissioner of Foreign Relations... emphasized that the Fatah's stated strategy for the struggle is to adopt the growing popular and 'non-violent' struggle against Israel, because of the inability to engage in the armed struggle, which has become undesirable now, although it is the right of the Palestinian people, which all international treaties and resolutions have guaranteed... Shaath said: 'I have said this to the leaders of Hamas, I have said to [Hamas PM] Ismail Haniyeh during my meeting with him in Gaza, that Arab, regional and to engage in the armed struggle...' Shaath emphasized that the non-violent struggle is no less honorable than the armed struggle, and that it does not signify submission to Israeli demands."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 20, 2010]
5- Nabil Shaath, member of Palestinian Parliament, Fatah Commissioner of Foreign Relations and member of the Fatah Central Committee, says that armed struggle is not rejected
"Dr. Nabil Shaath, Fatah... [said] The current distancing from the armed struggle does not mean its absolute rejection... He noted that the difficulty of the conflict required the Palestinian people to diversify its activities of struggle - along with an emphasis on the importance of the armed struggle, which laid the basis for the existence of the state and contributed to maintaining the right and presenting it to the world - especially since the armed struggle at the present time is not possible, or is not effective, because of to the difficulties with which the Palestinian people contends."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 21, 2010]
6- Editorials in the PA official daily: "Armed struggle is impossible now."
"I have no doubt that the occupation is destined to pass from the world... I also have no doubt that out of the options for the national struggle to be rid of the occupation, the popular struggle is the one that is needed, since the option of the armed struggle is impossible now."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (Fatah), May 24, 2010]
7- Fatah leader Abbas Zaki, member of the Fatah Central Committee, justifies violence:
"Abbas Zaki, member of the Fatah Central Committee, does not believe that a Palestinian-Israeli agreement will be achieved in the shadow of the extreme right-wing [Israeli] government, but he leaves the door open to a 'return to [UN] Resolution 181 [1947 Partition Plan] and to all forms of the struggle, including the armed struggle, if the negotiations fail... the door is open to a return to the UN, such that Resolutions 242 and 338 will no longer have any value, and there will be a return to Resolution 181 [of November 29, 1947], which is the Partition Plan and the birth certificate of the State of Israel and of the Palestinian State. In addition, [there will be] a return to UN Resolution 3236, which grants the Palestinian people the right to all forms of the struggle, including the armed struggle...'He called for 'a gathering that will bring together the Fatah and Hamas leadership, under Mahmoud Abbas' ... and added: 'We are in favor of anyone who defends the homeland and bears arms in order to defend it, because he supports the idea of Fatah and of the resistance [armed conflict].'"
[Al-Ghad (Jordan), May 22, 2010]
Click here to see more examples from PMW's website of how the PA uses the Violence-Diplomacy strategy.
onsdag 11 augusti 2010
Utredningen om Mavi Marmara fortsätter
De israeliska utredningarna om vad som gick fel vid bordningen av skeppet Mavi Marmara i slutet av maj går vidare. Israels premiärminister, försvarsminister och överbefälhavare har gett sina vittnesmål.
Överbefälhavare Ashkenazi :
- När den första soldaten hade tagit sig ner till skeppet fanns det ingen återvändo, operationen måste fortsätta.
-Vi visste inte tillräckligt mycket om IHH (den turkiska gruppen som stor för det våldsamma motståndet mot de israeliska soldaterna).
- Om IDF måste utföra liknande operationer i framtiden finns det ingen annan utväg än att ha prickskyttar i beredskap för att skydda våra soldater liv.
- När någon attackerar en soldat med yxa, kommer soldaten att skjuta.
- Överbefälhavare Ashkenazi sade också att den andra soldaten som firades ner till skeppet blev skjuten omedelbart.
Här kan man läsa mer vad överbefälhavaren hade att säga:
'We should've used accurate fire'
IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told the Turkel Committee on Wednesday that the IDF made a crucial mistake when it did not resort to accurate fire against those blocking entry to the Mavi Marmara Turkish aid ship as IDF Shayetet 13 commandos rappelled onto the ship from helicopters. "The central mistake, including mine, was that we thought there were about 10-15 people on the ship, we will throw flash grenades, they will move away, and then we will be able to drop 15 soldiers in one minute," explained Ashkenazi. "Here was the real error. We should have managed conditions to accumulate power in the quickest way. There was need to fire with accurate weapons and neutralize those who prevented the rappelling down of soldiers, something that would have decreased the the risk of harm to them. That is the central lesson for the next operation."
IDF chief to Gaza flotilla probe: Raid quickly became 'chaotic'
Israel Defense Forces troops were not ready for the violent resistance they met when they boarded a Gaza-bound aid ship and killed nine pro-Palestinian activists, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said on Wednesday.
The raid quickly became "chaotic," Ashkenazi said, testifying before an internal probe into Israel's deadly raid, and defending the military from politicians' accusations it botched the operation. "After the first soldier went down the rope there was no choice but to continue with the plan."
Överbefälhavare Ashkenazi :
- När den första soldaten hade tagit sig ner till skeppet fanns det ingen återvändo, operationen måste fortsätta.
-Vi visste inte tillräckligt mycket om IHH (den turkiska gruppen som stor för det våldsamma motståndet mot de israeliska soldaterna).
- Om IDF måste utföra liknande operationer i framtiden finns det ingen annan utväg än att ha prickskyttar i beredskap för att skydda våra soldater liv.
- När någon attackerar en soldat med yxa, kommer soldaten att skjuta.
- Överbefälhavare Ashkenazi sade också att den andra soldaten som firades ner till skeppet blev skjuten omedelbart.
Här kan man läsa mer vad överbefälhavaren hade att säga:
'We should've used accurate fire'
IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told the Turkel Committee on Wednesday that the IDF made a crucial mistake when it did not resort to accurate fire against those blocking entry to the Mavi Marmara Turkish aid ship as IDF Shayetet 13 commandos rappelled onto the ship from helicopters. "The central mistake, including mine, was that we thought there were about 10-15 people on the ship, we will throw flash grenades, they will move away, and then we will be able to drop 15 soldiers in one minute," explained Ashkenazi. "Here was the real error. We should have managed conditions to accumulate power in the quickest way. There was need to fire with accurate weapons and neutralize those who prevented the rappelling down of soldiers, something that would have decreased the the risk of harm to them. That is the central lesson for the next operation."
IDF chief to Gaza flotilla probe: Raid quickly became 'chaotic'
Israel Defense Forces troops were not ready for the violent resistance they met when they boarded a Gaza-bound aid ship and killed nine pro-Palestinian activists, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said on Wednesday.
The raid quickly became "chaotic," Ashkenazi said, testifying before an internal probe into Israel's deadly raid, and defending the military from politicians' accusations it botched the operation. "After the first soldier went down the rope there was no choice but to continue with the plan."
tisdag 10 augusti 2010
Krig eller fred?
Abbas pressad från alla sidor
Trots att USA, Egypten, Jordanien och till och med Saudi-Arabien försöker få palestinierna att påbörja direkta förhandlingar med Israel ser det ut som om Abbas fortfarande skulle vägra. Abbas ställer omöjliga villkor på Israel för att han skall gå med på direkta förhandlingar.
Mitchell arrives amid low hopes (Jerusalem Post)
"Meanwhile, representatives of dozens of Palestinian factions and organizations on Monday warned Abbas against succumbing to pressure to open direct talks unconditionally.They claimed that Israel was planning to exploit the negotiations “to cover up for its practices, including the Judaization of Jerusalem, continued settlement construction and the completion of the racist separation fence.”They also warned that entering direct talks under the conditions set by the US administration would “save Israel from the international campaign of boycott and condemnation.”
Hizzbollah är nervös
Efter att libanesiska soldater senste vecka sköt en israelisk officer till döds bromsar USA hjälpen till Libanon.
Lebanon protests $100m. aid suspension
"The US Congress is blocking funding to the Lebanese military following a cross-border shooting attack on Israeli soldiers last week amidst concern it is cooperating with Hizbullah.“This incident was tragic and entirely avoidable,” Rep. Nita Lowey (D-New York) said Monday. “US assistance is intended to enhance our safety and that of our allies.”
Det förväntas att FN:s undersökningar kommer att visa att Hizzbollah var inblandad i mordet på Libanons före detta premiärminister Hariri. Om så är fallet är risken stor att det kommer att leda till oroligheter i Libanon.
Hizzbollah försöker försvara sig och igår gick Hizzbollahs ledare Nasrallah ut i en TV -sändning och påstod att det var Israel som låg bakom mordet. Inge utanför Libanon tar Nasrallah på allvar men uttalandet visar att Hizzzbollah är nervös.
Nasrallah: Israel murdered Hariri
In a much-anticipated televised speech, Hizbullah head Hassan Nasrallah on Monday night presented what he called proof that Israel was behind the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.The Foreign Ministry dismissed Nasrallah's comments as "ridiculous lies" in a statement Tuesday
Trots att USA, Egypten, Jordanien och till och med Saudi-Arabien försöker få palestinierna att påbörja direkta förhandlingar med Israel ser det ut som om Abbas fortfarande skulle vägra. Abbas ställer omöjliga villkor på Israel för att han skall gå med på direkta förhandlingar.
Mitchell arrives amid low hopes (Jerusalem Post)
"Meanwhile, representatives of dozens of Palestinian factions and organizations on Monday warned Abbas against succumbing to pressure to open direct talks unconditionally.They claimed that Israel was planning to exploit the negotiations “to cover up for its practices, including the Judaization of Jerusalem, continued settlement construction and the completion of the racist separation fence.”They also warned that entering direct talks under the conditions set by the US administration would “save Israel from the international campaign of boycott and condemnation.”
Hizzbollah är nervös
Efter att libanesiska soldater senste vecka sköt en israelisk officer till döds bromsar USA hjälpen till Libanon.
Lebanon protests $100m. aid suspension
"The US Congress is blocking funding to the Lebanese military following a cross-border shooting attack on Israeli soldiers last week amidst concern it is cooperating with Hizbullah.“This incident was tragic and entirely avoidable,” Rep. Nita Lowey (D-New York) said Monday. “US assistance is intended to enhance our safety and that of our allies.”
Det förväntas att FN:s undersökningar kommer att visa att Hizzbollah var inblandad i mordet på Libanons före detta premiärminister Hariri. Om så är fallet är risken stor att det kommer att leda till oroligheter i Libanon.
Hizzbollah försöker försvara sig och igår gick Hizzbollahs ledare Nasrallah ut i en TV -sändning och påstod att det var Israel som låg bakom mordet. Inge utanför Libanon tar Nasrallah på allvar men uttalandet visar att Hizzzbollah är nervös.
Nasrallah: Israel murdered Hariri
In a much-anticipated televised speech, Hizbullah head Hassan Nasrallah on Monday night presented what he called proof that Israel was behind the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.The Foreign Ministry dismissed Nasrallah's comments as "ridiculous lies" in a statement Tuesday
onsdag 4 augusti 2010
Libanon inför inbördeskrig?
Libanon kan stå inför ett nytt inbördeskrig inom några veckor skriver BENJAMIN JOFFE-WALT / THE MEDIA LINE .
En FN utredning om vem som stod bakom mordet på Rafiq Al-Hariri , Libanons före detta premiärminister håller på att bli klar.
Det verkar som om det skulle vara Hizzbollah som utpekas som skyldig. Hizzbollah sitter idag i den libanesiska regeringen och om det visar sig att de är skyldig til mordet kan vad som helst hända säger analytiker.
Läs mera : Why is Lebanon So Tense?
What is clear, however, is that in a matter of weeks Lebanon is set to face what some local analysts are predicting will be the beginnings of another Lebanese civil war and which others are predicting will be the largest political crisis since the country’s former leader was assassinated five years ago. Either way, they agree, something smelly is about to hit the fan. On February 14, 2005, Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri and 22 others were killed by a massive 1000 kilogram TNT explosion on the Beirut seafront. The assassination was followed by an extensive international outcry and led to massive political change in Lebanon, culminating in the withdrawal of Syrian troops after 29 years in the country. The late Al-Hariri opposed the Syrian presence in Lebanon and supported the disarming of Hizbullah, a Lebanese Shia militia more powerful than the Lebanese army. The Al-Hariri murder has been widely blamed on elements from Hizbullah and/or Syrian intelligence. The UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon, based in The Hague, has been investigating the assassination for years and has yet to issue any indictments. But Hizbullah’s leader, Sheikh Sayyid Hasan Na’srallah, announced last month that the tribunal was set to indict Hizbullah members in the assassination. The Shia militia’s powerful political wing currently sits on a governing coalition along with the U.S.-backed, Sunni-led Future Movement headed by Sa’ad Al-Hariri, son of the slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri. Lebanese analysts say the possibility of the prime minister’s governing partners being accused by an international court of assassinating his father, the country’s former leader, has created a state of a political instability and bedlam.
"I think what happened yesterday at the border is a reflection of the situation in the region,” Fadi Abi Allam, President of the Beirut-based Permanent Peace Movement told The Media Line. “We are in a state of war - both within Lebanon and outside - and everyone trying to protect themselves, so there is a real escalation of tensions.” “The issue is not just Palestine, we are in a state of war here in Lebanon itself,” Allam continued. “The Al-Hariri assassination is a big issue. To date, there is no solution from the international community and everybody is waiting to see what will happen and how this will affect internal politics and the situation in Israel.”
A Third Lebanon War?
There has been a steady and disturbing barrage of reports lately prediciting another war, sooner rather than later, between Israel and Hezbollah, the militant Islamic group that controls most of southern Lebanon and is firmly entrenched in the Lebanese parliament.
The cedar retribution
With the announcement from Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah this week that Hizbullah members may be indicted for the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Raifk Hariri, one thing is now (publicly) clear, no matter what one may think about the integrity of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL): the militant Shiite party is both angry and concerned. Of course, this isn't a wholly new development: the party has apparently been preparing for just such an eventuality at least since the summer of 2006 when the first media reports began circulating in this regard (interestingly, in Hizbullah's analysis, these reports came just after Israel found itself unable to smash its bitter enemy in open battle during the July War).
En FN utredning om vem som stod bakom mordet på Rafiq Al-Hariri , Libanons före detta premiärminister håller på att bli klar.
Det verkar som om det skulle vara Hizzbollah som utpekas som skyldig. Hizzbollah sitter idag i den libanesiska regeringen och om det visar sig att de är skyldig til mordet kan vad som helst hända säger analytiker.
Läs mera : Why is Lebanon So Tense?
What is clear, however, is that in a matter of weeks Lebanon is set to face what some local analysts are predicting will be the beginnings of another Lebanese civil war and which others are predicting will be the largest political crisis since the country’s former leader was assassinated five years ago. Either way, they agree, something smelly is about to hit the fan. On February 14, 2005, Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri and 22 others were killed by a massive 1000 kilogram TNT explosion on the Beirut seafront. The assassination was followed by an extensive international outcry and led to massive political change in Lebanon, culminating in the withdrawal of Syrian troops after 29 years in the country. The late Al-Hariri opposed the Syrian presence in Lebanon and supported the disarming of Hizbullah, a Lebanese Shia militia more powerful than the Lebanese army. The Al-Hariri murder has been widely blamed on elements from Hizbullah and/or Syrian intelligence. The UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon, based in The Hague, has been investigating the assassination for years and has yet to issue any indictments. But Hizbullah’s leader, Sheikh Sayyid Hasan Na’srallah, announced last month that the tribunal was set to indict Hizbullah members in the assassination. The Shia militia’s powerful political wing currently sits on a governing coalition along with the U.S.-backed, Sunni-led Future Movement headed by Sa’ad Al-Hariri, son of the slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri. Lebanese analysts say the possibility of the prime minister’s governing partners being accused by an international court of assassinating his father, the country’s former leader, has created a state of a political instability and bedlam.
"I think what happened yesterday at the border is a reflection of the situation in the region,” Fadi Abi Allam, President of the Beirut-based Permanent Peace Movement told The Media Line. “We are in a state of war - both within Lebanon and outside - and everyone trying to protect themselves, so there is a real escalation of tensions.” “The issue is not just Palestine, we are in a state of war here in Lebanon itself,” Allam continued. “The Al-Hariri assassination is a big issue. To date, there is no solution from the international community and everybody is waiting to see what will happen and how this will affect internal politics and the situation in Israel.”
A Third Lebanon War?
There has been a steady and disturbing barrage of reports lately prediciting another war, sooner rather than later, between Israel and Hezbollah, the militant Islamic group that controls most of southern Lebanon and is firmly entrenched in the Lebanese parliament.
The cedar retribution
With the announcement from Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah this week that Hizbullah members may be indicted for the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Raifk Hariri, one thing is now (publicly) clear, no matter what one may think about the integrity of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL): the militant Shiite party is both angry and concerned. Of course, this isn't a wholly new development: the party has apparently been preparing for just such an eventuality at least since the summer of 2006 when the first media reports began circulating in this regard (interestingly, in Hizbullah's analysis, these reports came just after Israel found itself unable to smash its bitter enemy in open battle during the July War).
Rasistiska uttalanden från Abbas
Jonathan Dahoah Halevi i skriver i Ynet News om hur Abbas kräver att en eventuell framtida palestinsk stat skall vara rensad på alla judar. Knappast någon reagerar på uttalandet men om man vänderpå steken och någon skulle kräva att Israel skall rensas på alla araber skulle det höras många fördömanden.
Beware Palestinian apartheid
The Palestinians intend to demand the implementation of the UN resolution regarding refugees, from a Palestinian perspective, which gives the 5.5 million refugees and their descendants the right of return and to settle in the State of Israel. In his briefing to the Egyptian media, Abbas presented this strategy and denied the Jewish character of Israel. He maintains that Israel should, in fact, become a bi-national state, but on the other hand that Palestine must become a state “clean” of Jews.
"I'm willing to agree to a third party that would supervise the agreement, such as NATO forces, but I would not agree to having Jews among the NATO forces, or that there will live among us even a single Israeli on Palestinian land,” he was quoted by Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency.
Beware Palestinian apartheid
The Palestinians intend to demand the implementation of the UN resolution regarding refugees, from a Palestinian perspective, which gives the 5.5 million refugees and their descendants the right of return and to settle in the State of Israel. In his briefing to the Egyptian media, Abbas presented this strategy and denied the Jewish character of Israel. He maintains that Israel should, in fact, become a bi-national state, but on the other hand that Palestine must become a state “clean” of Jews.
"I'm willing to agree to a third party that would supervise the agreement, such as NATO forces, but I would not agree to having Jews among the NATO forces, or that there will live among us even a single Israeli on Palestinian land,” he was quoted by Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency.
Strider vid gränsen till Libanon
Bilden visar var de israeliska soldaterna blev skjutna av prickskyttar från den libanesiska armén. Den blåprickade linjen är gränsen mellan Israel och Libanon, den gulprickade är stängslet.Det verkar nu klart att det var libanesiska styrkor som anföll israeliska soldater som höll på med underhålldsarbeten på den israeliska sidan av gränsen mot Libanon. FN-styrkorna har bekräftat att Israel på förhand meddelat om underhållsarbetena som skulle utföras mellan själva gränsen och gränsstängslet.
En israelisk soldat dödades och en skadades svårt, tre libanesiska soldater och en journalist från Hizzbollahs nyhetsbyrå dödades i striderna.
UNIFIL confirms IDF claims
Firing on IDF patrol from Lebanon
En israelisk soldat dödades och en skadades svårt, tre libanesiska soldater och en journalist från Hizzbollahs nyhetsbyrå dödades i striderna.
UNIFIL confirms IDF claims
Firing on IDF patrol from Lebanon
Dozens of friends and relatives crowded the Harari family home in Netanya on Tuesday to comfort the widow and children of Lt.- Col. (res.) Dov “Barry” Harari, 45, who was killed in the border clash with the Lebanese army near Kibbutz Misgav Am.It was to have been the last reserve stint after 27 years of service for Harari, and the reserve battalion commander was expecting to be sent home soon to spend the rest of the summer vacation with his wife and four children.
Här kan man läsa en rapport om det spända läget vid gränsen mellan Israel och Libanon:
Rapporten är skriven av International Crisis Group.
måndag 2 augusti 2010
Raketer mot Jordanien och Israel
Jordan: 1 dead in rocket attack
Jordan condemned Monday the firing of a rocket that struck near the Intercontinental Hotel in Aqaba in which a Jordanian man was killed and four others were injured. The rocket was one of six which struck the area, including a second rocket in Jordan, one near Eilat, two in the Red Sea and one in the Sinai Peninsula.
Hamas’s violent message
On Friday, Hamas launched an Iranian Grad rocket from Gaza that struck southern Ashkelon, causing shell shock to several residents and damage to a building and cars. On Saturday, Hamas lobbed an upgraded Kassam rocket at Sderot, destroying a children’s hydrotherapy rehabilitation center at Sapir College.Mortars were also fired.
Jordan condemned Monday the firing of a rocket that struck near the Intercontinental Hotel in Aqaba in which a Jordanian man was killed and four others were injured. The rocket was one of six which struck the area, including a second rocket in Jordan, one near Eilat, two in the Red Sea and one in the Sinai Peninsula.
Hamas’s violent message
On Friday, Hamas launched an Iranian Grad rocket from Gaza that struck southern Ashkelon, causing shell shock to several residents and damage to a building and cars. On Saturday, Hamas lobbed an upgraded Kassam rocket at Sderot, destroying a children’s hydrotherapy rehabilitation center at Sapir College.Mortars were also fired.
Biksop Munib Younan - lutheranernas ledare
Munib Younan, biskop för den lutherska kyrkan i Jordanien och Det heliga landet, har valts till ordförande för Lutherska världsförbundet. Biskop Younan är en man som kan använda vackra ord om fred och försoning men i praktiken har han utnyttjat sin ställning till att svartmåla Israel, framföra lögner och anklaga människor som tror på Bibelns löften till judarna för kätteri och falska läror.
Biskop Younan är en av författarna till The Kairos Palestine Document där det bl.a. uppmanas till bojkott av Israel och där judarna återvändande och uppbyggande av landet kallas för ockupation och en synd mot Gud och mänskligheten. (Hans namn på hemsidan har senare flyttats från listan över författare till listan över kyrkoledare som uttalat sig om dokumentet)
Kairos dokumentet ger sken av att vara ett upprop från kyrkoledare i regionen men av de verkliga kyrkoledarna var det bara biskop Younan (ledare för den lilla lutherska kyrkan) som undertecknat dokumentet.
The Palestinian “Kairos” Document: A Behind-the-Scenes Analysis
Palestinian Kairos Document -- "The Tail Wagging the Dog"
On December 11, 2009 began the distribution of the so-called Palestinian Kairos Document, entitled "A word of faith, hope and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering." This document has falsely been promoted in several countries as a statement by "leaders of the region's Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican and Baptist traditions." This is a deliberate misrepresentation, albeit one that has hoodwinked many unsuspecting Christian readers worldwide.
The only current church leader to sign the document was Munib Younan, bishop of a minuscule Protestant church. That other church leaders did not sign it, not even the current Latin Patriarch or the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, who are themselves Palestinian Arabs, speaks for itself. This initiative was cooked up without the participation of almost all local church leaders.
Sven Reichmann skrev i januari 2008 en artikel om Munib Younan som kan läsas här:Freden som utplånar Israel
"...Younan eftersträvar alltså ett utplånande av Israel som judisk nation. Detta måste påpekas eftersom budskapet lindas in i långa och bitvis goda predikningar om kristen försoning vilket gör det aningen svårt att se vad det egentligen är som han strävar efter. Nyckelordet i sammanhanget är dock att freden och försoningen skall vara ”rättvisa”. A just peace – är målet. Vems rättvisa det är fråga om, vems krav det är som skall tillgodoses får man läsa noga för att förstå. Att resultatet blir just Israels utplåning är lätt att inse när man väl förstått vem som är anklagad och vem som är åklagare..."
I nyårshälsningen daterad 6 januari 2003 kan man läsa följande:
3. Bishop Younan Declare Christian Zionism to be a Heresy
Recently Bishop Younan was interviewed by a Danish newspaper. He was asked for his opinion of Christian Zionism and the bishop said, “I hereby declare that Christian Zionism is not only a sick theology but it is a heresy, right along with Arianism and Nestorianism. I believe it is time we named this misinterpretation of Christ and the gospel for what it is.”
First of all, the bishop states, Christian Zionism promotes Christ not as the Savior but as a military general, readying his forces for a huge battle, Armageddon. The true Christ is the Christ of the cross and the open tomb, bringing hope, peace, reconciliation and new life.
Secondly, Christian Zionists pretend to love the Jewish people but in the long run they are actually anti-Jewish in their teachings. The Jewish people are simply characters in the Christian Zionist heresy and in the so-called final battle; two-thirds of the Jewish people will be destroyed because they do not believe in Christ, while the other one-third will be converted to Christ.
Thirdly, Christian Zionism is anti-peace, anti-reconciliation. Bishop Younan states that the teachings are racist, calling for the transfer of Palestinians out of this land. “Christian Zionism is the enemy of peace in the Middle East.”
Christian Zionism is not limited to one or more church bodies, but its adherents can be found in every church body, including the Lutheran church. Declaring Christian Zionism to be a heresy, Bishop Younan states, is intended to alert all Christians everywhere to its dangers and false teachings.
Blessed New Year’s greetings for 2003 to you all from Bishop Younan and
the entire ELCJ family of congregations, schools, faculties, pastors, staff and
ELCJ members.
I ett uttalande 22 augusti 2006 säger Munib Younan bl.a. följande:
"THE JERUSALEM DECLARATION ON CHRISTIAN ZIONISM"Statement by the Patriarch and Local Heads of Churches In JerusalemAugust 22, 2006
Christian Zionism is a modern theological and political movement that embraces the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism, thereby becoming detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel.
The Christian Zionist program provides a worldview where the Gospel is identified with the ideology of empire, colonialism and militarism. In its extreme form, it laces an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history rather than living Christ's love and justice today.
We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as false teaching that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice and reconciliation.We further reject the contemporary alliance of Christian Zionist leaders and organizations with elements in the governments of Israel and the United States that are presently imposing their unilateral preemptive borders and domination over Palestine.This inevitably leads to unending cycles of violence that undermine the security of all peoples of the Middle East and the rest of the world.
We reject the teachings of Christian Zionism that facilitate and support these policies as they advance racial exclusivity and perpetual war rather than the gospel of universal love, redemption and reconciliation taught by Jesus Christ.
Här kan man läsa ett svar till ovanstående "Jerusalem Declaration":
Joint Response by Bridges for Peace, Christian Friends of Israel and The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem to:'The Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism' issued by the Latin Patriarch and other heads of churches in Jerusalem
Tuesday, 29 August 2006
It is with concern that we note the negative opinions about Christian Zionism voiced by certain church clerics in Jerusalem in a recent statement entitled, "The Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism" (Full text follows). Using inflammatory language they have expressed views that are far from the truth.
The truth is:
Christian Zionism is a theological position that sees a future destiny for Israel in the land of her forefathers. A Christian Zionist believes in a literal interpretation of the Bible and rejects replacement theology that definitely played a pivotal role in the persecution of Jews through the centuries, and under girded the Holocaust. Christian Zionism is not heretical; in fact, Christians from all traditional backgrounds have held such a view for two thousand years. Simply put, a Christian Zionist is one who believes that God, by a sovereign choice, gave the Land of Canaan as an everlasting possession to the Jewish people, for His kingdom purposes. (Genesis 17:7-8)
Christian Zionists believe that while God loves all people equally, He has chosen the Jewish people to bring redemption to mankind. Our Messiah and King, Jesus Christ, was born of Jewish parents, into a Jewish society, thus making the Jewish people our 'royal family', to be honored because the King was born to them. Christian Zionists reject hatred of any people group.
Christian Zionists do not base their theological position on end-time prophecy, but on the faithful covenant promises of God given to Abraham some four thousand years ago. They do not have a “thirst for Armageddon,” and do not claim to know the sequence of events that will lead to it.
Christian Zionists recognize that Israel has a right to exist in peace and security. Moreover, there are biblical considerations that regulate Israel’s national existence and these have to do with the issues of justice and righteousness and her treatment of the stranger within her midst. Christian Zionists fully recognize this and stand for these.
Christian Zionism is not a threat to anybody, but instead seeks to be a blessing. The Christian Zionist organizations in Israel have given millions of dollars of aid and care to all the population groups in the land, including Israeli and Palestinian Arabs, Druse and others.We pray for peace. But we note with sadness that the present Palestinian Government is totally dedicated to the destruction of Israel and its charter declares it. So, the problem in the region is not as simple as the Jerusalem Declaration makes out!
Sadly there have been no meetings between the Jerusalem clerics and their Christian Zionist counterparts. We invite such a dialogue and consider it a biblical prerequisite. We are distressed that a public denunciation has occurred first. We feel that we have been treated with disrespect and disdain, and attacked by the issuing of these public declarations. They present themselves as lovers of justice, mercy, truth and peace! This public attack seems lacking in these qualities.
We find the paper unbalanced and notably one-sided. It totally ignores the jihadist goals of the Hamas government and turns a blind eye to terrorism perpetrated by this regime. Everything is attributed to “occupation and militarism”, meaning Israel is the only problem. We think not! This one-sided unbalanced view of the conflict is in fact unhelpful to the peace process and contributing to its failure!
So, in closing, we Christian Zionists call upon Christians and Churches everywhere not to remain silent, but to break their silence and speak for reconciliation with justice in the Holy Land. To pray for the peace of Jerusalem, to affirm Israel’s right to live in peace and security, free from the threat of liquidation by Islamic Jihadists who definitely seek to 'colonize' the Jewish State by bringing it into the Empire of Islam. We reject all forms of discrimination.
Rebecca Brimmer - International President, Bridges For Peace
Ray Sanders - Executive Director, Christian Friends of Israel
Malcolm Hedding - Executive Director,International Christian Embassy Jerusalem
Biskop Younan är en av författarna till The Kairos Palestine Document där det bl.a. uppmanas till bojkott av Israel och där judarna återvändande och uppbyggande av landet kallas för ockupation och en synd mot Gud och mänskligheten. (Hans namn på hemsidan har senare flyttats från listan över författare till listan över kyrkoledare som uttalat sig om dokumentet)
Kairos dokumentet ger sken av att vara ett upprop från kyrkoledare i regionen men av de verkliga kyrkoledarna var det bara biskop Younan (ledare för den lilla lutherska kyrkan) som undertecknat dokumentet.
The Palestinian “Kairos” Document: A Behind-the-Scenes Analysis
Palestinian Kairos Document -- "The Tail Wagging the Dog"
On December 11, 2009 began the distribution of the so-called Palestinian Kairos Document, entitled "A word of faith, hope and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering." This document has falsely been promoted in several countries as a statement by "leaders of the region's Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican and Baptist traditions." This is a deliberate misrepresentation, albeit one that has hoodwinked many unsuspecting Christian readers worldwide.
The only current church leader to sign the document was Munib Younan, bishop of a minuscule Protestant church. That other church leaders did not sign it, not even the current Latin Patriarch or the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, who are themselves Palestinian Arabs, speaks for itself. This initiative was cooked up without the participation of almost all local church leaders.
Sven Reichmann skrev i januari 2008 en artikel om Munib Younan som kan läsas här:Freden som utplånar Israel
"...Younan eftersträvar alltså ett utplånande av Israel som judisk nation. Detta måste påpekas eftersom budskapet lindas in i långa och bitvis goda predikningar om kristen försoning vilket gör det aningen svårt att se vad det egentligen är som han strävar efter. Nyckelordet i sammanhanget är dock att freden och försoningen skall vara ”rättvisa”. A just peace – är målet. Vems rättvisa det är fråga om, vems krav det är som skall tillgodoses får man läsa noga för att förstå. Att resultatet blir just Israels utplåning är lätt att inse när man väl förstått vem som är anklagad och vem som är åklagare..."
I nyårshälsningen daterad 6 januari 2003 kan man läsa följande:
3. Bishop Younan Declare Christian Zionism to be a Heresy
Recently Bishop Younan was interviewed by a Danish newspaper. He was asked for his opinion of Christian Zionism and the bishop said, “I hereby declare that Christian Zionism is not only a sick theology but it is a heresy, right along with Arianism and Nestorianism. I believe it is time we named this misinterpretation of Christ and the gospel for what it is.”
First of all, the bishop states, Christian Zionism promotes Christ not as the Savior but as a military general, readying his forces for a huge battle, Armageddon. The true Christ is the Christ of the cross and the open tomb, bringing hope, peace, reconciliation and new life.
Secondly, Christian Zionists pretend to love the Jewish people but in the long run they are actually anti-Jewish in their teachings. The Jewish people are simply characters in the Christian Zionist heresy and in the so-called final battle; two-thirds of the Jewish people will be destroyed because they do not believe in Christ, while the other one-third will be converted to Christ.
Thirdly, Christian Zionism is anti-peace, anti-reconciliation. Bishop Younan states that the teachings are racist, calling for the transfer of Palestinians out of this land. “Christian Zionism is the enemy of peace in the Middle East.”
Christian Zionism is not limited to one or more church bodies, but its adherents can be found in every church body, including the Lutheran church. Declaring Christian Zionism to be a heresy, Bishop Younan states, is intended to alert all Christians everywhere to its dangers and false teachings.
Blessed New Year’s greetings for 2003 to you all from Bishop Younan and
the entire ELCJ family of congregations, schools, faculties, pastors, staff and
ELCJ members.
I ett uttalande 22 augusti 2006 säger Munib Younan bl.a. följande:
"THE JERUSALEM DECLARATION ON CHRISTIAN ZIONISM"Statement by the Patriarch and Local Heads of Churches In JerusalemAugust 22, 2006
Christian Zionism is a modern theological and political movement that embraces the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism, thereby becoming detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel.
The Christian Zionist program provides a worldview where the Gospel is identified with the ideology of empire, colonialism and militarism. In its extreme form, it laces an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history rather than living Christ's love and justice today.
We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as false teaching that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice and reconciliation.We further reject the contemporary alliance of Christian Zionist leaders and organizations with elements in the governments of Israel and the United States that are presently imposing their unilateral preemptive borders and domination over Palestine.This inevitably leads to unending cycles of violence that undermine the security of all peoples of the Middle East and the rest of the world.
We reject the teachings of Christian Zionism that facilitate and support these policies as they advance racial exclusivity and perpetual war rather than the gospel of universal love, redemption and reconciliation taught by Jesus Christ.
Här kan man läsa ett svar till ovanstående "Jerusalem Declaration":
Joint Response by Bridges for Peace, Christian Friends of Israel and The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem to:'The Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism' issued by the Latin Patriarch and other heads of churches in Jerusalem
Tuesday, 29 August 2006
It is with concern that we note the negative opinions about Christian Zionism voiced by certain church clerics in Jerusalem in a recent statement entitled, "The Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism" (Full text follows). Using inflammatory language they have expressed views that are far from the truth.
The truth is:
Christian Zionism is a theological position that sees a future destiny for Israel in the land of her forefathers. A Christian Zionist believes in a literal interpretation of the Bible and rejects replacement theology that definitely played a pivotal role in the persecution of Jews through the centuries, and under girded the Holocaust. Christian Zionism is not heretical; in fact, Christians from all traditional backgrounds have held such a view for two thousand years. Simply put, a Christian Zionist is one who believes that God, by a sovereign choice, gave the Land of Canaan as an everlasting possession to the Jewish people, for His kingdom purposes. (Genesis 17:7-8)
Christian Zionists believe that while God loves all people equally, He has chosen the Jewish people to bring redemption to mankind. Our Messiah and King, Jesus Christ, was born of Jewish parents, into a Jewish society, thus making the Jewish people our 'royal family', to be honored because the King was born to them. Christian Zionists reject hatred of any people group.
Christian Zionists do not base their theological position on end-time prophecy, but on the faithful covenant promises of God given to Abraham some four thousand years ago. They do not have a “thirst for Armageddon,” and do not claim to know the sequence of events that will lead to it.
Christian Zionists recognize that Israel has a right to exist in peace and security. Moreover, there are biblical considerations that regulate Israel’s national existence and these have to do with the issues of justice and righteousness and her treatment of the stranger within her midst. Christian Zionists fully recognize this and stand for these.
Christian Zionism is not a threat to anybody, but instead seeks to be a blessing. The Christian Zionist organizations in Israel have given millions of dollars of aid and care to all the population groups in the land, including Israeli and Palestinian Arabs, Druse and others.We pray for peace. But we note with sadness that the present Palestinian Government is totally dedicated to the destruction of Israel and its charter declares it. So, the problem in the region is not as simple as the Jerusalem Declaration makes out!
Sadly there have been no meetings between the Jerusalem clerics and their Christian Zionist counterparts. We invite such a dialogue and consider it a biblical prerequisite. We are distressed that a public denunciation has occurred first. We feel that we have been treated with disrespect and disdain, and attacked by the issuing of these public declarations. They present themselves as lovers of justice, mercy, truth and peace! This public attack seems lacking in these qualities.
We find the paper unbalanced and notably one-sided. It totally ignores the jihadist goals of the Hamas government and turns a blind eye to terrorism perpetrated by this regime. Everything is attributed to “occupation and militarism”, meaning Israel is the only problem. We think not! This one-sided unbalanced view of the conflict is in fact unhelpful to the peace process and contributing to its failure!
So, in closing, we Christian Zionists call upon Christians and Churches everywhere not to remain silent, but to break their silence and speak for reconciliation with justice in the Holy Land. To pray for the peace of Jerusalem, to affirm Israel’s right to live in peace and security, free from the threat of liquidation by Islamic Jihadists who definitely seek to 'colonize' the Jewish State by bringing it into the Empire of Islam. We reject all forms of discrimination.
Rebecca Brimmer - International President, Bridges For Peace
Ray Sanders - Executive Director, Christian Friends of Israel
Malcolm Hedding - Executive Director,International Christian Embassy Jerusalem
söndag 1 augusti 2010
Storbritannien och Turkiet
David Harris ifrågasätter brittiske premiärministerns uttalanden i Turkiet.
British PM and Turkey: Rue, Britannia!
...British Prime Minister David Cameron traveled to Turkey last week "to establish a new partnership between Britain and Turkey," he stated in an Ankara speech. He described the link as "a vital strategic relationship for our country." At times, the speech made for painful reading. Sadly, traditional British grit and gumption were replaced by a rather servile tone throughout much of the talk. Britain needs Turkey, said Cameron. His words showed that he is prepared to serve as Turkey's booster-in-chief.But he overlooked, or downplayed, several key aspects of current Turkish policy."Turkey shares our determination to fight terrorism in all its forms, whether from al-Qaeda or from the PKK," he said.How to square that with Turkey's emergence as a stalwart defender of Hamas, a group on the European Union terrorism list? Or Turkey's support for Hizbullah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group that has created a state-within-a-state in Lebanon and has been implicated in the 2005 murder of Lebanon's ex-prime minister, Rafik Hariri? More than once, Turkish airspace and land were reportedly used by Iran to ship weapons to Hizbullah until Washington demanded that it end.Cameron also said of Turkey that "no other country has the same potential to build understanding between Israel and the Arab world." Yesterday, perhaps. Today? Out of the question. Tomorrow? It depends on who's in the driver's seat...
...In the next breath, Cameron stated, "Let me be clear: the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla was completely unacceptable." There was no premeditated Israeli attack on "the Gaza flotilla." Rather, there was an effort, announced in advance, to prevent a group of ships from breaking a legitimate blockade. Until the last minute, Israel offered to have the ships' supplies offloaded at an Israeli port and, after a security check, sent to Gaza.All of the vessels, save one, agreed, and the outcome was peaceful. The exception was the Mavi Marmara, where Turkish "activists" with links to the terrorist-backing IHH were looking for a fight. As video footage clearly showed, the Israelis were unprepared for the violence that awaited them on board. Yet the British leader had not a single word of disapproval for the aggressive Turkish behavior. Instead, the entire onus was placed on Israel.He then declared that "Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp."The clear implication was that if Gaza is a "prison," Israel is the warden.Yet the British leader offered no context whatsoever.Just imagine instead that he had used the occasion to speak the truth and tell his hosts that Hamas, by its refusal to accept the Quartet's three conditions for engagement, is responsible for the situation in Gaza. He could have described the brutal nature of the Hamas regime and urged Ankara not to support it.He could have denounced the indoctrination of children in the never-ending struggle against Israel. He could have reminded those present that Egypt also shares a border with Gaza and views the Hamas regime no differently than Israel.He could have recalled that Hamas is the sworn enemy of the Palestinian Authority, and that the PA is opposed to Ankara's flirtation with Hamas. And, he could have quoted from the Hamas Charter about the goal of Israel's destruction and a Shari'a-based state in its place, not to mention its many anti-Semitic references.Indeed, he could have declared that if Gaza is a "prison," then Hamas holds the key. Regrettably, he did not. ..
Mer i samma ämne av Barry Rubin: How Not to Conduct Diplomacy: A Case Study: UK PM in Turkey
British Prime Minister David Cameron’s July 27 speech in Turkey will not live on in history. But it should, as an example of the decline of Western diplomacy and of suicide by political correctness. It is a textbook example of how not to conduct international affairs.
British PM and Turkey: Rue, Britannia!
...British Prime Minister David Cameron traveled to Turkey last week "to establish a new partnership between Britain and Turkey," he stated in an Ankara speech. He described the link as "a vital strategic relationship for our country." At times, the speech made for painful reading. Sadly, traditional British grit and gumption were replaced by a rather servile tone throughout much of the talk. Britain needs Turkey, said Cameron. His words showed that he is prepared to serve as Turkey's booster-in-chief.But he overlooked, or downplayed, several key aspects of current Turkish policy."Turkey shares our determination to fight terrorism in all its forms, whether from al-Qaeda or from the PKK," he said.How to square that with Turkey's emergence as a stalwart defender of Hamas, a group on the European Union terrorism list? Or Turkey's support for Hizbullah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group that has created a state-within-a-state in Lebanon and has been implicated in the 2005 murder of Lebanon's ex-prime minister, Rafik Hariri? More than once, Turkish airspace and land were reportedly used by Iran to ship weapons to Hizbullah until Washington demanded that it end.Cameron also said of Turkey that "no other country has the same potential to build understanding between Israel and the Arab world." Yesterday, perhaps. Today? Out of the question. Tomorrow? It depends on who's in the driver's seat...
...In the next breath, Cameron stated, "Let me be clear: the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla was completely unacceptable." There was no premeditated Israeli attack on "the Gaza flotilla." Rather, there was an effort, announced in advance, to prevent a group of ships from breaking a legitimate blockade. Until the last minute, Israel offered to have the ships' supplies offloaded at an Israeli port and, after a security check, sent to Gaza.All of the vessels, save one, agreed, and the outcome was peaceful. The exception was the Mavi Marmara, where Turkish "activists" with links to the terrorist-backing IHH were looking for a fight. As video footage clearly showed, the Israelis were unprepared for the violence that awaited them on board. Yet the British leader had not a single word of disapproval for the aggressive Turkish behavior. Instead, the entire onus was placed on Israel.He then declared that "Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp."The clear implication was that if Gaza is a "prison," Israel is the warden.Yet the British leader offered no context whatsoever.Just imagine instead that he had used the occasion to speak the truth and tell his hosts that Hamas, by its refusal to accept the Quartet's three conditions for engagement, is responsible for the situation in Gaza. He could have described the brutal nature of the Hamas regime and urged Ankara not to support it.He could have denounced the indoctrination of children in the never-ending struggle against Israel. He could have reminded those present that Egypt also shares a border with Gaza and views the Hamas regime no differently than Israel.He could have recalled that Hamas is the sworn enemy of the Palestinian Authority, and that the PA is opposed to Ankara's flirtation with Hamas. And, he could have quoted from the Hamas Charter about the goal of Israel's destruction and a Shari'a-based state in its place, not to mention its many anti-Semitic references.Indeed, he could have declared that if Gaza is a "prison," then Hamas holds the key. Regrettably, he did not. ..
Mer i samma ämne av Barry Rubin: How Not to Conduct Diplomacy: A Case Study: UK PM in Turkey
British Prime Minister David Cameron’s July 27 speech in Turkey will not live on in history. But it should, as an example of the decline of Western diplomacy and of suicide by political correctness. It is a textbook example of how not to conduct international affairs.
Inget samband mellan palestinakonflikten och andra konflikter
Det påstås allmänt att en lösning på konflikten mellan araberna och Israel skulle påverka andra konflikter positivt. (Bl.a har Martti Ahtisaari gjort sådana uttalanden) I följande artikel visar James Kirchick att saken inte är så enkel.
The Broken Link: What Peace Won't Fix
...The creation of a Palestinian state would not put an end to Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel. More importantly, it would hardly put a stop to the group’s destructive role in Lebanon, which has nothing to do with Israel and everything to do with Lebanon’s own fractious confessional politics, the hegemonic impulses of the Iranian mullahs, and the shaky Assad dictatorship in Syria, which uses the chimera of “resistance” against the West to maintain its grip...
...But why would al-Qaeda—an organization that has killed far more Muslims than it has Americans (or Israelis, for that matter), and which seeks the overthrow of a variety of Arab regimes across the Middle East—care so much about an agreement between the Palestinians and Israelis? Yes, Osama bin Laden did mention Israel in his 1996 declaration of war against the United States, but it followed a laundry list of other grievances, including the presence of American soldiers in Saudi Arabia and continued sanctions on Iraq. And a survey of al-Qaeda statements in the years since has shown the cause of “Palestine” to be a passing concern, secondary to “crusades” like the international effort to help East Timor achieve independence from Muslim Indonesia. As Lee Smith, author of the excellent new book The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations, has argued, the Israeli-Palestinian issue “is one among many conflicts [emphasis added] that plague this conflict-prone area, and so I see the Arabic-speaking regions in terms of intra-Arab clashes, or an Arab cold war, where regional actors—not just nation-states, but also regimes and their domestic rivals, in addition to competing sectarian groups—are warring with each other at varying levels of intensity.”...
...The recent obsession with linking the fate of the Israeli-Palestinian question to broader world peace might give one the impression that the theory is somehow new. But linkage is a myth that various Arab leaders and intellectuals have been pushing for sixty years. Today, the argument is merely a moderated form of the earlier claim (still widely held by Arabs, if not expressed by their leaders) that the very presence of a Jewish state in the Middle East would be “contrary to the Arabs’ birthright” and “only lead to trouble and bloodshed and probably to a third world war,” as a representative of the Arab League to the United Nations said in 1947. Today, with the existence of Israel a reality and successive Arab attempts to destroy it thwarted, the claim has been modified. Now it is the lack of a Palestinian state, rather than the existence of Israel itself, that is supposed to enflame the hearts of Arabs and Muslims from Marrakech to Riyadh to Lahore and everywhere in between. This much, at least, is clear from the history of linkage: the Arabs have learned which positions sell and which don’t. ..
The Broken Link: What Peace Won't Fix
...The creation of a Palestinian state would not put an end to Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel. More importantly, it would hardly put a stop to the group’s destructive role in Lebanon, which has nothing to do with Israel and everything to do with Lebanon’s own fractious confessional politics, the hegemonic impulses of the Iranian mullahs, and the shaky Assad dictatorship in Syria, which uses the chimera of “resistance” against the West to maintain its grip...
...But why would al-Qaeda—an organization that has killed far more Muslims than it has Americans (or Israelis, for that matter), and which seeks the overthrow of a variety of Arab regimes across the Middle East—care so much about an agreement between the Palestinians and Israelis? Yes, Osama bin Laden did mention Israel in his 1996 declaration of war against the United States, but it followed a laundry list of other grievances, including the presence of American soldiers in Saudi Arabia and continued sanctions on Iraq. And a survey of al-Qaeda statements in the years since has shown the cause of “Palestine” to be a passing concern, secondary to “crusades” like the international effort to help East Timor achieve independence from Muslim Indonesia. As Lee Smith, author of the excellent new book The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations, has argued, the Israeli-Palestinian issue “is one among many conflicts [emphasis added] that plague this conflict-prone area, and so I see the Arabic-speaking regions in terms of intra-Arab clashes, or an Arab cold war, where regional actors—not just nation-states, but also regimes and their domestic rivals, in addition to competing sectarian groups—are warring with each other at varying levels of intensity.”...
...The recent obsession with linking the fate of the Israeli-Palestinian question to broader world peace might give one the impression that the theory is somehow new. But linkage is a myth that various Arab leaders and intellectuals have been pushing for sixty years. Today, the argument is merely a moderated form of the earlier claim (still widely held by Arabs, if not expressed by their leaders) that the very presence of a Jewish state in the Middle East would be “contrary to the Arabs’ birthright” and “only lead to trouble and bloodshed and probably to a third world war,” as a representative of the Arab League to the United Nations said in 1947. Today, with the existence of Israel a reality and successive Arab attempts to destroy it thwarted, the claim has been modified. Now it is the lack of a Palestinian state, rather than the existence of Israel itself, that is supposed to enflame the hearts of Arabs and Muslims from Marrakech to Riyadh to Lahore and everywhere in between. This much, at least, is clear from the history of linkage: the Arabs have learned which positions sell and which don’t. ..
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