May 14, 2010

Middle East News: World Press Roundup

Newsweek analyzes Israel's reaction to the PA settlement boycott. Israeli settlers kill a stone-throwing Palestinian child, and break a woman's nose in separate incidents. A senior PLO official says progress in talks is unlikely. Israeli ministers squabble over Jerusalem settlements, leaving analysts befuddled. Yoel Marcus says more American pressure on Israel is coming. Hagai El-Ad and Larry Derfner denounce the campaign against Judge Goldstone, as an effort is launched to bar him from the US. Following US pressure, Israel puts Palestinian home demolitions on hold. Human Rights Watch calls the destruction of Palestinian property in the Gaza war unlawful. The US will provide $200 million for an Israeli missile defense system. Omar Rahman says an imposed solution is required. Palestinian citizens of Israel say they're being targeted by the authorities. Hassan Haidar says Gazans should not pay the price for Hamas intransigence. Hussein Ibish looks at new Palestinian strategies for independence.

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Boycott Blues

By presidential decree, Palestinians this month began boycotting products manufactured in Israeli settlements—part of the nonviolent campaign to end Israel's 43-year occupation of the West Bank. Considering the numbers involved and the overall strength of Israel's economy, the direct effect of the ban will probably be negligible. About 2 or 3 percent of the $44 billion in goods Israel exports are made in the settlement areas, according to estimates by economists (Israel does not break down manufacturing data by region).

Palestinian boy shot, sources say by settlers

A Palestinian boy was shot dead by settlers, security sources confirmed late on Thursday, saying the child was targeted after throwing stones at his attackers' car.

Military sources told Israeli media that the boy's body was found, but did not confirm that the cause of death was shooting and said an investigation would be launched into the incident.

However, the sources did confirm shots fired in the area, as well as reports that children were throwing rocks at settler cars.

J'lem woman says broken nose from settler assault

Following her release from hospital, a 32 year old Palestinian woman from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah reported being assaulted by a settler on Wednesday afternoon.

Mother of five and Sheikh Jarran resident Hamlat Al-Mughrabi was admitted to the Augusta Victoria Hospital on Wednesday evening with a broken nose, saying a settler had hit her in the face with a heavy tool and run away.

Qrei'a: Negotiations will bring nothing

PLO's Jerusalem Affairs department chief and former prime minister Ahmad Qrei'a said Thursday that he expected very little from the next four months if indirect negotiations.

Speaking with journalists in Amman, the PLO leader said that beyond his expectation for a fruitless series of talks, that he anticipates real problems, noting the necessity to have a joint track that pulls peace with Syria onto the field.

The official said he had advised President Mahmoud Abbas on his suggestions, but said the leader had so far not heeded his advice.

Israeli ministers squabble over East Jerusalem construction

Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Eli Yishai said on Thursday that he would continue approving construction plans in contested areas of Jerusalem, including the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood.

"There is not and never has been a freeze on construction in Jerusalem, nor will there ever be," Yishai told his Shas Party newspaper, "day by day."

Concerning the Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks, American officials on Thursday asked both sides to refrain from what they termed "provocative" moves, but Yishai said that Israel would not accede to U.S. demands.

Analysts befuddled by Israeli leaders' claims on Jerusalem on eve of peace talks

JERUSALEM, May 13 (Xinhua) -- As Israelis celebrated Jerusalem Day on Wednesday, the country's leaders outraged Palestinians by pledging that Jerusalem would remain Israel's indivisible capital.

The comments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several of his cabinet colleagues and MPs from his Likud party came on the eve of the commencement of indirect talks with the Palestinians, befuddling some analysts.

Thus spoke the dairy farmer

Many years ago, the incumbent chief of staff spoke at a prestigious club that used to host a prominent government figure every Friday. Mostly, reporters were also invited, and if there were no scoops to be had, at least they got a nice free lunch. I was present at that luncheon, and the CoS spoke such a lot of nonsense that I wrote a critical piece about his speech. Astonishingly, the military censor blue-penciled the whole article.

Pins in the Goldstone voodoo doll

What will they come up with next? The campaign to discredit Judge Richard Goldstone, his fact-finding commission and the report that now bears his name seems to reach new heights every week. The latest installment in this high-drama farce has been the revelations about Goldstone's record during apartheid-era South Africa, and the implication that his report can therefore be disregarded.

E. J'lem demolitions on hold

Demolition orders for illegally constructed Arab homes in east Jerusalem are highly unlikely to go ahead in the near future, it emerged on Thursday, despite a recent announcement to the contrary by Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch.

The U-turn came after the US State Department sought clarifications over comments by Aharonovitch, who said on Wednesday that “police have no instructions to refrain from carrying out the demolitions. They will be carried out in the coming days.”

The comments threatened to reignite a US-Israeli row over Israeli policy in east Jerusalem.

Attorney seeks to bar Goldstone from US

A well-known American Jewish attorney who worked to deport former Nazis from the US is urging American officials to bar former judge Richard Goldstone from entering the country over his rulings during South Africa’s apartheid regime.

Desperately smearing Goldstone

Inside the Israeli echo chamber, it’s now “case closed” on the war in Gaza. The country’s biggest newspaper, Yediot Aharonot, has “exposed” Judge Richard Goldstone as an apartheid-era hanging judge. This proves he’s a huge hypocrite whose word means nothing, which proves his report on the war in Gaza means nothing, which proves Operation Cast Lead was every bit the shining example of restraint and purity of arms Israel says it was.

Human Rights Watch say destruction in Gaza 'unlawful'

The Israeli army unlawfully destroyed civilian property in its 22-day offensive in Gaza in 2008 and 2009, a report by Human Rights Watch says.

Israeli forces destroyed buildings that had "no military significance", a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Conventions, the report said.

The New-York based group have documented 12 cases that they say must be investigated.

The IDF denies the charges and says it has investigated the incursion already.

US to fund installation of Israeli rocket defence system

Barack Obama is to ask the US Congress for an extra $200m in military aid to help Israel get a short-range rocket defence system in place.

The system is designed to shoot down mortars and rockets from Gaza or Southern Lebanon with guided missiles.

The system, called Iron Dome, has gone through testing and installation will start later this year.

According to US State Department figures, direct military aid to Israel was $2.55bn in 2009.

This is set to increase to $3.15bn in 2018.

Easing tensions

Imposed solution can end Palestinian conflict

It is a sign of how far the peace process has retrogressed that the Israelis and Palestinians have now entered into proximity talks, more than 16 years after having started direct negotiations.

To make matters worse, nobody – including the actual participants – gives the latest round of talks the slightest chance of success. In fact, many fear that failure will only bolster critics of the peace process by further displaying the ineffectiveness of its methods.

So why are they entering negotiations to begin with?

Israel's secret police targeting leaders of country's Arab minority, say Palestinians

The recent arrest of two respected public figures from Israel’s Palestinian Arab minority in night-time raids on their homes by the Shin Bet secret police – brought to light this week when a gag order was partially lifted – has sent shock waves through the community.

Gaza is a Victim Twice!

According to an ordinary piece of news, the Egyptian Supply Control members seized a truck loaded with 100 small power generators at a security checkpoint at the entrance of Al-Arish City. These were being smuggled into the Gaza Strip, so the load was confiscated and the person accompanying the driver arrested.

Beyond negotiations: Palestinian strategies for advancing peace

WASHINGTON, DC - The Obama administration was successful in arranging for the resumption of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations through “proximity talks”, which began last week, but expectations in all quarters are correctly low for any near-term breakthrough. Consequently, Palestinians have been systematically developing a new set of peaceful strategies to achieve independence and advance a resolution to the conflict.

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