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Aug. 25, 2015
Daily summary - Wednesday, September 18, 2013
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Main News
ISRAELI OCCUPATION FORCES CLOSE THE DOORS TO THE QIBALI MOSQUE AND BESIEGE WORSHIPPPERS INSIDE
On the eve of the Jewish holiday Sukkot, Israeli occupation authorities imposed tight restrictions on Muslim worshippers entering the Aqsa Mosque Compound, barring anyone under the age of 45 from entering. Eyewitnesses said Israeli forces closed a number of the Aqsa gates to prevent people from entering and held the ID cards of those who were allowed entry, giving them back when they were finished praying. Israeli forces also beefed up their presence in the entire vicinity of the Noble Sanctuary.(Al Ayyam)Israeli forces were reported to have closed the doors of the Qibali mosque inside the compound, besieging the worshippers inside; injuries have also been reported. This morning Israeli special forces broke into the Compound in order to secure the entry of settlers on the eve of Sukkot. Three young men were arrested and sporadic clashes have broken out between youths and Israeli forces with four Israeli soldiers injured after being hit by rocks. Troops used pepper spray on the protesters. According to one worshipper, the compound is almost empty of Muslim worshippers and has been closed off for Jewish use only, saying this was the ‘temporal division” of the Aqsa.
Settlers broke into the compound at about 8 this morning and were met with a group of worshippers who threw rocks at them. Hundreds of protesters also staged a sit-in outside of the Aqsa protesting their barred entry. Israeli troops withdrew about an hour after besieging the Qibali mosque. (http://maannews.net/arb/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=630906)
FAMILY OF MARTYR: THE OCCUPATION EXECUTED ISLAM BEFORE ARRESTING HIM
The family of martyr Islam Tubasi confirmed yesterday that Israeli occupation forces executed their son in cold blood after confirming his identity, denying that he died from his wounds in an Israeli hospital after being shot in the right foot. Tubasi’s brother, Ibrahim told the MAAN correspondent in Jenin that: “At 6:00 yesterday morning, I heard an explosion as special forces raided the house. I was asleep on the second floor. I was surprised to see the forces dressed all in black and breaking into the house. They started beating me and asking my name. When I told him it was Ibrahim, they locked me in the bathroom. They also attacked my mother.” Ibrahim then said he heard several gunshots after which the soldiers took him down to the front of the house where he saw Islam wounded in the foot. A piece of cloth was also covering his stomach. His brother said he was sure he was already dead. Another brother, Mustapha, said when the soldiers asked who he was, they also began beating him and took him up to the rooftop so he could see Islam bleeding from his foot. They then dragged him down the steps with Islam and forced me to say my brother’s name. “They pushed me into the house and then I heard a gunshot,” Mustapha said, adding that he was sure that was the shot that killed Islam. (http://maannews.net/arb/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=630610)
THE TRUTH BEHIND THE ATTACK ON AZZAM AL AHMAD IN AL AQSA MOSQUE
Fatah leader and PLC member Azzam Al Ahmad was verbally assaulted yesterday by a group of people during a visit to the Aqsa Mosque where he was accompanying a delegation of Jordanian figures to the compound. According to eyewitnesses, a number of Muslim worshippers blocked Ahmad’s way when he along with former Jordanian minister Sameer Habashneh when they reached the Qibali mosque, demanding that they leave the compound and swearing at them. According to the witnesses, the interceptors said they were protesting statements made by Al Ahmad earlier in which he said he would agree to enter Gaza on the back of an Egyptian tank. They responded to this by vowing that, “In that case, he will not enter the Aqsa on foot.” For his part, Sheikh Azzam Khatib, director of the Islamic Waqf and Aqsa affairs said that “the Aqsa is a mosque for all Muslims, regardless of their political affiliations and those who come to it must be honored. We do not allow harm to come to them.” He warned against this ‘wrong behavior” inside the compound, reminding people that this is a place of worship, not to cause trouble. Khatib confirmed that Al Ahmad’s visit had not been coordinated with the Waqf and only knew about it after the problem had taken place.
Meanwhile, Fatah accused Hamas of trying to botch up the visit of the Jordanian delegation to the Aqsa accompanied by Al Ahmad, saying the group of people who stood in his way were chanting anti-PA and Fatah slogans along with anti-Egyptian army and Sisi slogans. Fatah accused them of being linked with the occupation, saying for Israeli soldiers were present alongside those who accosted Ahmad. (http://maannews.net/arb/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=630790)
HIGHWAY TO OPEN BETWEEN GUSH ETZION AND THE DEAD SEA
The Israeli daily Maariv published yesterday news about an Israeli plan to open a huge settlement road between the Gush Etzion settlement bloc and the Dead Sea, implementation which will start within three months. According to the paper, two Israeli ministers and head of the security and external affairs committee in the Knesset Avigdor Lieberman along with a group of ministerial director generals visited the settlement bloc to oversee the project. The paper explained that the road would penetrate Palestinian areas which are currently being negotiated over, which would ultimately cause a huge problem even though technically, the area in question falls within Area C, which is under Israeli administrative and security rule. The highway will be linked between the Gush Etzion settlements and the Dead Sea by way of the Megliot settlement Council. The project, costing NIS35 million, will cut travel time for settlers from Gush Etzion to the Dead Sea to only 27 minutes. (Al Quds)
RESUMPTION OF TALKS OVER GOVERNMENT FORMATION BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT AND HAMDALLAH TODAY
Last night, the meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah to discuss the announcement of a new government formation, ended without reaching any results and without setting a date to officially announce a new government. Government spokesperson Ihab Bseiso said the discussions would continue today. Yesterday, the Cabinet held its last meeting before the new ministerial formation, which was supposed to be announced today after its legal term expired. Should Hamdallah not be able to produce the formation of a new government by today, according to law Abbas will mandate another person to do the job (Al Quds)
ISRAELI JERUSALEM MUNICIPALITY DISTRIBUTES EVICTION ORDERS TO 28 FAMILIES IN THE QIRAMI NEIGHBORHOOD
Israeli Jerusalem municipality teams handed eviction notices to residents of 28 houses in the Qirami neighborhood in the Old City of Jerusalem yesterday, claiming this was for their own safety from fears that their homes have dangerous cracks in the walls. The notices give the residents 30 days to evacuate their homes along with a fine of NIS3500 each day for any family who does not follow the order. The homes became vulnerable to collapse and suffered serious cracks and breaks in their ways as a result of Israeli excavations and digging works underneath the Old City (Al Ayyam)
SERRY: TWO MEETINGS FOR THE QUARTET IN NEW YORK NEXT WEEK
Next week the Quartet Committee will meet at the ministerial and representative levels in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly for the first time in over a year in order to declare its support for the current negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis. UN Chief Ban Ki Moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry in addition to Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and EU external affairs chief Catherine Ashton will all attend the meetings, which will be held alongside the AHLC meeting for donor countries. Serry said the Quartet has long supported the two-state solution, saying he hopes the resumption of negotiations will help to bridge the gaps between the two sides and renew hope for reaching a final status agreement that would allow the Palestinians to achieve their legitimate aspirations in establishing a viable and independent Palestinian state. On settlements, Serry said that the continuation of building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem had “negative effects and was in contravention of international law.” he also said he was observing “with concern” the tensions in the Old City of Jerusalem and the demolition of Bedouin communities in the city. (Al Ayyam)
THE PRESIDENT TO MEET WITH OBAMA NEXT WEEK; CALLS FOR ACTIVE AMERICAN INTERVENTION IN THE NEGOTIATIONS FROM INDYK
President Mahmoud Abbas called for effective US intervention in the peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis. According to an informed source to Xinhua, Abbas asked US peace envoy Martin Indyk for direct US intervention in the current negotiations and in final status issues that will be discussed. during a meeting between the two, the current rounds of negotiations were discussed in which Abbas reportedly criticized Israel for insisting on discussing the security file and disregarding all the other issues. His insistence on US intervention is because he says the “negotiations are in a vicious cycle.” The two also discussed arrangements for a meeting between Abbas and President Obama next week in New York on the margins of the UNGA meeting. (Al Ayyam)
BLAIR: WE ARE PREPARING TO IMPLEMENT A COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC INITIATIVE FOR PALESTINE
Quartet committee envoy Tony Blair said yesterday that the latest series of Israeli measures in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were a strong motivation and practical preparation to carry out a comprehensive economic initiative for Palestine. Blair’s statements were in response to the Israeli government’s approval of a series of facilitations in the West Bank and Gaza, which he said were ‘important to build a more positive atmosphere for the current negotiations and to prepare for the economic initiative which we have been working on for months.” Blair went on to say that a change in Palestinian economy is what was needed to improve the living standards of the Palestinians in a much more basic and fundamental way than now. he did say however that the economy was flourishing even though it did not pose as an alternative to the peace process. “Still it will benefit both sides and could provide hope for achieving a better future for all.” (Al Quds)
ABU MARZOUQ PRAISES PRESIDENT’S POSITIONS ON THE SITUATION IN GAZA
Deputy politburo chief of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzouq commended the positions of President Abbas yesterday pertaining to the situation at the Rafah Crossing whereby he asked the Egyptian side to open the crossing to allow Palestinian students, ill travelers and those with Egyptian residencies from Gaza to cross. He also commended his position on providing the Strip with the necessary fuel to operate the power plant, which had stopped working because of a lack of fuel, which used to be brought in from Egypt through the tunnels. On his Facebook page, Abu Marzouq said: “President Abbas’ positions are those of an official who is greatly participating in reuniting the ranks. It also distances the position of the president from opportunism and narrow –minded qualms.” (Al Quds)
ISRAEL AGREES TO RELEASE 250 PRISONERS IN ADDITION TO THE 104 LONG-SERVING ONES
Reliable Palestinian sources told the London-based Al Hayat that Israel has agreed on a semi-final basis to release 250 Palestinian prisoners in addition to the 104 long-serving prisoners they already agreed to be released, in tandem with the rounds of negotiations with the Palestinians. The sources said the second group of prisoner would be released at the end of next month. (http://alhayat.com/Details/552852)
ISRAEL ALLOWS LIMITED ENTRY OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS INTO GAZA
PA head of crossings Nathmi Mhanna said yesterday that the Israeli occupation agreed to allow a limited amount of cement and steel for construction into the Gaza Strip for the private sector. Mhanna said Israel has not allowed the entry of these materials for the past six years, saying the PA has been tirelessly trying to get these things into Gaza over the years. He added that Israel said it would gradually allow more and more of the materials in over time. (Al Quds)
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Headlines
*Settlement construction continuing at a fast pace in the West Bank in spite of negotiations; 2870 units in various stages of construction being currently marketed (Al Quds)
*Al Aqsa threatened with temporal division between Muslims and Jews like the Ibrahimi Mosque (
Al Quds)
*Jordanian government demands that Israel not harm Old City market roofs (Al Quds)
*Negotiations with Israel are in vicious cycle because of security file (Al Quds)
*Allenby crossingopen today and tomorrow until 5:00 p.m.(Al Quds)
*Israelicontractor leaves Palestinian worker to bleed to death on sidewalk (see story below)(Al Quds)
*Debateescalates between Washington and Moscow on Syrian chemical weapons (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*Egypt: Haddad captured; court order to suspend the funds of several Muslim Brotherhood leaders (Al Hayat Al Jadida)
*Obama to meet Netanyahu on the 30th of this month (Al Ayyam)
*60 settlersbreak into the Aqsa compound with rabbis amid tight security guard (Al Ayyam)
*Seven dead and 20 injured in car bomb near the Bab Al Hawa Syrian crossing with Turkey (Al Ayyam)
*24 people killed and more than 90 injured in a string of attacks in Iraq (Al Ayyam)
*America pressing for an international nuclear meeting to reject the Arab campaign against Israel (Al Ayyam)
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Front Page Photos
Al- QudsGaza: Young man carries a bag of flour provided by UNRWA
Al-Ayyam:1) child cries during the funeral of Islam Tubasi in Jenin camp; 2) Syrian fighter stands near the scene of a car bomb at the border crossing with Turkey
Al Hayat Al Jadida:1) thousands of citizens walk in funeral of Islam Tubasi; 2) The president, during his meeting with Martin Indyk in Ramallah
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Voice of Palestine News
Jerusalem: since the early morning hours, the occupation police is preventing hundreds of worshipper, even those above the aged of 45 to enter Al-Aqsa, it closed its gates. The police decided yesterday to define ages of people who will be allowed to enter Al-Aqsa, this came as a confirmation of dividing Al-Aqsa, where it will be also allowed today for big numbers of extremists to enter the Mosque, as an implementation of the Interior Committee of the Knesset’s decision. Yesterday, Al-Aqsa also witnesses tension as a result of incursions by Jewish extremists, trying to hold Talmudic rituals in its yards, while the occupation police arrested 4 worshippers.
With regards to Al-Qiramy neighborhood, western of Al-Aqsa, the occupation municipality handed more than 20 families notices to evacuate their houses, claiming that the houses might collapse, this evacuation process will end up, as happened before, with attempts to take over these houses, as Al-Qiramy neighborhood, is considered one the most targeted neighborhoods by settlers and their organizations.
Update:
More than 100 officers of the occupation special unit stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque half an hour ago, and sieged worshippers in Al-Aqsa yards, while the first group Jewish extremists group was allow to enter Al-Aqsa under the protection of Israeli police, also, hundreds of students were prevented to enter Al-Aqsa to attend their classes, in addition to clashes taking place now in Abu Dies. The situation at Al-Aqsa is very tense, knowing the police is preventing citizens from reaching Al-Aqsa.
Update:
The special unit of the Israeli police attacked citizens inside Al-Aqsa and injured some of them, in addition to arresting other. Also, the Israeli police pushed the citizens inside Al-Aqsa to Al-Qible mosque, and it is closing the mosque right now and attacking the citizens who are stuck inside the mosque with Pepper gas. The situation today is the most dangerous, what we saw confirms the temporal division was imposed by force this morning, in addition to the special units that were sent to Al-Aqsa are attacking citizens to prevent them from entering Al0-Aqsa.
Q: how many people are inside the mosque now?
There sieged inside Al-Qible mosque now, we are talking about tens, while big numbers were prevented to enter and some of them are still in front of the gates.
Q: What about the students, and the clashes in Abu Dies?
With regards to Al-Aqsa schools, students are still prevented from entry, and some are still in front of the gates, they will not be allowed to enter before the foreign tourism program ends at 11:00. As for Abu Dies, yes these clashes continue, the occupation soldiers are using tear gas grenades against university and school students.
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Voice of Palestine Interviews
** Adnan Al-Husieni, the Jerusalem Governor, on the last developments in Jerusalem.
Q: Evacuation notices to 28 houses in Al-Qiramy neighborhood, the occupation prevents those below the age of 45 from entering Al-Aqsa, how do you follow up on these issues?
Regarding Al-Aqsa, this whole week is full of Jewish holidays, and therefore we witness very strict occupation procedures, all show the attempts to change the status quo at Al-Aqsa, and we warned of these attempts before, few months ago, when started with statements by official Israeli figures, to allow Jews to enter Al-Aqsa, so this is going to be very hard day, they closed the gates and are preventing Palestinians to enter Al-Aqsa, and it is part of the plan to divide Al-Aqsa, in order to allow Jews to enter the Mosque to hold their religious rituals in their holidays.
Q: with regards to Al-Qiramy neighborhood, we understood that fines will be issued to those who will not evacuate their houses within 30 days, fines that might reach 3500 NIS?
We are following up on the issue since the cracks began to appear in these houses, the reasons are known to all, the Israeli excavations, we were there and some room are already evacuated, but we asked the citizens to stay the other rooms, since we know what is behind these evacuation notices, so we are following up on the issue. We will be working on renovating these houses with the concerned organizations. On the other hand, we will study the issue in order to suit the municipality and other official bodies, which are working on destroying these houses, as they are the only reason for this situation.
** Qadourah Faris, President of the Prisoners’ Club, on the sic prisoners’ strike.
Q: we heard that the striking sick prisoners announced ending their strike.
After this announcement was issued, attorney Jawad Boulos visited them and they told him that they did not end their strike, and they won’t. Today they will be visit by the attorneys to see if they will be meeting with the prison’s officials to deal with their case.
Q: Can you tell us more about the number of these prisoners and dither health situation?
We are talking about 18 prisoners, but this does not say that all prisoners with serious health condition are only in the Ramleh prison (a prison with medical clinic), some are in other prisons.
Q: News says that the Palestinian negotiations team will demand the release of sick prisoners.
It was requested that a paper be prepared to set the agenda of the prisoners issue with regards to the negotiations, it is only logical that the sick prisoners will be a top priority issue, so whenever a meeting of the prisoners committee will be scheduled, this issue will be the first issue to be proposed on the agenda.
Q: You said previously that this committee might hold a meeting soon, is a date for such a meeting already set?
Not exactly, I don’t have information about this, I only assume that the committee should be meeting soon, since the security committee and the borders committee already met.
Q: who are members of this committee?
Dr. Saeb Erekat, Issa Qara’e and myself.
** Adham Safye, President of the students’ council, on the BirZeit strike.
Q: Will the University be open today for staff?
Yes, but not for students, since the strike continues.
Q: But it was reported earlier that the university will be open and this did not happen.
There were some initiatives to re-engage in dialogue with eth university administration, but they did not do so, but this time the initiative was from the BirZeit labor union, in order to re-engage in dialogue today morning and see what will happen.
Q: So today you will start with the dialogue process?
Yes.
** Dr. Muhammad Mustafa, Deputy Prime Minister for the Financial Affairs, on the financial Initiative announced by Tony Blair.
Q: can you tell us more about this initiative?
This initiative is mainly a continuation of previous initiative, where it will encourage foreign investors to implement and investment plan in 8 sectors, while the main aim is to enhance the financial situation in Palestine.
Q: When will this initiative be implemented?
The preparations are still going on, nothing is clear yet, but an international team is prepared the plan and issued it to the government and we are studying it now. After agreeing on all details we will discuss it with the private sector and the donors. This program will have very good results regarding the financial situation is Palestine, but it needs support from the highest political level in Israel.
Q: is this initiative related to the success of negotiations with eth Israelis?
No, we were not told that this is the case.
Q: What did you prepare for the donors conference?
We prepared everything that is needed form our side, a report on our evaluation of the Palestinian economy situation and performance and it will be presented to the donors, also, we clarified all achievements by the Palestinian Government to enhance the economic situation.
Q: Will a new Government be announced today?
Inshallah (if God wants), at least this is the intention.
** Sheikh Muhammad Hussien, the Jerusalem Mufti, on the situation is Jerusalem.
Q: the occupation managed to impose temporal division of Al-Aqsa by force this morning.
The occupation does not care for religions, values, human being and holy places, ignores all teachings of the monotheistic religions, international values and law. So it continues with its incursions to Al-Aqsa and attack citizens with tear gas inside Al-Aqsa, so we are not surprised of what we see.
Q: Are there any communications made to deal with the current situation?
Of course we are communicating with all concerned parties, for them to see what is the occupation doing in the holy places, this is a strong message.
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More Headlines
Settlements continue at fast pace; 2,870 housing units in various stages of construction currently on the market
The Israeli daily Haaretz said yesterday that in spite of the resumption of negotiations, there has been an escalated pace in settlement construction in the West Bank. The newspaper said there were around 48 marketing projects in West Bank settlements at various stages. The report said the price of a three-bedroom apartment in a settlement was NIS690,000 shekels while the price of the same sized apartment in Jerusalem would run for NIS1.83 million. In the aforementioned projects, there are currently about 2,870 housing units being built. (Al Quds)
America pushing for an international nuclear meeting to reject Arab campaign against Israel
The United States said yesterday that Arab efforts to criticize Israel for its purported nuclear arsenal would harm diplomatic efforts to prohibit weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. Arab states proposed a resolution to the International Atomic Energy Agency in which it expressed its concern for Israel’s ‘nuclear capabilities” after the countries were disappointed over the postponement of the international conference to empty the region of nuclear weapons. US ambassador to the agency, Joseph McManus said in an email that the Arab resolution “does not support our mutual goal in moving forward with emptying the Middle East of WMD,” accusing them of undermining a ‘productive dialogue for this goal.” (Al Ayyam)
Jordan protests and demands that Israel not tamper with Jerusalem’s Old City buildings
The Jordanian foreign ministry handed a letter of protest yesterday to the Israeli ambassador in Amman, calling on the Israeli government not to tamper or harm Old City buildings in Jerusalem. The memo was sent in response to an Israeli development company taking over the rooftops in the Old City market. Jordan called on Israel not to tamper or harm the market’s roofs or try to tamper or change the legal status of Waqf property there. Apparently, merchants in the meat and spice markets received letters informing them about the renovation of their store roofs in preparation for a large project being planned by the company for these rooftops.(Al Ayyam)
Israeli official: the Prawer plan will displace 100,000 Bedouin
Former Israeli deputy chief of the Bedouin governorate Eli Etzion said yesterday that the implementation of the Prawer law would result in the expulsion of 100,000 Bedouins from their homes. He said the numbers currently being circulated about the plan were ‘misleading”, saying the 30% of Bedouin that were displaced and expelled to permanent towns starting from the 70s do not live in them but in unrecognized villages. The plan, which was approved in its first reading in the Knesset last June, would result in the expulsion of 100,000 Bedouin citizens and not 40,000 like it is widely been disseminated, he said. Etzion said because of this finding, the chances of this plan being implemented are slim because there would be no way to come to a cooperation agreement between the state and the Bedouin citizens on disputes over land ownership.(http://safa.ps/details/news/111934/مسئول-إسرائيلي-مخطط-برافر-سيهجر-100-ألف-بدوي.html)
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Arab Press
Israel wants focus on chemical weapons, not Syria’s civil war
By Jonathan Cook
President Barack Obama may have drawn his seemingly regretted “red line” around Syria’s chemical weapons, but it was neither he nor the international community that turned the spotlight on their use. That task fell to Israel.
It was an Israeli general who claimed in April that Damascus had used chemical weapons, forcing Mr. Obama into an embarrassing demurral on his stated commitment to intervene if that happened.
According to the Israeli media, it was also Israel that provided the intelligence that blamed the Syrian president, Bashar Al Assad, for the latest chemical weapons attack, near Damascus on August 21, triggering the clamour for a US military response.
It is also worth remembering that Mr. Obama’s supposed “dithering” on the question of military action has only been accentuated by Israel’s “daring” strikes on Syria – at least three since the start of the year.
It looks as though Israel, while remaining largely mute about its interests in the civil war raging there, has been doing a great deal to pressure the White House into direct involvement in Syria.
That momentum appears to have been halted, for the time being at least, by the deal agreed at the weekend by the US and the Russians to dismantle Mr. Assad’s chemical weapons arsenal.
To understand the views of the White House and Israel on attacking Syria, one needs to revisit the US-led invasion of Iraq a decade ago.
Israel and its ideological twin in Washington, the neoconservatives, rallied to the cause of toppling Saddam Hussein, believing that it should be the prelude to an equally devastating blow against Iran.
Israel was keen to see its two chief regional enemies weakened simultaneously. Saddam’s Iraq had been the chief sponsor of Palestinian resistance against Israel. Iran, meanwhile, had begun developing a civilian nuclear program that Israel feared could pave the way to an Iranian bomb, ending Israel’s regional monopoly on nuclear weapons.
The neocons carried out the first phase of the plan, destroying Iraq, but then ran up against domestic opposition that blocked implementation of the second stage: the break-up of Iran.
The consequences are well known. As Iraq imploded into sectarian violence, Iran’s fortunes rose. Tehran strengthened its role as regional sponsor of resistance against Israel – or what became Washington’s new “axis of evil” – that included Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
Israel and the US regard Syria as the geographical “keystone” of that axis, as Israel’s outgoing ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, told the Jerusalem Post this week, and one that needs to be removed if Iran is to be isolated, weakened or attacked.
But Israel and the US drew different lessons from Iraq. Washington is now wary of its ground forces becoming bogged down again, as well as fearful of reviving a cold war confrontation with Moscow. It prefers instead to rely on proxies to contain and exhaust the Syrian regime.
Israel, on the other hand, understands the danger of maneuvering its patron into a showdown with Damascus without ensuring this time that Iran is tied into the plan. Toppling Mr. Assad alone would simply add emboldened jihadists to the troubles on its doorstep.
Given these assessments, Israel and the US have struggled to envision a realistic endgame that would satisfy both of them. Mr. Obama fears setting the region, and possibly the world, ablaze with a direct attack on Iran; Israel is worried about stretching its patron’s patience by openly pushing it into another catastrophic venture to guarantee its regional hegemony.
Instead, Israel has focused on using the civil war to box Mr. Assad into his heartland. That way, he becomes a less useful ally to Hezbollah, Iran and Russia.
Israel would have preferred a US strike on Syria, a goal its lobbyists in Washington were briefly mobilized to achieve. The intention was not to remove Mr. Assad but to assert what Danny Ayalon, a former deputy Israeli foreign minister, referred to as “American and Israeli deterrence” – code for signaling to Tehran that it was being lined up as the next target.
That threat now looks empty. As Silvan Shalom, a senior government minister, observed: “If it is impossible to do anything against little Syria, then certainly it’s not possible against big Iran.”
But the new US-Russian deal to dispose of Syria’s chemical weapons can probably be turned to Israel’s short- and long- term advantage, so long as Israel prevents attention shifting to its own likely stockpiles.
In the short term, Israel has reason to fear Mr. Assad’s loss of control of his chemical weapons, with the danger that they pass either to the jihadists or to Hezbollah. The timetable for the weapons destruction should help to minimize those risks – in the words of one Israeli commentator; it is like Israel “winning the lottery”.
But Israel also knows that Damascus is likely to procrastinate on disarmament. In any case, efforts to locate and destroy its chemical weapons in the midst of a civil war will be lengthy and difficult. Israel, it can safely be assumed, will quietly meddle, trying to persuade the West that Mr. Assad is not cooperating and that Hezbollah and Iran are implicated.
In a vein Israel may mine better, a Syrian opposition leader, Selim Idris, claimed at the weekend that Damascus was seeking to conceal the extent of its stockpiles by passing them to Lebanon and Iraq.
Mr. Obama is not the only one to have set a red line. Last year, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, drew one on a cartoon bomb at the United Nations as he warned that the world faced an imminent existential threat from an Iranian nuclear weapon.
Israel still desperately wants its chief foe, Iran, crushed. And if it can find a way to lever the US into doing its dirty work, it will exploit the opening – regardless of whether such action ramps up the suffering in Syria.(http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/israel-wants-focus-on-chemical-weapons-not-syrias-civil-war#full)
Egypt continues to target Gaza
By Hasan Abu Nimah
For the last two weeks, I monitored a number of media and TV debates around the swelling crisis between the new military rule in Egypt and the Hamas government in Gaza.
Since the big change that happened in Egypt on June 30, when President Mohamed Morsi was deposed and jailed, there has been an intensifying media campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood movement in general.
The campaign entailed not only condemning the year-long rule of elected president Morsi, but also fervently continuing to demonize anything to do with the Brotherhood as a movement.
It went even further, targeting religious elements to such extent that, according to some reports, the level of fear has reached a point where some Egyptians shaved their beards and removed other signs of religious appearance to spare them any possible harassment.
Indeed, the intensity as well as the aggressive nature of the media campaign has not only been able to turn many of the ordinary segments of the Egyptian society against the Brotherhood, it has also generated supportive echoes in many other countries in the region.
Many seem to have succumbed to the exaggerated — if often justified — accusations leveled at the Muslim Brotherhood and its leaders that they engage in terror, disrupting public order, planning to abandon democracy in favor of establishing Muslim rule and even changing the entire character of the Egyptian society.
Most astounding was the extension of the antagonistic campaign to include the Hamas movement and Gaza, which translated into harsh actions against the besieged strip of 1.8 million inhabitants.
In the very early days of the new administration that was installed by the Egyptian military in early July, Palestinians and Syrian individuals in Egypt were targeted, detained or deported, being considered suspicious elements.
The Rafah border linking Egypt with Gaza was closed even for humanitarian cases was further tightened by the Egyptian side without explanation.
The security situation in Sinai had given cause for concern to the Egyptian government since the Mubarak era.
The restrictions imposed by the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty on the presence of the Egyptian military in Sinai enabled many armed and jihadist groups to establish their presence in the vast peninsula, and to commit frequent attacks on Egyptian police and military posts, causing many casualties.
They also attacked Israeli targets, regularly bombed the pipe that supplies Israel and Jordan with Egyptian gas and threatened regular movement in Sinai.
The tribes in Sinai were also off-limits for state control and, as a result, engaged in smuggling and lawlessness.
In many such cases, either Israel or Egypt pointed a finger of blame at Gaza for sending the perpetrators across the Gaza border with Sinai. Although this was never proved, it was enough reason to temporarily close the border, bomb some smuggling tunnels and restrict movement to and from Gaza.
Just last Sunday, an Egyptian military source announced the capture of arms in Sinai, with signs implicating Hamas. The source also said that there were confessions of suspects admitting ties with Hamas. This was categorically denied by a Hamas spokesman.
During the Morsi period, the situation with respect to Gaza was not only not better, it was worse. Morsi’s government kept the Rafah border closed for extended periods, in addition to tightening the movement of people and goods across that border. Many smuggling tunnels were destroyed or flooded with sewage water.
The irony is that such measures took place during Morsi’s administration, presumed to be sympathetic to Hamas.
Hamas is now punished mainly for supporting Morsi. Unfounded allegations that Hamas fighters were helping Morsi supporters in Cairo squares are rarely challenged. So Hamas and the Gaza populace were punished by Morsi when he was in the seat of power and are now punished by his successors for being his staunch allies.
This is difficult to reconcile.
The Egyptian media strongly accused Hamas during the last few months of being on Morsi’s side of engaging in activities that threaten Egyptian national security and of being responsible for the Sinai terror. Hamas elements were even accused of freeing Morsi from his prison during the uprising against Mubarak.
In the many debates I have been following on satellite TV, former Egyptian generals who participated harshly accused and condemned Hamas of being a terrorist movement, accusing the population of Gaza of stealing the food of the Egyptian people and smuggling it through the tunnels, as well as of attacking and killing Egyptian police and soldiers in Sinai.
They hardly responded to the argument of their debating Palestinian counterparts, who persistently affirmed that not once were the Egyptian authorities able to come up with one piece of evidence linking a Palestinian with anti-Egypt activity of security or political nature anytime, anywhere.
In one such debate last week, on the BBC Arabic, the undersecretary of the Gaza foreign ministry repeatedly avowed that the Gaza authorities who dealt routinely with the Egyptian intelligence and the other Egyptian departments never received the name of a single Palestinian that was arrested, accused, suspected, implicated or found in possession of arms intended for use against an Egyptian target in Egypt or Sinai.
He confirmed that this has been the case for many years, and no evidence was ever presented.
However, the media campaign continues, effectively instilling in the public unusual hatred and hostility towards anything related to Hamas or, often, to the Palestinians generally.
This public hysteria is new. The campaign against Hamas, which has been embraced by many journalists and intellectuals in Egypt and the wider region, is fast developing into an attack on Islam.
It is not easy for the media to be so viscous against the Muslim Brotherhood movement, with its massive followers all around the Arab world, without implicating other Muslims, particularly in a country where the population is overwhelmingly religious. Hence, and with the evident manipulation of the trend by hostile elements, Islam itself becomes a target.
In the same way, the campaign against Hamas is turning to target all the population in Gaza, not only based on political or security considerations, but infused with a strange sense of hatred and rejection unseen in Arab relations hitherto.
In response to a discussion point remarking that tightening the siege on Gaza and the destruction of the tunnels, without opening the regular Rafah border, is tantamount to punishment of all the population of Gaza, one Egyptian discussant blatantly said the Gazans deserve to be punished for not expelling Hamas.
Three different regimes with totally contradictory policies have changed hands in Egypt in less than two years, but their hostility towards Gaza remained the same. Actually it was better under Mubarak than under Morsi or Sisi.
The only explanation is the social, religious, sectarian, ethnic, political and geographical fragmentation that has been invading the region with devastating effect in the last decade or two.
Gaza, for example, remained under Egyptian administration from 1948 till 1967. It has historic and demographic ties with Egypt. It never was a security problem for Egypt. Why the developing hatred and hostility then?
The only possible answer is a sweeping epidemic in the Arab world called systematic and steady fragmentation.(http://jordantimes.com/egypt-continues-to-target-gaza)
The Israeli apartheid state
By Tariq A. Al-Maeena
Hameed Abdul Karim, a Sri Lankan writer and social activist who has demonstrated sympathy for the oppressed through his writings, has recently put out another piece titled: Israel: Where ‘A’ Stands for Apartheid. It is a clear definition of what is the actual state of affairs in the Zionist government's treatment of occupied Palestinians.
He writes: “Supposing a country imposes strict regulations on its Jewish community and tells them that there are places in the country they cannot go to, or gives them special colored number plates for their cars which identifies them as Jews or constructs a ‘barrier’ around their residences restricting their movements and effectively blocking them from accessing other parts of the country, or makes a strict checkpoint system where Jews would have to queue up for hours to get a permit to go to taboo places for legitimate business or to visit a sibling or to take a patient to hospital.
“Add to this mix an official announcement that henceforth that country would be an exclusive state for a particular race, thus automatically relegating everyone else to second class status. Can you imagine the outcry such outlandish racist policies would make? The world press would go to town denouncing the country as racist along the lines of the white ruled apartheid system in South Africa. World leaders would join the pundits on TV calling for sanctions on that country and its removal from the United Nations among many other things.
“Take the ‘barrier’ that is now called the apartheid wall that Israel has built on the pretext of protecting its citizens. The ‘barrier’ is 406 miles long and is as high as 25 feet which means it is more than five times longer than the Berlin Wall which came under severe criticism by the West until it was taken down by ordinary citizens of Germany. And yet the same West mentions no word of condemnation for Israel for its blatant apartheid policies of oppressing the Palestinian people.
“If a country were to create a ghetto and put a ‘barrier’ around its Jewish population, you can imagine the consequences. There would be a steady stream of news every day to fill us all with the horror and the suffering of the Jews. Yet when Israel shamelessly does the same thing to the Palestinians, it becomes kosher. And yet such a state exists in this time and age. It’s called Israel where the letter ‘A’ stands for apartheid.”
He backs his claim with factual events. “Back in 1987 Dr. Uri Davis, a prominent Israeli academic and activist, wrote a book titled ‘Israel An Apartheid State’ in which he describes how Israel imposes its spiteful racist policies under the banner of its avowed ideology of Zionism to harass and humiliate Palestinians on a daily basis. The motive is to drive out the remaining Palestinians who weathered the storm that was the Nakba in which the Jewish Zionists expelled more than 750,000 Palestinians from their homes to make way for the state of Israel. Ninety percent of the land has been legally defined as land which only Jews can cultivate or lease. Other key institutions such as the kibbutz are based on the same principles as apartheid. They are reserved for Jews only at the expense of the original inhabitants who have tilled the land for generations.
“In recent times former US president Jimmy Carter says in his book ‘Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid’ that former Israeli foreign minister Abba Eban had told him that ‘Arabs and Jews were inherently incompatible and would ultimately have to be separated’ despite the fact that historically Jews have lived side by side with Christians and Muslims without any discrimination or pogroms like in Europe. Going further Jimmy Carter says the Israelis ‘utilizing their political and military dominance, are imposing a system of partial withdrawal, encapsulation, and apartheid on the Muslim and Christian citizens of the occupied territories’. Examining options for Israel, Carter says one is ‘a system of apartheid, with two peoples occupying the same land but completely separated from each other, with Israelis totally dominant and suppressing violence by depriving Palestinians of their basic human rights. This is the policy now being followed.’
“Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that he dreaded the day when the Palestinians demand voting rights. He said ‘If that happens, Israel as a Jewish state is done for’. It seems that all issues vis-à-vis the Palestinian question are always centered round Israel and never is a word mentioned about any of the grave injustices the ‘Jewish’ state commits on the Palestinians. We always hear of Israel looking for a ‘peace partner’ but never hear of Palestinians looking for justice and dignity that they have been deprived of by the Western-backed ‘Jewish’ state of Israel, do we? Why is it that we never hear that Palestinians are looking for a peace partner from among the oligarchy in Israel?
Hameed Abdul Kareem concludes with: “South African anti-apartheid campaigner and Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu is a vociferous campaigner against Israeli apartheid and has fearlessly called for a boycott of Israel by the world community until it abides by all UN resolutions. He has called on Israel to end the occupation and comply with the resolution calling for a two state solution.”
I salute the writer for this piece which I feel should be shared with others. His call is nothing short of a principle based on human rights that we shall continue to demand until justice is granted to the oppressed and their dignity restored.(http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130918180743)
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Opinions
The declining stature of the Palestinian cause
Al-Dustuor Editorial
The declining stature of the Palestinian issue on the Arab and international agendas, since the start of the “Arab Spring”, is no longer a secret, which was exploited by the Zionist enemy who increased settlement activities and acts of Judaizing Jerusalem.
The prevailing state of Chaos in some Arab states, announces civil and sectarian filthy wars that reached Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Yemen… etc., in the interest of the Zionist enemy and the enemies of the nation.
Here we find that the Zionist enemy publicly announces the construction of thousands of housing units in the occupied territory, including 3,000 units in occupied Jerusalem to complete its Judaizing. Housing Minister announces that Al-Aqsa is an Israeli property because it is built on the land of the Temple, and calls on the Knesset to pass a resolution to open its doors for Jews, in addition to announcing the organization of a huge Jewish march on the 24th of this month that will rally the streets of Jerusalem, to confirm that the enemy is determined to implement its Zionist plans, to announce Jerusalem as a Jewish city, taking advantage of the desperate and unfortunate Palestinian and Arabic situation, the American Support and European collusion.
We were disappointed, as all the Arab peoples were, of this “spring”, which we thought will mark the beginning of a new stage, bringing back freedom and dignity of peoples and establishing modern civil states based on justice, equality, fair elections and governing according to the ballot boxes.
What is happening in many Arab countries that were hit by the winds of the Arab spring, is akin to chaos, it is destructive chaos itself planned by America to rezone the area again and tighten its control over it, and appointing the Zionist enemy as its police officer, after "Sykes Picot" lost its effect, andbecame part of the past.
Washington managed to ride these resolutions, and diverge of its natural track, and explode ethnic and sectarian conflicts among the people, as a way to assassinate it, converting spring to autumn and returning the Arab peoples to despair and frustration.
Palestine and Jerusalem was not present at the Arab streets and squares since the start of the Arab spring, it is an unjustified and unacceptable absence, and shows the regression of the Palestinian issue on the agenda of these revolutions and its priorities, this absence continues in the serious developments in these countries that led to civil wars and sectarian conflicts, humanitarian disasters that led to mass migrations, as happened and still happening in Al-Sham, where the number of refugees at home and abroad reached more than six million suffering from tragic conditions, turning Al-Sham to burned land inhabited by the ghost of death, destruction.
In a nut shell, the Arab spring has negatively affected on the Palestinian issue, and it declined on the priorities of the brotherly and friendly states, which pushed the Zionist enemy to use these events to implement expansionist and Judaization plans, the pace of settlement and Judaization of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, and turn the West Bank into cantons and isolated islands, which makes establishing a Palestinian state that is geographically continuous impossible, ignoring all international laws and conventions.(http://www.addustour.com/16976/%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%B9+%D9%85%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A9+%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B6%D9%8A%D8%A9+%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9.html)
The threat to Al-Aqsa continues
Al-Quds Editorial
The reported decision of the Interior Committee of the Israeli Knesset to allow Jews to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque, holding the Torah, is a new escalating step in planed process to Judaize the mosque, as an interim goal, where they seek to divide Al-Aqsa between Muslims and Jews, as they did in the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.
Few years ago Jews avoided entering Al-Aqsa yards, and they were applying their religion instructions preventing them from entering this area, this was the opinion of the majority of the rabbis in Israel. But a group of rabbis affected by nationalism crossed this prohibition, endorsed the approach of Jewish fanatics calling for the establishment of the so-called third Temple on the ruins of the mosque, after ripping of its Muslim character.
Those rabbis and their followers who had a great influence on Israeli politicians, that most of them are no less extreme than their rabbis, ignore the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim rights in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque. They are walking in the path of danger through provocative actions, which might lead to confrontations and conflicts, and consequences on security and stability in the region and in the wider world, which no one can forecast.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is a crucial element in every Muslim’sfaith; it is the first Qiblah, and third Holy Place in Islam after the ‘Masjid Al-Haram’ in Mecca and the Prophet's mosque in Medina. And Prophet Muhammad passed through it, including the ‘Mi'raj’ to heaven as described in the Quran.
Incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque which has become an everyday routine under the protection of the Israeli police, does not only provoke and anger the Palestinians, but the whole Arab and Muslim world condemns and reject such acts. The Palestinian Government has the duty and responsibility-as well as all Arab and Muslim Governments of course - toconfront the Israeli reckless actions, and present this sensitive issue to international organizations, primarily the United Nations and the world’s heritage conservation organizations such as UNESCO and other states and bodies concerned with security, regional and international stability.
Here we remind of the historic position of the late President Yasser Arafat, who’s loyalty to Al-Aqsa made him refuse to approve a settlement offered to him at Camp David in 2000, since it included vertically dividing Al-Aqsa while all what is on the ground belongs to the Palestinians, and all that beneath the ground belongs to Jews. This is a good every Palestinian, Arab and Muslim to follow.
We say to religious extremists and nationalists of Jews in Israel that the region was calm for several years. Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims are eager to keep this calmness and stability in the region. So why are they searching for temptations and provocations that will inflame feeling? They should maintain the status quo since the occupation in 1967. This is consistent with the teachings of the Monotheistic religions, and in the interest of Muslims, Jews and Christians in an atmosphere of coexistence without feuds or unnecessary and useless tensions. (http://www.alquds.com/news/article/view/id/462796)
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