- 2 febr 2011
Ministry of religious affairs slams building of new settlement on Mukaber Mount
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Palestinian ministry of religious affairs strongly denounced the Israeli government for laying the foundation stone for a new settlement zone on Al-Mukaber Mount, southwest of occupied Jerusalem.
Israeli ministers and Knesset members in the presence of an American official a few days ago laid the foundation stone for this settlement project.
The ministry's committee of Jerusalem said that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) would build 24 housing units in this Jewish settlement, near Augusta Victoria hospital in Jerusalem.
The committee warned that the IOA is racing against time to obliterate and change the Islamic identity of the holy city and taking advantage of the current unrest in the Arab arena to escalate its Judaization activities in the city.
In a separate incident, Palestinians from Araqeeb village in the Negev region, on Tuesday rallied outside the Jewish national fund in Jerusalem in protest at the fund's decision to plant trees in place of their demolished homes in the village.
Bedouins from other villages in the Negev, Arab Knesset members, and representatives of Arab organizations in the 1948 occupied lands participated in the protest against this Jewish fund which help Jews seize Palestinian lands in the occupied territories.
http://bit.ly/dQhCdJ 7 jan 2012, 21:25 , Respect -
Maria 7 febr 2011
Jerusalem council set to approve Jewish housing in Arab neighborhood
Several Palestinian families in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah will be evicted to pave way for two new buildings meant to comprise 13 apartments.
The Jerusalem Municipal Committee for Planning and Building is expected to approve Monday the construction of two buildings that will include 13 apartments for Jewish residents in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.
Backing the plan are settler organizations who currently occupy three homes in the neighborhood. Following the plan's approval, it will be necessary to evict a number of Palestinian families living on the site in order for construction to commence.
The planning committee is also expected to approve a new access road south of Har Homa, which will enable the expansion of the neighborhood.
According to the plan to be brought today for approval, two buildings will be razed in the western part of the neighborhood where, until now, nearly no Jews live. In its place, two new buildings will be built. One will have 10 apartments and the other, three.
In both cases Chaim Silverstein, a well known figure in right-wing circles in Jerusalem, is proposing the plans to the municipality. The companies behind the project are registered in the United States, and are probably front companies set up by right-wing activists in order to transfer funds for the purchase of real estate in Israel.
Silverstein has power of attorney rights in both companies, Debril and Velpin.
For the past 18 months there has been a struggle between Arabs and Jews over the activities of settlers in Sheikh Jarrah and against efforts to evict Palestinian families from the neighborhood.
The settlers have been able to expand their hold in the neighborhood because prior to 1948 there was a Jewish neighborhood in Sheikh Jarrah. The court recognized the right of Jews who inherited properties to reclaim their properties. Since then, the settlers are working hard to convince the owners of the properties to sell them the rights so that they could evict the Palestinians and populate the area with Jewish families.
A Supreme Court ruling in 2001 included the possibility of applying for Jewish property rights in the western portion of the neighborhood, and right-wing activists announced that they intended to expand their activities in the area over that portion of Sheikh Jarrah.
"Continuing Jewish settlement in Sheikh Jarrah will seriously harm relations with the Palestinians and will break all agreements that Jewish neighborhoods will remain under Israeli sovereignty and Arab neighborhoods will be under Palestinian sovereignty," says Yosef Alalu, a Meretz city councillor.
http://bit.ly/i4J41g 7 jan 2012, 21:25 , Respect -
Maria 9 febr 2011
200 housing units to be built for Jews in Sheikh Jarrah zone
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Head of Israel's land fund and extremist Zionist Arieh King said that within five to ten years, 200 units for Jewish settlers will be built in the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, in occupied East Jerusalem.
King told the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth that there is a plan to retrieve the land that was owned by Jews before Israel was established, according to his claims.
He also claimed that the Palestinians have been illegally living in Jerusalem for many years and that they should thank the Jews for allowing them to stay for free, but now the time has come for the Jews to reclaim their lands.
Ahmad, a researcher specialized in settlement affairs at the Ir Amim human rights group, stated that Sheikh Jarrah is targeted with nearly eight settlement plans that aim at increasing the number of settlers the neighborhood in order to create a Jewish majority.
Sab-Laban also noted that the Israeli local and regional construction committees in Jerusalem are planning to approve the construction of 326 new units in a number of areas in east Jerusalem.
He added that there are Israeli plans to construct nearly 350 units north of Sheikh Jarrah in addition to a religious school, a synagogue and a mall in the area.
In another context, Palestinian minister of religious affairs Taleb Abu Sha'ar said the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) took measures that limited the sound of azan recited from the holy city's mosques at the pretext it disturbs Jewish settlers.
Abu Sha'ar added in a press release on Tuesday that the Israeli police's Arab affairs advisor in Jerusalem Captain George, as called by settlers, and army commander of Jerusalem district Aharon Franco imposed lately new restrictions on reciting azan from loudspeakers of mosques in compliance with the wishes of Jewish settlers living in settlements of Pisgat Ze'ev and French Hill.
The minister said such actions against Islamic holy sites and rituals violate international law that calls for respecting religious freedoms.
http://bit.ly/hSIztX 7 jan 2012, 21:25 , Respect -
Maria 11 febr 2011
US vows to veto UN resolution on Israel
US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg
The United States says it will use its full power to block a United Nations resolution condemning Israel's illegal settlements, a US diplomat says.
"We have made very clear that we do not think the Security Council is the right place to engage on these issues," and that the US will use tools that we have to block any resolution, AFP quoted Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg as telling the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday.
He said that the US, a veto-wielding permanent UN Security Council member, has gained some success at least for the present time. And we will continue to employ the tools so that the resolution is not passed, he said.
The UN resolution condemns the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem), saying that the illegal move violates international law.
The expansion of the illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian land is considered as the main obstacle to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Palestinians have repeatedly said that they would not resume talks till Tel Aviv stops the illegal settlement activity in the occupied territories captured by Israel during 1967 war.
Palestinians have rejected US-brokered Middle East talks since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to extend a settlement moratorium that expired on September 28, 2010.
Arab nations recently submitted a draft resolution demanding that the UN pressure Tel Aviv to freeze all settlement construction. Some 122 countries have co-sponsored the resolution. Notably absent from that list, however, are Western countries such as the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Canada.
Steinberg also told the lawmakers that Washington was making a vigorous diplomatic campaign to stop countries from declaring their recognition of an independent Palestinian state, as several Latin American nations have done.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164642.html 7 jan 2012, 21:25 , Respect -
Maria 13 febr 2011
UN slams Israel over illegal settlements
An illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank (file photo)
The United Nations has lashed at Israel for ignoring international calls to stop the expansion of its illegal settlement activities on occupied Palestinian lands.
A UN statement said on Monday that Tel Aviv has ignored the international community's repeated calls for a complete end to illegal settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem) in particular.
The statement also said Israel's recent allocation of half a billion dollars to the expansion of settlements shows that Tel Aviv has no intention of stopping its illegal policies.
Israel has also approved the building of 1,600 settlement units in recent weeks.
The Palestinian Authority walked out of direct peace talks with Israel late last year after Tel Aviv refused to renew a partial freeze on settlement activities in the West Bank.
Israel occupied and annexed East al-Quds in 1967 Six-Day War in a move never recognized by the international community.
According to data from the Palestinian Information Center, Israel has demolished 995 Palestinian homes and displaced 5,783 individuals -- among them 3,109 children -- in the occupied al-Quds since the start of 2000.
This is while Israel proceeds persistently with the construction of settlements on the occupied territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
The UN has on various occasions criticized Israel for defying international calls to halt its settlement construction expansions.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/160666.html 7 jan 2012, 21:26 , Respect -
Maria 14 febr 2011
Construction of 124 flats beyond Green Line approved
Decision comes on eve of Ashton's visit to Israel, PA. Meretz faction says decision proves municipality has 'no faith in peace process'; Likud councilman says past construction delays were unjustified.
The Jerusalem Municipality's planning and construction committee approved on Monday three construction plans beyond the Green Line, including 120 housing units in the neighborhood of Ramot and four more in Pisgat Ze'ev.
Just last week the committee approved the construction of 13 housing units in east Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
The 120 apartments in Ramot, which will be built near the Palestinian village of Beit Hanina, are part of a broader plan for the construction of 180 housing units in the neighborhood. The plan was approved in 2004.
"It's not good news," Pepe Alalu of the opposition Meretz party said. "If the City of Jerusalem continues to expand neighborhoods beyond the Green Line with or without the government's approval it has apparently reached the conclusion that there is no way to advance the (peace) negotiations. This decision is wrong, because without negotiations it will not be possible to further develop the city."
Elisha Peleg, chairman of the Likud faction in the Jerusalem City Council, welcomed the decision. "There was never any justification to the delays in issuing of construction permits in these neighborhoods," he said.
'Obstacle to peace'
The vote came on the eve of a visit by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who has said that Israeli construction in east Jerusalem settlement harms the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Ir Amim, a group that promotes coexistence in Jerusalem, accused Israeli authorities of boosting settlement construction in the city.
The organization said that since the expiration in September of an Israeli moratorium on West Bank settlement building, Israeli authorities have been "going full speed ahead with an aggressive policy of construction in east Jerusalem."
"This policy makes Jerusalem a political battlefield, and undermines its stability," it added.
Ashton is expected to hold separate talks on Tuesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad as part of a Middle East tour.
"The EU position on settlements is clear," Ashton said in a statement in December. "They are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. Recent settlement-related developments, including in east Jerusalem, contradict efforts by the international community for successful (peace) negotiations."
The Municipality said the "construction policy in Jerusalem has not changed in the past 40 years. The City of Jerusalem continues to promote construction for Arabs and Jews alike. New construction is vital for the city's development and to offer young people and students the opportunity to purchase a home here."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4028556,00.html
IOA planning establishment of 19 synagogues in OJ
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli-controlled municipality of occupied Jerusalem is planning to build 19 Jewish synagogues in Jabal Abu Ghuneim south of the holy city, Hebrew press reports said on Monday.
Ha'aretz quoted inhabitants in the suburb as saying that the decision would mean turning the suburb in the future into a purely Jewish haredim neighborhood.
It pointed out that 30,000 Jews were currently living in HarHoma (Abu Ghuneim), which was built in the early nineties of the past century, adding that thousands of other settlement units would be built in the few coming years.
http://bit.ly/fS1fxg
Israel to build more East Jerusalem homes
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Jerusalem's municipal council on Monday approved the construction of 120 new homes in the Jewish settlement neighborhood of Ramot in annexed East Jerusalem, a councilor told AFP.
"It's not good news," Pepe Alalu of the opposition Meretz party said. "They approved 120 housing units in Ramot... there were two permits authorized, one for 56 housing units and another for 64."
The vote came on the eve of a visit by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who has said that East Jerusalem settlement building harms the prospects for relaunching peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Alalu said that the municipal committee's decision did not require endorsement by the government.
"It's final," he said.
Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khatib said the fact that such announcements had become commonplace did not detract from the gravity of the act.
"This doesn't change the fact that this is all illegal and unacceptable," he told AFP. "We criticize it, condemn it and expect the United States to be more effective in trying to prevent Israel from continuing the expansion of settlements, especially in Jerusalem."
Israeli public radio said that the city was expected later on Monday to approve construction of 19 synagogues in the settlement of Har Homa, on Jerusalem's southeastern edge near Bethlehem.
The radio quoted municipality sources as saying that Har Homa has 30,000 residents and only two synagogues, and there was strong public demand for more places of worship.
The municipal spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.
Ir Amim, a group that promotes coexistence in Jerusalem, accused Israeli authorities of boosting settlement construction in the city.
The organization said that since the expiry in September of a moratorium on West Bank settlement building, Israeli authorities have been "going full speed ahead with an aggressive policy of construction in east Jerusalem."
"This policy makes Jerusalem a political battlefield, and undermines its stability," it said.
Ashton is expected to hold separate talks on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and with President Mahmoud Abbas and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, as part of a Middle East tour.
"The EU position on settlements is clear," Ashton said in a statement in December. "They are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. Recent settlement-related developments, including in east Jerusalem, contradict efforts by the international community for successful negotiations."
Ramot, with a population of more than 41,000, is one of the Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem that Israel built on land captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.
US-brokered peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians stalled in September over the issue of Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Palestinians have refused to return to direct peace talks since a 10-month Israel settlement freeze expired just three weeks after the negotiations resumed in September.
They refuse to negotiate with Israel while it builds on land they want for their promised state.
In March 2010, the Israeli interior ministry announced a plan to build 1,600 homes in Ramat Shlomo, an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem.
The announcement, which came as US Vice President Joe Biden was visiting, triggered a stern response from key ally Washington, souring relations for months.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=360037 7 jan 2012, 21:26 , Respect -
Maria 15 febr 2011
Israel to build 120 more settlement units
A digger works on the Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, February 14, 2011.
The municipal council of al-Quds (Jerusalem) has approved the construction of 120 new illegal Israeli settler units in the occupied West Bank.
The buildings, whose construction received the go-ahead on Monday, are to pop up in the settlement of Ramot in East al-Quds, AFP reported.
"They approved 120 housing units in Ramot... there were two permits authorized, one for 56 housing units and another for 64," said Pepe Alalu of the Meretz party.
Alalu noted that the municipal committee's decision did not require Tel Aviv's endorsement, saying "It's final."
Tel Aviv occupied and later annexed East al-Quds long side the other Palestinian land in the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War. The move has been recognized by the international community
The recent approval is the latest in the relentless wave of Israeli construction work in the city, which Palestinians demand as the capital of their future state.
The decision comes in the face of calls by the United Nations and the European Union which have been denouncing the settlement activities as illegal due to their taking place on occupied Palestinian land.
The Palestinians say that the defiant construction is meant to prevent the establishment of an independent Palestinian state -- which has been recognized by many countries.
Israel refused to extend a partial freeze on the settlement expansion projects in late September, thus stalling US-sponsored direct talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA), which had resumed earlier that month in Washington.
Referring to the Monday vote, PA spokesman Ghassan Khatib said the acts of authorization were not unusual, but insisted that it %u201Cdoesn't change the fact that this is all illegal and unacceptable."
http://www.presstv.com/detail/165277.html 7 jan 2012, 21:26 , Respect -
Maria 15 febr 2011
United States to Veto Security Council Settlement Resolution
New York City PNN - A report from last Friday by Agence France Presse (AFP) quoted US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg as saying that the United States would veto a UN Security Council resolution condemning illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
We have made very clear that we do not think the Security Council is the right place to engage on these issues, Steinberg told the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. The only way that this is going to be resolved is through engagement through the parties, and that is our clear and consistent position.
The resolution is sponsored by 122 UN member states. The other fourteen members of the UN Security Council are not expected to oppose the resolution. The resolution was worded to be identical to previous statements by American diplomats, a measure thought to make it more difficult for the US to use its veto.
The Security Council was expected to vote on the resolution in January, but revolution in Egypt pushed the date back. It is not clear when the vote will be held.
Steinberg said the United States was trying to stop other countries from recognizing the Palestinian state along its 1967 boundaries, as nearly the entire continent of South America has done in the last month, and more than 110 countries have altogether.
We have made very clear to a lot of countries that we think this is counterproductive, said Steinberg. I'm disappointed, frankly that we haven't had more success.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=2126
Pillay demands Israel to end its settlement activities in O. Palestinian lands
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- UN high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay demanded the Israeli government to halt its settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian lands and to refrain from issuing decisions that serve its ethnic cleansing policy against the Palestinians.
Pillay, in a statement after concluding a visit to the occupied territories on Monday, stressed that Israel's seizure of Palestinian real estate and property throughout the occupied lands including east Jerusalem is illegal and against the UN security council's resolutions.
She also emphasized that all Israel's settlement activities in the occupied lands are explicitly prohibited under international law and all the measures it follows to retain settlements are illegal and must be ended.
The UN official noted that Israel's attempts to annex east Jerusalem are contrary to international law and called for stopping to make laws or issue decisions in order to force Palestinians directly and indirectly to leave their homes in this part of the holy city, including the acts of eviction, demolition, forced migration and revoking residence permits.
The official underlined that Israel's segregation wall, regardless of the fact that its construction is illegal, also destroys the social, economic and cultural rights of thousands of Palestinians.
She explained that this wall cuts off Palestinian natives from their surrounding, source of livelihood, schools, health centers and many services, and make them vulnerable to attacks by settlers who deal violently and physically abuse them.
Pillay finally highlighted that the absence of accountability by the international community which does not take action against such violations is also considered a violation of human rights.
http://bit.ly/i5dr3E 7 jan 2012, 21:26 , Respect -
Maria 17 febr 2011
Obama calls Abbas over UN vote
US president attempts to avoid vote to condemn all settlements by suggesting Palestinian president change wording to include only those in which Israel has been asked to halt construction; PLO calls urgent meeting to debate offer.
US President Barack Obama spoke to his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, Thursday evening in an effort to prevent a vote by the UN Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements.
The two presidents spoke for 50 minutes, at the end of which Abbas called a meeting of the Palestinian Liberation Organization to discuss the matter further on Friday morning.
Friday's vote puts the Obama administration in a difficult position because a veto would anger the Palestinians and its many supporters around the world while an abstention would anger the Israelis. Either way, the US vote could complicate efforts to resume direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, especially at this sensitive time of widespread anti-government protests in the Mideast.
Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu-Rudeineh confirmed reports of the phone call and said the meeting Friday morning in Ramallah would deal with "the conflict of opinion between Obama and the Palestinian president, as well as recent developments in the Middle East" including uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.
Fatah officials claimed Obama had suggested Abbas change the format of the condemnation to include only settlements in which Israel has been asked to halt construction.
He also suggested Abbas call for negotiations over the 1967 borders for a Palestinian state, rather than the current format, which calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state within these borders, officials said.
The White House refused to comment on whether it would veto the condemnation, though Press Secretary Jay Carney said the US still opposed settlement construction as obstructions to the peace process.
Meanwhile, Republicans criticized the Obama administration for attempting to reach a compromise with the Palestinians. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who chairs the House of Representatives. Foreign Affairs Committee issued a statement calling on Obama to "change course, stand unequivocally with Israel, and publicly pledge to block any anti-Israel UN Security Council action".
"Support for this anti-Israel statement is a major concession to enemies of the Jewish State and other free democracies. It telegraphs that the US can be bullied into abandoning critical democratic allies and core US principles," the statement said.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4030373,00.html 7 jan 2012, 21:26 , Respect -
Maria 17 febr 2011
60 acres may be added to Har Homa
Jerusalem committee to discuss approval of new construction in eastern neighborhood.
Jerusalem Municipality's local planning and construction committee will discuss a plan next week for the addition of 60 acres to the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa,
The announcement follows the committee's approval this week of 124 Jewish homes in areas beyond the 1967 borders.
Har Homa is a point of contention between Israel and the Palestinians in negotiations over a future state. It was founded in 1997 and built despite international opposition stemming from its location between Arab neighborhoods and Bethlehem.
The new construction plans up for approval call for 50 additional homes as well as a number of public structures, including eight synagogues, a kindergarten, a school for disabled children, a day care center, and a pool.
Despite opposition, the plans are expected to be approved. "We must commend the promotion of these plans," a member of the committee and the chairman of the municipality's Likud faction.
"The plan for the expansion of Har Homa has been delayed for a long time without justification, and I hope that this is an auspicious sign signifying that the freeze in construction in Jerusalem's new neighborhoods has ended."
Peleg added that there is still a "huge shortage" of apartments and building permits in these neighborhoods.
But the plans are already meeting with plenty of opposition. "In recent months the planning authorities in Jerusalem have let loose and fiercely promoted construction of hundreds of new apartments in east Jerusalem, a serious violation of the status-quo," the Ir Amim organization said in a statement.
"It is intolerable that technocratic planning authorities are allowed to decide Jerusalem's fate and to a certain extent that of Israel as well by determining facts on the ground."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4030350,00.html 7 jan 2012, 21:26 , Respect -
Maria 18 febr 2011
The Elders Urge US not to Block UN Resolution on Settlements
LONDON, February 18, 2011 (WAFA) - The Elders have written to the US Administration urging Washington to join the global consensus and permit a draft resolution calling for an end to Israeli settlement activity to be put to a vote at the United Nations Security Council
The Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by Nelson Mandela in 2007, who offer their collective influence and experience to support peace-building and help address major causes of human suffering.
An Elders press release said that “across the Arab world, men and women are demonstrating in support of freedom, democracy and their basic rights. These demands are no less urgent in respect of the West Bank and Gaza where the need for lasting peace, an end to occupation and an independent Palestinian state cannot be ignored.”
More than 140 UN Member States have co-sponsored the draft resolution which has been in final form for the past four weeks. While support for the UN resolution will not eradicate the many challenges currently facing the region, the Elders believe its passage would send a powerful signal that the international community is serious about upholding international law and achieving a just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Elders argued that, on grounds of principle, the US should either support the resolution or, at least, abstain when the issue is put to a vote. They point out that the resolution is in large measure a re-statement of language already used in the Quartet Road Map. The United States is a member of the Quartet, along with the United Nations, the European Union and Russia. In addition, the illegality of the settlements, according to the Fourth Geneva Convention, has also been recognized in previous UN resolutions.
Believed to command overwhelming support in the 15-member Security Council, the resolution is consistent with long-standing US policy on the incompatibility of settlement construction with efforts to advance peace. In his June 2009 speech in Cairo, President Obama clearly stated: “The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chair of The Elders said: “As we are seeing in Egypt and across the Middle East and North Africa, the cry for basic rights and justice cannot be ignored. Now more than ever before, it is extremely important that respect for universal values and international law is upheld.”
Former Algerian Foreign Minister and UN special envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, said: “Washington’s refusal to apply universal standards of international law and human rights to Israeli settlements is difficult to understand. It seriously compromises its role as a peace broker. Young people on the streets of Cairo, Tunis and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa are profoundly disappointed and angered by the persistent double standards that continue to prevail. The stature of the United States in the region is not served by such policies which run counter to the hope invested in President Obama. US attempts to block this resolution will further negatively impact their country's image in the world.”
Dr. Gro Brundtland, who was Prime Minister of Norway in 1993 when the Oslo agreements were reached between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, commented: “As the principal negotiator for the Quartet, the United States should lead by example. Justice for the Palestinians and security for Israel go hand-in-hand. We have all agreed, for many years now, that continued settlement building is a major obstacle to peace.”
Over 60 percent of the West Bank is currently off-limits to Palestinian construction, while Jewish settlement-building in the occupied territory beyond the 1967 Green Line is proceeding apace.
Former US President Jimmy Carter, who visited the region with his fellow Elders in October added: “Time is of the essence because the land available for a viable Palestinian state is rapidly eroding. All growth of settlements makes it harder to achieve. This clear and simple UN resolution addresses a central obstacle to the realization of that state and of the achievement of a two-state solution.”
The Elders are: Martti Ahtisaari, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Lakhdar Brahimi, Gro Brundtland, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Jimmy Carter, Graça Machel, Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu (Chair). Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi are honorary Elders.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=15225
Foreign Ministry thanks US for veto at UN
Israel's Foreign Ministry expressed its appreciation for the US veto on an anti-settlement resolution at the UN Security Council, stressing that direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are the only way to resolve the conflict between the sides.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4030643,00.html
Foreign Secretary statement on draft Security Council Resolution
Following today's vote on the draft Security Council Resolution on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Foreign Secretary said:
I have made clear my serious concern about the current stalemate in the Middle East Peace Process. Today the UK voted with others, including France and Germany, to reinforce this and our longstanding view that settlements, including in East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law, an obstacle to peace and constitute a threat to a two-state solution.
We must not be diverted by events in the wider region from working towards a just and lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We believe that Israel's security and the realisation of the Palestinians right to statehood are not opposing goals. On the contrary they are intimately intertwined objectives.
I call on both parties to return as soon as possible to direct negotiations towards a two-state solution, on the basis of clear parameters. Our formal Explanation of Vote today set out what we believe these need to include for negotiations to be successful:
* An agreement on the borders of the two states, based on June 4 1967 lines with equivalent land swaps as may be agreed between the parties.
* Security arrangements that, for Palestinians, respect their sovereignty and show that the occupation is over; and, for Israelis, protect their security, prevent the resurgence of terrorism and deal effectively with new and emerging threats.
* A just, fair and agreed solution to the refugee question.
* Fulfillment of the aspirations of both parties for Jerusalem. A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states.
We therefore look to both parties to return to negotiations as soon as possible on this basis. Our goal remains an agreement on all final status issues and the welcoming of Palestine as a full member by September 2011. We will contribute to achieving this goal in any and every way that we can.
We understand Israel's deep and justified security concerns. As friends of Israel, we share those concerns, and will strive with Israel to preserve her security and the stability of the region around her. It is precisely because of those concerns that we vote today in favour of this resolution.
We believe a peaceful and safe future for Israel is best secured through a peace with the Palestinians that in turn can lead to peace with the entire region, and indeed will strengthen the stability of the region. We believe that Israel will be better able to face and tackle wider threats if it is at peace with the Palestinians. And so we regret anything which sets back the prospects for peace because we believe it also sets back Israel's security.
http://bit.ly/eudZtr
Abbas refuses to drop UNSC vote
Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas has rejected Washington's request to withdraw a resolution demanding Israel halt settlement activities.
Abbas on Friday rejected a White House proposal to abandon a UN Security Council vote against Israeli settlement expansion on the occupied Palestinian territories and accept instead a non-binding statement. The non-binding statement would call on Tel Aviv regime to freeze its settlement construction activities, AFP reported.
"There is no change in the Palestinian and Arab position about the proposal presented to the UN Security Council condemning Israeli settlement on Palestinian lands," a statement released by Abbas' office on Friday read.
According to a senior Palestinian official, US President Barack Obama had warned Abbas to back off from the Security Council vote on Israeli settlements.
"President Obama threatened on Thursday night to take measures against the Palestinian Authority if it insists on going to the Security Council to condemn Israeli settlement activity, and demand that it be stopped," the official said on condition of anonymity.
He added, "There will be repercussions for Palestinian-American relations if you continue your attempts to go to the Security Council and ignore our requests in this matter, especially as we suggested other alternatives."
American officials have said repeatedly that the Security Council is not the place to hash out the issue of illegal Israeli settlements and a veto to stop an anti-Israeli measure is likely.
Israel has been persistently proceeding with the construction of its settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
The United Nation has repeatedly condemned Israel for defying international calls to halt its settlement construction activities.
In October 2010, Oscar Fernandez Taranco, assistant UN secretary general for political affairs, criticized Israel for jeopardizing efforts to resolve the impasse in talks with the Palestinian Authority -- negotiations derailed by Israel's refusal to halt its West Bank settlement expansions.
"We have a brief and crucial window to overcome the current impasse. The UN secretary general continues to believe that if the door to peace closes, it will be very hard to reopen," Taranco told the UN Security Council.
Recently, Human Rights Watch's representative Carroll Bogert criticized Tel Aviv for its "systematic discrimination" against Palestinians "merely because of their race, ethnicity, and national origin" and "depriving them of electricity, water, schools, and access to roads."
"While Israeli settlements flourish, Palestinians under Israeli control live in a time warp -- not just separate, not just unequal, but sometimes even pushed off their lands and out of their homes," Bogert said.
Palestinians view Israel's unrelenting settlement construction activities as a major hurdle smothering their efforts to establish an independent state on the territories Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/165890.html
US vetoes anti-settlement resolution
US backs Israel - Clinton
America uses veto power to thwart anti-settlement resolution at UN, amid harsh Palestinian criticism of US; PA slams American bias, Ramallah protestors hold racist anti-US rally, refer to Obama by skin color.
WASHINGTON - The United States vetoed the Palestinian proposal to condemn settlement construction by Israel at the United Nations Security Council Friday.
The other 14 Council members voted in favor of the draft resolution. But the US, as one of the five permanent council members with the power to block any action by the Security Council, voted against it and struck it down.
Earlier, the Palestinians rejected America's request to withdraw or soften the resolution.
The vote followed a tense day that featured Palestinian rejection of US pressure to avoid the resolution coupled with wild PA attacks on the Obama Administration.
Europe wants Palestine in UN
US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told council members that the veto "should not be misunderstood to mean we support settlement activity." She added that the US view is that Israeli settlements lack legitimacy.
But she said the draft "risks hardening the position of both sides" and reiterated the US position that settlements and other contentious issues should be resolved in direct peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians.
US Pressure
Palestinian official: Obama threatened Abbas / AFP and Reuters
Obama warned Palestinians of repercussions should they insist on promoting anti-settlement UN vote, senior PA official says
Full Story
British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, speaking on behalf of Britain, France and Germany, condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank. "They are illegal under international law," he said.
He added that the European Union's three biggest nations hope that an independent state of Palestine will join the United Nations as a new member state by September 2011.
Israel's Foreign Ministry expressed its appreciation for the US veto, stressing that direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are the only way to resolve the conflict between the sides.
US biased to point of destruction
According to a senior Palestinian official, the US president threatened President Mahmoud Abbas with "repercussions should the Palestinians go ahead with the vote. However, the PA chose to rebuff the US request and instead leveled harsh accusations at the Administration.
Before the vote, Palestinian legislator and leading PLO member Hanan Ashrawi told CNN: "The Americans have very clearly demonstrated to Palestinians, to Arab public opinion, and to world public opinion that they are biased to the point of destruction."
"If they keep trying to manipulate and water down a resolution to become a statement, and they start selling us used goods again it's not going to work," Ashrawi said.
Black hands support occupation
Meanwhile, the Fatah movement organized a rally in Ramallah to support the Palestinian anti-settlement push and slam the US. The demonstration features racist elements, as protestors carried signs referring to Obama by his skin color, reading "Washington the black hands support occupation and colonial thinking."
The protestors lauded President Mahmoud Abbas for ignoring US pressure to withdraw the UN proposal.
The Palestinian decision to go ahead with the vote was made unanimously during a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization's executive and the central committee of Abbas' Fatah movement.
"The Palestinian leadership has decided to go on to the UN Security Council to pressure Israel to halt settlement activities. The decision was taken despite American pressure," said Wasel Abu Yousef, a PLO executive member.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4030639,00.html
US vetoes UN resolution on settlements
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) -- The United States on Friday vetoed an Arab resolution before the UN Security Council condemning continued Israeli settlement building.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=361240
Obama warned of repercussions if Abbas takes settlements to UN
By Nasser Abu Bakr
RAMALLAH (AFP) -- President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday defied US attempts to get him to abandon a UN Security Council vote against Israeli settlements after being threatened with repercussions if he did not, his aides said.
His office said he rejected a White House proposal to stop pushing for a formal resolution condemning settlements and accept instead a non-binding statement calling on Israel to freeze construction on land the Palestinians claim for a state.
His response was given on Friday during a telephone call between Abbas and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the office said.
"There is no change in the Palestinian and Arab position about the proposal presented to the UN Security Council condemning Israeli settlement on Palestinian land," it read.
One senior Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the offer, made in an hour-long phone call from US President Barack Obama, was accompanied by veiled threats of "repercussions" if it were refused.
"President Obama threatened on Thursday night to take measures against the Palestinian Authority if it insists on going to the Security Council to condemn Israeli settlement activity, and demand that it be stopped," the official said.
"There will be repercussions for Palestinian-American relations if you continue your attempts to go to the Security Council and ignore our requests in this matter, especially as we suggested other alternatives," the official quoted Obama as telling Abbas.
The US president was referring to a package of incentives laid out earlier this week aimed at persuading the Palestinians to withdraw their support for the draft resolution, which is to be put before the Security Council later on Friday.
Despite his decision, Abbas was meeting on Friday evening in Ramallah with the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the central committee of his Fatah movement to discuss the latest developments.
The draft condemns Israeli settlement activity in line with the policy of the international community, including the United States -- but Washington does not believe such issues should be tackled within the Security Council.
The Security Council session opens in New York at 3:00 p.m.
After the Palestinians rejected the initial US offer, Obama rang Abbas late on Thursday to suggest that the Security Council make a call for a settlement freeze.
During the conversation, Abbas rejected that proposal too.
"Stopping settlement activity is a Palestinian demand that will not be taken back because it was the reason the peace process fell apart," the Palestinian official quoted him as saying.
"It was a decision taken by the Palestinian leadership and the Palestinian people are sticking to this demand."
It was not immediately clear at what stage in the phone call Obama warned Abbas against turning him down.
In the Gaza Strip, Abbas's rival Hamas said that the exchange proved its long-held contention that the White House was not an honest broker in the dispute with Israel.
"This confirms the total support by the American administration for the arbitrary policy of the occupation government," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said.
US-brokered peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians stalled in late 2010 after the expiry of a temporary freeze on Jewish settlement building in the West Bank.
Efforts by Washington to coax Israel into reimposing a freeze collapsed in December, and the Palestinians are refusing to continue negotiating while Israel builds on land they want for their promised state.
The United States, which regularly uses its Security Council veto power to stop anti-Israeli initiatives, is very keen to avoid the vote because it does not want to be forced to cast a veto.
Should it do so, it would be the first time the United States has used its veto power since Obama took office in January 2009.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=361207
US may veto UN rebuke on Israeli settlements
By Alex Spillius
United States president Barack Obama was engaged in a last minute diplomatic intervention on Thursday night to avoid US embarrassment over a United Nations vote condemning Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Mr Obama telephoned Mahmoud Abbas, the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, to persuade him to drop the resolution, which would demand that Israel stop all settlement construction immediately.
If the vote is held on Friday as scheduled, the US president is almost certain to use the US veto at the UN Security Council for the first time, a move that would undermine America's standing with the popular movements pushing for democracy across the Middle East.
Sources close to the Obama administration said there had been an intense internal debate about whether or not to veto the resolution.
Earlier behind-the-scenes efforts at a compromise had failed. The US had proposed a UN Security Council statement, rather than a resolution, that would have condemned settlement activity as illegitimate rather than illegal.
Speaking in Ramallah, Mr Abbas said: We have asked the Security Council to call on Israel to stop its settlement activity, a demand which has been made many times by the US administration.
http://bit.ly/gO9HXi
Palestinians: Veto would prove US support for Israel's illegal; moves
Just hours before Abbas convenes meeting following US pressure over UN settlement condemnation vote, Palestinian foreign minister sends clear message to Washington calling for it to let proposal go ahead as planned.
Tensions are rising ahead of a UN Security Council vote Friday night over the Palestinian proposal to condemn Israel over the continued construction in the settlements. While the US attempt to pressure those involved to forestall the deliberations remains unsuccessful, the Palestinian Authority sent out a clear message to Washington calling on the US to allow the vote to go ahead.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said Friday that if the US would veto the condemnation of settlement construction it would "prove that the US supports Israel's illegal moves in opposition to the opinion of 130 UN member states."
Washington rejects the intentions to discuss the issue in the UN Security Council as a derivative of its opposition to UN-ifying the Israel-Palestinian conflict. In efforts to prevent the move, US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and tried, unsuccessfully, to convince him to reconsider the UN move.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki
Later, US President Barack Obama joined the fray himself. He spent almost an hour speaking to Abbas on the phone and suggested an outline for compromise. He suggested that Abbas change the format of the condemnation to include only settlements in which Israel has been asked to halt construction.
He also suggested that Abbas call for negotiations over the 1967 borders for a Palestinian state, rather than the current format, which calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state within these borders, officials said.
As a result of US pressure, Abbas will convene a meeting in Ramallah that would focus on whether to accept US demands or bring the settlement condemnation issue to a UN vote.
Friday's vote puts the Obama administration in a difficult position because a veto would anger the Palestinians and its many supporters around the world, while an abstention would anger the Israelis. Either way, the US vote could complicate efforts to resume direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, especially at this sensitive time of widespread anti-government protests in the Mideast.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4030520,00.html
The Elders Urge US not to Block UN Resolution on Settlements
LONDON, February 18, 2011 (WAFA) - The Elders have written to the US Administration urging Washington to join the global consensus and permit a draft resolution calling for an end to Israeli settlement activity to be put to a vote at the United Nations Security Council
The Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by Nelson Mandela in 2007, who offer their collective influence and experience to support peace-building and help address major causes of human suffering.
An Elders press release said that across the Arab world, men and women are demonstrating in support of freedom, democracy and their basic rights. These demands are no less urgent in respect of the West Bank and Gaza where the need for lasting peace, an end to occupation and an independent Palestinian state cannot be ignored.
More than 140 UN Member States have co-sponsored the draft resolution which has been in final form for the past four weeks. While support for the UN resolution will not eradicate the many challenges currently facing the region, the Elders believe its passage would send a powerful signal that the international community is serious about upholding international law and achieving a just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Elders argued that, on grounds of principle, the US should either support the resolution or, at least, abstain when the issue is put to a vote. They point out that the resolution is in large measure a re-statement of language already used in the Quartet Road Map. The United States is a member of the Quartet, along with the United Nations, the European Union and Russia. In addition, the illegality of the settlements, according to the Fourth Geneva Convention, has also been recognized in previous UN resolutions.
Believed to command overwhelming support in the 15-member Security Council, the resolution is consistent with long-standing US policy on the incompatibility of settlement construction with efforts to advance peace. In his June 2009 speech in Cairo, President Obama clearly stated: The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chair of The Elders said: As we are seeing in Egypt and across the Middle East and North Africa, the cry for basic rights and justice cannot be ignored. Now more than ever before, it is extremely important that respect for universal values and international law is upheld.
Former Algerian Foreign Minister and UN special envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, said: Washington's refusal to apply universal standards of international law and human rights to Israeli settlements is difficult to understand. It seriously compromises its role as a peace broker. Young people on the streets of Cairo, Tunis and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa are profoundly disappointed and angered by the persistent double standards that continue to prevail. The stature of the United States in the region is not served by such policies which run counter to the hope invested in President Obama. US attempts to block this resolution will further negatively impact their country's image in the world.
Dr. Gro Brundtland, who was Prime Minister of Norway in 1993 when the Oslo agreements were reached between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, commented: As the principal negotiator for the Quartet, the United States should lead by example. Justice for the Palestinians and security for Israel go hand-in-hand. We have all agreed, for many years now, that continued settlement building is a major obstacle to peace.
Over 60 percent of the West Bank is currently off-limits to Palestinian construction, while Jewish settlement-building in the occupied territory beyond the 1967 Green Line is proceeding apace.
Former US President Jimmy Carter, who visited the region with his fellow Elders in October added: Time is of the essence because the land available for a viable Palestinian state is rapidly eroding. All growth of settlements makes it harder to achieve. This clear and simple UN resolution addresses a central obstacle to the realization of that state and of the achievement of a two-state solution.
The Elders are: Martti Ahtisaari, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Lakhdar Brahimi, Gro Brundtland, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Jimmy Carter, Graça Machel, Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu (Chair). Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi are honorary Elders.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=15225
Palestinians: US veto will prove support of Israel's illegal moves
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said Friday that if the US would veto the condemnation of settlement construction it would "prove that the US supports Israel's illegal moves in opposition to the opinion of 130 UN member states."
The UN Security council is set to meet Friday night to deliberate over denouncing Israel for its continued construction beyond the Green Line.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4030495,00.html 7 jan 2012, 21:26 , Respect -
Maria 19 febr 2011
Clinton threatened to cancel aid to PA
Palestinian President Abbas stresses PA won't boycott US, after Yasser Abed Rabbo slammed American mediation. Fatah element claims Obama told Abbas no other US president has done more to promote Palestinian issue.
While the Palestinians continue to express their anger over the US veto against a UN vote condemning Israel's settlement construction policy, new details have surfaced regarding the pre-veto discussions. Fatah elements claimed Saturday that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton threatened to halt financial aid should the Palestinian Authority not withdraw its draft from the Security Council's agenda. Nevertheless, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stressed that the PA will not boycott the US.
A senior Fatah element told the Palestinian news agency Sama that Clinton threatened Abbas on Friday to cancel US aid. According to the source, US President Barack Obama told Abbas on Thursday night that no other American president has promoted the Palestinian issue more vigorously .
Following Yasser Abed Rabbo's statements against the US and his pledge to take the matter up to the General Assembly, Abbas stressed Saturday that the Palestinians do not wish to boycott the US administration but that they were interested in maintaining their rights and protecting their national interest.
The Palestinian president described the effort to gain the support of 14 members of the Security Council as a "diplomatic success."
Meanwhile, the US administration has taken a series of precautionary steps for fear their envoys in the region will be targeted. The US Consulate in Jerusalem has banned US representatives from entering Jericho, driving on West Bank roads and visiting the Allenby Border Crossing in the next three days.
A US source said that no violence targeting US envoys in the West Bank has been recorded as of yet.
Palestinian protest
Tawfik Tirawi, a member of the Fatah central committee, called for a day of rage to be held in the West Bank next Friday and said the veto had revealed the US's true face.
Palestinian outrage was also noted on the streets. "Hateful Obama, the settlements won't last," hundreds of Palestinians chanted during a protest in Nablus. Several hundred demonstrators marched towards the separation fence in the Tulkarem area and hurled stones at IDF soldiers. A man was arrested.
Dozens in Tel Aviv also protested the US veto and carried signs reading "Apartheid Israel" "Stop the US support of the occupation" and "veto the settlements, choose justice."
Roni Barken, an activist and member of the international movement to boycott Israel said that the veto is "part of a longtime US policy providing Israel and its criminal policy with absolute support". He added, "The protest attracts the world's attention and aimes to pressure the US into aligning itself with international law and consensus."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4030816,00.html
US restricts staff movement in Palestinian areas
The US consulate in Jerusalem restricted personal travel for staff members in some areas of the West Bank on Saturday, a day after the Obama administration vetoed a UN resolution that would have condemned Israel.
At the same time, Palestinians demonstrated against the US for vetoing the Arab-backed Security Council resolution. Its sponsors sought to condemn Israel for continuing to build Jewish-only settlements in the West Bank.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4030763,00.html
Palestinians to make fresh UN anti-settlement bid
RAMALLAH (AFP) -- The Palestinians plan to launch another attempt to seek United Nations condemnation of Israeli settlements, after the US vetoed a motion at the Security Council, a senior official said Saturday.
Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary-general of the PLO, said that Palestinian leaders have decided to take a fresh bid before the world body's General Assembly, which convenes in New York in September.
"Our decision now is to go to the General Assembly of the United Nations to pass a UN resolution against the settlements and condemn them and to emphasize its lack of legitimacy," he said.
"And then we will put forward a draft to condemn the settlements to the UN Security Council."
Ahead of Friday night's Security Council vote, the United States had pressured the Palestinians to drop their backing for the resolution, but to no avail, with Abbas rejecting a personal appeal from Obama.
Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down late last year after the expiry of a temporary freeze on Jewish settlement activity in the West Bank.
US attempts to coax Israel into renewing the freeze ran aground in December, with the Palestinians refusing to return to the negotiating table while Jewish settlers build on land they want for a future state.
Jewish settlement activity on Palestinian land seized during the 1967 Six-Day War is considered illegal by the international community, including the United States.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=361416
Iran raps US for vetoing UN resolution
Iran's UN Ambassador Mohammad Khazaei
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations has lambasted the US for vetoing a Security Council resolution which condemns the Israeli regime's settlement activities in the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
The resolution was approved by the permanent members of the Security Council (except the US), the member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and other UN members, said Mohammad Khazaei late Friday after the council wrapped up voting on the resolution.
However, the single no vote by the US could annul the unanimous yes vote by the other fourteen members, the Iranian official added.
The fact that a single vote can revoke the vote of the majority shows the Security Council is structurally weak, Khazaei noted.
This US move once again undermined the credibility of the Security Council, the top Iranian diplomat went on to say.
It is because of such reasons that Iran suggests the United Nations, especially the Security Council, be restructured.
The top Iranian envoy predicted that the resolution would be passed at the UN General Assembly with an overwhelming majority of votes.
The question of restructuring the UN has been on the table for some 15 years now, he said.
Fourteen countries on Friday voted in favor of a resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and East al-Quds, but US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice vetoed it.
Such cases show the Security Council cannot guarantee to safeguard people's lives and possessions, he noted.
The United Nation has repeatedly condemned Israel for defying international calls to halt its settlement construction activities.
Palestinians view Israel's unrelenting settlement construction activities as a major hurdle smothering their efforts to establish an independent state on the territories Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.
According to data from the Palestinian Information Center, Israel has demolished 995 Palestinian homes and displaced 5,783 individuals -- among them 3,109 children -- in the occupied al-Quds since the start of 2000.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/165944.html
Palestinians want day of rage against US
Tirawi: Considering options
Fatah, Hamas leaders incensed by decision to veto UN vote to condemn Israeli settlements, saying it reveals lie behind calls for democracy, freedom in Arab world. We'll appeal to General Assembly, says PLO secretary.
Palestinian leaders called for a "day of rage" Saturday in the streets of West Bank cities after the US vetoed a UN condemnation of Israeli settlements Friday.
Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said the Palestinians would take their resolution to the UN General Assembly.
"Our decision today is to go to the General Assembly of the United Nations to adopt a resolution condemning settlements and asserting their illegality before returning to the Security Council to present a proposed condemnation of settlements," he told AFP.
"The American veto will not prevent us from appealing to international institutions and will not stop our desire for freedom and independence."
Tawfik Tirawi, a member of the Fatah central committee, said the veto had revealed the US true face and that it reflects the lie behind the country's call for freedom and democracy in the Arab world.
"We will not capitulate to the American blackmail imposed on us," Tirawi said, calling for protesters to hit the streets on Friday of next week.
Erekat: Settlements illegal
He added that the Palestinian Authority was prepared to suffer the financial consequences of a crisis in relations with the US, from which it receives economic aid.
Tirawi said the Palestinians would not sacrifice their values and that direct negotiations with Israel would not proceed as long as the state continued to build in settlements. "We are considering all of our options," he said.
More moderate Fatah officials also criticized the US. Former chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the veto was unjustified.
"It appears the US does not see the dramatic changes going on in the region, which are bringing freedom and democracy," he said, adding that the Palestinians would "make use of our right to appeal to international institutions, because the settlements are illegal".
After the decision was made public Friday night, senior PLO member Yasser Abed Rabbo said the Palestinians would "reconsider peace negotiations", adding that the US decision was "unbalanced" and hurt the peace process.
On Saturday morning Hamas held a press conference in Gaza aimed at criticizing the US as well. "The American veto is an oppressive decision which disgraces the rights of the Palestinian people and reveals the truth about US support for all of the crimes the Zionist enemy commits in its service," said spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.
He called on the Palestinian Authority to stop negotiating with Israel and instead focus on strengthening languishing ties between Palestinian factions.
Netanyahu: Direct talks only way
Meanwhile, Israel commended the US decision. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said that "the continuing attempts by the Palestinians to circumvent direct negotiations and impose a solution have been doomed to failure".
"If the Palestinians are serious about solving the conflict they should halt the political attacks against Israel and renew direct negotiations immediately without excuses," he said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the veto by saying that "Israel has remained committed to regional peace with all of its neighbors, including the Palestinians".
"We aspire to a solution that will combine legitimate Palestinian aims with Israe's need for security and recognition. The US decision clarifies that the only way to peace is through negotiations," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4030735,00.html
Full text: UN Security Council draft resolution
The following is the full text of the draft UN Security Council resolution condemning continued Israeli settlements that the Obama administration vetoed late Friday. All other member states voted in favor.
The Security Council,
Recalling its relevant resolutions, including resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 446 (1979), 452 (1979), 465 (1980), 476 (1980), 478 (1980), 1397 (2002), 1515 (2003), and 1850 (2008),
Reaffirming the applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, to the Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the other Arab territories occupied since 1967,
Reaffirming that all Israeli settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, are illegal and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of peace on the basis of the two-State solution,
Condemning the continuation of settlement activities by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of all other measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Territory, in violation of international humanitarian law and relevant resolutions,
Bearing in mind also the obligation under the Quartet Roadmap, endorsed by its resolution 1515 (2003), for a freeze by Israel of all settlement activity, including natural growth, and the dismantlement of all settlement outposts erected since March 2001,
Reiterating its vision of a region where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders,
Taking note of the strong support expressed by the Quartet for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations for the resolution of all final status issues within one year,
Stressing the urgency of achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace on the basis of the relevant resolutions, the Madrid terms of reference, including the principle of land for peace, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Quartet Roadmap,
Reaffirms that the Israeli settlements established in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, are illegal and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace;
Reiterates its demand that Israel, the occupying Power, immediately and completely ceases all settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and that it fully respect all of its legal obligations in this regard;
Calls upon both parties to act on the basis of international law and their previous agreements and obligations, including under the Roadmap, aimed, inter alia, at improving the situation on the ground, building confidence and creating the conditions necessary for promoting the peace process;
Calls upon all parties to continue, in the interest of the promotion of peace and security, with their negotiations on the final status issues in the Middle East peace process according to its agreed terms of reference and within the timeframe specified by the Quartet in its statement of 21 September 2010;
Urges in this regard the intensification of international and regional diplomatic efforts to support and invigorate the peace process towards the achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East;
Decides to remain seized of the matter.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=361385
Report: Israel sold 1,400 West Bank, J'lem settlement homes in 2010
NAZARETH, (PIC)-- The Israeli Ministry of Housing sold 1,400 to settlers in East Jerusalem and the West Bank in 2010, a Palestinian researcher inside 1948- occupied Palestine said in a report on Saturday.
According to data gathered by Attorney Qais Nasser, a lecturer in planning, most of the units were sold in Modi'in (668), Har Homa (319), Ma'ale Adumim (101), Beitar Illit (126) and Givat Ze'ev (78).
The report says houses sold that year constitute 35 per cent of the total houses sold by the Housing Ministry.
Nasser warned that the ministry is working to build and market around 5,000 new settlement units in Jerusalem and the West Bank, as well as develop structural plans to build around 3,300 new homes in Har Homa, Homat Shamuel, Ramot and Ramat Shlomo in Jerusalem.
http://bit.ly/euFJqg
Yes We Can
By Rafat Shomali
As a Palestinian, the United States presidential elections where never interesting to me, if you ask a Palestinian kid that is 12 years old, who is behind Israel? He will not think twice, he will tell you the United States of America.
In 2008 we felt it was different, I personally brought a poster to the office that said "Obama for President" I felt it was the beginning of a change, the fact that Barack Obama was elected, I thought things would be different now.
I also thought if Martin Luther King was living he would have been very proud, and there was lots of debate between Palestinians on whether Obama will make a change or not, but once again, the American government has shamelessly shown its inability to be neutral is this crisis. It has no credibility when it comes to brokering peace, by protecting, and supporting, a rogue nation.
Israel has continuously defied the world community by building illegal settlements, and it has continuously appeared to whisper their disapproval, whilst shielding Israel from censure and any accountability.
This is a good example of why they are hated around the world. If this was by some chance Iran, would they be putting up with all the attacks on neighbors, especially civilians hit by cluster bombs, white phosphorous powder, attacks on activist boats over international waters, the grabbing of lands and burning of olive trees, to name a few of Israel's wonderful acts, and protect them at the UN? Shame on you America, and shame on your government for acting like a stooge of Israel.
Yet again the US gov kowtows to Israel's occupation, under coercion from The Lobby, Israel, & supporters within Congress, & illegal Israeli "settlements" instead of supporting basic tenets of international law & the UN Charter, including international Human Rights Law & the Fourth Geneva Conventions regarding territory under occupation, & the sentiments of the rest of the world.
The American Government is putting your nation & honor on the wrong side of history with this conflict & this vote. This vote & over $5.5 billion in annual aid to Israel makes you complicit to their crimes.
The Fourth Geneva Convention states:
The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.
Under International law it is illegal to acquire territory by force of arms; war, illegal to colonize occupied territory, illegal to apply racist or other oppressive/repressive acts to those under occupation, illegal to subject the occupied population to collective punishment/attack regardless of supposed provocations, illegal to build the separation barrier, AKA apartheid wall, ruled illegal by the legal arm of the United Nations (The International Court of Justice) including the humanitarian disaster caused by the wall and its building (homes demolished, farms destroyed/confiscated) It is also the right of those under occupation to resist occupation.
My dear friends Obama did not just prove to the world that the US is incapable of condemning criminal activity, but actually, he proved AGAIN that the US is complicit in criminal activity.
It is time to stand up more than ever for our own rights, It is the time for a huge non-stop non-violent movement in all parts of Palestine, it is time for our government to wake up and join us in the streets.
I end up saying it is now the time to remove the Obama For President poster from our office. Our faith is in our own hands, and "YES WE CAN".
http://bit.ly/fAGBZ9
Hamas says US veto of UN settler vote outrageous
GAZA CITY (AFP) -- Hamas said on Saturday that the US use of its veto to block a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements was "outrageous" and urged an end to Palestinian-Israeli contacts.
The Islamist group which controls Gaza said the behaviour of President Barack Obama's administration in Friday night's council session should serve as a wake-up call for President Mahmoud Abbas and his West Bank-based authority.
"This is an arbitrary and outrageous decision against the Palestinian people," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said.
"It should push the PA to adopt a strategy of unity... and take a national decision to end all forms of negotiations with the [Israeli] occupation."
He said Washington had again shown itself to be "completely biased towards the occupation and this confirms the failure of betting on a peace settlement."
The US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, said on Friday that Washington was "regrettably" opposing the draft resolution. She said that should not be seen by Israel as support for continued settlement building on occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem.
Ahead of the vote, the United States had pressured the Palestinians to drop their backing for the resolution, but to no avail, with Abbas rejecting a personal appeal from Obama.
Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down late last year after the expiry of a temporary freeze on Jewish settlement activity in the West Bank.
US attempts to coax Israel into renewing the freeze ran aground in December, with the Palestinians refusing to return to the negotiating table while Jewish settlers build on land they want for a future state.
Jewish settlement activity on Palestinian land seized during the 1967 Six-Day War is considered illegal by the international community, including the United States.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=361396
West Bank protest after US vetoes UN resolution
QALQILIYA (Ma'an) -- Hundreds of cars sped through the Palestinian town of Qalqiliya late Friday as the Obama administration vetoed a UN resolution condemning continued Israeli settlements.
Protesters honked horns in a show of support for President Mahmoud Abbas' refusal to give in to the US government's last-minute efforts to avoid the vote at the UN Security Council, onlookers said.
Residents expressed disappointment that the US voted in favor of Israel and settlements.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=361359
Political science professor: Abbas and his entourage must leave
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Dr. Abdul-Sattar Qasem, a professor of political sciences at the Al-Najah National University, called on Palestinian de facto president Mahmoud Abbas to step down from office, describing steps Abbas has taken to thwart West Bank settlement activity as worthless.
"There is an attempt to disparage the people's minds, Qasem told the PIC in an interview on Friday night. What is the value of a resolution from the United Nations regarding the illegality of settlement activity when there are already many resolutions stating settlement activity is illegal and not consistent with international law?
Abbas has gone before the UN Security Council to pass a resolution condemning settlement activity, a move the US used its veto to thwart.
"Whether they go or do not go [before the UN] nothing will change, and settlement activity will not be stopped, Qasem said, adding that the PA has nothing left in its power.
An attention turner
Discussing marches Fatah called for Friday night in support of Abbas's position, Qasem said: This is something trivial. Why are they gathering staff and security men and rallying them in marches similar to what Arab regimes that are beginning to fail have used to do?
He said the move was designed to divert the attention of movements in the Palestinian street which has rejected the concessions made by Abbas and Palestinian negotiators.
They must go
Qasem shed light on what is expected of the Palestinian Authority in coping with the current wave of change sweeping the region. What is required is that he (Abbas) leaves us along with his group. It is enough what they have engaged in throughout 23 years (in leadership).
This is the demand of the general public throughout occupied Palestinian land especially the West Bank, he said. The Ramallah authority has insulted our people and made us a laughing stock and has caused havoc in the land and renounced our people's rights and committed many acts our people are not pleased with.
http://bit.ly/gyOT10
Deputy FM: PA must stop attacking Israel
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon commended the US veto of a UN resolution to condemn Israeli settlements. "The continuing attempts by the Palestinians to circumvent direct negotiations and impose a solution have been doomed to failure," he said.
"If the Palestinians are serious about solving the conflict they should halt the political attacks against Israel and renew direct negotiations immediately without excuses."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4030694,00.html
Netanyahu: Peace only through direct talks
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to a US decision to veto a condemnation of Israeli settlements at the UN and said that "Israel has remained committed to regional peace with all of its neighbors, including the Palestinians".
"We aspire to a solution that will combine legitimate Palestinian aims with Israel's need for security and recognition. The US decision clarifies that the only way to peace is through negotiations," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4030666,00.html
Radwan: American veto blatant bias in favor of Israel
GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Ismail Radwan, a Hamas leader, has charged that the US veto against a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian land reflected absolute bias in favor of Israel.
He said in a statement on Friday night that the veto also constituted a slap in the face of the Fatah-controlled authority in the West Bank that had wagered on the US.
He underlined that there was no more excuse for de facto president Mahmoud Abbas to continue in the frivolous settlement process.
For his part, Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, described the American veto as "shameful", adding that it unmasked the American role that obstructs the international consensus on illegitimacy of Israeli settlement activity in the occupied lands.
He said in a press release on Saturday that the veto was an American reward for the Israeli occupation's crimes and violations against the Palestinian people.
"The US administration was never honest in its patronage of any settlement project or peace process," Barhoum said.
He urged Abbas and his authority to end all forms of negotiations with Israel and to solidify the internal Palestinian front in face of challenges.
The US on Friday vetoed a UNSC resolution to condemn Israeli settlement activity, which was approved by 14 members out of the 15-member council.
http://bit.ly/eO6PdZ
Fury after US veto at Security Council
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A top Fatah leader and former intelligence official called Saturday for a "day of rage" against America after the Obama administration blocked a Palestinian resolution at the UN Security Council.
Tawfik Tirawi said Palestinians would protest next Friday, a week after the US directed its UN ambassador to kill the resolution even though the 14 other members of the 15-nation council voted in favor.
Tirawi told Ma'an that the move amounted to "blackmail" and exposed the true face of America as well as the extent to which its role in the Middle East peace process harms Palestinian interests.
America's refusal to take a real stand against settlements, despite total opposition in the Security Council and longstanding US policy, shows "they are liars who pretend to support democracy and peace. Far from it."
Tirawi also said the Palestinians would continue to push for statehood even if they suffer a financial crisis absent US funding: "This will not affect our steadfastness and insistence on our rights."
Asked about the peace process, he said "there will be no negotiations with settlements."
In New York, US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said Washington had "regrettably" chosen to oppose the resolution, sponsored by some 130 countries, after seeking its compromise measure was rejected.
"This draft resolution risks hardening the positions of both sides," Rice said. "It could encourage the parties to stay out of negotiations."
Right after the US vetoed the resolution late Friday, Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary-general of the PLO, said the Palestinians would have to "re-evaluate the entire process of negotiations."
Palestinian officials said Abbas turned down a request by US President Barack Obama to withdraw the motion for condemnation and settle instead for a council statement calling for a settlement freeze.
His response came Friday during a telephone call between Abbas and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"There is no change in the Palestinian and Arab position about the proposal presented to the UN Security Council condemning Israeli settlement on Palestinian land," it read.
One senior Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the offer, made in an hour-long phone call from Obama, was accompanied by veiled threats of "repercussions" if it were refused.
"Obama threatened on Thursday night to take measures against the Palestinian Authority if it insists on going to the Security Council to condemn Israeli settlement activity, and demand that it be stopped," the official said.
"There will be repercussions for Palestinian-American relations if you continue your attempts to go to the Security Council and ignore our requests in this matter, especially as we suggested other alternatives," the official quoted Obama as telling Abbas.
The US president was referring to a package of incentives laid out earlier this week aimed at persuading the Palestinians to withdraw their support for the draft resolution.
After the Palestinians rejected the initial US offer, Obama rang Abbas to suggest that the Security Council make a call for a settlement freeze.
During the conversation, Abbas rejected that proposal too.
"Stopping settlement activity is a Palestinian demand that will not be taken back because it was the reason the peace process fell apart," the Palestinian official quoted him as saying.
In the Gaza Strip, Abbas's rival Hamas said the exchange proved its long-held contention that the White House was not an honest broker in the dispute with Israel.
"This confirms the total support by the American administration for the arbitrary policy of the occupation government," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in the Gaza Strip.
US-brokered peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians stalled in late 2010 after the expiry of a temporary freeze on Jewish settlement building in the West Bank.
Efforts by Washington to coax Israel into reimposing a freeze collapsed in December, and the Palestinians are refusing to continue negotiating while Israel builds on land they want for their promised state.
The United States, which regularly uses its Security Council veto power to stop anti-Israeli initiatives, was very keen to avoid the vote because it does not want to be forced to cast a veto.
It was the first time the United States used its veto power since Obama took office in January 2009.
Palestinians accuse Washington of failing to do enough to rein in Israeli settlement construction in Jerusalem and the West Bank, which they say is laying down territorial realities on land claimed for a future state.
http://bit.ly/eY4cC5
Abbas aide surprised after UN settlements vote
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A top aide to President Mahmoud Abbas was "surprised" by the US administration's veto of a UN vote condemning Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, he said Friday.
Nabil Abu Rdeineh "was surprised with the US position," he said in a statement.
The decision "will further complicate things in the Middle East," he added. "The US veto will not serve the peace process, it'll encourage Israel to continue settlement activity and evade its commitment to peace."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=361271
Fatah leader wants `day of anger` after US veto
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Fatah leader Tawfik Tirawi called Saturday for a "day of anger" against America next week after the US administration blocked a resolution condemning Israeli settlements at the UN.
Tirawi said the US veto at the Security Council exposed the true face of America and the extent to which its role harms Palestinian interests. America preaches democracy but "they are far from it," he says.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=361342
Human Rights Watch blasts settlements veto
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The US veto of a proposed UN resolution calling upon Israel to end illegal policies that promote settlements undermines enforcement of international law, Human Rights Watch said Friday.
The Geneva Conventions, to which Israel is a party, prohibit the transfer of a country's civilian population into territory it occupies, Human Rights Watch reiterated in a statement shortly after the Security Council vote.
"Obama wants to tell the Arab world in his speeches that he opposes settlements, but he won't let the Security Council tell Israel to stop them in a legally binding way," said Sarah Whitson, the group's Mideast director.
http://bit.ly/i2RAx3
AIPAC applauds US veto of settlements resolution
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The pro-Israel group AIPAC expressed its appreciation for the Obama administration's veto that blocked a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements at the Security Council.
The Washington-based group said in a statement that the primary obstacle to the peace process was President Mahmoud Abbas refusal to negotiate with Israel until it abides by previously signed agreements.
AIPAC added that "The most effective action the administration can take to encourage peace is to use its influence to bring PA President Abbas back to the negotiating table immediately and unconditionally."
http://bit.ly/fc9hjN 7 jan 2012, 21:26 , Respect -
Maria 20 febr 2011
Deputy FM: Anti-settlement vote proves UN is a rubber stamp for Arab nations
Daniel Ayalon's comment comes as U.S. veto prevents settlement activity condemnation, with the other 14 Security Council members voting in its favor.
A recent attempt to condemn Israel's settlement building in the United Nations proves that the international organization serves as a mere rubber stamp for Arab nations, Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon told Israel Radio on Sunday, adding that the United States proved itself to be the only country capable of promoting peace in the Middle East.
The United States, as one of the five permanent UN council members with the power to block any action by the Security Council, voted against a draft resolution condemning settlement building on Friday, thus striking it down. The other 14 Security Council members voted in its favor.
Friday's veto was the 10th U.S. veto on a Mideast issue since 2001, and the first by the Obama administration.
Speaking with Israel Radio on Sunday, Ayalon said that the vote "proved that the United States is the only country capable of advancing the peace process and the only righteous one speaking the truth: that direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians are required."
The deputy FM also said that the "UN serves as a rubber stamp for the Arab countries and, as such, the General Assembly has an automatic majority."
"The U.S. also disagrees with the settlements, but understands the difference between a legitimate discussion and decisions that have practical significance," continued Ayalon.
Ayalon said the Palestinians should understand that they will not succeed in forcing Israel into anything and are better off renewing negotiations without any preconditions.
Following the U.S. veto of a Palestinian submitted draft resolution that would have condemned Israeli settlements as illegal, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said she agreed with her fellow Council members "about the folly and illegitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity" but thinks it "unwise for this Council to attempt to resolve the core issues that divide Israelis and Palestinians."
Rice said the "draft resolution risks hardening the positions of both sides. It could encourage the parties to stay out of negotiations and, if and when they did resume, to return to the Security Council whenever they reach an impasse," said Rice.
http://bit.ly/i22RFH
Abbas keen on relations with the US despite its bias in favor of Israel
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- De facto president Mahmoud Abbas insisted on his relations with the US despite the blow dealt to him by Washington last night, when the latter used the right of veto over a UN security council's resolution against Israel's settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian lands.
Abbas said his authority would never boycott the American administration despite its bias in favor of Israel.
The resolution garnered 14 votes in the 15-member council.
In another context, director of the chamber of commerce and industry in occupied Jerusalem Azzam Abu Assaud said the Fatah-controlled Palestinian authority (PA) and its de facto government did not give due importance to Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque.
Abu Assaud affirmed that in a speech during a symposium on Jerusalem held Saturday in the Jordanian capital, Amman.
He stressed that the PA and successive government had provided the Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem with only four percent of the budgets allocated for them so far.
The Palestinian official also noted that the PA ministry of religious affairs does not take care at all of the Aqsa Mosque, especially the Dome of Rock, while the Jews are embarking on Judaizing the holy city through a number of steps including the seizure of Palestinian property and real estate.
http://bit.ly/fhTZ7u
Jihad urges Abbas to give up the "peace process"
GAZA, (PIC)-- Islamic Jihad has lashed out at the US for using its veto power to block a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel for building settlements in occupied Palestinian land.
Khaled Al-Batesh, a Jihad leader, said in a press release on Saturday that the veto was a slap in the face of those who wagered on the "peace process", proving their failure in wagering on a political solution with the "Zionist entity".
He urged the Fatah-controlled PA in Ramallah led by de facto president Mahmoud Abbas to give up the "peace process".
The US step displayed its absolute bias in favor of Israel, Batesh said, charging that it proved the US was an accomplice in all Israeli crimes and aggressions.
The Jihad leader said that the US veto also reflected American arrogance and Washington's denial of the Palestinians legitimate rights.
http://bit.ly/fecrtV
Nearly 3,000 Palestinians rally against U.S. veto on settlement resolution
Mass demonstration in Ramallah backed by members of Abbas' Fatah faction; Palestinian PM decries Obama's defense of the veto as 'offensive', offers concessions to Hamas in apparent show of frustration over U.S. policy.
Nearly 3,000 Palestinians demonstrated Sunday in the West Bank city of Ramallah to protest at the United States veto of a United Nations resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Palestinian media reported.
Some of the demonstrators chanted "Get Out, Obama!" in the Al Manara main square of the city. Their protests were backed by members of Fatah, the party of the Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.
Central Committee member Mahmoud Al-Alul called the veto an expression "against the Palestinian people and its freedom, and it supports Israeli injustice, oppression and occupation," according to Palestinian news agency Maan.
The U.S. voted Friday against a resolution at the United Nations Security Council which condemned Israeli settlements, describing them as illegal, and called on Israel to stop all building activities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The other 14 Security Council members voted in favor.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad Fayyad angrily denounced the U.S. veto earlier Sunday. "The Americans have chosen to be alone in disrupting the internationally backed Palestinian efforts," Fayyad said.
Palestinian officials quoted President Barack Obama as telling them that if he had gone forward with the measure, Israel's supporters in Congress had threatened to withhold financial aid to the Palestinians.
"I found this offensive," Fayyad said. "We are not willing to compromise our national enterprise for a fistful of dollars, however big or small."
The Palestinians receive more than $200 million a year in direct financial assistance from the U.S., making Washington the largest individual donor to Fayyad's government.
Also on Sunday, the Palestinian prime minister appealed to the rival Hamas group to join him in a united government, offering to allow the Islamic militants to retain security control of the Gaza Strip until elections later this year.
Fayyad's proposal to his Islamic militant rivals reflected the Palestinians' deep frustration over Washington's handling of Mideast peace efforts.
Any partnership with the anti-Israel Hamas would likely draw international criticism and all but rule out hopes of reviving negotiations. The U.S., EU and Israel shun Hamas as a terror organization.
But with peace talks stalled for nearly four months and few hopes for getting them back on track, Fayyad's Western-backed government in the West Bank is now turning its focus to internal politics.
The Palestinian areas have been divided between two rival governments since Hamas violently seized control of Gaza nearly four years ago. Reunification is essential for the Palestinians, who hope to establish a state that includes both areas.
Fayyad told The Associated Press in an interview that the split has gone on too long. "We need to move to end the split," he said during a tour of the northern West Bank, where he inaugurated new schools and roads and condemned Israel's destruction of Palestinian homes it says are illegally built.
President Mahmoud Abbas announced earlier this month that he would hold long overdue parliamentary and presidential elections in September.
The move appeared to be motivated by pro-democracy protests erupting throughout the Middle East as well as the leak of secret negotiating documents to the Al-Jazeera TV station. Those documents showed that Abbas had offered generous concessions to Israel during past rounds of peace talks. The disclosures embarrassed Palestinian leaders.
Hamas has said it would boycott the elections unless there is reconciliation first. Abbas has since taken the view that elections could not be held without Gaza.
Fayyad, a U.S.-educated economist who enjoys international respect, refused to say whether elections would be canceled. Instead, he said his focus is to work with Hamas to make the elections take place.
Fayyad acknowledged that many details need to be worked out, but he said that as long as Hamas continues to respect a cease-fire with Israel, all other areas of disagreement could be bridged.
http://bit.ly/eKAgAc 7 jan 2012, 21:27 , Respect -
Maria 21 febr 2011
Housing Minister condemns large-scale settlement construction plan in OJ
GAZA, (PIC)-- Gaza Minister of Public Works and Housing Yousef al-Mansi condemned approved plans to erect 3,300 homes for Jewish settlers in Jerusalem as announced by Israeli occupation.
He emphatically stressed the need to address the plans designed to Judaize the holy city.
"The occupation government continues at an accelerated pace in settlement activity in Jerusalem and the West Bank, with 5,000 new settlement units recently built, Mansi said in a press release Monday.
The Gaza minister called for a complete stop to settlement activity saying it will distort the geographic and demographic situation in the Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The statement also calls for salvation the Aqsa Mosque from Israeli construction plans and supporting the Jerusalemites in order to counter those projects.
Mansi praised the people of Jerusalem for their steadfastness in the face of Israel's schemes and conspiracies targeting the Aqsa Mosque and occupied West Bank.
http://bit.ly/gSd0Wc
Analysts: US an enemy to the Palestinians
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Palestinian Authority has been slapped in the face time and again by the US. Most recently, the US used its veto power to strike down an Arab resolution put to the UN Security council that would have condemned Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, a last straw exposing the US's position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The PIC spoke with several political analysts to give their take on the situation
"America practically sponsors the Zionist entity and has adopted its settlement activity, politics and military, said political analyst Hassan Abdo. It only talks about peace today while doing everything in relation to war. So we must reveal the reality of its positions and that it is an enemy and not just a biased party,.
"The decision was certainly a slap by the U.S. To the negotiation process hosted by Washington, he told our correspondent.
"Fatah is called on to quickly resolve its positions concerning its future. Will it remain working for Israeli interests, or will it work for the interests of the nation? If it chooses the latter, I believe we will see a new unprecedented condition and it will put us at the start of restoring lost rights, Abdo went on to say.
"The veto was along the lines of strategic alliance between America and Israel in particular and the west in general, so it was not surprising that there was a challenge to international will in order to support Israel in its illegal acts against the Palestinians, said political analyst Naji al-Batta.
He added that the Palestinian negotiator is weak and is always trying to escape embarrassment by linking his failures to the UN and its security council.
"[Fatah] lives in a state of confusion, he said. There are corrupt and weak streams inside Fatah. The first tries to link its interests with Israel. This group has entered the path of no return. But there may be uncalculated surprises such as some second line Fatah leaders leaving and changing the political scene by ceasing to run towards Israel and the west.
Several national parties and figures have strongly denounced the US's use of its veto to strike down a UN resolution condemning settlement construction in Palestine, and have called on leaders to take stands rejecting American pressure and to cut short negotiations until settlement activity comes to a halt.
http://bit.ly/hzejXv 7 jan 2012, 21:27 , Respect -
Maria 22 febr 2011
Plans for three East Jerusalem housing projects put on hold
The Jerusalem planning and building committee was supposed to have considered three plans concerning the neighborhoods of Har Homa and Armon Hanatziv at its meeting yesterday.
The Jerusalem planning and building committee yesterday took three plans for construction in Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem off its agenda, saying that the plans were not yet ripe for discussion.
The committee was supposed to have considered three plans concerning the neighborhoods of Har Homa and Armon Hanatziv at its meeting yesterday.
The first called for construction of nine public buildings and 50 housing units in Har Homa. The second involved a new road to link this neighborhood with Hebron Road, a major Jerusalem artery; that would open the way for constructing hundreds of new housing units.
The third called for expanding Armon Hanatziv to the south by building 150 new housing units.
But Deputy Mayor Kobi Kahlon, the committee chairman, announced just before the meeting that the three plans had been taken off the agenda. Kahlon said the plans weren't "ripe," but city councilmen on both left and right told Haaretz yesterday they believe diplomatic considerations were behind the move.
The Jerusalem planning authorities have been known to avoid discussing politically sensitive construction plans before.
This tendency increased sharply after a major diplomatic crisis erupted between Israel and the United States because the planning committee approved the construction of 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem's Ramat Shlomo neighborhood while U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was visiting the city. Ever since, the Prime Minister's Office has reportedly been monitoring the planning authorities to ensure there were no further diplomatic faux pas.
Outside interference?
Elisha Peleg, a city councilman for the Likud party, told Haaretz yesterday he found Kahlon's explanation unconvincing. "I fear that what we are seeing here is political and diplomatic intervention in planning processes, which damages the provision of services to these neighborhoods' residents," he said. "This is a case of outside interference in decision making, and I take an extraordinarily grave view of this."
Peleg spoke yesterday to Mayor Nir Barkat and asked him to raise the issue at the city council meeting on Thursday.
Another council member, Joseph "Pepe" Alalu (Meretz ), told Haaretz he also believes someone intervened in the decision. "For me, the main player here is not the world, but the Palestinians," he said. "For the Palestinians, the continued construction causes very serious damage, especially in Har Homa, which is outside the political consensus."
Alalu noted that Har Homa is the only Jerusalem neighborhood on which Israeli and Palestinian negotiators failed to agree during Ehud Olmert's term as prime minister, as revealed by the "Palestine Papers" recently released by Al Jazeera.
But the Jerusalem municipality insisted in an official statement that the plans were removed from the agenda only because they were not yet ready for discussion.
http://bit.ly/g7YMIs
Amnesty International says U.S. Veto of UNSC Resolution Gives "Green Light" to Israel to Expand Illegal Settlements
Israeli settlers enjoy the swimming pool in the Maaleh Adumim settlement, West Bank (OPT), September 2009. This settlement was unlawfully established in the West Bank (OPT) in violation of international law; while nearby Palestinian communities struggle to access even minimal quantities of water for their basic needs. (Photo: Angela Godfrey-Goldstein)
Amnesty International Friday condemned the United States' veto of a United Nations Security Council resolution reaffirming that Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) are illegal and demanding that Israel cease all settlement activities in the OPT, including East Jerusalem.
The other 14 members of the UN Security Council voted in favour of Resolution S/2011/24, which was proposed by Lebanon and co-sponsored by some 120 countries.
"The US cannot credibly insist that it opposes Israel's continuing settlement construction while vetoing a resolution that demands Israel fulfil its legal obligations, as well as its previous commitments to the Quartet and the US government," said T. Kumar, Amnesty International U.S.A. International Advocacy director.
"The Israeli government, which seeks to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, will interpret this veto as U.S. approval to do so, and conclude that it can escape international censure."
"We are also concerned about the U.S. government attempts to pressure the Palestinian Authority not to bring this resolution to a vote. If the U.S. is serious about human rights and change in the Middle East, it should back the international consensus against Israeli settlement activity and the resulting human rights violations."
Israel's policy of settling its civilians on occupied land violates the Fourth Geneva Convention and is considered a war crime, according to the statute of the International Criminal Court.
Israel's settlement policy is also inherently discriminatory and results in continuing violations of the rights to adequate housing, water, and livelihoods for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
http://bit.ly/fRwsDB
Israel causing headaches for US in ME
Former US senator Mika Gravel
A former US senator says Israel has become a liability for the United States in the Middle East as the world slams Tel Avivs continued settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.
In an interview with Press TVs US Desk, Mike Gravel said the United States was the only country to support Tel Aviv, which was a great embarrassment to Washington, itself.
He further added that as Arab countries, like Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, and others reconstitute their governments, it would be interesting to see how Washingtons liability will play out.
The United States on February 18 vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution which condemned Israels settlement building in the occupied Palestinian land. The resolution was sponsored by 130 countries.
The veto is the first by the Obama administration amid popular protests against the United States allies in the Arab world.
Reports say Washington argues that a peace process -- and not the United Nations -- is the proper medium for what has been a major dispute between the Palestinians and Israel since 1967, when the settlements started.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/166467.html