- 3 dec 2009
Knesset bill would unfreeze settlement blocs
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Knesset members from Israel's Likud and Kadima parties will draft a resolution to exclude large settlement blocs from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's partial settlement freeze, the Hebrew-language daily Ma'ariv reported Thursday.
According to the newspaper, MK Miri Regev (Likud) has adopted a proposal from Ron Nachman, the illegal Ariel settlement's leader, to be excluded from the building lull, which applies to areas in what Israel calls the the West Bank.
MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima) will support the plan, according to Ma'ariv, which speculated that the draft would be a political embarrassment to Netanyahu, as his party, Likud, was generally in favor of the temporary freeze on certain building, and the opposition, Kadima, is thought to be more politically left-leaning and somewhat ideologically opposed to settlements.
Meanwhile in Tel Aviv, the Israeli prime minister invited West Bank settler leaders to discuss the freeze. During the meeting, according to Israeli media, officials rejected Netanyahu's plan and vowed to continue interfering with inspectors.
Settler leader Dani Dayan told Israel Radio the three-hour meeting was difficult and emotionally charged, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. He said settlers would continue their struggle against the freeze, both through civil disobedience and legal challenges, the newspaper added. The settlers have scheduled a mass demonstration next week in Jerusalem, according to Haaretz.
At the meeting, Netanyahu insisted that the "step makes it clear to the main elements around the world that Israel aspires towards peace and is serious in its intention to achieve peace, while the Palestinians refuse to begin peace negotiations. This step makes it clear who is refusing peace," according to a statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
The PLO has refused to negotiate with Israel while it continues to expand its borders, rejecting a partial settlement freeze that excludes Jerusalem, which the Palestinian leadership believes would amount to a symbolic abandonment of the occupied city.
At the Tel Aviv meeting, Netanyahu also noted: "This order is one-time only and it limits the duration of the suspension. There are nine months and three weeks left. Once the suspension has expired, we will continue to build."
In the meantime, minor renovation projects will go ahead pending the approval of settlement leaders, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced on Wednesday. The announcement, also reported by Haaretz, follows days of protests and stone-throwing in response to the 10-month partial construction moratorium affecting most West Bank settlements.
The freeze does not include the construction of public buildings like schools, synagogues and government institutions, but nevertheless sparked ire among settlers, who accused Israel of preventing population growth. Barak made the concession after a meeting with settlement leaders after settlers closed roads around Nablus in protest of the partial freeze, according to the report.
The freeze was also being cited at the Israeli High Court of Justice by state actors as an excuse to delay the removal of several illegal settlement outposts and the demolition of thousands of illegal Israeli buildings. According to Haaretz, officials said the employees needed for these evacuations and demolitions have been too busy enforcing the freeze.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=244130
Deputy PLC speaker: Disunity serves Israel.
Ramallah – Ma’an – Deputy PLC speaker Hasen Khreisha told Ma’an on Thursday that “the more the Palestinian dispute continued the cheaper the political price Israel will pay to solve the Palestinian cause and to end the occupation.”
He noted that “Israel is pleased with the continued dispute and internal division because it provides a valuable opportunity and alternatives for Israel in dealing with the Palestinian cause, especially due to the multiplicity of the political agenda in the Palestinian arena, which would give the occupation more than one option to choose, providing it an opportunity to escape required political obligations.”
Kheirsha lamented “the recent state of weakness among Palestinians, in which the rival parties are competing to respond with political proposals that would lead to a achieve political settlement, whether through accepting the proposition of a state with temporary borders or achieving political settlements that would reduce Palestinian national rights, especially the refugees issue.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=244157
PNC chief applauds EU's Jerusalem proposal
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The head of the Palestinian National Council, Salim Az-Za’nun, welcomed in a statement on Thursday the EU's move toward recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.
The suggestion was approved during a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers on this week.
Az-Za'nun added that "this move is in the right direction and a victory for international legitimacy and a factor that will encourage stability in the region when Israel abides by other international resolutions concerning not changing the demographic features of Jerusalem ... [and] the return of the refugees, dismantling settlements and the wall."
He also denounced Israel's international campaign against the EU, and particularly Sweden, as "a clear assault while continuing with demolishing homes, stripping Palestinians from their identity cards and building settlement, all issues that will obstruct the resumption of the political process, which will lead to continued tension in the region."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=244113
Israel waters down partial settlement freeze
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Minor renovation projects will go ahead pending the approval of settlement mayors, Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced on Wednesday.
The announcement, reported by the Israeli daily Haaretz, follows days of settler protests and stone-throwing in response to a 10-month partial construction moratorium affecting most West Bank settlements. The freeze did not include the construction of public buildings like schools, synagogues and government institutions, but still sparked ire among settlers, who accused the government of preventing population growth.
According to Haaretz, the relaxation of the temporary ban, will allow projects like enclosing balconies or building pergolas over a porch to move forward.
Palestinians living in Jerusalem and in areas in the West Bank under Israeli military and civil control must pay large fees and wait months or years to secure permits from Israeli officials to undertake similar projects. Israeli forces regularly demolish homes, garages and small renovation projects when Palestinians fail to get a permit but build the small structures anyway.
The latest concession was made during a meeting between Barak and settlement mayors after settlers closed roads around Nablus in protest of the partial, temporary freeze, according to the report.
The freeze is also being cited at the Israeli High Court of Justice by state actors as an excuse to delay the removal of several illegal settlement outposts and the demolition of thousands of illegal Israeli buildings. According to Haaretz, officials said the employees needed for these evacuations and demolitions were busy enforcing the freeze.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=243933
Israel defends refusal to evacuate outposts
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israel's government argued on Thursday that it lacks mechanisms for dismantling illegal settlement outposts, blaming the manpower shortage to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's partial settlement freeze.
The response came after Palestinians and Peace Now petitioned Israel's High Court over the government's refusal to evacuate outposts.
Israel's attorney general responded that "implementing the freeze decision requires enforcing rules that are designed to carry out the decision, which means delaying other missions to enforce the law."
The government added in its response that the Defense Ministry, the Office of the Prime Minister, and others were studying the issue.
Knesset members from Israel's Likud and Kadima parties will draft a resolution to exclude large settlement blocs from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's partial settlement freeze, the Hebrew-language daily Ma'ariv reported Thursday.
According to the newspaper, MK Miri Regev (Likud) has adopted a proposal from Ron Nachman, the illegal Ariel settlement's leader, to be excluded from the building lull, which applies to areas in what Israel calls the the West Bank.
MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima) will support the plan, according to Ma'ariv, which speculated that the draft would be a political embarrassment to Netanyahu, as his party, Likud, was generally in favor of the temporary freeze on certain building, and the opposition, Kadima, is thought to be more politically left-leaning and somewhat ideologically opposed to settlements.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=244166
7 dec 2010, 01:27 , Respect -
Maria 5 dec 2009
Israeli concession is no concession at all
By Yousef Munayyer
The Israelis finally agreed to a 10-month moratorium on settlements in the occupied West Bank. This proposal does not include East Jerusalem, also occupied in 1967, and the would-be capital of a Palestinian state.
Israel will attempt to characterize this as a painful concession in a sincere quest for peace, but in reality this is no concession at all.
In 2003, the Road Map for Peace, adopted by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and the Russian Federation, set forth that the first Israeli obligation was to stop settlements. Yet, in every year since 1994, when the Oslo Accords established a framework for peace negotiations, the world has seen more settlers, settlements and the expansion of existing settlements.
Settlements contravene US policy on this issue and international law. A plethora of UN resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention (to which Israel is a signatory) decry the colonization of Palestinian land.
In effect, what the Israeli prime minister has said is "I'll stop breaking the law, in only some places, and only for a limited period of time."
This does not meet the Road Map expectations of 2003, so to frame this as a concession in 2009 makes it clear to the Palestinians that Israel will not be held accountable by any American administration.
Israeli spokesmen tell Americans that they want peace, but their consistent acts of colonization speak to different intentions.
Palestinians would be fools to fall for this ploy again after years of seeing Israel disregard its obligations while Palestinians continue to live under occupation and the threat of sanctions if they do not march to the beat of Washington's drum. In fact, only days after the announcement of this moratorium, Israel has approved many new settlement homes in the West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's exclusion of East Jerusalem is especially problematic. When Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, it unilaterally increased the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem from 6.5 square kilometers to 71 square kilometers. This encompassed many Palestinian towns, including all of Arab East Jerusalem - home to more than 260,000 Palestinians.
Through active policies of home demolition, evictions and the revocation of residency, Israel pursues ethnic cleansing in the epicenter of this conflict. In fact, Israel has revoked the residencies of 4,500 Palestinians from Jerusalem in 2008, far more than any other year since 1967.
To enter into negotiations without a complete stop to expanding or creating settlements, including in Jerusalem, would be a de facto relinquishing of Jerusalem as a central demand for Palestinians and political suicide for any Palestinian leader.
Netanyahu knows neither Mahmoud Abbas, nor any Palestinian, could accept this. He also knows that he can spin this to seem as if he made a generous offer and the Palestinians missed another opportunity. In short, he knows this is not a concession. That's why he made it.
Because of this, Abbas seems unsure about the American position, stating last week that Obama is "doing nothing for peace."
If the United States welcomes Netanyahu's duplicitous offer and pressures Abbas to re-enter peace negotiations while East Jerusalem continues to be colonized and cleansed, Abbas will get the message.
It's a message that many have feared to be true since that start of the peace process: The United States is incapable of being a fair mediator between the Palestinians and Israel.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=244275
14 dec 2010, 11:49 , Respect -
Maria 6 dec 2009
Netanyahu embraces settlers as 'brothers'
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embraced West Bank settlers as “brothers” while explaining his decision to slow the expansion of settlements.
“The decision was certainly not easy, either for them or for us. It has to do with the heart of the homeland of the Jewish people,” Netanyhu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting.
“It has to do with settlers, Israelis who are our brothers; they are part of us and we are part of them,” Netanyahu said.
He added that the order to halt building in most West Bank settlements “was made because we see it as serving broader interests, perhaps the State of Israel's broadest interests.”
“Today, it is clear even to those who were unclear previously – those who want peace and those who are currently acting as refusers of peace,” he added.
“The State of Israel wants peace in the clearest possible sense. This was made clear following the Cabinet decision,” he also said.
He admitted that” there are difficulties that accompany this decision and there are unnecessary difficulties that are not part of the decision, but stem from a lack of bureaucratic and other clarity.”
As he spoke, settlers took out their anger not on the Israeli government or military, but on local Palestinians. Near the city of Nablus, witnesses and PA officials reported that settlers set fire to buildings and vehicles. Israeli Defense Ministry officials told Ma’an they had received complaints about the attacks.
Netanyahu explained he asked a team of Israeli ministers, generals, and other officials to tackle what he termed “unnecessary difficulties.”
The team includes Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Minister Benny Begin, Cabinet Secretary Tzvi Hauser and Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Maj.-Gen. Eitan Dangot. The task force began work on Friday, Netanyahu said.
In his remarks Netanyahu stressed that the settlement slowdown is limited to a 10 month timeframe.
“I would like to make something else clear,” the Israeli leader said. “This suspension is for its stated timeframe – and not beyond.”
”In the Cabinet decision, we made it clear that upon the conclusion of the period of suspension, construction will resume.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=244683
17 dec 2010, 01:13 , Respect -
Maria 7 dec 2009
PA backs EU declaration on Jerusalem
Ramallah – Ma’an – The cabinet of the Fatah-backed government in Ramallah urged the European Union to adopt what it termed “clear positions in accordance with international law” on Monday.
The call comes as the council of European foreign ministers is set to vote on a resolution that would declare East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital and hint that it would recognize a declared Palestinian state.
The measure introduced by Sweden, obtained by the Israeli daily Haaretz, also calls on the Israeli government "to cease all discriminatory treatment of Palestinians in East Jerusalem."
Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, annexing the Palestinian city and declaring it its "undivided, eternal capital." Israel's claims to the city were never recognized abroad, and most countries' embassies are in Tel Aviv.
The ministers called on the EU in statement to play a role in restarting the long-stalled peace process with Israel.
The cabinet also reaffirmed its view that peace will only be achieved through an end to the Israeli occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The government headed by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad also reiterated its call for a total freeze on the expansion of Israeli settlements in the entire West Bank. It said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to freeze construction in settlements outside of Jerusalem, while approving an additional 3,000 housing units in the city, is a policy that violates international law.
In the same context, the council of ministers condemned Israeli settlers’ attacks on Palestinians, and the Israeli government’s cancellation of residency rights of 4,500 Palestinians in Jerusalem this year.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=245007
17 dec 2010, 01:14 , Respect -
Maria 8 dec 2009
Full text: EU foreign ministers statement on Middle East
The following is the full text of the conclusions of the Council of the European Union’s foreign ministers, adopted at their meeting in Brussels on 8 December.
Council conclusions on the Middle East Peace Process
(FAC, 8 December 2009)
1. The Council of the European Union is seriously concerned about the lack of progress in the Middle East peace process. The European Union calls for the urgent resumption of negotiations that will lead, within an agreed time-frame, to a two-state solution with the State of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous and viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. A comprehensive peace, which is a fundamental interest of the parties in the region and the EU, must be achieved on the basis of the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, the Madrid principles including land for peace, the Roadmap, the agreements previously reached by the parties and the Arab Peace Initiative.
2. The Council reconfirms its support for the United States' efforts to resume negotiations on all final status issues, including borders, Jerusalem, refugees, security and water, respecting previous agreements and understandings. The European Union will not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties. The Council reiterates the EU's readiness to contribute substantially to post-conflict arrangements, aimed at ensuring the sustainability of peace agreements, and will continue the work undertaken on EU contributions on state-building, regional issues, refugees, security and Jerusalem. The Council underlines the need for a reinvigorated Quartet engagement and notes the crucial importance of an active Arab contribution building on the Arab Peace Initiative.
3. The EU stands ready to further develop its bilateral relations with the Palestinian Authority reflecting shared interests, including in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy. Recalling the Berlin declaration, the Council also reiterates its support for negotiations leading to Palestinian statehood, all efforts and steps to that end and its readiness, when appropriate, to recognise a Palestinian state. It will continue to assist Palestinian state-building, including through its CSDP missions and within the Quartet. The EU fully supports the implementation of the Palestinian Authority's Government Plan "Palestine, Ending the Occupation, Establishing the State" as an important contribution to this end and will work for enhanced international support for this plan.
4. Recalling the EU's position as expressed at the Association Council in June 2009, the Council reaffirms its readiness to further develop its bilateral relations with Israel within the framework of the ENP. The EU reiterates its commitment towards the security of Israel and its full integration into the region, which is best guaranteed through peace between Israel and its neighbours.
5. Encouraging further concrete confidence building measures, the Council takes positive note of the recent decision of the Government of Israel on a partial and temporary settlement freeze as a first step in the right direction and hopes that it will contribute towards a resumption of meaningful negotiations.
6. Developments on the ground play a crucial part in creating the context for successful negotiations. The Council reiterates that settlements, the separation barrier where built on occupied land, demolition of homes and evictions are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution impossible. The Council urges the government of Israel to immediately end all settlement activities, in East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank and including natural growth, and to dismantle all outposts erected since March 2001.
7. The EU welcomes Israel’s steps to ease restrictions of movement in the West Bank which have made a contribution to economic growth. The Council calls for further and sustained improvements of movement and access, noting that many check points and road blocks remain in place. The Council also calls on the Palestinian Authority to build on its efforts to improve law and order.
8. The Council is deeply concerned about the situation in East Jerusalem. In view of recent incidents, it calls on all parties to refrain from provocative actions. The Council recalls that it has never recognised the annexation of East Jerusalem. If there is to be a genuine peace, a way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of two states. The Council calls for the reopening of Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem in accordance with the Roadmap. It also calls on the Israeli government to cease all discriminatory treatment of Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
9. Gravely concerned about the situation in Gaza, the Council urges the full implementation of UNSCR 1860 and the full respect of international humanitarian law. In this context, the continued policy of closure is unacceptable and politically counterproductive. It has devastated the private sector economy and damaged the natural environment, notably water and other natural resources. The EU again reiterates its calls for an immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of crossings for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza. In this context, the Council calls for the full implementation of the Agreement on Movement and Access. While extremists stand to gain from the current situation, the civilian population, half of which are under the age of 18, suffers. Fully recognising Israel's legitimate security needs, the Council continues to call for a complete stop to all violence and arms smuggling into Gaza. The Council calls on those holding the abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit to release him without delay.
10. The Council calls on all Palestinians to promote reconciliation behind President Mahmoud Abbas, support for the mediation efforts by Egypt and the Arab League and the prevention of a permanent division between the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza. The Council would welcome the organisation of free and fair Palestinian elections when conditions permit.
11. A comprehensive peace must include a settlement between Israel and Syria and Israel and Lebanon. Concerning the Syrian track, the EU welcomes recent statements by Israel and Syria confirming their willingness to advance towards peace and supports all efforts aimed at the reactivation of the talks between the two countries.
12. The EU recalls that a comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict requires a regional approach and will continue its work on this in line with the June 2009 Council Conclusions using all its instruments to this effect. The EU also calls on all regional actors to take confidence building measures in order to stimulate mutual trust and encourages Arab countries to be forthcoming, both politically and financially, in assisting the Palestinian Authority and to Palestinian refugees through UNRWA.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=245290
EU: Jerusalem must be capital of two states
Bethlehem – Ma’an – European Union foreign ministers on Tuesday called on Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a solution wherein Jerusalem would become the capital of both their states.
"If there is to be a genuine peace, a way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of two states," EU foreign ministers agreed in a statement to released on Tuesday. [Click here to view the full text of the declaration.]
“The European Union will not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties. '' the ministerial resolution said.
The statement also expressed "readiness, when appropriate, to recognise a Palestinian state."
The EU ministers said they “takes positive note of the recent decision of the Government of Israel on a partial and temporary settlement freeze as a first step in the right direction and hopes that it will contribute towards a resumption of meaningful negotiations. “
The final statement also expressed concerned about Israeli policies in Jerusalem and in Gaza.
"The Council is deeply concerned about the situation in East Jerusalem. In view of recent incidents, it calls on all parties to refrain from provocative actions,” the statement said. “The Council recalls that it has never recognised the annexation of East Jerusalem."
The document further "calls for the reopening of Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem in accordance with the Roadmap. It also calls on the Israeli government to cease all discriminatory treatment of Palestinians in East Jerusalem."
Finally the statement also said Israel’s closure of the Gaza Strip’s borders is "unacceptable and politically counterproductive."
A 'victory' for the future Palestinian state
The caretaker government's Prime Minister Salam Fayyad welcomed the EU proposal, considering it a victory in the quest for the international recognition of a Palestinian state.
“This position forms an important stage on the road for the international community to take direct responsibility to end the Israeli occupation on the 1967 Palestinian lands, enable the Palestinian people to achieve self-determination, and establish their independent state with full sovereignty with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Fayyad said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Fayyad stressed that the EU proposal was necessary to recognize the references of the peace process, which are based on the decisions of the UN Security Council and the Arab Peace Initiative, he said, adding that the EU position on east Jerusalem will pave the way for the EU to play a significant role in the political process, in cooperation with the Quartet.
"The time has come for the Israeli leadership to understand that there is no benefit to continuing to bypass the rules of international law and resolutions, and it is useless for Israel to continue to seek imposing a series of 'fait accompli' policies in the territories. Israel is not above the law and is not the only player," he added.
In particular, the prime minister praised the EU's stance on a settlement standstill and the re-establishment of Palestinian institutions in east Jerusalem, and particularly the call to end the devastating siege on Gaza and to open all its border crossings to allow the unlimited flow of humanitarian aid into the Strip.
'Disappointing' draft
However, former Palestinian Minister of Information Mustafa Barghouthi told Ma’an that the draft leaked to media on Tuesday was weak compared with an original draft introduced by Sweden.
“It’s disappointing. The original draft was much better,” he said.
Barghouthi said the call for negotiations was inappropriate at a time when “the most extreme right-wing government is obstructing peace negotiations.”
He said the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had set “impossible conditions” on all issues, including Jerusalem, borders, settlements, and water. “What is left to negotiate?”
“What we need today is pressure on Israel similar to the pressure that was applied on Apartheid South Africa,” Barghouthi said in a phone interview.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem along with the West Bank as a whole in 1967. Israel later claimed to have annexed a swath of the central West Bank as a part of Jerusalem, which it declared its “eternal” capital.
The international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty in areas east of the 1967 Green Line. Foreign governments maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv, and Palestinian residents of Jerusalem reject Israeli citizenship.
Israel welcomes statement
Israel also tentatively welcomed the EU declaration, saying it was better than the original proposal.
“In light of the extreme draft originally presented by the Swedish presidency at the start of discussions, Israel does welcome the fact that at the end of the process the voices of the responsible and reasonable EU states prevailed, balancing and improving the text,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Israeli mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, released a statement saying he "completely rejects the decision of the EU to support the division of Jerusalem, calling it a real danger for the future of Jerusalem that will never work."
"Mayor Barkat noted that the recent celebration of the 20th anniversary of the reunification of Berlin reminds us that no divided city in the history of the world has functioned properly," the statement added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=245232
6 jan 2011, 02:01 , Respect -
Maria 8 dec 2009
Israel bans EU MPs from Gaza
Gaza – Ma’an – Israel banned a delegation of European members of parliament from entering the Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing on Wednesday, despite previously approving the visit, the EU said.
“Israel had yesterday afternoon granted final permission for all members of our delegation to travel,” the European Parliament group said in a statement.
“However, some three hours later entry for all members of the delegation was rescinded ’on security grounds,’ without further explanation,”
“We insist on a full explanation of the security risks claimed by Israel,” the statement continued. “We received the news of the cancellation with bewilderment and dismay.”
“It is extremely curious that the cancellation came within a few hours of the announcement of the EU Council statement re-affirming Europe’s strong position in favor of an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders and an end to settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” the statement added.
They were referring to a statement issued on Tuesday by the EU's foreign ministers calling for Jerusalem to become the capital of both Israel and a future Palestinian state.
The European delegation said it planned to check on humanitarian conditions in Gaza, meet with UNRWA operations director John Ging, and hold talks with members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).
They said they intended to urge PLC members to reconcile with their colleagues in the rival Palestinian administration in Ramallah.
Palestinian sources confirmed that the delegation was scheduled to cross into Gaza at 8am on Wednesday for meetings with UNRWA and PLC officials.
A spokesman for Israel’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
The delegation included Prosinsias De Rossa of Ireland, Kyriacos Triantaphyllides of Cyprus, Potit Salatto of Italy, Rosario Crocetta of Italy, Alexandra Thein of Germany, Nicole Kiil Neilsen of France, Robert Atkins of Britain, and Georgios Toussas of Greece.
Palestinian lawmaker Jamal Al-Khudari, who heads the Popular Committee Against the Israeli Siege of Gaza, said that prohibiting the entry of the delegation was the latest in a string of incidents where top European government officials were banned from Gaza.
Last week Irish Foreign Minister Michel Martin said he had been denied a request to enter Gaza.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto’lu and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner were also barred from Gaza recently.
The European delegation also said that the denial of access into Gaza was minor compared to Israeli violations of Palestinians’ rights: “The inconvenience caused to our delegation is minor compared to the constant tension and harassment to which Palestinians live with in the occupied territories including house demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem, and the appalling conditions under which the people are living in Gaza as reported to us by ECHO, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid office.”
They added that the ban “does not improve the relationship between this Israeli government and the European Parliament.”
“By denying elected members of the European Parliament the opportunity to meet our democratically-elected counterparts of the PLC is an unacceptable interference in the democratic process, and is contrary to international law,” the statement added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=245424
6 jan 2011, 02:03 , Respect -
Maria 12 dec 2009
Fayyad: We reject all interim arrangements
Ramallah – Ma’an – Caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad announced on Saturday that there will be no peace so long as settlement expansion continues, in a speech given at the National Conference for the Strengthening of Palestinian Popular Activity against the Separation Wall and Settlements in Ramallah.
Fayyad added that "the establishment of a Palestinian state on all territories occupied in 1967, chief among them East Jerusalem" remains the sole viable option for guaranteeing peace and stability in the region.
"We strenuously reject all the solutions being proposed by Israel's leaders, such as solutions involving interim arrangements,"
"We have no intention of continuing with the formula of interim arrangements and of accepting a state of strips of territory that have no territorial contiguity."
The prime minister added that "We learned the lessons of the first Intifada and its results. We will act to reach a comprehensive agreement on the basis of resolutions by the international community and we will reject every attempt to once again enter this whirlwind of negotiations without results and long-term arrangements."
The conference in Ramallah was undertaken to encourage Palestinians to launch non-violent demonstrations against the separation wall and settlement growth in the West Bank.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=246231
13 jan 2011, 00:39 , Respect -
Maria 13 dec 2009
Erekat: Israel passed a blueprint for expansion
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) top negotiator, Saeb Erekat, condemned on Sunday an Israeli cabinet vote to pump millions of shekels into illegal West Bank settlements.
The cabinet passed a new “national priority map” on Sunday evening that sets a hierarchy of government attention and funding.
The list of priority areas included for the first time are six West Bank settlements with a total population of about 110,000.
“The intent of Israel’s so called ‘national priority map’ is clear. This map serves as a blueprint for future settlement expansion,” Erekat said in a statement.
He said the map “reveals the extent to which Israel’s ‘settlement moratorium’ is a sham. Rather than make peace its number one priority, Israel continues to prioritize settlements and the relentless colonization of occupied Palestinian land, rendering the two-state solution politically and economically unviable.”
Erekat added that the plan continues financial incentives which have caused the population of the settlements to expand at a rate three times higher than inside Israel.
He went on to label as misleading Israel’s attempt to justify its continued settlement construction as accommodating normal life.
“Settlements are based on evicting Palestinians from their homes, stealing Palestinian land and exploiting Palestine’s natural resources, all in violation of international law. This in no way resembles normal life in any other country,” Dr Erakat said.
All the ministers of three Israeli right-wing parties, Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu and Shas, voted in favor of the map, while Labor’s five ministers voted against it. The vote followed a five-hour debate.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed after the vote that the map did not amount to a permanent plan for the West Bank.
"We will determine the future of settlements only within the framework of a permanent agreement [with Palestinians]," Army Radio quoted Netanyahu as saying, according to the daily Haaretz. "This map is intended to close rifts and this time, also to bring in our security concerns."
The vote comes amid heightened tensions surrounding the settlements after settlers set fire to a Palestinian mosque in the West Bank village of Yasuf on Friday.
Hard-line settler activists have been mobilizing in the West Bank after Netanyahu declared a slowdown on some construction. For two weeks settlers have physically confronted Israeli government agents sent to enforce the partial ban, and also attacked Palestinians.
Erekat praises EU policy
Earlier on Sunday, Erekat praised a recent EU declaration about the Middle East during a meeting with the EU’s envoy for the peace process, Mark Otte.
According to Erekat’s office, the negotiator said the PLO appreciated the conclusions adopted on Tuesday at a Brussels meeting of the EU foreign ministers. The statement called for East Jerusalem to become the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
Erekat told the EU representative that Israeli settlement expansion should be frozen and peace talks resumed from the point they reached with the previous Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, in November 2008.
He also called for the international community to delineate the territory of a Palestinian state based on international law and the 1967 borderline.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=246634
6 aug 2011, 22:05 , Respect -
Maria 15 jan 2009
Settlement construction continues under partial ban
Construction continues on one of the 3,000 West Bank settlement units exempt from the partial short-term construction moratorium announced unilaterally by the Israeli government in November.
The images above are from the Har Gilo settlement, build on lands belonging to the village of Al-Walaja, an area sliced in two by the planned route of Israel's separation wall. Much of Al-Walaja is west of the small settlement, and has been annexed to Israel`s "greater Jerusalem area," though it is in the Bethlehem district.
A map of Al-Walaja (image 2) shows the area in red, north of Har Gilo, south of the Green Line but annexed to Jerusalem. The gray line shows the planned route of the separation wall, though later plans amended the map and will construct the wall around the red outline with a narrow corridor connecting Al-Walaja to the West Bank.
The wall has not yet been constructed in the area, and local residents are attempting to secure an Israeli court order to change the route of the divide. The route was designed to include as many Israeli settlements as possible on the western side of the barrier; as Har Gilo expands, arguments from residents demanding they be on the "Israel" side of the barrier will likely grow louder.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=246002
6 aug 2011, 22:05 , Respect -
Maria 16 dec 2009
Report: US seeking renewed peace talks
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The United States is planning to restart long-stalled peace negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel early in 2010, reports stated on Wednesday.
The Israeli daily Haaretz said negotiations would be revolve around a Palestinian state established within the 4 June 1967 borders, and include land swaps, and a total freeze on the construction of illegal settlements east of the Green Line, although the halt would not be announced publicly.
Egypt and France are also said to be involved in sponsoring the talks.
Egypt's foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said in an interview with the London-based Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat that "once they realized their earlier approach had failed, the Americans see themselves forced to change direction."
American President Barack Obama tried to force sides to the peace table in the fall, asking the Palestinian Authority put aside discussion of possible Israeli war crimes committed during the war on Gaza, and pushing for Israel to declare a settlement construction freeze in order to meet the Palestinian precondition for talks.
The PA faced outrage at what Palestinians perceived as a betrayal of Gazans who were killed or suffered on account of the Israeli war, while the Israeli public railed at a partial, temporary moratorium on the construction of settlement housing units that Palestinians said fell short of their precondition, as outlined in the Roadmap for peace.
PA negotiators pulled out of ongoing talks with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert after the first days of the war on Gaza.
An Egyptian source told Haaretz that Egypt's intelligence minister, Omar Suleiman, is scheduled to visit Israel and then Washington in the coming days.
According to the daily, at a press conference in Beirut last week, Abbas said he expects US special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, to arrive in Jerusalem and Ramallah during the first week of January.
He said Mitchell will be pushing an initiative to renew negotiations, in coordination with the Arab League and on the basis of a complete freeze of settlement construction for five months - without a public statement to that effect.
A spokesman for the US Consulate General in East Jerusalem did not immediately return calls seeking clarification.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=247246
6 aug 2011, 22:05 , Respect -
Maria 17 dec 2009
UN Envoy: Settlement slowdown not enough
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The UN envoy to the Middle East peace process, Robert Serry told the UN Security Council on Thursday that a partial slowdown on the expansion of West Bank settlements falls short of Israel’s obligations.
“Particularly as regards East Jerusalem, the policy falls considerably short of Israel's commitments under the Roadmap to freeze all settlement activity, including ‘natural growth’, and to dismantle outposts erected since March 2001,” Serry said.
He noted that, “Under the terms of the announcement, construction already underway on over 3,000 units and on public buildings will continue -- as evidenced by the approval of a further 28 public buildings in settlements.”
“The restraint does not apply to settlement activity in the Israeli-determined municipal boundaries of East Jerusalem,” he continued. “In addition, on 13 December the cabinet granted additional budget allocations to some 110,000 settlers, many living in isolated settlements deep in the West Bank”
“We are in a race against time to overcome the contradictions on the ground and the crisis of confidence between the parties, and move decisively towards a political end game,” Serry told the security council.
He also said that the Palestinian Authority needs to do more to honor its Road Map obligations, for example by improving security. He noted a late November incident in which the car of the deputy mayor of Nablus was attacked by gunmen.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=247744 18 dec 2011, 14:55 , Respect -
Maria 18 dec 2009
EU foreign policy high rep: East Jerusalem is occupied
Bethlehem - Ma'an - "East Jerusalem is occupied territory," the EU’s new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Baroness Catherine Ashton said in a statement on Friday, underscoring the increasing strength of the European position on a Palestinian Jerusalem.
Ashton was appointed in November, and took up her post on 1 December, when the Lisbon Treaty -expanding the role of the high representative for the EU - took effect. She is the first to hold the expanded office, and is responsible for coordinating a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) within the EU. Javier Solana occupied the original position.
Her statement on a Palestinian Jerusalem follows the signing of a document by the European Foreign Ministers calling for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
"The EU is opposed to the demolition of Palestinian homes, the eviction of Palestinian families, the construction of Israeli settlements and the route of the ‘separation barrier’," she said in a statement issued by the EU.
Baroness Ashton said the latest EU decisions regarding the Middle East and east Jerusalem adopted by the European Council are "very substantive."
“It is now time to move to action and put the Council conclusions into practice. We now need to think about how we can re-engage a political process.”
Baroness Ashton said the EU was addressing the issue of east Jerusalem at political level,the statement said, but also through practical assistance aimed at supporting the Palestinian population in the city. “For example, there is a lack of 1,200 classrooms for the Palestinian children in the city, so we are helping to reinforce education facilities.
"In addition we enable Palestinian hospitals in east Jerusalem to remain viable and we do a lot of work with Palestinian young people in the city, who suffer from high rates of unemployment and psychological problems.”
The EU has implemented a number of activities in east Jerusalem to the cost of 4.6 million Euros, it was added.
The new foreign policy chief further highlighted the EU's concerns over the situation in Gaza. “Israel should re-open the crossings without delay, which would allow a revival of private sector and a reduction of Gaza's aid dependency.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=247816
Lieberman: We will be building again in 10 months
Bethelehm - Ma'an/Agencies - Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Thursday that the 10-month settlement freeze was simply a tactical move and not a real effort to stop settlement growth, Israeli media sources reported Friday.
"It is clear to everyone that in 10 months, we will be building again [in] full force; anyone who understands anything knows this," he told gathered settlers at a meeting in the West Bank settlement town of Ariel as quoted in the Israeli daily Haaretz.
"There will be no more overtures, and we will not make another gesture or quarter gesture. Enough with the theatrics and the mediators." Lieberman added in reference to the government statements in November proclaiming the move was meant to satisfy the Palestinian Authority demand that settlement construction halt before sides resumed peace talks.
Palestinians, however, balked at the unilateral Israeli move, since it was neither a full halt, nor did it apply to all the settlements in Palestinian lands. The order, in fact, applied to only settlements in what Israel terms the West Bank, which does not include East Jerusalem, annexed in 1967. Continuing settlement construction in that sensitive area made the move useless in terms of satisfying Palestinian concerns.
"We are prepared for direct negotiations without any conditions or gestures. The ball is in the Palestinians' court," Lieberman told Haaretz. Palestinians pulled out of talks as Israel started its war on Gaza in December last year, the PA demanded Israel freeze settlement construction in areas that would be a Palestinian state if the negotiations succeed, as an act proving their seriousness to go for a real solution.
On Wednesday, the Saudi newspaper Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat reported that Israeli Minister of Interior Elie Yashi will continue planning for settlement expansion and construction for several new housing units across the West Bank.
"The government has vowed to stop building for 10 months but its decision does not include settlement planning," Yashi said.
"The Ministry of Interior wants to be ready for the period following the freeze by implementing plans for expanding settlements in all parts of the West Bank and will including prioritizing residential areas near the border, known as settlement blocs, and those near Jewish holy sites in Hebron," he added according to Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offer to partially freeze settlement construction, particularly as east Jerusalem was not included in the moratorium.
On Thursday the UN envoy to the Middle East peace process, Robert Serry told the UN Security Council on Thursday that a partial slowdown on the expansion of West Bank settlements falls short of Israel’s obligations.
“Particularly as regards East Jerusalem, the policy falls considerably short of Israel's commitments under the Roadmap to freeze all settlement activity, including ‘natural growth’, and to dismantle outposts erected since March 2001,” Serry said.
The standstill continues to be met with fierce opposition from illegal West Bank settlers, who have impeded inspectors from carrying out the freeze, which has often led to clashes.
Last week, Lieberman said that Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are just a pretext for the Arab world to complain, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman insisted on Friday.
The foreign minister is himself a West Bank settler.
"In terms of facts, our settlements are just a pretext for the Arab world to complain," Lieberman told the Russian-language REKA radio. "As we all remember, settlements have not prevented us from signing a peace agreement with Egypt."
The official lives in the illegal West Bank settlement of Nokdim, near Bethlehem.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=247778 6 jan 2012, 17:11 , Respect -
Maria 19 dec 2009
EU: Israeli government actions against spirit of settlement freeze
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Continuing its vocal support of efforts for a Palestinian state, Consul General of Sweden in Jerusalem Nils Eliasson issued a statement condemning Israel's Sunday decision to include the construction of settlements in its National Priority Areas program.
The statement, issued Friday, came as a Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the Council of the EU, and said the decision ran "counter to the spirit of the settlement freeze," and "prevents the creation of an atmosphere conducive to resuming negotiations on a two-state solution."
Coming the same day as the EU letter, which encouraged "Israel instead to continue along the path set forth by the moratorium," the country's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman settler groups, according to a report in the Israeli press, that the moratorium was only a political ruse, and construction of all manner of settlement buildings would begin after the ten-month partial hiatus.
In what is expected to be one of the last statements by the Swedish EU leadership, set to be handed over to Spain in January, the EU reiterated its position that "settlements on occupied land are illegal under international law," and one more time urged "the Government of Israel to immediately end all settlement activities."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=247806 6 jan 2012, 17:11 , Respect -
Maria 20 dec 2009
Abbas pessimistic about peace process
Ramallah – Ma’an – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed despair about the Middle East peace process in an interview that appeared on Sundaay.
“I found all ways blocked, then I decided not to rerun for another term, and that is not fleeing responsibility,” he told the pan-Arab newspaper Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat.
“I am not optimistic and I do not want to have illusions,” he also said.
He also revealed that former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered him a proposal for a peace agreement that, with land swaps, would give Palestinians land equal to 100% of the territory of the West Bank.
The land swap, previously exposed by the Israeli daily Haaretz, would have involved annexing land to the Gaza Strip in exchange for Israel’s annexation of Jerusalem and major West Bank settlements.
"I clarified that I refused to annex even one Israeli Arab citizen," Abbas was quoted as saying.
Abbas also said that he signed Egypt’s proposal for reconciliation with the Hamas movement over the objections of the US.
“I swore to God that I signed the reconcilliation proposal despite the 20 amendments and strong objection of many, including the Americans,” he said. The president blamed Iran and the Hamas leadership in exile in Damascus for holding back on a unity deal.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=248372 6 jan 2012, 17:11 , Respect -
Maria 22 dec 2009
Former Russian PM: Bush monopolized peace process
Dead Sea, Jordan – Ma’an – Former US President George W Bush monopolized the Middle East peace process and thwarted Russia’s efforts to hold its own peace conference, former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov said on Monday.
He made the remarks at the Middle East 2020: Is the Comprehensive Settlement Possible? conference on the Jordanian shore of the Dead Sea. He said Bush impeded Moscow’s plans for a follow-up summit two months after the 2007 Annapolis peace conference in the US.
Primakov stressed, however, that he was not speaking in an official capacity.
“I don’t represent the Russian government or foreign ministry. I don’t think a conference in Moscow is urgently needed,” he said.
He said the US had originally supported the idea of a Moscow conference, and then balked at the idea.
“The US asked for Russian support during [the] Annapolis conference to secure larger international participation, and they asserted that another conference would follow in Moscow,” he explained.
He added, “To promote the Annapolis conference, President [Vladamir] Putin asked me to tour the Middle East and convince Arab leaders that the Annapolis conference was very important, and that it would be followed with a similar conference in Moscow.”
However, he added that after a while, both Israel and the US told Russia they would not attend a conference in Moscow, so the meeting never happened.
Answering a question about the international community and the US placing pressure on Israel, Primakov said, “I don’t think real pressure is being exerted despite the impressions created after US President [Barack] Obama declared that freezing settlements was necessary for pushing forward the peace process.”
He also accused the US of changing its stance on settlements, noting that Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said recently that a freeze was not a necessary condition for peace talks.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=248683