Should the Palestinians accept Donald Trump's long-awaited Middle-East peace plan?

[shaykh]

I think there is one thing most people will agree on and it is that neither side is interested in peace ...the unveiling of the plan was primarily for Netanyahus election ...and pretty much fell flat ...Likud barely won the election ...

That said let’s assess the plan...

So Jerusalem becomes Israel’s capital while the Palestinians get districts in the East of the city ...

Israeli settlements in current occupied territory will become part of Israel’s...

Israelis control the sea...Israelis would still maintain security control in some Palestinian areas ...

Demilitarisation of Palestine...

Israel gets the Jordan valley ...

What do the Palestinians get ...around 80% of the West Bank in comparison to the 41% they have now...

Billions of international aid towards their state ...

Is this a good plan?...most certainly not if you’re Palestinian...in short it’s not a plan that is remotely realistic ...did anyone take this plan seriously ?...

But then anyone believing that any peace plan would provide equity is living in dream land...the stronger side is naturally in any situation going to hold more cards ...and concede less...and the more and more negotiations that happen and fail ...the less likely it is that the strong side will concede ...the belief that there should be equal concessions made by the victor and the loser has never happened frankly and never will ...

There was a period where there were more concessions ...Ehud Olmert for example ...that era is well and truly gone ...

Things that will never happen by negotiation yet are still requested...or desired...

Destruction of the Jewish state ...

Return to 67 borders...

Right of return...

Return of the Golan heights ...

Jerusalem being part of the Palestinian state ...

And more recently probably the removal of settlements in the West Bank...

Palestinian issues have also largely taken less significance in the Arab world which are more focused on their internal issues or direct external issues...this is also offers little incentive to the Israeli side to make concessions...there was a period where Arab leaders were more concerned about these issues ...

Israel has also become very equipped at protecting their state...with less Israelis dying than before ...

The growth of Hamas etc...where currently the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli military both cooperate no matter how many hundreds of times threatens to break this cooperation ...

And who represents the Palestinians anyway ?...Hamas, Fatah, the PA?...if one is to make peace then with who?...

In short anyone believing that there is a solution to this isn’t living in reality ...

 

[Firebat]

U.N. rights experts condemn Israel's annexation plan and U.S. support

GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights experts said on Tuesday that Israel’s plan to annex significant parts of the occupied West Bank would violate international law banning the taking of territory by force, and urged other countries to actively oppose it.

A joint statement, signed by nearly 50 independent experts, also voiced dismay at U.S. support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “unlawful” plan to extend sovereignty, de facto annexation of land that the Palestinians seek for a state.

“The annexation of occupied territory is a serious violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the Geneva Conventions, and contrary to the fundamental rule affirmed many times by the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly that the acquisition of territory by war or force is inadmissible,” it said.

What would be left of the West Bank after annexation of about 30% would amount to a “Palestinian Bantustan”, it said, in a reference to South Africa’s poverty-stricken “homelands”, where black people were confined during apartheid.

Israel’s foreign ministry declined comment. Netanyahu has set July 1 as the date to begin advancing his plan to annex Israel’s settlements and the Jordan Valley in the West Bank, hoping for a green light from Washington.

U.S. President Donald Trump has unveiled a peace plan that includes Israel keeping its settlements and the Palestinians establishing a state under stringent conditions.

Palestinians have rejected the proposal and voiced outrage at Israel’s proposed annexation.

“We welcome the (U.N. experts’) statement as a reminder for the international community of its responsibilities, of the gravity of the situation and of the urgency to implement accountability measures to end the illegal colonial-settlement enterprise, including annexation, to save the prospects of peace and to support a rules-based world order,” Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Tuesday.

The U.N. experts said Israeli violations against Palestinians have included land confiscation, settler violence, home demolitions, excessive use of force and torture, restrictions on media and freedom of expression, and “a two-tier system of disparate political, legal, social, cultural and economic rights based on ethnicity and nationality”.

“These human rights violations would only intensify after annexation,” they added.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...annexation-plan-and-u-s-support-idUSKBN23N1I1

 

[Firebat]

'Palestinian lives matter': Killing of autistic man by Israeli police draws George Floyd parallels

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The killing of an autistic Palestinian by Israeli police has sparked protests by both Palestinians and Israelis, drawing comparisons with the death of African-American George Floyd in the United States.

Iyad al-Halaq, 32, was on his way to volunteer at a special needs school in Jerusalem’s Old City on May 30 when police chased him and shot him dead, suspecting him of carrying a weapon.

“The boy surrendered and he lay on the ground like a baby in his mother’s womb,” Kheiry al-Halaq said of his son, whom police said was found to be unarmed.

“They shed the blood of an innocent young man who did not experience much from this life ... he was one of God’s weakest creatures,” his mother, Rana al-Halaq, said from her son’s bedroom, surrounded by his possessions and a poster of him.

Police are investigating the shooting and two officers have given testimony, a police spokesman said.

Both Floyd, 46, and Halaq were from communities that often complain of police brutality and racism.

Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes while detaining him on May 25. He was unarmed and his death has led to protests around the world.

Demonstrations for Halaq have been held in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, where protesters lit candles and chanted “Palestinian lives matter”, in what they called an act of solidarity with African-Americans.

Palestinian artist Taqi Spateen has painted murals of Floyd and Halaq on a concrete wall Israel built through parts of the West Bank. The painting of Halaq is captioned, in English: “Not only Floyd. Iyad Hallaq too”.

“Both men were killed by the arrogance of racism,” Spateen said.

Halaq’s killing drew condolences from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called it a “tragedy”.

Palestinians have long complained of heavy-handed tactics by police and troops using lethal force in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The Israeli rights group B’Tselem says that of the 133 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in 2019, 56 “were not taking part in hostilities” and 28 were minors.

Salem Barahmeh, a Palestinian rights advocate in the West Bank city of Ramallah, said he believed Israeli police officers might be lightly punished for Halaq’s death.

“But a proper charge? I don’t have much hope,” he said. “It won’t be the justice that Iyad al-Halaq deserves.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ce-draws-george-floyd-parallels-idUSKBN23P2CC

 

[Abdullah719]

Israeli soldier gets community service after killing Gazan

An Israeli soldier who shot and killed a Palestinian fisherman near the Gaza frontier in 2018 has been given 45 days of community service after an army investigation concluded he fired without authorization, the military said Thursday.

The military said a group of Palestinians had approached the fence but were far away when the paratrooper opened fire, striking one of them. Its statement did not identify the soldier or the Palestinian, or say whether he was killed.

Nawaf al-Attar, a 23-year-old fisherman was shot and killed by Israeli troops near the northern beach frontier on Nov. 14, 2018, when the military said the shooting occurred.

Spoiler

It happened a few hours after a cease-fire took effect following a brief round of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants. The area near the fence had seen weekly protests at the time that often turned violent, but there were no demonstrations that day.

The military said the soldier reached a plea bargain in which he pleaded guilty to charges of negligence and reckless endangerment. He received a suspended sentence and was demoted to the rank of private.

Gaza has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces there in 2007. Since then, Hamas and other militant groups have fought three wars and engaged in numerous smaller battles with Israel.

Rights groups have accused Israel of using excessive force and of failing to adequately investigate the killing of civilians. Israel says it makes every effort to avoid civilian casualties and accuses Palestinian militants of using civilians as human shields.

“Enforcing a military occupation on millions of people for decades requires exorbitant violence and impunity for the soldiers who sustain it,” the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said in a statement.

“Forty-five days of community service for killing a man is but the latest example of how the military law enforcement system is designed to protect perpetrators, not their victims.”

An Associated Press investigation last year found that the military had opened investigations into 24 potentially criminal shootings of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza over the previous year. None of the cases at that time had yielded convictions or even indictments, and in most cases the army had not interviewed key witnesses or retrieved evidence from the field.

The Palestinian Authority has asked the International Criminal Court to probe alleged Israeli war crimes, including allegations related to violence in Gaza. Israel has sought to rally the international community against any investigation, arguing that the Palestinians lack legal standing and that its own courts investigate and punish any misconduct.

Israel does not recognize the ICC, but any charges could put Israeli officials at risk of arrest in other countries.

https://www.modbee.com/news/nation-world/world/article243631372.html

 

[MenInG]

The appointment of a hardline supporter of the annexation of Palestinian land as the next Israeli ambassador to the UK has dismayed sections of the British Jewish community, with some calling on the UK government to refuse to accept the nomination.

Tzipi Hotovely, Israel’s settlements minister, has been named by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the successor to Mark Regev, who stepped down as ambassador to the UK last week.

She has described herself as “a religious rightwinger” and rejects Palestinian claims to any part of the West Bank, Gaza or East Jerusalem. In a speech in 2015, she said Israel had tried too hard to appease the world. “This land is ours. All of it is ours. We did not come here to apologise for that.”

Hotovely’s appointment was announced as Natanyahu’s coalition government is preparing to annex almost a third of the West Bank in a move which has drawn sharp criticism for being in breach of international law. Last week, Boris Johnson told the Commons his government had “strongly objected” to the plan and restated its support for the two-state solution.

UN human rights experts warned the plan to extend Israeli sovereignty to Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley amounted to “21st-century apartheid”.

In a statement last week they said: “What would be left of the West Bank would be a Palestinian Bantustan, islands of disconnected land completely surrounded by Israel and with no territorial connection to the outside world.”

The archbishops of Canterbury and Westminster expressed “opposition to any move by Israel to annex West Bank territory” in a letter to Regev and Johnson. Justin Welby and Vincent Nichols, the leaders of the Anglican and Catholic faiths in England, said peace and security “can only be secured through negotiation rather than annexation”.

Earlier this month, some of the most prominent and respected names in British Jewry – including Sir Simon Schama, Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Dame Vivien Duffield – raised alarm over the annexation plan in a letter to Regev. They said the move would have “grave consequences for the Palestinian people” and be an existential threat to Israel.

Now, 800 British Jews have signed a petition posted online by the anti-occupation campaign group Na’amod highlighting Hotovely’s “appalling record of racist and inflammatory behaviour” and calling on the UK government to reject her nomination as ambassador. The appointment of envoys requires the approval of the host country. A counter-petition supporting Hotovely attracted 240 signatures.

A spokesperson for Na’amod said: “There is clearly growing unrest in our community about Israel’s blatant disregard for human rights, and people increasingly realise that it is time to take a stand.”

Laura Janner-Klausner, the senior rabbi to Reform Judaism, also criticised Hotovely’s record. “Her political views on Palestinians, annexation and religious pluralism clash with our core values,” she said.

The Labour peer Lord Beecham told the Jewish Chronicle: “The appointment of an ultra-rightwing ambassador, while typical of the present government of Israel, will do nothing to win friends in the UK – or indeed any other reasonable country.”

In a statement, Marie van der Zyl, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “We will be delighted to work with the next Israeli ambassador to sustain and advance the relationship between Israel and the UK Jewish community … We will give her whatever support and advice we can to achieve these ends.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ly-is-chosen-as-next-israeli-ambassador-to-uk

 

[The Viper]

Israel set to annex one-third of occupied West Bank

Israel is a few days away from beginning to annex nearly a third of the occupied West Bank.

But as the July 1 start date set by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approaches, a workable plan remains unclear.

The United States is backing the annexation if Netanyahu can reach an agreement with his coalition partner, Benny Gantz.

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/...00621131147510.html?__twitter_impression=true

 

[Firebat]

Vexed by annexation: The battle inside the EU over Israel

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Two months before Donald Trump unveiled his Middle East peace plan on Jan. 28, Luxembourg’s foreign minister was certain the U.S. president would break with the European Union and recognise Israeli sovereignty over Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Jean Asselborn wrote to his EU colleagues on Dec. 1 to warn that a lasting, two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians was being “dismantled piece by piece, day after day”, according to the letter, reviewed by Reuters.

In an assertive move for Luxembourg, a country of just 626,000 people but a founder member of the European Union, Asselborn urged the bloc to “speak with a strong and unified voice” and defend a world “where the rule of law prevails, not the rule of the strongest”.

Spoiler

Trump’s highly contested plan duly offered U.S. recognition of Israel’s settlements dotted across the West Bank, and Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley — land captured in the 1967 Middle East war and claimed by Palestinians for their own future state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has set July 1 as the date to begin moving forward on the annexation.

The United Nations Security Council has said that settlements violate the Fourth Geneva Convention, which has been ratified by 192 nations and stipulates that a country cannot “deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies”. Israel disputes this, citing biblical, historical and political connections to the land.

Trump has reversed decades of U.S.-led diplomacy by backing Israeli annexation, with a White House statement arguing that his plan “creates a path to prosperity, security, and dignity for all involved”. European Union officials fear an Israeli unilateral move will undermine years of peace-making efforts.

“The prospect of a viable two-state solution is the only way forward to ensure peace,” Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, the EU representative to the West Bank and Gaza, told Reuters.

However, a Reuters examination based on internal documents and interviews with more than two dozen diplomats and officials shows there is no clear EU strategy either on how to stop Israel’s plan or to respond in a meaningful way if annexation goes ahead.

Where once the European Union spoke with unanimity on Middle East peace, with bigger nations like France and Britain able to dominate discussion, such unity has proved hard to maintain over the past decade as smaller countries became more assertive and Israel successfully forged strong ties with newer member states, EU diplomats said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined requests for comment on efforts to secure backing within Europe for annexation. An Israeli official familiar with the issue said Europe and Israel shared many partnerships in various fields and that it was important not to undermine them. “In our view, partners should not threaten each other or speak above each other’s heads,” the official said.

A senior EU diplomat, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, acknowledged that the bloc will almost certainly fail to reach the unanimity required for joint action should annexation take place.

“It’s hell in the EU to try to get a common position on this,” the diplomat said.

GUILT

With possible annexation looming, a group of at least eight smaller EU states, led by Luxembourg, is attempting to take on Netanyahu, seeing itself as the conscience of Europe and emphasizing the need to stand up for international law in part because the bloc is itself bound together by laws.

Standing with Luxembourg are Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Malta and Finland, EU diplomats say.

While most are diplomatic minnows, they have equal say in the EU’s consensus-based, decision-making councils. In Middle East policy, they feel the weight of history far less than Europe’s most powerful nation, Germany, which still carries the burden of guilt over the Nazi crimes of World War Two.

Ranged against Luxembourg and its allies are countries including Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Greece, Latvia, Cyprus and Poland, all of which, to one extent or another, have shown themselves ready to defend Israel’s interests, according to diplomats, cables and meeting minutes detailing the diplomatic discussions among the EU’s 27 governments in Brussels.

Internal EU minutes from meetings on May 6 and May 13, when EU envoys discussed Asselborn’s call to action, highlight the split.

“No unilateral steps,” the Czech envoy told the May 13 gathering, ruling out the prospect of the EU adopting punitive measures should Israel press ahead with annexation. Hungary then blocked any attempt to draw up a joint statement for a meeting of EU foreign ministers on May 15.

Of the bigger EU states, France, with the largest Jewish and Arab populations in Europe, and Spain have largely aligned with Luxembourg, but they maintain a lower profile in discussions, four EU diplomats said. Both countries have spoken out publicly against annexation, but have not said how they might respond.

Denmark and the Netherlands sit in the middle along with Germany and Italy, critical of Israel at times but not overtly pro-Palestinian. One senior EU diplomat said Berlin was against annexation and if Israel proceeded with its plan, it would come “at a price”. However, the diplomat said EU economic sanctions were simply too sensitive for Berlin to consider. “Germany will not push for that.”

Asselborn, 71, who has served as Luxembourg’s foreign minister since mid-2004, said the issue of annexation went beyond the Middle East.

“We cannot cut international law into pieces. There are principles that need to be upheld,” he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

“You’re speaking to a Luxembourger. I can tell you, our country is a small country, but we were occupied twice in the 20th century. Without respect for international law, we would no longer exist,” he said.

LEVERAGE

The European Union is Israel’s largest trading partner, with nearly a third of Israel’s exports going to the bloc. Belgium is among the countries that feels the EU could use this leverage, and has asked the European Commission, the EU’s executive, to draw up a list of possible punitive measures on Israel, including on trade, an EU diplomat said.

Amongst possible countermeasures being discussed in private in Brussels are suspending Israel’s privileged EU trade agreement, banning imports from settlements, and cutting Israel out of scientific research and student exchange programmes, EU diplomats say.

In his December letter to other EU ministers, Asselborn suggested nations should consider a unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state – something only Sweden has done to date.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in February that annexation “if implemented, could not pass unchallenged”. However, the lack of consensus means he has been unable to flesh out what any such challenge might contain.

By contrast, the EU agreed swiftly in 2014 to impose hefty economic sanctions targeting Russia’s financial, energy and defence sectors when Moscow seized the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine – land that Russia still holds.

“Big countries never had a problem imposing counter measures against Russia over Crimea’s annexation, so why can they not do it on Israel? We need coherence,” Simon Moutquin, a Belgian Green lawmaker, told Reuters.

EU diplomats, officials and experts point to a strong presence of pro-Israel advocates in Brussels, with at least 10 lobby groups opening offices in the city over the past 17 years as Israel looked to bolster its international image in the wake of the second Palestinian intifada and three wars in Gaza. Israel’s own diplomats are also viewed as extremely efficient.

“The Israelis are very active in Brussels,” said European parliamentarian Antonio Lopez-Isturiz White, a Spaniard who chairs the assembly’s delegation with Israel.

Perhaps the most significant relationship Israel has forged over the past decade is that with Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, EU diplomats say. Through Hungary, Israel’s ties have improved with the Visegrad Group, an alliance combining Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, which carries its own weight within the EU.

In Orban, Netanyahu has found an ally prepared to block statements or actions critical of Israel, even in the face of heavy pressure from other European capitals, EU diplomats say. Thanks in part to his blocking tactics, the EU has not been able to agree to a legally binding position on the Middle East peace process since 2016.

“Hungary ... will continue to oppose unilateral and unjust international political approaches against Israel,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook on June 10, as Germany’s foreign minister flew for talks to Jerusalem to warn against annexation.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...attle-inside-the-eu-over-israel-idUSKBN23U1R6

 

[MenInG]

Israeli forces have shot and killed a Palestinian man at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli border police said on Tuesday they shot and killed a suspect who they say attempted to run over a female officer at a checkpoint in the Palestinian village of Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem. Police said the officer was slightly wounded in the incident.

Palestinian officials rejected the police's account of the man's death. They identified him as 27-year-old Ahmad Erekat.

"This young man was killed in cold blood. Tonight was his sister's wedding," said Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Saeb said the man killed was his relative and that his wedding was set for next week.

"What the occupation army claims, that he was trying to run someone over, is a lie," he said.

Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said the man "drove his vehicle quickly towards the direction of a female border police officer who was injured lightly".

The officer was evacuated to a hospital.

Police did not immediately release a video of the incident, and there was no way to independently verify the account. But police released a photo that appeared to show the vehicle after it had collided into the checkpoint.

Palestinians and human rights groups have also accused Israeli security forces of using excessive force, or in some cases opening fire at cars that merely lost control.

The director of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Bethlehem confirmed that a soldier prevented Palestinian medical personnel from approaching the man and was left to bleed, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

"Ahmed Erekat, 27, beautiful young man. A son. A brother. Fiancee. My baby cousin," Noura Erakat, a human rights attorney based in the US wrote on Twitter, sharing his photos.

"Israeli cowards shot him multiple times, left him to bleed for 1.5 hours and blamed him for his death. Tonight was his sister's wedding, his was next month. We failed to protect him. I am so sorry," she wrote.

The incident comes nearly a month after a Palestinian man was killed in similar circumstances near Ramallah in the West Bank.

He was shot dead on May 29 after trying to ram a car into Israeli soldiers, none of whom were injured, police said at the time.

Tuesday's incident comes ahead of plans by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex parts of the West Bank.

Netanyahu said the government would take steps towards annexing Israeli settlements, illegal under international law, and the Jordan Valley from July 1, as part of a broader US plan. The Palestinians have rejected the plan and want the West Bank to form part of a future Palestinian state.

The proposals have sparked widespread international criticism and warnings that such a move would lead to violence.

 

[MenInG]

More than 1,000 European parliamentarians denounced Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank and Jordan Valley saying the move would be "fatal to the prospects of Israeli-Palestinian peace".

The MPs representing 25 European countries urged leaders to prevent the annexation process and save the prospects of a two-state solution.

"Acquisition of territory by force has no place in 2020 and must have commensurate consequences," the letter published on Tuesday said, urging European leaders "to act decisively in response to this challenge".

The condemnation comes ahead of an important UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday focusing on the annexation move - the last international gathering to address the situation before it is expected to take place.

Beginning as soon as July 1, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it will annex illegally built Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, moves detailed in a so-called "Middle East plan" proposed by US President Donald Trump in January.

"We, parliamentarians across Europe committed to a rules-based global order, share serious concerns about President Trump's plan for Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the imminent prospect of Israeli annexation of West Bank territory," the letter said.

"We are deeply worried about the precedent it would set for international relations at large."

territories left over, not including occupied East Jerusalem.

The proposal has been rejected in its entirety by the Palestinians and widely condemned by the international community.

In their letter, the MPs also warned that Trump's plan "promotes effectively permanent Israeli control over a fragmented Palestinian territory, leaving Palestinians with no sovereignty and giving a green light to Israel to unilaterally annex significant parts of the West Bank".

In total, 1,080 members of national assemblies and the European Parliament from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom signed the letter.


Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett, reporting from West Jerusalem, said news reports suggest Israel's annexation process will likely be carried out in phases.

"Nothing is really expected in terms of an immediate change on July 1. Under the Trump plan, Netanyahu believes he has the right to annex 30 percent of the occupied West Bank - that includes all the settlements and a large portion of the Jordan Valley," said Fawcett.

"What has been talked about in recent days is not going for that full 30 percent and instead starting with areas close to East Jerusalem. It won't make a big physical difference immediately, but many say it will be fatal to the two-state solution."

US green light
Encouraged by Trump's so-called plan, Netanyahu last month announced his government would formally annex the Jordan Valley and all settlement blocs in the West Bank.

The West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, is seen as occupied territory under international law, making all Jewish settlements there - as well as the planned annexation - illegal.

Palestinian officials have threatened to abolish bilateral agreements with Israel if it goes ahead with the annexation, which will further undermine the two-state solution.

Meanwhile, senior aides to Trump began discussions on Tuesday on whether to give Netanyahu a green light for his plan to annex settlements, according to a US official and a person familiar with the deliberations.

With Netanyahu's July 1 target date approaching, the White House meeting included Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz, and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, the American official told Reuters news agency.

Trump, whose support Netanyahu is counting on, did not participate, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. But US sources have said he could join later as this week's deliberations continue.

Declare sovereignty

Under Trump's proposal unveiled in January, it is envisaged the US would recognise the Jewish settlements - built on occupied land - as part of Israel.

Trump's proposal put forward an idea for a Palestinian state under a broader "peace plan", with strict conditions on it.

Among the main options under US consideration is a step-by-step process in which Israel would initially declare sovereignty over several settlements close to Jerusalem, instead of the 30 percent of the West Bank envisaged in Netanyahu's original plan, according to a person close to the matter.

Trump has not closed the door to a larger annexation, but fears allowing Israel to move too fast could kill any hopes of drawing the Palestinians into talks on his "plan", the source said.

Like Turkey and much of the international community, the EU does not recognise Israel's sovereignty over the territories it has occupied since 1967.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...n-israel-annexation-move-200624070805730.html

 

[MenInG]

The Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry and the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Negotiations Affairs Department have condemned the killing of a Palestinian man by Israeli soldiers, and called for an international investigation into his death.

Ahmed Erekat, 27, was shot at the Container checkpoint in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday and left to bleed to death for more than an hour after Israeli soldiers banned a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance from treating him.

"The execution of Erekat [Ahmed] and leaving him to bleed to death, preventing the Red Crescent crew from providing medical aid, and detaining his body is a horrific crime that calls for the International Criminal Court to speed up the opening of the criminal investigation against Israeli war criminals," the Negotiations Affairs Department said in a statement on Wednesday.

The continuation of these crimes, the department added, is the result of the "total impunity Israel exploits in light of the international community's inability to fulfil its responsibilities and duties in deterring these violations and crimes against humanity".

"The time has come to ... for the concerned countries around the world to carry out their duties to hold Israeli war criminals accountable for their actions against Palestinians," it said, adding that the investigation should also look into the death of Iyad al-Hallaq, a Palestinian autistic man who was gunned down by Israeli police in Jerusalem earlier this month.

Ahmed, who is the nephew of PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat and was due to get married in two weeks, was on his way to pick up his mother and sisters, who were at a beauty salon getting ready for his sister's wedding that evening.

Israeli security forces said Ahmed had attempted to ram his vehicle into a soldier at the checkpoint, lightly injuring her, before they opened fire.

Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said the man "drove his vehicle quickly towards the direction of a female border police officer who was injured lightly".

But Palestinian officials rejected the police's account of the man's death.

Ahmed was "executed" by the Israeli police, his uncle Saeb told AFP, adding that he held Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for "this crime".

He dismissed the police allegation of an attempted car-ramming as "impossible", saying that Ahmed was due to be married in two weeks.

"This young man was killed in cold blood. Tonight was his sister's wedding," Saeb said.

"What the occupation army claims, that he was trying to run someone over, is a lie."

For its part, the PA foreign ministry said the crimes of the Israeli occupation would not go unpunished, and that it will work with all international law institutions, as well as the United Nations, in order to document these crimes to hold the occupation accountable.

"This crime is a continuation of the policies of Israel, and its illegal and systematic occupation authority, which is widespread and systematic in the form of field executions, and intentional and arbitrary killings," the ministry said.

A video posted by a Palesitnian bystander showed Ahmed lying on the road, bleeding out and twitching.

"They shot him in front of us directly," the bystander is heard saying as he filmed. "May God rest his soul."

Palestinians and human rights groups have also accused Israeli security forces of using excessive force, or in some cases opening fire at cars that merely lost control.

The director of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Bethlehem confirmed that a soldier prevented Palestinian medical personnel from approaching the man who was left to bleed, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

'Palestinian lives matter'

The statements followed Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi's call for the international community to take "concrete steps" to hold Israel accountable for Ahmed's death.

"Palestinian lives matter," she wrote in a statement, recalling last month's police killing of an autistic Palestinian man in Jerusalem.

"Israel also attempted to slander Ahmed and excuse his murder. It is part of a tragically familiar pattern, where Israel habitually uses false pretexts that are all too familiar now to justify the murder of Palestinians by trigger happy soldiers," Ashrawi said.

"Ahmed Erekat, 27, beautiful young man. A son. A brother. Fiancee. My baby cousin," Noura Erakat, a human rights attorney based in the US wrote on Twitter, sharing his photos.

"Israeli cowards shot him multiple times, left him to bleed for 1.5 hours and blamed him for his death. Tonight was his sister's wedding, his was next month. We failed to protect him. I am so sorry," she wrote.

The Negotiations Affairs Department said Ahmed's killing comes on the eve of the US administration meeting to take the final unilateral decision for Israel to annex and partition Palestinian land "in flagrant violation of international legitimacy, and in the context of the Israeli escalation aimed at uprooting the Palestinian from his land".

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the government would take steps towards annexing Israeli settlements, illegal under international law, and the Jordan Valley from July 1, a promise he had long made, which was supported in a so-called "Middle East plan" proposed by US President Donald Trump earlier this year.

The Palestinians have rejected the proposal as the Palestinian Authority wants the West Bank to form part of a future Palestinian state.

The proposals have sparked widespread international criticism and warnings that such a move would lead to violence.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...ion-youth-israeli-forces-200624075845157.html

 

[sweep_shot]

Israel set to annex one-third of occupied West Bank

Israel is a few days away from beginning to annex nearly a third of the occupied West Bank.

But as the July 1 start date set by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approaches, a workable plan remains unclear.

The United States is backing the annexation if Netanyahu can reach an agreement with his coalition partner, Benny Gantz.

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/...00621131147510.html?__twitter_impression=true

Absolutely shocking and sickening.

I see no outrage about it.

Where is CNN?

 

[Firebat]

Absolutely shocking and sickening.

I see no outrage about it.

Where is CNN?

Don't look to America for condemnation of best buddies Israel. Ironically enough the only mainstream Jewish politican was the only one to speak out against Israel.

 

[MenInG]

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has called on Israel to abandon plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, saying such a move would be a "most serious violation of international law".

The UN secretary-general made the comments in a report to the Security Council on Tuesday, a day before the 15-member body holds its twice-yearly meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it could begin the annexation process from July 1.

In the document, Guterres said an Israeli annexation would be "devastating" for hopes of fresh negotiations and an eventual two-state solution.

"This would be calamitous for Palestinians, Israelis and the region," he said, adding that the plan threatened "efforts to advance regional peace".

Guterres's comments came a day after thousands of Palestinians protested in Jericho against the Israeli plans, in a rally also attended by dozens of foreign diplomats.

The Palestinian leadership proposed last week a plan that seeks to create a "sovereign Palestinian state, independent and demilitarised", with East Jerusalem as its capital. It also leaves the door open to border modifications between the proposed state and Israel, as well as exchanges of land equal "in size and volume and in value - one to one".

The Palestinian proposal came as a response to US President Donald Trump's controversial plan that gave a green light for Israel to annex large swaths of the occupied West Bank, including settlements considered illegal under international law, and the Jordan Valley.

Unveiled in late January, Trump's plan proposed the establishment of a demilitarised Palestinian state on the remaining patchwork of disjointed parts of the Palestinian territories without occupied East Jerusalem. The plan has been rejected in its entirety by the Palestinians.

The Security Council meeting, to be held by video conference, will be the last major international meeting on the issue before the July 1 deadline.

"Any decision on sovereignty will be made only by the Israeli government," Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon said in a statement on Tuesday.

Diplomats expect a vast majority of UN members to again oppose the Israeli plans on Wednesday.

"We must send a clear message," one envoy told AFP news agency, adding that it was "not enough" to simply condemn Israeli policy, and raising the possibility of a case before the International Court of Justice.

For decades, Israel has enjoyed bipartisan US support that enabled it to ignore international criticism and numerous UN resolutions over its occupation of Palestinian territories.

When Trump in late 2017 shifted US policy by recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, 14 of the 15 Security Council members adopted a resolution condemning the move - but the US used its veto.

A similar resolution was then presented in the UN General Assembly (UNGA), where no nation has veto power - it passed with 128 votes in favour, nine against and 35 abstentions.

Diplomats, however, seemed to rule out the idea that Israel could face sanctions over the planned annexation, as were imposed by certain countries after Russia's annexation of Crimea.

"Any annexation would have quite big consequences for the two-state solution in the peace process," another ambassador told AFP on condition of anonymity.

But the envoy said it was not a "simple task" to compare the West Bank with Crimea.

Earlier this month, hundreds of international law professors and scholars signed an open letter condemning the Israeli plans to annex territory in the West Bank, calling it a "flagrant violation of bedrock rules of international law, and would also pose a serious threat to international stability in a volatile region".

Kevin Jon Heller, an international law professor, told Al Jazeera the Israeli-planned annexation is a "clear and fundamental violation of international law that prohibits annexation of territories taken by force".

"Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights and Jerusalem coupled with international and Arab silence have emboldened it to take further action in that direction as its contemplating now," said Heller.

 

[MenInG]

White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway has characterised concerns over Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank and Jordan Valley as overblown.

Beginning as soon as July 1, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it will begin to annex illegally built Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move detailed in the "Middle East plan" proposed by US President Donald Trump in January.

Conway, responding to questions from Al Jazeera on Wednesday on the White House lawn, said Trump aides were currently discussing whether the president should give Netanyahu the green light on the plan. She added Trump would be making a "big announcement" soon.

Meanwhile, Conway played down the reactions from regional Arab countries and Palestinians, who have roundly condemned the move, saying it would kill the prospects of a future Palestinian state.

Conway compared the situation to Trump's controversial decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2017, as well as his decision to withdraw the US from climate change reduction commitments in the Paris Accord that same year, suggesting that regional and international concerns over those actions have not borne out.

"The same thing was predicted. That there would be mayhem and murder and death and destruction ... When he pulled out of the Paris Accord, we're all going to die the next day, we're going to melt to death," she said. "He moves the embassy to Jerusalem, the Arab world was going to disappear. Thank God that wasn't true."

"There's always this scare tactic, shock the conscious tactic of all the bad that's going to happen, and then it doesn't happen," she said.

Conway made the comments as the United Nations Security Council met to discuss the plans, with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres telling members "annexation would constitute a most serious violation of international law".

The West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, is seen as occupied territory under international law, making all Jewish settlements there - as well as the planned annexation - illegal.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 European parliamentarians have denounced Israel's plan, calling it "fatal to the prospects of Israeli-Palestinian peace".

Palestinian officials have threatened to abolish bilateral agreements with Israel if it goes ahead with the annexation.

However, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended Israel's plan on Wednesday, saying on "extending sovereignty to other places are decisions for the Israelis to make".

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...ank-annexation-overblown-200624162439275.html

 

[MenInG]

A "watershed moment" that will constitute a "most serious violation of international law" - that is how United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has described Israel's plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank and Jordan Valley.

Addressing a virtual meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Guterres repeated a call for Israel to drop its United States-backed plans, which could be put in motion as soon as next week.

If implemented, the UN secretary-general said, annexation would "grievously harm the prospect of a two-state solution and undercut the possibilities of a renewal of negotiations".

"I call on the Israeli government to abandon its annexation plans."

Guterres's call was echoed by other leaders and foreign ministers addressing the virtual meeting, warning that Israel's unilateral action could trigger a major escalation in the region.

"For three decades, real peace and the creation of an independent Palestinian state, remain elusive ... Despair is dominating the Palestinian mood and scene," Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit said.

Wednesday's meeting is seen as the last international one before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government starts planned discussions on July 1 over the annexation of the West Bank, territory Israel captured in a 1967 war and that Palestinian leaders seek for a future state.

At the UNSC meeting, Nickolay Mladenov, the UN peace envoy for the Middle East, warned of the legal, security and economic implications of such a move.

"Annexation could irrevocably alter the relation of Israeli-Palestinian relations. It risks upending a quarter of a century of international efforts and support of a future viable Palestinian state," Mladenov said.

"Today, we are further than ever from this goal [of a two-state-solution]."

Mladenov noted that international condemnation has also been widespread, including the European Union's stark opposition to the slated plan.

On Wednesday, more than 1,000 parliamentarians representing 25 European countries signed a letter denouncing Israel's plans, urging their leaders to prevent the annexation process and save the prospects of a two-state solution.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki warned any annexation would be a "crime" and lead to immediate and tangible repercussions.

He said Israel's objective has for decades been to grab "maximum Palestinian land, with minimum Palestinians".

"Israel is testing the resolve of the international community, thinking that its colonial apartheid will prevail … We must prove it wrong," al-Malki told the council, calling on the international community to impose sanctions against Israel to deter its plans.

Seven European nations - Belgium, Britain, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland and Norway - in a joint statement warned annexation would "severely undermine" prospects for resuming the Middle East peace process.

"Under international law, annexation would have consequences for our close relationship with Israel and would not be recognized by us," they warned.

Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, Marwan Bishara, dismissed as lip service speeches by leaders addressing the Security Council, pointing to the lack of recommended actions.

"We all know who was the elephant in the room, we all know who is behind instigating this annexation ... did anyone point fingers at the United States?" Bishara asked.

"The reason this meeting has been called for is to send a message, that we are in dangerous territory ... But you would expect UNSC members and Arab League members to be taking a more firm stance."

While the US was expected to give Netanyahu the official green light for his plan, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that extending Israeli sovereignty was a decision "for Israelis to make".

His comments came as US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft told the council: "I understand that many of you have concerns with this issue of the potential extension of Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank … At the same time, we ask that you also hold the Palestinian leadership accountable for acts they are responsible for."

Unveiled in late January, US President Donald Trump's so-called "Middle East plan", which strongly favours Israel and was rejected by the Palestinians, gives Israel the green light to annex Israeli settlements and strategic areas of the occupied West Bank.

The West Bank - including occupied East Jerusalem which Palestinian leaders want as the capital of their future state - is seen as occupied territory under international law, making all Jewish settlements there - as well as the planned annexation - illegal.

Palestinian officials have threatened to abolish bilateral agreements with Israel if it went ahead with such a move.

Trump's plan foresees the eventual creation of a demilitarised Palestinian state on the remaining patchwork of disjointed parts of the Palestinian territories without East Jerusalem.

The US administration has declined to criticise annexation and rejected the consensus of most of the world that Israeli settlements on Palestinian land are illegal.

"Decisions about Israelis extending sovereignty to those places are decisions for the Israelis to make," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters in Washington.

Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon criticised the Palestinians, saying the stalemate was due to their refusal to negotiate.

"Some in the international community choose to reward the Palestinians' rejectionism and ignore reality," he said.

Meanwhile, Guterres called on the Middle East Quartet of mediators - the US, Russia, the EU and the UN - "to take up our mandated mediation role and find a mutually agreeable framework for the parties to re-engage, without preconditions, with us and other key states".

Palestinians have protested against the potential move across the occupied territories this week, including the besieged Gaza Strip.

Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim, reporting from a protest on Wednesday in Jordan Valley, said senior Palestinian officials were expected to start gathering in a "symbolic" move to highlight that this is "Palestinian land".

While Palestinians on the street do not have faith in the international community, Palestinian officials are committed to peacefully ending the Israeli occupation, Ibrahim said.

Anger has also surged among Palestinians following the deadly shooting of two Palestinians by Israeli soldiers this week.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...el-drop-annexation-plans-200624142029201.html

 

[Firebat]

U.N. rights expert urges EU to punish any Israeli annexation in West Bank

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A U.N. rights investigator urged the European Union on Friday to consider measures to prevent or punish any Israeli annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank, a few days after over 1,000 European lawmakers made a similar call.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres added his voice to the matter on Wednesday, calling on Israel to abandon annexations of settlements in the West Bank, warning this threatened any chance of negotiated peace with the Palestinians who seek statehood in the territory.

Friday’s statement by Michael Lynk, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said the EU should back up its warnings against Israeli plans with “a decisive menu of counter-measures.”

That was a reference to possible economic, trade or other sanctions. The EU has said annexation must not go unchallenged.

Six years after the last round of peace talks with Palestinians collapsed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has set July 1 as the date for the start of cabinet discussions on moving forward on annexation.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for the region envisages Israel incorporating most of its settlements in the West Bank into “contiguous Israel territory”, and Palestinian statehood elsewhere under strict conditions.

Trump has also offered U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the fertile Jordan Valley along the eastern flank of the West Bank, which was captured in the 1967 Middle East war and is claimed by Palestinians for a future state.

Palestinians see annexations as an illegal land grab.

On June 23, European lawmakers called for “commensurate consequences” if Israel, which has more than 400,000 settlers in the West Bank, went ahead with annexation.

“We have reached a point where resolutions without resolve can no longer contribute to reaching the just and durable peace and human security that Palestinians and Israelis deserve,” Lynk said.

However, internal documents and Reuters interviews with more than two dozen diplomats and officials show there is no clear EU strategy on how to stop Israel’s plan or how to respond in a meaningful way if annexation goes ahead.

The United Nations Security Council has said settlements violate international law. Israel disputes this, citing biblical, historical and political connections to the land.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...israeli-annexation-in-west-bank-idUSKBN23X1RH

 

[Firebat]

Israeli campaigners want Jewish ruins included in West Bank annexations

NEAR JERICHO, West Bank (Reuters) - The Israeli government faces calls from campaigners to declare sovereignty over ancient Jewish ruins on land in the occupied West Bank that Israel does not plan to annex under U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace blueprint.

The annexation plan, which the government is due to start discussing as of Wednesday, envisages Israel annexing Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley - some 30% of the West Bank. Under Trump’s plan, a Palestinian state would be created in the rest of the West Bank, occupied by Israel since a 1967 war.

An Israeli advocacy group called “Safeguarding Eternity” is worried about what will happen to Jewish archaeological sites on parts of the West Bank not included in Trump’s annexation map.

It wants Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to guarantee Israeli control over sites such as the remnants of hilltop Hasmonean and Herodian forts dating back two millennia, and hundreds of ruins from earlier Jewish rule.

“This entire plan - its right, its essence - is the connection of the Jewish people to their land and our heritage,” Eitan Melet, a director of Safeguarding Eternity, said as he stood among a jumble of limestones that were the foundation of the desert fortress of Cypros, overlooking the Palestinian city of Jericho.

“If we don’t take our heritage sites into account, this plan has no right to exist at all.”

The Israeli government has not commented on the campaigners’ demands. The Palestinians reject Trump’s blueprint and Israel’s plan to annex territory they seek for a future state.

Spoiler

PALESTINIAN MINISTRY: SITES ARE PROTECTED

Assaf Avraham, an archaeologist at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, said he too was worried about the fate of archaeological sites in the West Bank.

“If these areas are not in the hands or under the sovereignty of (authorities) that know how to take care of and maintain archaeological sites, and which have the motivation to do so, we really fear for these places,” he said.

The Palestinian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry dismissed such concerns.

It said in a statement that it is “able to protect and preserve the cultural heritage sites under Palestinian control, as maintenance and restoration work is carried out continuously”.

The Palestinians say Trump’s plan is biased, and most world powers view Israel’s settlements in the West Bank as illegal.

Interim 1993 peace accords granted the Palestinians limited self-rule in West Bank areas, where they agreed to secure Jewish heritage sites for Israeli visits.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...cluded-in-west-bank-annexations-idUSKBN2401KB

 

[shaykh]

Annexation isn’t the best wording...annexation is what say Russia did with the Crimea...

It’s declaring sovereignty over areas they currently already have settlements in and have de facto rule over ...it doesn’t actually change the reality on the ground ...

The only real point of interest is any Palestinians in these areas which comprise around 4.5% ...the Israelis currently don’t give them citizenship rights but would be required to if they declare sovereignty over these areas...

As for the consequences ...there won’t be any ...

There will be the standard criticisms by nations ...throw hissy fits and then go back to trading with Israel ...this includes everyone’s favourite Erdogan ...

The Arab nations are too busy dealing with their own issues whether that be the MB, or Iran...the Palestinian cause is really only of tangible interest to the Iranians and Qatar...

What commentators will argue is this will render the two state solution dead...but the truth is that has been dead for a long time ...what this action does is take another card off the table...

Defenders will point to the fact that Jerusalem as capital and declaring sovereignty over Jewish parts of the West Bank simply reflects realities on the ground ...and thus makes it clear what negotiable parts are for a future Palestinian state...I don’t think they truly believe that Palestinians would accept that though ...so the suggestion that such steps increase the chances of a peace deal are nonsensical ...

More deluded are those who push for a one state solution ...makes no sense whatsoever...

 

[MenInG]

Israel's aim to annex parts of the occupied West Bank is clearly "illegal", the United Nations' human rights chief said on Monday, warning that the consequences could be "disastrous".

Just days before Israel intends to kick-start plans to annex its West Bank settlements and parts of the strategic Jordan Valley, Michelle Bachelet added her voice to the chorus urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to drop the proposal.

"Annexation is illegal. Period," the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement. "Any annexation. Whether it is 30 percent of the West Bank, or 5 percent," she said, urging Israel to "listen to its own former senior officials and generals, as well as to the multitude of voices around the world, warning it not to proceed along this dangerous path."

International condemnation of the possible Israeli annexations has mounted ahead of July 1, when Israel could take its first steps towards implementing part of a United States-proposed Middle East plan.

US President Donald Trump's proposals, rejected outright by the Palestinians, pave the way for annexing key parts of the occupied West Bank, including settlements long considered illegal by the majority of the international community.

Bachelet urged Israel to shift course, warning that "the shock waves of annexation will last for decades, and will be extremely damaging to Israel, as well as to the Palestinians."

"The precise consequences of annexation cannot be predicted," she said.

"But they are likely to be disastrous for the Palestinians, for Israel itself, and for the wider region."

The UN rights chief warned that "any attempt to annex any part of the occupied Palestinian territory will not only seriously damage efforts to achieve lasting peace in the region, it is likely to entrench, perpetuate and further heighten serious human rights violations that have characterised the conflict for decades."

Her statement cautioned that such a move would almost certainly lead to increased restrictions on Palestinians' rights to freedom of movement, as their population centres would become enclaves.

In addition, significant tracts of private land would likely be illegally expropriated, and even in cases where this does not occur, many Palestinians could lose access to cultivate their own lands.

And Palestinians who found themselves living inside the annexed areas would likely experience greater difficulty accessing essential services like healthcare and education, while humanitarian access could also be blocked.

'Highly combustible mix'
Bachelet's office warned that Palestinians inside the annexed area would come under heavy pressure to move out, pointing out that entire communities currently not recognised under Israeli planning would be at high risk of "forcible transfer".

And settlements, which are already recognised as a clear violation of international law, would almost certainly expand.

"This is a highly combustible mix," Bachelet said.

"I am deeply concerned that even the most minimalist form of annexation would lead to increased violence and loss of life, as walls are erected, security forces deployed and the two populations brought into closer proximity."

The UN rights chief warned that "the existing two-tier system of law in the same territory will become embedded, with devastating impacts on the lives of Palestinians who have little or no access to legal remedy".

Bachelet said illegal annexation would not change Israel's obligations under international law as an occupying power towards the occupied population.

"Instead, it will grievously harm the prospect of a two-state solution, undercut the possibilities of a renewal of negotiations, and perpetuate the serious existing human rights and international humanitarian law violations we witness today."

Meanwhile, Israeli Minister of Defence Benny Gantz said July 1 is "not a sacred date" for Israel to start the first steps toward annexing parts of the occupied West Bank,

"Gantz made clear in the meeting that July 1 is not a sacred date" and voiced a preference for Israel dealing with the economic ravages of the coronavirus crisis, a source in his centrist Blue and White party said.

The Jerusalem Post, meanwhile, quoted multiple US sources with knowledge of the matter saying that Israel will not go ahead with its plans this week, as those plans have not been finalised.

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/...00629110256674.html?__twitter_impression=true

 

[Firebat]

Israeli minister signals major West Bank annexation move not imminent

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli minister played down on Tuesday the likelihood of major moves to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank on July 1, the planned starting point for cabinet debate on the issue.

Zeev Elkin, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, said Israel still did not have the green light it seeks from Washington to begin extending its sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, territory Palestinians seek for a state.

Palestinian leaders, the United Nations, European powers and Arab countries have all denounced any annexation of land that Israeli forces captured in a 1967 war.

“Whoever painted a picture of everything happening in one day on July 1, did so at their own risk,” Elkin, minister of higher education, told Army Radio when asked what would happen on Wednesday. “From tomorrow, the clock will start ticking.”

No cabinet session for Wednesday has been announced.

U.S. officials are in Israel as part of the White House’s efforts to win consensus within its government for annexation as envisioned in an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan announced by President Donald Trump in January.

The proposal calls for Israeli sovereignty over about 30% of the West Bank - land on which Israel has built settlements for decades - as well as the creation of a Palestinian state under strict conditions.

Palestinians say the blueprint would make statehood, in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, unviable, and most world powers view Israel’s settlements on occupied land as illegal. Netanyahu says the Jewish people have a legal, historic and moral claim to the West Bank, the biblical Judea and Samaria.

Netanyahu and his main coalition government partner, Defence Minister Benny Gantz, are at odds over annexation, which the right-wing prime minister has promoted.

In an interview with the YNet news site on Tuesday, Gantz repeated his call for Israel to try to enlist Palestinian and international support for the Trump plan before proceeding with a unilateral annexation move.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...nk-annexation-move-not-imminent-idUSKBN2411BX

 

[MenInG]

Israel's foreign minister has suggested an announcement on the planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank was not imminent on Wednesday, the date set by Israel's coalition government to start the widely criticised process.

The statement by Gabi Ashkenazi came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government's discussions with the United States on the annexation plan would continue "in the coming days", indicating he would miss the self-imposed July 1 target date to begin debate on the controversial issue.

"I reckon there will be nothing today," Ashkenazi, a member of the centrist Blue and White party that eventually partnered up with Netanyahu's right-wing Likud after three inconclusive elections, told Israel's Army Radio on Wednesday.

In a sign of rifts within the coalition over the timing of any unilateral annexation move, which has been fiercely opposed by the Palestinians and most of the international community, Ashkenazi referred further questions on the matter by the interviewer to Netanyahu.

It also came after Benny Gantz, alternate prime minister and defence minister, said this week that annexation must wait until the coronavirus crisis has been contained. Gantz, the leader of the Blue and White party, is due to take over as prime minister in November 2021 under the terms of the coalition deal.

Netanyahu may still move forward, either later on Wednesday or in the coming days, with reports in Israeli media suggesting he may announce a symbolic move such as the annexation of one illegal settlement on Jerusalem's outskirts.

'Cementing occupation'

Meanwhile, Palestinians began gathering in Gaza City for a demonstration against the plan, with rallies in the West Bank also scheduled for later in the day.

"For Palestinian officials, annexation is still on the table, whether it happens gradually or delayed for weeks and months," said Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority.

"They say this is just one step further of institutionalising and cementing the Israeli occupation."

Netanyahu has been eager to start the controversial process, which is in line with President Donald Trump's so-called Middle East plan, by Wednesday.

Unveiled in late January and rejected by the Palestinians, the plan offered a path for Israel to annex territory and Jewish West Bank settlements, communities considered illegal under international law.

It also proposes the establishment of a demilitarised Palestinian state on a patchwork of disjointed parts of the Palestinian territories.


Palestinian leaders have said they are willing to renew long-stalled talks with Israel - but not on the terms outlined in the Trump proposal.

"We will not sit on a table where the American-Israeli plan is on the table," said Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization. "This is not a peace plan from Netanyahu, it's an annexation, apartheid ... and we will not sit on any table."

Hamas, which administers the besieged Gaza Strip, says Israeli annexations in the West Bank would be a "declaration of war".


Palestinian artist illustrates fears over annexation (1:53)
The planned Israeli annexation would deprive Palestinians of key agricultural land and water resources, especially in the Jordan Valley region.

It would also effectively kill the likelihood of a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict that was based on the idea of land for peace.

But many Palestinians would argue that the annexation is merely a formality for what has already been happening on the ground in the West Bank for years.

Increased settlement construction over the past years, along with Jewish-settler-only roads that connect to Israel, have carved the territory up, resulting in non-contiguous Palestinian cities, towns and villages that now exist in cantons.

While the US has offered tacit support for immediate annexation as part of the Trump plan, most of the international community is vocally opposed to the project.

The UN secretary-general, the EU and key Arab countries have all said Israeli annexation would violate international law and undermine the goal of establishing a viable independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Jordan, one of only two Arab nations that have diplomatic ties with Israel, has warned that annexation could trigger a "massive conflict" and has not ruled out reviewing its 1994 peace treaty with Israel.

Writing in Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said although he was a "passionate defender of Israel", he viewed annexation as "contrary to Israel's own long-term interests."

"Annexation would represent a violation of international law," he said.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...annexation-move-imminent-200701072958427.html

 

[Firebat]

Johnson warns Israel against plans to annex part of West Bank

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged Israel not to go ahead with the annexation of part of the occupied West Bank, saying it would be illegal and "contrary" to the country's interests.

His Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, set Wednesday as a possible start date for the process of applying Israeli sovereignty to Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley.

But that plan seems to have stalled.

The Palestinians say it will destroy their hopes of a viable future state.

The Israeli move would be in line with US President Donald Trump's Vision for Peace - a plan for ending the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict that he unveiled in January.

Some 430,000 Jews live in more than 130 settlements (and scores of smaller "outposts") built since Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war.

The settlements are widely considered illegal under international law, though Israel - and the US under the Trump administration - denies this.

Writing in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday, Mr Johnson described himself as "a passionate defender of Israel" but warned that annexation would represent a violation of international law.

"It would also be a gift to those who want to perpetuate the old stories about Israel."

The prime minister added: "I profoundly hope that annexation does not go ahead. If it does, the UK will not recognise any changes to the 1967 lines, except those agreed between both parties."

Mr Johnson said he was fearful that Mr Netanyahu's proposals would "fail in their objective of securing Israel's borders" and "be contrary to Israel's own long-term interests". They would also "put in jeopardy the progress that Israel has made in improving relationships with the Arab and Muslim world", he added.

The Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future state and have rejected the Israeli proposals outright as a death blow to their hopes for self-determination.

The United Nations, the European Union and Arab countries have also called on Israel to scrap its annexation plans, saying they would violate international law, harm the prospect of a two-state solution, and undercut the possibilities of renewing the Middle East peace process.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53248810

 

[MenInG]

Rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas have said they will work together to fight against Israel's planned annexation of large parts of the occupied West Bank.

In a rare joint news conference on Thursday, officials from the two groups said there was a national consensus against Israel's controversial plan which has also been widely criticised by much of the international community.

"We will put in place all necessary measures to ensure national unity" in the efforts against Israel's plan, senior Fatah official Jibril Rajub said in Ramallah during the news conference, which was also addressed by Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri by video-link from Lebanon's capital, Beirut.

"Today, we want to speak in a single voice," Rajub affirmed, reiterating the Palestinian leaders' call for an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Israeli plan, which aims to annex all illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank - including the strategic Jordan Valley - amounts to one-third of the territory and is in line with a proposal by US President Donald Trump that envisages a demilitarised Palestinian state on a patchwork of disjointed parts of the Palestinian territories.

For his part, al-Arouri, deputy head of the political office of Hamas, which administers the besieged Gaza Strip, warned of the unprecedented "dangers" that could unfold if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went ahead with annexation.

"Annexing any percentage of the West Bank now means that more will follow ... If the occupation ends up controlling the Jordan Valley, Jerusalem and other areas then it will have an appetite for more," al-Arouri said.

'Annexation is illegal'
The Palestinian officials' remarks come a day after the planned start date for Israel's cabinet to start debating the issue. But Israeli officials said the process would take place later this month in coordination with Washington.

UN experts say the annexation of occupied territory is a serious violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the Geneva Conventions.

Israel’s Jordan Valley Annexation explained
"Annexation is illegal. Period," Michelle Bachelet, UN high commissioner for human rights, said in a statement on Monday. "Any annexation. Whether it is 30 percent of the West Bank, or 5 percent."

If Netanyahu's government goes through with the annexation, significant tracts of private land would likely be illegally expropriated, and even in cases where this does not occur, many Palestinians could lose access to cultivate their own lands, Bachelet warned.

Additionally, Palestinians who find themselves living inside the annexed areas would likely experience greater difficulty accessing essential services like healthcare and education, while humanitarian access could also be blocked.

However, many Palestinians would argue that the annexation is merely a formality for what has already been happening on the ground for years.

Increased settlement construction over the past years, along with Jewish-settler-only roads that connect to Israel, have carved the territory up, resulting in non-contiguous Palestinian cities, towns and villages that now exist in cantons.

 

[MenInG]

The foreign ministers of Egypt, France, Germany and Jordan have urged Israel to abandon plans for annexing settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning such action could have "consequences" for relations.

The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had set July 1 as the date when it could begin to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, as well as in the strategic Jordan Valley.

The move was endorsed by a Middle East plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump in January.

Netanyahu's office made no announcement on July 1, but said talks were continuing with US officials and Israeli security chiefs.

"We concur that any annexation of Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 would be a violation of international law and imperil the foundations of the peace process," the ministers said in a statement after a joint video conference on Tuesday.

"We would not recognise any changes to the 1967 borders that are not agreed by both parties in the conflict.

"We also concur that such a step would have serious consequences for the security and stability of the region, and would constitute a major obstacle to efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive and just peace.

"It could also have consequences for the relationship with Israel," the statement added, underlining their commitment to a two-state solution based on international law.

In recent weeks, the EU has mounted a diplomatic campaign against the annexation, highlighted by a visit to Jerusalem by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to raise concerns about the prospective plans.

But the bloc cannot threaten Israel with formal sanctions without unanimous support among members.

After occupying the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel began establishing a network of settlements during the following decade. Construction has continued to this day.

Despite being viewed as illegal under international law, the settler population has jumped by 50 percent during the past decade.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...n-warn-israel-annexation-200707183806305.html

 

[MenInG]

French President Emmanuel Macron has asked Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from annexing Palestinian territory in the occupied West Bank and elsewhere during a telephone call between the two leaders.

The French president's office said in a statement on Friday that Macron on Thursday "emphasised that such a move would contravene international law and jeopardise the possibility of a two-state solution as the basis of a fair and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians".

It was the latest move by European leaders pressing Netanyahu to drop plans to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the strategic Jordan Valley.

The controversial move was endorsed in a Middle East plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump in January.

'Consequences'
Israel's government had set July 1 as the date when it could begin taking over the Palestinian areas, where the population of Israeli settlers has grown since the 1967 Six-Day War.

The foreign ministries of France and Germany, along with those of Egypt and Jordan - the only Arab states to have peace deals with Israel - warned this week that any annexation could have "consequences" for relations.

But Macron told Netanyahu that France remained committed to Israel's security and "expressed his attachment to the friendship and confidence that links France and Israel", his office said.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...st-bank-annexation-plans-200710085120159.html

 

[MenInG]

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top coalition partner wants Israel to shelve planned West Bank annexations and instead focus on improving conditions for Jewish settlers and Palestinians in the occupied territory, two cabinet ministers said on Friday.

Centrist ex-general Benny Gantz and the conservative Netanyahu agreed to begin discussing annexations as of July 1, but the plan — already dogged by diplomatic blowback — has been sidelined by a resurgence of coronavirus.

Gantz says the health crisis should take precedence over any West Bank moves that may inflame conflict with the Palestinians. The Israeli-occupied West Bank is part of territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

Netanyahu could go it alone in declaring Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank settlements and strategic Jordan Valley. But Gantz’s misgivings have complicated Israeli efforts to present a united front on annexations and how they might fit with U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for Middle East peace.

While Gantz — whose popularity has plunged since he broke with an opposition alliance to join Netanyahu in March — has limited political clout, his role as defence minister also puts him directly in charge of civilian activities in the West Bank.

Alon Schuster, Israel’s agriculture minister and a member of Gantz’s Blue and White party, said he was working to achieve “cultivation and not annexation, now” for West Bank farmers.

“We need to bring water to the Jordan Valley — for both the Israelis and the Palestinians who live there, by the way — and to improve electricity,” Schuster told Tel Aviv radio station 102 FM. “Why quarrel and waste time? ... I hope we expend our national resources on this.”

Another Blue and White minister said this was also Gantz’s approach, and that the party leader believed working on West Bank infrastructure shared by settlers and Palestinians would “enable coexistence in accordance with the Trump plan”.

Asked to respond, Netanyahu’s office declined comment.

The Palestinians have rejected the Trump plan, which envisages them gaining statehood in 70% of the West Bank, as a non-starter. European powers worry unilateral Israeli territorial moves could kill off long-moribund peacemaking.

Senior ministers from Netanyahu’s Likud party have urged annexation now. Some privately worry that Trump’s interest will wane as the U.S. election in November nears, and that should he lose, that would close a window of opportunity for annexation.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-cultivation-now-not-annexation-idUSKCN24I1LV

 

[The Viper]

<a href="https://freeimage.host/"><img src="https://iili.io/dTHzUx.jpg" alt="dTHzUx.jpg" border="0"></a>

 

[Firebat]

Palestinian woman killed in West Bank as Israelis, Palestinians clash

JENIN, West Bank (Reuters) - A Palestinian women was shot dead in the West Bank where Israeli soldiers clashed with Palestinians on Friday, Palestinian medical officials said.

Palestinian officials said Israeli troops had shot the 23-year-old.

An Israeli army spokesman said soldiers did not use live fire during the clash, and that Palestinians had opened fire and hurled explosives.

The woman’s family said she was shot while trying to close the window to her house in the town of Jenin because of tear gas outside.

An Israeli army spokesman said a riot erupted while troops were operating in Jenin.

“Palestinians fired live fire, hurled rocks and explosive devices towards the troops. The troops responded with riot dispersal means,” the spokesman said, denying that the soldiers had used live ammunition.

Local residents said Palestinians had not used guns. They said people were throwing stones at Israeli forces that raided the area.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-as-israelis-palestinians-clash-idUSKCN2531WS

 

[sweep_shot]

<a href="https://freeimage.host/"><img src="https://iili.io/dTHzUx.jpg" alt="dTHzUx.jpg" border="0"></a>

USA is a puppet of Israel. Not surprising.

 

[Firebat]

Trump: Israel to Establish Ties With UAE and Suspend Annexation

President Trump announced on Thursday that Israel will establish “full normalization of relations” with the United Arab Emirates and forgo for now plans to annex disputed West Bank territory in order to focus on improving its ties with the rest of the Arab world.

In a surprise statement issued by the White House, Mr. Trump said that Israel and the U.A.E. will sign a string of bilateral agreements on investment, tourism, security, technology, energy and other areas while moving to allow direct flights between their countries and set up reciprocal embassies in each other’s nation.

“As a result of this diplomatic breakthrough and at the request of President Trump with the support of the United Arab Emirates, Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President’s Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world,” according to a statement released by the White House and described as a joint declaration of Israel, the U.A.E. and the United States.

Mr. Trump summoned reporters to the Oval Office and said that he had spoken with leaders of the two countries. “Things are happening that I can’t talk about” but they are amazing, he told the reporters.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel reposted a tweet from Mr. Trump announcing the agreement and added, in Hebrew: “A historic day.”

In a statement of his own, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo compared the agreement to the peace treaties Israel forged decades ago with Egypt and Jordan. “Today’s normalization agreement between Israel and the Emirates holds similar potential and the promise for a better day for the entire region,” he said.

The White House announcement came several weeks after Mr. Netanyahu announced a new partnership with the U.A.E. to cooperate in the fight against the coronavirus, portraying it as a breakthrough, only to be embarrassed with the Emiratis issued a much more limited statement just hours later describing an agreement between private companies.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/13/us/politics/trump-israel-united-arab-emirates-uae.html

 

[Firebat]

Israel warns of Gaza escalation over balloon and rocket attacks

Israeli leaders have warned Hamas that it risks a major escalation in the Gaza Strip by failing to stop cross-border rocket and incendiary balloon attacks.

Defence Minister Benny Gantz said the Palestinian group, which controls Gaza, would "suffer a very severe blow".

However, a Hamas spokesman vowed it would "not hesitate to enter battle if Israel's attacks and siege continue".

Overnight, militants fired 12 rockets towards Israel and Israeli warplanes conducted three rounds of air strikes.

Since last week, a number of rockets have been launched from Gaza along with hundreds of balloons with explosives and incendiary devices attached that have caused dozens of fires in southern Israel.

Israel has responded by bombing what it says are Hamas military targets in Gaza.

Israel has also banned fishing boats from going out to sea and is only allowing humanitarian goods through Gaza's one commercial crossing.

With no fuel deliveries, the sole power plant in Gaza has shut.

That has left the territory's population of 1.9 million with about four hours of electricity a day, down from eight hours.

The number of rockets fired from Gaza on Thursday night and early Friday was the largest in 24 hours since the latest round of violence began.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said nine of the 12 projectiles were intercepted.

Israeli media cited emergency services as saying three people were treated for shock after a house in Sderot was damaged by an unexploded rocket, while a woman was hurt while running to safety.

The IDF said it responded by striking a Hamas military compound used for rocket ammunition manufacturing and "underground terror infrastructure" in Gaza.

The Hamas-run health ministry in the territory did not report any casualties.

After being briefed by Israeli commanders on Friday, Mr Gantz said: "The IDF is prepared, defending and will continue to protect the residents of the south, attack those attacking us, and inflict very severe damage on them."

"The residents of Gaza," he added, "are suffering because of Hamas."

Armed Palestinians factions in Gaza, of which Hamas is a part, took joint responsibility for the rocket fire, saying they had "responded and will respond to any attack against the Palestinian people".

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the group "will not hesitate to fight a battle with the enemy if the escalation continues, if the bombardments and the blockade continue".

"If the Israeli occupation continues its aggression... it must pay the price," he added.

Egyptian mediators have had talks in Gaza and Israel on restoring calm.

Analysts say Hamas is trying to pressure Israel to ease its blockade of Gaza and to secure more financial aid from Qatar.

Israel and Egypt imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Gaza when Hamas reinforced its power over the territory in 2007 by ousting its rivals, a year after winning legislative elections. The two countries say the blockade is for self-defence.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53833280

 

[The Viper]

Pompeo to tour Middle East as part of Trump's Arab-Israeli push

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due in Jerusalem on Monday to start a regional tour expected to focus on Israel's normalisation of ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and pushing other Arab states to follow suit.

After meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Pompeo is set to later in the week visit senior figures in Sudan, Bahrain and the UAE, the US State Department said in a statement on Sunday.

He will be followed to many of these destinations by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law, according to reports citing diplomats. Officials said stops in Oman and Qatar are also possible.

The US-sponsored deal between Israel and the UAE that was announced on August 13 was denounced by the Palestinians as a "betrayal" of their cause. It was only the third such accord Israel has struck with an Arab country, after Egypt and Jordan.

The two new partners have since said they want to promote trade, especially the sale of Emirati oil to Israel and Israeli technology to the UAE, as well as boosting tourism by establishing direct air links.

Key to that plan would be persuading Saudi Arabia to open its airspace to Israeli commercial airlines.

During his visit to Israel, Pompeo will also "discuss regional security issues related to Iran's malicious influence [and] establishing and deepening Israel's relationships in the region", the State Department said in the statement.

The surprise announcement of the Israel-Emirati pact sparked huge speculation on who might be next, with frequent mentions of Bahrain and Sudan.

Sudan's foreign ministry spokesman was fired last week after he made allegedly unauthorised comments indicating contact had been made with Israel regarding normalising ties.

But the State Department said Pompeo would meet Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok during his tour to "express support for deepening the Sudan-Israel relationship".

He will also meet Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa before meeting UAE foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan to discuss the Israel deal, it said.

Saudi Arabia, in keeping with decades of policy by the majority of Arab states, has said it will not follow the UAE's example until Israel has signed a peace deal with the Palestinians.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-trump-arab-israeli-push-200823161741492.html

 

[The Viper]

Two-state solution needed for Palestine, Qatar emir tells Kushner

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has told White House adviser Jared Kushner that Doha supports a two-state solution, with East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state, to end the conflict with Israel.

The emir met US President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in Doha on Wednesday following a US-brokered accord last month between the United Arab Emirates and Israel to normalise ties.

Sheikh Tamim told Kushner that Qatar remained committed to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, in which Arab nations offered Israel normalised ties in return for a statehood deal with the Palestinians and full Israeli withdrawal from territory captured in the 1967 Middle East War.

"During the meeting, they reviewed the close strategic relations between the State of Qatar and the United States of America, in addition to discussing a number of issues of common concern, especially the peace process in the Middle East region," Qatar News Agency reported.

Kushner visited the UAE this week with an Israeli delegation for normalisation talks before also travelling to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The UAE is the third Arab country to reach such an agreement with Israel after Egypt and Jordan. Kushner hopes another Arab country will normalise ties within months.

Israel exchanged embassies with neighbours Egypt and Jordan under peace deals decades ago, but all other Arab states had demanded it first cede more land to the Palestinians. However, UAE's decision to have an embassy prompted criticism from stakeholders across the region.

Palestinians have condemned the deal as a stab in the back by a major Arab player while they still lack a state of their own.

Turkey threatened to suspend relations with the UAE after normalisation was announced.

Israel's rival, Iran, has been scathing in its criticism. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted Tuesday that "the UAE betrayed the world of Islam, the Arab nations, the region's countries, and Palestine".

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/...00902140011532.html?__twitter_impression=true

 

[ChTab]

FM Qureshi off to New York to attend UNGA on Palestine


ISLAMABAD:
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi left Islamabad for New York on Monday night to attend the emergency session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the issue of the latest Israeli assaults on Palestine, sources said on Monday.

According to the sources, the foreign minister will travel to the US via Ankara. On way to New York, he will be accompanied by the foreign ministers of Turkey, Sudan and Palestine.

The 193-member UN General Assembly plans to meet on Thursday over the violence, General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir said.

Niger and Algeria, chairs of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation group and Arab group in New York, asked the 193-member General Assembly meet publicly "in light of the gravity of the situation and its rapid deterioration".

Qureshi is undertaking the UN visit on the special instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan to draw the attention of the international community to the deteriorating situation in Palestine. In New York, he will hold important meetings with various dignitaries at the UN.

At the General Assembly Qureshi will raise his voice against the oppression of the Palestinians by Israel. The foreign minister will also hold talks with local and international media representatives and present Pakistan's views on the situation in Palestine.

Pakistan has geared up its efforts for the UNGA session over the Palestine situation. During the Eidul Fitr holidays, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Qureshi established contacts with leaders of the Muslim world on the issue.

Imran spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, while Qureshi held telephonic conversation with his Palestinian counterpart. Qureshi also discussed the Middle East situation with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan.

On Sunday, the foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in an emergency meeting condemned the “barbaric” Israeli attacks on Palestinians and urged the UN Security Council to act swiftly to bring an end to the atrocities.

Before his departure for the UN, Qureshi met Ambassador of Palestine Ahmed Jawad AA Rabaei in Islamabad. The foreign minister strongly condemned the violence by the Israeli forces against innocent worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramazan.

Ambassador Rabaei expressed his gratitude for Pakistan’s unwavering support and steadfast policy on Palestine. He also appreciated Pakistan’s continuous efforts to engage the international community for protecting Palestine.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2300223/fm-qureshi-off-to-new-york-to-attend-unga-on-palestine

 

[MenInG]

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that a sovereign and democratic Palestinian state is the “best way” to ensure Israel's future.

“We must seek a future of greater peace and security for all people of the Middle East,” Biden said in a speech to the UN General Assembly.

“The commitment of the United States to Israel's security is without question and our support for an independent Jewish state is unequivocal,” he said.

“But I continue to believe that a two-state solution is the best way to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish democratic state, living in peace alongside a viable, sovereign and democratic Palestinian state,” he said.


“We're a long way from that goal at this moment but we should never allow ourselves to give up on the possibility of progress. “

In his speech, Biden mapped out a new era of vigorous competition without a new Cold War despite China's ascendance, promising military restraint and a robust fight against climate change.

The US will help resolve crises from Iran to the Korean Peninsula to Ethiopia, Biden told the annual UNGA gathering.

The world faces a “decisive decade”, Biden said, one in which leaders must work together to combat a raging coronavirus pandemic, global climate change and cyber threats. He said the US will double its financial commitment on climate aid and spend $10 billion to fight hunger.

Biden did not ever say the words “China” or “Beijing” but sprinkled implicit references to America's increasingly powerful authoritarian competitor throughout his speech, as the two nations butt heads in the Indo-Pacific and on trade and human rights issues.

He said the US will compete vigorously, both economically and to push democratic systems and rule of law.

“We'll stand up for our allies and our friends and oppose attempts by stronger countries to dominate weaker ones, whether through changes to territory by force, economic coercion, technical exploitation or disinformation. But we're not seeking — I'll say it again — we are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs,” Biden said.

Biden came to the UN facing criticism at home and abroad for a chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan that left some Americans and Afghan allies still in that country and struggling to get out.

'A new era'
His vow for allied unity is being tested by a three-way agreement among the US, Australia and Britain that undermined a French submarine deal and left France feeling stabbed in the back.

“We've ended 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan and as we close this era of relentless war, we're opening a new era of relentless diplomacy,” Biden said.

He vowed to defend vital US national interests, but said that “the mission must be clear and achievable,” and the American military “must not be used as the answer to every problem we see around the world”.

Biden, a Democrat, hoped to present a compelling case that the US remains a reliable ally to its partners around the world after four years of “America First” policies pursued by his Republican predecessor Donald Trump.

Overcoming global challenges “will hinge on our ability to recognise our common humanity”, Biden said.

He added that he remains committed to peacefully resolving a dispute with Iran over its nuclear programme. He vowed to defend US ally Israel but said a two-state solution with the Palestinians is still needed but a distant goal.

He said the US wants “sustained diplomacy” to resolve the crisis surrounding North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. North Korea has rejected US overtures to engage in talks.

Discussing oppression of racial, ethnic and religious minorities, Biden singled out China's Xinjiang region where rights groups estimate that one million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities have been interned in camps.

In response to Biden's reference to Xinjiang, China's mission to the UN told Reuters: “It's completely groundless. We totally reject. The US should pay more attention to its own human rights problems.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who begins a second five-year term at the helm of the world body on January 1, warned earlier of the dangers of the growing gap between China and the US, the world's largest economies.

“I fear our world is creeping towards two different sets of economic, trade, financial and technology rules, two divergent approaches in the development of artificial intelligence — and ultimately two different military and geopolitical strategies,” Guterres said.

“This is a recipe for trouble. It would be far less predictable than the Cold War,” Guterres said.

 

[MenInG]

Former US President Donald Trump has launched a scathing attack on his once-close ally, ex-Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of disloyalty.

Mr Trump said he was furious at Mr Netanyahu for the way he congratulated Joe Biden on his election victory, using an expletive towards him.

He also said he believed he saved Israel from destruction.

Mr Trump made the comments in interviews for a book about his role in Middle East peace-making.

The US administration under Mr Trump, from 2017-2021, is considered the most favourable towards Israel in the two countries' history.

Mr Netanyahu served as Israeli prime minister while Mr Trump was in office, and the two men were portrayed as having particularly warm personal relations, often publicly praising one another.

Speaking to Israeli journalist Barak Ravid for his book Trump's peace: The Abraham Accords and the Reshaping of the Middle East, Mr Trump accused Mr Netanyahu of congratulating too quickly Mr Trump's successor Joe Biden on winning the 2020 US election.

Mr Trump disputed the election result, though his claims were never upheld.

"The first person who congratulated [Joe Biden] was Bibi [Benjamin] Netanyahu, the man that I did more for than any other person I dealt with… Bibi could have stayed quiet. He has made a terrible mistake.

"He was very early," Mr Trump said. "Like earlier than most. I haven't spoken to him since. [Expletive] him.

In actual fact, Mr Netanyahu was not the first foreign leader to congratulate Mr Biden. He also tweeted his gratitude towards Mr Trump minutes later.

In other comments, Mr Trump says: "Nobody did more for Bibi. And I liked Bibi," adding: "I still like Bibi. But I also like loyalty."

Mr Netanyahu was ousted from office in June this year after failing to form a government following deadlocked elections.

In the interviews given in April and July, Mr Trump also expresses his belief that he saved Israel from destruction.

"I'll tell you what - had I not come along, I think Israel was going to be destroyed. OK. You want to know the truth? I think Israel would have been destroyed maybe by now."

As US President, Mr Trump took a series of steps in support of Mr Netanyahu, including controversially recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, sparking fury across the Arab world.

Israel has occupied East Jerusalem - claimed by the Palestinians as the capital of their own hoped-for state - since 1967.

Mr Trump also declared Israeli settlements in occupied territory were not illegal, putting the US out of step with the UN, and recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Syrian Golan Heights, also occupied by Israel since 1967.

Mr Netanyahu unveiled a planned settlement there called Trump Heights in return.

BBC

 

[James]

Trump is still going apparently. His occasional press releases are like hearing the sound of a mad old drunken vagrant bellowing his worldly opinions from an underground cave.

 

[PakLFC]

Palestinians will continue being killed even if they accepted Trump's or anyone else's plan. The Israelis want to kill them all then take over their entire land. Even their Arab brethren like the Saudi's and Emirates support the Zionist regime. That Biden wants a sovereign Palestinian state are just cheap words to please these people. No one supports them, even most Pakistanis don't care.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Palestinians will continue being killed even if they accepted Trump's or anyone else's plan. The Israelis want to kill them all then take over their entire land. Even their Arab brethren like the Saudi's and Emirates support the Zionist regime. That Biden wants a sovereign Palestinian state are just cheap words to please these people. No one supports them, even most Pakistanis don't care.

I mean, while what Israel does is bad, Palestine really should just accept the land Israel offers to them and quiet down. It's ridiculous they want the whole thing. The Jews also need a place to reside.

 

[PakLFC]

I mean, while what Israel does is bad, Palestine really should just accept the land Israel offers to them and quiet down. It's ridiculous they want the whole thing. The Jews also need a place to reside.

The Palestinian perspective is that all three communities can coexist in one Palestine that was the case before Israel was formed. If you support the oppression of the Palestinians than you do so to that of the Kashmiris coz both cases are identical. The UK is responsible for both these tragedies.

 

[James]

I mean, while what Israel does is bad, Palestine really should just accept the land Israel offers to them and quiet down. It's ridiculous they want the whole thing. The Jews also need a place to reside.

It’s a matter of perspective, if it was your homeland then you would most likely hold a different view.

 

[daytrader]

Israeli PM Lapid backs two-state solution with Palestinians

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called on Thursday for a two-state solution to Israel's decades-long conflict with the Palestinians and repeated that Israel would do "whatever it takes" to stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb.

The comments, at the United Nations General Assembly, echo US President Joe Biden's support for the long-dormant two-state solution during his visit to Israel in August and come after years of Israeli leaders avoiding any mention of the issue on the UN stage.

"An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel's security, for Israel's economy and for the future of our children," Lapid said, adding that any agreement would be conditional on a peaceful Palestinian state that would not threaten Israel.

MSN