Newsletter 4 Jul 2008
1. Entry into the Occupied Territories – as arbitrary as ever
2. Snippets from B’tselem’s June 19 mailing
3. Don’t travel on Route 443: The Apartheid Road – Silence of the Judges by Boaz Okon, Yediot Aharonot, June 10, 2008
4. Jewish Voice for Peace expresses outrage over Jewish groups’ condemnation of Presbyterian Church USA
5. US trying to “legalize” permanent occupation of Iraq; shifting discourse on Israel-Palestine by Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies, 17 June 2008
6. Quiet is Muck by Gideon Levy, Ha’aretz 22 June 2008
7. Israel’s New Diplomacy Needs Palestinians’ New Unity by Rami G. Khouri, Editor-at-large of The Daily Star (Beirut), 22 June 2008
8. Why Israel Won’t Accept A Two-state Solution, by Bernard Chazelle, in Princeton University, June 25, 2008
9. B’Tselem warns of grave water shortage in the West Bank (1 July report)
1. Entry into the Occupied Territories – as arbitrary as ever
The Israeli Committee for Right of Residency (ICRR) has produced a petition which states “Two years ago (in March 2006) it became evident that more and more people with foreign passports (of Palestinian descent and other) were being denied entry and re-entry into the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The situation not only continues, but has worsened this year.”
The petition details the situation of three women in particular, all working in the film industry. None of the individuals understands why she has been denied entry. All three had legitimate plans to begin or complete film projects with Palestinians or to meet with Palestinians in the film industry. The work of these three women is strictly cultural:
* Norma Marcos Howard (“I am a French citizen of Palestinian origins and have been coming through Ben Gurion airport since 1989 with no problems. In 2005 the Israeli Authorities decided that I cannot do so any more. My mother is 87 years old and has had four strokes. I have not seen her for the last three years. My father died without my seeing him.”)
* Anita Mosca, Italian citizen (not of Palestinian descent), was denied entry at Allenby Bridge. Mosca, an actress, directress and playwright, was to meet with a delegation from Italy headed by Campanias regional Minister for Culture.
* Palestinian-American filmmaker, Annemarie Jacir, traveling to the West Bank for the world premiere of her feature film “Salt of the Sea,” was also denied entry at Allenby. Jacir was informed that the Israeli Ministry of Interior had denied her entry because “you spend too much time here.”
Sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/entryOPT/petition.html
2. Snippets from B’tselem’s 19th June mailing
Settlers attack Palestinian shepherds
On 8 June ’08, four settlers attacked Palestinian shepherds in the Southern Hebron Hills, beating them severely. B’Tselem presents full coverage of the event, including footage filmed by the family as part of “Shooting Back”. Police say two suspects have been arrested.
Report at http://www.btselem.org/English/Settler_Violence/20080608_Settler_assault_shepherd_in_Khirbet_Susiya.asp
Southern Hebron Hills: Fear of expulsion
Several thousand Palestinians live in caves and tents dotted throughout this arid expanse of land. In 2005, B’Tselem published a report on the relentless pressure the army and the Civil Administration impose on residents, apparently to drive them off the land, and the lack of law enforcement on violent settlers in the area.
Report at http://www.btselem.org/english/publications/summaries/200507_south_hebron.asp
Background: Settler lawlessness
When Palestinians attack Israelis, the authorities invoke all means at their disposal to bring the suspects to trial. In contrast, when Israeli civilians attack Palestinians, the Israeli authorities employ an undeclared policy of leniency toward the perpetrators.
Report at http://www.btselem.org/english/settler_violence/index.asp
Testimonies: Settler violence
Physical and verbal abuse of Palestinians by settlers is common in the West Bank. B’Tselem has collected numerous testimonies of victims to shooting, beating, stone-throwing and destruction of property by settlers, presented here.
Report at http://www.btselem.org/english/testimonies/index.asp?TF=01&image.x=13&image.y=11
Shooting Back: Video advocacy project
Over a year ago, B’Tselem launched “Shooting Back”, providing Palestinians living in high-conflict areas with video cameras, with the goal of bringing the reality of their lives to the attention of the Israeli and international public. Footage allows a glimpse into life under occupation.
Video footage at http://www.btselem.org/english/video/shooting_back_index.asp
3. Don’t travel on Route 443: The Apartheid Road – Silence of the Judges by Boaz Okon, Yediot Aharonot, June 10, 2008
Adam Keller writes: “Boaz Okon is a prominent jurist, was a judge on the Jerusalem District Court and registrar of the Supreme Court, and since his resignation in 2006 is the juridical commentator of Yediot Aharonot. The following article appeared not only on the op-ed page, but also with a box, containing a summary, placed conspicuously on the paper’s front page – which is quite exceptional. Exceptional in the opposite direction is the fact that this article, unlike many others of Okon’s, was not included in the Y-net website nor translated to English. This I have decided to do myself.”
4. Jewish Voice for Peace expresses outrage over Jewish groups’ condemnation of Presbyterian Church USA
After careful reading of Church document grappling with moral responses to Israel’s occupation, JVP asks: where is the anti-Semitism?
JVP believes that the church should be applauded, not condemned. It is a sad day when Jewish organizations condemn efforts to be vigilant against anti-Semitism. Read more at http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_1110.shtml
5. US trying to “legalize” permanent occupation of Iraq; shifting discourse on Israel-Palestine, by Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies, 17 June 2008
The second part of Bennis’s article deals with changing perceptions and representations of Palestine in the media (the first part focuses on Iraq):
‘[But] outside of AIPAC, what was different this year was that the massive media coverage of the overall celebration of the Israeli anniversary and the U.S.-Israeli “special relationship” actually acknowledged and gave voice to the nakba as a legitimate component of the narrative… The shift in discourse is huge, reflecting the massive change in public discussion of this issue that has been underway for the past year or more.’
6. Quiet is Muck, Gideon Levy, Ha’aretz 22 June 2008
“A great disaster has suddenly come upon Israel: The cease-fire has gone into effect. Cease-fire, cease-Qassams, cease-assassiations, at least for now. This good, hopeful news was received in Israel dourly, gloomily, even with hostility. As usual, politicians, the military brass and pundits went hand in hand to market the cease-fire as a negative, threatening and disastrous development.”
7. Israel’s New Diplomacy Needs Palestinians’ New Unity
by Rami G. Khouri, Editor-at-large of The Daily Star (Beirut), 22 June 2008
“A few things do stand out in the current situation:
First, this is the third time in three years that Hamas has forced Israel into accepting a cease-fire…
Second, Hamas’ performance and posture are indicative of wider trends and have probably pushed Israel into exploring diplomatic possibilities instead of relying mainly on its ability to kill and colonize Arabs and relying on Washington’s blind support…
Third, Israel seems to have grasped the fact that Washington’s advice is lethal – maybe even fatal — and best ignored when real Israeli national interests are at stake. The United States has persistently pushed Israel either to boycott or attack Hizbullah, Hamas, and Syria, and instead Israel is now negotiating with all three of them at once.
…
All the peace talks taking place these days will eventually stall and collapse if the Palestinians remain split and Israeli-Palestinian negotiations come to an end. The urgent need to re-establish order, efficacy, and legitimacy in domestic Palestinian governance is now the single most important issue facing the Arab world, because it could impact positively on so many other regional issues.”
8. Why Israel Won’t Accept A Two-state Solution by Bernard Chazelle, in Princeton University, June 25, 2008
A thoughtful, pessimistic analysis of the prospects of a two-state solution.
On the situation in the US:
“It is undeniable, however, that efforts to stifle public criticism of Israel have created a climate of intimidation. Not everyone enjoys being called an anti-Semite or a self-hating Jew for accurately describing the West Bank as an Apartheid society. Media gatekeepers and college administrators have been kept in line. The cranks at Campus Watch are shameless thugs, but what do we call the self-censoring academics and cowed public intellectuals who toss overboard any shred of moral courage to speed their ascension to power? Why must the New York Times feature opinions about Israel that cover only a fraction of the range on offer in Haaretz?”
On why in practice Israel makes no moves towards a Palestinian state:
“[T]he two-state solution demands of Israel the kind of concessions history wrests from nations defeated at war. Having been defeated at peace, not at war, Israel is psychologically unequipped for the task. All the giving must be, de facto, Israeli and the taking Palestinian-the neat thing about having nothing is that you have nothing to give. Of course, Israel would be “giving” nothing-only returning what it grabbed in contravention of international law-but it is indicative of its delusions of innocence that it should always speak of generous offers, never of legal redress.”
9. B’Tselem warns of grave water shortage in the West Bank (1 July report)
The chronic water shortage in the West Bank, resulting from an unfair distribution of water resources shared by the Palestinians and Israel, will be much graver this summer because of this year’s drought. In the northern West Bank, water consumption has fallen to one-third of the minimal amount needed.
Read a summary of the impending crisis issued by Irin at http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79083 and the B’tselem report on which this summary is based at http://www.btselem.org/english/water/2008070_acute_water_shortage_in_the_west_bank.asp
[Irin (Integrated Regional Information Networks) is part of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.]