Would the Australian government like to discuss the reality of fundamentalist, Jewish settlers in the West Bank? Of course not: A West Bank settlement has filed a petition to the High Court of Justice demanding the demolition of a nearly-complete stadium in the Palestinian city of El Bireh, near Ramallah. The Psagot settlement and the…
Showing all posts tagged settlements
Jewish settlers are the problem and remain so
BBC journalist Alan Johnston, kidnapped in Gaza in 2007, returns to the Palestinian territories for the first time since his release. It’s not a pretty picture: But in the West Bank signs of tension are never far away, if you know where to look. High on the crest of a hill you could make out…
The world wants no more settlements and Israel doesn’t give a damn
The New York Times writes a typically soft editorial on the Middle East – Israel, the Palestinians and Washington are all at fault, it claims, ignoring the profound power imbalances in the region – and Haaretz reports on how the Israeli government really views the occupation (more, please): Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday ordered…
Settlers have every intention of building more colonies
Israel’s “settlement” freeze is causing the radical settlers to revolt. Here’s the latest missive from the notorious Women in Green: The announcement of the building freeze in Judea and Samaria is proof that Netanyahu, to our shame, is following in the path of Ariel Sharon – betraying the will of the Jewish majority that elected…
The Wire on Israeli settlement “freeze”
I was interviewed yesterday on Adelaide-based current affairs show The Wire about Israel’s colony “freeze”:
Ending colonies in Palestine is anti-Zionist?
A leading settler group The Council of Jewish Communities of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip on the Netanyahu government’s decision to “freeze” settlements: “We see the cabinet resolution as illegitimate, discriminatory and anti-Zionist,” said Dani Dayan, who chairs the Council.
Nothing to see here, colonies will continue to expand
The world’s media is talking about Israel’s “settlement freeze” in the West Bank. It’s all a sham, of course, designed to convince the US-backed Palestinian Authority to return to the table and endlessly discuss negotiations and please Washington. And the occupation will only deepen. This little grab in Haaretz really speaks for itself: Attorney General…
South Africa echoes apartheid in Israel
A country that knows far too well about racial discrimination tells it like it is: The South African government has issued an unusually harsh statement condemning Israel for approving 900 new housing units in Gilo and evicting Palestinians from their East Jerusalem homes, comparing Israel’s actions to the “forced removals” of the apartheid era. “We…
Palestinian farmers don’t care about meaningless gestures
Israel calls a partial settlement halt – rightly rejected by the Palestinians and only partially praised by J Street, both certainly not helped by the fact that East Jerusalem is excluded from the announcement – and apartheid continues: The human rights organization Yesh Din says not one of the 69 complaints filed during the past…
Obama may use the UN to pressure Israel?
The Financial Times is one of the strongest global papers on the Middle East conflict. Less spin, more truth telling. Key writer David Gardiner thinks that Barack Obama still has a few cards up his sleeve (this presumes, of course, that Washington actually has any desire to truly pressure Israel and that ain’t clear): Israelis…