Nope. It was a - I’m not getting involved in the vitriol in here.
Current Affairs Israel is an apartheid state
- Thread starter Billy Dean
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I think the rather provocative headline to this thread guarantees the vitriol. No chance youre gonna get a reasoned debate starting from there.
BigMick
Player Valuation: £20m
Not sure if you're inferring this but West Bank Palestinians don't need permits to travel in the West Bank.
They are needed to pass through the security barrier and enter Israel and East Jerusalem, and work permits are needed for the roughly 35,000 who legally work in Israeli West Bank settlements.
I'd agree with your second sentence!
spectateur
Player Valuation: £30m
The thread title is a dead cert to, sooner or later, attract the attention of a trained pro Israel spokesperson.
BigMick
Player Valuation: £20m
Only one winner of the Israel 2021 Person of the Year Award: Mansour Abbas, the leader of the Ra'am party who took his party out of the Joint List of other Arab parties because he wanted partake in government rather than staying in perpetual opposition. That, he felt, was the only way to achieve improvements for the various Arab communities within Israel.
His decision was condemned by the other Arab parties and by the Israeli right, who are against any Arab party entering government, let alone an Islamist one - like Hamas, Ra'am are an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Most political pundits felt he was committing political suicide, predicting Ra'am would fail to get any seats at the next election. The pundits were wrong, their share of the vote increased while the other Arab parties fell, and Ra'am gathered four crucial seats at the election, allowing them to join the anti-Netanyahu government set up by Yair Lapid with Naftali Bennett as PM.
Anyone who thinks the British political system is too confrontational should try watching an average day at the Knesset, and here we had a man and party smashing through all the traditional barriers. Every day, Abbas finds himself the target for vicious criticism from the Israeli right and from the other Arab parties; every day he finds traps set to undermine or embarrass him. He has been attacked in the street, received death threats from right-wingers and the Arab community, and has been forced to stop attending his beloved Al Aqsa mosque for safety reasons.
And yet opinion polls show his own and his party's rating with Arab voters continuing to climb. He has shown that it's possible to achieve more by working constructively inside a government, even with people that disagree with him on many things, than staying outside opposing everything. Here has achieved more in 6 months than any Arab politician has managed since 1948:
A five year plan costing $9.4 billion to close the gaps between Arab and Jewish communities.
To fight the deathly crime wave in the Arab community, a multiyear national plan with a budget of $786,000.
Connecting what were deemed illegally built Bedouin and Arab homes to the electrical network, effectively legalsising them.
Legalisation of three Bedouin villages - he wanted 5 but compromised.
The creation of the first Druze city, with all the additional benefits it will receive.
A plan to construct new Circassian and Druze villages in Northern Israel.
A $7 million plan for a high-tech park in the predominately Arab city of Nazareth.
Freezing of the controversial Kamenitz Law - he wanted it cancelled but settled on a compromise.
He's even allocated money to the Haredi community, wrongfooting his political opponents with typical skill.
Many pitfalls lie ahead, for instance the money in the 5 year plan has to be spent wisely and kept out of the hands of the criminal gangs who control much of Arab society, as happened with previous spending. That spending was also allocated to schemes devised purely by the government; this time the local communities are involved.
There are many who want Abbas to fail.
Hamas want to ferment unrest inside Israel and the West Bank, not to see an Islamist party improving life for their community - another Gaza war would probably force Ra'am out of the coalition.
Prominent political activists in the West Bank, including many on social media, also want him to fail, accusing him of 'normalisation with the occupation'.
The PA don't want to see Arab-Israelis prosper while their own economy declines.
To many well-funded NGO's and their followers he is at the very least an embarrassment, at worst a physical riposte to their charge of 'apartheid'.
His success is anathema to the failing BDS movement, his inclusive policies the antithesis of theirs.
Many on the Israeli right scream 'Terrorist!' and say he shouldn't be allowed in an Israeli government; many on the Palestinian right scream 'Traitor!' and say he shouldn't go anywhere near an Israeli government.
He doesn't fall back on the easy bashing of Israel for racism, oppression, apartheid and the occupation - that tactic has failed, he says. Instead, his message is one of conciliation, of working together so everyone benefits.
“This is the first time an Arab party has taken a central role in passing the budget and forming a coalition. It’s an important step in the process of political integration, realising our right to civic partnership and taking collective responsibility to benefit all citizens, Arabs and Jews.”
“It’s time to create a reality that will make us, the Arab citizens of Israel, a bridge of peace between the two peoples."
Just before Christmas he produced another jaw-dropping moment when he gave two interviews, one in Arabic, the other in Hebrew, in which he said to both communities, “Israel was born a Jewish state, that was the decision of the people, and the question is not what is the identity of the state — it was born this way and it will remain this way. The question is, what is the status of the Arab citizen in the Jewish State of Israel? That is the question. And this challenge does not just stand in front of me, but in front of the Jewish community and the Jewish citizen.”
"We need to choose struggles that have a chance of succeeding. It's a choice; remain in a separatist position and continue to talk about these things for another hundred years, or to integrate and promote Arab society within the State of Israel.
He reiterated his support for the Palestinian cause:
"If I were the Prime Minister of Israel, I would recognise the State of Palestine, no matter the borders. If I were the head of the PA, I would stop the split between the West Bank and Gaza. I would also immediately stop all violent activity against Israelis and sit down at the negotiating table and increase trust. I support the process of establishing a state of Palestine alongside the State of Israel. I have a vision that there will be security, peace, partnership and tolerance here."
That is the kind of leadership seldom seen in Israel or Palestine, but his acknowledgement of Israel as a Jewish state saw him labelled an 'Uncle Tom' (to put it mildly) by the Arab right, a liar by the Jewish right, and condemned by the PA and Hamas, reactions that were as predictable as they were puerile, his challenges to the Jewish community and support for Palestinians ignored. Rather, it was classic Abbas: a recognition of reality and truth, a rejection of lies and half-truths and a reliance on slogans and unfulfillable promises.
I disagree with Mansour Abbas about many things; some of his Islamist views are abhorrent to me. But he has shown everyone, be they Jew or Arab, right wing or left wing, that working together achieves more than conflict or boycotts, war or terrorism.
He has shown that political Islamist movements do not have to resort to terror or cling to alienation and segregation towards the state, but can work constructively with political opponents.
There can be no peace between Israel and Palestine without some reconciliation between the people. It will need much more than one man or one party to enable Israeli Arabs to become 'a bridge of peace between the two peoples', but Mansour Abbas has risked everything - career, reputation, even his life - to begin the long process of reconciliation. Israel and Palestine need more leaders like him.
His decision was condemned by the other Arab parties and by the Israeli right, who are against any Arab party entering government, let alone an Islamist one - like Hamas, Ra'am are an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Most political pundits felt he was committing political suicide, predicting Ra'am would fail to get any seats at the next election. The pundits were wrong, their share of the vote increased while the other Arab parties fell, and Ra'am gathered four crucial seats at the election, allowing them to join the anti-Netanyahu government set up by Yair Lapid with Naftali Bennett as PM.
Anyone who thinks the British political system is too confrontational should try watching an average day at the Knesset, and here we had a man and party smashing through all the traditional barriers. Every day, Abbas finds himself the target for vicious criticism from the Israeli right and from the other Arab parties; every day he finds traps set to undermine or embarrass him. He has been attacked in the street, received death threats from right-wingers and the Arab community, and has been forced to stop attending his beloved Al Aqsa mosque for safety reasons.
And yet opinion polls show his own and his party's rating with Arab voters continuing to climb. He has shown that it's possible to achieve more by working constructively inside a government, even with people that disagree with him on many things, than staying outside opposing everything. Here has achieved more in 6 months than any Arab politician has managed since 1948:
A five year plan costing $9.4 billion to close the gaps between Arab and Jewish communities.
To fight the deathly crime wave in the Arab community, a multiyear national plan with a budget of $786,000.
Connecting what were deemed illegally built Bedouin and Arab homes to the electrical network, effectively legalsising them.
Legalisation of three Bedouin villages - he wanted 5 but compromised.
The creation of the first Druze city, with all the additional benefits it will receive.
A plan to construct new Circassian and Druze villages in Northern Israel.
A $7 million plan for a high-tech park in the predominately Arab city of Nazareth.
Freezing of the controversial Kamenitz Law - he wanted it cancelled but settled on a compromise.
He's even allocated money to the Haredi community, wrongfooting his political opponents with typical skill.
Many pitfalls lie ahead, for instance the money in the 5 year plan has to be spent wisely and kept out of the hands of the criminal gangs who control much of Arab society, as happened with previous spending. That spending was also allocated to schemes devised purely by the government; this time the local communities are involved.
There are many who want Abbas to fail.
Hamas want to ferment unrest inside Israel and the West Bank, not to see an Islamist party improving life for their community - another Gaza war would probably force Ra'am out of the coalition.
Prominent political activists in the West Bank, including many on social media, also want him to fail, accusing him of 'normalisation with the occupation'.
The PA don't want to see Arab-Israelis prosper while their own economy declines.
To many well-funded NGO's and their followers he is at the very least an embarrassment, at worst a physical riposte to their charge of 'apartheid'.
His success is anathema to the failing BDS movement, his inclusive policies the antithesis of theirs.
Many on the Israeli right scream 'Terrorist!' and say he shouldn't be allowed in an Israeli government; many on the Palestinian right scream 'Traitor!' and say he shouldn't go anywhere near an Israeli government.
He doesn't fall back on the easy bashing of Israel for racism, oppression, apartheid and the occupation - that tactic has failed, he says. Instead, his message is one of conciliation, of working together so everyone benefits.
“This is the first time an Arab party has taken a central role in passing the budget and forming a coalition. It’s an important step in the process of political integration, realising our right to civic partnership and taking collective responsibility to benefit all citizens, Arabs and Jews.”
“It’s time to create a reality that will make us, the Arab citizens of Israel, a bridge of peace between the two peoples."
Just before Christmas he produced another jaw-dropping moment when he gave two interviews, one in Arabic, the other in Hebrew, in which he said to both communities, “Israel was born a Jewish state, that was the decision of the people, and the question is not what is the identity of the state — it was born this way and it will remain this way. The question is, what is the status of the Arab citizen in the Jewish State of Israel? That is the question. And this challenge does not just stand in front of me, but in front of the Jewish community and the Jewish citizen.”
"We need to choose struggles that have a chance of succeeding. It's a choice; remain in a separatist position and continue to talk about these things for another hundred years, or to integrate and promote Arab society within the State of Israel.
He reiterated his support for the Palestinian cause:
"If I were the Prime Minister of Israel, I would recognise the State of Palestine, no matter the borders. If I were the head of the PA, I would stop the split between the West Bank and Gaza. I would also immediately stop all violent activity against Israelis and sit down at the negotiating table and increase trust. I support the process of establishing a state of Palestine alongside the State of Israel. I have a vision that there will be security, peace, partnership and tolerance here."
That is the kind of leadership seldom seen in Israel or Palestine, but his acknowledgement of Israel as a Jewish state saw him labelled an 'Uncle Tom' (to put it mildly) by the Arab right, a liar by the Jewish right, and condemned by the PA and Hamas, reactions that were as predictable as they were puerile, his challenges to the Jewish community and support for Palestinians ignored. Rather, it was classic Abbas: a recognition of reality and truth, a rejection of lies and half-truths and a reliance on slogans and unfulfillable promises.
I disagree with Mansour Abbas about many things; some of his Islamist views are abhorrent to me. But he has shown everyone, be they Jew or Arab, right wing or left wing, that working together achieves more than conflict or boycotts, war or terrorism.
He has shown that political Islamist movements do not have to resort to terror or cling to alienation and segregation towards the state, but can work constructively with political opponents.
There can be no peace between Israel and Palestine without some reconciliation between the people. It will need much more than one man or one party to enable Israeli Arabs to become 'a bridge of peace between the two peoples', but Mansour Abbas has risked everything - career, reputation, even his life - to begin the long process of reconciliation. Israel and Palestine need more leaders like him.
Yarrgh
Player Valuation: £80m
That's what Israel likes to see as a response in a nutshell though.
BigMick
Player Valuation: £20m
The Israeli Defence Force has released the following statistics for 2021 for their security activity in the West Bank (not Jerusalem).
They dealt with 6633 incidents:
5,532 rocks throwing
1,022 Molotov cocktails
61 shooting attacks
18 stabbing attacks
Despite the high number of attacks, only two Israelis were killed in the West Bank, compared to 21 in 2014, 28 in 2015, 17 in 2016, 20 in 2017, 11 in 2018, five in 2019, and one in 2020. Hamas claimed responsibility for the 1st death, Islamic Jihad for the 2nd. One 'settler' died while being arrested by Israeli police. The recent spate of attacks (and deaths) in Jerusalem are not included in their figures.
The UN recorded 450 attacks by settlers on Palestinians as of 6th December, compared to 358 in all of 2020 and 335 in 2019. 118 of the attacks resulted in injuries, while 160 'settlers' were injured by Palestinians. The UN figures include Jerusalem.
The IDF confiscated NIS 11,386,270 (£2.7m) in funds used for terrorism, 397 guns, and destroyed nine weapons manufacturing plants. Some 2,288 Palestinians were arrested, a slight increase from last year when 2,277 were arrested, and a drop from 3,627 arrests made in 2017.
Hamas have also released a report of their activities in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
3594 stone-throwing operations
568 Molotov cocktails
3693 other confrontations - no details
1094 confrontations with settlers
1306 demonstrations
191 shooting attacks
142 night-time confusion operations
55 attacks with explosive devices
41 stabbings and attempted stabbings
21 vehicle-ramming attacks
I've no idea how accurate any of these figures are but Hamas, for one, have a reason to inflate their figures, given their attempts during the last 12 months to incite a 3rd intifada, and to back up their recent claim that a 3rd intifada is already underway. A well-funded Hamas campaign has been directed from Turkey and led by their deputy political leader, Salah Al-Arouri. There are several attractions for Hamas in inciting trouble in the West Bank: 1. It undermines the authority of the PA. 2. Hamas can position themselves as leading the struggle against Israel at the same time as making the PA and Fatah look weak, thus attracting more support. 3. They can launch attacks against Israel without breaking the Egyptian-brokered deal to maintain peace in Gaza.
Anyone who remembers the 2nd intifada will know that the present situation, while appalling enough, is nothing like that horror, but tensions are extremely high, not just against Israel but also between various Palestinian factions. Expect more grim news in the coming weeks and months.
They dealt with 6633 incidents:
5,532 rocks throwing
1,022 Molotov cocktails
61 shooting attacks
18 stabbing attacks
Despite the high number of attacks, only two Israelis were killed in the West Bank, compared to 21 in 2014, 28 in 2015, 17 in 2016, 20 in 2017, 11 in 2018, five in 2019, and one in 2020. Hamas claimed responsibility for the 1st death, Islamic Jihad for the 2nd. One 'settler' died while being arrested by Israeli police. The recent spate of attacks (and deaths) in Jerusalem are not included in their figures.
The UN recorded 450 attacks by settlers on Palestinians as of 6th December, compared to 358 in all of 2020 and 335 in 2019. 118 of the attacks resulted in injuries, while 160 'settlers' were injured by Palestinians. The UN figures include Jerusalem.
The IDF confiscated NIS 11,386,270 (£2.7m) in funds used for terrorism, 397 guns, and destroyed nine weapons manufacturing plants. Some 2,288 Palestinians were arrested, a slight increase from last year when 2,277 were arrested, and a drop from 3,627 arrests made in 2017.
Hamas have also released a report of their activities in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
3594 stone-throwing operations
568 Molotov cocktails
3693 other confrontations - no details
1094 confrontations with settlers
1306 demonstrations
191 shooting attacks
142 night-time confusion operations
55 attacks with explosive devices
41 stabbings and attempted stabbings
21 vehicle-ramming attacks
I've no idea how accurate any of these figures are but Hamas, for one, have a reason to inflate their figures, given their attempts during the last 12 months to incite a 3rd intifada, and to back up their recent claim that a 3rd intifada is already underway. A well-funded Hamas campaign has been directed from Turkey and led by their deputy political leader, Salah Al-Arouri. There are several attractions for Hamas in inciting trouble in the West Bank: 1. It undermines the authority of the PA. 2. Hamas can position themselves as leading the struggle against Israel at the same time as making the PA and Fatah look weak, thus attracting more support. 3. They can launch attacks against Israel without breaking the Egyptian-brokered deal to maintain peace in Gaza.
Anyone who remembers the 2nd intifada will know that the present situation, while appalling enough, is nothing like that horror, but tensions are extremely high, not just against Israel but also between various Palestinian factions. Expect more grim news in the coming weeks and months.
spectateur
Player Valuation: £30m
Amnesty International report in the French journal La Croix agrees.
Dans un rapport publié mardi 1er février, l’organisation internationale de défense des droits humains Amnesty International déclare que, selon ses recherches, Israël est coupable du crime d’apartheid.
In a report published 1st February, the international organisation defending human rights ,i.e. Amnesty International, has declared that according to its researches, Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid.
Dans un rapport publié mardi 1er février, l’organisation internationale de défense des droits humains Amnesty International déclare que, selon ses recherches, Israël est coupable du crime d’apartheid.
In a report published 1st February, the international organisation defending human rights ,i.e. Amnesty International, has declared that according to its researches, Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid.
BigMick
Player Valuation: £20m
I wasn't going to bother mentioning the nonsense Amnesty report but I've read the whole thing: 280 pages and the legitimate criticism of Israel could fit into a 4 page pamphlet. That wouldn't have made the headlines though.
The apartheid label has been discussed before so I won't bother with it but for those who believe it there will be another report along in a few weeks which will say the same. What a coincidence.
I believe that two words should be banished from any serious discussion of Israel/Palestine: apartheid and antisemitism.
Happily, this week there is the possibility of just such a discussion beginning with the submission of a new plan for peace being presented to the UN and the USA. The plan has been drawn up by a group led by former Israeli justice minister Yossi Beilin and Palestinian attorney and former peace negotiator Hiba Husseini.
The plan is largely based on the 2003 Geneva Initiative but includes new, detailed recommendations for how to address core issues.
It proposes a two-state confederation based on a EU-style model, with two ethnic nationalist states, an Israeli and a Palestinian one.
There would be an independent state of Palestine in most of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
Israel and Palestine would have separate governments but operate under an additional layer of cooperative infrastructure to deal with security and other issues that affect both populations. This would bind the two peoples together, rather than seek to divide them.
Large settlements near the border would be annexed to Israel in a one-to-one land swap.
Settlers living in the centre of the West Bank would have the option to remain as residents, but not citizens, within the final boundaries of a Palestinian state, or return to Israel. The same number of Palestinians - probably refugees from the 1948 war - would be allowed to relocate to Israel as citizens of Palestine with permanent residency in Israel. In both cases, residency would not be a track for citizenship. Nor is the option connected to the issue of a right of return for Palestinian refugees
Husseini says adherents of the two-state solution have erred in focusing on the need to separate Israelis and Palestinians. “It was a huge mistake that contributed to fear and hatred.”
She admitted that it wasn't going to be easy but to "achieve statehood and to achieve the desired right of self-determination that we have been working on - since 1948, really - we have to make some compromises.”
Issues like the conflicting claims to Jerusalem, final borders and the fate of Palestinian refugees could be easier to address by two states in the context of a confederation, rather than the traditional approach of trying to work out all the details ahead of a final agreement.
“We’re reversing the process and starting with recognition,” Husseini said.
Beilin said, “It would be easier to co-operate and coordinate if the framework is a confederation, rather than a two-state solution.” He confirmed the plan had already been sent to members of the Israel and Palestine governments, but only to those he knew would not immediately reject it. He hasn't sent it to Hamas (and presumably not to Naftali Bennett).
The authors hope that the 100 page plan, two years in the making, would prompt international debate on resolutions to the conflict.
That would be a success - persuading the UN to work with interested parties such as the US and Russia (whose minds are understandably elsewhere at the moment) and the EU and some of the Arab nations to bring the two sides together, rather than forcing them further apart with endless reports, commissions, and resolutions.
The confederation idea has been around a long time but it's been 19 years since the Geneva Initiative and more than 14 years since Abbas fatefully walked away from Olmert's offer. Since then, stalemate, so it's an idea that deserves to be looked at with fresh eyes. A good start to the discussion would be for Israel to reaffirm their support for an independent Palestinian state and for the Palestinians to confirm their support for an independent Jewish state of Israel, and then take it from there!
The apartheid label has been discussed before so I won't bother with it but for those who believe it there will be another report along in a few weeks which will say the same. What a coincidence.
I believe that two words should be banished from any serious discussion of Israel/Palestine: apartheid and antisemitism.
Happily, this week there is the possibility of just such a discussion beginning with the submission of a new plan for peace being presented to the UN and the USA. The plan has been drawn up by a group led by former Israeli justice minister Yossi Beilin and Palestinian attorney and former peace negotiator Hiba Husseini.
The plan is largely based on the 2003 Geneva Initiative but includes new, detailed recommendations for how to address core issues.
It proposes a two-state confederation based on a EU-style model, with two ethnic nationalist states, an Israeli and a Palestinian one.
There would be an independent state of Palestine in most of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
Israel and Palestine would have separate governments but operate under an additional layer of cooperative infrastructure to deal with security and other issues that affect both populations. This would bind the two peoples together, rather than seek to divide them.
Large settlements near the border would be annexed to Israel in a one-to-one land swap.
Settlers living in the centre of the West Bank would have the option to remain as residents, but not citizens, within the final boundaries of a Palestinian state, or return to Israel. The same number of Palestinians - probably refugees from the 1948 war - would be allowed to relocate to Israel as citizens of Palestine with permanent residency in Israel. In both cases, residency would not be a track for citizenship. Nor is the option connected to the issue of a right of return for Palestinian refugees
Husseini says adherents of the two-state solution have erred in focusing on the need to separate Israelis and Palestinians. “It was a huge mistake that contributed to fear and hatred.”
She admitted that it wasn't going to be easy but to "achieve statehood and to achieve the desired right of self-determination that we have been working on - since 1948, really - we have to make some compromises.”
Issues like the conflicting claims to Jerusalem, final borders and the fate of Palestinian refugees could be easier to address by two states in the context of a confederation, rather than the traditional approach of trying to work out all the details ahead of a final agreement.
“We’re reversing the process and starting with recognition,” Husseini said.
Beilin said, “It would be easier to co-operate and coordinate if the framework is a confederation, rather than a two-state solution.” He confirmed the plan had already been sent to members of the Israel and Palestine governments, but only to those he knew would not immediately reject it. He hasn't sent it to Hamas (and presumably not to Naftali Bennett).
The authors hope that the 100 page plan, two years in the making, would prompt international debate on resolutions to the conflict.
That would be a success - persuading the UN to work with interested parties such as the US and Russia (whose minds are understandably elsewhere at the moment) and the EU and some of the Arab nations to bring the two sides together, rather than forcing them further apart with endless reports, commissions, and resolutions.
The confederation idea has been around a long time but it's been 19 years since the Geneva Initiative and more than 14 years since Abbas fatefully walked away from Olmert's offer. Since then, stalemate, so it's an idea that deserves to be looked at with fresh eyes. A good start to the discussion would be for Israel to reaffirm their support for an independent Palestinian state and for the Palestinians to confirm their support for an independent Jewish state of Israel, and then take it from there!
BigMick
Player Valuation: £20m
Sheikh Jarrah Update.
Yesterday the Israeli High Court ruled in favour of the families who appealed to be allowed to stay in their homes until the end of legal proceedings.
The 96-page long ruling says that the Palestinians can not be evicted unless the Justice Ministry examined the Palestinians’ claim to the homes. The Justice Ministry is responsible for sorting out land registration and issuing titles to property but has effectively frozen the process in much of East Jerusalem, citing political and logistical difficulties.
This means the families will be safe in their homes for many years, as the process that could take years or may not be carried out at all. It will also set a precedent for other cases making their way through the courts.
In the meantime, the Palestinian families will deposit a symbolic amount of rent — NIS 2,400 ($740) per year — in a bank account belonging to both sides’ lawyers. If the Justice Ministry rules against them, the funds will be transferred to the Jewish landlords.
Sami Irsheid, the Palestinians' lawyer, said, "This is an unprecedented development in Sheikh Jarrah eviction cases. There's no eviction, and the ownership of the land will be revisited. From the 1970s until today, the courts have always held that the Jewish organisations were the owners. This is a very positive development."
As a word of caution I should point out that the families' lawyer was in favour of accepting the compromise offered by the court when it last sat - the families were split but after political pressure from Hamas and the PA, rejected the offer. This ruling differs in only two aspects: it expunges the clause that the ownership claims could not be brought to court for the next 15 years; second, the peppercorn rent the families will pay no longer goes directly to the Jewish landlords and will only go them if the case is eventually settled in their favour. This time the court has issued a ruling instead of an offer and the families and landlord have no option to refuse.
It is the most de-escalatory development for Sheikh Jarrah in years and should remove the dispute as an excuse for violence, from whichever side, for the foreseeable future. The timing could not be better: April sees an unusual confluence of religious holidays with Easter, Passover, and Ramadan coinciding, which will undoubtedly lead to heightened tensions in Jerusalem which the right wing from both sides will seek to exploit.
The judges have made some incredible legal contortions in order to wriggle into this loophole, something the Israeli government had undoubtedly been urging them to do. The government therefore deserves some credit for the decision, as do the countries that have encouraged them to find as solution, notably the US, Egypt, the countries signed up to the Abraham Accords, some EU countries, particularly Germany, and finally, whisper it quietly, the UK.
The Israeli extreme right are railing against the decision; no reaction as yet from the PA or Hamas.
Yesterday the Israeli High Court ruled in favour of the families who appealed to be allowed to stay in their homes until the end of legal proceedings.
The 96-page long ruling says that the Palestinians can not be evicted unless the Justice Ministry examined the Palestinians’ claim to the homes. The Justice Ministry is responsible for sorting out land registration and issuing titles to property but has effectively frozen the process in much of East Jerusalem, citing political and logistical difficulties.
This means the families will be safe in their homes for many years, as the process that could take years or may not be carried out at all. It will also set a precedent for other cases making their way through the courts.
In the meantime, the Palestinian families will deposit a symbolic amount of rent — NIS 2,400 ($740) per year — in a bank account belonging to both sides’ lawyers. If the Justice Ministry rules against them, the funds will be transferred to the Jewish landlords.
Sami Irsheid, the Palestinians' lawyer, said, "This is an unprecedented development in Sheikh Jarrah eviction cases. There's no eviction, and the ownership of the land will be revisited. From the 1970s until today, the courts have always held that the Jewish organisations were the owners. This is a very positive development."
As a word of caution I should point out that the families' lawyer was in favour of accepting the compromise offered by the court when it last sat - the families were split but after political pressure from Hamas and the PA, rejected the offer. This ruling differs in only two aspects: it expunges the clause that the ownership claims could not be brought to court for the next 15 years; second, the peppercorn rent the families will pay no longer goes directly to the Jewish landlords and will only go them if the case is eventually settled in their favour. This time the court has issued a ruling instead of an offer and the families and landlord have no option to refuse.
It is the most de-escalatory development for Sheikh Jarrah in years and should remove the dispute as an excuse for violence, from whichever side, for the foreseeable future. The timing could not be better: April sees an unusual confluence of religious holidays with Easter, Passover, and Ramadan coinciding, which will undoubtedly lead to heightened tensions in Jerusalem which the right wing from both sides will seek to exploit.
The judges have made some incredible legal contortions in order to wriggle into this loophole, something the Israeli government had undoubtedly been urging them to do. The government therefore deserves some credit for the decision, as do the countries that have encouraged them to find as solution, notably the US, Egypt, the countries signed up to the Abraham Accords, some EU countries, particularly Germany, and finally, whisper it quietly, the UK.
The Israeli extreme right are railing against the decision; no reaction as yet from the PA or Hamas.
BigMick
Player Valuation: £20m
6 days since the shock Sheikh Jarrah verdicts - how have interested parties responded?
The Families issued a statement in which they grudgingly welcomed their victory in the 'Occupation' court but, in the next sentence, vowed to continue the struggle as they couldn't expect justice from that same 'Occupation' court.
The Israeli right are apoplectic about what they see as a failure to defend the right of Jews to live in East Jerusalem. The extreme right vowed to continue the fight to defend the Jews living there. The Palestinian right ignored the verdict and vowed to continue the fight against Jews living there.
The Palestinian Authority said:
Hamas said:
The Palestinian media said:
The Arab media: Widely reported the facts.
In the UK.
The Guardian said:
The BBC said:
The Independent gave a basic syndicated report of the verdict.
I fully understand the silence of the PA and Hamas. Wrong-footed by the verdict, they desperately want to keep Sheikh Jarrah alive as a political issue (hence their pressurising the families to turn down the previous offer), in the knowledge that it has been for them a major stick with which to beat Israel - in the West at least, not so much in Palestine itself. Hamas, along with Islamic Jihad and the PFLP, are continuing as if the verdict was never given, issuing a statement last weekend calling for a 'step up' in 'resistance' against Israel during Ramadan, which starts early April, and citing the Sheikh Jarrah issue as one of the reasons. With the eyes of the world on Ukraine, a spokesman explained, "“We want to make sure that the world does not forget about the Palestinians. In the past year, we managed to attract a lot of attention because of the Gaza war and the protests in Sheikh Jarrah.”
As for the UK media, congratulations to the Independent for their basic report, but the Guardian and the BBC, normally so eager to share any issues in Sheikh Jarrah, have been strangely silent. I'll be charitable and suggest it's a case of 'Good News is No News' rather than anything else.
The Families issued a statement in which they grudgingly welcomed their victory in the 'Occupation' court but, in the next sentence, vowed to continue the struggle as they couldn't expect justice from that same 'Occupation' court.
The Israeli right are apoplectic about what they see as a failure to defend the right of Jews to live in East Jerusalem. The extreme right vowed to continue the fight to defend the Jews living there. The Palestinian right ignored the verdict and vowed to continue the fight against Jews living there.
The Palestinian Authority said:
Hamas said:
The Palestinian media said:
The Arab media: Widely reported the facts.
In the UK.
The Guardian said:
The BBC said:
The Independent gave a basic syndicated report of the verdict.
I fully understand the silence of the PA and Hamas. Wrong-footed by the verdict, they desperately want to keep Sheikh Jarrah alive as a political issue (hence their pressurising the families to turn down the previous offer), in the knowledge that it has been for them a major stick with which to beat Israel - in the West at least, not so much in Palestine itself. Hamas, along with Islamic Jihad and the PFLP, are continuing as if the verdict was never given, issuing a statement last weekend calling for a 'step up' in 'resistance' against Israel during Ramadan, which starts early April, and citing the Sheikh Jarrah issue as one of the reasons. With the eyes of the world on Ukraine, a spokesman explained, "“We want to make sure that the world does not forget about the Palestinians. In the past year, we managed to attract a lot of attention because of the Gaza war and the protests in Sheikh Jarrah.”
As for the UK media, congratulations to the Independent for their basic report, but the Guardian and the BBC, normally so eager to share any issues in Sheikh Jarrah, have been strangely silent. I'll be charitable and suggest it's a case of 'Good News is No News' rather than anything else.
Fascinating, thanks for sharing
BigMick
Player Valuation: £20m
Pleasure - it's an amazing story that doesn't receive coverage in the UK.
To give a quick update, the Israeli government has been almost dysfunctional for the last month due to various members of the coalition rebelling against policies they don't like. Ra'am have rebelled twice, getting a victory the first time but having to accept defeat in the 2nd. That was over the Citizenship Law (Family reunification) which Ra'am and the left-wing party Meretz voted against while Labour abstained. In the UK the government would have fallen by now but the Israeli system enables it to carry on. Mansour Abbas said his party will remain in the government as it's not worth undoing all the good work over one issue, especially one that affects a relatively small percentage of the Arab population. He continues to walk the tightrope, while being pelted from all sides.
- Status