Toffeeslam
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isn’t that law racist ?
Arabs are not allowed to marry Palestinians living in the West Bank but Jews are allowed to marry who they want including settlers ?
Current Affairs Israel is an apartheid state
- Thread starter Billy Dean
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isn’t that law racist ?
Arabs are not allowed to marry Palestinians living in the West Bank but Jews are allowed to marry who they want including settlers ?
BigMick
Player Valuation: £20m
That's not quite right. All Israeli citizens, Jew and Arab, can marry whoever they choose.
The law refers to a spouse from the West Bank or Gaza not automatically being granted Israeli citizenship, and applies to both Arab and Jewish Israelis, although the cases of Jews marrying West Bank Palestinians are extremely rare, though not unknown. Therefore it mainly affect Arab citizens, hence the racism charge, which is why Ra'am and Meretz voted against it.
The spouses can obtain temporary, two-year residence permits, although they can be revoked on security grounds, but not full citizenship which results in restrictions on what they can do. There are exceptions made for applications by women over the age of 25, men over 35 and children under 14, and it doesn't prevent any Israeli citizen from uniting in Israel with Palestinian spouses who do not reside in the West Bank or Gaza Strip.
It's a law that has to be renewed every year, so why did the current government risk its own survival to pass it? First and foremost, security.
The law was first brought in at the height of the disastrous 2nd Intifada in 2003. Disastrous for Israel and even more so for the Palestinians: it achieved nothing positive but the repercussions from it are still felt today, with this law being one example and others, such as the security barrier and the invasive Israeli security operation in the West Bank being the most visible. Probably the worst long-term effect, though, was the psychological barrier it erected between the two people, destroying any trust and pushing political opinion of both communities firmly to the right.
Specifically, the law was brought in after it was discovered that some of the worst atrocities in Israel had been perpetrated by people who'd gained entry to the country through marriage, notably a horrendous attack in Haifa in March 2002 that killed 15 people. There have been other attacks since then such as the 2012 blowing up of a Tel Aviv bus.
Is it necessary today? Some form of security is certainly needed given the upsurge in recent attacks, but given that Israel currently allows around 170,000 West Bank and Gazan Palestinians to enter the country every day for work - all presumably security checked - I would think it should be possible to check every case individually rather than assuming that everyone is a potential terrorist. Therefore, even on security grounds, I'm against the law.
A second reason has been inserted into the law for the first time, one that declares that the goal is to also preserve the state's Jewish identity. Given that since 2003 there have been less than 13,000 cases that seems irrelevant to the size of the population. Others argue that if the law was removed there would be a huge upsurge in Palestinians wanting to move to Israel. I should add that Jordan has a similar law affecting around 52,000 people, the law being designed purely to keep a cap on the already massive Palestinian population in the country.
In Israel the law is currently being challenged in the courts, the third time this has happened. Last time it passed by 6 votes to 5 on security grounds but this will be the first time that the demographic clause will be considered. I suspect it will pass again but that clause might be omitted.
BigMick
Player Valuation: £20m
Last night's terror attack in the cramped city of Bnei Brak was the 3rd such attack in Israel in the last few days. 5 people were murdered in the latest attack - 2 Jews, 2 Ukrainian citizens, and one brave Arab-Israeli policeman.
I've posted previously that April - when Ramadan, Passover and Easter coincide - threatened to be a terrible month; that is still the case and these attacks are just a prelude to what will occur if the terrorists get their way.
It didn't take any great insight to forecast trouble - there were plenty of warnings for those who looked. The terrorists have just started earlier than predicted. Here are some of the warning signs:
In late February there was a odd development with the formation of a new Joint Operations Group in the West Bank called Hizam al-Nar, consisting of members of Katibat Jenin (Jenin branch of Islamic Jihad) and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (Fatah). Previously they had been enemies but they have since claimed responsibility for several attacks in West Bank.
On 12th March Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the PFLP announced they had set up a new commission to "defend and support the Arab citizens of Israel. The resistance factions of the Gaza Strip stand with the Israeli Arabs and are ready to support them with weapons. We will not allow anyone to erase our identity and the unity of our people, and will combat normalisation between Israel and the Arabs.
Their first stated mission was to organise “popular activities” on the occasion of Land Day on 30th March.
On 15th March Hamas and Islamic Jihad called for the stepping up of “resistance operations” against Israel. They claimed that Jews are planning to “storm” al-Aqsa Mosque compound (Temple Mount) during the upcoming Jewish holidays, and urged their supporters to converge on the mosque in the coming days to “thwart” the planned “incursions,” warning that Israeli measures could lead to a religious war in the region.
On 17th March a Hamas spokesman said that “the Palestinian people are united behind the gun,” and called on Jerusalem Arabs to “make all friction points with the enemy clash points.”
Some Palestinian activists were unhappy that the eyes of the world were on Ukraine: “We want to make sure that the world does not forget about the Palestinians.”
There were countless other warnings, including various claims that, "Al-Aqsa is in danger", an antisemitic canard that shortly celebrates its century, having been claimed long before the State of Israel was founded.
The first two attacks were committed by Israeli-Arabs linked to ISIS, who later claimed responsibility. ISIS have a new leader in Sinai who has led an upsurge in fighting against Egypt. Last weekend the nephew of Hamas Gazan leader, Yahya Sinwar, was named as one of their casualties. Previously ISIS and Hamas have been enemies - is this the sign of a new relationship between the two groups?
Yesterday's horror finally forced PA president Mahmoud Abbas to break his silence and condemn the murders, emphasising that "the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians only leads the situation to deteriorate.” Too little, too late from Abbas, and he was probably urged to say something by Antony Blinken and the King of Jordan during their meetings this week.
He said something very different in February when three of a four gunmen cell belonging to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades were killed by Israeli security. Abbas responded, “This was premeditated murder perpetrated by the vile Zionist occupier against our sons, our youth, our people. These incidents will not go idly by. We will not allow them to reoccur, nor will we remain quiet. We will get back at them twice as hard.”
At the same time another Fatah leader, Jamal Tirawi, said, "Fatah is proud of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. They are part of Fatah’s organisational framework.”
Fatah are frequently spoken of as the party of peace, the opposite to Hamas say well-meaning people clutching at straws. Here's what some other leaders have been saying recently (nothing different to what they've said in the past):
Just last week Jibril Rajoub, touted as a successor to Abbas, ruined what should have been a festive occasion when he opened the Bethlehem marathon with a rant in which he compared the Jews to Nazis, accused them of trying to "eliminate the Palestinian people", adding, "The time to banish them or resist them has come!" All this in front of a smiling member of the EU Council, who presumably doesn't speak Arabic or wasn't listening.
Three days ago PA Prime Minister Shtayyeh said, "Allowing settlers to enter Al-Aqsa is no longer tolerated, and our people in Jerusalem will always be on the lookout for all these attempts that will inevitably lead to an unprecedented escalation."
The Religious Affairs Adviser to Mahmoud Abbas predicted, "Israel is preparing to commit a new crime against Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan."
Earlier this month the PLO, which Abbas is head of, announced they have renounced all agreements with Israel, adding “We have entered a path of resistance in all its forms."
It's not just politicians who have incited trouble. Religious leaders and the media are also to blame. Following the attack in Hadera, a city between Tel Aviv and Haifa, one major Palestinian newspaper devoted a whole page detailing every attack in that city since the 1990s, glorying in the details of how the attacks were carried out and how many were killed.
In Israel there has been unanimous condemnation of the attacks by all Arab leaders, including some who don't normally do so, such as the Joint List opposition party. They are followers, not leaders like Mansour Abbas - they follow the crowd instead of leading it. The fact that they have spoken out provides a slither of optimism: have they decided that the majority of their constituents abhor violence and want to live in peace in Israel?
Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas said, "The streets of Israeli cities are filled with Arab and Jewish citizens alike, and those who embark on a vicious killing spree do not care or differentiate between them. We will not stop at merely condemning, because the terror is not stopping and does not bow its head. We are determined to walk a peaceful path, despite all the extremists.”
Esawi Frej, an Arab minister in the Israeli government said, “The majority, we want to live together. We love life. Don’t let this extremist, this murderer, win. Arabs and Jews, we have the same interests. In order to keep Israel strong, we should go hand in hand together.”
It goes without saying that Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the PFLP all praised the attack - they were joined by other groups such as the DFLP, PFLP-GC, Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Mujahideen Brigades, Popular Resistance Committees and the Popular Resistance Movement. And Hezbollah. The Fatah leader in Jenin led a chanting mob of mainly young men and teenagers with an old PLO refrain, “Millions of Martyrs are marching to Jerusalem; We will die and Palestine will live.”
On social media many prominent Palestinian activists were exultant. "The third intifada has begun!" claimed one.
And sparking a third intifada is one of the goals of the terrorists. They want mayhem, bloodshed, to force a retaliation from right-wing Jews and to drag innocent people into the conflict. Their ultimate goal is, of course, the destruction of the State of Israel but the Hamas leadership, for one, are not stupid - they know that these actions are not going to bring that heinous dream any closer. What they want from this wave of violence is. in Esawi Frej's words, "to derail Israel's social progress, especially in government." The prospect of an Arab party working alongside Jews in government appals them. The sight of Arab doctors and nurses working in Israeli hospitals appals them. Arab businessmen succeeding? Appalling! Arabs volunteering for the IDF, the police or the border force? Terrible!
As for a third intifada, it's worrying that there are more weapons floating around in Arab society than before, but anyone who remembers the previous intifada will know that Israel fought the first two years of it with gloves on - they abided by the Oslo Accords and didn't enter any major town or city, leaving security the the Palestinian Security Force. Only when they realised the PA were unable or unwilling to stop the attacks, or even complicit in some, did they change strategy and enter those places. This time I doubt they will wait two days.
Following last night's attack dozens of locals, led by the obnoxious MK Itamar Ben-Givr, protested at the scene of the attack in Bnei Brak, chanting “Death to Arabs,” and “Revenge,” and haranguing the police minister who had to be rescued from the angry mob. Meanwhile hundreds of young Arabs celebrated the attack at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem and in Gaza and the West Bank. The under pressure Israeli government announced some immediate security measures, with probably more to come. Plans that had been agreed with the PA to relax restrictions during Ramadan to allow thousands of genuine worshippers from the West Bank to visit Jerusalem and al-Aqsa will probably be cancelled. Many city governments and West Bank settlements announced they would shut down construction sites where many Palestinian labourers work - the terrorist was a resident of the town of Ya’abad near Jenin in the West Bank, who had been working in Israel illegally, entering via one of the many holes in the security barrier. There are thousands who do that every day, in addition to the 140,000 who work there legally.
Those who planned and committed these atrocities were counting on all this. They know the only thing their crimes can achieve is escalation and more death. It’s what they murdered and died for, and they’re counting on people like Ben-Gvir to respond in kind. Then they will have achieved their goal.
I've posted previously that April - when Ramadan, Passover and Easter coincide - threatened to be a terrible month; that is still the case and these attacks are just a prelude to what will occur if the terrorists get their way.
It didn't take any great insight to forecast trouble - there were plenty of warnings for those who looked. The terrorists have just started earlier than predicted. Here are some of the warning signs:
In late February there was a odd development with the formation of a new Joint Operations Group in the West Bank called Hizam al-Nar, consisting of members of Katibat Jenin (Jenin branch of Islamic Jihad) and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (Fatah). Previously they had been enemies but they have since claimed responsibility for several attacks in West Bank.
On 12th March Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the PFLP announced they had set up a new commission to "defend and support the Arab citizens of Israel. The resistance factions of the Gaza Strip stand with the Israeli Arabs and are ready to support them with weapons. We will not allow anyone to erase our identity and the unity of our people, and will combat normalisation between Israel and the Arabs.
Their first stated mission was to organise “popular activities” on the occasion of Land Day on 30th March.
On 15th March Hamas and Islamic Jihad called for the stepping up of “resistance operations” against Israel. They claimed that Jews are planning to “storm” al-Aqsa Mosque compound (Temple Mount) during the upcoming Jewish holidays, and urged their supporters to converge on the mosque in the coming days to “thwart” the planned “incursions,” warning that Israeli measures could lead to a religious war in the region.
On 17th March a Hamas spokesman said that “the Palestinian people are united behind the gun,” and called on Jerusalem Arabs to “make all friction points with the enemy clash points.”
Some Palestinian activists were unhappy that the eyes of the world were on Ukraine: “We want to make sure that the world does not forget about the Palestinians.”
There were countless other warnings, including various claims that, "Al-Aqsa is in danger", an antisemitic canard that shortly celebrates its century, having been claimed long before the State of Israel was founded.
The first two attacks were committed by Israeli-Arabs linked to ISIS, who later claimed responsibility. ISIS have a new leader in Sinai who has led an upsurge in fighting against Egypt. Last weekend the nephew of Hamas Gazan leader, Yahya Sinwar, was named as one of their casualties. Previously ISIS and Hamas have been enemies - is this the sign of a new relationship between the two groups?
Yesterday's horror finally forced PA president Mahmoud Abbas to break his silence and condemn the murders, emphasising that "the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians only leads the situation to deteriorate.” Too little, too late from Abbas, and he was probably urged to say something by Antony Blinken and the King of Jordan during their meetings this week.
He said something very different in February when three of a four gunmen cell belonging to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades were killed by Israeli security. Abbas responded, “This was premeditated murder perpetrated by the vile Zionist occupier against our sons, our youth, our people. These incidents will not go idly by. We will not allow them to reoccur, nor will we remain quiet. We will get back at them twice as hard.”
At the same time another Fatah leader, Jamal Tirawi, said, "Fatah is proud of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. They are part of Fatah’s organisational framework.”
Fatah are frequently spoken of as the party of peace, the opposite to Hamas say well-meaning people clutching at straws. Here's what some other leaders have been saying recently (nothing different to what they've said in the past):
Just last week Jibril Rajoub, touted as a successor to Abbas, ruined what should have been a festive occasion when he opened the Bethlehem marathon with a rant in which he compared the Jews to Nazis, accused them of trying to "eliminate the Palestinian people", adding, "The time to banish them or resist them has come!" All this in front of a smiling member of the EU Council, who presumably doesn't speak Arabic or wasn't listening.
Three days ago PA Prime Minister Shtayyeh said, "Allowing settlers to enter Al-Aqsa is no longer tolerated, and our people in Jerusalem will always be on the lookout for all these attempts that will inevitably lead to an unprecedented escalation."
The Religious Affairs Adviser to Mahmoud Abbas predicted, "Israel is preparing to commit a new crime against Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan."
Earlier this month the PLO, which Abbas is head of, announced they have renounced all agreements with Israel, adding “We have entered a path of resistance in all its forms."
It's not just politicians who have incited trouble. Religious leaders and the media are also to blame. Following the attack in Hadera, a city between Tel Aviv and Haifa, one major Palestinian newspaper devoted a whole page detailing every attack in that city since the 1990s, glorying in the details of how the attacks were carried out and how many were killed.
In Israel there has been unanimous condemnation of the attacks by all Arab leaders, including some who don't normally do so, such as the Joint List opposition party. They are followers, not leaders like Mansour Abbas - they follow the crowd instead of leading it. The fact that they have spoken out provides a slither of optimism: have they decided that the majority of their constituents abhor violence and want to live in peace in Israel?
Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas said, "The streets of Israeli cities are filled with Arab and Jewish citizens alike, and those who embark on a vicious killing spree do not care or differentiate between them. We will not stop at merely condemning, because the terror is not stopping and does not bow its head. We are determined to walk a peaceful path, despite all the extremists.”
Esawi Frej, an Arab minister in the Israeli government said, “The majority, we want to live together. We love life. Don’t let this extremist, this murderer, win. Arabs and Jews, we have the same interests. In order to keep Israel strong, we should go hand in hand together.”
It goes without saying that Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the PFLP all praised the attack - they were joined by other groups such as the DFLP, PFLP-GC, Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Mujahideen Brigades, Popular Resistance Committees and the Popular Resistance Movement. And Hezbollah. The Fatah leader in Jenin led a chanting mob of mainly young men and teenagers with an old PLO refrain, “Millions of Martyrs are marching to Jerusalem; We will die and Palestine will live.”
On social media many prominent Palestinian activists were exultant. "The third intifada has begun!" claimed one.
And sparking a third intifada is one of the goals of the terrorists. They want mayhem, bloodshed, to force a retaliation from right-wing Jews and to drag innocent people into the conflict. Their ultimate goal is, of course, the destruction of the State of Israel but the Hamas leadership, for one, are not stupid - they know that these actions are not going to bring that heinous dream any closer. What they want from this wave of violence is. in Esawi Frej's words, "to derail Israel's social progress, especially in government." The prospect of an Arab party working alongside Jews in government appals them. The sight of Arab doctors and nurses working in Israeli hospitals appals them. Arab businessmen succeeding? Appalling! Arabs volunteering for the IDF, the police or the border force? Terrible!
As for a third intifada, it's worrying that there are more weapons floating around in Arab society than before, but anyone who remembers the previous intifada will know that Israel fought the first two years of it with gloves on - they abided by the Oslo Accords and didn't enter any major town or city, leaving security the the Palestinian Security Force. Only when they realised the PA were unable or unwilling to stop the attacks, or even complicit in some, did they change strategy and enter those places. This time I doubt they will wait two days.
Following last night's attack dozens of locals, led by the obnoxious MK Itamar Ben-Givr, protested at the scene of the attack in Bnei Brak, chanting “Death to Arabs,” and “Revenge,” and haranguing the police minister who had to be rescued from the angry mob. Meanwhile hundreds of young Arabs celebrated the attack at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem and in Gaza and the West Bank. The under pressure Israeli government announced some immediate security measures, with probably more to come. Plans that had been agreed with the PA to relax restrictions during Ramadan to allow thousands of genuine worshippers from the West Bank to visit Jerusalem and al-Aqsa will probably be cancelled. Many city governments and West Bank settlements announced they would shut down construction sites where many Palestinian labourers work - the terrorist was a resident of the town of Ya’abad near Jenin in the West Bank, who had been working in Israel illegally, entering via one of the many holes in the security barrier. There are thousands who do that every day, in addition to the 140,000 who work there legally.
Those who planned and committed these atrocities were counting on all this. They know the only thing their crimes can achieve is escalation and more death. It’s what they murdered and died for, and they’re counting on people like Ben-Gvir to respond in kind. Then they will have achieved their goal.
Ray Purchase
Player Valuation: £10m
Thanks Big Mick.
Your posts are always nuanced and never simplistic.
I wish more people would engage in the Israel-Palestine debate in this manner.
Your posts are always nuanced and never simplistic.
I wish more people would engage in the Israel-Palestine debate in this manner.
BigMick
Player Valuation: £20m
Thanks Ray.
I should mention that one excuse cited by various terror groups for the attacks was last week’s Negev Summit, attended by foreign ministers from Egypt, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and the United States. That such an event could take place in Israel was unthinkable even a year ago,
Hamas, PFLP and Islamic Jihad, strongly condemned the gathering, dubbing it a “summit of shame,” accusing the participants of "normalisation with the enemy". The PA were also critical but refrained from criticising the Arab countries, learning a lesson from their negative reaction to the Abraham Accords.
Saudi Arabia and Jordan turned down the chance to participate - the domestic instability in Jordan is such that King Abdullah could not afford to inflame the anti-Israel sentiments of the Jordanian population - the majority of whom are Palestinian.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said, “We are today opening a door before all the peoples of the region, including the Palestinians, and offering them to replace the way of terror and destruction with a shared future of progress and success.”
It's hoped that the meeting will become a regular event, perhaps twice a year, held in different countries, and that the Palestinians may well be invited, which would allow Jordan and the Saudis to come out of the closet and join in openly. It's to be hoped that the PA is not too weak and blinded by its own narrative to realise that this alliance potentially presents it with tremendous opportunities.
The big news overnight, though, is that the Israeli government is on the brink of collapse following the defection of Idit Silman, a member of PM Naftali Bennett's Yamina Party. This leaves Bennett with just 5 MKs! More importantly it means the government has lost its majority.
To outsiders it would seem that the reasons for Silman quitting are trivial: the serving of leavened food in hospitals during Passover and opposition to a deal that would grant additional freedoms to non-Orthodox streams of Judaism at the Western Wall. It's believed Netanyahu has offered her the role of health minister in his next government, but Silman believes the right has made too many compromises in the government, while the left won't.
There are now several possibilities:
1. Another coalition member leaves, giving the opposition a majority to force a vote to disperse the Knesset and take Israel to a new election. Under an agreement this would see Yair Lapid take over as PM until a new government is formed, which would take several months.
2. Before the Knesset dissolves, the leader of the Blue and White party, the fiercely ambitious Benny Gantz, decides to join the opposition and become Israel’s prime minister. Gantz was previously cheated out of being PM by Netanyahu, who chose to collapse their coalition government rather than hand over to Gamtz as had been agreed. Blue and White have 8 seats.
3. Opposition leader Netanyahu manages to persuade other coalition members to defect and form a government with him as PM. Unlikely because while the Knesset is now locked at 60-60, 6 of the opposition (the Arab Joint List) would presumably not support a Netanyahu government, so he would need 7 more for a majority.
4. The government manages to persuade Silman to reconsider. They could enforce a rule barring her from running in the next election but there are ways around that for her.
5. The government manages to tempt some opposition MKs to join it - highly unlikely. The best prospect would be the Joint List, or at least some of them, but given their views it would almost certainly force other members of the coalition to quit.
6. The lame duck government manages to limp on until early next year when it would need to pass a new budget, which would be impossible and the government would collapse then. In the meantime it would be unable to pass any meaningful legislation, but this might still be the best option for PM Bennett, whose political future otherwise looks bleak.
Chaos - again!
BigMick
Player Valuation: £20m
With the ongoing horrific events in Ukraine I've been reluctant to say anything about the manufactured, stage-managed trouble at Al Aqsa that has occurred for the last week.
To quote a previous post, "On 15th March Hamas and Islamic Jihad called for the stepping up of “resistance operations” against Israel. They claimed that Jews are planning to “storm” al-Aqsa Mosque compound (Temple Mount) during the upcoming Jewish holidays, and urged their supporters to converge on the mosque in the coming days to “thwart” the planned “incursions,” warning that Israeli measures could lead to a religious war in the region."
Those claims were stepped up in the following weeks with even the so-called moderate Palestinian Authority, desperate to appear relevant, chiming in, saying that Israel were "planning to perpetrate a massacre in Jerusalem in order to seize full control of al Aqsa Mosque," and "We are headed towards religious war."
The falsehood that Israel is storming and trying to take over al Aqsa Mosque is a longstanding antisemitic propaganda ploy with multiple aims, one of which is the rejection of ancient Jewish ties to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism. Over the years the lie has been used to drum up support for the Palestinian cause. This time around, Hamas have realised that this is the best way to portray itself, rather than Fatah or the PA, as the sole “defender of Jerusalem and the Islamic holy sites,” thus gaining support in the West Bank.
They have also realised that al Aqsa is the best way to undermine Ra'am's position in the Israeli government. Ra'am are a religious, Islamist party and the images that emerged from al Aqsa made it impossible for them to continue in the coalition. Mansour Abbas convinced the party's Shura Council to temporarily freeze the party's membership in the coalition, rather than quit completely. The Knesset is currently on recess and Abbas will be hoping the situation will have calmed by the time it reconvenes.
Hamas's third aim is to use the unrest to try to incite a third intifada, something they've been attempting for the past year, so far unsuccessfully, despite the recent terror attacks in Israel, isolated West Bank riots, and the attempted destruction of the Jewish religious site of Joseph's Tomb in Nablus.
This Al Aqsa myth has been around since the 1890s but became more commonly used from 1921 onward. Here's an example from 1922:
This year Israel tried hard to act in a way that would ensure a peaceful Ramadan. The Sheikh Jarrah issue was neutralised; the Damascus Gate, another excuse for last year's violence and war, was left unfenced; significant economic measures were promoted, especially in Gaza; high level meetings have been held with the PA; regional players were involved in the calming effort; and despite terror attacks, access to al Aqsa from the West Bank was left open. Even after the trouble began the police firmly prevented a right-wing march through the Old City, and , from yesterday, the small groups of Jews who are normally allowed to visit the Mount on certain days, but not enter buildings, were barred until the end of Ramadan. There was no reason for trouble but, such was the incitement, everyone knew it was coming.
And just to be clear: the riots started before any Israeli police entered the courtyard and on a Friday when Jews are banned from entering. There was no reason for trouble, no excuses.
The Jordanian-controlled Waqf Islamic religious trust, which is responsible for administering the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, failed to stop dozens of rioters from entering the mosque with stones and fireworks. The Waqf has dozens of security guards stationed at the Temple Mount, but they did not intervene to stop the rioters and thugs from sneaking into the mosque.
Unfortunately, despite numerous denials Israel once again were unable to convince the Palestinians and the Muslim world that it has no intention to change the status quo in the Temple Mount/al-Aqsa. The myth has it that Israel’s true intent is to build a synagogue on the mount, which may or may not include demolishing the mosques there, with the first stage of Israel’s plan being to allow Jewish prayer and rituals on the mount, then to physically divide the mount to allow for permanent Jewish religious practice. Hamas admitted they had received four Israeli government assurances that this was not their intention but claimed that they did not believe them and urged their supporters to defend al Aqsa from 'settler' incursions. Hamas knew that Israel would have to respond to quell the Palestinian rioting by entering the mosque, and by then it wouldn’t matter how it started - Israel could be portrayed as the culprit, snuffing out freedom of religion.
The PA and Jordan don't want to admit that supporters of Hamas and other extremist groups now call the shots at the Temple Mount. It’s easier for Ramallah and Amman to hold Israel solely responsible for the violence than denounce the rioters who desecrated al-Aqsa Mosque. Because they don’t dare to speak out against the young men and women who have turned al-Aqsa Mosque into a battlefield and spoiled the Ramadan celebrations and prayers for hundreds of thousands of Muslim worshippers, the current strategy of the PA and Jordan is to get the international community to exert pressure on Israel to halt Jewish “provocations.”
Even if the situation does calm down after Ramadan ends, it’s evident that the status quo has indeed shifted at the Temple Mount.
But it’s not Israel that has changed the status quo; rather, it’s the shabab (youths) and Hamas who have managed to create a new reality in which they are now the 'custodians' and 'defenders' of al-Aqsa Mosque.
And it's not over yet. Speaking from his home in Qatar, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said that “We are still at the beginning of the battle.”
The extremists are on the march, but it's not all doom and gloom, so I'll end with a couple of positives. First, a video showing the Arab mayor of an Israeli city confronting would-be rioters - if only more leaders would do that.
Secondly, this photo of Arabs and Jews enjoying a holiday meal in Sheikh Jarrah, a lesson that shows, with goodwill on both sides, progress can be made.
To quote a previous post, "On 15th March Hamas and Islamic Jihad called for the stepping up of “resistance operations” against Israel. They claimed that Jews are planning to “storm” al-Aqsa Mosque compound (Temple Mount) during the upcoming Jewish holidays, and urged their supporters to converge on the mosque in the coming days to “thwart” the planned “incursions,” warning that Israeli measures could lead to a religious war in the region."
Those claims were stepped up in the following weeks with even the so-called moderate Palestinian Authority, desperate to appear relevant, chiming in, saying that Israel were "planning to perpetrate a massacre in Jerusalem in order to seize full control of al Aqsa Mosque," and "We are headed towards religious war."
The falsehood that Israel is storming and trying to take over al Aqsa Mosque is a longstanding antisemitic propaganda ploy with multiple aims, one of which is the rejection of ancient Jewish ties to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism. Over the years the lie has been used to drum up support for the Palestinian cause. This time around, Hamas have realised that this is the best way to portray itself, rather than Fatah or the PA, as the sole “defender of Jerusalem and the Islamic holy sites,” thus gaining support in the West Bank.
They have also realised that al Aqsa is the best way to undermine Ra'am's position in the Israeli government. Ra'am are a religious, Islamist party and the images that emerged from al Aqsa made it impossible for them to continue in the coalition. Mansour Abbas convinced the party's Shura Council to temporarily freeze the party's membership in the coalition, rather than quit completely. The Knesset is currently on recess and Abbas will be hoping the situation will have calmed by the time it reconvenes.
Hamas's third aim is to use the unrest to try to incite a third intifada, something they've been attempting for the past year, so far unsuccessfully, despite the recent terror attacks in Israel, isolated West Bank riots, and the attempted destruction of the Jewish religious site of Joseph's Tomb in Nablus.
This Al Aqsa myth has been around since the 1890s but became more commonly used from 1921 onward. Here's an example from 1922:
This year Israel tried hard to act in a way that would ensure a peaceful Ramadan. The Sheikh Jarrah issue was neutralised; the Damascus Gate, another excuse for last year's violence and war, was left unfenced; significant economic measures were promoted, especially in Gaza; high level meetings have been held with the PA; regional players were involved in the calming effort; and despite terror attacks, access to al Aqsa from the West Bank was left open. Even after the trouble began the police firmly prevented a right-wing march through the Old City, and , from yesterday, the small groups of Jews who are normally allowed to visit the Mount on certain days, but not enter buildings, were barred until the end of Ramadan. There was no reason for trouble but, such was the incitement, everyone knew it was coming.
And just to be clear: the riots started before any Israeli police entered the courtyard and on a Friday when Jews are banned from entering. There was no reason for trouble, no excuses.
The Jordanian-controlled Waqf Islamic religious trust, which is responsible for administering the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, failed to stop dozens of rioters from entering the mosque with stones and fireworks. The Waqf has dozens of security guards stationed at the Temple Mount, but they did not intervene to stop the rioters and thugs from sneaking into the mosque.
Unfortunately, despite numerous denials Israel once again were unable to convince the Palestinians and the Muslim world that it has no intention to change the status quo in the Temple Mount/al-Aqsa. The myth has it that Israel’s true intent is to build a synagogue on the mount, which may or may not include demolishing the mosques there, with the first stage of Israel’s plan being to allow Jewish prayer and rituals on the mount, then to physically divide the mount to allow for permanent Jewish religious practice. Hamas admitted they had received four Israeli government assurances that this was not their intention but claimed that they did not believe them and urged their supporters to defend al Aqsa from 'settler' incursions. Hamas knew that Israel would have to respond to quell the Palestinian rioting by entering the mosque, and by then it wouldn’t matter how it started - Israel could be portrayed as the culprit, snuffing out freedom of religion.
The PA and Jordan don't want to admit that supporters of Hamas and other extremist groups now call the shots at the Temple Mount. It’s easier for Ramallah and Amman to hold Israel solely responsible for the violence than denounce the rioters who desecrated al-Aqsa Mosque. Because they don’t dare to speak out against the young men and women who have turned al-Aqsa Mosque into a battlefield and spoiled the Ramadan celebrations and prayers for hundreds of thousands of Muslim worshippers, the current strategy of the PA and Jordan is to get the international community to exert pressure on Israel to halt Jewish “provocations.”
Even if the situation does calm down after Ramadan ends, it’s evident that the status quo has indeed shifted at the Temple Mount.
But it’s not Israel that has changed the status quo; rather, it’s the shabab (youths) and Hamas who have managed to create a new reality in which they are now the 'custodians' and 'defenders' of al-Aqsa Mosque.
And it's not over yet. Speaking from his home in Qatar, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said that “We are still at the beginning of the battle.”
The extremists are on the march, but it's not all doom and gloom, so I'll end with a couple of positives. First, a video showing the Arab mayor of an Israeli city confronting would-be rioters - if only more leaders would do that.
Secondly, this photo of Arabs and Jews enjoying a holiday meal in Sheikh Jarrah, a lesson that shows, with goodwill on both sides, progress can be made.
BigMick
Player Valuation: £20m
Last week Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar gave a speech in which he urged supporters in the West Bank and within Israel to carry out lone wolf attacks and prepare to use their guns, cleavers, axes and knives against Jews. it represented a stepping up of the Hamas campaign to incite a 3rd intifada, while at the same time refraining from firing missiles from Gaza so as to avoid Israeli retaliation.
A couple of days later these three men were hacked to death with an axe by two Palestinians from the West Bank.
Unsurprisingly there was uproar in Israel with many calling for Sinwar's arrest or assassination for incitement of terror. Hopefully, common sense will prevail, but I fear it will be the people of Gaza who suffer once again, with Israel almost certain to rescind, at least temporarily, the 20,000 work permits that had been issued recently.
This is a letter that a friend of mine wrote to Mr Sinwar in 2018, when the incitement used 'the right of return' as an excuse, rather than the 100 year old al Aqsa lie, but otherwise it still seems relevant today.
Dear Mr Sinwar,
I am writing this letter to you as a resident of Zababdeh who is appalled at the death of 127 Palestinians during 'The Great March of Return'. Despite Israel’s disproportionate response the real responsibility for the deaths of so many lies with you because you would have known that your call to “tear down the wall and tear out their hearts” would result in many demonstrators being killed.
I believe that this bloody tragedy would never have happened if you accepted that the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rests on ending all violence and no longer perpetuating impossible demands such as the right of return. Your strategy toward Israel is bankrupt and has done nothing but severely damage the Palestinian cause while inflicting horrible pain and suffering on a multitude of young and old citizens.
Since you have been in power both times and circumstances have changed but you remain stuck in the past, unwilling to change your strategy: you still believe that militancy and armed struggle will restore Palestinian rights, however misguided and unrealistic that may be, and regardless of the fact that it is the people of Gaza who suffer due to your folly.
You wallow in dreams of destroying Israel, but they are just that - dreams which have led nowhere. You are besieged from the inside and outside, living on handouts with rampant and devastating unemployment, wide-spread poverty, hopelessness and despair.
You have cynically harnessed that despair and instigated the youth to tear down the fence separating Gaza from Israel under the banner of the right of return. Whether there is such a right or not is no longer relevant under the current state of affairs. As an intelligent man and a student of Israeli politics, you do not need me to tell you that no Israeli government, regardless of its political leanings, will allow thousands of Palestinians to return as this will obliterate the Jewish national identity of the state.
You have criminally mismanaged your financial resources. Instead of building hospitals, schools, houses, industrial parks, and infrastructure which are all desperately needed, you squandered over $100,000,000 to build tunnels, buy and manufacture weapons, and train militias. People need jobs, not rockets.
You can fire hundreds of those rockets at Israel, and kidnap or kill a handful of Israelis, but you can not and will never be able to win any military confrontation with Israel, as you know from past encounters. The result is only death and misery.
You demand the lifting of the blockade and in the same breath call for Israel’s destruction. You resort to the use of force and buy weapons, but expect Israel to ease access to and from Gaza.
You inflame the public by spreading poisonous propaganda that nurtures hate toward Israel, but expect the Israelis to believe that you will ever be willing to coexist with them peacefully.
You are corrupt not because, unlike some, you steal money and live a lavish life at the expense of the poor. You are politically and ideologically corrupt because you continue to promote policies and an ideology that instigates violent resistance while making false promises that the day of salvation is near. That promise has been repeated for 70 years and it's the innocent, young and old, who pay the price.
The world is moving on. Arab states have largely abandoned you. You are still labelled a terrorist organisation by the West. You are provided with assistance by Iran to attack Israel, but in reality are only serving Tehran’s own interests in its conflict with Israel. Similarly, you are supported by Turkey’s President Erdogan, but he is only using the Palestinians’ plight to serve his own agenda as the champion of Muslim causes, and will drop you whenever it suits him.
You are blockaded by an Arab state - your closest neighbours, Egypt - because of your continuing violent extremism and religious zealotry.
You have stated on a number of occasions in the past that you are willing to establish a Palestinian state with borders based on the 1967 ceasefire line, only to say the opposite when the occasion suits you. How can you expect Israel to trust you?
As a Palestinian I, like you, want nothing more than to see an independent Palestinian state in my lifetime. I also believe that Hamas can still play a positive role in establishing that state, despite your mistakes. It is in that belief that I make the following suggestions which will change the dynamic of the conflict and demonstrate to the entire international community that you intend to bring the conflict with Israel to an honourable end.
The first step is to remove the stigma of being a terrorist organisation. This can only be done by announcing the end of the armed struggle along with a pledge to work constructively toward a two-state solution.
Stop your poisonous narrative against Israel, which plays directly into the hands of its right-wing political parties, giving them the evidence to argue that you are committed to Israel’s destruction, notwithstanding your occasional overture in support of a two-state solution.
End the futility of rehashing the past, which only misleads the public, reinforces prejudice, raises false hope, and promotes hostilities instead of reducing tensions, suspicion, and distrust.
End the building of tunnels and the procurement of weapons and use the money to undertake scores of public projects, which will also demonstrate your seriousness to search for a just and sustainable peace for which your people have been yearning for decades. This will offer a better future to the youth, who dream of freedom, of opportunities to grow, and of living a better and more productive life than their parents.
Engage in a process of reconciliation with the Palestinian Authority and campaign for elections to bring democracy back to the people.
You, the Palestinian Authority, and successive Israeli leaders have made many fatal mistakes by missing repeated opportunities to end the conflict. Accept the inescapable reality that Palestinians and Israelis have to coexist in one form or another - the Palestinian people are exhausted and no longer want to live and die chasing hopeless fantasies.
More than any Palestinian leader today you have the ear of the people: you speak, we listen! Use your abilities to change course along a path of peace and amity, instead of pursuing the same self-destructive policies that have done nothing but set back the Palestinian cause for generations.
A couple of days later these three men were hacked to death with an axe by two Palestinians from the West Bank.
Unsurprisingly there was uproar in Israel with many calling for Sinwar's arrest or assassination for incitement of terror. Hopefully, common sense will prevail, but I fear it will be the people of Gaza who suffer once again, with Israel almost certain to rescind, at least temporarily, the 20,000 work permits that had been issued recently.
This is a letter that a friend of mine wrote to Mr Sinwar in 2018, when the incitement used 'the right of return' as an excuse, rather than the 100 year old al Aqsa lie, but otherwise it still seems relevant today.
Dear Mr Sinwar,
I am writing this letter to you as a resident of Zababdeh who is appalled at the death of 127 Palestinians during 'The Great March of Return'. Despite Israel’s disproportionate response the real responsibility for the deaths of so many lies with you because you would have known that your call to “tear down the wall and tear out their hearts” would result in many demonstrators being killed.
I believe that this bloody tragedy would never have happened if you accepted that the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rests on ending all violence and no longer perpetuating impossible demands such as the right of return. Your strategy toward Israel is bankrupt and has done nothing but severely damage the Palestinian cause while inflicting horrible pain and suffering on a multitude of young and old citizens.
Since you have been in power both times and circumstances have changed but you remain stuck in the past, unwilling to change your strategy: you still believe that militancy and armed struggle will restore Palestinian rights, however misguided and unrealistic that may be, and regardless of the fact that it is the people of Gaza who suffer due to your folly.
You wallow in dreams of destroying Israel, but they are just that - dreams which have led nowhere. You are besieged from the inside and outside, living on handouts with rampant and devastating unemployment, wide-spread poverty, hopelessness and despair.
You have cynically harnessed that despair and instigated the youth to tear down the fence separating Gaza from Israel under the banner of the right of return. Whether there is such a right or not is no longer relevant under the current state of affairs. As an intelligent man and a student of Israeli politics, you do not need me to tell you that no Israeli government, regardless of its political leanings, will allow thousands of Palestinians to return as this will obliterate the Jewish national identity of the state.
You have criminally mismanaged your financial resources. Instead of building hospitals, schools, houses, industrial parks, and infrastructure which are all desperately needed, you squandered over $100,000,000 to build tunnels, buy and manufacture weapons, and train militias. People need jobs, not rockets.
You can fire hundreds of those rockets at Israel, and kidnap or kill a handful of Israelis, but you can not and will never be able to win any military confrontation with Israel, as you know from past encounters. The result is only death and misery.
You demand the lifting of the blockade and in the same breath call for Israel’s destruction. You resort to the use of force and buy weapons, but expect Israel to ease access to and from Gaza.
You inflame the public by spreading poisonous propaganda that nurtures hate toward Israel, but expect the Israelis to believe that you will ever be willing to coexist with them peacefully.
You are corrupt not because, unlike some, you steal money and live a lavish life at the expense of the poor. You are politically and ideologically corrupt because you continue to promote policies and an ideology that instigates violent resistance while making false promises that the day of salvation is near. That promise has been repeated for 70 years and it's the innocent, young and old, who pay the price.
The world is moving on. Arab states have largely abandoned you. You are still labelled a terrorist organisation by the West. You are provided with assistance by Iran to attack Israel, but in reality are only serving Tehran’s own interests in its conflict with Israel. Similarly, you are supported by Turkey’s President Erdogan, but he is only using the Palestinians’ plight to serve his own agenda as the champion of Muslim causes, and will drop you whenever it suits him.
You are blockaded by an Arab state - your closest neighbours, Egypt - because of your continuing violent extremism and religious zealotry.
You have stated on a number of occasions in the past that you are willing to establish a Palestinian state with borders based on the 1967 ceasefire line, only to say the opposite when the occasion suits you. How can you expect Israel to trust you?
As a Palestinian I, like you, want nothing more than to see an independent Palestinian state in my lifetime. I also believe that Hamas can still play a positive role in establishing that state, despite your mistakes. It is in that belief that I make the following suggestions which will change the dynamic of the conflict and demonstrate to the entire international community that you intend to bring the conflict with Israel to an honourable end.
The first step is to remove the stigma of being a terrorist organisation. This can only be done by announcing the end of the armed struggle along with a pledge to work constructively toward a two-state solution.
Stop your poisonous narrative against Israel, which plays directly into the hands of its right-wing political parties, giving them the evidence to argue that you are committed to Israel’s destruction, notwithstanding your occasional overture in support of a two-state solution.
End the futility of rehashing the past, which only misleads the public, reinforces prejudice, raises false hope, and promotes hostilities instead of reducing tensions, suspicion, and distrust.
End the building of tunnels and the procurement of weapons and use the money to undertake scores of public projects, which will also demonstrate your seriousness to search for a just and sustainable peace for which your people have been yearning for decades. This will offer a better future to the youth, who dream of freedom, of opportunities to grow, and of living a better and more productive life than their parents.
Engage in a process of reconciliation with the Palestinian Authority and campaign for elections to bring democracy back to the people.
You, the Palestinian Authority, and successive Israeli leaders have made many fatal mistakes by missing repeated opportunities to end the conflict. Accept the inescapable reality that Palestinians and Israelis have to coexist in one form or another - the Palestinian people are exhausted and no longer want to live and die chasing hopeless fantasies.
More than any Palestinian leader today you have the ear of the people: you speak, we listen! Use your abilities to change course along a path of peace and amity, instead of pursuing the same self-destructive policies that have done nothing but set back the Palestinian cause for generations.
Deffo didn't shoot that reporter as they blamed the other side right away with magic bullet "proof"
Nobody cares about the brown people there or the 1s in Syria.
But the Europeans in Ukraine? Send them everything they need.
mightymoyes
Player Valuation: £70m
it is still racist to tell the truth and call Israel a terrorist state?
BigMick
Player Valuation: £20m
Totally agree with you about the scenes at the funeral, but not with the last two words of your first sentence. I wasn't there, so don't know what happened - there should be an investigation with Israel, the PA and the US involved but the PA have turned it down.
As for the Israeli police - hardly anyone, be they Jew or Arab, has a good word to say about them.
BigMick
Player Valuation: £20m
Egypt-bound today so I'll just quickly add the reason why the PA have refused a joint/neutral investigation is not because, as they claim, they don't trust the Israelis - they and the US would be involved so it doesn't make sense. Neither is it as some Israeli supporters would claim, that they fear t was a Palestinian that fired the fatal shot - like everyone else they have no idea. The PA have had no control of Jenin for months, their own security having twice been forced into an ignominious retreat by gunmen. Jenin is a stronghold of Islamic Jihad and, latterly, a reinvigorated al-Aqsa Martyrs brigade, which ostensibly belongs to Fatah - that's where it gets murky - a militant group not loyal to Abbas.
Most likely reason is that the PA have to appear tough, can't be seen as 'collaborating' with the Israelis for fear of criticism from IJ and Hamas (who have only a small role but will happily surf on the back of any violence). They are a weak, hapless government seen by many as too close to the Israelis, despite their protestations, hence their constant threats to withdraw co-operation with the Israelis, which no-one takes seriously.
- Status