Friday, June 30

Apartheid-like Rule of Palestinians under Occupation?

Map showing the West Bank and Gaza Strip in re...
Map showing the West Bank and Gaza Strip in relation to central Israel (situation of 2007) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Israel is not an apartheid state within the Green-Line. This cannot be stated in areas occupied by Israel after the June Six Day War of 1967. The whole issue of Israel slipping into an apartheid-like regime resembling apartheid South Africa from 1948 until 1994 is, unfortunately, becoming a reality despite the many denials of Danny Danon, Israel’s representative at the UN. We have not reached there yet but with the repressive laws including laws legalizing takeover of Palestinian lands for illegal Jewish settlement and the attempted interference of Justice Minister, Ayelet Shaked, with Israel’s Courts of Law, and Culture and Sport Minister, Miri Regev, trying to muzzle cultural activities that are not in accordance with her party agenda we unfortunately are moving in that direction.

The guidelines are...in conformity with the EU's longstanding position that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and with the non-recognition by the EU of Israel's sovereignty over the occupied territories, irrespective of their legal status under domestic Israeli law.1

Official Israeli and Palestinian population statistics indicate that Jews have been a minority in the territory Israel controls for several years now, and with no repercussions: A majority of the world's nations still speak of undemocratic rule by a Jewish minority as a hypothetical future, not an unacceptable present.2

We must not forget that Israel is faced with a very severe security problem that threatens her citizens, the source of which originates in the occupied territories. Israel is also faced with a Palestinian leadership, especially Hamas, which refuses to negotiate any form of peace treaty or agreement with Israel. It is also doubtful whether President Mahmoud Abbas has a mandate from his people to negotiate with Israel let alone sign a peace agreement with Israel. He has been ruling for over 10 years and there have been no elections. The maintenance of human rights for the Palestinians under Israeli occupation and the security risks that Israel has faced since the occupation of June 1967 is a tremendous challenge facing Israel. Some 5.6 million Palestinians now live in this area, which is divided between the State of Israel, and the West Bank and Gaza; these latter areas were captured and occupied by Israel in 1967.3

We must also bear in mind that the Palestinians and the Arab States, even prior to June 1967 with Egypt at the helm were never prepared to recognize Israel’s right to exist and were determined to destroy Israel. Israel fought a war of survival and occupied territories in the process. There were no “occupied territories “prior to the June 1967 war. The severe threat to Israel’s existence then was the reason for the war. On the other hand, Israel’s biggest mistake was the colonisation of territory captured in the June 1967 war rather than declaring it a closed military zone and using it as a bargaining chip for peace negotiations that would result in a settlement ending the conflict. The ramification of the occupation as we all know is the rule of Israel over the Palestinians.  

“Israel maintains a regime of apartheid over Palestinians” — UN report. It identified the four sets of Palestinians as Palestinian citizens of Israel; Palestinians in East Jerusalem; Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and Palestinians living as refugees or in exile.4

Report by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) 2017.Palestine and the Israeli Occupation, Issue №1
“The report concludes that the weight of the evidence supports beyond a reasonable doubt the proposition that Israel is guilty of imposing an apartheid regime on the Palestinian people, which amounts to the commission of a crime against humanity, the prohibition of which is considered jus cogens in international customary law.”

The mantra that all Israeli Governments had and still do have to this day is the fear that granting human rights to the Palestinians under occupation will compromise Israel’s security. There is a strong belief in Israel that if the Palestinians are granted human rights in the territories under occupation, they (the Palestinians) will view this as Israel’s weakness and they will increase their terror activities against Israel.

The right wing Israeli Government Coalition maintains its power by playing on the fears of the Israeli Electorate. They view the left wing opposition to the occupation as traitors and NGOs such as B’tzelem and Breaking the Silence as a plague on Israel. They do all in their power to prevent overseas donors from donating money to these organizations that safeguard Palestinian human rights.

On the other hand, right-wing organizations receive money from overseas supporters unhindered. The biggest challenge that Israel faces today vis a vis the Palestinians under occupation is a balance between Israel’s security and basic human rights that the Palestinians are entitled. The present government is doing everything in its power to prevent any meaningful negotiations on a two-state solution. The extreme right wing flank - Habayit Yehudi of Naftali Bennett opposes the Two State Solution and has threatened to leave the coalition if any negotiations begin to initiate the Two State Solution.

The other options are a bi-national state which will be dominated by Israel and the Palestinians will remain in a quasi-apartheid situation inferior to Israelis and be forced to live in separate enclaves within the Jewish State. Needless to say, they will remain without basic human rights and a disenfranchised group subjected to abuse and exploitation. This will be far from the dreams of Israel’s founding fathers. The settlers that have occupied Palestinian lands will remain on these lands forever.

The situation on the ground is such that the increase in settlement activity encroaching further on Palestinian-owned land by right-wing religious Zionist Jews is making the two-state solution less and less a viable option.

A  list of obstacles Palestinians face as a result of the occupation is not exhaustive — there are a number of other human rights concerns and restrictions imposed on non-Israelis in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.5

EU grants, funding, prizes or scholarships will only be granted if a settlement exclusion clause is included, forcing the Israeli government to concede in writing that settlements in the occupied territories are outside the state of Israel to secure agreements with the EU.6

According to Benjamin Pogrund, a South African journalist, who had suffered under the apartheid government for opposing it, is the right person qualified to state that


What remains is for both sides to the conflict is to get their act right and move towards a Two-State Solution based on dual respect for both sides with a desire to end this tragic conflict. Ending the Israeli "occupation" of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and achieving a negotiated two-state outcome, is the only way to lay the foundations for enduring peace, the UN secretary-general stressed.7


Israel must refrain from building settlements and proclaim a total freeze on this illegal activity as starters. The Palestinian leadership must cease their hateful rhetoric and demands for Israel's total destruction and be willing to sit down and negotiate an end to this conflict. Trust-building measures on both sides must be initiated on both sides with the mediation of a neutral third party. Only in this way can a solution be found and a just end to the occupation.



The above YouTube clip is true within the Green line.Unfortunately, in the occupied territories, this is not the case.  However, in the occupied areas conquered during the Six-Day War, the Palestinians do not have the freedom to move around and are subject to human rights abuses. As mentioned in this article, the security situation that has to come to terms with Palestinian terrorist groups harming and killing innocent civilians by stabbings, suicide bombings and car rammings, has created a situation that resembles apartheid in the territories. The right-wing Jewish extremists, such as the "Hilltop Youth" and the messianic, religious Zionist settlers are not blameless for this situation either and the police hardly make any arrests of those responsible for violence against Palestinians.


  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli-occupied_territories. Accessed 26 Jun. 2017.
  2.  2 Jun. 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/02/opinion/sunday/the-past-50-years-of-israeli-occupation-and-the-next.html. Accessed 24 Jun. 2017.
  3. http://www.merip.org/primer-palestine-israel-arab-israeli-conflict-new. Accessed 24 Jun. 2017
  4. 16 Mar. 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-report-idUSKBN16M2IN. Accessed 26 Jun. 2017.
  5. 29 Dec. 2016, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/things-palestinians-cant-do_us_586554d4e4b0eb58648895bc. Accessed 24 Jun. 2017.
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli-occupied_territories. Accessed 24 Jun. 2017.
  7. 5 Jun. 2017, http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/UN-chief-denounces-50-years-of-Israeli-occupation-on-Six-Day-War-anniversary-494924. Accessed 26 Jun. 2017.
Also, see:

  1. Israel and the apartheid analogy
  2. Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign 

The above two links are not necessarily the writer's opinion. I have inserted them for the reader to draw his own conclusions.

Saturday, June 24

Permanent Palestinian Residents of Jerusalem are Entitled to Israeli Citizenship

What is the present status of Jerusalem? According to Israel, Jerusalem is a united city and will remain so. In 1980, Israel passed the "Jerusalem Law", stating that "Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel", thereby formalizing its annexation of East Jerusalem.1 Surely this means that those born in Jerusalem are entitled to Israeli Citizenship by birth. There are many Palestinian permanent residents of East Jerusalem, who do not hold Israeli Citizenship and do not have equal rights to West Jerusalem Israelis even though they were born and lived there for generations.

In the 1967 census, the Israeli authorities registered 66,000 Palestinian residents (44,000 residing in the area known before the 1967 war as East Jerusalem; and 22,000, in the West Bank area annexed to Jerusalem after the war).2


These East Jerusalem Palestinians were born in East Jerusalem and have been living in Jerusalem for generations. They suffer from discrimination and are disenfranchised. Many live in poverty and the infrastructures in the areas where they live are poor. Their education facilities are not as good as in Israel proper. Jerusalem unity is totally artificial demographically and in practice. East Jerusalemites do have the vote in Municipal Elections


It is an infringement of human rights when East Jerusalem Palestinians born in Jerusalem are denied Israeli Citizenship. They should have the option of applying for Israeli Citizenship. If East Jerusalem is part of Israel, as the government claims on the grounds that Jerusalem is united, then its citizens should have equal rights to those living in Israel proper. Internationally the status of East Jerusalem is controversial and when it suits Israel to view it as not part of United Jerusalem vis a vis its Palestinian permanent residents, something's not right.

Since the annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967, Israeli authorities have promoted the two-fold goal of expanding the city’s Jewish population and reducing its Palestinian population. Various steps have been adopted to achieve this objective, including the isolation of East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, land appropriation, and discriminatory policies on planning and construction and budget allotment. Furthermore, although the annexation of East Jerusalem and its residents was a decision made by Israel and not by the people who live there, Israeli authorities treat East Jerusalem Palestinians as if they had made a voluntary decision to immigrate to Israel. Therefore, the authorities void Palestinians’ residency status and social benefits if they do not meet the restrictive criteria originally formulated for foreign residents.3

Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli lawyer specializing in issues related to Jerusalem and its residents, told Al-Monitor that the residency issue for Palestinians in East Jerusalem has been left vague by a collective Israeli decision-making process.4  

One cannot really have it both ways. Jerusalem is united when it comes to consideration of automatic citizenship for Jews living there according to the Law of Return, but not for Palestinian permanent residents born there. This is discrimination no matter how one views it. If there was an Arab East Jerusalem not part of the same Jerusalem Municipality and a separate entity, part of Palestine, then the eternal status of being a permanent resident of East Jerusalem would be justified

The cabinet this week approved a plan submitted by Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze'ev Elkin to encourage schools in East Jerusalem to teach an Israeli curriculum as opposed to the Palestinian school curriculum.5 If this is the case, surely this strengthens the East Jerusalem Palestinians’ case for Israeli Citizenship if they so desire.

Integration of schools in Jerusalem with Jewish and Palestinian children studying together from a young age will contribute to true coexistence without any side compromising on their culture. By achieving this, both sides will learn to accommodate each other in friendship and understanding. Both sides will learn from each other about each other's’ culture and traditions.

There are reports a few years ago of a growing trend amongst East Jerusalem Permanent Residents applying for Israeli citizenship.

If Jerusalem does become the shared capital of a future Palestinian State and Israel if this will occur, which I doubt very strongly under the present circumstance, the East Jerusalemites would have a clear choice in that matter. Jewish neighborhoods built by the government on land annexed to Jerusalem in 1967, in which 190,000 Israelis presently live; These large settlements were originally built in order to prevent such a solution and to isolate East Jerusalem from the West Bank.6


What is clear at present is that the present status of East Jerusalemite Palestinians is unsatisfactory for the reasons mentioned earlier in this article.

  1. 28 May. 2017, http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/05/jerusalem-capital-israel-170524091310050.html. Accessed 16 Jun. 2017.
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Jerusalem. Accessed 18 Jun. 2017.
  3. "East Jerusalem | B'Tselem." http://www.btselem.org/topic/jerusalem. Accessed 16 Jun. 2017.
  4.  28 Mar. 2017, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/03/israel-ruling-grant-jerusalem-palestinians-residency.html. Accessed 16 Jun. 2017.
  5.  29 May. 2017, http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israel-to-introduce-education-curriculum-in-east-Jerusalem-494235. Accessed 16 Jun. 2017.
  6. https://settlementwatcheastjerusalem.wordpress.com/a-brief-history-of-east-jerusalem/. Accessed 18 Jun. 2017.

Saturday, June 17

Occupation has Two Faces - Israeli and Palestinian

The occupation mantra has two faces. We are all familiar with the Israeli Occupation that is opposed by many Israelis, (including Yours Truly,) and the world. The big question is how do we end it when partners on both sides have no interest in negotiating ending the occupation.

On the Israeli side, there is PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s lip service to a Two State solution but in reality, this is not the case. This would mean the demise of many illegal settlements in the occupied territories. The heavy pressure of his extremist right wing flank would never support uprooting these settlements under any agreement.

On the Palestinian side, there is no partner to negotiate with Israel on ending the occupation. President Mahmoud Abbas is weak and has very little support from his people and Hamas will not recognize Israel’s right to exist and refuses to negotiate with Israel. As mentioned many times in my articles, Hamas views the occupation as Israel’s establishment in 1948. Only Israel’s demise is acceptable in the Hamas Covenant (Revised Version 2017). This revised version has not negated  Israel’s demise as many people believe.

Abbas can never sign any agreement with Israel as he knows that his life will be endangered and he will be viewed as a traitor by Hamas. Apart from that, the PA and Hamas are at loggerheads. The Palestinian territories are divided into two entities, Gaza 1. and the West Bank. The former is ruled by Hamas 2. and the latter by the Palestinian Authority (PA) 3. Both Hamas and the PA are “occupying” their people. Both rulers have not had general elections for over 10 years. Both parties are not democratic and rule their people with an iron fist.

Opposition to the PA and Hamas is not tolerated or permitted in the territories where they rule. The Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and the Hamas de facto administration in the Gaza Strip continue to restrict freedom of expression by arresting and detaining critics and political opponents 4.

There is no press freedom, transparency, and accountability in the occupied territories. Both Hamas and the PA are corrupt and their leaders are extremely wealthy. Funds earmarked for rehabilitation of Palestinian needs in Gaza have landed in the pockets of the corrupt Palestinian leaders, who have foreign bank accounts and live the good life. Their lifestyles are reminiscent of the deceased Communist dictator of Romania, Nicolae Ceausescu, who was assassinated by the Romanian opposition in 1989.

Bearing all this in mind, apart from complaints and international PA antics of Palestinian suffering, the occupation is a source of enrichment for the Palestinian leadership. If the occupation ends and the international community starts monitoring for transparency in funding the fledgling Palestinian State-To-Be, if by some miracle does occur, the Palestinian leaders will not be able to enrich themselves at their peoples' expense as is the case at present.

The Hamas and PA leadership are responsible for hate propaganda against Israel and the Jewish People in their education systems, poisoning the minds of young, impressionable schoolchildren. This is their strength as a new generation of Palestinians will grow up with their minds full of hate for Israel and Jews generally. These corrupt and wealthy leaders of the Palestinians will continue to cry crocodile tears over Palestinian suffering under Israeli occupation while at the same time pocketing money donated to Palestinian rehabilitation projects by the EU, USA and other world bodies. Transparency, checks, and balances are not in the lexicon of the two divisive groups ruling the Palestinians today. Is this not also “occupation” by Hamas and the PA?


                                        
Its members were briefed by senior intelligence officers about the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, which will be greatly exacerbated by the Palestinian Authority's decision to stop paying Israel for the power it sells to Gaza. The Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip may be at war with each other, but the two rival parties seem to be in agreement over one issue: silencing and intimidating their critics 5.

Both sides to the conflict are demonizing each other. The stabbing attacks against Israel's Security Forces continues. This clip will give some idea as to the source of motivation of Palestinian terror.

  1.  (n.d.). Does Israel actually occupy the Gaza Strip? - The Washington Post. Retrieved June 16, 2017, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/07/02/does-israel-actually-occupy-the-gaza-strip/
  2.  (n.d.). Debunking Israel's 11 Main Myths About Gaza, Hamas and War Crimes. Retrieved June 16, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mehdi-hasan/gaza-israel_b_5624401.html
  3. (n.d.). President of the Palestinian National Authority - Wikipedia. Retrieved June 16, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_Palestinian_National_Authority
  4. https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/palestine-state-of/report-palestine-state-of/. Accessed 16 Jun. 2017.
  5. https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/. Accessed 16 Jun. 2017.

Thursday, June 8

Islamist Terrorism and its Allies

Over the last two weeks, London and Manchester have been subjected to Islamist terrorism, which appears to be escalating. The terrorist tactics involved are similar to Hamas and their Islamist allies’ tactics against Israel. Vehicle ramming of innocent people, stabbings and the use of fake explosive belts, followed by cries of “Allahu Akhbar!” (!الله أكبر) as their evil deeds are committed. There seem to be more similarities between Hezbollah, Hamas and ISIS than so-called Palestinian terrorist organizations wish to admit. While Daesh has suffered a humiliating defeat in Mosul and other parts of Syria and Iraq, they still have active cells operating in Europe and Great Britain waiting for an opportunity to strike.

What is it that makes mostly second generation sons and daughters of immigrant parents of Middle Eastern origin so susceptible to the propaganda of Daesh (ISIS)? What is it that even attracts non-Moslem European youth into the ranks of Islamist terror?

There are so many theories causing this attraction for many wayward youths, who somehow are failures within their societies and environment in which they grew up. They somehow, never “fitted into” what is considered acceptable norms of behaviour. They seek another way to prove themselves and are very susceptible to social media propaganda, the sources of which come from Daesh and affiliated hatred spewing Islamist terrorist organizations.

Another brainwashing source of hatred and glorification of destroying “the infidel”  which they refer to us non-Muslims is the racist, hate- spewing, charismatic Imams that deliver hateful sermons in mosques in their adopted countries in Europe and the US as well as in education. They issue calls to use any means to kill the non-believer. This definition of “infidel” also, includes many Muslims who do not hold radical Islamist views and this happens to include most Muslims, who are law-abiding citizens in their adopted countries.

The Manchester and London Bridge terrorist attacks provide further proof that Daesh terrorist cells are alive and kicking in London and Manchester as well as in various cities throughout Europe. The tactics that they have adopted are very similar to the tactics used by Hamas lone terrorists infiltrating into Israel. These tactics are the result of the brainwashing in the social media as well as appeals from radical imams as mentioned earlier.

When the UK PM claims that, Islamic terrorism “is a perversion of Islam”, that's cowardice after an attack in which the Islamic killers made a point of proclaiming, “This is for Islam” and “This is for Allah”.1.

No matter where you look, you will find that the strongest association between Muslims and terrorism is one in which Muslims are victims of it. 2.

Christians must, therefore, recognise that while some Islamist terrorists use Qur'anic verses calling for violence as a theological justification for terrorism, many orthodox Muslims and Islamists totally reject this way of interpreting the Qur'an. 3.

The attitude in the EU countries, including Great Britain, over the years, is to show sympathy and understanding towards those immigrants embracing Islam, by being “politically correct and tolerant” and taking this attitude towards extremes. Sweden even went to so far as to forbid journalists reporting the religious background of criminals involved in rapes and theft in order not to insult the sensitivities of Muslims in their country.

It appears that this tolerant attitude towards Islam has not achieved the integration of Muslim immigrant communities. Non-Muslim countries are paying a heavy price in blood from lone Islamist terrorist cells scattered all over Europe.

Ways of fighting this form of terrorism are:
1.   Arresting those in the social media responsible for creating and glorifying potential terrorists as well as encouraging it.
2.   Expelling those imams, who preach racial hatred, to their countries of origin.
3.   Demolishing places of worship where racist sermons and propaganda encouraging terror is preached.

We must not lose our sense of proportion even during these times of Islamist terror and remember that most Muslims are law-abiding citizens and loyal to their countries of adoption. European governments should heed the advice of British Imam, Abdul Arif, who travels in Britain speaking out against terrorism, said there were “no words” to express how he felt when he learned the attackers screamed “this is for Allah” as they hit on Saturday night.


  1.  (2017, June 5). Retrieved June 8, 2017, from http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/266896/run-hide-and-deny-london-daniel-greenfield (n.d.). 
  2. Retrieved June 8, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/omar-alnatour/why-muslims-should-never-have-to-apologize_b_9526296.html
  3. (n.d.). Retrieved June 8, 2017, from http://www.jubilee-centre.org/christian-responses-to-islam-islamism-and-islamic-terrorism-by-colin-chapman/