Archive for July 21st, 2009
Email to the Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel, Daniel Ayalon
Dear Mr. Ayalon,
I have just read in the Hareetz newspaper that you said, earlier today, that Israel had an “indisputable” right to build anywhere in Jerusalem, including East Jerusalem. I would appreciate your help in understanding the justification of your position.
Thinking about it, I have concluded that there are four possible understandings of your statement:
1. Historical justification – based on the fact that Jews have once lived in that land in an organized way. This is a shaky ground, as there were other people living in that area before Jews established Judea and Samaria. They may claim that land based on that fact. Besides, if we establish a legitimacy of such claims, America will have to be returned to American Indians, Australia to Australian natives, and the borders of the entire world will have to be re-drawn. You know that this is not possible due to modern demographic distribution of peoples around the world. It is not possible even under the clever claim that Israel is a Jewish state (as opposed to Israeli state.)
2. Religious justification – is even less rational. Firstly, Muslims believe that their God gave this land to them, and there is no way to verify these two competing claims. Morover, in today`s world, religious claims can no longer be used as justification in political issues. This is why most modern countries apply and respect the principle of separation of religion and state.
3. Conquest justification – is illegal. Israel acquired control over the areas in question as a result of the wars in 1967 and later. At that time, the Nuremberg Principles and all four Geneva Conventions were in force. The acquisition of land by means of war was deemed illegal, according to international law. Consequently, building settlements and moving population to occupied territories was (and still is) illegal. Removing the original population and denying the refugees the right of return, which constitutes ethnic cleansing, is also illegal.
4. Legal justification – as the only possible solution. The UN General Assembly Resolutions 181 and 194, backed by a number of the UN Security Council resolutions, starting with Resolution 242, would be the only legal solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The UN Resolution 181 clearly established the borders of the Jewish state and the Arab state. It also established the status of Jerusalem. Resolution 194 established and confirmed the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and their land.
Based on my understanding of the situation, Israel`s claims and created by Israel facts on the ground are criminal. If I am wrong, please correct me and please indicate why I am wrong and why you are right.
Thank you, in advance, for your time and help.
Sincerely,
Alexander Elderman
Canada
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Daniel Ayalon’s email at Knesset: dayalon@knesset.gov.il
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Related:
- The Reality of Israel’s “Open” Jerusalem | [ 2 ]
- Abbas urges Israel to demolish Security Fence in West Bank
- German Politician Warns Israel against Political ‘Suicide’
- Israeli Official: Opposition to Settlements May Undermine US Credibility
- Settlements Get More Funding than Cities, Study Shows
- UN chief condemns Israeli settlement activity
Soldiers’ Testimonies from Operation Cast Lead, Gaza 2009
Half a year after Operation Cast Lead, the organization Breaking the Silence | [ 2 ] is announcing the release of a new booklet that includes numerous testimonies by soldiers who participated in the operation. The testimonies expose significant gaps between the official stances of the Israeli military and events on the ground.
Among the 54 testimonies are stories revealing the use of “accepted practices,” the destruction of hundreds of houses and mosques for no military purpose, the firing of phosphorous gas in the direction of populated areas, the killing of innocent victims with small arms, the destruction of private property, and most of all, a permissive atmosphere in the command structure that enabled soldiers to act without moral restrictions.
The booklet compiles the testimonies of about 30 reserve and regular combat soldiers from various units that participated in the fighting. The testimonies demonstrate that the soldiers were not given directives stating the goal of the operation and, as one soldier testifies, “there was not much said about the issue of innocent civilians.”
Download the booklet: http://www.shovrimshtika.org/oferet/ENGLISH_oferet.pdf
Related:
U.S.-Israeli psyops and the coming war with Iran
Today, America and Israel’s wars of aggression are preceded by years of propaganda and international meetings, so that by the time the attack comes it is an expected event, not a monstrous surprise attack with its connotation of naked aggression.
The US, which has been threatening Iran with attack for years, has passed the job to Israel. During the third week of July, the American vice president and secretary of state gave Israel the go-ahead. Israel has made great public disclosure of its warships passing through the Suez Canal on their way to Iran. “Muslim” Egypt is complicit, offering no objection to Israel’s naval forces on their way to a war crime under the Nuremberg standard that the US imposed on the world.
By the time the attack occurs, it will be old hat, an expected event, and, moreover, an event justified by years of propaganda asserting Iran’s perfidy. Read More…
Free Hand to Kill: The Johnny Procedure
Like the ghost of Hamlet’s father, the evil spirit of the Gaza War refuses to leave us in peace. This week it came back to disturb the tranquility of the chiefs of the state and the army.
“Breaking the Silence”, a group of courageous former combat soldiers, published a report comprising the testimonies of 30 Gaza War fighters. A hard-hitting report about actions that may be considered war crimes.
Hamas, Fatah: US wants Palestinians to abandon right of return
Senior Hamas and Fatah officials stated their objections on Sunday to what they said were US suggestions that Palestinians accept a land swap with Israel and give up the right of return.
The officials said that the US is pushing for a final status agreement with Israel that does not include the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes, and maintains so-called Israeli settlement blocs in the West Bank.
Senior Fatah official Hatem Abdul Qader, who deals with Jerusalem issues, said “the United States is trying to deceive the Palestinians through these proposals, which they think are creative, but [exist] only in their imaginations.” He called for the US to take concrete steps to stop Israel’s expansion of illegal settlements as an alternative. Read More…
Gaza Shall Not Die 2010
Human Rights Watch has called the blockade of Gaza a “serious violation of international law.”
Its consequence, according to Sara Roy of Harvard University, “is undeniably one of mass suffering, created largely by Israel, but with the active complicity of the international community, especially the U.S. and the European Union.”
When nations fail to enforce the law, when the world’s leaders break the law, the people must act!
Join thousands from around the world on 1 January 2010 as they converge on Gaza for a historic march to end nonviolently the illegal blockade.
Will Israel shoot? The whole world will be watching.
