East Jerusalem Settlements: Mike Huckabee Joins The Fray, Will Broadcast From Disputed Site

The dispute over a highly controversial East Jerusalem Israeli settlement project came to a head Tuesday when direct, public statements from France, Russia, Sweden and Britain joined statements made by the United States demanding that all construction be halted. However, now helping to counter these demands, according to Haaretz, is former presidential hopeful and Arkansas governor, and now Fox News commentator, Mike Huckabee, who will broadcast his weekend show from the disputed site. Haaretz's source is a New York state assemblyman, Dov Hikind, who will also be participating in the "solidarity visit" to support the ongoing construction in Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighborhood.

Hikind, who is active in right-wing Jewish causes, told Haaretz that dozens of U.S. activists will participate in the mission, in order to express their support for the project and the man behind it, Irving Moskowitz.

Israeli media outlets reported Sunday that the United States is demanding a halt to the residential project. Later in the day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had been surprised by the U.S. demand and that he refused to "cave in" on the matter.

The disputed site is the the current location of the Shepherd Hotel, in Sheikh Jarrah, which was bought by American tycoon Irving Moskowitz in 1985 and is to be torn down to make way for 20 housing units. Huckabee and his cohorts this weekend will explicitly be taking the side against the Obama administration--which has repeatedly called for any and all settlement activity to cease--and will be filing behind Netanyahu. And as AFP points out:

Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its "eternal, undivided" capital and doesn't consider construction in east Jerusalem to be settlement activity.

The Palestinians want to make the east of the city - home to some 200,000 Jewish Israelis and 268,000 Palestinians--the capital of their future state.

However, despite the brouhaha in Jerusalem, the Guardian reports that 23 settlements elsewhere, in the West Bank, are to be forcibly evacuated by Israeli police. The difference between the two situations, according to the Guardian, is that Israel actually deems the West Bank settlements in question to be illegal, because they lack the the proper permits, while it considers anything within the limits of Jerusalem to be free game. This second position, however, is contrary to international law, which regards all construction on occupied land to be equally inpermissible. According to the Guardian:

The Israeli army later denied receiving any orders for a "lightning evacuation." Settler spokesmen warned of a furious response if any such move took place.

Israel has only twice evacuated Jewish settlements since the 1967 war: in 1981 when the Sinai desert was returned to Egypt, and in 2005, when Israel unilaterally withdrew troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip. Removing settlers from the West Bank will be far more controversial.

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Comments

[laborleft]

I noticed a comment below that was historically inaccurate:

That was that the British supported and backed the Arab revolt in the 1930's

"The Brits were behind the Arab revolt, without their support it would not have taken place" is the exact quote.

In 1936 Wingate was assigned to Palestine to a staff office position and became an intelligence officer. Arab guerrillas had at the time of his arrival begun a campaign of attacks against both British mandate officials and Jewish communities, which became known as the Arab Revolt. Wingate became politically involved with a number of Zionist leaders. He formulated an idea of armed groups of British led Jewish commandos, and took his idea personally to Archibald Wavell, who was then a commander of British forces in Palestine. After Wavell gave his permission, Wingate convinced the Zionist Jewish Agency and the leadership of Haganah, the Jewish armed group.

In June 1938 the new British commander, General Haining, gave his permission to create the Special Night Squads, armed groups formed of British and Haganah volunteers.

It would be more accurate to say that the British worked with Jewish Volunteers to put down the Arab revolt

[laborleft]

The real tragedy of the Middle East is that Israel may discover that the lost tribes it has been searching for are staring back at them from behind the security fence. The Cohanim DNA haplotype has also been found in Palestinians indicating common ancestors.

[MarcusT]

I have worked with many Israelis over the years. Most are first generation and many speak Arabic. They freely admit that the Palestinians got screwed with partition but take the position the someone had to lose and they needed a country. They are also fully familiar with the original borders assigned by the UN. They are also very aware of what was done in 1948-49 and aware of the original agreement regarding Jerusalem. And they have grown increasingly disheartened with the reactionary zealots that have become their government. They are embarrassed and almost resigned at this point that their great dream will be forever considered a global pariah. And they are older and clearly a minority now. It's fascinating how this contrasts so starkly with US supporters of Israel or those very rabid "settlers". Those who honestly believed and lived it are disheartened and embarrassed. Those who consume talking points or receive free land and government welfare are without doubt. And the irony is that the talking point crowd are the ones pushing, or enabling, the destruction of Israel.

[BubbaC33]

When the Arabs rejected the partition plan they essentially refused to sign and adhere to the contract set foreth by the UN. By doing this the Arabs gave up any rights or claims under the partition. If you refuse to sign a contract you cannot later demand to be treated as if you had. The arabs screwed themselves.

[Aussieposter]

Contract law was not your best subject?

If you hold a law degree you will know that the first element of a contract is an agreement between two parties. Since there was no agreement there was no contract.

There are 3 basic elements to a contract
1.Intention – the parties must intend that their promises create legally enforceable obligations
2. Agreement – An offer by one party and an acceptance by another
3. Consideration – Something of value passing from one party to another in return for a promise to do something.

Now that’s Black letter law. What exactly was the consideration offered to the Palestinians that they did not already own? The Jewish agency had purchased land that amounted to 7% of the total.

[MarcusT]

And exactly how does the UN have authority to give one peoples land to another? If your town was taken away by the UN you would just move along because of their "authority" ? This is one of the more foolish arguments that comes out of the Israeli PR machine.

[jalex26000]

Mike Huckabee had a great nickname during the campaign it was the Glass Jaw and for good reason. He was the laughing stock of all the governors and the republican party because of the bone headed corruption that was going on during his adminsitration, that picture with him and his family in red shirts, and especially when anyone brought pictures of what he used to look like (baby huey).

Why is this walking comedy show supporting the viloation of international law? And who is authorizing this, you know he didnt think of pulling this stunt on his own. hes crumbing from roger ailes for a dime or 2 because he cant earn money in music or politics. does anyone even watch his show?

This man has no political clout or credibility, oh wait. he does have clout with a marginalized minority of cooks who cant tie their shoes without talking about end times and "saving" isreal (through war!). I wouldnt call this news, this should make everyone chuckle. When you see huckabee you shouldnt listen to him, you should point and laugh.

[nkhogan]

This is infuriating. Huck a bee mind your own gd busines! I used to think he was okay for a repug and an evangelical. But this is beyond the pale. He'll stir up all the Fox news watchers and stir up that ole pro Israel sentiment. It annoys me to know end. The US evangelical Christian zionism is one of the big obstacles to peace in this country. We finally get a pres who has the guts to hold Israel accountable to international law and agreements and there he goes meddling. And I thought fox was supposed to be unbiased (sarcasm here. I know, I know they aren't unbiased.)

[jalex26000]

christian zionists are a vocal MINORITY. And a marginalized minority at that, thier support for the wars in iraq and afghanistan has left them with theirs and the neocons credibility spent. I for one am fed up with the country that spies on the US and sells our military secrets to china.

[MarcusT]

ERUSALEM — The Israeli government will remove references to what Palestinians call the "catastrophe" of Israel's creation from textbooks for Arab schoolchildren, the education minister said Wednesday.

The reference to "al-naqba," the Arabic word catastrophe as Palestinians call their defeat and exile in the war over Israel's 1948 creation, was controversially inserted by a dovish education minister for the first time in 2007.

[BubbaC33]

Your posting contains errors that need to be corrected.
Israel was not created in 1948 or 1947, it was restored. That is an important distinction. Israel has a history that goes back well beyond the UN partition plan. Jordan, on the other hand, is a nation created by the Mandate authority.
I believe if you check a little closer the change in the textbooks is the removal of the word, not necessarily the event.

[MarcusT]

JERUSALEM — The Israeli government will remove references to what Palestinians call the "catastrophe" of Israel's creation from textbooks for Arab schoolchildren, the education minister said Wednesday.

The reference to "al-naqba," the Arabic word catastrophe as Palestinians call their defeat and exile in the war over Israel's 1948 creation, was controversially inserted by a dovish education minister for the first time in 2007.

The phrase remains contentious six decades after Israel was founded.

"No other country in the world, in its official curriculum, would treat the fact of its founding as a catastrophe," Education Minister Gideon Saar told Israel's parliament on Wednesday.

Israeli Arab lawmaker Hana Sweid accused the government of "naqba denial."

"It's a major attack on the identity of the Palestinian Arab citizens of the state of Israel, on their memories and their adherence to their identity,

[mamacat]

More quotes from Albert Einstein:

"There could be no greater calamity than a permanent discord between us and the Arab people.....Let us recall that in former times no people lived in greater friendship with us than the ancestors of these Arabs."

"I should much rather see reasonable agreement with the Arabs on the basis of living together in peace than the creation of a Jewish State."

We should remember that the reason that there were so many Jews living in the Middle East before the 20th century is that they were, by and large, welcomed by the various caliphates, especially after they were expelled from Spain and Portugal in 1492 and 1495. The Christian Crusaders, on the other hand, had often slaughtered the Jews in the "Holy Lands", in the name of Christ. For over a thousand years, Jews enjoyed the protection of the various Arab governments, more so than in any other place on Earth. That they would now return the favor by terrorising Arabs is worse than shameful.

[cliffhammond]

Thank you. Excellent post!

[BubbaC33]

Unfortunately your posting is only partially true. Jews were not welcomed across the region as you claim. IN fact, a number of rulers demanded their expulsion. Jews were forced to vacate Mecca and Medina.

[DeniseA]

Jews living under Muslim rule were subjected to pogroms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_under_Muslim_rule

[DeniseA]

The Jews have had a continuous presence in the land that became Israel since before the time of Christ. They were a MAJORITY in the partitioned land granted them by the UN around 1948. Arabs owned 3% of the land that became Israel, and they became Israeli citizens.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths2/Partition.html#c2

[Taxi]

Arab Jooz yes always had a presence in the holy lands.

But not u-ro converts.

[Paul Hackett]

I just want to point out that the post above is utterly and completely untrue. Read up on the Jewish population of Palestine at the time of the British Mandate in wikipedia. The jews were always a small minority. In the early 1920s they comprised less than 10% of the population of Palestine.

[SangZe]

U.S. sanctioned Israel's apartheid.

[BubbaC33]

Arab-Israeli citizens can run for office, serve in the Knesset, own businesses and worship without prohibition. These activities could not take place in an apartheid state.

[RobertHenryEller]

Imagine if it was a Republican President in office, and his or her policy was to halt construction.

Can you imagine what they'd be screaming on Fox if, say, Candidate Barack Obama showed up in East Jerusalem to counter the President?

I can, easily. Fox would sound about the way it does now, about everything President Obama does.

I just know they're going to raise the dis-loyalty, anti-American issue about Huck.

Right.

[cliffhammond]

You mean people still get their news from Fox?

[MarcusT]

"...but any agreement with the Palestinian people must preserve Israel's identity as a Jewish state with secure, recognized, defensible borders. And Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided."

Barak Obama, June 4, 2008. Addressing the AIPAC conference 12 hours after securing his party's nomination.

[mamacat]

And, did Obama say that Israel has a right to continue to expand its territory? Given Israel's overwhelming superiority in conventional military power, any borders they choose can be easily defended, including the 1967 borders.

[who38]

It doesn't matter what Obama said. It is not up to the US to determine that Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel. BTW, when did that occur? I thought Tel Aviv was the capital of Israel but that Benny and the boys are referring to Jerusalem as the capital in order to make a Rovian switch in the minds of world citizens.

[BubbaC33]

What is amazing is how you and others demand a return to the pre-67 borders as if there was a magic to the activity. You ignore that in 1967, when Israel was within the borders you demand, a pan-Arab army of over 100,000 soldiers massed on the Israeli border, an act of war. An actof war that followed the illegal and forced closing of the Straits of Tiran, also an act of war. Israel did not start the war, we responded to overt aggression by the Arabs.
The US Pentagon did a study over 20 years ago indicating Israel requires territory to provide the startegic depth necessary for our defense. IN 1973 this was proven to be true. Without the territories Israel would have been cut in half and destroyed. YOu know nothing about military matters.

[Aussieposter]

Israel is a very different place to the social experiment that was started in the 50's and 60's when it was reasonable to expect labour and progressive governments to win office. Many Israeli citizens when looking back at the Holocaust would silently mouth the words "NEVER AGAIN" but would also be astutely aware of limiting the suffering of others.

Had I been a Holocaust survivor I might have supported what was done to the Palestinians. Understanding the reason why something happened does not make it right. I have major problems with how the state of Israel was created and if I had a vote in 1948 I would have voted no to its creation.

The egg cannot be unbroken; therefore the only solution is two states. In 1947 the U.N. Partition plan gave around 45% of Palestine to the Arabs, even though they were nearly 70% of the population. The Palestinians now have control of about 19% of the land available in Palestine and every day they lose a little more.

If a two state policy is the solution then there has to be a place where that second state can be created and grow. If not then a new solution needs to be found. The settlements not only need to be stopped. They need to be removed

[GZLives]

But you and your friends continue to forget that the Arabs REJECTED PArtition and instead opted to destroy Israel certainly not to lose but in hopes of winning all. That is a kep point which it seems continues to be conveniently ignored. The Arabs REJECTED coexistence and opted for war and they did so again in 1967. My point being unless I'm mistaken, you risk going to war there are consequences. The Arabs seemed to have convinced the Left that not only are there NO consequences but they ought to get a do over until the outcome comes out differently.

If you care to look, you'll find much of Israeli policy has been to respond / react to Arab provocations. Had there not been weekly suicide bombings, there's be no separation fence/wall. Had there not been terrorists coming in from Arab territories, there'd be no checkpoints. Had there not been war after war in the hopes of exterminating Israel, there'd be no occupation.

Is that really such a difficult to concept to grasp or does it have much to do with we're discussing Israel where double standards and hypocrisy are the rules of the game?

[BackToFight]

Blah blah blah, this lie again. Simply stated: European Jews embarked on a mission of ethnic cleansing over a month before a single Arab soldier fired a single bullet. The Arab armies invaded Palestine to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Muslims and Christians from Palestine. Stop with the BS, because it really is getting too old.

[guzmao12345]

And why should the Palestinian ppl have accepted the Partition plan? Why would they have settled for only 45% of their native land while ceding 55% to a population that had only recently emigrated from Europe and only constituted 30% of the total population? Why would any ppl have accepted such a proposal? Ah yes, the answer is suddenly clear, to coexist!!!

You know, I love to hear the comments about how it was the Arabs who didn't want partition and didn't want coexistence. Would you have given up so much of your country to appease a newly arrived population? Why do so many of us accept without questioning that the Arabs were wrong to reject the partition plan, that they were wrong to view the influx of European Jewry and their demand for statehood in the area of Palestine as an affront to Palestinian and Arab nationalism?

[Discomustachio]

So in 1948 The UN decides to give 2/3 of the land, and the best land at that, to 1/3 the population (the Jews) and the other 1/3 of the land goes to 2/3 of the population (the Arabs). If that happened to my grandparents I'd still be fighting the good fight as well...

[who38]

IDF assignment?

[MarcusT]

It's an old worn out argument and no one is listening any more. BTW: Who had the right to partition Palestine anyway?

[We-Are-The-Ones]

If Israel ignores its allies, who will it have left?

[greatscot]

The diaspora. Remember, all donations to Israel fully deductible on US INCOME TAX RETURNS! Figure THAT one out!

[who38]

Disgusting; isn't it? Is there a group that is trying to get that law changed? Hope so.

[DeniseA]

That's because most of the anti-Israeli comments posted on HuffPost are wrong. Israeli is actually a very important friend of the USA.

[greatscot]

Wasn't Huckabee the one who tried to take the taxpayer's furniture when he left the Governor's mansion. I'd watch that one if I were you, he must be running a bit short of cash and in need of an Aipac paycheck!!

[nico89]

Is Chuck goin with him?