Following the meeting between US Senator Mitchell and Israeli PM Netanyahu, it seems that Israel and the US are getting close to some kind of agreement or understanding about a settlement freeze.
A settlement freeze is one of the key factors in order to enable a resumption of peace talks.
Unfortunately, I doubt I have to begin to look for another job. Settlement activity will always be one of the most important issues on the political agenda of our region.
In Israel the debate continues, in both the media and amongst activists, over whether a freeze will actually create results for peacemakers.
Netanyahu, I believe, will try to avoid final status negotiations; his work premise is to try to drag out the freeze talks, when he does finally reach an understanding over the settlements, to keep it as vague as possible, granting him leeway to interpret it as he sees fit.
As an Israeli who believes in the Two State Solution and who works daily to monitor and expose settlement expansion, I believe that any declared settlement freeze should be required to meet some minimum criteria, so to really enable any future negotiations.
Such criteria should include:
No loopholes. There must be no "loopholes" that will permit Israel to evade or undermine the freeze agreement, as was done in previous governments. According to reports, it seems pretty clear by now that a settlement freeze agreement is going to exist side-by-side with an Israeli insistence on completing a certain number of units already under construction. While we wish this were not the case, we recognize that this is a regrettable exception, rather than a loophole through which Israel could over time drag most of the West Bank.
Transparency. A list of any settlement construction to be completed must be public. Assuming Israel will insist, over US objections, that it will finish a finite number of settlement units already under construction, the list of those units must be made public. There is zero trust when it comes to Israel's intentions with respect to settlement construction and there will be zero trust in Israeli commitments regarding these units. Outside verification will be critical.
No US permission to build anything. Under no circumstances can a settlement freeze agreement include US approval, permission, or de facto acceptance of continued Israeli settlement construction, anywhere. If Israel is going to insist on "completing" a finite number of units already under construction, the US will have to find a formula that makes clear that it in no way condones Israel doing so, or President Obama will become the first president in US history to formally and officially approve settlement construction. And the US will have to make clear that the locations of this continued construction do not imply any new US understandings, formal or informal, about where Israel can build including in East Jerusalem.
No US permission to build anything in settlements in the future. Under no circumstances can a settlement freeze agreement imply or be permitted in anyway to be interpreted as implying that once the freeze period is over, the US will no longer disapprove of Israel building in settlements.
Freeze must include planning. For a freeze to be meaningful it must include stopping all new plans for construction in settlements -- no new plans submitted, approved, considered etc.... Otherwise planning is a constant sword hanging over freeze and over the political process a freeze is supposed to help launch.
Netanyahu, despite his extreme right wing coalition, has slowly begun to distance himself from his pre-election campaign declarations, regarding expansion of settlements, construction in E1 and in Jerusalem.
I think the above criteria on a settlement freeze can be met, even with the currant Israeli government.
In addition, my experience tells me that Israeli public support for US peace steps will begin to rise dramatically the moment Israelis sit down in face to face negotiations, with recognizable and personable Palestinian and Arab leaders, in a mutual effort to reach an agreement.
This should surely be the next immediate step.
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It is dishonest to claim Israel destroyed all of the non-purchased buildings in Gaza. The fact of the matter is most buildings were left intact and usable, but Hamas ordered the destruction of all buildings constructed by Israel or Jews. Your attempt to re-write the exit of Israel froim Gaza is a merely an admission your reliance on Arab propaganda outweighs your knowledge of the situation in the region.
CURRENT international law: - an occupying power may NOT (1) transfer or remove a population (2) introduce its nationals into the occupied territory, (3) institute collective punishment , (4) no economic exploitation of people or resources within the occupied territory - ALL of which Israel is illegally currently doing. International law requires that certain actions MUST be taken by the occupying power, including (1) adequate resources allocated ftothe health and safety of the captive populace (2) no economic exploitation of the captive people or natural resources (2) ensure freedom of movement within the occupied teritory and (3) no harsh, unfair or discriminatory treatment of the occupied inhabitants, - ALL of which conditions the Israelis are currently violating. Over 10,000 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons, indefinitely, and without charge!
Israel is furthermore in violation of UN resolution 242 requiring the Israelis to END their occupation of Occupied Palestine.
The Israelis have NO RIGHT whatsoever to continue to occupy the Golan Heights either. They seized this land and held it for the aquifer it contains and the large arable area which now feeds a good part of Israel's population.
Further, the Yom Kippur war was a DEFENSIVE war. As long as Israel continues to illegally occupy Arab land, the Arabs are legally justified in using force to re-capture it.
Finally, all land occupied by Israel beyond the 1948 partition line is
Furthermore, every scrap of land the Jews occupy outside of the 1948 partition line is stolen property, plain and simple. All the nuance in the world can't change that. The Israelis must evacuate this occupied territory completely and only then can they be guaranteed a future free from the effects of the completely legal and justified Palestinian attempts to liberate their land.
The most effective thing the US can do to bring about peace in the Middle-East is to stop subsidizing and arming Israel to the tune of at least $4 Billion in OUR money. If we don't stop the money flow then we are just blowing smoke about Palestine, and the whole world knows it!
DO NOT LET A SETTLEMENT FREEZE lull the US into complacency. In order for there to be peace and reduced terror against the US and Israel, settlement building must not be just frozen, the settlements, the settlers and the IDF must all go for good.
If it is all done with the help of UN peace keepers, there will probably be a lot less msicheif on both sides during and after the pullout.
Furthermore, regardless of who tore down what and when, the core issue is that the settlers have never had any right to occupy or build on foreign soil in the first place. THAT is the issue, and lets all at least try keep that at the forefront of the discussion whenever possible.
These fundamentalists have a strong commitment to conservative and ultra-nationalist American politics and they lust for a cataclysmic “end of history” eschatological war in the Middle East that will precipitate what they think will bring about the second coming of Jesus and the Rapture in which their kind of Christians will be lifted up to heaven; but all the Jews who have not yet converted to their small god will burn in hell for eternity.
A widespread understanding among these fundamentalists is based in guilt for the 1700 years of murder, rape, and oppression of Jews that was frequently generated by the Church which corrupted what Jesus was all about when Augustine penned his heretical "Just War Theory."
Here's why he believes Christians should support Israel.
http://www.jhm.org/ME2/Sites/dirmod.asp?sid=&type=gen&mod=Core+Pages&gid=27AAA6C53C0949FC85078AEDE43C4AA0&SiteID=8112722C039B4E508F0AB8552B898895
You are are aware that Palestinian Christians are among Israel's victims, right?
"At many points in the story, the settlers seemed to have got all they wanted. But successful settlement and increasing immigration brought new usurpations. Enough was never, it seemed, enough. Even if the Zionist had never dreamed of taking all of Palestine from the Palestinians, it would have been foolish to suppose that they would not come to do so, but by bit."
Micheal Neumann, "The Case Against Israel" page 45.
Point is, if we are all honest, this is how the development of a settlement enterprise works everywhere and always. There really is no moral rationalization for demonizing and usurping another people and for this side of human behavior.
We need less posturing and less semantics to divert from the issues. We need more focus on how to bring Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a lasting peace agreement.
Micheal Neumann
TO be cont.
Its sad that this is our official position. Because it is not in line with international law
We should be demanding that they leave the settlements and return the stolen land not just stop building new ones.
But obviously that isn't going to happen with Obama in office
U.S. drops demand for Israel building freeze in E. Jerusalem
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1110507.html
Sadly, from healthcare reform to ME peace, Obama is so far excelling in caving. If we can't even tell a nation utterly dependent on our goodwill to follow international law, how are we supposed to influence NK, Iran, Pakistan etc.?
There is a chance this report is wrong... but likely it is accurate.
So much for change.
1. The Palestinians must adhere to all previous Oslo agreements
2. The Palestinians must cease the vitriol and incitement against Jews
3. The Palestinians must stop firing rockets into Israel from Gaza
4. The Palestinians must shut down all terrorist operations
5. The Palestinians must recognize Israel's right to exist
Oh wait, I just realized something, number one includes the others.
Then you'll have a deal!
The Arabs living in eretz Israel gave up any rights or claims to the territory included in the UN partition when they rejected it in 1947. Refusal to agree, which was refusal to sign a contract, was the Arabs way of forfeiting any and all claims to any of the land.
Of course, there is the whole unequal rights thing.......
The religious guidelines restricting birth control methods include condoms. Maybe you should do a little more research before making foolish arguments.
Israel must stop ALL settlements. Even better would be if they would honor all UN Resolutions, not just the ones they want to because they are in Israel's favor.
well have you ever heard Cantor, Huckabee (public servants) and not to forget A.IPAC, if we go by your defintion then these people commit tr.eason everyday by putting hurdles in Obama peace initiatives....