Opinion
Palestine Update 102
Palestinian defiance mounts; Israel struggles to uphold occupation
In an interview with Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister of Israel, he admits that ‘Israel (is) on a ‘slippery slope’ towards apartheid. However, he contemptuously remains unapologetic. In what sounds like a chronic case of political schizophrenia, he actually says: “I care about morality. But I care more about our very survival in life” – a chilling self admission by any standards. Small wonder then that the Hamas leadership ruled out possibilities “of negotiations based on international law aimed at bringing about the settlement of the Palestinian problem.” He was unambiguous in asserting that “violent resistance must be implemented in practice, because only it can bring Israel to a withdrawal.”
The case of the 16-year old girl Ahed Tamimi has increasing international gaze on Israel’s political high handedness. A coalition of French human-rights groups have demanded her release in an online campaign. 250,000 signatures have been amassed in just a few days. We urge readers to join this campaign( find details of campaign in the link with the relevant news item). Tamimi’s courageous resistance has captured the world’s imagination and exposed Israel as a fascist entity with little or no respect for the rule of law. Worse, it is a country that invents laws according to its need to castigate the Palestinian people in the most horrendous ways. Tamimi is a classic example of ‘more occupation begetting more defiance’.
In another act of open defiance Palestinian Minister for Inmates’ Affairs in the Palestinian Authority Issa Qaraqe has demanded Palestinian prisoners be treated in line with international law. The practice of treating political prisoners as convicted criminals is unacceptable, he declares. Israeli laws, as we have noted repeatedly, are racist and ruthless, and they particularly violate the dignity of prisoners. These laws seek to delegitimize the Palestinian national struggle. Qarage avers that boycotting Israeli courts is a way to show Palestinian contempt and rejection of these objectionable laws.
In an important study by researchers from Dar al-Kalima University, it has been irreversibly proven that most of the Palestinian Christians who left Palestinian were prompted by what seem to be bleak prospects for a political solution to the Israeli occupation. The exodus is almost entirely due to Israeli haughtiness rather than concerns over Muslim religious conservatism as the corporate media makes it out to be.
Read more on the above stories in the links below.
Ranjan Solomon
Editor
Ehud Barak: Israel on ‘slippery slope’ towards apartheid; yet remains unapologetic
Israel might be on a “slippery slope toward apartheid,” Ehud Barak warns in an exclusive interview: “If we keep controlling the whole area from the Mediterranean to river Jordan where some 13 million people are living, eight million Israelis, five million Palestinians, it would become inevitably – that’s the key word: inevitably – either non-Jewish or non-democratic. We want neither a bi-national state with a civil war nor apartheid.” However, he remains unapologetic: “I care about morality. But I care more about our very survival in life,” he said discussing the ongoing Israeli occupation of the West Bank, inhabited by four million Palestinians.Israel only understands the language of force says Hamas leader
Deputy Hamas leader Salah Al-Aruri says the decision of the Likud Central Committee regarding the application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is “no less dangerous than the American administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel.” Likud’s decision, he argued, shows “the complete elimination of any possibility of negotiations based on international law aimed at bringing about the settlement of the Palestinian problem.” He resented the Palestinian Authority’s soft policy that prevents resistance against Israel and demanded “the violent resistance must be implemented in practice, because only it can bring Israel to a withdrawal.”Rights Groups Demand Release of Palestine’s ‘Shirley Temper’
French human-rights groups are demanding the release of 16-year-old Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi, known as “Shirley Temper,” whose bravery against Israeli troops has garnered global support. Human rights groups have issued a call to action with prominent activist organizations such as Children of Palestine, CAPJPO-EuroPalestine, ISM-France, Nanterre Palestine, among others leading the way. The groups have launched a website to spread the word via an online petition for Tamimi’s release, receiving over 250,000 signatures in just a few days from its initiation.Read full report in Telesur
Palestinians threaten to boycott Israeli occupation courts
Palestinian Minister for Inmates’ Affairs in the Palestinian Authority Issa Qaraqe threatened to boycott the Israeli occupation courts in case of Israeli insistence to approve the racist and illegal legislation to execute the prisoners. Qaraqe said this will lead to an uprising and rebellion against the Israeli judiciary and will halt dealing with Israeli military courts.
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Israeli occupation caused ‘Christian exodus’ from Palestine –study
The main cause of the exodus of Christians from Palestine is the Israeli occupation of the region, and only a small proportion left because of Muslim religious extremism, a new study has found.
In an interview with more than a thousand people divided somewhat equally between Christians and Muslims, researchers from Dar al-Kalima University concluded that most of the Palestinian Christians who left had been driven to hopelessness because of the lack of a political solution to the Israeli occupation. The arbitrary arrests, property confiscation, and discriminatory policies brought about by the situation also contributed to the exodus.
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