Jews build 'Museum of Tolerance' on 1,000s of Arab graves

Wednesday, February 17, 2010 10:42 AM

GINOBIFFARONI

Israel makes life very hard for Palestinians, says ICRC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8519921.stm Israeli restrictions make normal life "close to impossible" for many West Bank Palestinians, the International Committee of the Red Cross has said. Some Palestinians are often unable to reach a hospital or visit relatives, while 50% live in poverty, it said. They are also frequently harassed by Jewish settlers, the organisation said. An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said the ICRC had ignored statements by the Palestinian Authority that West Bank residents lived a "normal life". Whilst the economy has shown some signs of growth, the ICRC statement said restrictions linked to Israeli settlements had deprived many Palestinian farmers of their land. We reiterate our call on Israel to do more to protect Palestinians in the West Bank against settler violence Beatrice Megevand-Roggo ICRC Israeli settlers 'still building' It said attacks and harassment by settlers prevented many farmers from cultivating their own land, and some 10,000 Palestinian olive trees had been cut down or burned in the past three years. "The ICRC has repeatedly called for action to be taken to allow Palestinians to live their lives in dignity," said ICRC head of operations in the Middle East, Beatrice Megevand-Roggo. "We reiterate our call on Israel to do more to protect Palestinians in the West Bank against settler violence, to safeguard their land and crops, to allow families to repair their houses and to assure that all Palestinians can get to hospital or to school without delay." Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said the report ignored official PA figures which showed the economic situation had "improved remarkably" over the past year. He also referred to comments by PA President Mahmoud Abbas to the Washington Post in May 2009, where he said "in the West Bank, we have a good reality, the people are living a normal life". In November, the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a 10-month cessation of building new settlements in the West Bank, a precondition for peace talks demanded by the Palestinians. But, according to information released by the Israeli government, around 30 settlements are still being developed in defiance of the order. US attempts to revive peace talks have stalled over the Jewish settlement issue. Palestinians say they will not return to peace talks unless Israel stops settlement building in the West Bank. Israel has a long-standing commitment under an existing peace plan to stop settlement growth. All settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this. Either you Are with the terrorists, or ... you Are with the terrorists Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers. What you do today, might Burn Your Ass Tomorrow"

Wednesday, February 17, 2010 2:49 PM

GINOBIFFARONI

I wonder if they catch any of these folk, if terrorism charges would be laid ? http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2010/02/201021614324286713.html 'With friends like these ...' By Ibrahim Hewitt Allegations that the Israeli secret service, Mossad, was behind the killing of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai are gaining strength. The accusation originated with Hamas after the 49-year-old was found dead in a hotel in Dubai last month. Israel, unsurprisingly, has neither confirmed nor denied that Mossad operatives carried out the killing. The Times newspaper, however, has reported Ehud Olmert, the former Israeli prime minister, alluding to "Mossad ... waging a covert war of assassinations across the Middle East, targeting Hamas and Iranian officials". Foreign passports Dubai's chief of police has now said that 11 people were involved in the operation and they all used European - including six British - passports to get into and out of the Emirate. It is known that Mossad uses foreign passports "regularly" because Israeli passports raise "red flags" when its operatives are travelling. An Israeli passport is still unacceptable in most of the Arab capitals and a visa is unlikely to be granted to holders of Israeli passports seeking to enter Dubai - one exception was for an Israeli tennis player taking part in a Dubai tournament last year. If Mossad's involvement is proven to be true, it is yet another example of Israel's disregard for the sovereignty of other nations - including supposed "strategic allies" like Britain. There is no record of US passports ever being used in such operations - Israel tends to spy on its main benefactor instead. In 1996, when Khaled Meshaal, the head of Hamas' political bureau, was the target of an assassination attempt in Amman, the Mossad team responsible was captured and they had used genuine Canadian passports to enter Jordan. 'Stategic allies' What is doubly interesting about that attempt on Meshaal's life is that it took place during Binyamin Netanyahu's first term as Israeli prime minister. Assassinations tailed off in the intervening years but have now resurfaced as a serious tactic against Israel's opponents, again while Netanyahu is at the helm of Israel's government. The trail to find those responsible for al-Mabhouh's killing could therefore lead all the way to Netanyahu himself. If that is the case, then it surely raises questions about Britain's relationship with the country called a "strategic ally" by David Miliband, the UK's foreign secretary, when he raised the possibility of changing Britain's universal jurisdiction obligations to make it possible for Israelis suspected of committing war crimes to enter the UK. The foreign office says that it is "in contact with the Dubai authorities" about the identity of the six British passport holders. A former Mossad agent quoted in The Times claims that passports used in such operations include those belonging to real dual nationality holders while others are "acquired". Passports 'forged' According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper British government "sources" believe that the passports were forged and were used by "Mossad agents". In a bizarre twist, reports are coming from the Middle East about Hamas claims that two men belonging to the Palestinian Authority's security agencies have been captured by Jordan and sent to Dubai in connection with this murder. The PA has made a counter-claim that the two are actually Hamas members. The world of espionage has always been murky and it may well be that we will never know what really happened in the hotel room where Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was murdered. However, there surely is sufficient doubt for the British government to review its dealings with the Israeli government, "strategic ally" or not. With friends like these, who needs enemies? Either you Are with the terrorists, or ... you Are with the terrorists Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers. What you do today, might Burn Your Ass Tomorrow"

Wednesday, February 17, 2010 3:47 PM

LITTLEBIRD

Wednesday, February 17, 2010 4:18 PM

RUE I have a vote and I'm not afraid to use it!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010 11:06 PM

GINOBIFFARONI

Quote: Originally posted by rue: BTW, I'm not ignoring this topic b/c I don't care or agree. But some things are just too painful and frustrating to dwell on. *************************************************************** Silence is consent. But would you agree that this is the number one issue challenging world peace ? Either you Are with the terrorists, or ... you Are with the terrorists Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers. What you do today, might Burn Your Ass Tomorrow"

Thursday, February 18, 2010 6:47 AM

RUE I have a vote and I'm not afraid to use it!

Thursday, February 18, 2010 10:13 AM

GINOBIFFARONI

Well said, that is why I think this thread, and the Iran thread are so important... I posted earlier http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/02/12/israel-fighting-dele gitimisation-campaign Israel fighting 'delegitimisation campaign' As outrage grows in US campuses over Israeli policies towards Palestinians, Israel seems to be fighting back. continues If we debate the facts in our own forums, it limits our leaders ability to make up our minds for us... if the involved partys really want our support, ( or not ) they need to take notice of our collective opinions, and not simply bribe our leaders. The posts about the Israeli supreme court were particularly of interest... I only wish the pro Israel lobby was to be heard from ( the rational lobby I mean, Participant left after I pointed out he posted a fake 60 minutes story, and NewOld seems to be the Jewish equivalent of a holocaust denier, and the Palestinians do not exist ) I can understand this being a frustrating and painful subject, I avoided posting alot of pictures because of that... I'll keep posting on this thread, more because I feel the frustration too, and want to do something... My local MP says he agrees with my position, but his party feels... makes me want to scream. sigh... Either you Are with the terrorists, or ... you Are with the terrorists Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers. What you do today, might Burn Your Ass Tomorrow"

Thursday, February 18, 2010 11:41 AM

LITTLEBIRD

Friday, February 19, 2010 1:32 AM

LITTLEBIRD

Friday, February 19, 2010 4:09 PM

GINOBIFFARONI

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8523588.stm Highlights The international police agency Interpol - which has issued arrest notices for all 11 suspects although it admitted their true identities were unclear - issues red notices to seek the arrest of wanted persons with a view to extraditing them. Diplomatic tensions have been building between Britain and Israel after it emerged on Monday that six of the passports used by the 11 suspected assassins were British. They were clones of passports belonging to men who have dual British and Israeli citizenship. I think if I could I would do away with Dual Citizenships... just seems like you should pick one or the other Either you Are with the terrorists, or ... you Are with the terrorists Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers. What you do today, might Burn Your Ass Tomorrow"

Saturday, February 20, 2010 12:04 AM

FREMDFIRMA

Man, they got a LONG history of that kinda bullshit, the whole blowup with New Zealand a while ago is also typical of the way they do business. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Israel_%E2%80%93_New_Zealand_spy_sca ndal With "friends" like these.... -F

Saturday, February 20, 2010 9:31 AM

GINOBIFFARONI

Quote: Originally posted by Fremdfirma: Man, they got a LONG history of that kinda bullshit, the whole blowup with New Zealand a while ago is also typical of the way they do business. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Israel_%E2%80%93_New_Zealand_spy_sca ndal With "friends" like these.... -F I am still amazed about the lack of fallout over the Pollard affair... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Pollard 1. It didn't dent the financial / military support given by the US 2. After Israel sold their guy out, people still work for them Even the Soviets wouldn't have done that..... Either you Are with the terrorists, or ... you Are with the terrorists Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers. What you do today, might Burn Your Ass Tomorrow"

Sunday, February 21, 2010 3:25 PM

GINOBIFFARONI

I wonder if they have some sort of bet how far they can go ? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8527532.stm Israel adds West Bank shrines to heritage list Jewish settler prays at the Tomb of the Patriarchs (file) The Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron has been a flashpoint for decades Israel's prime minister has announced a controversial plan to add two major religious sites in the West Bank to the country's national heritage list. Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem would now be included in the $107m restoration plan. Israeli media said the two sites had been included on the list only after pressure from nationalist ministers. The Palestinian Authority warned the decision would "wreck" peace efforts. Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have been frozen for more than a year, with the PA refusing to participate until Israel halts settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel has scaled back construction in the West Bank, but it does not consider areas within the Jerusalem municipality to be settlements. 'Violation' Addressing a cabinet meeting, Mr Netanyahu unveiled the two additions to the national heritage list. He said the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb had to be preserved because they showed Israel's ancient ties to the land. The purpose of the list... is to single out sites that are of great importance to the Jewish people Mark Regev Israeli government spokesman "Our existence here doesn't just depend on the might of the military or our economic and technological strength," he added. "It is anchored first and foremost in our national and emotional legacy." The Tomb of the Patriarchs - which Muslims call the al-Ibrahimi mosque - is where the Bible says Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were buried along with three of their wives. It has been a flashpoint for decades, with 500 Jewish settlers living in enclaves near the disputed site, surrounded by 170,000 Palestinians. The Tomb of Rachel - a shrine to the Biblical matriarch holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims - has also been a source of controversy. Israel's West Bank barrier juts far into Bethlehem so that the tomb is located on the Israeli side, ostensibly for security reasons. However, Palestinians say it impedes their access and represents an illegal land grab. Rachel's Tomb (file) Palestinians have complained they are denied access to Rachel's Tomb Jewish settlers and nationalists, who oppose giving up control of any of the West Bank, said they were pleased with Mr Netanyahu's announcement and that they would press for additional biblical sites to be added to the list. A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority condemned the decision, particularly the designation of the Tomb of the Patriarchs, and warned it could take the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a dangerous direction. "We believe that this particular violation is very dangerous because it might add to the religious nature of the conflict," Ghassan Khatib told the Associated Press. But Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the list was not meant to draw borders ahead of a final status agreement. "The purpose of the list... is to single out sites that are of great importance to the Jewish people," he said. Close to 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem. They are illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. Either you Are with the terrorists, or ... you Are with the terrorists Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers. What you do today, might Burn Your Ass Tomorrow"

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 10:59 AM

LITTLEBIRD