On May 9, a day after Israel officially celebrated its 60th anniversary, Hamas claimed responsibility for a mortar attack on Kfar Aza in southern Israel which killed one Israeli citizen. Jimmy Kdoshim [48] became the 14th victim of rocket and mortar attacks on Israel from Gaza in the last seven years.
Hamas, who recently signed a ceasefire proposal in Egypt with Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and which will be presented to Israel early next week after being agreed to by 12 other Palestinian factions, responded to the attack through spokesperson Abu Obeida who declared that “we will continue to fire until the last moment before a truce is completed”. His comments came just three days after another Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri warned that “a truce is one of the options to stop the suffering of the Palestinians, however we will not put ourselves and our people under this in light of the continuation of the attacks”.
The last victim of a rocket attack on Israel was Roni Yechiah, whose death at the end of February preceded operation “Hot Winter”, an Israeli offensive which killed approximately 120 Palestinians in Gaza. In an immediate reprisal for the attack on Kfar Aza, Israeli aircraft fired missiles into two Hamas police stations in Khan Younis killing five activists – Bassam Ahmad Abu Shbeikah [23], Mohammed Mazen Abu I’rmanah [25], Mohammed Abu Odah, Omar al-Ser and Samir Wafi.
Current events in Gaza may thwart a supposed deal between Hamas and Egypt for the Rafah crossing to be open for three days on Saturday. Hamas official Ayman Taha stated that sick Gazans would be able to leave on May 10 while Palestinians who possess Egyptian or foreign passports would be able to leave on May 11 and 12. News of the border opening came as the blockade on Gaza once again deteriorated. On May 4, UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness admitted that “we have exhausted our stocks of fuel, and are therefore forced to stop our food distributions to 1.5 million inhabitants in the Gaza Strip”. The next day, UNRWA did report that they had received new fuel supplies but Chris Gunness stipulated that “we have managed to pull back from the brink, but it is entirely unacceptable that a humanitarian and human resources organization like UNRWA should have been pushed to the brink in the first place”.
Meanwhile on May 8, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to partake in and watch parades, aerial displays, concerts and military base tours in commemoration of Israel’s independence. Although David Ben-Gurion declared independence on May 14 1948, according to the Jewish calendar the 60th birthday this year falls almost a week earlier. Next week, Israeli President Shimon Peres will host US President G. W. Bush, French President Nicholas Sarkozy, Tony Blair, Henry Kissinger, Mikhail Gorbachev, Rupert Murdoch and Google co-founder Sergey Brin to mark the anniversary.
However, Israeli independence is still a very contentious topic among their Palestinian neighbors. Whereas Israel proudly marks the date of their independence, on May 15 Palestinians will remember al-Nakba, the “catastrophe” which saw 800,000 Palestinians expelled by Israel from their homes in historic Palestine. Currently there are approximately 5.5 million refugees spread over the Palestinian territories, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Their return is seen as a prerequisite for peace on the Palestinian side while Israel believes it is simply unpractical that they will ever be able to return.
As Israel celebrated its 60th anniversary and its subsequent achievements, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was preoccupied with more personal problems. Not for the first time since assuming the premiership, Olmert was questioned by police last week. Originally the details were rather unsure as the investigating police issued a gag on proceedings. After the gag was lifted it was revealed that Olmert was the key figure of a police inquiry into allegations of bribery.
On May 9, Olmert was receiving calls from all corners for resignation after he admitted taking money from an American businessman Morris Talansky who was treasurer of the New Jerusalem Foundation [a charity set up by Olmert in 1999]. According to U.S. tax records, this charity declared more than $855,000 in donations from 1999 to 2002 with Mr. Talansky openly responsible for helping fund two Jerusalem major campaigns within this time. Despite Olmert not denying this, the premier maintained that “I look each and every one of you in the eye and say, I never took bribes. I never took a penny for myself”. However, Olmert stressed that he would only resign if the attorney general could produce conclusive evidence saying “although not required by law, if the attorney general decides to file an indictment against me I will resign”.
On the inevitability of his departure, columnist for the Yedioth Ahronoth Nahum Barnea thinks “it is doubtful Olmert can survive…if not because of the Talansky affair…then because of the cumulative effect of all the ongoing investigations against him”. Conversely, supporters of Olmert, such as his Vice Premier Haim Ramon believe that he has the ability and resolve to weather the storm. The question remains – what will happen if Olmert is ousted? The most obvious option is that Foreign Minister and Chief Israeli negotiator Tzipi Livni will succeed Olmert and press on with the peace process. In addition, Livni has been told by the small but influential ultra-Orthodox Shas party that they would remain in government if she does not disrupt the status quo between religious and secular factions. However, if it came down to elections, Benjamin Netanyahu and his right wing Likud party have an overwhelming lead in the polls. The former prime minister does not hold the peace process with Palestinians as a priority and recently asked “is it ethical for Olmert to lead negotiations with the Palestinians while he is under investigation?’ Then there is Defense Minister Ehud Barak and his Labor Party, Olmert’s largest coalition ally. The incumbent Defense Minister cannot be considered to succeed Olmert as he is not a member of Knesset and has been unusually quiet with one aide predicting that “Barak will bide his time…we could probably live with a Livni-led coalition”.
There were mixed feelings in the Palestinian camp concerning the probe into Olmert’s dealings and its potential effects on the peace process. Negotiator Saeb Erekat understood that it was an internal Israeli issue but emphasized that Palestinians would be inspecting very closely as the outcome will have a huge effect on their peace process with Israel. Another member of the Palestinian negotiating team Yasser Abed Rabbo asserted that it made no difference as there has been no progress between Palestinians and Israelis while President Abbas’ aide Nabil Abu Rdainah said that it has no bearing on the Palestinian side because Palestinians are able to discuss terms with any Israeli leader: “We even dealt with Sharon”.
Despite varying opinions, it is evidently clear that the current problems with Olmert can not help the peace process, which saw US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice travel back and forth from Israel and the West Bank on May 4 and 5 hoping to push the peace process along.
The top US diplomat did not publicly criticize her close Israeli allies but stated that roadblocks and settlement expansion in the West Bank were not conducive for a peace agreement to exist and assured Palestinians that the US would continue to pressure Israel on these points. Israeli spokesperson Mark Regev and his Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erekat revealed that Rice’s visit was extremely positive ushering in discussions on final status issues which were amongst some of the most serious of talks to date. They commended Rice’s dedication towards reaching an agreement by the end of President Bush’s term and expressed how they had made significant improvements on borders and Israeli security concerns. In addition, Rice added that monitors should “get out among the communities, talk to the people who are trying to get through checkpoints and really get a sense of how the movements and access is working”.
Condoleezza Rice left with no solid or tangible developments but merely more promises. Since the last time she visited, a UN report described how Israel had only removed 44 “obstacles” instead of the 61 it had promised [there are some 560 “obstacles in the West Bank]. In any case, the 44 which were removed were thought to be dirt mounds which had little or no importance on Palestinian movement. Furthermore, Rice did not manage to receive any sort of commitment from Israel to stop settlement expansion in the West Bank – an Israeli obligation under stage one of the roadmap and a major barrier to a peace agreement.
The Secretary of State’s visit was planned to occur just one week before President Bush travels to Israel to celebrate Israel’s 60th anniversary from May 13-18. The US President intends to revitalize the peace talks between Israel and Palestine, viewing the situation to be one of immense difficulty, especially when dealing with what the US considers barriers to peace such as Hamas but stressed that “I’m still hopeful we’ll get an agreement by the end of my presidency”.
However, President Bush’s Middle East trip will also see him go to Saudi Arabia to discuss the rising oil prices and Egypt where he will meet his counterpart Hosni Mubarak as well as Iraqi and Afghan leaders.
With regard to the peace process, the War and Peace Index, a survey conducted by Tel Aviv University, reported that 70% of the Jewish public support the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel but 70% also do not believe in the chances of reaching a deal with Palestinians despite the renewed peace talks.
On May 4, Hossam al-Najar [40] was killed when a missile struck his home in Khan Younis following an Israeli incursion by tanks and helicopters.
Furthermore, on May 6 in Beit Lahliya, Hisham Shumer [23] of the al-Qassam Brigades was killed in an air strike which was targeting mortar launching squads.
A member of Islamic Jihad died on May 7 when an Israeli offensive involving armored vehicles, bulldozers and aerial drones entered into Khan Younis.
Wafa al-Dagma [33] was killed in Khan Younis on May 8 when a tank shell struck her home.
Lastly, on May 9, a 21-year old Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli settlers in Ein Yabrud, northeast Ramallah, after an exchange of fire between members of al-Aqsa Brigades and Israeli settlers ensued.
Since the Annapolis peace summit at the end of November, nearly 500 Palestinians have been killed while the number of Israelis killed in the same period has reached 27.
UN Resolution 1325
Date posted: February 03, 2021
By MIFTAH
Kerry talks peace while Israel bars UNESCO mission [May 19 - May 25]
Date posted: May 25, 2013
By MIFTAH
President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both met with US Secretary of State John Kerry this week in the latter’s fourth visit to the region since he assumed office.
After meeting with the two to ostensibly find ways to restart stalled negotiations between the two sides, Kerry urged on May 24 both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take "hard decisions" to revive the peace process.
"We're getting toward a time now when hard decisions need to be made," he said at the end of his visit.
Kerry admitted a day before after meeting with the two leaders that there was skepticism and cynicism about his efforts to revive talks.
"I know this region well enough to know there is skepticism, in some quarters there is cynicism, and there are reasons for it. There have been bitter years of disappointment," he said. Still, he maintained: "It is our hope that by being methodical, careful, patient, but detailed and tenacious, that we can lay on a path ahead that can conceivably surprise people and certainly exhaust the possibilities for peace."
British foreign secretary William Hague was also in the region visiting with leaders on both sides and even visited the Bedouin community of Khan Al Ahmar between Jerusalem and Jericho, whose residents are under the threat of displacement.
On May 23, Hague was poignantly clear on where his country stands on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. "Israel has lost some of its support in Britain and in other European countries over time - this is something I've often pointed out to Israeli leaders -because of settlement activity, which we condemn,” he said.
"We strongly disagree with settlements on occupied land. Israel is a country we work with in many ways but we do disapprove of settlements,” he maintained, adding that: "We want to see both Israelis and Palestinians really commit themselves to the peace process while there is still a chance of a two-state solution."
In Khan al Ahmar, Hague listened to the residents’ grievances from Israeli efforts to push them out to make way for more settlement expansion. "We (in Britain) strongly condemn the building of settlements and recognise they are a severe threat to a two-state solution,” he told the people there.
On March 21, Israeli forces demolished two residential buildings in the Jabal al-Mukabbir in East Jerusalem. Earlier, they demolished two Palestinian homes in al-Tur, all under the pretext of unlicensed construction. Dozens of people have been left homeless from the demolitions.
A UNESCO fact-finding mission was supposed to arrive this week to look into Israeli measures in the Old City of Jerusalem and their impact on the archeological, cultural and heritage significance of the place, but was denied entry by Israel on May 20. Israel justified its decision by saying Palestinians were trying to politicize the visit.
"The Palestinians were not respecting the understandings,” an Israeli foreign ministry official said. “The visit was supposed to be professional, (but) they were taking measures that showed they were politicizing the event and not letting the delegation focus on professional sides of it," the official said.
UNESCO maintained that the mission was not cancelled, but postponed, the agency’s spokeswoman Sue Williams said.
The Palestinians said they expected Israel to pull something like this. “We weren't surprised by this decision because we believed that Israel's agreement to (allow the mission) was not convincing," minister of foreign affairs Riyad Al Malki said.
The Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt was reopened on May 22 after a five day closure. Egyptian soldiers and policemen closed the crossing following the kidnapping of seven Egyptian soldiers in Sinai, only reopening it after the soldiers were freed. Over 2,400 Palestinians had been stranded on both sides of the crossing during the days of the closure.
Extremist Israelis extended their attacks this week all the way to the Negev desert. On May 19, residents of the Retamim Kibbutz attacked the nearby Bedouin village of Bir Hadaj and set fire to a tent, according to head of the local village council, Salman Ibin Hamid
"The setters of Retamim are acting like they are in the West Bank," Ibn Hamid said. "These people have the mentality of the occupying settler to attack every Arab."
Finally, on May 23, the US appointed Gen. John Allen as special envoy on security issues in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. According to a US official, Allen will deal with the U.S. position on Israeli security needs and the security arrangements that would accompany the establishment of a future Palestinian state.
Al Nakba commemorated amid increasing settler attacks [May 12 - May 18]
Date posted: May 18, 2013
By MIFTAH
This week Palestinians commemorated the 65th anniversary of the Nakba, the catastrophe of 1948 on May 15, with a variety of activities, demonstrations and events throughout the Palestinian territories and outside of its borders. Festivals were held in Ramallah and Nablus in addition to several protests and confrontations with Israeli occupation forces. In Jerusalem, clashes broke out between protesters and Israeli police and border guards when Palestinians commemorating Al Nakba, raising Palestinian flags and facing off with Jewish settlers and soldiers. Thirty people were wounded or arrested during the clashes in addition to six Israelis.
The Jerusalem clashes come at a time when settler break-ins to Al Aqsa have been on the rise amid increasing calls by extremist Jewish groups to make a presence at the compound. The break-ins have become a near daily event. Muslim worshippers and Palestinian youths have kept constant vigil at the mosque to stave off the break-ins which included settler groups who used children as a cover to enter the compound on the occasion of Shavuot.
Settlers in the West Bank have wreaked havoc this week as well. On May 17, three Palestinians were injured in clashes in Urif south of Nablus when dozens of settlers set fire to lands in three area-villages: Urif, Einabus, and Asira al-Qibliya. The settlers also attacked citizens and threw burning tires at people’s homes.
Jewish extremists attacked inside the Green Line as well. On May 14, extremists set fire to three cars and sprayed racist graffiti on a mosque south of Haifa, according to Israeli media reports.
"Price-tag" and "Eviatar," which is thought to refer to the name of a settler stabbed to death last week, were found on the mosque’s walls in addition to the Star of David. In Safed, even farther north, racist graffiti with the words "Arabs out" was found on walls in the city.
On May 13, Israeli settlers exhumed a number of graves and sprayed racist graffiti in the Sawiya village in Nablus. Ghassan Daghlas, head of the PA settlement activity file, said settlers from the Alia settlement were responsible for the damage.
On the same day settlers from Tel Hatimar begin building a religious school for children on Al Khader lands in the Bethlehem area.
The Israeli army meanwhile, uprooted over 1,200 olive tree saplings on May 16 and razed land Palestinian farmer in the northern West Bank, according to Daghlas. He said the army dug up over 40 dunums of farm land and demolished a water tank and stone walls in Ras Karker, near Nablus.
On May 17, three Palestinian laborers were wounded in Beit Ula northwest of Hebron after Israeli forces fired rubber-coated steel bullets and unleashed police dogs at them according to Issa al-Amla, coordinator for the popular struggle committee. He said Omar Al-Amla, 31, and Abdulkadir Al-Amla, 28, suffered multiple dog bites to the neck and hands. A third laborer, Jihad Saleem, was shot in the leg.
In Jerusalem on May 17, Israeli forces raided the home of Iyad al-Awar and insisted on taking his two children 6-year-old Qassam and 5-year-old Nasrallah for “interrogation”. While their father prevented the forces from arresting his boys, Israeli soldiers handed him a warrant ordering him to bring his children to the Russian Compound for questioning.
"We arrived to the Russian Compound and the troops wanted to take my kids for investigation; I refused and they beat me in the ear and the leg. My kids started crying and were so scared from the troops. They took my kids by force," al-Awar said.
Israeli Intelligence officers apparently questioned the children about their detained cousin Shadad, and asked if they had seen him throwing stones or Molotov cocktails at Israeli forces, Al Awar said.
On the same day however, Palestinians scored a tiny victory in the Jerusalem suburb of Abu Dis when they were able to tear a hole through part of the separation wall. Protesters marking the Nakba anniversary ripped a 4-meter hole in it, eyewitnesses said. Clashes ensued between the protesters and Israeli soldiers who fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. Several injuries were reported.
Peace Now reported on May 16 that the Israeli government planned to grant retroactive approval to four West Bank settlement outposts it had previously pledged to at least partially demolish.
The Israeli state attorney's office said that settlers had purchased the private Palestinian land on which they built, thus paving the way for the government to give its blessing.
"In the response, the government declares its intention to legalize four outposts, in isolated areas," Peace Now said in a statement, adding that the strategy was an affront to US Secretary of State John Kerry's efforts to revive dormant Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. "The intention to legalize outposts as new settlements is no less than a slap in the face of Secretary Kerry's new peace process," Peace Now said.
On May 14, Hamas and Fatah agreed in Cairo to form a national unity government within three months during which they would finalize and approve the Palestine National Council elections law. The two sides, represented by Fatah leader Azzam Al Ahmad and Hamas politburo member Mousa Abu Marzouq, came to the agreement under Egyptian sponsorship and said President Abbas would immediately begin talks on the new government formation. Once the government is formed, general elections can be held.
