There is a Right of Return: Unmasking Ha'aretz
By Moshe (Shiko) Behar , Alternative Information Center 8/21/2003
In a misleading and politically unproductive editorial that yet again seems to voice verbatim the official line of Ariel Sharon’s government, the Israeli daily Ha’aretz exclaimed that “There is no right of return” (August 18, 2003, at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=330494&contrassID=2&subContrassID=3&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y). Ha’aretz chose to devote its most authoritative space – its unsigned editorial – to deny a fundamental human right to millions of Palestinian refugees as a base from which to unleash a provocative declaration against their right of return. As such, the editorial was neither a slip of the tongue, nor mere historic-legal sophistry about the principled rights of refugees. Rather, it unreservedly urged the state of Israel to ignore -- and even contravene -- established international lawThe editorial of Ha’aretz excluded categorically any possibility for the return of Palestinian refugees to Israel as a possible solution to a solid Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement. Typically, it failed to comprehend that the Palestinian right of return (which is referred to even by the Road Map as one of the fundamental elements of a permanent agreement between Israel and the Palestinians) cannot but be an integral part of any peace initiative. Furthermore, the editorial unfortunately failed to grasp that such a possibility – contrary to prevailing perceptions – does not contradict the material self-interest of those Israelis who are truly interested in a future of peace and security based on full human equality between themselves and their Palestinian neighbors.
Recognize Palestine Now
By Terry Walz, Palestine Media Center 8/21/2003
The American people should petition President George W. Bush to give defacto recognition to a Palestinian state now. Such a petition is being circulated nationwide by the Council for the National Interest (www.cnionline.org/petition.html) calling on him to issue an Executive Order and join 52 other countries of the world that have recognized Palestine.President Bush could then rectify a 55-year old mistake made by Harry S. Truman.In 1948, Truman recognized the fledgling state of Israel. Although UN Resolution 181 delineated specific borders for the new Jewish state in 56% of historic Palestine, President Truman chose to recognize Israel without recognizing specific borders. This sent the message to the world that the United States supported Israel’s right to exist. As President Truman wrote in a statement explaining the de facto recognition of Israel, it would “hasten the recognition of [Israel] by other nations, and this will have a stabilizing effect in the Middle East.” Recognition was accompanied by economic assistance and a willingness to assist Israel in becoming a full member of the United Nations. Fifty-five years later, we must now take these same steps on behalf of Palestine.If we had only recognized the state of Palestine at the same time and shown that the United States believed in both Israeli and Palestinian national aspirations in the homeland of Palestine, we could have contained and perhaps avoided most of the bloodshed of the past half-century. Recognizing a Palestinian state based on the 1947 UN Resolution would have made possible realistic negotiations by both parties. By only recognizing Israel, we immediately set ourselves up on one side of the issue. We must change the perception held by the rest of the world that we are only on the side of Israel.
The Scene Gets Bloodier Again, Is There A way Out?
By Khaled Mamdouh, Islam Online 8/21/2003
CAIRO, August 21 (IslamOnline.net) – A top Hamas political leader was assassinated by Israel Thursday, August 21, in an air strike in Gaza City as Israel exacted revenge for a massive suicide bomb, hammering the final nail into the coffin of a floundering truce declared by major Palestinian groups. The bloodbath in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israeli cities is again the most likely scenario, with each party blaming the other for the bloodshed.Ismail Abu Shanab, often described as Hamas third-in-command, died when an Israeli F-16 plane targeted his car in an attack which claimed the lives of at least two other people. Hamas promptly announced that it was calling off its three-month ceasefire announced June 29. "The assassination of Abu Shanab is also the assassination of the ceasefire," senior Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Palestinian Culture Minister Ziad Abu Amr, who had been liaising with the Palestinian resistance groups about the truce, said: "The official position is that the truce is over and Israel is responsible for that, not only because of this assassination in Gaza but also because of many actions which had been continuing before." On the other hand, a senior Israeli foreign ministry official argued the announcement by Hamas that it was calling off its truce after the killing of one of its top political leader was "ridiculous".
Tuesday’s Bus Bombing Changed The Rules Of The Game
By Ghassan Andoni, International Middle East Media Center 8/21/2003
Israel is waving the sword of wide scale military operations and at the same time is hoping that international pressure on the Palestinian government will finally turn the longstanding Israeli demand for PA security to crack down on Hamas and Islamic Jihad into a realistic option. While Israeli troops conducted low profile military operations in several Palestinian cities, the Israeli government approved broad military measures “if the PA does not immediately crack down on Hamas and Islamic Jihad”Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s statement and the brief Israeli cabinet decision did not specify what measures Israel will take. “The government’s goal is to achieve security for Israelis and the promotion of the diplomatic process” Sharon said. The last thing that the American Administration wants is a total deterioration in the Middle East that will minimize President Bush’s chances in the closing elections. Americans understand that the Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas will be the first victim of a wild and wide scale Israeli military response. It is likely that the unusual lack of immediate Israeli response is also related to a quick intervention from the side of the American administration. Yet, the Americans, who in the past showed a considerable understanding to Abbas’s position and his hesitation to move swiftly against Hamas and Islamic Jihad are shifting position and apparently mounting huge pressure for immediate actions against both.
Israel and the gates of Mas'ha
By Eric Monse, Yellow Times 8/20/2003
YellowTimes.org) – The Israeli settlements in the West Bank aren't so bad. Or so it would seem, judging by the brightly-colored settlement advertising signs on the Israeli roadside depicting cartoon suburban houses on bright-green hilltops. At the Mas'ha peace camp, Nazeh Shalabi sits under a tent and speaks to us about the settlements. With every word that comes out of his mouth, a fence is being built.The Mas'ha peace camp was erected by the villagers of Mas'ha. The peace camp is erected on their farmland and is a last attempt to keep their land from being confiscated. Palestinian, Israeli, and International Peace activists keep a round-the-clock presence here in solidarity with the villagers. The peace camp lies to the west of a massive fence Israel is building on Palestinian land. If you look to the horizon, you'll see a 60-meter-wide gravel-laden construction that slices through the land, winding like a river, leaving the olive tree-covered hilltops of the farmers' fields to the West and the agriculture-based Palestinian village of Mas'ha to the East. Of the 1,500 acres of farmland owned by the villagers, 1,375 will be to the west of the wall. Nazeh Shalabi, a Palestinian olive tree farmer from Mas'ha, has 32 acres and 30 will be locked behind the fence. "Since I was born, I would go with my father to the land. So did my father and my father's father. We didn't even consider it work. Like a father and mother takes care of a child, we take care of the land. When you go to collect your crop, it's exciting; the whole family goes. It's a beautiful society."
Break the Cycle
Editorial, Miftah 8/21/2003
Al-Aqaba summit took place in Jordan on the 3rd of June, which marked the long awaited ‘acceptance’ of the ‘roadmap’ by Israel, indicating the start of the peace process between Sharon’s right wing government and the Palestinians under the new leadership of, recently appointed Prime Minister, Abu Mazen. The Palestinians were hopeful, with 79% supporting Abu Mazen and wanting to give peace a chance, while the Israelis under the leadership of Ariel Sharon did not waste time in undermining the process by doing everything in their power to jumpstart the cycle of violence. The Palestinian leadership has been calling on factions to restrain from reacting and hitting back the occupation troops regardless of their continued violations aimed at provoking Palestinians. Unfortunately the damage was done, with two political religious leaders assassinated in cold blood the radicals executed a suicide attack inside Jerusalem killing 18 Israelis and granting Sharon a gift he has long awaited. Today Sharon has put the ‘roadmap’ on hold and has cancelled all meetings and withdrawals scheduled to take place in accordance to the peace plan. Israel swiftly retaliated by assassinating Ismail Abu Shanab, a senior Hamas political leader, in a missile strike in Gaza City on Thursday. Fifteen bystanders were hurt. Also, Israeli troops raided the West Bank towns of Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarem in search of militants. In the West Bank city Hebron, troops blew up the home of the Jerusalem bus bomber in what has become a routine punishment intended as deterrent. Hamas vowed revenge and, along with Islamic Jihad, formally abandoned a truce declared eight weeks ago.
The Roadmap is Finished, Mr. Secretary
By Ramzy Baroud, Palestine Chronicle 8/18/2003
U.S. Secretary of State Collin Powell stated in a recent speech that the Roadmap for peace is not finished. Powell’s words defied reality. The U.S. brokered peace initiative was born dead, and whatever ray of hope the document might have possessed, has already been assassinated by Israel, literally. “We’ve already seen reports on television that say, well, the Roadmap is now finished, or the ceasefire is over, or this is all off track. No, it is not,” Powell breached to a group of Arab and Israeli kids in Maine, gathering for a three-week summer camp. Setting aside the violations of the Roadmap by Israel, he signaled out the only violent Palestinian retaliation, stating, “we will not be stopped by bombs, we will not be stopped by this kind of violence.” I cannot confirm, but I have a feeling that Powell’s courageous exclamation won him lasting applause by the kids and their mentors at the camp. I only wish that Powell’s courage was abundant enough to acknowledge the 856 Israeli violations of the Roadmap. Wouldn’t it have been equally appropriate to exclaim: “we will not be stopped by assassinations, home demolitions, military checkpoints, the building of illegal settlements, the uprooting of trees, the seizure of land and the deteriorating health of most Palestinian children as a result of Israel’s siege and military closures?” But on the other hand, maybe such a lengthy statement is not as striking as Powell’s original one: “We will not be stopped by bombs.” Indeed, listing Israel’s violations, all 856 of them, is likely to last for hours and is unlikely to win the respected Secretary the children’s applause. But even my sarcastic remarks are insufficient to convey the frustration felt by many Palestinians, a frustration that gave birth to two Palestinian bombings in Israel, on August 12, after a lull in violence that lasted for weeks.
Iran's case for nuclear weapons
By Erich Marquardt , Asia Times 8/22/2003
For more than two decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been at odds with the foreign policy of the United States. But the bad blood started long before the Islamic Revolution. The most significant clash between Iran and the US began shortly after the election of premier Mohammed Mossadeq, who took power in Tehran in 1951. Mossadeq, a nationalist, nationalized the oil industry and formed the National Iranian Oil Co. Because of this action, the United States and Britain engineered a coup in August 1953, overthrowing the democratically elected leader and replacing Mossadeq with Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, referred to as the Shah, who ruled for 25 years. Shortly after taking power, the Shah allowed an international consortium of US, British, French and Dutch oil companies to operate its oil facilities and reap 50 percent of the profits. Despite the Shah's close, friendly relationship with Washington and other Western governments, his brutal, autocratic methods of violently quelling domestic dissent with his dreaded security apparatus, the SAVAK (Sazamane Etelaat Va Amniate Kechvar, or Security and Intelligence Service), sparked a revolution in Iranian society led by conservative religious leaders. By overthrowing the US-supported government, therefore threatening US interests in the region, the new Iranian leaders quickly became enemies of successive US administrations.
Israel’s Racist War on Palestinians
By Eric Ruder, Palestine Media Center/Socialist Worker Online 8/21/2003
Imagine the outcry if Congress passed a law denying citizenship to people of African descent who marry U.S. citizens. Israel’s Knesset passed just such a law July 31, forcing Palestinians who marry Israelis to live "separate and unequal" lives from their spouses.Carefully written to exempt non-Palestinian spouses of Israelis, this shameful law is one of many that enshrine Israel’s racism towards Palestinians in official policy. The measure will tear apart families in an attempt to further isolate the 3 million Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories of Gaza and the West Bank from the 1.25 million Palestinians living inside Israel’s official borders.And what was the response from U.S. lawmakers to the latest outrage of Israel’s apartheid state? Not a peep.In fact, one day before the law was passed, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) gave a bloodcurdling speech to the Knesset, urging on Israel’s iron-fisted war against the Palestinians. "Until I heard him speak, I thought I was farthest to the right in the Knesset," said one Israeli legislator.In fact, Israeli officials won the praise of the U.S. government for agreeing to a ceasefire in late June and negotiating with the Palestinian Authority over the details of the U.S.-backed "road map" to peace. All the while, though, Israel continued the policies that drive the conflict--the construction of illegal settlements, closure of Palestinian areas, house demolitions and extra-judicial killings of Palestinian activists.
No Political Solution
By Jihad Al Khazen, Al-Hayat 8/21/2003
Who killed the Israelis in Jerusalem? The same person who ordered the killing of two Hamas members in 'Askar' camp, and an Islamic Jihad leader in Hebron killed them. The blood of Israeli men, women and children is on the hands of Ariel Sharon, before being on the hands of the Islamic Resistance's men.Mahmoud Abbas tried his best, and is still trying, and so are Mohamad Dahlan and the rest of the Palestinian government. But, one hand does not clap, as we say, and the Palestinian side cannot create the miracle of peace if the Israeli side sets an ambush at every turn on the road.I reject suicide operations on principle. I also reject the last one, whatever the reason or pretext. I do not defend the planner and the executor. But I also condemn the policy of the Israeli government, which operates, with premeditation, to destroy the peace process and dispose of the Roadmap.On the eve of 15th August, Abbas called me and asked me to contact Islamic Jihad's outside leadership and ask them to restrain themselves and not respond to Mohamad Sidr's assassination. He also promised that he would go to Gaza and meet their leaders as soon as he got back from Tunisia. I started calling friends to get me through to Islamic Jihad's leadership, since Hamas and Islamic Jihad have left Syria, and their press offices there have been closed where phones ring off the hook. The thing is, which I conveyed to Abbas the following day, is that they are furious and feel they have been tricked. They say that they can no longer keep quiet over the killings of their men one by one. I wrote some of their words in my column, without mentioning any mediation. Two days ago, one of them said, "We would rather die in a booby-trapped car than be killed in our homes with our children, one after the other."
Position statement from citizens for fair legislation
By Citizens for Fair Legislation, Miftah 8/20/2003
Citizens for Fair Legislation views the recent solidarity trips to Israel by Democratic House members as disturbing and counterproductive to achieving peace in the Holy Land. Although many of us in the peace movement are registered Democrats, we hope to galvanize citizens of conscious to throw their support behind the Green party. Democratic elected officials, whom we helped get into office, must know that they will not have our support as long as they help Israel in its oppression and subjugation of the Palestinian people. The amount of money that Israel's staunchest Democratic supporters in Congress and the Senate receive is alarming; yet more startling is how those funds translate into support for Israel's policies of aggression and apartheid. Sadly, the Democratic Party no longer stands for the ideals of justice and equality that it once did. Today, most Democrats are allowing American foreign policy to be bought and dictated by those who wish to subjugate and kill the Palestinian nation. The list of Democrats who support Israeli apartheid is long. Among the more prominent supporters of Israeli apartheid who have gone as far as sponsoring pro-Israeli resolutions are: Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA), Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD), Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-MO). Combined the above representatives alone have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from pro-Israeli lobby groups.
The PA and Fatah … the crisis and the solution
Editorial, Palestinian Information Center 8/21/2003
Introduction: The Palestinian arena ever since the early starts of the contemporary struggle experience was full of areas of agreement and disagreement, conformity and divergence. The Arab and international currents, cultures and allegiances had their impact on the Palestinian political and cultural fabric. The Palestinian struggle experience over numerous decades involved leftist, nationalist and secularist ideologies. Such trends reflected on the composition of parties or movements that grouped such a wide range of ideas, affiliations and regional or international allegiances. Each and every group had its own ideological and circumstantial specialty.The Fatah Movement was not alien to such a situation that governed the establishment of various Palestinian factions. However, Fatah tried to accommodate the ideological and cultural diversification of the Palestinian society within one structure to pose as the general framework for a national liberation movement grouping an ideological mixture within a flexible ideological background and expanded structure along with simple membership conditions.The Karame battle in 1968 posed as a turning point in the history of the PLO and Fatah because it led to the expansion of Fatah’s structure and popularity. The battle accorded legitimacy to armed struggle declared by Fatah. The battle also harbingered the commencement of a stage in which the Fatah Movement and its current leadership would govern the Palestinian decision-making for long decades and still is. The uncalculated openness of Fatah led to many penetrations on the security and political fields by numerous Arab and hostile security apparatuses.
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