Dorothy Online Newsletter

NOVANEWS

Hi All,

 

Many of you have asked about what happened to the brave  young American man who was so brutally handled by the police for doing nothing more than expressing his opinion.  I hope to have an answer in the next day or two.  Will let you know.  He has promised to write that up in the Mondoweiss blog.  So keep your eyes out for it there, too.

Also, some of you have asked about when the documentary of the Wanted 18http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/the-wanted-18-video/ (there are many links to the trailer) will be out. Have not succeeded in finding the answer.  If anyone knows, please pass the info on to me so that I can inform others.

Tonight only 3 items.  Of course these hardly cover the news.  For more, please go to www.TheHeadlines.org where you will find everything that I have not reported.

I find item 1 interesting.  The fact that these former diplomats say that the Israeli leaders must say that Israel recognizes Palestine does not (if one reads closely) mean that they intend to allow it to exist on the 1967 lines.  However, the fact that at least one diplomat is thinking of how to connect Gaza to the West Bank would suggest that he is serious.  As for the others, it seems to me to be more about Israel’s image than about the reality of a Palestinian state coming into existence.  In other words, to improve Israel’s image, its government must say ‘yes to a Palestinian state, but . . .’  That won’t help bring the state into being, nor ultimately do much for Israel’s image.

Item 2 is a video that I hope that you will listen to and distribute.  My comments about it precede it.

Item 3 is a Palestinian’s reaction to Uri Avnery’s remarks on ROR.  My comments precede it.

Enjoy the light load tonight.  It won’t last.

Dorothy

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1.  Ynet Saturday, June 11, 2011

18:45 , 06.11.11

Diplomatic Advice

Ruby Seibel

Former diplomats: Recognize Palestine

No point in struggling against recognition that already has international support, says former legal advisor. Adds: We must say ‘yes but,’ leaving out issues Palestinians must discuss with us, like Gaza-West Bank passage

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4080609,00.html

Ronen Medzini

Amid Jerusalem’s efforts to block international recognition of a Palestinian state in September, former senior Israeli diplomats warned Saturday that Israel’s current strategy might cause more harm than expected.

In a conversation with Ynet, Prof. Ruby Seibel, the former legal adviser to the Foreign Ministry and an international law expert said, “We must say ‘yes’ to a Palestinian state, but set the conditions.

“I think the approach of the government is a mistake,” Prof. Siebel explained, “There is no point in struggling against recognition. There is almost an international consensus in support of the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Abbas addressing UN General Assembly (Archive photo: AFP)

“If (the Palestinians) declare the establishment of a state – almost everyone will recognize them, and this will be reflected in the General Assembly.”

Professor Siebel offered a new approach to deal with the palestinians’ unilateral step: “We must say: ‘Yes, but.’

“This way we leave out issues that the Palestinians must discuss with us, for example the passage from Gaza to the West Bank, which they cannot do unilaterally,” he said.

‘Bibi already uttered the words ‘Palestinian state’.’ (Photo: AFP)

The former legal adviser noted that a conditional recognition of a Palestinian state will alleviate the current international pressure on Jerusalem. “We have another interest in the conflict, which is to transform the international image of the conflict as portrayed by the Palestinians – a conflict between a state and a people under occupation – to a conflict between two states.”

Former Israeli Ambassador to the European Union and Germany Avi Primor claimed that in the case of a vote at the United Nations General Assembly in September, Israel should abstain, but later recognize the Palestinian state.

“If (the vote) takes place we must declare that we recognize a Palestinian state, but within temporary borders,” he noted.

“This will help present the matter in a positive light. (Prime Minister) Bibi already uttered the words ‘two-state solution’ and ‘Palestinian state’ during his speech to Congress, so what is preventing us from recognizing the state without determining the final borders and resuming talks with the Palestinians, but under the banner of negotiations with a state rather than with an autonomy?”

‘We’re not truly committed’

Primor criticized the government, claiming it does not want a lasting agreement with the Palestinians. “The Israeli approach could have been right, if we would have offered the Palestinians practical and reliable negotiations,” he said.

“The Palestinians want to negotiate with us, so why aren’t they coming? Because they have all the reasons in the world to believe that we’re not truly committed to negotiations, but rather want to drag our feet and alleviate international pressure, without achieving any results.”

According to Primor, “A genuine peace process will improve our image even among countries such as Turkey and the Arab states.”

Moshe Arad, who served as Israel’s ambassador to Washington between 1987-1990, also believes Jerusalem should recognize the Palestinian state, with certain qualifications.

“I don’t see another option other than presenting a political initiative with the cooperation of the United States on the basis of 1967 borders, with necessary changes,” he said.

Similarly to Primor, Arad also frowned upon Netanyahu’s conduct, saying that “The diligence of the current government will result with no agreement with the Palestinians and a heavy cost on the quality of our relations with the United States.

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2.  Forwarded by EDITH HOWARD

8 Jun 2011

The AIPAC !! A MUST SEE video –

This video has less to do with the AIPAC convention this past May in Washington, DC, than about the American taxpayer and where its money is going.  I would have added to this informaion about other lobbies, the Christian Zionists, for insance, as well as lobbies promoting the industrial-military complex.  Nevertheless, this 10 minute video is well worth hearing and watching.

Dorothy

The AIPAC !! A MUST SEE video – June 7, 2011 A MUST SEE The AIPAC circus is coming to town, Washington, May 22nd to May 24th, 2011. AIPAC 101 — What Every American Should Know http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqM2EXFdOnM FREE PALESTINE PALESTINIANS HAVE THE RIGHT TO GO HOME

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3.  More on Uri Avnery’s analysis of the refugee issue.  This is a Palestinian’s viewpoint.  I agree with all the comments below, except that I would not say that Avnery’s remarks sickened me.  Mariah’s comments are more perceptive than the ones that I made, and coming from a Palestinian need to be heard.

Dorothy

From: Donna Wallach

Date: June 10, 2011 2:55:01 PM PDT

Subject: Fwd: Avnery on Refugees – A good example of the corruption of the so-called “Israeli Left”

Greetings all,

My friend Mariah sent me the article written by Uri Avnery; he has been a zionist his entire life. I agree with all the comments below by Mariah.

In addition, his article sickens me because he fails to mention that Israeli occupation force soldiers have been shooting to kill Palestinian civilians since 1947. During the first year zionist soldiers entered dozens of Palestinian villages and committed massacres and publicized it, wanting even more Palestinians to leave with the aim of achieving the ultimate goal of the illegal Apartheid Israeli State – a state inhabited ONLY by Jewish people. Avnery was not born in Palestine; what arrogance for a European immigrant Jew to tell indigenous Palestinians that they have to agree to not return home. It is an internationally recognized law thatALL refugees have the right to return to their homes and their lands.

In addition, Uri claims that the Palestinians living in Syria were deported back to Syria. NO, they were expelled. They are Palestinian refugees trying to return to their homeland! You cannot deport an indigenous person, you can only expel him or her by force.

Avnery goes on to  talk about the Oslo Accords, as if they were a positive development for the Palestinian people – the Oslo Accords were economic agreements between Apartheid Israeli government, Jordan government, Egyptian government and other Arab governments. The Palestinian people did not benefit from the Oslo Accords in that the Palestinian Authority actually had no authority over the Palestinian people. The Israeli Army was everywhere – in any village, city, house, building, school, field where they wanted to demolish, destroy and/or kill and maim.

Another comment I would like to make is that the Israeli government has NEVER participated in peace talks. They have only participated in piece talks. They want the entire piece of the land called Palestine. The Israeli government has never wanted to live in peace with any of their neighbors or with the Palestinians living inside the 1948 borders and within the 1967 borders.

I have added the text below for those of you who don’t want to open a .doc file on your computer.

in solidarity

Donna

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Avnery on Refugees :

A good example of the corruption of the so-called “Israeli Left”

Coming from the top, Uri Avnery of Israel’s Gush Shalom,  I urge close examination of these three paragraphs of  his piece on refugees, A Brown-haired Young Man. Nowhere does he mention that the right of return is an individual, non-negotiable right which was also one of two conditions of Israel’s admittance to the UN, never honored. The other was internationalization of Jerusalem. From a human rights and international law perspective, Israel could be suspended from the UN until it complies and perhaps this should be the focus of US Policy towards Israel. Needing Israel to agree upon the solution of the refugee problem is as realistic as it would have been to wait for white supremacists and separatists to agree upon equality for Blacks – or a criminal to agree on his sentence.  MLK knew this would never happen and didn’t remain secluded within his church dialoging  with the KKK and the White Citizen’s Council singing Kumbiyah.   Avnery thinks human rights can be achieved symbolically by tokenism and yet expects such a sham peace process to generate “mutual trust” and a “more relaxed atmosphere.”
If this kind of racist thought stayed in Israel, it would be one thing, but there are people in our own community  who promote it. The best thing we can do as individuals to achieve a city based on human rights is to track, monitor and expose such activity, and non-violently confront this racism as we would any racism. “A night flower can only thrive in the dark and dies in the sun…” …M.
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” But through years of discussions, mostly behind closed doors, a consensus has been reached.  Almost all Palestinian leaders have agreed, either explicitly or implicitly, to the formula of a “just andagreed upon solution of the refugee problem.” – so that any solution is subject to Israeli approval.  I have spoken about this many times with Yasser Arafat, Faisal al-Husseini and others.
In practice, it means a symbolic number of refugees will be allowed back into Israel (the exact number to be fixed in negotiations), with the others to be resettled in the State of Palestine (which must be big and viable enough to make this possible) or receive generous compensation that will allow them to start a new life where they are or elsewhere.
TO MAKE this complicated and painful solution easier, everyone agreed that it would be best to deal with this matter near the end of the peace negotiations, after mutual trust and more relaxed atmosphere had been established.”