7-22-2014 Israel's Grinding Ground War in Gaza - Richard Silverstein Truthout

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/25080-israels-grinding-ground-war-in-gaza

 

…Egypt proposed a ceasefire endorsed by Israel. The plan merely called for a cessation of hostilities on both sides, but didn't address Israel's (and Egypt's) ongoing siege against Gaza, which is illegal under international law. It didn't provide any assurance that Israel would respect Gaza's borders or sovereignty. Nor did it provide any path for Hamas to become a legitimate Palestinian political force in the international arena. All of these would be necessary to resolve the long-term issues underlying the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The Egyptians didn't bother to consult Hamas, which naturally rejected the ceasefire. My own Israeli source, who was consulted during the negotiation process, told me that the ceasefire proposal wasn't devised by Egypt at all,  but rather by Israel, which used Egypt as a front-man, making the proposal by an Arab intermediary, kosher. Israel seems to have forgotten that Egypt's military dictator, Gen. al-Sisi, detests both Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Why Hamas would view favorably any intervention by the leader who massacred peaceful Brotherhood protesters in Cairo's streets, is a mystery. The only Palestinian consulted during this process was Palestine Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who doesn't represent Hamas…

 

The longer Israel's rejectionism continues, the more likely the final outcome will be a single state in the region now known as Israel-Palestine. Though it is many Israelis' worst nightmare, their stubborn clinging to the status quo leads them ever closer to it…

 

[Silverstein and two other academics published "International Scholars' Statement" against the war in Haaretz with over 100 co-signers.  It condemns the current "obscene" war and affirms the importance of nonviolent ways to hold Israel accountable such as the BDS movement.]

 

Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

11-17-2014 This is not yet an intifada, Palestinians say - Philip Weiss Mondoweiss

11-17-2014 This is not yet an intifada, Palestinians say - Philip Weiss Mondoweiss http://mondoweiss.net/2014/11/netanyahus-intifada?utm_source=Mondoweiss+List&utm_campaign=3819b326ea-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b86bace129-3819b326ea-398495333 There is not yet a third intifada, Palestinians in East Jerusalem say. But there could be an organized uprising if Jewish zealots' incitements about the Al Aqsa mosque continue. In interviews, these Palestinians say that Israel's escalation of violence in East Jerusalem has isolated and terrified neighborhoods. "There is no security. You are afraid economically, politically, and physically." And the individual acts of violence by maddened Palestinians who feel they have nothing to lose reflects the universal demand for human dignity…   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member
Read more

10-22-21015 Israel’s descent into unmasked, right wing extremism: A new generation rises to fight occupation, settler-colonialism, apartheid - Omar Barghouti Salon

http://www.salon.com/2015/10/22/israels_descent_into_unmasked_right_wing_extremism_a_new_generation_rises_to_fight_occupation_settler_colonialism_apartheid/     This Palestinian resistance is a spontaneous reaction to the most racist, far-right government in Israel's history…The question of Palestine is one of resistance against a colonial, apartheid regime.… Concerted, widespread, sustained nonviolent pressure that is anchored in international law and universal principles of human rights is needed, particularly in the form of boycott, divestment and sanctions, or BDS [and perhaps] a military embargo, for instance, similar to the one imposed on apartheid South Africa,…After such a "de-escalation," perhaps we can pursue the goal of freedom, justice and equality... Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member
Read more

2-6-2014 On the Ugly Side of the Wall - Bill Fletcher, Jr. Tavis Smiley Show

http://www.tavissmileyradio.com/bill-fletcher-jr-traveling-through-palestine/   Last month, a small delegation of African American artists traveled through Israel and Palestine to get a firsthand look at the daily lives of Palestinians. What they saw shocked and angered them, and their eyewitness accounts are sure to spark debate here as heated as any confrontation in the Middle East. Bill Fletcher Jr., senior scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies, led the delegation and shares his perspective on the region. Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member
Read more