vjp-global

http://www.timesofisrael.com/in-phone-call-netanyahu-thanks-abbas-for-pa-help-battling-nationwide-blazes/ PM notes appreciation for Jews, Arabs who opened their homes to those affected by blazes; Herzog says tragedy shows 'glimmer of hope that things can be different.'   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://972mag.com/no-fires-or-inciting-politicians-can-destroy-our-shared-society/123351/ The wildfire that struck Neve Shalom-Wahat al-Salam left our Jewish-Arab village more resilient than ever before. We invite Israel's politicians to learn from us on how to heal our society's wounds.   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/hague-prosecutor-updates-palestine-war-crimes-probe   The prosecutor's office at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has just released a report on the status of its preliminary examinations into possible war crimes, including allegations against Israel.  Palestine is one of 10 situations the court is currently examining. A preliminary examination is the first step in the court's process to decide whether or not to open a full investigation that could lead to indictments and prosecutions.   All parties – the Israeli government and Palestinian armed groups – have been accused of war crimes and any act committed after 13 June 2014 is subject for review. This includes Israel's summer 2014 assault on Gaza that left more than 2,200 Palestinians dead… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://electronicintifada.net/content/are-palestinians-ready-trump/18651   …Palestinians are uniquely unprepared for this moment, mostly as a result of a lack of direction and leadership.   This is as true of Fatah in the occupied West Bank under Mahmoud Abbas' increasingly autocratic ways , as it is of Hamas , boxed in on all sides in the Gaza Strip.   But where Fatah's leadership succession is causing a host of problems for the party of the late Yasser Arafat, at least Hamas seems on track for a smooth process to replace Khaled Meshaal . .… A renewed role for the PLO is vital to include Palestinians in the diaspora, who, after all, make up a majority of all Palestinians yet have found themselves with almost no say in Palestinian decision-making.   It could also see Palestinian political leaders take advantage of and lend their weight to global initiatives like the growing boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, BDS, that are gaining in momentum…Som...

https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/new-lawsuit-challenges-us-weapons-sales-israel The US government is being sued for authorizing massive weapons deliveries to Israel…A new lawsuit notes that the State Department approved the export of more than 47 million rounds of ammunition to Israel between 2007 and 2009. That was enough to "injure or kill every Palestinian living under occupation 10 times over,"…the complaint argues that by sending military aid and approving weapons sales to Israel, the US is violating its own legislation…One of the lawsuit's objectives is to uphold the so-called Leahy law, an amendment to the 1961 Foreign Assistance Act… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=773995 French Consul-General Pierre Cochard signed a funding agreement on Wednesday with Palestinian Finance Minister Shukri Bishara, to support the Palestinian Authority (PA) with 8 million euros ($8.55 million)...   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://972mag.com/trump-is-the-president-settlers-could-only-dream-of/123148/ Although U.S. policy toward Israeli settlements has fluctuated over time, successive American officials have consistently taken a dim view of the settlement movement. Trump and his advisors may change all that very soon… On Thursday, Jason Greenblatt, co-chairman of the Trump campaign's Israel Advisory Committee, told Israel's Army Radio that "it is certainly not Mr. Trump's view that settlement activities should be condemned and that it is an obstacle for peace..." Later, Israeli Science Minister Ofir Akunis… "called for a renewed wave of settlement construction…." Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-could-dismantle-iran-deal-if-he-wants-us-official-warns/ The Iran nuclear deal would fall apart if a US administration walked away from it, as President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to do, the State Department said Thursday. ..Iran's President Hassan Rouhani had argued on Wednesday that the deal — which saw world powers lift sanctions on Tehran in return for controls on its nuclear program — has been enshrined in international law. Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

  http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=773916   The United Nations Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Development Activities, Robert Piper, condemned on Thursday Israeli activities in the occupied Palestinian territory that have obstructed the UN from assisting Palestinian communities, calling the policies "illegal" with the intention of "creating an entirely new reality on the ground." …As four out of five of Palestinians in East Jerusalem live under the poverty line , applying for costly building permits is nearly impossible, and only seven percent of Jerusalem building permits go to Palestinian neighborhoods.   More than 1,383 Palestinians have been displaced since the beginning of 2016 as a result of demolitions in the occupied territory, compared to 688 Palestinians displaced over the entirety of 2015, according to UN documentation.   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member  

https://electronicintifada.net/content/theater-company-tackles-social-injustice-gazas-streets/18331   In a classroom in Gaza, new students have been asked to say where they live. It is ordinarily a simple enough question, but one student stumbles. It soon becomes clear that he is Bedouin . The attitudes of teacher and peers change almost immediately…The scene comes from a new play that is unusual in more ways than one: It publicly confronts audiences in Gaza with social ills that are rarely so openly portrayed and, for the first time, according to the organizers behind the performance, does so in the format of street theater…. "Our passion inspires us to keep working. We are planning a new episode of In the Rectangle of Doubt with new social challenges." Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/10/israel-does-israel-need-new-german-submarines.html#ixzz4OmZqQoJK   Senior IDF officers say that Israel should not have purchased three new submarines from Germany, but rather invested the money in air and ground defense...now it emerges that the IDF will not concede even one submarine and that it plans to spend huge sums to acquire three additional submarines. Netanyahu has succeeded in imposing his will on the entire defense system with relative ease. In previous years, the heads of the different military arms did not hesitate to criticize Netanyahu and oppose his views. But this time the military, headed by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, closed ranks with Netanyahu and executed his orders, almost without asking questions. Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=773778   Israel's Coordination and Liaison Administration (CLA) to the Gaza Strip announced on Sunday that Israel would be increasing its water supplies to the besieged coastal enclave. CLA released a statement saying that, in coordination with the Palestinian liaison administration in Gaza, the construction of a new water reservoir was finished a few days ago…The UN has warned that the besieged Palestinian territory could become "uninhabitable" by 2020, as its 1.8 million residents remain in dire poverty due to the nearly decade-long Israeli blockade that has crippled the economy.     Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=773769   Israeli settlers on Saturday morning cut down 18 olive trees belonging to a Palestinian family in the village of Nahhalin, west of Bethlehem in the southern occupied West Bank…Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, along with Israeli rights group B'Tselem, have previously condemned Israeli authorities for failing to protect Palestinians from settlers violence or investigate attacks, particularly during olive harvest season, when incidents of attacks on harvesters and their olive groves have been a near daily occurrence in past years. Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/10/israel-uns-guterres-considers-special-mission-to-palestine.html#ixzz4OcVfBpzR   New UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will present innovative and proactive ideas for the United Nations to deepen its involvement in advancing the two-state solution. Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member