vjp-global

http://mondoweiss.net/2017/10/balfour-anniversary-consensus/?mc_cid=80f1f5937e&mc_eid=c9acac3cf3   …The final two weeks of the Balfour anniversary year will show up further divisions on Israel across British public life. There are numerous speeches, rallies, marches, celebrations and protests planned across the country. They will prove that Britain no longer has a consensus on Israel.   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://972mag.com/creeping-annexation-is-a-distraction-from-the-one-state-reality/130426/ A proposed law to 'annex' dozens of settlements to Jerusalem is just one step toward normalizing a reality that has been in the making for decades…The Greater Jerusalem law making its way through Israel's parliament at the moment… would extend Jerusalem's municipal umbrella over dozens of West Bank settlements along with well over 100,000 settlers, wouldn't really annex the settlements to Jerusalem. In a way, it actually does the reverse: it annexes Jerusalem to the settlements…. Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

  h ttps:// www.washingtonpost.com/national/hurricane-relief-program-removes-no-israel-boycott-pledge/2017/10/26/8ce24930-ba69-11e7-9b93-b97043e57a22_story.html?utm_term=.27fd435ad40e   …The Galveston County Daily News reports that the Dickinson City Council on Tuesday voted to remove the requirement from the application of the city's Hurricane Harvey repair grant program…Dickinson had initially included the boycott requirement to comply with a new state law that prohibits Texas agencies from contracting with companies that boycott Israel….City management assistant Bryan Milward says businesses in Dickinson will still have to refrain from boycotting Israel in order to get relief funding, because the city interpreted that as a requirement of the new state law.   The American Civil Liberties Union has called the boycott requirement unconstitutional.   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/10/israel-meretz-avi-gabbay-zehava-gal-on-joint-list-party.html#ixzz4whzCNP00   …On second, perhaps conspiratorial thought,  Gabbay's right-leaning pronouncements might be a brilliant political tactic…If Gabbay's courting of the religious right drives them crazy, centrist Yair Lapid (leader of Yesh Atid) is unlikely to ease their qualms…Would a Jew bothered by Gabbay's shunning of the Joint List vote for Lapid, the man who coined the term " Zoabis " (a derogatory reference to provocative Arab Knesset member Haneen Zoabi)?…How many Jewish Labor veterans would go so far as to pledge allegiance to the Joint List, which includes the Islamic Movement?...We are thus left with Meretz, the only Zionist party proud to be known as the "secular left… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://israelpalestinenews.org/israel-secretly-using-u-s-law-firm-fight-bds-activists-europe-north-america/   The Israeli government has been secretly using a U.S. law firm to help it fight the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement in Europe, North America and elsewhere, according to documents obtained by Haaretz.   The government has hired the Chicago-based firm Sidley Austin to prepare legal opinions and handle court proceedings. The Justice Ministry and the Strategic Affairs Ministry have declined to reveal the nature of these activities, for which the state has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past two years. The ministries call the activities "diplomatically extremely sensitive… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://israelpalestinenews.org/wrote-balfour-declaration-world-war-connection/   … Diverse documentary evidence shows that Zionists pushed for the U.S. to enter the war [World War I] on Britain's side as part of a deal to gain British support for their colonization of Palestine….   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestinians-fear-media-crackdown-could-signal-return-direct-israeli-military-rule-1295533090 Israel's closure of Palestinian media companies in the West Bank on Wednesday has stoked fears of a return to the old form of Israeli occupation, not experienced since before the Oslo Accords established Palestinian autonomy. .. Over the past year, Israel has been gradually confiscating large parts of the civilian jurisdiction of the PA, in a clear shift of the way it views the PA and its role in any forthcoming negotiations, following the collapse of all attempts to revive the peace process… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=779338   Israeli settlers from the illegal Havat Gilad settlement in the northern occupied West Bank Nablus district allegedly stole the harvest of more than 450 olive trees on Tuesday, according to local sources.   Ghassan Daghlas, an official who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank told Ma'an that Israeli settlers stole the harvest of olive trees belonging to Palestinians from Jit, Surra and Faraata villages in the Nablus area...   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=779348   US President Donald Trump's Middle East Peace Envoy Jason Greenblatt released a statement on Thursday, echoing statements by the Israeli government on the recent Palestinian reconciliation deal signed earlier this month by the rival Hamas and Fatah movements..."The United States reiterates the importance of adherence to the Quartet principles: any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognize the State of Israel, accept previous agreements and obligations between the parties – including to disarm terrorists – and commit to peaceful negotiations," Greenblatt said…   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://972mag.com/a-legal-shield-for-the-palestine-movement-in-the-u-s/130289/ Pro-Israel organizations are increasingly using the law to target Palestinian solidarity groups in the United States. Dima Khalidi, head of Palestine Legal, speaks with +972 Magazine about the 'Palestine exception' to free speech, and what her organization is doing to fight back. Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://lobelog.com/alt-facts-in-hebron/ … US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley's statement on the matter merits some attention: In July, when UNESCO made its latest outrageous and politically based decision, designating the Old City of Hebron and the Tomb of the Patriarchs as part of Palestinian territory, the United States clearly stated that this decision would negatively affect our evaluation of our level of engagement with the organization. It remains baffling just what the United States finds so outrageous about a simple factual statement: Hebron is not part of Israel, the Tomb of the Patriarchs is in Hebron, the Tomb of the Patriarchs is not in Israel. This is simple and undeniable. In fact, not even Netanyahu disputes these facts. That's why he was so quick to divert the issue to one of negating the Jewish connection to the Tomb and to Hebron, something UNESCO never did… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.middleeasteye.net/in-depth/features/blood-donating-app-gaza-1518181707 Even in the Gaza Strip, where a siege imposed by Israel and Egypt has made daily life there an almost impossible feat for over a decade , technology has become an essential part of day-to-day life.    More and more Gazans are using technological advances to serve their communities and facilitate better living standards, and mobile apps have become some of the latest innovative tools. The need for blood donations for the most vulnerable has long been an issue, especially in Gaza where limited health resources can create a large gap between people in need of blood and those willing to donate.  With this in mind, a group of four Palestinian men and women recently launched a new app called the Palestinian Blood Bank. With the tap of an icon on a smartphone, blood donors can now connect to those in dire need of blood. The app has saved many lives… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=77932   Israeli media reported that following the announcement from the Hamas and Fatah movements that an agreement had been reached, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement saying that any reconciliation should include recognizing Israel and disarming Hamas, which Israel considers a terrorist organization.   According to Ynet news , Israel set a series of conditions that must be met before it would recognize the agreement. The condition included Hamas seizing all tunnel digging and missile manufacturing, "an end to terror attacks against Israel," and the immediate release of Israeli citizens and return of the remains of Israeli soldiers being held by Hamas in Gaza. ..     Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=779324   Spokesperson of the Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qidra said in a statement that two youths were injured in the legs with live ammunition during clashes in central Gaza, and were reported to be in moderate condition.    Al-Qidra added that three other youths were lightly injured after they were hit with tear gas canisters in the northern Gaza Strip.   An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an that "dozens of Palestinians participated in violent riots" in Gaza where they threw rocks and rolled burning tires at the border fence with Israel...   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://972mag.com/jewish-students-feel-unsafe-on-campus-a-new-study-says-otherwise/130058/ A new study published by Stanford University reveals that Jewish students feel safer on university campuses when they refuse to conflate their Jewish identities with unequivocal support for the State of Israel.     Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/1.816992   Realizing plight of Gazans is hurting its standing, Hamas gives up administrative control, but until the occupation ends it won't lay down its arms… The Palestinians are convinced the Egyptian position received a nod from the White house and the United Nations, and perhaps from Israel as well, in view of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The deal also opens the possibility for a prisoner swap deal. So the meeting of interests is even broader in the short run.   Translating the deal into a move with a strategic regional significance in the long run requires extensive international intervention that would adopt and lead an international peace initiative or act to implement the Arab peace initiative. Abbas mentioned this initiative again last month in his speech, when he warned of the approaching moment in which he would declare that the two-state solution had collapsed.   Posted by Judi

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.814266?utm_content=buffer6f3cf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer   The [Israeli] state's lawyer tells the High Court that it shouldn't interfere in Israel's foreign relations. The state has not said that it will stop selling weapons to the military junta in Myanmar, despite recent reports and United Nations data on massacres the country's military has perpetrated against the Rohingya minority, as well as systematic rape and expulsions…   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://972mag.com/aclu-launches-first-major-challenge-of-anti-bds-legislation/130140/   The American Civil Liberties Union  announced Wednesday that it had filed suit on behalf of a Kansas public school educator who was asked to disavow a boycott of Israel as a condition for payment. The case comes amid growing concerns that recent state-level legislation across the United States is chilling free speech among proponents of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. The Kansas law , which came into effect on July 1 of this year, directs the state to "require written certification from all individuals and companies with which it enters into contracts" that they are "not engaged in a boycott of Israel." "The First Amendment prohibits the government from using its financial leverage to impose an ideological litmus test," said ACLU attorney Brian Hauss… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://972mag.com/watch-settlers-attack-palestinian-farmers-near-radical-outpost/130157/ Israeli settlers attacked a group of Palestinian farmers outside the West Bank city of Nablus Wednesday afternoon. According to Israeli NGO Rabbis from Human Rights, the settlers came from the direction of a newly-established settler outpost, Megini Ha'aretz, not far from where the farmers were tending their fields.   The incident came to an end after Rabbis for Human Rights field worker Zacharia Sada intervened on behalf of the farmers. Soldiers who arrived on the scene detained one of the attackers for questioning. No one was injured.   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://forward.com/news/384749/caving-to-right-wing-pressure-campaign-historical-society-cancels-play-and/   …JHS [Jewish Historical Society] officials did not tell Fishback why they were cancelling the reading. "I've had the full support of their staff from the very beginning," he said. "I was told this was a decision by the board."   The second canceled event, a JVP[Jewish Voice for Peace]-sponsored panel, which was scheduled for late October at CJH. The historical panel have discussed the Balfour Declaration, Great Britain's 1917 assertion that its government favored the creation of a Jewish state in historic Palestine. Panelists included Robert Herbst and Jonathan Kuttab, both attorneys. AJHS was listed as a co-sponsor of the event.   "Pressure from right-wing donors and columnists can still force an institution to close its doors to a complex and nuanced conversation," said Naomi Dann, JVP's media program manager. "

10-8-2017 Thousands of women march for Israeli-Palestinian peace – Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/thousands-of-women-march-for-israeli-palestinian-peace/2017/10/08/0763ebc8-ac37-11e7-9b93-b97043e57a22_story.html?utm_term=.a7d02844f29b ...Women Wage Peace, the group behind the demonstration, says the two-week march sends a message to leaders to work toward a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to make sure women have equal representation in any talks.   Sunday's event brought 8,000 people to an area north of the Dead Sea in the West Bank where they mingled in a "tent of reconciliation." Women and children crafted signs reading "peace be upon you" in Arabic and Hebrew. Participants beat drums and rattled tambourines… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/world/middleeast/palestinians-hamas-fatah-unity.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fmiddleeast&action=click&contentCollection=middleeast&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=1   …The aging and unpopular Mr. Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority holds sway in part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, hopes to wrest back control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas after a 10-year absence. Hamas says it has disbanded its administrative control of Gaza and relinquished all responsibility for civilian affairs there. But it sees unity as an opportunity to regain a foothold — and eventually take over — in the West Bank.   One major sticking point is who will control security in Gaza, where Hamas's military wing has built up a formidable arsenal of thousands of rockets, missiles and drones, as well as a network of fortified tunnels, and has fought three w

https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-gaza-hamas-levels-an-ancient-archaeological-treasure/ Palestinian and French archaeologists began excavating Gaza's earliest archaeological site nearly 20 years ago, unearthing what they believe is a rare 4,500-year-old Bronze Age settlement. But over protests that grew recently, Gaza's Hamas rulers have systematically destroyed the work since seizing power a decade ago, allowing the flattening of this hill on the southern tip of Gaza City to make way for construction projects, and later military bases. In its newest project, Hamas-supported bulldozers are flattening the last remnants of excavation. .. Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/10/the_sadly_misnamed_taylor_forc.html   …More than a year and a half [after the murder of American Taylor Force in Jaffa], new U.S. legislation is in Congress. The legislation aims to cut U.S. funding to the Palestinian Authority if it does not stop paying annual stipends to the families of those either killed by Israeli security forces or imprisoned in Israel… The new piece of legislation, sadly named The Taylor Force Act, advanced through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this summer…By naming the bill The Taylor Force Act , the presumption is that Congress has bought--hook, line and sinker--the Israeli propaganda that the Palestinian Authority was somehow responsible for the death of Mr. Force, albeit the substance of the bill is about something totally different. Such a presumption is not only utterly false, but after being made so many times by Congress, it smells like the witch hunt against Palestinians that

  http://www.middleeasteye.net/in-depth/features/truth-stranger-science-fiction-1900179351   Larissa Sansour and Soren Lind's dystopian drama about disempowerment sparks controversy…after three months of uneventful screenings, a complaint by a member of the Jewish community that the film was "anti-Semitic" threatened to smear the film and its makers…"Palestinians have old fashioned legal claims and they are up against religiously inspired 'God given right to the land' narratives. If that kind of narrative wins over the legal kind, we thought, then maybe we should explore the idea of establishing a counter narrative that would favour Palestine politically" – hence the idea of burying "evidence" for a future generation to discover.   "Projecting a state into the past supports the idea of historical settlement. It's really clever, but scientifically unsound. But in this particular political arena, scientific ri

https://972mag.com/israel-evicts-palestinian-family-from-e-jlem-home-allows-settlers-to-take-over/129575/ After an eight-year lull in evictions, Israeli authorities kick out the Shamanseh family from their home in Sheikh Jarrah. They had been living in the neighborhood for over 50 years… The majority of the residents in Sheikh Jarrah are descendants of Palestinian refugees from West Jerusalem, Jaffa, Haifa, and Lod. After Israel's establishment, they were resettled in the neighborhood… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://972mag.com/palestinians-and-israelis-mark-interfaith-new-year-in-east-jerusalem/129900/ Over 150 people hold a joint feast in honor of the Muslim and Jewish new years in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where Israel is working tirelessly to replace Palestinians with settlers.   Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

https://972mag.com/the-beat-goes-on-the-story-of-palestines-national-dance/129789/ …During the British Mandate, Palestinians danced the dabke as a statement of resistance to Jewish immigration to Palestine before 1948 (there is evidence of performance of the dabke in 1923 in the village of Nebi Musa during a protest against the arrival in large numbers of Jews), as well as the growing international support for Zionism. After 1948 dabke dances were choreographed into stories of the villages destroyed in the Nakba. Like many other elements in Palestinian life, dance has always been connected to politics… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

  http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article176000301.html   In her op-ed of Sept. 10, Amy Rosenthal accuses Davidson and Shive (Herald- Sun, Aug. 25 of hypocrisy. She believes no one should criticize the wrongdoing of any country without criticizing all countries that do similar things.   This is blatantly false. Israel receives $10 million U.S. taxpayer dollars every day, totaling $130 billion dollars to date. No other country, good or bad, has received or continues to receive this much U.S. support. We have a responsibility not to support countries whose policies are illegal. It is interesting that none of the defenses of Israel recently published in this paper, i.e., Ms. Rosenthal's op-ed and two letters, mention the illegal Israeli settlements, which house 650,000 people and have displaced the Palestinian owners of the land.   Contrary to widespread propaganda, this issue is not complicated... The BDS movement is not about destroying

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/09/19/Hamas-invites-Palestinian-Authority-to-control-Gaza-unimpeded/6461505873525/ The chief of Hamas ' Political Bureau said Tuesday that the group is ready to receive the Palestinian Unity Government in Gaza .   "To show Hamas' seriousness to bring about reconciliation, we invite the unity government to come and assume its duties in Gaza unimpeded," Ismail Haniyeh told reporters during a press conference in the Gaza Strip, according to the Middle East Monitor …Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip for more than a decade, but recently agreed to demands set by Mahmoud Abbas , president of the Palestinian Authority, to hold elections, which haven't occurred since 2007… Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member