Tag: Alastair McPhail

“. . . Israeli settlements have gone beyond a mere breach of Article 49(6) by acquiring features of apartheid . . .” (Bianca Watts)

Harold KnightLeave a comment
weekly-settlement-report-june-6-13-jun-2015
Illegal West Bank Israeli settlement and Apartheid Wall. (Photo: Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, June 19, 2015)

❶ Israeli forces confiscate Palestinian-owned residential barracks in Jericho
❷ British Consulate General launches initiative to support olive harvest
❸ UN Security Council holds meeting on illegal expansion of Israeli settlements in West Bank
. . . ❸ ― (a) ‘The occupation is sustainable because the world refuses to take action.’ Transcript of the prepared remarks B’Tselem executive director Hagai El-Ad delivered to UN Security Council
. . . ❸ ― (b) Israel suspends ties with UNESCO

  • Background:  “Better Than A Thousand Hollow Words Is One Word That Brings Peace: Enforcing Article 49(6) Of The Fourth Geneva Convention Against Israeli Settlements In The Occupied Palestinian Territory.” Pacific Mcgeorge Global Business & Development Law Journal
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❶ ISRAELI  FORCES  CONFISCATE  PALESTINIAN-OWNED  RESIDENTIAL  BARRACKS  IN  JERICHO
Ma’an News Agency
Oct. 14, 2016
Israeli forces Thursday confiscated residential barracks in the Palestinian Bedouin residential area of Arab al-Mleihat in the occupied West Bank district of Jericho, according to a Ma’an reporter.
___The residential barracks belonged to Ali Suliman al-Mleihat and Mohammad Ali al-Mleihat.
___The mayor of Jericho Majid al-Fityani told Ma’an that Israel’s continuous demolitions and confiscations are “crimes against the Palestinian people,” and only “proves that Israel is unwilling to make peace.”
___Al-Fityani added that the world was responsible for ending Israeli violations against Palestinians, including the routine leveling of Palestinian lands, confiscations, demolitions, detentions, and killings.      More . . .

❷ BRITISH  CONSULATE  GENERAL  LAUNCHES  INITIATIVE  TO  SUPPORT  OLIVE  HARVEST
Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA
Oct. 15, 2016
British Consul General in Jerusalem Alastair McPhail announced on Friday that for the second year in a row, the British Consulate General will be supporting the Palestinian olive harvest in Area C and East Jerusalem.
___McPhail made the announcement during an olive picking event in the village of Yanoun, near Nablus.
___“I’m proud to launch our initiative to support Palestinian olive growers in vulnerable areas of the West Bank, for the second year in a row,” he said. “I hope that this exciting partnership with the Palestinian Authority Commission Against the Wall and Settlements will provide Palestinian farmers, in some of the most vulnerable areas, with the confidence and resilience to harvest their olives during these difficult times.”      More . . .

bedouin
Bedouin village of al-Arakib, one of the dozens Bedouin Arab communities in the Negev desert not recognised by the Israeli state (Photo: Reuters, Aug. 29, 2013)

❸ UN SECURITY  COUNCIL  HOLDS  MEETING  ON  ILLEGAL  EXPANSION  OF  ISRAELI  SETTLEMENTS  IN  WEST  BANK
Ma’an News Agency
Oct. 14, 2016
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held a special meeting Friday regarding illegal Israeli settlement construction and expansion in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. . . .  the meeting was classified as an ‘Arria-Formula,’ which according to the UNSC, are informal gatherings which enable Security Council members to discuss “frankly” the topic at hand, and hear from guests whom the council deems would be beneficial to listen to.
[. . . .]
Among those presenting on the issue were Hagai El-Ad, the executive director of B’Tselem, an Israeli organization that monitors human rights abuses in the occupied Palestinian territory, and Lara Friedman, director of policy and government relations at the Americans for Peace Now, the sister organization of the Israeli human rights NGO.     More . . .
. . . ❸― (a) ‘THE  OCCUPATION  IS  SUSTAINABLE  BECAUSE  THE  WORLD  REFUSES  TO  TAKE  ACTION.’ TRANSCRIPT  OF  THE  PREPARED  REMARKS  B’TSELEM  EXECUTIVE  DIRECTOR  HAGAI EL-AD  DELIVERED  TO  UN  SECURITY  COUNCIL
+972 Blog
Hagai El-Ad
Oct. 14, 2016
What does it mean, in practical terms, to spend 49 years, a lifetime, under military rule? When violence breaks out, or when particular incidents attract global attention, you get a glimpse into certain aspects of life under occupation. But what about the rest of the time? What about the many “ordinary” days of a 17,898-day-long occupation, which is still going strong?       More . . .  
. . . ❸ ― (b)  ISRAEL  SUSPENDS  TIES  WITH  UNESCO
The Middle East Monitor – MEMO
Oct. 14, 2016
Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett announced today that Israel is suspending all of its joint activities with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) after the organisation adopted a resolution that disregards the connection between Judaism and Al-Aqsa Mosque and casts doubt over the link between the religion and the Western Wall.
___In a message to UNESCO member states, Bennett said: “Your decision denies history and encourages terror. Those who give prizes to supporters of jihad in Jerusalem mere days after two Jews were murdered in the city, may very well be the next in line.”    More . . .

[NOTE: This article is a comprehensive discussion of the history of the Israeli Occupation of the West Bank and the world’s response to it.]

  • Watts, Bianca. “Better Than A Thousand Hollow Words Is One Word That Brings Peace: Enforcing Article 49(6) Of The Fourth Geneva Convention Against Israeli Settlements In The Occupied Palestinian Territory.” Pacific Mcgeorge Global Business & Development Law Journal 24.1 (2011): 443-472.  Source (Full) . . .

The illegality of Israeli settlement in the OPT is explained in the Fourth Geneva Convention (“Geneva IV” or “Convention”), which is the principal international treaty governing the law of belligerent occupation. Article 49, paragraph 6 of the Geneva IV (“Article 49(6)”) provides that “[t]he Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” High Contracting Parties (“HCPs”) are obligated to both respect and ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances under Article 1 of the Convention. Today, 194 states are party to the Convention, including the United States and Israel, and none have fulfilled their obligation under Article 1.8. In fact, the United States consistently uses its veto power in the United Nations (“U.N.”) Security Council to block proposals to intervene and enforce the Geneva IV against Israel.
[. . . .]
Israel first inquired about the legality of settling in the OPT, specifically the West Bank and the Golan Heights, in the fall of 1967. On September 18, 1967, Israeli Foreign Ministry Officials received a top-secret memo that settlement in the West Bank and Golan Heights would violate Article 49(6). Israeli officials were advised that the prohibition of settlements under Article 49(6) was categorical, unconditional, and aimed at preventing colonization of a conquered territory by the conquering state. This memo confirmed that Israeli officials knew that building settlements in the OPT violated international law prior to beginning settlement construction. Yet, despite the memo’s unequivocal warning that settlements violated the Geneva IV, Israel forged ahead with plans that resulted in the settlement enterprise we see today.
[. . . .]
“The United Nations has issued scores of resolutions affirming the applicability of Geneva IV to the OPT and calling upon Israel to abide by its legal obligations as an Occupying Power.” For instance, in Resolution 3240, the General Assembly criticized Israel’s “continued and persistent” violation of the Geneva IV through the establishment of new settlements and expansion of existing settlements in the OPT.39 The General Assembly also demanded that Israel cease its settlement activity.
[. . . .]
After over forty years of occupation and settlement in the OPT, Israel was bound to engage in activity that would produce negative effects on Palestinians and subject the state to overwhelming criticism from its nationals and third states. However, Israeli settlements have gone beyond a mere breach of Article 49(6) by acquiring features of apartheid, and possibly rendering its entire occupation regime illegal. The United States, as Israel’s closest and most powerful ally, must change its approach. It cannot continue to shield Israel from both international and domestic calls for the government to comply with its obligation under Article 49(6) to cease settlement in the OPT and yet expect finality to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“. . . the flat golden face of this broom is its own shrine. . .” (Naomi Shihab Nye)

Harold KnightLeave a comment
Bank of Palestine, Ramallah
Bank of Palestine, Ramallah

From IMEMC-INTERNATIONAL MIDDLE EAST MEDIA CENTER
ARMY DEMOLISHES THREE INDUSTRIAL STRUCTURES IN JERUSALEM
June 09, 2015
Israeli soldiers invaded, on Tuesday morning, the al-Khalayla neighborhood in the al-Jeeb town, northwest of occupied East Jerusalem, and demolished three Palestinian industrial structures.
____Several military vehicles, and bulldozers, invaded the neighborhood, approximately at 6:30 in the morning, and demolished a blacksmith workshop belonging to al-Kiswani family, and two car repair facilities, belonging to Nour al-Matari and Mohannad Mansour.
____Israel alleges the structures were built without construction permits.
____Head of the Local Council, Ismael Abu Rabah, said this is the fourth time the soldiers demolish the Kiswani family blacksmith workshop that provides livelihood to more than twenty Palestinians, while the Mansour workshop provides livelihood to three families.
(More. . .)

From AL-MONITOR (Palestine Pulse)
LIFE AS A GAZA STREET VENDOR
Rasha Abou Jalal
June 4, 2015
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Thousands of unemployed in the Gaza Strip wait for the summer season to get their small projects up and running to support their families in light of the continuing economic downturn. These projects include the sale of boiled corn and summer fruits on small carts, moving between markets and beaches. The owners of these projects, who are trying to fight poverty and unemployment, usually face several types of harassment by local authorities, most notably the latter’s imposition and collection of taxes.
____Economist Mohsen Abu Ramadan believes the spread of street carts and vendors is a natural phenomenon resulting from economic deterioration, increasing poverty and unemployment rates, accumulation of university graduates, the Israeli blockade and repeated wars. “The economic situation in Gaza does not give the breadwinner the opportunity to find a job to protect his family from [the need to] beg. Therefore, he would work at any job to support his family,” Abu Ramadan told Al-Monitor.
____Abu Mohammed Mekdad, 42, who worked at a concrete factory that was destroyed in Israel’s last war on Gaza, was forced to borrow some money from relatives to buy a cart to sell fruit in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in northern Gaza City to provide for his family that was displaced by the war.
(More. . .)

From THIS WEEK IN PALESTINE
BUILDING AN ECONOMY FROM SCRATCH
June 2015
Courtesy of the Association of Banks in Palestine
In an economy heavily reliant on foreign aid, it’s hard to imagine the process of building a real economy, one that can withstand an ever-tumultuous political situation. The Association of Banks in Palestine recognizes that one of the very important facets of freedom is a stable economy that has its own infrastructure and a plan of action.
____With its seven board members and the capacity to dream, the Association of Banks in Palestine was established in 1998 as a non-profit initiative by the banks operating in Palestine to represent the Palestinian banking sector and work to preserve its interests.
(More. . .)

Demolition of three Palestinian businesses
Demolition of three Palestinian businesses

From PALESTINE NEWS NETWORK
OPINION: ISRAEL’S CHOKEHOLD ON PALESTINIAN TOURISM
Sophie Craven
June 9, 2015
Strolling through the back streets of the beautiful Palestinian town of Bethlehem, you come across many tourists enjoying the sights, smells and tastes of this peaceful little town. Take another look and you glimpse the nervous look on their faces as they’re shuttled on and off of Israeli tour buses, scuttling from holy site to holy site and avoiding the eyes of the locals.
____‘It is really not good,” said a taxi driver based at Bethlehem’s Church of Nativity. “Israeli tour companies prevent their tour groups from buying anything in the souvenir shops. The tours are paid for in West Jerusalem and then come to Palestinian towns without supporting the Palestinian economy in any way. How can I support my family?’
____The 2014 Israeli assault on Gaza rocked both the Palestinian and Israeli tourist industries.
____In Bethlehem this blow was painfully obvious around Christmas-time, when the expected annual hordes of tourists simply did not show up. Bethlehem relies on its image as a Christmas retreat, but this year the footfall dropped dramatically and small family-run businesses began to struggle more than ever.
(More. . .)

From MA’AN NEWS AGENCY
LET US LOOK FOR HOPE AFTER 48 YEARS
Alastair McPhail
June 9, 2015
(Note from blogger: Alastair McPhail is the British Consul-General in Jerusalem. I post this with some hesitancy. I’m not sure what the “average” Palestinian might think of it.)
Forty-eight years ago this week, the Middle East was engulfed in war. This war, known as the 1967 war or the Six Day War, changed the shape of the region. And it dramatically changed the lives of many living here. I have met Palestinians in the cities and refugee camps of the region and have heard many stories of what is known amongst Palestinians as the “Naksa”: of lives uprooted and homes lost.
____I will leave analysis of what happened in 1967 to the historians. But the fact is that it shaped the reality of what I deal with today as a diplomat working in Jerusalem: the occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza; the wave of settlement building which began in 1967; the millions of Palestinian refugees here and across the region.
____From my travels around the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem I know that life is still desperately hard for Palestinians today. . . .
(More. . .)

“THE MAN WHO MAKES BROOMS,” BY NAOMI SHIHAB NYE

So you come with these maps in your head
and I come with voices chiding me to
“Speak for my people”
and we march around like guardians of memory
till we find the man on the short stool
who makes brooms.

Thumb over thumb, straw over straw,
he will not look at us.
In his stony corner there is barely room
For baskets and thread,
much less the weight of our faces
staring at him from the street.
What he has lost or not lost is his secret.

You say he is like all the men,
The man who sells pistachios,
The man who rolls the rugs.
Older now, you find holiness in anything
that continues, dream after dream.
I say he is like nobody,
the pink seam he weaves
across the flat golden face of this broom
is its own shrine, and forget about the tears.

In the village the uncles will raise their kefiyahs
from dominoes to say, no brooms in America?
And the girls who stop to sweep the courtyard
will stop for moment and cock their heads.
It is a little song, this thumb over thumb,
But sometimes when you wait years
for the air to break open
and sense to fall out,
it may be the only one.

Jerusalem

From Nye, Naomi Shihab. 19 Varieties of Gazelle. New York: Greenwillow/Harper (2005).
Read about Naomi Shihab Nye at the end of the post here.

Soldiers clear Hebron city streets in preparation for Israeli tour. Photo Brona McDonald
Soldiers clear Hebron city streets in preparation for Israeli tour. Photo Brona McDonald