Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine

Israeli-Palestinian Prisoner Swap

In the past week, Israel has agreed a historic deal with Hamas to free Gilad Shalit, held captive in Gaza for five years, offering 1027 Palestinian prisoners in return.

The Israeli High Court received, and rejected, several petitions against the prisoner swap.

After years of refusing to talk to Hamas, and suggesting that there is no Palestinian partner for peace, the Israeli government has indeed, talked to Hamas.

Commentators suggest that this decision has come as part of Israel’s attempts to stay ‘ahead of the game’ regarding the Arab Spring.

Sheikh Raed Salah

A UK judge has ruled that the banned Islamic preacher and leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel who entered Britain illegally following a Home Office blunder is entitled to seek damages after being detained unlawfully.

Israel’s forced eviction of Bedouins in the Occupied West Bank

Btselem discusses how ‘The Civil Administration (CA) is planning to expel the Bedouin communities living in Area C in the West Bank, transferring some 27,000 persons from their homes. In the first phase, planned as early as January 2012, some 20 communities, comprising 2,300 persons, will be forcibly transferred to a site near the Abu Dis refuse dump, east of Jerusalem.’ Read the account in full here.

Has your MP signed EDM 2195 against this?

“That this House is appalled at proposals by the Israeli government to re-settle Bedouin people living in so-called unrecognised villages in the Negev Desert into larger recognised settlements; notes that this will affect tens of thousands of Bedouin, and is a policy more in keeping with historic American Indian reservations and South Africa in the apartheid era than what should happen in the 21st century; condemns the Israeli government for what is tantamount to ethnic cleansing and the destruction of the Bedouin way of life; and calls on the Government to seek the urgent support of other European Union countries for a concerted approach, also involving the United Nations, to stop Israel proceeding with its attack on Bedouin people under its control.”

Liam Fox, Adam Werrity, and – the UK pro-Israeli Lobby?

One of the many murky episodes concerning Liam Fox’s idea of transparent governance concerns the powerful lobby group, Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (Bicom). For more details read the Guardian article here.

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• Palestine’s bid for statehood at the UN: where are we at now?

The Guardian reports that the Palestinian leadership is to press for a vote as soon as possible on its demand for full statehood at the UN security council as President Mahmoud Abbas returned to Ramallah to declare before cheering crowds that the “Palestinian Spring” had begun.

• Perspectives on the UN General Assembly:

Jeremy Bowen suggests that Abbas has ‘scored some useful points at the UN’.

Orly Azoulay (Ynet) argues that Netanyahu has ‘won’, getting Obama to adopt the Israeli narrative, but ultimately Israel has ‘lost’ as America has resigned its lead role in the peace process.

• Perspectives on statehood:

CAABU, like LDFP, believes that the UK must back Palestinian statehood if it is to have any credibility.

“All over the Arab world, we have seen extraordinary scenes of people standing up against brutal regimes demanding their rights, their freedom, their dignity. Palestinians too demand their rights, their freedoms and their dignity, and that is what we should be recognising and supporting.”

The Economist argues that: “The principle is simple: the Palestinians deserve a state, just as the Israelis do.” And: “In truth, Israel will be safer when a proper Palestinian state has been consolidated. That is a point that too few Israelis and their American supporters appreciate.”

And for a more light-hearted take on proceedings…see Jon Stewart’s comments on the Daily Show.

• Final note

LDFP, as ever, remains committed to the two-state solution: a safe and stable Israel, and a viable and independent Palestine. After years of failed talks, and an Israeli PM who does not, at the moment, take negotiations seriously (and let us not forget what he thought of the Oslo accords), bringing the issue to the UN can be seen as a sensible step to achieve justice for Palestinians and their entitlements under international law.

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As the Israeli government has undermined peace negotiations to such a degree (as particularly experienced by the US government), the Palestinian Authority is planning to gain recognition as a state, within 1967 borders, at the UN General Assembly next month.

Successful application for membership in the UN requires both a 2/3 majority in the General Assembly (quite likely), but also approval from the Security Council – which may be more of a problem for the PA.

Update on recent news about statehood:

• China has announced its support for the Palestinian UN statehood bid.
• Spain also says it supports the Palestinian bid for statehood.
• El Salvador has recognised Palestine as a state, bringing the total number to about 120.
• The Iranian President says that Palestinian statehood is a ‘step forward’ before the ‘full liberation of Palestine’. The PA are not interested in the latter.
• The Guardian suggests that a Palestinian state could leave millions of refugees with no voice at the UN.
• Take a look at our legal briefing by LDFP Chairman John McHugo.

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• Thousands have protested in Israel over house prices and low salaries. Demonstrations in 12 cities including Tel Aviv and Haifa have prompted Binyamin Netanyahu to consider cancelling Israel’s parliamentary recess.
• Amira Hass also commented on the financial crisis in the PA, discussing Raja Khalidi’s point of view that this crisis: “is in the status quo that Israel has enjoyed since the Oslo Accords: Israel is in control of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip – and Palestinian society and the donor countries finance the cost of this domination.”
• Israel’s Foreign Ministry released a video regarding the ‘Truth” about the West Bank, narrated by Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon. Watch it here, and expect a poor reading of the Balfour Declaration, an ignorance of the inadmissibility of gaining territory through war, and complete myopia regarding the possibility of Palestinian self-determination. And let us know what you think.
• Interestingly, exactly the same ‘graphics’, and almost the same text, were produced for a video for the Israeli settler movement. What does one conclude from this…? Email your thoughts.
• Excellent report by Defence for Children International, regarding ‘The Situation facing Palestinian children detained in the Israeli military detention system’. Read it in full.
• Honduras will recognise a Palestinian state.
• Hamas has recently executed two men convicted of collaboration with Israel.

Feedback: info@ldfp.eu.

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• Sheikh Raed Salah: released on bail
  A Palestinian detained on the orders of the Home Secretary Theresa May, after flying into Britain to speak to politicians was freed on bailon Saturday by a High Court judge, pending the outcome of legal challenges. 
• Palestinian statehood plan: backed by Arab League
  The Arab League has endorsed a Palestinian plan to seek full membership at the UN, in a move likely to lead to confrontation with the US in the UN Security Council.Comment: Adrian Hamilton: The Palestinians only have one option now
  “Forcing a vote in the UN doesn’t bring about peace negotiations, of course. But, given the present nature of the Israeli government, that does not appear to be on the cards. If the Palestinians can feel themselves a little more empowered, that may do more for a just settlement between equals – which has been the one essential ingredient lacking so far – than all the efforts of the outside world.”
  
• Israel’s ban on Israeli boycotts of Israel
  Israel’s parliament has passed a controversial and undemocratic bill making it illegal for any citizen advocating a boycott of Israel or its settlements, which happen to be illegal under international law. Human rights campaigners say the bill, sponsored by right-wing politicians, is profoundly undemocratic and would deal a severe blow to freedom of speech if passed.
  
  
• Israel and Lebanon dispute maritime border
  Israel and Lebanon are locked in an escalating dispute over the precise location of their maritime border, as both countries try to assert their claim over potentially vast natural gas fields below the Mediterranean Sea.
  
  
• Israeli police will not face trial over death of Palestinian girl
  Israeli policemen suspected of shooting dead a 10-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl in 2007 will escape prosecution after a court said that too much time had elapsed to allow a re-examination of the case.
  
  
• BBC rules on Newsnight complaint
  The BBC has upheld a complaint that Jeremy Paxman failed to adequately challenge Louise Ellman MP (of Labour Friends of Israel) on false claims she made about child suicide bombers during an edition of Newsnight.

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Feedback: info@ldfp.eu.

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Update: Sheikh Raed Salah

On Tuesday 28^th June, Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, was arrested in London under a travel ban, and is expected to be deported. He had spoken in Leicester, and was due to speak in the House of Commons, having been invited by Labour MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Burden. Salah has said he was unaware of the ban, and UK Border Agency initially let him enter the country without stopping him. The key issue over his exclusion relates to whether his presence is conducive to the public good.

At present, he remains in custody.

Sheikh Raed Salah was previously arrested in Israel and charged with incitement to racism and violence, but he was not convicted.

Views

The Palestine Solidarity campaign released a statement arguing:
He is the leader of a legitimate political party in Israel, representing Palestinians, and an outspoken champion of Jerusalem.

Ed Miliband’s spokesperson told Jewish News more recently: “We completely deplore the views of Mr Salah. We made clear to the Labour MPs involved that the meeting should not go ahead.”

Ian Black argues that: The real question about the episode is this: if Salah is tolerated in Israel, why did the UK government object to his presence?

Noam Chomsky writes: “[his removal] would be very harmful to the public good, at least if the public good is construed as encouraging free and open discussion of issues of great significance.”

Labour MP Ann Clwyd compares the case to that of Tzipi Livni:  “I find it particularly ironic that we are prepared to change the law to protect one Israeli opposition leader when another opposition leader, the Palestinian Sheikh Salah, comes here and is put straight in jail. Where is the justice in that?”

Elsewhere:

From Alastair Campbell’s diaries:
“7 September 2000: We had breakfast with [Israeli prime minister Ehud] Barak, TB giving him his tuppenceworth of advice… They went over the Jerusalem problem, TB saying he could see how hard it would be for any Israeli PM to hand it over, that it would be like giving Westminster to Germany.”

On the flytilla:
Israel hopes to expel over the next three days nearly 120 foreign, pro-Palestinian activists who were jailed over the weekend after being denied entry into the country, officials said on Sunday.

Palestinian UN Membership
To be debated at the UN Security Council this week.

Worth reading:
MJ Rosenburg: “On Israel-Palestine, the one-state lobby is winning”.

Feedback?
Send it to info@ldfp.eu.

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News Update for LDFP mailing list:

• Greek coastguard forces Gaza ‘freedom flotilla’ vessel back to port: An attempt by one of the Gaza-bound “freedom flotilla” ships to defy the Greek government and escape from port was thwarted on Monday when armed coastguard officials caught up with the vessel and forced it back to shore.
  
  
• Palestine Advances in 2014 Cup Qualifying: Palestine, the only one of FIFA’s 208 members that is not a state recognized by the United Nations, advanced to the next round of Asia’s preliminary qualifying for the 2014 World Cup after tying Afghanistan, 1-1, in Al-Ram, West Bank, and winning by 3-1 overall.
  
  
• UK detains Palestinian-Israeli leader Salah: Leader of Islamic Movement in Israel detained during speaking tour to Britain for breaching alleged travel ban
  
  
• Freedom for Palestine song echoes anti-apartheid era: Faithless guitarist Dave Randall hopes to shame the BBC into giving air time to his protest song Freedom for Palestine.
  
  
• ‘We recognize Israel, they should recognize Palestine’: Abbas tells Dutch parliament US, EU, Russia working to resume talks; says UN statehood bid not meant to “dismiss or delegitimize Israel.”
  
  
• Comment: New paradigm in Palestine: “The only way forward is to go backwards — to the UN’s original plan — and then to the General Assembly to implement a new one”.

Feedback: info@ldfp.eu.

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Fatah/Hamas deal: update for LDFP readers

• On Wednesday Fatah and Hamas claimed to have put differences behind them and will seek to establish an interim national unity government.
• Benjamin Netanyahu’s initial reaction: “The Palestinian Authority must choose between peace with Israel or peace with Hamas… There cannot be peace with both because Hamas strives to destroy the state of Israel.
• Hamas was told during reconciliation negotiations with Fatah that it would have to abide by international law and United Nations resolutions on talks with Israel as part of a unity government, but – it doesn’t have to recognize Israel even if it is part of the unity government, something that may prove a sticking point further down the line.
• For the moment, Israel has suspended tax transfers to the Palestinian Authority following the reconciliation deal.
• FM William Hague’s reaction: “We welcome the reconciliation (of Hamas and Fatah) and the work done by Egypt… Of course lots of details have to be worked out and we will have to judge everyone by their actions and intentions. We will continue to work closely on this,” he said.
• Elsewhere, the Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Araby has urged the United States to support the declaration of an independent Palestinian state. Egypt also intends to open the Gaza border permanently to ease life for civilians under the blockade.
• Meanwhile, Hamas has condemned the killing of Bin Laden, something that will win it few friends among potential deal-brokers in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Elsewhere

• Interesting article by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown in the Independent, ‘Stop blaming Israel for every grievance in the Middle East’. An excerpt:
  “The mulishness and narrow-sightedness of the most unrelenting Zionists is today almost matched by the mulishness and narrow-sightedness of their unrelenting counterparts, anti-Zionist activists… It is no longer morally justifiable for activists to target only Israel and either ignore or find excuses for corrupt, murderous Arab despots. That kind of selectivity discredits pro-Palestinian campaigners and dishonours the principles of equality and human rights. It has enabled hideous Arab ruling clans to carry on disgracefully for too long.”

• Read about the Palestine Film Festival in London, on until May 11^th.

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Feedback to info@ldfp.eu, as ever.

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The Goldstone Report

• Much discussion surrounds Judge Goldstone’s retraction of one ‘finding’ of his ‘Goldstone Report’ – that Israel targeted civilians in Gaza as a matter of policy. But, as many point out, there are a great deal more many elements to the Report than just this, despite the Israeli state’s current attempt to annul the report.
• Kenneth Roth of HRW: ‘…Goldstone has not retreated from the report’s allegation that Israel engaged in large-scale attacks in violation of the laws of war. These attacks included Israel’s indiscriminate use of heavy artillery and white phosphorus in densely populated areas, and its massive and deliberate destruction of civilian buildings and infrastructure without a lawful military reason. This misconduct was so widespread and systematic that it clearly reflected Israeli policy.’
• John Dugard, former UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory: ‘In short, there are no new facts that could possibly have led Richard Goldstone to change his mind about the UN-backed investigation into Israel and the conflict in Gaza.’
• Hina Jilani, Goldstone’s colleague on the fact-finding mission, says that the Judge’s informal remarks ‘do not invalidate findings’.

Israel and Gaza

• Following an increase in military activity across the Israel/Gaza border (see here, here and here), some wondered if there would be another Israeli war on Gaza, especially as, in the eyes of Gideon Levy, Goldstone’s retraction has ‘paved the path for a second Gaza war’.The latest is that the IDF has conditionally ceased air strikes on Hamas targets and Hamas has called for calm.

Elsewhere

• A report by the World Bank, discussed in the FT, argues that the high rate of economic growth in the Palestinian territories is too dependent on donor money and will be “unsustainable” as long as Israeli restrictions on the Palestinian private sector continue. The report says real economic growth in the West Bank and Gaza stood at 9.3 per cent last year. It stresses, however, that both territories suffer from unemployment and poverty, and that the recent growth spurt is fed by the influx of donor money, not the “stifled private sector”.
• Juliano Mer Khamis, an Israeli actor and peace activist and son of Arna Mer Khamis, who ran a drama project in a Palestinian refugee camp, has been shot dead by masked men, metres from the theatre he founded. Several suspects have been arrested.
• Baroness Ashton, EU foreign policy chief, has criticised Israel’s plans to build yet more illegal homes (surprise, surprise!) in the West Bank, describing them as an ‘obstacle to peace’.
• Sudan accused Israel of launching a missile strike near its main port city. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor has declined to comment.
• According to HRW, severe harassment by Palestinian Authority and Hamas security forces targeting Palestinian journalists in the West Bank and Gaza has had a pronounced chilling effect on freedom of expression.

The Foreign Office

• The FCO’s Human Rights Report includes a section on Israel and Palestine:

  “We welcome the steps that Israel and the Palestinian Authority have taken to protect human rights, but the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) continued to be of concern to the UK in 2010. Israeli actions in East Jerusalem, its restrictions on Gaza, and the application of a military justice system for all Palestinians were of particular concern in 2010, as was the continued failure of Palestinian militants to renounce violence and the allegations of abuse of detainees in Palestinian Authority prisons. We also continued to be concerned about the human rights record of Hamas in Gaza, including the ongoing threat to Israel’s civilian population of indiscriminate rocket fire and the continued detention of Gilad Shalit without access to the International Committee of the Red Cross or contact with his family.”

In Parliament

• Lord Howell of Guildford on Palestinian elections:
  “As my honourable friend Alistair Burt made clear in his statement of 16 February 2011, the UK welcomes the announcement by the Palestine Liberation Organisation that it will hold national elections by September for all Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and Gaza. We, together with our EU partners, stand ready to support the electoral process.

  He also expressed his disappointment that Hamas has rejected these already long delayed elections. This reinforces the perception that Hamas is an organisation which can only maintain its grip on ordinary Gazans through repression and isolation.”

• Alistair Burt on the political situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories:
  “…The West Bank and East Jerusalem are experiencing continued Israeli settlement construction, which is illegal under international law. Israel’s refusal to halt construction is a serious obstacle to peace. We are pushing hard for a resumption of negotiations to resolve final status issues based on clear parameters supported by the international community.

  In Gaza, while we welcomed the limited steps Israel has taken to facilitate the entry of ordinary consumer goods, the continued restrictions on access for dual-use items and the ban on nearly all exports continue to hamper reconstruction and economic revival. This benefits Hamas both financially and politically, while ensuring that ordinary Gazans remain poor and without hope for the future. We do not believe this is in Israel’s interests.”

• Lord Howell of Guildford on what actions the UK government has taken to contact the Hamas government in Gaza following renewed firing of rockets into southern Israel.
  “We do not have contacts with Hamas. However, my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary has underlined our view publicly that all rocket attacks on Israel must cease. We are also making our view on this clear to other regional partners who are in contact with Hamas.”
• Lord Howell of Guildford on the possibility of a no-fly zone over Gaza.
  “The Government have no plans to establish a no-fly zone over Gaza.

  However, my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary underlined our concern about escalating violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in his statement of 25 March 2011. He stressed that rocket and mortar attacks on Israel must cease. Three people have been injured recently and many more are living in fear. Six Palestinian children have been killed as a result of Israeli actions in the Gaza strip. We have urged the Israeli Government to ensure everything is done to avoid further civilian casualties while calling for a complete end to attacks on Israel.”

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News

• Judge Richard Goldstone has expressed regrets about his report into Gaza war, writing that Israeli military investigations have revealed that civilians were not targeted as a matter of policy.
  
  
• The Knesset passed laws (i) allowing small communities in the Galilee and Negev to maintain admissions committees to screen potential new residents, and (ii) barring public funding of entities that seek to remember the Nakba Day.
  
  
• Protests drive Ahava out of Covent Garden; the UK branch of Israeli cosmetics store, Ahava, is moving from its central London shop after years of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Protesters claim that the products sold in the store are manufactured in a factory in Israeli settlement, Mitzpe Shalom in the West Bank but are “misleadingly” labelled as produced in Israel.

• Israel is considering building an artificial island with sea and air ports off blockaded Gaza, as a long-term solution to shipping goods into the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave, according to the Israeli transport minister.
• A Palestinian engineer who vanished on a Ukrainian train, and mysteriously turned up in an Israeli prison, accused Israel of kidnapping him “for no reason” and said he had no information about an Israeli soldier held captive in the Gaza Strip.

Universal Jurisdiction

• The UK Government has voted to change the law on universal jurisdiction, allowing suspected Israeli war criminals to visit the UK without fear of private prosecution.
• Daniel Machover in the Guardian: ‘Giving suspects from ‘protected countries’ immunity from war crimes arrests would turn the UK into a safe haven for suspects’
• Julian Huppert MP on LibDem Voice: ‘I remain unconvinced that there is a problem that needs fixing. If there is such a perception around vexatious arrests, it is not based on evidence, as only two warrants of this nature have been issued by the court in the past ten years, out of a total of only ten applications.’

Briefings

• Medical Aid for Palestinians’ FCO Annual Human Rights Report: ‘We welcome the steps that Israel and the Palestinian Authority have taken to protect human rights, but the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) continued to be of concern to the UK in 2010. Israeli actions in East Jerusalem, its restrictions on Gaza, and the application of a military justice system for all Palestinians were of particular concern in 2010, as was the continued failure of Palestinian militants to renounce violence and the allegations of abuse of detainees in Palestinian Authority prisons.
  
• International Crisis Group on the recent conflict in Gaza: Middle East Briefing: ‘Radical Islam in Gaza’: The recent Israel-Hamas escalation returns a spotlight to Gaza and the Islamist movement’s relationship with more militant organisations. Gaza arouses multiple concerns: does Hamas seeks to impose religious law; has its purported Islamisation stimulated growth of Salafi-Jihadi groups; and will al-Qaeda offshoots find a foothold there?’
  
  
• Professor Mushtaq Khan on Conflicts Forum, ‘Post-Oslo State-Building Strategies and their Limitations’: “The most immediate question in Palestine is what is the bargaining power of the mainstream Palestinian leadership as it negotiates with Israel about sovereignty? Is this negotiation based on a credible violence capacity or credible capabilities for mass mobilization or what?”

Views

• Karma Nabulsi: Only direct elections can rejuvenate the Palestinian liberation movement by taking power from the few back to the many
• Diana Neslen, JfJfP: It was with deep concern that I noted the headline of your report about the bomb in Jerusalem (24 March), stating it had shattered “seven years of peace”. During this time, Israel has invaded Gaza, laying waste to the land and killing 1,400 people, including 300 children.
• David McDowall: Israel has always thought what it needed was a better army than the opposition. Yet the Israel that has proved so attractive to the West is going to be seriously sapped from within and for this its military prowess will prove irrelevant.

In Parliament

• Jeremy Corbyn: ‘When Israeli planes bombed Gaza during Operation Cast Lead in 2008-09, I did not hear any calls for a no-fly zone over Gaza. F-16 jets pounded Palestinians, killing 1,500 civilians. We have to understand the bitterness of that period and the experience of the Palestinian people because many Palestinian diaspora, living out their lives in refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt-all over the region-want the right to return home. They see the double standards of the west: interested in supporting Israel at the expense of the Palestinian people; currently intervening in Libya but doing nothing to support the Palestinian people.’
• Lord Howell of Guildford: ‘We are very concerned by the Government of Israel‘s decision to revoke the residency permit of Bishop Suheil. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary raised this with the Prime Minister of Israel last November. Our embassy in Tel Aviv continues to press regularly. In his recent press statement, Bishop Suheil publicly thanked my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary, the British ambassador to Israel and the British Consul-General in Jerusalem for their efforts with the Israeli authorities on his behalf.
• Lord Howell of Guildford: ‘According to the UN, in 2010 the Israeli authorities demolished 113 residential structures in the West Bank displacing 478 people, and they knocked down a further 240 Palestinian structures (for example, animal shelters). This represents a 60 per cent increase in demolitions compared to 2009.The UN reports that thus far in 2011 the Israeli authorities have demolished 96 Palestinian structures, including 32 residential buildings, in the West Bank. One hundred and seventy-five people, more than half of them children, have lost their homes.

  We have a strong record of lobbying hard on issues relating to house demolitions and settlement building and we continue to pursue this. Our embassy in Tel Aviv has further raised these issues with the Government of Israel over the past week and we have also raised these issues with the Israeli embassy in London.’

   

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