President Biden said Egypt would allow up to 20 trucks with aid through the Rafah border crossing into Gaza….reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden announced a massive humanitarian aid to war-torn Paslestine during his seven hour first ever visit by an American President to Tel Aviv, hailed as a humanitarian breakthrough but hurdles remain in reaching the aid to Palestinians in dire need.
He will address the Congress on Thursday announcing the quantum of aid and seeking the House approval.
Biden told reporters on Air-Force One on Wednesday while on his return from Tel Aviv that up to 20 trucks of aid from Egypt would be allowed into the besieged enclave in Gaza, once potholes along the road and damage from Israeli airstrikes were repaired.
Humanitarian officials however warned that a host of issues have yet to be resolved before the lives of the besieged inhabitants of Gaza are improved, media reports said.
President Biden said Egypt would allow up to 20 trucks with aid through the Rafah border crossing into Gaza.
Meanwhile, US and Israeli officials said the Gaza hospital strike appeared to come from a failed rocket launch by a terrorist group in Gaza.
More than 100 aid trucks were lined up Thursday in the Egyptian city of al-Arish, waiting for a greenlight to cross into Gaza.
But on the other side of the border, Palestinians said they struggled to understand why the initial deliveries would be so small — or how they would actually reach people.
Speaking aboard Airforce One as he departed Israel, Biden told reporters that US was cautious about any diversion of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in need at Gaza by the Hamas militants.
“If Hamas diverts or steals the assistance, they will have demonstrated once again that they have no concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people,” Biden said.
“As a practical matter, it will stop the international community from being able to provide this aid.”
Israeli tanks and troops deployed near Gaza, indicating a potential ground assault on Hamas…reports Asian Lite News
As a “ground offensive” of the besieged Gaza Strip loomed, hundreds of Israeli tanks were deployed near the border in south Israel on Thursday, waiting for the all-clear from the country’s political establishment and the military top brass.
Israeli tanks and troops mounted on armoured vehicles were deployed in the region, seeming to suggest that a ground assault on Hamas in their backyard, Gaza, could begin any time soon.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said four rockets of nine launched from Lebanese territory were intercepted, adding that several anti-tank missiles were fired from Lebanon towards Israeli forces.
The IDF added that in response to the attacks, Israeli forces targeted the site in Lebanon from where rockets were fired into Israel and also struck at Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure using tank fire.
The Israeli forces also claimed to have thwarted and dismantled a terrorist cell using a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) of the IDF.
As Israel gears up for an all-out ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, one of the biggest challenges they face is Hamas’ extensive underground tunnel network in the area. Several experts have warned that in the event of a ground offensive, Israel will lose the clear advantage it has over Hamas in terms of firepower, as it will have to fight the enemy on its terrain.
The densely populated area with a network of tunnels is likely to pose a security challenge for the IDF as it prepares for a ground assault.
An Israel Defence Forces spokesperson on Wednesday said they were striking parts of the tunnel network, but it won’t be an easy battle.
Earlier, during a joint press briefing with US President Joe Biden, Netanyahu said the crimes that the Hamas terrorists perpetrated on civilians in Israel included rape, burning, kidnapping, and targeting small children, adding that the death toll from the Hamas terror attacks stood at 1,400 and was likely to mount.
“October 7 is another day that will live in infamy,” said Netanyahu.
He reiterated President Biden’s statement that “Hamas is worse than ISIS.”
He added, “On Oct 7 Hamas murdered 1400 Israelis in a single day….October 7th, is another day that will live in infamy. Mr President, you rightly said that Hamas is worse than ISIS. The civilised world must unite to defeat Hamas.”
Additionally, The United States deployed two carrier strike groups, each consisting of an aircraft carrier, its planes, and several escort warships, which appeared to have deterred Hezbollah from attacking Israel in a major war, The New York Times reported.
According to the NYT report, quoting American officials, the US and Israeli Intelligence agencies are working to determine whether Israel’s expected ground offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip could prompt Hezbollah to launch a large-scale military campaign against Israel from Lebanon.
The US-based daily reported that the officials have assessed that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah does not want an all-out war with Israel, for fear of the damage it would do to his group and Lebanon. U.S. officials said that assessment could change as more intelligence is gathered and events unfold.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has vetoed proposals from his government of a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah, according to American officials and others briefed on the discussions.
Earlier, the US Defence Department reiterated its full support to Israel in the ongoing war on Hamas, saying that the US Secretary of Defence was in continuous touch with the Israeli authorities and leaders.
The US Department of Defence (DOD) said in a statement, “Since meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and members of the Israeli War Cabinet in Tel Aviv on Friday, Austin has remained fully engaged with the country’s leaders as the US works ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself from further attacks.”
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement, “Since leaving Israel, he has held calls with MOD Gallant … on a near daily basis and will likely have another call today”, adding, “We are working to meet Israel’s needs, which include air defence, precision-guided munitions, artillery and medical supplies.”
In addition to quickly sending military aid to Israel, the US has bolstered its presence in the region to deter further aggression.
Over the weekend, US Defence Secretary Austin directed the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to join the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean last week.
The Navy units are part of a broader bolstering of US forces in the region. Last week, the Air Force announced the deployment of F-15 and F-16 fighter squadrons and A-10 attack squadrons to the region, according to a US Department of Defence press release. (ANI)
Wennesland stressed the importance of a long-term solution to the Palestinian question…reports Asian Lite News
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, has warned of the danger of an expansion of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“I fear that we are at the brink of a deep and dangerous abyss that could change the trajectory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, if not of the Middle East as a whole,” he told an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday.
“After more than a century of conflict and over half a century of occupation, we, the international community, have failed collectively to bring the parties to a just, sustainable political resolution. The long-standing fissures run deep and extend well beyond the confines of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory,” he said.
“The risk of an expansion of this conflict is real, very very real, and extremely dangerous.”
Today’s situation is one of the most difficult moments facing the Israeli and Palestinian people in the past 75 years, and poses a devastating and clearly difficult challenge for the region and for the international community. It comes at a moment when the global institutions that are needed to respond to such a crisis are already overstretched, he added via a video link from Doha, Qatar.
Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland.(photo:Tor Wennesland Twitter)
Wennesland stressed the importance of a long-term solution to the Palestinian question, Xinhua news agency reported.
“We must not let the dynamic of the current conflict take our eyes off what I would call the day after — the day after we need to start working on now.”
First, there should be the time and space to achieve two urgent objectives: Hamas’ immediate, unconditional release of all hostages; and rapid, unrestricted access of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza. The third step must be collective efforts to end the hostilities and prevent any further expansion of the conflict in the region, he said.
There should be no miscalculation, no provocation and no retrogress in the West Bank and Lebanon, he added.
The step beyond must be down the path toward a political horizon. Ultimately, the only way to bring an end to the bloodletting and prevent any recurrence is to pave a way toward a long-term political solution, in line with UN resolutions, international law and previous agreements, Wennesland said.
“A patchwork of ad-hoc and temporary fixes, and perpetual management of conflict without addressing underlying issues is not sustainable. That has been proven in the last 11 days. What we are seeing on the ground now, all too tragically proves this to be true. What we must do now is work together as one to achieve these objectives,” he added.
President Lula asked that everything possible be done to reach a consensus that would create a humanitarian corridor….reports Asian Lite News
President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi called Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing situation in the Middle East and the release of captives held in Gaza.
According to an official statement released by Brazil government, Silva noted that there are a group of Brazilians waiting to leave the Gaza Strip near the Egyptian border, and expressed his sympathy for the women and children suffering from the fighting in the area.
The Iranian president called for an immediate end to Israeli bombings and an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
President Lula asked that everything possible be done to reach a consensus that would create a humanitarian corridor and appealed for the release of all hostages, which would be the best signal for an appeal for an end to the bombings in Gaza, according to the release.
“The most important thing is to ensure that women, children and the elderly do not suffer the consequences of those who want war,” Lula said during the conversation.
“I get sad when I see how difficult it is for poor people to build a house, a hospital. And how easily this is destroyed in war.”
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi on Tuesday issued a message for its soldiers ahead of Israel’s announcing that the preparations being made to launch a ground offensive on the Gaza Strip in retaliation to the Hamas attack on its territory.
In a message note shared on X, the IDF called the Hamas attack on Israel a “murderous surprise attack” against Israel and said that they are striking the “enemy” from air, ground and sea.
Addressing the IDF soldiers and commanders, it said on X, “
We destroyed enemy infrastructure, leadership and capabilities and caused significant damage. We will pursue and catch them everywhere and will strike them with force. We are determined and unified in our mission to protect our home and are prepared for any situation at every front. Our uncompromising responsibility is to overwhelm the enemy and restore security everywhere.”
Further highlighting the significance of the moment, the IDF chief of Staff asserted that the IDF would win the war and said that the army is trained for the mission.
“We took a hard hit and we are responsible, but now the initiative is in our hands. Every single one of you has a role in the challenges we face ahead. The war will be difficult and long and the IDF will prevail. The IDF will prevail because of our dedication to the mission, our bravery, and camaraderie. The IDF will prevail because our war is just. The IDF will prevail thanks to the might of the nation we are a part of. We will prevail because of our abilities and because we trained for this mission. We will prevail, and in everything that we do we will act according to the IDF spirit and its values” the IDF Chief of Staff said in his message to troops.
The letter read further, ” We will remember our comrades, soldiers, commanders, security forces; the rapid response teams and the civilians that bravely stormed the enemy, and courageously fought and saved many lives. They fought and paid with their lives, but their blood was not absorbed into the soil in vain; they are our legacy, and we will continue their mission.”
According to the Gaza-based Health ministry, the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza has risen to 2,750 and the number of wounded has risen to 9,700. In a previous statement, the ministry said over 750 children were among the people killed in the Israeli attacks.
Meanwhile, the Death toll in Israel from the surprise Hamas attack is now more than 1,400, according to the IDF. (ANI)
There is no doubt for Hezbollah not to feel the heat of Israeli offenses which may pressure the latter to escalate its operational tempo to a certain point of threshold….writes Anant Mishra
With Israeli Defence Forces encircling Gaza, military experts are beginning to anticipate Lebanon’s response, with escalating border clashes pointing towards skirmishes along a second front.
If the conflict prolongs, this is a possible outcome that could engulf this limited war into a full-blown regional conflict. With Hamas threatening execution of hostages as a presumed leverage, the risk to miscalculate strategic/tactical decisions are higher for both sides.
That said, the sequence of violence appears to be limited yet stable along the Blue Line – the United Nations demarcated boundary corresponding to the Lebanese southern border, which has witnessed limited shelling, with some incursions.
According to a Beirut based expert on proxy militia, key leadership of anti-Israeli groups discussed coordination and cooperation at greater levels within the groups at wider extent in the last six months between Hezbollah in Lebanon, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hamas along with other Tehran-backed groups operating in Iraq, Yemen & Syria. Hence, it is incomprehensible for Hezbollah to simply stand aside and watch Israeli defence forces intensifying their offensives against Hamas in Gaza.
There is no doubt for Hezbollah not to feel the heat of Israeli offenses which may pressure the latter to escalate its operational tempo to a certain point of threshold. If the war in Gaza escalates, Hezbollah will employ offensive manoeuvres along the thin Blue Line. It may reiterate ambush tactics against Israeli foot patrols or intensify mortar/rocket strikes targeting Shebaa Farms, a mountainous region along the Lebanese southeastern border, under Israeli occupation since 1967.
It may covertly launch rocket attacks into Israel (without taking credit, under the assumption of Hamas led attack). It may rally Tehran backed proxy militia groups to target Israel from the Syrian Golan Heights, where the group continues to enjoy certain presence.
From a preliminary appearance, Hezbollah continues to provide covert support to Hamas below a certain threshold, with an intent to avoid any escalated response from Israel. If Hezbollah escalates, a response from the Israelis could result in an ending escalated driven cycle of violence. To prevent a full-blown escalated conflict, Iran may have tied down Hezbollah’s operation to limited support.
For Tehran, Hezbollah is the most potent external proxy component with military expertise, last resort perhaps to deter against and Israeli or US offenses against Iran. It is highly unlikely for Tehran to lay resources in the hands of Hamas that too, in a limited yet escalated conflict. By the same logic, Israelis do not wish to open a second front against Lebanon, instead prioritising rescue of hostages in Gaza and eliminating leftover Hamas fighters in the region.
It is highly likely for Hezbollah to reinforce Hamas fighters in case of an Israeli ground invasion. However, if the level of violence increases and Hamas appears to be pinned against an aggressive ground force, Hezbollah may be forced to indirectly support Hamas through tactical advisers, engaging Israeli defence forces through rocket attacks, relieving some pressure on Hamas fighters.
Hamas rejects Australia’s decision of listing it as terror group
It is highly unlikely for Israeli defence forces to employ a large-scale ground and air assault in Gaza and in Lebanon, simultaneously. Even for the highly trained and state of the art technology equipped Israeli Defence Forces, employing air power alone against Hezbollah will not be sufficient, giving necessary breathing space for the Hezbollah leadership to regroup. That said, reinforcing armour with sizeable ground forces deep into Lebanese’s territory will result in a serious loss of lives, a tactical gamble. That said, conducting a joint air and ground assault in Gaza and Lebanon simultaneously, is a critical decision for Tel Aviv, especially if Hamas fighters reinforce in smaller pockets elsewhere and strike. Confrontation with Hezbollah could escalate at least on the Syrian front, forcing proxies to target inside Israel from Iraq and Yemen.
For Hezbollah, if Tehran directs its leadership to assist Hamas with full force, the organizational leadership would do so at the cost of expunging all its military arsenal or might. This could expend all available resources in its expense, plunging Lebanon into an everlasting humanitarian misery, facing backlash even from its staunch Shia proponents in the country.
Taking the note of caution employed by Israel and Hezbollah on an escalated conflict, the best scenario for confrontation could be of sustained engagement between the two actors, largely localised along southern Lebanon and northern Israel, falling short of a full-blown war. In such a situation, Hezbollah may reinforce Quds Force with Radwan Brigade to conduct cross border skirmishes—which the group specialises. This could result in Israeli Air Force targeting critical infrastructure sites in Lebanon and conducting limited armour incursion crossing the Blue Line.
To prevent such an incursion, Hezbollah may resort to mass missile attack, forcing Israeli defence forces to call for long range precision guided munitions against key launch pads. Such engagements do not qualify for traditional definition of skirmish with the potency to escalate if either of the sides makes a tactical miscalculation. That said, Israeli Defence Forces may instead employ pre-emptive rocket strikes against known Hezbollah hide outs, with an intent to wipeout any potential arsenal, neutralising threat to Israeli cities.
With Hamas unpredictable and incomprehensible attack on southern Israel and Israel’s tactical encirclement of Gaza, the Israeli-Hezbollah engagement stands probable. With Israeli Defence Forces calling for reservists on the Southern Lebanon border, it is yet to see how this war unfolds.
Moscow : Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State Council via a video conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on Tuesday, July 04, 2023.(Photo:IANS/Kremlin)
Putin, speaking after talks with Iraqi PM, criticized Washington’s conflict resolution….writes Vikas Dutta
Pushed into a corner following the Ukrainian war, Russia saw an opportunity as hostilities erupted between Hamas and Israel to hit out at its primary antagonist, with its top leadership blaming American “monopolisation” for the violence sweeping the Middle East and offering itself as a mediator between Israelis and Palestinians.
Like most of the world, save the Western powers and their allies, Russia has avoided taking a maximalist position in apportioning the blame for the new spiral of violence, while stressing that there could not be peace in the region without Palestinian statehood. Aiming at a key role itself, it also sought revival of the multilateral approach – the ‘Quartet’ – to organise negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
President Vladimir Putin, addressing the media after talks with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani earlier this week, said the ongoing crisis in the Middle East exposed Washington’s inability to resolve conflicts.
“I believe many would agree with me that it is a glaring example of the failures of the US Middle East policies. They tried to monopolise the peace settlement, but unfortunately paid no attention to searching for compromises that would be acceptable for both parties.
“Instead, Washington put pressure on both sides in an attempt to impose its own solutions on them,” he said.
The US ignored the core interests of the Palestinians – primarily creation of an independent Palestinian nation state, as outlined in UN Security Council resolutions, the Russian President said.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had suggested that the Quartet of Middle East mediators – the US, Russia, the EU, and the UN – should take a leading role in peace talks, instead of only the US.
Meanwhile, President Putin minced in no words in condemning Hamas’ “unprecedented” attack “which has never happened in history, and not only in scale, but also in the nature of its execution, in cruelty – well, what can I say? We must call things what they are”.
However, he also called out the Israeli response, “with quite brutal methods”, while urging both sides to think about the civilians despite “all the bitterness on both sides”.
Addressing a press conference on Friday after his Kyrgyzstan visit, he also termed as “unacceptable” the Israeli move to impose a total blockade on Gaza.
“More than two million people live there. Not everyone supports Hamas, by the way, not everyone, yet everyone must suffer, including women and children. Of course, hardly anyone will agree with this,” he said.
Reiterating Russia’s stance for a negotiated solution for creating an independent Palestine, he said that Russia is ready to mediate in the conflict, taking advantage of its close ties with both the Arab nations and Israel.
“Russia can (help) precisely because we have developed very good relations with Israel over the last, say, 15 years, and traditional relations with Palestine. Therefore, no one will suspect us of wanting to play along with someone. But, of course, only if someone needs our mediation. This is always done only based on an agreement between the parties,” he said.
Moscow has also offered to talk to Hamas on the Israeli hostages it has taken.
But, then Russia, in its various manifestations over the last two centuries — Tsarist, Communist, or post-Soviet — is no stranger to the Middle East.
The Crimean War of the 1850s stemmed from, amid other things, disputes between Tsarist Russia and monarchist France over responsibility for protecting rights of Christians in Palestine – then under the Ottoman Empire.
The creation of Israel in 1948 had a rather incongruous co-sponsor – Stalin, who told an American interlocutor that the only solution to the Palestinian problem post World War II as an enfeebled UK wanted to relinquish its mandate was a “Jewish state”.
Not only did the Soviet Union – as well as constituent republics of Ukraine and Byelorussia (which were UN members in their own right) and its East European satellites Poland and Czechoslovakia (the others, being on the Axis side, were not UN members yet) vote for partition of Palestine between Jews and Arabs, it also went on to indirectly funnel weapons to the nascent Jewish state which confronted five Arab armies.
However, the concord was short-lived and Soviet Russia soon became a supporter of Israel’s Arab rivals – Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Egypt, Ba’athist Syria, Iraq, Marxist South Yemen, etc. Things only changed after the Soviet Union’s end.
But, after a period, where it could not head off the US invasion of Iraq, the intervention in Libya, Russia did return to the region — with a bang.
It successfully carried out a major military intervention to support long-time ally Syria’s beleaguered President Bashar Al Assad and ensured that he regained large swathes of lost territory, went to forge close relations with Iran as well as Saudi Arabia under Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, and other regional powers like Iraq and Egypt, and is the only major power that that has links with both Hamas and Israel.
The validity of the last factor can be gauged by the outspoken response of the Israeli envoy to Russia on allegations on social media and by a section of media that Russia may have been involved in the attack and that the situation in Gaza is beneficial to it as it purportedly draws US attention away from Ukraine.
“Complete nonsense” is what Ambassador Alexander Ben Zvi had to say in an interview to a Russian daily.
Blinken will be the first top official from President Joe Biden’s administration to travel to the Jewish nation since the Hamas attack…reports Asian Lite News
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that he will travel to Israel on Wednesday “to engage with our Israeli partners directly about the situation on the ground” as the conflict with the Hamas militant group has continued for a fifth consecutive day.
In a post on X late Tuesday night, Blinken said: “Tomorrow, I will leave for Israel to engage with our Israeli partners directly about the situation on the ground and to discuss ways we can continue to support them in the fight against these terrorist attacks.
“Our support for Israel remains unwavering.”
Blinken will be the first top official from President Joe Biden’s administration to travel to the Jewish nation since the Hamas launched the unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7.
According to the State Department, Blinken “will also discuss measures to bolster Israel’s security and underscore the United States’ unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend itself”.
From Israel, he will travel to Jordan, where he will meet senior officials, it added.
So far, at least 14 Americans have been killed and some 20 others remain unaccounted for in the ensuing violence.
A Palestinian protester holds a Palestinian flag during clashes with Israeli troops. (Xinhua_Stringer_IANS)
The following is a brief synopsis of a major peace proposal that would bring about an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict under the framework of an Israeli-Palestinian- Jordanian confederation, writes Dr Alon Ben-Meir
After 73 years of conflict, regardless of the many changes on the ground, the political wind that swept the Middle East, and the intermittent violence between Israel and the Palestinians, I maintain that the Palestinians will not give up on their aspiration for statehood. Ultimately a two-state solution remains the only viable option to end their conflict.
The difference however between the framework for peace that had been discussed in the 1990s and 2000s where the focus was on establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza versus the present time is that many new, irreversible facts have been created: in particular the interspersing of the Israeli and Palestinian populations in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Israel proper; the status of Jerusalem, where both sides have a unique religious affinity; the Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the majority of which will have to remain in place; the intertwined national security concerns of Israelis and Palestinians; and the Palestinian refugees, who need to be resettled and/or compensated.
This leads me to believe that independent Israeli and Palestinian states can peacefully coexist and be sustained only through the establishment of an Israeli-Palestinian confederation that would subsequently be joined by Jordan, which has an intrinsic national interest in the solution of all conflicting issues between Israel and the Palestinians. To that end, all sides will have to fully and permanently collaborate on many levels necessitated by the above changing conditions on the ground, most of which can no longer be restored to the status quo ante.
There are two critical truths that provide the rationale behind this proposal. First, contrary to the views held by successive Israeli governments, including the Bennett government, the current conditions are not sustainable and could only make the conflict increasingly intractable and potentially explosive, with diminishing returns for both sides. Second, the US, the EU, and the Arab states feel that the continuing conflict fuels extremism, destabilizes the region, and allows outside powers such as Iran and extremist groups to exploit the situation, all of which gravely undermines their geostrategic interests.
No agreement on the establishment of a confederation, however, can be achieved and sustained unless it is preceded by a process of reconciliation of 5-7 years. All three sides need to agree from the onset that such a process will ultimately lead to the establishment of an Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian confederation. This proposal rests on six central pillars that make a confederation the only practical option to achieve permanent peace and security.
Interspersed populations
The fact that the Israelis and Palestinians are interspersed and anchored in their current places of residence makes it simply impossible to physically separate them. There are an estimated 2.77 million Palestinians and 400,000 Israelis in the West Bank, and in East Jerusalem, there are nearly 330,000 Palestinians and 215,000 Israelis who mostly live in the post-1967 Jewish neighborhoods surrounding East Jerusalem.
Under no circumstances will any current or future Israeli government evacuate a significant number of settlements. The majority of settlers (more than 80 percent), especially along the 1967 border, and the Israelis and Palestinians who live in Jerusalem both east and west, will stay in place. The interspersed population will remain a permanent factor, and only in the context of a confederation can Israel and the Palestinians maintain their independence, albeit each side will have a minority of the other residing in each other’s territory, either as full-fledged citizens or permanent residents.
Jerusalem
There will be no Israeli-Palestinian peace unless East Jerusalem becomes the capital of a Palestinian state. Given the uniqueness of the city, only full collaboration between Israel, Palestine, and Jordan under the umbrella of confederation will provide a permanent peaceful solution. There are three reasons to support this argument: First, Jerusalem is home to the Jews’ holiest shrine, the Western Wall (the outer wall of the Second Temple), the third-holiest Muslim shrines, the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock (Haram al-Sharif), and the holiest sites in Christianity within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Under no circumstances will either the Palestinians, Israel, or Jordan allow any physical change that will alter the current status quo.
Palestine Seeks UN protection
Second, the city’s infrastructure and services—roads, electrical grid, communications, and maintenance—are all fully integrated. There is simply no way that these services and the interconnectedness between the East and West sides can be altered in any significant way. Third, East Jerusalem houses the largest mixed Jewish-Arab community anywhere in the world, with roughly 330,000 Arabs and 215,000 Israelis. Neither side expects that to change under any peace agreement. As such, full collaboration between all parties become a must, and only under the umbrella of confederation will this become possible.
Security
For obvious reasons, Israel’s national security and the Palestinians’ sense of insecurity are sources of great concern to each side. Therefore, security collaboration is central to any peace agreement. Even now, there is extensive security collaboration between Israel and the Palestinian Authority as well as very close security collaboration between Israel and Jordan. All three entities seek to further buttress their national security which are interlinked and can be best achieved under the canopy of a confederation.
Borders
The final borders will be determined by mutual agreement based on the disposition of the settlements, the extent of the land swaps to compensate for the settlements that will remain beyond the Green Line (June 4th, 1967, borders), and the political line that will be established between East and West Jerusalem.
Under the framework of a confederation, the contours of the final borders will be established after a few years of reconciliation, be political, and appear on maps only. The time span of the transition from hard to soft borders will depend on the prospective interactions between the two sides on many levels, especially security, and including commercial ties, economic developments, tourism, and the nurturing of trust, which is at the heart of the process of reconciliation.
Palestinian refugees
Although the solution to the Palestinian refugee issue is not directly related to the confederation, there will be no solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict until this troublesome issue is settled with definitive efficacy and execution. The solution to the refugee issue rests then, as it always has, on compensation and/or resettlement, mostly in the West Bank, and offering compensation for those who do not choose to relocate, be they in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, or beyond.
In all previous negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, the latter agreed that the solution to the Palestinian refugee issue rest on resettlements and/or compensation, and that only a relatively small number of refugees would be able to return to Israel proper under family reunification. Under the framework of a confederation, the refugee problem will come to a proper and speedy resolution.
Process of reconciliation
Given the fact that Israelis and Palestinians have been estranged from one another, especially since the Second Intifada in 2000, and are profoundly distrustful of one another, a process of reconciliation must precede the negotiations, provided that the end game (the establishment of a confederation) is agreed upon in advance. The process of reconciliation consists of multiple government-to-government and people-to-people confidence-building measures that are central to gradually mitigate the deep animosity and distrust between the two sides over time, which cannot simply be negotiated at the negotiating table.
The establishment of a confederation will allow the parties to realize and sustain their national aspirations. Israel will be able to secure its democracy and its Jewish national identity, the Palestinians will fulfill their aspiration for statehood, and Jordan will maintain its independence and further enhance its national security. Under such conditions of peace, all three states will grow and prosper together, and create a broader regional peace.
(Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies for over 20 years.)
(The entire proposal was recently published online by World Affairs and it will be available in print in the second week of March.)
Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have flared up, causing a spate of injuries among Palestinians in the West Bank and damage in the Gaza Strip…reports Asian Lite News
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said in a statement that 85 Palestinian protesters were injured during clashes late Saturday night in the village of Burqa, north of the West Bank city of Nablus, reports Xinhua news agency.
Palestinian witnesses in the village said that the clashes erupted when a group of Israeli settlers tried to reach the settlement of Homesh, which was evacuated in 2005.
Tension between Israel and Palestine flare up
The PRCS statement added that five Palestinian protesters were shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers during clashes near the West Bank city of Qalqilya, while dozens fainted after inhaling tear gas fired by the soldiers.
Similar clashes also took place in two villages near the city of Jenin in the northern tip of the West Bank between dozens of Palestinian protestors and Israeli soldiers, leaving several protesters injured by rubber bullets and tear gas.
The Israeli army has made no immediate comment on the clashes or the Palestinian injuries.
In Gaza, Israeli fighter jets and tanks on Saturday night attacked several military posts and facilities that belong to the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in southern and northern Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian security sources.
Several explosions were heard in the two areas, and flames of fire and smoke were seen coming out from the targeted military posts, the sources said, adding that damage was caused but no injuries were reported.
The Israeli strikes and bombing came in response to the earlier firing of two rockets from the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning, which landed on the shores of southern Israel, causing no damage or injuries.
Israel has accused Hamas militants of launching the two rockets, but no one has claimed responsibility yet.
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland told the Security Council that no progress has been made towards the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict…reports Asian Lite News
Political stagnation is “fueling tensions, instability and a deepening sense of hopelessness,” Wennesland said on Tuesday. “We should have no illusions about the current state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” describing a situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) that continues to deteriorate, with no progress towards the two-state solution, Xinhua news agency reported.
He painted a picture of a situation that is “increasingly desperate” defined by extremists and unilateral actions on all sides, which heightens risks for Palestinians, Israelis, and the region at large.
Tor Wennesland
“Israeli and Palestinian civilians are suffering and paying a steep price for the persistence of the conflict, including the protracted occupation,” said Wennesland.
In the meantime, settlement activity, evictions, Palestinian property seizures, and movement restrictions are “further feeding the cycle of violence” as Israeli civilians are killed and injured in Palestinian attacks.
In his report, the UN envoy described “nightly clashes” between Israelis and Palestinians, and stressed the importance of holding all perpetrators of violence accountable and swiftly bringing them to justice.
Wennesland highlighted Israeli plans for construction in E1, located adjacent to and northeast of East Jerusalem, saying that these units would “sever the connection between the northern and southern West Bank, significantly undermining the chances for establishing a viable and contiguous Palestinian state as part of a negotiated two-state solution.”
“I reiterate that all settlements are illegal under international law and remain a substantial obstacle to peace,” he insisted.
In “a welcome development,” the special coordinator said that Israeli and Palestinian officials had announced that some 4,000 undocumented Palestinians in the West Bank would be registered in the Palestinian population registry and receive identity documents.
Meanwhile, as expenditures exceed revenues and donor support, Palestine’s economic decline continues, with bank loan options “exhausted.”
He voiced concern that “these negative trends are occurring simultaneously across the West Bank and Gaza” and should not be left unaddressed.
“We can no longer lurch from crisis to crisis… incident by incident, on a short-term day-to-day basis as stand-alone issues,” he said, calling for a “broader package of parallel steps” by Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the international community that addresses the “key political, security and economic challenges” that are barring progress.
