Palestine has condemned the current Israeli government’s position of rejecting the two-state solution…reports Asian Lite News
Palestine has condemned the current Israeli government’s position of rejecting the two-state solution and its attempts to undermine any opportunity to establish a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the position of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman “is part of the unilateral Israeli measures that aim at liquidating the Palestinian cause”.
Palestine condemns Israeli opposition to 2-state solution
The statement added that the Israeli officials blame the Palestinian leadership under false pretexts “to hide their ambitions of expanding settlements on the lands of the state of Palestine”.
Accusing Bennett of being “an enemy of peace”, the statement said that “he (Bennett) represents the stances of the settlers, their councils, and their organisations, which lead to incitement campaigns against the Palestinian people”.
“The Israeli incitement is a political war and an aggression against the Palestinian people, against their legitimate rights and against their leadership,” it said, adding that “this policy will have an impact on the process of solving the conflict”.
It called on the UN Security Council and the International Quartet, which comprises Russia, the US, the European Union and the UN, “to bear their legal and moral responsibilities towards the percussion of the Israeli political stances”.
Direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, which were sponsored by the US and lasted for nine months, stopped in 2014 following deep disagreements on Israeli settlement and the recognition of establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 border.
Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are claimed by the Palestinians, in the 1967 Middle East war and has controlled them ever since.
The Jewish settlements are considered a violation of international law by most of the international community.
It takes bold US leadership to effect a change in the Israeli-Palestinian discourse, and Biden may well be the right president at the right time that will ultimately serve the Israelis as much if not more than the Palestinians, writes Dr Alon Ben-Meir
The summit between President Biden and Prime Minister Bennett came at a time of tremendous political complications and uncertainty that occupied both leaders. Despite the turmoil, they appear to have agreed upon a few important issues in essence: halting the building of new housing units and eviction of Palestinians from their homes in the West Bank, maintaining the status quo, and collaborating on addressing the Iranian nuclear program. Neither sought to delve into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which Bennett wants only to manage and Biden does not want to be sunk into regardless of the mid and long-term dangerous implications of doing next to nothing.
Instead, both leaders wanted to focus on establishing a personal rapport and demonstrate the enduring strength of the American-Israeli friendship, while agreeing to fully consult in dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat. In all, both were happy with the outcome of the meeting by achieving in principle what they set out to realize.
It would have certainly been premature for Bennett and Biden to discuss a new Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiation. The fact however that they have not laid down a path that could at least lead to such eventuality is extremely troublesome. This will dangerously erode further the conditions on the ground, harden the position of the extremists on both sides, and make the prospect of a two-state solution ever more intractable and costly.
The fact that the Israeli coalition government agreed from the onset not to tackle the conflict with the Palestinians was a bizarre agreement totally inconsistent with the inescapable need to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. President Biden’s strategic omission not to publicly declare his traditional support for two states during his press conference with Bennett was deeply disturbing to senior Palestinian officials with whom I spoke. This was coupled with Bennett’s statement to the New York Times only two days before his meeting with Biden that he opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state. His statement only reinforced the Palestinians’ belief that Israel will not allow the establishment of a Palestinian state, and they are looking for the Biden administration to change the course of the conflict.
Given that Biden strongly supports the two-state solution, he can take several unilateral measures to convey to both Israelis and Palestinians where his administration stands. Such measures will certainly be welcomed by the Palestinians and irk the Israelis—and to those who argue that this is not the right time to do so, then when is the right time? After 73 years, this will be a good time as any.
It takes however bold US leadership to effect a change, and Biden may well be the right president at the right time that will ultimately serve the Israelis as much if not more than the Palestinians. There are specific steps that Biden can take that will help lay the groundwork for a future substantive peace negotiation that could lead to a resolution to the conflict.
Reestablish the PLO mission in DC
President Biden should allow the Palestinian Authority to reestablish its mission in DC. This would immediately open a channel of communication which is central to the development of a dialogue between the US and the PA. This will also send a clear signal to the Palestinians that the new administration is truly keen on turning the page and starting a new dialogue without prejudices.
Reopen the American Consulate in Jerusalem
Reopening the American Consulate in Jerusalem, particularly reestablishing it in East Jerusalem, will serve as a point of contact for Palestinians, and will also send a message to the Palestinian Authority that the future of Jerusalem has not yet been settled, which is consistent with Trump’s Peace to Prosperity plan that left the final borders of Jerusalem to be determined by agreement from both sides. Opening the consulate will allow Palestinians to be in more regular contact with the United States and open a forum for exchanging views, but will also restore Palestinian confidence in the US under Biden and allow him to play a more constructive role.
Resume financial aid
It was essential that the Biden administration restored financial aid to the Palestinians, which had been suspended by Trump. Given that aid has been abused in the past, however, it should have clear guidelines on its use, with monitoring from a US observer to ensure that the money is spent on the programs and projects for which it is intended. The continuing financial aid will not only help the Palestinian Authority address its acute financial shortages but allow it to invest in some development projects that can provide jobs especially to the youth, of whom more than 30 percent are unemployed.
Prohibit territorial annexation and settlement expansion
Biden should make it clear to Bennett that Israel must not annex any Palestinian territories and must temporarily freeze the expansion of settlements. In addition, he should insist that Israel not legalize unauthorized settlements and refrain from evicting any Palestinians, especially from East Jerusalem. Taken together, the Israelis’ adherence to these requirements will help foster a calm atmosphere which is critical to a process of reconciliation that includes government-to-government and people-to-people interactions to foster trust and confidence that a better future for the Palestinians lays ahead.
New parliamentary and presidential elections
Given that no election has been held by the Palestinians in over 15 years, Biden should demand that the Palestinian Authority establish an iron clad date for general elections. The election should be monitored by UN representatives to ensure that it is free and fair, and all those seeking high office must commit themselves to accept the outcome of the elections. The Palestinians are in desperate need of new leadership untainted by corruption and not wedded to prior hard positions that left no room for compromises.
Reciprocity by the Palestinians
In return for these measures that considerably benefit the Palestinians, Biden should require the Palestinians to take numerous steps to demonstrate their commitment to a peaceful solution. This includes ending any and all forms of incitement against Israel, fully collaborating with Israel on all security matters, and providing no protection to any violent Palestinian extremist.
It is understandable that Biden is preoccupied with the raging pandemic, Iran’s looming nuclear threat, and daily confrontations with Republicans over climate change, voting rights, and sweeping social programs, to name a few issues. Nevertheless, he can take the above modest measures to dramatically change the course of the conflict for the sake of bringing a gradual end to the longest conflict in modern times.
As the most seasoned president, Biden understands the pitfalls of a long and protracted conflict. The war in Afghanistan provided him a glaring and painful example of how much can go wrong, yet he was still right and courageous to finally end it. Biden is right not to push for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, but he can demonstrate the same courage and leadership to change the course of the conflict that will eventually lead to a peaceful coexistence.
(Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed concern over the most recent round of violence…reports Asian Lite News
.United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for the full respect of the ceasefire agreed between Israel and the Islamic Hamas movement which brought an end to the 11-day bloodshed in Gaza Strip late last month.
Responding to a question about the Secretary-General’s reaction to Tuesday’s escalating violence, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres, said at a regular press briefing on Wednesday that the UN chief “expresses concern over the most recent round of violence”, reports Xinhua news agency.
Haq added that Guterres “would like to see the cessation of hostilities be maintained and solidified in order to give space for the relevant parties to work out arrangements to stabilize the situation”.
The Israeli army said on Wednesday that it had carried out the first airstrike in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire which came into effect on May 21.
Thick smoke rises above buildings in Gaza City, following several Israeli airstrikes. (Photo Mohammed Talatene_dpa_IANS)
In the overnight attack, Israeli war jets struck military compounds belonging to Hamas in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, the military said in a statement.
The statement accused Hamas of being responsible “for all events transpiring in the Gaza Strip” and warned that the group “will bear the consequences for its actions”.
“The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is prepared for any scenario, including a resumption of hostilities, in the face of continuing terror activities from the Gaza Strip,” the statement read.
Hundreds of Israeli ultra-nationalists marched on Tuesday in East Jerusalem, waving Israeli flags.
Some of them chanted “Death to Arabs” and other anti-Arab slurs.
Militants in Gaza responded to the march by launching “arson balloons” that caused at least 13 fires in southern Israel.
The resolution was voted on last week, and passed with 24 countries voting in favour, nine against and 14 abstaining…reports Asian Lite News.
The Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister has expressed “concern” with India over its decision to abstain from a UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution that called for a probe into alleged crimes committed during Israel’s 11-day offensive in the Gaza Strip.
In a letter addressed to India’s minister of external affairs, S Jaishankar, Riyad al-Maliki said he was concerned by the position taken by India at the rights council’s special session last week.
“The Republic of India missed an opportunity to join the international community at this turning point, [both] crucial and long overdue on the path to accountability, justice and peace,” Maliki wrote in the letter, which was sent on Sunday but made public on Wednesday.
“Your abstention stifles the important work of the human rights council at advancing human rights for all peoples, including those of the Palestinian people.”
Palestinian Territories, Gaza city: Fire billows from a building hit by an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip, amid the escalating flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence(Photo: Mahmoud Khattab/Quds Net News via ZUMA Wire/dpa/IANS)
The resolution was voted on last week, and passed with 24 countries voting in favour, nine against and 14 abstaining. Other countries that abstained included the Bahamas; Brazil; Denmark; Fiji; France; Italy; Japan; Nepal; the Netherlands; Poland; South Korea; Togo; and Ukraine.
The resolution, which appoints a commission of inquiry to investigate possible war crimes and other abuses, was drafted after resistance against Israel’s attempts to forcibly evict Palestinian families from their homes in occupied East Jerusalem led to an Israeli aerial bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip last month, which killed around 250 Palestinians, including at least 67 children.
Israel’s foreign ministry said the country would not cooperate with the probe, deeming it a bid to “whitewash crimes committed by the terror organization Hamas”.
In the letter, Maliki said the UN resolution was “not an aberration to the human rights council” but rather a result of years of “thorough investigations into and reporting on Israel’s grave violations” by states, UN experts, human rights bodies and international organisations.
The “root causes of the injustice that befell the Palestinian people, the decades-long dispossession, displacement, colonization, oppression of the Palestinian people and the denial and violation of their every human rights by Israel, the occupying power, must be prioritized,” Malki continued, adding that, without accountability, “the situation will not only remain volatile but will continue deteriorating with far-reaching and grave repercussions”.
Growing India, Israel ties
India’s refusal to participate in the resolution comes as its relationship with Israel becomes increasingly close.
Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took office in 2014, went so far as to urge the Palestinian leadership to accept former US President Donald Trump’s controversial Middle East plan, which was considered heavily biased in favour of Israel and was fully rejected by the Palestinians.
At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted that “between Israel and India, a deep friendship has emerged”.
The Modi government has also sent troops and police to Israel for special training, and in recent years has become one of the largest buyers of Israeli weaponry, in deals thought to be worth around $1bn annually. India also reportedly signed a secretive defence deal with Israel last year, to the tune of $200m.
Formerly a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, the Indian government did not establish full diplomatic relations with Israel until 1992. It voted against the creation of Israel at the United Nations General Assembly in 1947 on several grounds, including opposition to settler colonialism and the creation of a government based on religion.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh delivers a speech in Gaza City, on Jan. 23, 2018. The Islamic Hamas movement called on Tuesday for Palestinian national conference to discuss a new Palestinian strategy. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh stressed in a televised speech the need for a new strategy that addresses the U.S. and Israeli declaration aimed at striking the Palestinian issue. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar/IANS)
Jamaat chief Sirajul Haq and other senior leaders of the party also addressed the rally where the participants chanted slogans of “Death to Israel”…reports Asian Lite News
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh has urged the Islamic nations to forge strategic partnerships to fight for seizing control of Muslim lands across the world.
Pakistani newspapers reported that in a recorded speech played in a Jamaat-i-Islami rally in Peshawar on Sunday, Haniyeh urged the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan government to support the Palestinian cause with concrete actions. The rally was organised in support of Hamas and Palestine.
Jamaat chief Sirajul Haq and other senior leaders of the party also addressed the rally where the participants chanted slogans of “Death to Israel” and “We are ready to sacrifice our lives to liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque”, the Dawn newspaper reported.
“I hope Prime Minister Imran Khan would take practical steps for supporting the cause of Palestine,” Haniyeh said, urging the Muslim countries to establish strategic partnerships to get complete control over Al-Quds in Jerusalem.
In response to Haniyeh’s appeal, Jamaat chief Sirajul Haq endorsed him and said that the “existing circumstances have proved that the issue of Palestine and Kashmir could not be resolved through resolutions”.
“Time has come to move forward to liberate Palestine and Kashmir from the clutches of Israel and India,” Haq said.
“A small group of Afghan Talibans defeated the US allied forces in Afghanistan while the Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia having a 7.4 million strong army, are unable to deter the Israeli aggression,” Dawn quoted Haq as saying at the rally.
No one should have the illusion that once a ceasefire is established, Israel and the Palestinians should or can negotiate a peace agreement. Given the decades-long deep hatred and distrust, a process of reconciliation must precede such negotiations to achieve an enduring peace, writes Dr Alon Ben-Meir
Since a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians has been agreed upon, there are those who advocate that peace negotiations between the two sides should commence immediately to prevent future conflagration and bring an end to the destructive seven-decades-old conflict. I could not disagree more. Whereas a peace agreement based on a two-state solution must eventually be the outcome, no agreement can be reached unless it is preceded by a process of reconciliation for a period of at least five years to mitigate the ingrained hatred and distrust between them. Such a process would consist of multiple measures that run simultaneously on government-to- government and people-to-people levels, which can accelerate and enhance the implementation of the reconciliation process.
There are several preconditions upon which Israel must agree to allow reconciliation to advance unimpeded. This includes: no further annexation of a single inch of Palestinian territory, no expanding settlements beyond their established parameters, and maintaining the current status quo of Jerusalem.
Govt-to-govt reconciliatory measures
Halting the mutually acrimonious public narrative: Israeli and Palestinian leaders must stop their acrimonious public narratives against each other. Indeed, rather than preparing the public for the inevitability of peace and engaging in constructive public dialogue, they have been poisoning the political atmosphere and setting one side against the other, creating the perception that peace is an illusion and that the differences between them are simply irreconcilable.
Establishing an economic relationship: Israelis and Palestinians must develop a strong economic relationship. Other than trade, Israeli investors should be encouraged to invest in the future Palestinian state. Economic exchanges, investment, and development will foster a very close relationship between the two sides.
Modifying school textbooks: Israel and the Palestinians must modify their textbooks to reflect an objectively more accurate and less biased historic account throughout their educational institutions. Both sides must stop disseminating inaccurate historic accounts in their textbooks and reinforce that through their public discourse.
Taking no provocative action: The Palestinians should not turn to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to charge Israel with crimes against humanity, and must prevent any terrorist attack against Israeli targets. Israel on the other hand must not unduly restrict the movement of Palestinians, and must stop the practice of night raids and end the demolition and/or eviction of Palestinians from their residences anywhere, and especially in East Jerusalem.
Maintaining security cooperation: Israel and the Palestinians should not only continue to collaborate on all security matters but further augment future cooperation. Alleviating concerns over security will have both psychological and practical implications, especially as both sides move toward substantive peace talks.
People-to-people measures on the ground
As the above measures are taken, people-to-people interaction becomes a natural process conducted in a constantly improving atmosphere. The following measures are being pursued today on a small scale and should be greatly expanded.
i) Mutual visitation: Israel and the Palestinian Authority must agree to allow mutual visitation. It is hard to exaggerate the value of such visits when ordinary Israelis and Palestinians meet in their respective places of residence to share experiences and understand each other’s grievances and concerns, and often discover that their shared interests and aspirations are far greater than their differences.
ii) Women activism: Activism by Israeli and Palestinian women can be a very important part of the reconciliation process. Israeli and Palestinian women should use their formidable power to demand that their respective leaders end the conflict. The role of women in ending the conflict in Northern Ireland offers a vivid picture of how women can impact the course of events.
iii) Joint sporting events: Sports are an incredibly useful tool in building camaraderie and friendship between the two sides, whether competing against each other or as part of a joint team. Football, basketball, and other sports teams can meet alternately in Israel and Palestine to train and compete, and together they can cheer the generous spirit of the game where the victory is the game itself, not the final score.
iv) Student interaction: Palestinian and Israeli students should connect with one another and talk about their aspirations and hopes for the future. Israeli and Palestinian youth should be taught that they are destined to peacefully coexist and be encouraged to use social media to communicate with each other, as the future rests in their hands.
v) Art exhibitions: There are scores of Israeli and Palestinian artists who have never met or delved into each other’s feelings and mindset to see how their works reflect their lives. Joint exhibitions should take place both in Israel and Palestine. These cultural exchanges can expand to include music festivals, theater performances, and other forms of art.
vi) Public discourse: Universities, think tanks, and other learning institutions should organize roundtable discussions on the inevitability of coexistence and how both sides can remove the barriers to make it not only inevitable but desirable. Such small enclaves can be disseminated online to millions of people, including Israelis and Palestinians, instantly.
vii) Forums to discuss conflicting issues: Joint forums should be established, consisting of qualified Israelis and Palestinians with varied academic and personal experiences who enjoy respect in their field, are independent thinkers, hold no formal position in their respective governments, and have thorough knowledge of the conflicting issues.
viii) The role of the media: Instead of focusing almost solely on violence and acrimonious charges and counter-charges which make headlines, Israeli and Palestinian media should also be encouraged to report on positive developments between the two sides to inform the people that the bilateral relations are not all discouraging. In addition, journalist exchange programs will bring reporters to the field on the other side, where they can see and report on the reality free of political propaganda and bias.
The conflagration between Israel and Hamas, which has caused massive destruction and terrible loss of life, especially among the Palestinians, should remind everyone that this round of hostilities, like all previous ones, will not be the last. Both sides must come to their senses and realize that they must find a way to coexist peacefully, because the alternative is more wars and bloodshed. To achieve a lasting agreement will be impossible given the current hostile atmosphere, which is laden with profound hatred and mistrust. A process of reconciliation first becomes central to achieving an enduring peace.
The US with the strong backing of the EU and the Arab states must use their leverage to pressure both sides to fully adhere to such a process and demonstrate that they are keen on seeking peace or face serious consequences. Otherwise, any new peace talks will be nothing but an exercise in futility.
(Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, following 11 days of escalating tension between the two sides on the Gaza Strip, reports Asian Lite News
Both Israel and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, have accepted an Egyptian-brokered deal to cease fighting at 2 a.m. (Friday local time) to end the 11-day bloodshed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the Israeli security cabinet approved on Thursday night the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The decision came after a 2.5-hour discussion and was “unanimously” approved by the ministers, according to the office’s statement.
“The political echelon emphasizes that the reality on the ground will determine the continuation of the military campaign,” the statement noted.
Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh was informed of the timing of the truce by Egypt, Hamas spokesman in Gaza Hazem Qassem said.
Smoke billows following an Israeli airstrike on Jala Tower, which housed offices of Al-Jazeera TV and Associated Press as well as residential apartments, in Gaza City. (Photo by Rizek AbdeljawadXinhuaIAN
The Egyptian mediator informed Hamas that Israel had agreed to a mutual ceasefire, “and therefore we also agreed to the ceasefire,” a Hamas source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
“We have obtained guarantees from the mediators that the aggression on Gaza will stop,” Hamas leader in Lebanon Osama Hamdan told the news website Al Resala.
Taher al-Nouno, the media advisor of Haniyeh in Gaza, said the Palestinian armed resistance will be committed to the agreement as long as the Israeli side is.
Israel has been launching massive raids on the Palestinian enclave with airstrikes, artillery shellings and drone attacks since May 10, in response to the rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza to retaliate for Israel’s violation of the sacred Islamic holy site of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
This is the heaviest fighting between Israel and Gaza militants since 2014, which has so far killed 232 Palestinians, including 65 children and 39 women, and 12 Israelis.
Egypt, which has been leading the international mediation to end the Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed, will send two security delegations to Israel and Palestine to ensure the implementation of the truce, Egypt’s official MENA news agency reported Thursday.
“Cairo will send two security delegations to Tel Aviv and the Palestinian territories to follow up the implementation procedures,” the report said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday welcomed the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, following 11 days of escalating tension between the two sides on the Gaza Strip.
“I welcome the ceasefire between Gaza and Israel, after 11 days of deadly hostilities,” Guterres told reporters a few minutes before the ceasefire took effect at 2 a.m. on Friday.
Guterres extended his deepest condolences to all the victims of the violence, and their loved ones, across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
“I commend Egypt and Qatar for the efforts carried out, in close coordination with the UN, to help restore calm to Gaza and Israel,” he said, calling on all sides to observe the ceasefire.
Guterres said it was essential for the wider international community to work with the UN, and develop “an integrated, robust package of support for a swift, sustainable reconstruction and recovery, that supports the Palestinian people and strengthens their institutions”.
Leaders in Israel and Palestine have a responsibility “beyond the restoration of calm, to start a serious dialogue to address the root causes of the conflict”, he said.
Describing Gaza as an “integral part of the future Palestinian state”, he said no effort should be spared to bring about “real national reconciliation that ends the division”.
Guterres underscored the UN’s “deep commitment” to working with Israelis and Palestinians, and with all international and regional partners, including through the Middle East Quartet, “to return to the path of meaningful negotiations to end the occupation and allow for the realization of a two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 lines, UN resolutions, international law and mutual agreements”.
Stabilizing the ceasefire is the immediate priority, he added.
The EU has thus been prevented from taking a common position on the escalating Middle East conflict…reports Asian Lite News.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s (EU) foreign policy chief, called on Tuesday for the “immediate cessation of all violence and implementation of a ceasefire” between Israel and Palestine.
At a press briefing after the EU foreign ministers’ video conference on the Middle East situation on Tuesday afternoon, Borrell cited a statement backed by 26 member states but blocked by Hungary’s veto as Budapest supports Israel, Xinhua reported.
The EU has thus been prevented from taking a common position on the escalating Middle East conflict.
“The purpose (of the call for a ceasefire) is to protect civilians and to give full humanitarian access in Gaza,” Borrell said. He added that the violence in the past few days has led to a high number of civilian casualties, including children and women.
“We condemn the rocket attacks by Hamas and other terrorist groups on the Israeli territory, and we fully support Israel’s right to defense, but we have also considered and stated that this has to be done in a proportionate manner and respecting international humanitarian law,” Borrell said.
He said that the security of Israel and Palestine requires a true political solution because only that could bring peace.
He called for reopening the political process, exploring reengagement between the conflicting parties, developing confidence-building measures and improving the living standard of the people in order to open a path towards a potential launching of the peace process, which has been in a stalemate for too long.
The United Nations’ casualty count from hostilities in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel has showed 256 people dead – including 69 children and an Israeli soldier – and thousands of people injured.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said 219 Palestinians, including 63 children, were killed in Gaza. In the West Bank, 25 Palestinian deaths were tallied, including four children. Israeli sources reported 12 people killed, including two children and a soldier. Thousands of people are injured, mainly in the West Bank and in Gaza.
The hostilities shuttered six hospitals and nine primary healthcare centres in Gaza. Damage from a nearby airstrike halted Covid-19 testing at the Gaza Central Laboratory, the UN humanitarians reported. A non-governmental organization hospital stopped functioning because of fuel shortages.
Electric power in Gaza dropped, on average, to just three to four hours a day due to feeder line damage, OCHA said.
The World Food Programme reported giving out electronic vouchers to 74,000 people in Gaza as of Monday.
Humanitarian partners were assessing the damage to homes and prioritizing repair support.
Palestinian Territories, Gaza city: Fire billows from a building hit by an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip, amid the escalating flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence(Photo: Mahmoud Khattab/Quds Net News via ZUMA Wire/dpa/IANS)
The UN refugee agency for Palestinians, known as UNRWA, said it provides for the displaced in designated areas water, sanitation, hygiene services for the displaced and electric generators.
On Tuesday, the Israelis allowed several fuel trucks crossing through the Kerem Shalom to power electrical generators but held back additional humanitarian vehicles for security reasons.
The decision on ceasfire came after a 2.5-hour discussion and was “unanimously” approved by the ministers…reports Asian Lite News
Both Israel and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, have accepted an Egyptian-brokered deal to cease fighting at 2 a.m. (Friday local time) to end the 11-day bloodshed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the Israeli security cabinet approved on Thursday night the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Xinhua reported.
The decision came after a 2.5-hour discussion and was “unanimously” approved by the ministers, according to the office’s statement.
Jerusalem, Sept. 13, 2020 (Xinhua) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a briefing on COVID-19 pandemic in Israel at his office in Jerusalem, on Sept. 13, 2020. Israel will reimpose a nationwide lockdown for three weeks, beginning on Friday, to slow a rapid resurgence of coronavirus infections, the government decided on Sunday. (Yoav Dudkevitch/JINI via Xinhua/IANS)
“The political echelon emphasizes that the reality on the ground will determine the continuation of the military campaign,” the statement noted.
Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh was informed of the timing of the truce by Egypt, Hamas spokesman in Gaza Hazem Qassem said.
The Egyptian mediator informed Hamas that Israel had agreed to a mutual ceasefire, “and therefore we also agreed to the ceasefire,” a Hamas source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
“We have obtained guarantees from the mediators that the aggression on Gaza will stop,” Hamas leader in Lebanon Osama Hamdan told the news website Al Resala.
Taher al-Nouno, the media advisor of Haniyeh in Gaza, said the Palestinian armed resistance will be committed to the agreement as long as the Israeli side is.
Smoke billows following an Israeli airstrike on Jala Tower, which housed offices of Al-Jazeera TV and Associated Press as well as residential apartments, in Gaza City. (Photo by Rizek AbdeljawadXinhuaIAN
Israel has been launching massive raids on the Palestinian enclave with airstrikes, artillery shellings and drone attacks since May 10, in response to the rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza to retaliate for Israel’s violation of the sacred Islamic holy site of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
This is the heaviest fighting between Israel and Gaza militants since 2014, which has so far killed 232 Palestinians, including 65 children and 39 women, and 12 Israelis.
Egypt, which has been leading the international mediation to end the Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed, will send two security delegations to Israel and Palestine to ensure the implementation of the truce, Egypt’s official MENA news agency reported Thursday.
“Cairo will send two security delegations to Tel Aviv and the Palestinian territories to follow up the implementation procedures,” the report said.
Smoke billows following an Israeli airstrike on Jala Tower, which housed offices of Al-Jazeera TV and Associated Press as well as residential apartments, in Gaza City. (Photo by Rizek AbdeljawadXinhuaIAN
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict will never be settled through violence. Both sides must wake up and decide whether to chart a new path leading to a mutually gratifying peace or continue a self-consuming conflict that leaves nothing but equally shattered people living in constant horror and fear, writes Dr Alon Ben-Meir
The ongoing, bloody Israeli-Palestinian conflagration offers yet another bitter reminder that there is no escape from a tragic reality that both have created and shaped. This is a reality bursting with hatred, vindictiveness, and venom, as both sides failed to reconcile seventy-three years of enmity despite the inevitability of coexistence. They must choose between peace, security, and progress, or cling to their illusion that they can rid themselves of the other, only to find out the weight of the price and the untold suffering and pain they will endure. It is time to finally face the truth, as the current gory hostilities will offer just another prelude for more to come. Thousands upon thousands of Israelis and Palestinians will die meaningless deaths for no reason but their leaders’ moral decadence and illusions.
An immediate ceasefire must now be brokered, not only for the sake of sparing more destruction and death, but for creating an atmosphere for the resumption of peace talks, to which both sides must commit—and commit now—to seek a peace agreement based on a two-state solution. Otherwise, the current conflagration will only broaden the vicious cycle of wanton violence, further contaminating the festering wounds from which generations have suffered. Both sides failed to right their wrongs, clinging to falsehoods and an alternate reality while their people ending up paying the price.
Israeli leaders on the right have successfully portrayed the Palestinians as irredeemable foes to be suspected, castigated, and contained, as they presumably pose an existential danger. They brainwash the Israeli Jews to believe that only right-of-center policies offer everlasting security, prosperity, and growth and would quell any Palestinian resistance or threats of terror. Instead of seeking an end to the current hostilities and restoring calm, nearly every single leader of the plethora of political parties advocated more forceful counter-attacks to inflict as much damage and loss of human life among the Palestinians. They want to demonstrate their bravado, lest they be accused of being soft on terror, if not traitors, but they are cowards for caving in rather than mustering the courage and daring to speak the truth.
For the past decade, not a single Israeli party, especially Netanyahu and his Likud, has brought the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the fore in earnest, pretending as if there is no Palestinian problem. The occupation became a normal state of being, and Israelis resigned themselves to a state of no war and no peace as the best suitable solution to prevent the Palestinians from establishing a state of their own.
Suppressing the Palestinians and making their lives miserable was the unspoken motto behind a malicious campaign to force as many Palestinians to leave in order to quench their voracious lust to seize Palestinian land. Forced evictions, night raids, unlawful incarceration, uprooting trees, and house demolitions became routine–commonplace–while they exploited Palestinian resistance to justify their bigoted policy, oblivious that they must coexist with the very people they loathe, despise, reject, and denounce.
Palestinian leaders, moderate or extremist, do not fare any better. They betrayed their people, misleading them to believe that the day of liberation was near. They promised the right of return, knowing it will never be realized, using the refugees as hostages to serve their interest and hunger for power. Plagued with division, fierce rivalry and corruption became the hallmark of the Palestinian leadership. Instead of building a nation in which they can take pride, they squander every opportunity to make peace and end their peoples’ ever-debilitating plight.
They poison their public with cruel falsities, linking their salvation to Israel’s destruction. Seventy-three years later, the refugees continue to languish in despicable camps while Israel became a global power. To this day, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and their like continue to preach the gospel of Israel’s imminent destruction, when their own ruin is hanging on Israel’s whims.
I challenge every Palestinian to show me under what circumstance will the right of return come to fruition, when resettlement and/or compensation offers the only solution? I challenge every Israeli to show me how Israel can force the Palestinians to abandon their right to make East Jerusalem the capital of their future state. I challenge every Palestinian to show me how they can force Israel to relinquish most of the settlements in the West Bank. I challenge every Israeli to show me how they can maintain the occupation indefinitely without unending violence and disastrous uprisings.
I challenge every Israeli and Palestinian to show me, is there a way out of coexistence? The interdispersement of Israeli and Palestinian populations in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Israel proper is not a choice, but an unshakable fact. They must either cooperate and collaborate, and live-in harmony, security, and peace, or continue to kill each other, leaving no winners but losers. Hopelessness, despair, and the next bloody conflagration will await them around the corner.
It’s time for the United States to warn both sides that this endemic conflict must come to an end. President Biden must seize the unfolding tragedy and seek a breakthrough where his predecessors have failed. It must begin with a reconciliation process for a determined period of time with the objective of reaching a lasting peace. The Saudis must be enlisted to entice Israel with normalization, and encourage it to end the occupation. At the same time, the Saudis must persuade the Palestinians that their aspiration for a state depends on their forsaking the use of force.
The solution is there for all to see, provided that both sides negotiate in good faith. US and Saudi mediation will be essential until both sides reach an equitable solution. It is a call that Biden must make, forcing the Israelis and Palestinians to wake up to the only reality and not deprive another generation of living in peace that has tragically eluded three generations before.
(Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.)
