Opinion Editorials, July 2013

Al-Jazeerah, CCUN, July 29, 2013

From a letter in Hebrew by the Israeli Prime minister Netanyahu to the Israeli Jewish public explaining things:

“From time to time, prime ministers are called on to make decisions that go against public opinion – when the matter is important for the country. In order to make decisions that are supported by the public, there is no need for prime ministers. At the present time, it seems to me that it is very important for the State of Israel to enter into a diplomatic process.

This is important both in order to exhaust the chance of ending the conflict with the Palestinians and in order to establish Israel’s position in the complex international reality around us. The major changes in our region – in Egypt, Syria and in Iran – not only place challenges before the State of Israel but they also create considerable opportunities for us. 

For these reasons, I believe that it is important for the State of Israel to enter a diplomatic process that will continue for at least nine months – in order to check if it is possible to reach an agreement with the Palestinians during this time. But even with all of the importance that I ascribe to the diplomatic process, I was not prepared to accept the Palestinians’ demands for withdrawals and freezes (on settlement construction), as preconditions for entering negotiations.

Neither was I prepared to accept their demand to release Palestinian prisoners before the start of negotiations. I did agree to release 104 Palestinians in stages after the start of the negotiations and in accordance with the circumstances of their progress.”

***

This is the same Netanyahu who also explained (when he thought no cameras were around) how he prevented implementation of the very minor withdrawal required under Oslo.  

Of course, President Abu Mazen whose term in office has long expired is not willing to respond to this letter to explain to us why he lied to us (about not going back to negotiations without a freeze on the illegal Israeli settlement construction). He will not explain to us why he will not have real elections for the PLO National Council.  

He will not explain to us why he put his position and large entourage ahead of interests of 7 million Palestinian refugees and the sacrifices of 70,000 martyrs. But he and his media are busy now taking a side in Egypt and Syria repeating the same mistake that select Hamas leaders did (with the brotherhood, while some Hamas leaders refused to do so and wanted to remain close to Syria and Iran).  

The failure of those leaders of Fat'h and Hamas to really understand the geopolitical landscape is astounding.  By contrast, here is Yasser Arafat visiting Iran days after the 1979 revolution and praising the Iranian revolution and before he decided to go along with the regimes he used to call collaborative:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65xpvmCsm-c 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2_vXUN4Ldg  (more clear in Arabic)

European Investment Bank to stop loans to ‘virtually all’ major Israeli businesses and public bodies (due to ties with the settlement enterprises)

 http://www.bdsmovement.net/2013/eu-guidelines-press-release-11211

'Ya'alon orders freeze in permits for EU projects in West Bank'

 http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Yaalon-orders-freeze-in-permits-for-EU-projects-in-West-Bank-321084

[And will the EU show some backbone and freeze its preferential treatment of Israel]
Kairos Palestine Condemns the racist Prawer plan (ethnic cleansing in the Negev)

 http://www.kairospalestine.ps/sites/default/Documents/Letter%20of%20Condemnation%20-%20Prawer%20Plan.pdf

From South African student challenge to Israeli apartheid: "Our University students, supported by our trade unions and civil society organizations are making it abundantly clearer by the day that apologists of your oppressors [Israelis] are not welcome in our country."- South African anti-apartheid icon, Ahmed "Kathy" Kathrada (27 April 2013)

 http://www.bdssouthafrica.com/2011/05/wits-university-students-right2protest.html

Poignant article from 1921 on Political Zionism

 http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1921/02/political-zionism/306755/?single_page=true

Robert Mugabe's Israeli Connection

 http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/180928/robert-mugabes-israeli-connection/

[Israel has been cultivating businesses via corruption in Africa for decades.  These take diamonds from places like Congo, other raw material like yellow cake for nuclear weapons, gold and in the process propping prop dictators]

Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD A Bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home http://qumsiyeh.org

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah & ccun.org.

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