Archive for the ‘Arab-Israeli Conflict’ Category

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Israel defiant on settlement expansion

Thursday, December 6th, 2012

“Britain and France have both summoned Israeli ambassadors in protest at Israel’s decision to approve the construction of 3,000 new homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.”BBC

Israel has declared it will stick to its plan, despite growing international concern that this act may kill any chance of furthering peace talks with Palestine. Sweden, Spain and Denmark have also summoned ambassadors and Russia and Germany have openly opposed the plan, both adding to the condemnation of the expanse. A source from Israel’s Prime Minister’s office said, “There should be no surprise that Israel will not stand idly by in the face of unilateral Palestinian steps. If they continue taking unilateral steps, Israel will act accordingly.”

Questions: Will Israel’s isolation of itself through continuing expansion end up hurting it in the long run? How should the U.S respond to this act? How do you think it will respond? What actions beyond openly condemning the plan can countries in opposition take? Do you think Israel can be persuaded to end the development?

BBC

Dawn

Posted in Arab-Israeli Conflict, Israel, Jerusalem, Middle East, Palestinians, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Israel Authorizes Construction of More Settler Homes in Occupied Palestinian Territories

Friday, November 30th, 2012

Just a day after the UN upgraded Palestine’s status to non-member observer state, Israel has began construction of over 3,000 housing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem occupied territories. The Israeli construction plans, if carried out, will essentially cut the Palestinian territory in the West Bank in half. This will almost assuredly lead to greater struggle from the Palestinians to form a contiguous state. The Palestinian Authority has responded stating they will not continue peace talks with Israel unless there is a halt in the construction of settlements. This response from the Israelis, however, may have been predicted. In an article from the Israeli foreign ministry, the push by Palestine for the UN vote was “a red line that would require the harshest Israeli response.”

Discussion Questions: Is the the construction of Israeli settlements a clear response to Palestine gaining further recognition in the UN? How might the construction of these settlements further delay, or minimize the possibility of peace talks?

Sources: BBC, Haaretz

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Posted in Arab-Israeli Conflict, Israel, Jerusalem, Middle East, Palestinians | 1 Comment »

‘Palestine’ wins historic upgrade at the United Nations

Thursday, November 29th, 2012

In this Thursday the general meeting of the UN in an overwhelming majority of 138 countries voted in recognition of Palestine as a non-member observer state in the UN. This incident brought unseen happiness to Abbas and many Palestinians in the West bank and surprisingly Hamas allowed celebrations in Gaza. Hamas is in supportive of the outcome but they still firmly believe that Israel should not be recognized by Palestine and that Palestinians has the right of return. Palestine gains some powers as a result of this vote. Now Palestine can participate more actively in debates in the UN and it can easily join UN agencies like the International Criminal Court. The leader of the PLO Mr. Abbas claimed that this UN to recognize Palestine as a non-member observer state is a crucial step towards “serious final attempts” to peace negotiations with Israel. Nevertheless, the two leading opponents of this vote clearly reiterated their uncompromising stance on the UN vote. US’s envoy for the UN described the decision made by the mass UN members of the UN as “unfortunate” and reaffirmed US’s endorsement of direct negotiations between Palestine and Israel. On the other hand, Israeli’s Prime Minister Netanyahu in response to Palestine’s victory clearly conveyed that it the number of countries who approved Palestine to be a non-member observer in the UN would not alter the reality on “ground” but it would rather delay negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Questions: How can these conflicting ideas be reconciled? Is there any chance that Hamas would unite with Fatah? What would be Palestine’s next political move?
Sources:

 

Haaretz

al-Jazeera:

BBC

CNN

JPost

Posted in Announcements, Arab-Israeli Conflict, Israel, Uncategorized, USA in Middle East | No Comments »

How Long Will the Gaza Ceasefire Hold?

Wednesday, November 28th, 2012

NPR asks, can and will the Gaza-Israel ceasefire hold?

 

 

Posted in Arab-Israeli Conflict, Israel, Palestinians | No Comments »

Remembering a bitter event in Israel’s past

Wednesday, November 28th, 2012

As you all read in Side by Side, there were vast differences of opinion with regards to the purpose and direction of the nascent Jewish state back in the 1940s and earlier. An incident that we did not discuss in detail in class, is worth recalling, as it was a pivotal moment in Israeli history.

 

The BBC discusses the Altalena affair – when 16 Jews were killed at the hands of their brethren. The 16 killed represented the Irgun paramilitary group, that differentiated itself from the Labor majority by advocating for a maximalist position (avoid compromise, aim for as much land as possible, aim for as much Jewish immigration as possible).

 

The man who made the decision to attack the Irgun group was the first Prime Minister of Israel, and leader of the Labor movement which would dominate the state in its first 30 years, David Ben-Gurion. Opposite Ben-Gurion was another future prime minister, Menachem Begin, who headed the Irgun.

Read the BBC piece for an understanding of the divergent narratives (within Israel) of the Altalena affair.

 

Was it a critical and necessary moment in establishing state sovereignty? Was it an avoidable clash among the Jews who were still fighting to establish Israel, and in the wake of the horrific acts of the Holocaust?

Posted in Arab-Israeli Conflict, Israel | No Comments »

Tunnels of Gaza

Monday, November 26th, 2012

National Geographic ran an excellent story on the tunnel system in Gaza in their latest issue. The author of the story gives a detailed and first-hand account of the tunnels, their operation, and their goods.

 

Of course, this story was written and published prior to the recent outbreak of violence and subsequent cease-fire.

 

90% of the tunnels were reportedly destroyed during the recent fighting. Additionally, the story reports that  Gaza fishermen had hitherto been only allowed 3 nautical miles off the coast line. That was increased to 6% by the Israeli authorities following the fighting, ostensibly as a sign of good faith in negotiations.

 

I highly recommend reading the story off-line. The library has a copy, complete with the magnificent photos.

 

 

 

Posted in Arab-Israeli Conflict, Economic Issues, Israel, Palestinians | No Comments »

Egypt Sends Prime Minister to Gaza in Show of Solidarity

Friday, November 16th, 2012

Egypt’s Prime Minister Hesham Qandil denounced Israelis attacks in a brief visit to Gaza this Friday. Hesham went to Gaza to show support for the Palestinians who were killed in the last few days. Hesham said that his government will “spare” no efforts to stop the Israeli aggression and establish a temporary ceasefire. During the prime Minister’s visit Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to a conditional temporary ceasefire. Mr. Netanyahu demanded a halt to rockets from Gaza as a condition for the ceasefire. Furthermore, Prime Minister Hesham emphasized the importance of a cease fire between Gaza and Israel while insisting that the only to achieve “stability” in the region is by ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Moreover, Mr. Hesham called for unity of the Palestinians and the fixing the rift between Fatah and Hamas. Mr. Hesham made conspicuous that the “strength” of Palestinians can be achieved only through their unity. This call for unity appears a time when Abbas is planning to urge the UN for Palestinian membership in the UN and as consequence, establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank.

Do you think that this temporary ceasefire would halt the attacks? How long can it be in effect? What do you think of Egypt’s role as a mediator in the region? Would Egypt regain its reputation as the Arab leader? What do think of the PM’s call for unity? Would Abbas agree to it?

Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/17/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-assault.html?hp&_r=0

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/11/201211166273719642.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20353223

Posted in Arab-Israeli Conflict, Egypt, Middle East, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Truce for Israel and Gaza?

Tuesday, November 13th, 2012

Clashes between Israel and the Gaza Strip have been occurring with increasing severity for the past six days. Though the initial aggressor remains unclear, rockets and gunfire have been exchanged on both sides, resulting in over 50 injuries and approximately 15 dead. Gaza fired some 155 rockets on Israel, and though militant groups are directly responsible  it is not clear how much culpability Hamas has in the situation. In turn, Israel opened gunfire on the Palestinians, killing seven civilians and injuring more.Israel is also alleged to have carried out attacks on central Gaza using warplanes.

On Monday night both sides, with the aid of an Egyptian mediator, unofficially agreed to stop firing on each other. But, they warned, fighting would resume if they were attacked again.

Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of Hamas, commended the tacit ceasefire. “They showed a high sense of responsibility by saying they would respect calm should the Israeli occupation also abide by it,” he said.

Ironically enough, not two minutes after this “agreement” had been struck, there were two rockets fired into Israel(according to Haaretz). Indeed, despite Monday night’s attempt at peace, fighting continued on into Tuesday, with three Israeli strikes in Gaza and one reported Palestinian rocket.

Press Tv reports that a large-scale Israeli attack on Gaza is in the works, but that has yet to be confirmed.

To be certain,Israel blames Hamas for these attacks, even though Hamas has not directly stated that they are behind them. Israel is encouraging the international community to cut ties and financial aid with and to Hamas. Prime Minister Netanyahu recently accused Hamas of “encouraging the fire and coordinating it between the different organizations.”

The Israeli government also addressed the lack of PLO involvement, saying that Prime Minister Abbas’ “silence proves again that we’re in a three-state reality.”

The violence is drawing the attention of the international community, with both Egypt and the European Union attempting to stop to fighting.

 

Questions:

What role, if any, can and should the international community play in this conflict and others like it? What do you make of the “three-state reality” comment? What steps can be taken to prevent conflicts such as these from erupting in the future?

Sources:

Press Tv focused on the Israeli aggression and violent acts

Haaretz focused on the statements made by Israeli politicians and the danger faced by Israeli civilians

Al Jazeera focused on the “agreement” made and the desire from both sides for peace

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Posted in Arab-Israeli Conflict, Foreign Policy, Israel, Palestinians, Political Turmoil 2011-12 | No Comments »

Palestine Sets Date for UN Bid

Monday, November 12th, 2012

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced to Arab Foreign Ministers that he will continue to press for the United Nations recognition of Palestine as an observing state. The vote will be held on November 29th and Abbas is confident it will pass. He said, “The majority needed for the vote will be on our sides.” He added, ” If it is possible to start talks the following day, then we are ready for that.”  The Fatah official said that all the Arab countries have promised to vote in favor of the Palestinian application.
If the vote passes, Palestine will not be granted full membership to the UN but will increase their rights and could be allowed to pursue Israelis at the International Criminal Court.
The United States has repeatedly said they they oppose this move towards UN membership. The Obama administration believes that statehood should be achieved through negotiations with Israel.
Mohammad Shtayyeh, a member of the Palestinian team working for the bid said that Obama called Abbas on Sunday to reaffirm his stance on the move. Abbas made it clear that this decision was final. Shtayyeh went on to say that the bid is a peaceful measure with a goal of recognition of a Palestinian state with defined borders. He mentioned that, “It should be taken into consideration that Israel was established according to a UN resolution.”
Although Obama didn’t issue any threats on Sunday, Congress has a draft bill which would demand the closing of the PLO office in Washington and cutting off of aid.
Israel has also opposed this move and continues to urge the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table. They claim that it is dangerous to separate the issue of statehood from the two-state solution.
Israeli officials have threatened that if Palestine goes ahead with this bid they will ensure the collapse of the Palestinian Authority. This was stated by Foreign Minister Lieberman.  Shtayeh has seen these threats to be empty and stated that the Arab League has promised a financial safety net in the result of sanctions by Israel.
Shtayyeh stated that this is the chance for negotiations between the two. He said, “We are not going back to humiliating negotiations. There will either be meaningful negotiations or no negotiations at all”
The rival Islamist group Hama, operating in Hamas has stated that they do not support Abbas’s bid to the UN saying that it is a waste of time.
If Palestine was granted observer status into the UN and was willing to continue negotiations for a solution could this benefit Israel too? Does Israel’s strong opposition to the bid further allegations that they are not really in support of a two-state solution?

Jpost, Ahram, Aljazeera, BBC

Posted in Arab-Israeli Conflict, Foreign Policy, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians | No Comments »

Israel Fires “Warning Shots” At Syria

Sunday, November 11th, 2012

Israeli forces fired shots toward Syria Sunday, which they called a warning.  Israeli military fired a single missile toward a Syrian army mortar crew.

These firings were supposedly a response to Syria firing a mortar round towards an Israeli military post in the Golan Heights, which is occupied by Israel.  Firing on the Syrian side did not cause any damage, and on the Israeli side, the Israeli military intentionally missed hitting any Syrian military bases or civilians, intending to avoid damage, but make sure that Syria recognized that Israel is “closely monitoring what is happening on our border with Syria and there too we are ready for any development”, as stated by Netanyahu.

These attacks are ultimately an escalation of the ongoing violence that has overflowed the Syrian/Golan border.

In the meantime, violence between Syria and Turkey continues.  Syria has been administering airstrikes near the Turkish border in areas including Ras al-Ain, Tal Halaf, Abu Kamal, and Aleppo.

There is also internal tension between Bashar al-Assad and Syrian rebels, who just recently signed a coalition, joining forces.

What do this “warning shots” say about Israel’s position towards Syria?  Will Israel actually take more serious actions if Syrian violence continues to spill across Israeli borders?  Will the new alliance between the rebel groups change Syria’s course of action, or alter the severity of the violence in the region?

Sources: Al Jazeera, PressTV

Posted in Arab World, Arab-Israeli Conflict, Israel, Middle East, Syria, Uncategorized | No Comments »

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