Head of UN inquiry on Gaza says mission will continue despite Israel's refusal to cooperate

[Jefferson23]

August 13, 2014

The Canadian judge William Schabas, who was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to chair a committee to investigate Israel's violations of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, said the suggestion that he is anti-Israel "is absurd".

Schabas's remarks came in response to Israel's accusations against him of being biased to the Palestinian side and having a prior opinion about Israel.

Quds news agency quoted Schabas as saying: "It is true that I spoke about this subject in the past, but now I'm going out there and I will be transparent and fair." He responded to the charges of anti-Semitism made against him, pointing out that, "this is a bitter mistake, I express my opinion, and not everyone who criticises Israel is anti-Semitic, this is not a sound way to look into things," adding: "If Israel does not cooperate with the commission, that would be unfortunate, Israel has an interest in cooperating with the commission. During the operation, Israel did not stop saying that it defends itself and that Hamas targeted civilians. Israel's cooperation with the commission will give it the opportunity to justify its actions."

"But in the case that Israel refuses to cooperate with the commission, we will collect our data in every way available and that will not stop our mission," he said.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/americas/13432-head-of-un-inquiry-on-gaza-says-mission-will-continue-despite-israels-refusal-to-cooperate

[Jefferson23]

1. Palestinian delegation in Cairo says Israelis are still stubborn

8/13/2014

Members of the Palestinian delegation in Cairo said that no deal had been reached with the Israeli occupation during the marathon talks held on Tuesday, Anadolu news agency reported.

Speaking to Anadolu just after the end of this round of talks, which lasted for more than six hours, Islamic Jihad leader Khalid Al-Batch said: "Things are still premature. There is no clear deal. The importance of the Egyptian role is necessary here. It has to work on achieving Palestinian demands."

Al-Batch continued: "The Palestinian delegation is discussing issues through indirect talks brokered by Egypt. We know that talks are not easy, but we will try to overcome all obstacles."

Regarding the Israeli position, he said: "The Israeli position is still stubborn. Our hope is based on the Egyptians, of whom we expect to put pressure on the Israeli side. We are insisting on achieving the demands of the Palestinians, not to waste them through the talks in Cairo."

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/13434-palestinian-delegation-in-cairo-says-israelis-are-still-stubborn

[Jefferson23]

2. Hamas: Israel to pay 'high price' for information about lost soldiers

Senior Hamas official Mohamed Nazzal stressed that Israel has to pay a "high price" for any information about any soldier captured in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking to the Palestinian newspaper Al-Resalah, Nazzal said he considered the demand for names of collaborators in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank for information about the Israeli prisoners a new stage for power balances.

He said Al-Qassam Brigades is the only side which is authorised to announce the number of Israeli prisoners in its hands.

The Brigades announced they caotured Israeli soldier Oron Shaul in clashes with the Israeli occupation forces in Al-Tuffah neighbourhood in eastern Gaza Strip, while Israel announced it lost Hadar Goldin in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, later announcing he was killed in battle.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/13433-hamas-israel-to-pay-high-price-for-information-about-lost-soldiers

[Jefferson23]

3. Egypt wants Palestinian Authority to supplant Hamas in Gaza

Cairo proposes deployment of PA security forces into Gaza border perimeter with Israel, moving handling of Strip finances to Abbas.

Elior Levy
Published: 08.13.14, 14:13 / Israel News

Palestinian sources have leaked the latest Egyptian ceasefire proposal on Wednesday, which envisions the Palestinian Authority supplanting Hamas in Gaza. Cairo has called on both sides to accept the proposal by midnight, when the current 72-hour truce ends.

The points covered in the draft document are as follows:


1. Talks on the building of a seaport and airport for Gaza will be postponed in one month, after the situation between the two sides stabilizes. In addition, talks on prisoner releases and the returning of the bodies of IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Holdin will also be postponed.


2. The border crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip will be opened to movement of both goods and people. Construction materials to rebuild the Strip will be allowed in, and Israel will also authorize the import and export of goods between the Gaza Strip and the west Bank. This, under the terms agreed on between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4558338,00.html

[Jefferson23]

4. FM calls not to cooperate with UN Gaza inquiry commission

August 13, 2014

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in a meeting with heads of authorities in the south that the commission is biased and Israel should not cooperate with it.


"We mustn't cooperate with this commission. We need to deal with it, but we mustn't legitimize the people that were chosen to sit on it who are Israel's enemies," said Lieberman.


The minister also addressed the statements made by the commission's Chairman William Schabas and said "If such a man can be chosen as the chairman of this commission, no one should be surprised that Israel is not cooperating with it".

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4558259,00.html

[Jefferson23]

5. Lieberman:if soldiers' bodies are not returned, Haniyeh, Deif will be delivered to Hamas in body bag

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in a meeting with heads of local authorities in Hof Ashkelon Regional Council that Israe will not accept any draft without it including the return of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul's bodies.


"If Hamas does not return the bodies of our fallen soldiers, we will deliver Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif in body bags to Hamas", Lieberman said.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4558207,00.html

[Jefferson23]

6. French consul to sue Israel for destruction of Gaza home

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- French consul in Gaza Majdi Shaqqura says he is planning to take legal action against Israel after his home was destroyed by Israeli bombardments during a month-long assault on the besieged territory.

"This wasn't the first time Israeli forces bombarded my house," Shaqqura told reporters Wednesday.

His children broke down in tears when they saw the destruction caused to their family home.

"All houses in Gaza have been targets for Israeli warplanes as part of a policy of collective punishment against all Gaza residents," Shaqqura said.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=720262

[Jefferson23]

7. Clock ticks down to Gaza truce deadline

JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will enter a final day of ceasefire talks in Cairo on Wednesday, as the clock ticks towards a 12 a.m. deadline ending a 72-hour truce.


Palestinians crowd a metal window as they try to hand over their
documents to UN workers through a window at a UN compound in
Gaza City on August 12, 2014, in order to receive food aid
(AFP Roberto Schmidt)



By that time, the negotiators must have either agreed on a permanent truce, accepted an extension or risk a resumption of more than a month of bloody fighting.

"There has been progress, but not enough to sign an agreement; the negotiations will resume tomorrow (Wednesday)," a member of the Palestinian delegation told AFP late on Tuesday, without giving further details.

As on previous days, the Israeli team returned home after talks, for likely consultations with their government.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=720264

[Jefferson23]

8. Gazans displaced by war to be housed in 'mobile homes'

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Thousands of Gazans displaced in Israel's recent assault on the besieged enclave will be housed in mobile homes until a permanent solution can be found, a Palestinian official said Wednesday.

Mufid al-Hasaynah, minister for public works and housing, says the ministry is trying to arrange the entry of 3,500 mobile homes donated to Gaza by Turkey.

Over 17,000 homes were completely destroyed while 43,000 suffered damages in over a month of Israeli attacks.

Palestinian deputy prime minister Ziad Abu Amr arrived in Gaza Tuesday to meet with government officials and NGOs and prepare for reconstruction.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=720281

[Jefferson23]

9. Foreign press divided over Hamas harassment

Protest issued by Foreign Press Association in Israel and the Palestinian Territories against Hamas intimidation in Gaza is hotly disputed by some members.

By Matthew Kalman


When Jodi Rudoren, Jerusalem bureau chief of the New York Times, read Monday’s statement from the Foreign Press Association in Israel and the Palestinian territories, she couldn’t believe her eyes.

http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/outside-edge/.premium-1.610241

[Jefferson23]

10. State asks High Court to not declare Operation Protective Edge a war

Petition argues it is important for 'social and economic' reasons to classify Gaza operation as a war.

By Revital Hovel and Gili Cohen

The state asked the High Court of Justice on Tuesday to reject a petition seeking to force it to declare Operation Protective Edge a war.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.610264

[Jefferson23]

11. 6 killed in Gaza, including AP journalist

Simone Camilli, 35, was among those killed in an ordnance explosion.

By The Associated Press | Aug. 13, 2014 | 2:51 PM

Six people were killed Wedensday in an ordnance explosion in the Gaza Strip, including an Associated Press video journalist.

Simone Camilli, 35, died Wednesday when Gaza police engineers were neutralizing unexploded ordnance in the Gaza town of Beit Lahiya left over from fighting between Israel and Islamic militants.

Camilli and a translator working with the AP, Ali Shehda Abu Afash, were accompanying the ordnance team on assignment when the explosion occurred. The police said four other people were seriously injured, including AP photographer Hatem Moussa.

Camilli, an Italian national, had worked for The Associated Press since 2005.

Camilli is the first foreign journalist killed in the Gaza conflict, which took more than 1,900 Palestinian lives and 67 on the Israeli side.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.610341

[Jefferson23]

12. Former Shin Bet chief calls for regional conference

The diplomatic initiative presented Aug. 11 by Yesh Atid Chairman and Finance Minister Yair Lapid was based on an action plan formulated by a fellow party member, former Shin Bet head and Minister of Science, Technology and Space Yaakov Peri. The plan calls to convene a regional summit, to demilitarize Gaza and transfer its control to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. From Lapid’s standpoint, it enables him to establish a position in the diplomatic-security realm.


Peri was recruited by Lapid in the last election as the senior diplomatic-security figure in the new party, but until the current conflict with Hamas, Yesh Atid was drawn toward an economic-social agenda and Peri’s role hasn’t been realized. Operation Protective Edge returned the former head of the Shin Bet to the nerve center of decision-making — the diplomatic-security Cabinet, where he serves as an observer. Much has been said about the inexperienced Cabinet with which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embarked on a war in Gaza, and in this respect, Peri has become an important and balancing element in the long deliberations.

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/08/protective-edge-peri-netanyahu-hamas-gaza-abbas.html#ixzz3AHD3iZDF

[Jefferson23]

13. Liberman calls for economic boycott of Israel's Arabs

The tension and violence of the last two months have managed, once again, to unravel the delicate fabric linking Arabs and Jews in Israeli society. The sights and sounds in the streets of Israel’s cities and towns were not like those of the riots during the second intifada, but in many ways the rift today is suggestive of what happened 14 years ago.

This time, a new element joined the conflicts in the streets: the social networks. Arab citizens have lost their jobs because of posts expressing joy at the deaths of Israeli soldiers. Others posted warnings for Jews against visiting Arab towns. Politicians also played a role in enflaming the sides' passions. The climax came July 21, when Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman called for a boycott of Arab businesses that identified with the residents of the Gaza Strip. His calls for a boycott did not go unheard.

On the Arab side, the riots started in the towns and villages of the Triangle, an area in the north of Israel long considered a place of coexistence and with a lot to lose economically. Young people from the town of Qalansawe tried to lynch a Jewish driver and ended up burning his car July 4. In Tira, a Jewish couple and their young daughter were brutally attacked, while in Taibe demonstrators damaged an electrical pole during their clashes with the police. All of this took place just a half-hour drive from Tel Aviv.

This outburst of hostility proved yet again how fragile the relationship between Jews and Arabs is in Israel. It highlighted the tragedy of the Arab minority within the Green Line that lives in a state of constant conflict between its country and its people. The delicate trust between Jews and Arabs that took so much work to build up over the past decade was cracked yet again, and now people are paying the price for it.

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/08/israeli-arabs-shops-biycott-avigdor-liberman-demonstrations.html#ixzz3AHE8zyqj

[Jefferson23]

14. Momentum grows for ICC action on Gaza

8/12/2014

As the sounds of gunfire in the Gaza Strip begin to cease, international human rights organizations, legal experts and political activists are speaking up about the need for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate whether war crimes were committed during the Gaza conflict this summer.

The ICC, created by means of the 1998 Rome Statute with the aim of prosecuting individuals for war crimes and amended a few times, became legal in 2002. Legal experts and the ICC’s own bylaws say that it is a court of last resort. This means that the ICC will only intervene when a country is found to be unwilling or unable to carry out its own investigation.

At present, neither Israel nor the state of Palestine are members of the ICC. A total of 122 countries have signed up for the Rome Statute, and Jordan is the only Arab country to have done so.

Fayez Abu Eita, a spokesman for the Palestinian Fatah movement, said the Palestinians need an international party to investigate the war crimes committed by Israel in its offensive on Gaza. In a phone interview with Al-Monitor, Abu Eita said that a Palestinian committee has been formed and the issue has been reviewed from all angles with the conclusion that the ICC should be joined. “There is a huge desire among the Palestinian people to hold the Israeli occupiers responsible for the war crimes they committed against Palestinian children, women and senior citizens,” he said.

A significant 80% majority of polled Palestinians approve of joining the Rome Statute of the ICC.

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/08/icc-gaza-war-israel-crimes-amnesty-palestine-hamas.html#ixzz3AHF279zD

[Jefferson23]

15. Israel not taking Jordan, Egypt, and the Saudi’s belated criticism too seriously ( Analysis )

*Correct

Former senior US official to ‘Post’: This bloc has given Israel extraordinary latitude to fight Hamas; they are threading a line between their strategic interest and popular Arab opinion.

Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia have come out belatedly against Israel’s attacks against Hamas in Gaza in response to rocket fire, as their antipathy to Hamas has been overshadowed, as of late, by anti-Israel rhetoric meant for the masses.

As the war against Hamas began, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE were uncharacteristically silent. The New York Times ran an article highlighting this point on July 30 titled, “Arab Leaders, Viewing Hamas as Worse Than Israel, Stay Silent.”

But as the war has dragged on and casualties have mounted, with pictures of dead children plastered across the Arab media, it became difficult for the leaders of this bloc of countries to stay silent as the masses seethed in anger.

This bloc of status-quo powers is fighting to maintain their regimes’ stability against revolutionary Islamic regimes and terrorist groups. Whether it is the Muslim Brotherhood movement, its Palestinian version Hamas, the Islamic State or the Shi’ite axis of Iran and Hezbollah, or its ally Syria – this bloc of states is coordinating and aiding each other in an alliance against them.

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israel-not-taking-Jordan-Egypt-and-the-Saudis-belated-criticism-too-seriously-370963

[Jefferson23]

16. Israel TV: Cabinet accepts 72-hour ceasefire extension

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli Channel 2 TV station reported an extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Gaza militants was accepted by the Israeli cabinet on Wednesday evening, after being proposed by Egypt earlier.

The current 72-hour ceasefire was due to end at midnight on Wednesday, but with the potential extension the ceasefire would be extended until midnight on Saturday.

The Palestinian delegation to ongoing ceasefire talks in Cairo said they would give a press conference at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday night, in which its position on the extension of the ceasefire was expected to be discussed.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the Israeli ceasefire delegation in Cairo was on its way back to Israel.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=720455

[Jefferson23]

17. Israeli forces raid villages, search houses in Tulkarem

TULKAREM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces raided several houses in Farun and Anabta villages in Tulkarm early Wednesday.

Palestinian security sources told Ma'an that several military vehicles entered the village of Farun and searched several houses, but no arrests were reported.

Sources added that Israeli forces raided Anabta village in eastern Tulkarem and searched several houses near the Anabta Boys School.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=720327

[Jefferson23]

18. Israel TV airs alleged confession of Palestinian's killer

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israel TV reported on Monday about alleged confessions made by one of the Israeli settlers who killed Palestinian teenager Muhammad Abu Khdeir.

Yusef Ben-David, the main suspect, said that “after three settlers were kidnapped in Hebron we decided to avenge them by kidnapping and killing a Palestinian.”

He said he brought three bottles from his house and headed toward a gas station in Hizma, a Palestinian area, filled them with kerosene and “bought an energy drink and headed to look for a Palestinian to kill.”

“We dressed normal so that we wouldn't appear as religious people,” he added.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=720002

[Jefferson23]

19. Signs of fascism in Israel peaked during Gaza op, says renowned Israeli scholar

Israel Prize laureate and renowned scholar Zeev Sternhell fears the collapse of Israeli democracy, and compares the current atmosphere with that of 1940s’ France. The time we have left to reverse this frightening trend is running out, he warns

By Gidi Weitz

At 1 A.M. on a day in September 2008, Prof. Zeev Sternhell opened the door of his home on Agnon Street in Jerusalem, intending to enter an inner courtyard. As he turned the handle, a thunderous explosion rocked the building. Sternhell, who a few months earlier had received the Israel Prize in political science, was lightly wounded by a bomb hidden in a potted plant.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/.premium-1.610368

[Israeli]

20. You beat me to it Jefferson.....

I was just about to post the above here :

‘One nation, one state, one leader’ — frightening slogan at Tel Aviv protest

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113476703

ref to : post # 7 ..... " ever heard of Emil Grunzweig ? "

....." Just read Zeev Sternhell ....who BTW was the victim of a pipe bomb attack at his home ...
one of the world's leading experts on Fascism...attacked by our own fascists !! "

[Jefferson23]

21. Oh good I'm glad it's posted, important what this good man has to say.

[Israeli]

22. I doubt many read it tho Jefferson ...

....what I love about him is that he says it straight out , like Shulamit Aloni did ....

example :

We need to do something concrete in our relations with the Palestinians and with the Arabs as a whole.”

Such as what?

“The first thing is to stop deepening the Jewish presence in the territories. Then to show them that we genuinely aspire to two states. And as a means of demonstrating our seriousness, to lift the blockade of Gaza, with supervision, with Abbas’ people at the transit points, and to let the population breathe. And also to forge relations in which the people there are treated as human beings on an equal footing with us.”

Will a government that’s not capable of removing three mobile homes in the West Bank be able to remove whole settlements?

“The settlements are a cancer. If our society is unable to muster sufficient strength, political power and mental fortitude to remove some of the settlements, that will signal that the Israeli story is finished, that the story of Zionism as we understand it, as I understand it, is over.”

How long do we have until the end of the story?

“A few years. Israel is now the last colonial country in the West. How long will that continue? If not for the memory of the Holocaust and the fear of being accused of anti-Semitism, Europe would have long since boycotted the settlements. I would begin by evacuating Ariel University, because it’s easy to do. It’s easier to remove a university than it is to remove three trailers. It’s a symbolic act. That wretched college was made a university in order to demonstrate something.

“Why do I so much want a border between the two countries? To prevent the emergence of one state here, because with one state there will be an apartheid regime. After all, no one here is playing with the idea that there will be civic equality between Nablus and Tel Aviv. There will be a civil war here, in the best case, and in the worst case there will be an apartheid state in which we will rule the Arabs without the dimension of transience that is still attached to the territories – even though it’s obvious to anyone with eyes in his head that the transience has long since vanished and that there is an apartheid situation in the West Bank.”

Is there anyone in Israeli politics who scares you?

“The group led by [Naftali] Bennett and [Uri] Ariel scares me – I think they are extremely dangerous. I think that [Avigdor] Lieberman is a little less dangerous, because he lacks religious fervor. But they and the right-wing branch of Likud are truly dangerous people, because they really don’t understand what democracy is, what human rights are, and they truly and deeply hate the Arabs in a way that doesn’t allow for coexistence here. You ask whether there are similarities between Marine Le Pen in France and Bennett – of course there are. In some ways she is a dangerous left-winger compared to him. If Netanyahu really wants to enter the history books, he needs to dismantle the partnership with the right, split Likud and establish a centrist government with the support of the left, and not be ashamed to rely on the Arabs’ votes.”

Given the current public atmosphere and your personal experience, aren’t you afraid to speak out like this?

“If I need to be afraid to say what I have said here, and to say it publicly to people’s faces, then our story here is over.”

[Jefferson23]

23. He writes with authority to the issue, and unfortunately we do not have a welcomed voice

for him among the mainstream media in the US..not that I am aware of. He is too threatening.

As far as DU goes, I want to find his article linked without a premium subscription to it...more
will likely read it that way in the other forums.

[azurnoir]

24. Good as well it should

none of the protests or complaints are surprising

[Jefferson23]

25. Same old, yep. n/t

[azurnoir]

26. what strikes me as odd

all the attention being paid to something it's opponents claim is unimportant without meaning -brings to mind a quote of Shakespeare

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

27. Good.

It's high time that Israel is brought up on war crimes charges.

So many people...children have been murdered by Israel, and for what?