"There Has Never Been a Palestinian State - That's a Lie"

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 Date Posted: 2014-04-10 09:24:06


Economics Minister and Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett has continued his calls to annex parts of Judea and Samaria, in response to the repeated failure of peace talks with the Palestinian Authority.

Following a letter yesterday to Prime Minister Netanyahu, in which he urged the PM implement his "Plan B" alternative to a "two-state solution" with the PA, Bennett took his message to the international media last night, in an interview with CNN.

Dismissing suggestions that Israel was responsible for the collapse of peace talks by building homes in Jerusalem, Bennett pointed out that the talks had already ground to a halt after PA leader Mahmoud Abbas refused to even recognize Israel's existence as the nation-state of the Jewish people, while simultaneously demanding Israeli recognition of a "Palestinian homeland."
 
"The reality... is that the era of these negotiations is over - it's time for plan B... a new approach," he said. "The approach that we've been applying for 20 years now clearly has reached its end."

Bennett rejected out of hand calls for Israel to freeze construction in Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem, as part of proposals to eventually partition the city between the Jewish state and a future "Palestinian state".

"Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital for just about 3,000 years, and just like I would never suggest to freeze building in London, where you're sitting" Israel should not be expected to "freeze our own building in our own state", he said.

Responding to his interviewer's claim that "there has been Palestinian life in Jerusalem for thousands of years," he retorted: "You're talking about a Palestinian presence? Has there ever been a Palestinian state? Show me what its flag was, show me what its anthem was, show me who its leader is - show me anything that mentions the word 'Palestinians' more than 65 or 80 years ago. CLICK HERE TO KEEP READING

Opinions: A Response to Evan Goldstein’s Reflection on AIPAC

By: Michael Woodbury, Hasbara Fellow, Boston College written March 17, 2014
in Hasbarafellowships.org 

Note: another great piece to put up on the fridge, filled with crisp, factual talking points. Keep this one handy. And there's nothing like reading from or talking to a really smart and well spoken student. Makes us all stand up a little straighter. 

Author’s note: I too spent the first weekend of spring break in Washington DC for the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) 2014 Policy Conference.  Below is my reflection on, and response to, the atrocious article by Evan Goldstein published on March 10, 2014 under the title: “Opinions: A Reflection on the AIPAC Policy Conference.”  The content is my own, and does not reflect the opinions of The Gavel or any organizations with which I am affiliated.

When I returned from the AIPAC 2014 Policy Conference, I was both excited and suspicious upon learning that at least one Boston College student also attended the conference, unbeknownst to me. Last night, my suspicions proved legitimate when The Gavel published Evan Goldstein’s reflections on the conference. The article had a strong, accurate introductory sentence, but then immediately plummeted into the abyss of anti-Zionist arguments, never to return.

Indeed, the Arab-Israeli/Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is incredibly complicated, and as such neither ‘side’ is entirely free from criticism. That being said, it is illogical and even reprehensible to claim that AIPAC is obliged to foster the growth of sentiment that demonizes Israel, meanwhile ignoring the efforts of other lobbying organizations. Think about this: do you expect AIPAC to host a blatantly anti-Israel speaker, thus supporting the circulation of his/her message?

Goldstein claims that AIPAC’s efforts impede peace without mentioning government-sponsored incitement against Israel and the Jewish people that is ever-present within the Palestinian Authority. Naturally, there are Palestinians who hope for a fair and peaceful resolution to the Conflict, but their numbers are quickly diminishing due to incitement in their children’s schoolbooks and media. If you wish to learn more on this specific issue, please consider attending Eagles For Israel’s event, ‘Incitement: An Obstacle to Peace’ next Tuesday, March 18^th at 7:00 PM in Gasson Hall Room 202.

Contrary to Goldstein’s claims, Israel’s construction of housing within Judea and Samaria (the ‘West Bank’) is not illegal, nor is it done within a ‘sovereign land of the Palestinians.’ Judea and Samaria encompasses locations with the most ancient Jewish connections to the region, where stories from the Old Testament are believed to have transpired. In recent history, J&S passed from control by the Ottoman Turks to the British Mandate for Palestine in 1917, transitioning to Jordanian control from ’48 until ’67 when the Israeli military removed Jordanian authorities from the area in the defensive 1967 Six-Day War. Jordan forfeited claim to J&S under the terms of the 1994 Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty. Judea and Samaria to this day has never been part of a sovereign nation, nor has a sovereign nation of Palestine ever been internationally recognized in this land or elsewhere.

These facts aside, I am not saying that Israel’s construction of housing within Judea and Samaria is a great decision. But, in order to pass judgment on the situation, one must understand the history of the land, and the facts about this construction. Jewish housing areas comprise less than 3% of the land in Judea and Samaria. Most of the construction highlighted by the media is actually taking place within the confines of ‘settlements’ that have existed for years. These areas can hardly be described as settlements anymore than American towns and small cities could.

Goldstein continues, mentioning “the displacement of Palestinians by Israeli paramilitary groups in 1948,’ ignoring the calls by Arab leaders for the complete evacuation of Arabs from the lands of the former British Mandate. These leaders anticipated a quick and decisive victory of the five-plus-nation invasion of Israel, allowing these Arabs to return to the land now Judenrein.

Next, Goldstein asserts a “legitimate claim to a right of return for Palestinian refugees,’ without any discussion of the complications of the question of Palestinian refugees. He ignores the unique classification of Palestinian refugees by the United Nations under the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). A Palestinian’s refugee status lasts despite gaining citizenship to another nation and passes down to all descendants for several generations. As a result, the estimated 650,000 original Palestinian Refugees now amount to over 5,000,000. All other factors aside, how can you expect a nation whose population is just under 8,000,000 to accommodate for an additional five million people? Finally, Goldstein ignores the 700,000 Jewish refugees from Arab nations after the founding of the State of Israel. CLICK THIS TO KEEP READING

The truth behind the Palestinian water libels

NOTE: VERY important read, especially in light of the upcoming VASSAR STUDENT'S misguided trip to the West Bank concerning the "water crisis". Pass this along to those who do not know the truth.

Times of Israel February 25,2014

A significant public debate has been sparked by the assertion of European Parliament President Martin Schulz that the amount of water available to the average Israeli unfairly overwhelms the amount of water available to the average Palestinian. The main issue that should be discussed – and has not been sufficiently analyzed – is: What are the causes of Palestinian water supply problems

The discussion must be informed by the following basic facts:

1. The Oslo agreements grant the Palestinians the right to draw 70 million cubic meters from the Eastern Mountain Aquifer (ground water reservoir). Yet this water resource is not currently being capitalized on by the Palestinians; the waters spill untapped underground into the Dead Sea. As per the Israeli-Palestinian agreement, some 40 sites were identified for drilling into this aquifer in the eastern Hebron hills region, and permits were granted to the Palestinians by the Israel-PA Joint Water Committee. Nevertheless, over the past 20 years, the Palestinians have drilled at just one-third of these sites, despite the fact that the international community has offered to finance the drilling of all sites. If the Palestinians were to drill and develop all these wells, they could have completely solved the existing water shortage in the Hebron hills region. But the Palestinians have preferred to drill wells on the Western Mountain Aquifer, the basin that provides groundwater to the State of Israel. Instead of solving the problem they have chosen to squabble with Israel.    CONTINUE HERE

Read more: The truth behind the Palestinian water libels | Haim Gvirtzman | Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-truth-behind-the-palestinian-water-libels/#ixzz2va6c9yoS
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The Politics of Palestinian RIght of Return

by Alexander Joffe and Asaf Romirowsky
Forbes
February 24, 2014
 from the Middle East Forum Website 

NOTE: It is important to reiterate the fact that 60 years after the creation of Israel only Palestinian "refugees" exist and they do so by thier own choice. No arab country accepted them with the exception of Jordan. Most chose to REMAIN REFUGEES under the assumption they could someday push Israel into the sea and "go home". Understand this and you understand why the peace process is always doomed to failure. Home equals Palestine equals a nation without Jews, ergo no "2 state" solution. 

Anyway, you read this excellent article and see what you think. Feel free to comment. 

READ IT HERE

If you aren't Jewish, BDS won't boycott you

Published: February 4, 2014 by the Elder of Ziyon    Full Article Here:

Ha'aretz has a very nice article about their visit to the Mishor Adumim Industrial Park, where they spoke with happy Arab employees from many companies that work there.

But one part was especially interesting:

The Shweiki glass factory, with its sleek outer façade and interior, stands out among the mostly shabby-looking low-tech plants, carpentries, workshops and garages that populate this industrial zone just outside the Jewish settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim.

But there’s something even more fundamental that sets it apart: Shweiki is an Arab-owned enterprise.

Its ultra-modern glass factory is just a few hundred meters down the road from SodaStream, the company that recently thrust this small industrial park into the international limelight when it hired American celebrity Scarlett Johansson to serve as the global ambassador for its soda machines – at a time when the movement to boycott goods made in the occupied territories is gathering momentum abroad.

But the managers at Shweiki, established in 1936 by an East Jerusalem family, insists that they get an even worse rap than their Jewish counterparts. On the one hand, the Israeli Ministry of Defense refuses to give its seal of approval to the company’s shatterproof glass, while on the other, the Palestinian Authority boycotts its products.

“The Palestinians in Ramallah say we’re no better than the settlers,” explains Amran Shaloud, production manager at the plant, which moved to Mishor Adumim seven years ago.

...“It’s hard for us to hire Jews here because we’re closed on Fridays, but open on Saturday, and that wouldn’t be comfortable for them,” explains Shaloud, whose factory is right next door to Jewish-run Emesh.

Shaloud is taking a late-afternoon break, talking to a friend, Samih Owweida, who runs an aluminum factory down the road.

“As Arabs, we get it from both ends,” gripes Owweida. “I want to sell my stuff in the West Bank, and nobody will buy from me there.”

And then, with a big sigh, he throws up his hands in despair and utters a small prayer: “Let there just be peace already, so we can finish with this whole mess.”

Here's where it gets good.  Click to keep reading

Gaza left out of Mideast peace talks

Washington Post

By William Booth and Anne Gearan, Updated: Friday, February 21, 7:00 AM

GAZA CITY — This crowded bit of Mediterranean shore is a long way from the closed-door rooms where Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are holding the first real peace talks in years.
But as Secretary of State John F. Kerry prepares to publicly present outlines of a proposed peace deal, the isolated and besieged Palestinian territory called the Gaza Strip is the rarely mentioned elephant in the bargaining room — a huge obstacle to a permanent settlement of the decades-old conflict.

Kerry has confined his peacemaking to Palestinians in the West Bank, a territory on the other side of Israel, and he envisions a deal signed by the moderate leadership there. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are governed by the militant Islamist Hamas movement, which opposes talks with Israel and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, and they are not part of the negotiations.

That means that if a deal could be done right now, the 1.6 million people who live in Gaza — about 40 percent of the population in the two Palestinian territories — would essentially be left out.

“Gaza and Hamas represent the real conundrum of the peace process. You can’t do a conflict-ending deal without them, and you can’t do one with them either,” said Aaron David Miller, a Mideast scholar at the Wilson Center and a U.S. adviser in failed peace negotiations in which Gaza played a central role. 

Read Entire Article Here:

Note: pretty depressing read. Makes me want to insert head into sand and pretend things are alright. But they're not alright. Learn from this. Let's put our heads together and begin to bend the paradigm.