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| EDITORIAL | Paris Conference a Tired and Cliched Failure Jun 14 2016 / 8:23 pm (Image: Niño Jose Heredia, Gulf News) Matthew Duss is right. The Paris Peace Conference is different, and the fact that the United States' stronghold of supposedly trying to resolve conflicts in the Middle East is being challenged, is a point worth noting. Yet, this is hardly important. "The multilateral nature of the conference is a Palestinian strategic victory, marking another step toward the internationalization of the peace process," Duss wrote in Tablet magazine. Some 20 years ago, the Palestinian leadership allocated the responsibility of obtaining justice and human rights for its people to the international community. That was clearly a blunder, one which has been re-enacted from the United Nations to the US. Since then, the American political establishment has moved from being unconditionally pro-Israel, to adopting Israeli political priorities as US national security imperatives. That shift was certainly more exaggerated during the George W. Bush administration than under that of US President Barack Obama. But despite Obama's perceptibly sour relations with Israel's right-wing Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, a clearly defined and different US foreign policy is yet to be articulated. If anything, the Obama administration is offering Israel yet more money, and has done everything in its power to thwart Palestinian efforts at achieving any of its political goals, whether at the United Nations or at other international institutions. But the advent of the French 'peace-making' initiative between Israel and Palestine is unlikely to alter this already skewed picture. Those who are expecting France to bring about a paradigm shift are likely to be disappointed. The French, just like the Americans, are also governed by domestic concerns and by regional and international ambitions. Passing the baton from US Secretary of State, John Kerry, to French Foreign Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, will not change much. It is merely a further indication of American side-stepping, if not decline in terms of its Middle East leadership. The fact is the French peace initiative-turned-conference in Paris on June 3 is likely to fizzle into the vacuum of a dead "peace process". So, why the colossal waste of time? If you have been following the Middle East "peace process" issue in the last quarter of a century, you are certainly aware that the "negotiations table" is nothing but a metaphor for buying time and obtaining political capital. The Israelis require time to finalize their colonial projects in the form of escalating illegal colonies on occupied Palestinian land; and the Palestinian leadership uses the "talks" to acquire political validations from a so-called "peace-broker", namely the US. The US, in turn, has used the futile "negotiations" to further assert itself as the "caretaker" of the Middle East. Meanwhile, every other relevant political entity is included or excluded based on its own worth to, or relationship with the US. Thus, the honor of invitation is bestowed upon "friendly regimes". Others, namely "enemies of peace" are rejected for their failure to accommodate or adhere to US foreign policies in the region. While the "peace process" has failed to deliver neither peace to the region nor justice to the Palestinians, the "peace process" industry has been an unenviable success, at least until 2014 when Kerry and the US administration decided to tend to more urgent regional affairs, for example, the war on Syria. By then, Netanyahu was too empowered by the anti-peace sentiment in his own society to even partake in the talks. There was little weight for him to be seen with ageing Mahmoud Abbas, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries. His right-wing constituency, which dominates Israeli society, could not have cared less. They were - and still are - busy confiscating Palestinian land, issuing more racist laws in the Knesset and fighting dissent among their own ranks. Prior to 2014, and since the very first peace conference in Madrid in 1991, the 'peace process' has splendidly paid dividends. The Israelis were finally accepted as a peace partner and Israel slowly made its way from the margins of the Middle East to the centre, without having to concede in any way at all. Even Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, has no qualms with this assertion. "In fact, the number of Israeli [colonists] transferred into Occupied Palestine has nearly quadrupled since the beginning of the peace process," he recently wrote in the Israeli daily Haaretz, adding, "yet Israel continues to enjoy impunity and is not held accountable". But the Palestinian leadership also enjoyed the perks of the "peace process". It was, and remains, at the forefront of raking in the benefits of the spurious peace. The "peace process" meant money, and plenty of it; billions of dollars invested in the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) - feeding a dead-end political system that existed with no real authority, and almost always remaining on the sidelines as Israel used extreme violence to sustain its colonial enterprise in the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem. The French government has its own reasons for taking the lead on reviving the dormant peace talks. Writing in Israel's Arutz Sheva, Eran Lerman explained the French endeavor in more practical terms: "Broad regional security considerations" are driving the French diplomatic initiatives. In fact, the logic behind this is discernible. French President Francois Hollande's approval ratings are at an all-time low. As of March, he broke his own record of low approval, sinking to 17 per cent. His country is embattled by violence, massive strikes and non-strategic foreign policy decisions that resulted in French military involvement in Libya, Mali and Syria. Leading world leaders in another peace gambit that will certainly digress and distract from the US failure on that front is a clever political calculation from the French perspective. It may even help Hollande appear stately perhaps even accord him the position of a leader. However, and not unsurprisingly, the Israelis rejected the initiative right away, without even bothering with a public diplomacy campaign to defend their position, as they often do. Dora Gold, director general of Israel's Foreign Ministry repeated on the eve of the conference what Netanyahu and others have parroted for weeks. The conference will "completely fail", she said, calling on Abbas to engage in direct talks with no prior conditions instead. The nonchalant Israeli position can be partly explained by Tel Aviv's trust in the French government, the very government that is taking the lead in the fight against the pro-Palestine Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS). "French positions and actions on this subject have been more reassuring from an Israeli point of view than those of our American ally," wrote Lerman. The conceited and opinionated Israeli response to the French conference was paralleled with euphoria among the embattled Palestinian leadership. The PNA subsists on this sort of international attention, and since the last major meeting between Abbas and the former, now jailed Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, in 2008, Abbas is left on his own, disowned by the Americans and neglected by Arab governments. "The French Initiative is the flicker of hope Palestine has been waiting for," wrote Erekat. But since the "peace process" began in the early 1990s, many such flickers of hope appeared and vanished without evolving into a fire delivering peace and justice for Palestinians. Instead of pursuing yet another peace mirage to regurgitate the centrality of the long-defunct two-state solution, Palestinians need to place their priorities elsewhere, starting with their unity, followed by devising a clearly articulated national project to obtain their freedom, not through frivolous talks but through an anti-Apartheid struggle for freedom and liberation. - Dr. Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, media consultant, an author of several books and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story. His website is www.ramzybaroud.net. http://www.palestinechronicle.com/paris-conference-a-tired-and-cliched-failure/
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 By Ramzy Baroud Matthew Duss is right. The Paris Peace Conference is different, and the fact that the United States' stronghold of supposedly trying to... Jun 14 2016 / Read More » /  By Palestine Chronicle Staff Johannes Hahn, the Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, along with 18 delegates, have arrived in the Gaza Strip... Jun 14 2016 / Read More » / Israel's "Citizenship and Entry into Israel" provision was on Monday extended by Israel's parliament, the Knesset. This provision prohibits Palestinians from the occupied West Bank... Jun 14 2016 / Read More » / The Israeli minister of public security and the Israeli general prosecution agreed on Monday to return seven detained bodies of Palestinians to their families. The... Jun 14 2016 / Read More » / Dear Readers, The commitment of the Palestine Chronicle to the Palestinian course spans more than 15 years. During this time, it has expanded its readership... Jun 13 2016 / Read More » / Palestine Chronicle contributor, Tamar Fleishman was at the Qalandiya Checkpoint, linking the occupied West Bank to occupied Jerusalem on the first Friday of Islam's holy... Jun 13 2016 / Read More » / By Yara Eid - Gaza It all started when he asked my how old I am. I know it is a normal question and anybody... Jun 13 2016 / Read More » / By Ola Atallah - Gaza Just like football fans all over the world, the sports people of Gaza dream of traveling to France to attend... Jun 13 2016 / Read More » / The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday slammed the punitive security measures implemented by Israel following the Tel Aviv shooting, while at the... Jun 11 2016 / Read More » / At only 16 years of age, Ghassan al-Azzeh was detained by Israeli occupation forces and sent to an adult detention facility where he was taught... Jun 11 2016 / Read More » / By Yousef M. Aljamal - Gaza On June 5th, The Palestine Children Relief Fund (PCRF) launched an annual fundraising campaign during the Holy month of... Jun 11 2016 / Read More » / The 49th year of Israel's military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip was marked this week. Writing in Middle East Monitor (MEMO), Ben... Jun 10 2016 / Read More » / The British government has decided to review Palestinian financial aid after it was alleged some of the funds are paying the 'salaries of terrorists'. This... Jun 10 2016 / Read More » / Fatah and Hamas are scheduled to hold talks in Doha next week, according to a statement released by National Relations Commissioner for Fatah's Central Committee,... Jun 10 2016 / Read More » / |
| LATEST | PCRF Launches Ramadan Campaign to Support Palestinian-Syrian Refugees in Gaza Jun 11 2016 / 6:53 pm Kids from the Fayad Palestinian-Syrian family in Gaza long for a better life (Photo: PCRF, supplied) By Yousef M. Aljamal - Gaza On June 5 th, The Palestine Children Relief Fund (PCRF) launched an annual fundraising campaign during the Holy month of Ramadan, focusing this year on Syrian refugees in Arab countries, including Syrian-Palestinian refugees in Gaza. The online initiative, 'PCRF Ramadan 2016 Campaign: Relief for Syrian Refugees', aims to raise $100,000 from donations in one month. In a press release PCRF stated that it "is confident its message will resonate with generous people around the world who want to help Syrian refugees in Gaza, Lebanon and Jordan."  Kids from the Fayad Palestinian-Syrian family in Gaza who struggle to survive with their family that lives in a nylon tent (Photo: PCRF, supplied) PCRF's statement explained that the, "Syrian refugee population that has fled to Gaza is almost completely without support or aid". Fatimah Awad of the PCRF Washington State Chapter told the Palestine Chronicle the campaign would be of great benefit to Palestinian-Syrian refugees in Gaza, adding, "They don't have the basic necessities available to them. We will be providing them with food, shelter, cloths, medicine, and education." Some 460 Palestinian families ended up in the Gaza Strip following the unrest in neighboring Arab countries, many of them from Syria. "One of the families we identified, the Fayeds, fled Syria in 2013 and found refuge in Gaza. They lived in an apartment when they first came, then their father died of cancer. The mother is not able to work or provide for her family. The landlord kicked them out of the apartment and now they currently live in a nylon tent. The PCRF are raising funds to build them a home that will be safe and stable home. They will receive food, clothing, medicine, and an education too," said Awad.  Palestinian-Syrian family lives in a nylon tent after being expelled by a landlord due to inability to pay rent (Photo: PCRF, supplied) Those who arrived in Gaza received only promises to improve their conditions, but no concrete actions to improve their living conditions, according to Mohammed Alshiekh, a Palestinian-Syrian refugee living in Gaza and the PR officer at the Coordination Committee for Palestinian Refugees from Arab Countries in Gaza. He also heads Haqi (My Right) Society for Palestinian refugees from Arab countries. Alshiekh told the Palestine Chronicle that the situation of Palestinian refugees who were living in Arab countries and ended up in Gaza is miserable, adding, "Since 2011, refugees are struggling and suffering, and the situation got worse in Ramadan. We are struggling to secure jobs". He added, "In May 2016, the Palestinian Council of Ministers issued a decision to solve the problem of refugees in Gaza, but this decision was never implemented". "No work, no dignity. This is a disaster," he concluded. Dr. Mahmoud Al-Shawish, the Head of the Coordination Committee for Palestinian Refugees from Arab Countries in Gaza explained the situation of refugees who ended up in Gaza as "more than tragic," noting that they "don't receive proper education." Al-Shawish called upon people all over the world "to lend a helping hand to these refugees who ended up in Gaza, after they fled Arab war-torn countries. Their situation is bad like never before, with no housing, and no jobs. We thank all those who contribute to the PCRF Ramadan campaign to draw a smile on the faces of these families." - Yousef M. Aljamal is the Palestine Chronicle Correspondent in the Gaza Strip. |
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 Dogo is a combat robot developed by Israel and built to house a standard Glock 9mm pistol in its belly. Israel's tactical combat robot is able to move through different terrain and target the enemy accurately, Moheet.com reported yesterday. Dogo is equipped with six cameras which enables it to create a 360-degree view. According to [...]  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will not accept the Arab Peace Initiative unless changes are made to it, reported Arab48. Netanyahu's stance was clear when he stated during a Likud meeting: "If the Arab states understood that they have to change the Arab Peace Initiative based on Israel's demands, we would find something to [...]  By Palestine Chronicle Staff Johannes Hahn, the Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, along with 18 delegates, have arrived in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday 14 June 2016. The few-hour-visit will include holding meetings with UN officials as well as ministers in the national unity government. The delegates opened a desalination water facility [...]  In a clash between Israeli settlers and the Israeli Civil Administration, two settlers were reportedly arrested overnight Monday. Settlers clashed with forces during the demolition of an illegal movable structure in southern occupied West Bank district of Hebron. According to Israeli news site Ynet, the structure was located in the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba. [...]  Israel's "Citizenship and Entry into Israel" provision was on Monday extended by Israel's parliament, the Knesset. This provision prohibits Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip from automatically obtaining legal status in Israel or East Jerusalem through family unions. The law prevents the granting of Israeli citizenship or residency permits to [...]  The Israeli minister of public security and the Israeli general prosecution agreed on Monday to return seven detained bodies of Palestinians to their families. The deadline for their release has not been confirmed as yet. Lawyer, Muhammad Mahmoud, submitted a petition to an Israeli court asking for the return of bodies of Palestinians who were [...]  A Gaza-run project that helps people with special needs to integrate socially and economically in society, by providing them with rehabilitation and professional training, has become increasingly successful. The project was launched in 2012, with Manal Hassna as a media officer for the project. It has trained over 700 individuals with special needs in various [...]  The nomination of Bejamin Netanyahu as Chair of the UN General Assembly Sixth Committee has been rejected by the Arab League, its general-secretary announced today. Israel was nominated by representatives of the Western European and Others Group (WEOG). This was rejected in a meeting with these members, announced Elaraby. Elaraby said it was unreasonable for [...]  Reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah begin in Doha, Qatar today. However, Hamas spokesperson, Husam Badran, yesterday stated that the talks were already expected to be "inconclusive". Despite Badran's comment, he stated that: "We welcome any efforts exerted by Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia or Turkey which lead to ending the [internal Palestinian] division," adding that, [...]  More than 130 extremist Jewish settlers on Sunday forced entry into East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, where they attempted to perform Talmudic rituals, a Palestinian official has said. "Around 135 extremist settlers stormed the mosque holy compound through Al-Mugharbeh gate under the protection of Israeli police officers," Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, director-general of Al-Aqsa Affairs, told Anadolu. [...]  27 undocumented Palestinians in Tel Aviv were detained by Israeli police over the weekend, as part of an ongoing crackdown on Palestinian following a shooting a Tel Aviv last week. Luba al-Samri, Israeli police spokesperson said in a statement that 27 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank districts of Hebron and Ramallah were detained near [...]  Israel's ministry of defense has changed the listing of two soldiers missing since 2014 in the Gaza Strip from "killed in action" to "captured", Arabi 21 has reported. According to Maariv newspaper, the designation has been amended due to the lack of information about the circumstances of their death or capture and the nonexistence of [...]  Samy Daghlas, the mayor of Burqa village in the West Bank told Al-Quds Net Network that the Israeli Water Company, Mekorot, has cut off water from villages surrounding Burqa village in northern West Bank for three days. The move resulted in directing 15 cubic meters of water out of the 60 cubic meters which the [...]  The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday slammed the punitive security measures implemented by Israel following the Tel Aviv shooting, while at the same time stating its condemnation for the shooting itself. He said that Israel was imposing a collective punishment against Palestinians. Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said in a statement released by the [...]  At only 16 years of age, Ghassan al-Azzeh was detained by Israeli occupation forces and sent to an adult detention facility where he was taught to make art from recycled material. Al-Azzeh said, "We didn't have real art materials, so they (other Palestinian inmates) showed me how to make brown sugar packets into beautiful portraits". [...]  By Yousef M. Aljamal - Gaza On June 5th, The Palestine Children Relief Fund (PCRF) launched an annual fundraising campaign during the Holy month of Ramadan, focusing this year on Syrian refugees in Arab countries, including Syrian-Palestinian refugees in Gaza. The online initiative, 'PCRF Ramadan 2016 Campaign: Relief for Syrian Refugees', aims to raise $100,000 [...]  The Hamas-run Ministry of Endowment, in conjunction with charities and the Gaza police have raised money to pay off debts of more than 350 Palestinians imprisoned in the Gaza Strip over unpaid debts, the ministry's undersecretary announced today. Prisoners will be released in coming days as "Redemption for debtors is aimed at freeing prisoners for [...]  The British government has decided to review Palestinian financial aid after it was alleged some of the funds are paying the 'salaries of terrorists'. This takes place at the time as the US has promised to give Israel the "largest military aid package in history," RT reported. Britain's Department for International Development (DfID) stated that [...]  A restricted number of Palestinians were allowed entry into occupied East Jerusalem for Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa until 10 am, through the '300 checkpoint' in northern Bethlehem, Palestinian police spokesman Luay Irzeiqat told Ma'an Israeli authorities allowed Palestinian men above the age of 45 and women of all ages to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. [...]  Fatah and Hamas are scheduled to hold talks in Doha next week, according to a statement released by National Relations Commissioner for Fatah's Central Committee, Azzam al-Ahmad. Al-Ahmed said that the focus of the talks would be discussions on ways to implement a reconciliation agreement between the two Palestinian parties. Al-Ahmed further expressed concern regarding [...]  11 Palestinians from across the occupied West Bank were detained by Israeli forces in overnight raids Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, Ma'an reported. Israeli forces reportedly detained Mahmoud and Muhammad al-Balboul from Bethlehem. The two are the sons of Ahmad al-Balboul, a prominent leader in Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades who was shot dead along [...]  By Palestine Chronicle Staff In an unprecedented move, Jill Ellen Stein, the Green Party's Nominee for the US Presidential Elections 2016, has voiced support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS) against Israel, in a statement released by her campaign. The campaign voiced support for the BDS Movement against Israel at a time when [...]  Israel has deployed hundreds of additional troops to the occupied West Bank in response to an attack that killed four people at a popular Tel Aviv nightspot. On Wednesday, Khaled Mohammad and Mohamad Ahmad Makhamrah, both from the Hebron area in the occupied West Bank, opened fire in Tel Aviv, killing four and wounding five [...]  Facebook and Twitter have deleted thousands of posts, pages and accounts in response to demands from the Israeli ministry of justice, Quds Press. Israeli Minister of Justice, Ayelet Shaked, told Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth: "We succeeded to achieve our goals as around 70 per cent of our demands [to delete Facebook and Twitter content] were [...]  A fire erupted in occupied East Jerusalem near the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound late on Wednesday night, Palestinian civil defense told Ma'an. Muayyad al-Ghoul, Palestinian civil defense volunteer said that teams controlled a fire which erupted near the Umayyad Palace, located south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. An Israeli police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, claimed not to [...]  Two Palestinian gunmen from Hebron in the West Bank gunmen killed four people at a shopping and restaurant area in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Both gunmen were apprehended, and one was wounded. Mohamed and Khaled Makhamrah, from the Hebron area have been arrested, one with a gun wound, ABC News reported. A Palestinian intifada has [...]  The union of gold merchants in Gaza has stated that Israeli authorities have now allowed imports and exports of gold between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, just three months after it was prohibited, said on Wednesday. The gold trade between Gaze and the occupied West Bank has undergone many changes in the past [...]  Hanan Ashrawi, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member attacked a decision to nominate Israel to chair a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) legal committee. Ashrawi is quoted as saying that such a decision is "asking the wolf to guard the sheep." Israel was nominated for the chairmanship of the UNGA Sixth Committee, by the [...]  Two roads in the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus were opened by Israeli occupation forces on Tuesday, after a six-month closure. Palestinian civil liaison director for the Nablus office Luay al-Sadi told Ma'an that the main exit from the village of Aqraba and a road leading to the village of Awarta east of Nablus [...]  Liberian president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was yesterday hosted by Israeli President, Reuven Rivlin, during her visit to Israel, to receive an honorary doctorate degree from Haifa University, according to a report by Israel National News. Sirleaf, is the first woman to be elected to the head of an African state, and has been called the [...]
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The Palestine Chronicle is an independent online newspaper that provides daily news, commentary, features, book reviews, photos, art, etc, on a variety of subjects. However, it's largely focused on Palestine, Israel, and the Middle East region. The Palestine Chronicle is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. To contact the editor, submit an article or any other material, please write to: editor@palestinechronicle.com. For other inquiries write to: info@palestinechronicle.com. |
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