The folly of the international community on the Palestinians

Pushing both sides into a forced settlement will lead to disaster, and a Hamas takeover in the West Bank;

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4657738,00.html 

Dror Ben Yemini:  05.15.15,

The formula is a familiar one: The more right-wing the government of Israel appears to the world, the easier it is for the anti-Israel campaigners to do their work. An increase in Israel in statements and incidents of an anti-Arab nature leads to a fall-off in support for Israel among Jewish students on US campuses, and the more organizations like Breaking the Silence and B'Tselem create the distorted impression that Israel is committing crimes on an ongoing basis, the easier it is for the BDS activists to tout their case.

The starting positions are problematic – not only due to the composition of the new Israeli government, but primarily in light of the geopolitical situation. The absurd thing is that under current circumstances, Israel's control over the territories is the lesser evil.

A hasty political settlement – to which the US administration and EU are leading, with the encouragement of a bunch of Israelis who support the Palestinian demand for unilateral recognition of statehood – would be a disaster for the Palestinians. A Hamas takeover would only be a matter of time.

This has nothing at all to do with the composition of the government. Isaac Herzog would encounter the same geopolitical situation; and Tzipi Livni, too, would encounter Palestinian opposition to any peace deal. After all, the Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert governments made very generous offers to Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas respectively – to no avail.

Nevertheless, all is not lost. Assuming that Israeli control over the West Bank is not going to end anytime soon, a right-wing government can still promote a series of measures that would better the lives of the Palestinians but would not undermine Israeli security in the slightest – in the field of water infrastructure, for example. Funds have been donated for rehabilitation projects; a start can be made.

And the same goes for projects in the fields of health, construction and infrastructure. Israel hasn't been the one to delay development. On the contrary, since the beginning of Israel's control over the West Bank and Gaza, there have been huge improvements in most areas.

In 1967, for example, just four Palestinian communities were hooked up to running water for domestic use; by 2004, however, 643 of the 708 communities were on the water grid. But there is still much to improve. It's not only a Palestinian interest, but an Israeli interest too.

There's something foolish about the fact that the international community is pushing the sides into a political settlement that will only make things worse for the Palestinians. But there are some things that can be done even without a peace agreement. Whether or not improving the situation is in the Palestinians' interests remains unclear. An improvement is clearly in Israel's interests.

I'm a Palestinian Girl

The author of the article below is a Palestinian woman living in the West Bank. I am sure her sentiments are shared by many on both sides of the conflict.

I'm a Palestinian girl and that got fed up of everything around me. I’m sick of hearing the bad news, the bloodshed and the spreading of hatred all over.

I’m always sitting on my own thinking, when is this going to come to an end? When are we going to have the life we want? When are we going to have the peaceful life that we’ve heard of but never seen? Whenever I think about simple things like people loving each other and working together to have peace among them it makes me smile and gives me a little hope. Sometimes I think to myself, “Would I ever get the chance to meet with the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and talk to him on person”? This idea has been in my mind for a long time and I’m so serious about wanting to meet him and talk.

Some people would think I’m stupid for having this idea or thinking that meeting him would change anything about the conflict. Why do I want to meet him? Because he only hears from the politicians and people who work in the government; he never talked to an ordinary Palestinian person.

What I would want to tell him that we Palestinians are ready to recognize the State of Israel, and it’s not only us, but also most of the Arab countries. We never want you to get out of this land. If you read history you will know that Jews have the right to exist here just like us. We Palestinians and myself personally, want peace. When I look to the other countries around the world and see most of them living a peaceful life it makes me sad and puts tears into my eyes and makes me think, “Why can’t we have such a life?”

I have been living under the occupation for 22 years and really I’m not willing for more. All I want is to have a normal life, have fun and enjoy my life while I’m still young. Is it really hard for the Palestinian and the Israeli governments to solve it and get two states, one for each? I bet they are not happy seeing their people in pain and suffering all the time. Let’s make this dream come true and seek peace, for it’s the best solution for all. Let’s at least love each other and live this life we were given in the right way, because life is way too short – if you don’t look around once you might lose it. We all know that life is too short to live it hating each other.

We really can love each other and live in harmony together, just like we used to do.

HOWEVER !!!!

In a joint IDF and ISA operation, in cooperation with Israeli police, a terror cell affiliated with the Hamas terror organization, was arrested in Qalqilya, in the West Bank. The perpetrators, confessed to plotting a series of terror attacks against Israelis, as well as revealing dozens of kilograms of chemical substances used to manufacture explosive devices.

During the investigation, members of the terror cell conveyed detailed information on a weaponry lab, located in an apartment in central Nablus, in which the perpetrators manufactured the explosive devices indented to be detonated against Israeli civilians. The Hamas operatives admitted to be recruited to the military branch of the terror organization while residing in Jordan. They were then trained by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and transferred to Judea and Samaria for further terrorist and recruitment activities. In addition, the terror squad was instructed by Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip to carry out attacks in Judea and Samaria during Operation Protective Edge.

Now who is stopping the Palestinian girl from leading a normal life???

Death Penalties Continue for Palestinians by Palestinians

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) renews its demand for the abolishment of the death penalty in the Palestinian territories as Gaza courts issued a second death sentence in 2015.

The total number of death sentences issued by the Palestinian Authority since 1994 has risen to 157, of which 130 have been issued in the Gaza Strip and 27 in the West Bank. Among those issued in the Gaza Strip, 72 have been issued since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007. The Palestinian Authority also executed 32 death sentences, of which 30 have been executed in the Gaza Strip and 2 in the West Bank. Among those executed in the Gaza Strip, 19 have been executed since 2007 without ratification by the Palestinian President in violation of the law.

For full report see http://tinyurl.com/p7bka7m

Settlers pelt U.S. diplomatic personnel in the West Bank (?)

Some “Jerusalem based US consulate personnel” were reportedly attacked by Israeli “settlers” throwing stones, during a visit by the Americans to the site of an alleged “settler attack” on the olive trees of a Palestinian Arab grower in the West Bank.

Last week’s altercation at the community of Adei Ad is raising questions as to what actually happened.

According to Settler sources, the Arabs from Turmus Aya brought US Consulate officials close to the entrance to Adei Ad and within the community’s security zone, which begins 50 meters from the community.

The settlers say the Arabs from Turmus Aya are fully aware that they are only allowed into the 50 meter security zone with IDF approval and coordination.

It is definitely known that US Consulate officials did not coordinate their visit with the IDF or Israeli authorities.

The settlers say the Arabs brought the US officials to that point as part of a provocation.

Adei Ad residents who initially saw the vehicles approaching assumed they were Arab vehicles that were seconds away from entering the outpost.

The residents came out and a verbal altercation began with the Arabs who were accompanying the US Consulate officials.

The Israelis claims that during the verbal altercation, two US Consulate security personnel got out of the car and pulled out weapons, specifically a pistol and an M-16 rifle.

If they pulled out guns as the residents of Adei Ad claim, the US personnel perhaps quickly realized their major diplomatic blunder.

At that point, everyone agrees, the US personnel got back into their cars, didn’t wait for the army to show up, and sped off.

As usual there is much more to this story than meets the eye. A posting at  http://libertyunyielding.com/2015/01/04/passion-olive-trees-settlers-pelt-u-s-diplomatic-personnel-west-bank-video/#X0tXSCVmeGAWi65J.99  gives a lot more perspective to the story than any journalist is prepared to invest his time understanding. Lots of pictures and a video.