West Bank Update - Christian Community Part 1

A contact from the Emmaus group in the UK recently returned to Bethlehem to assess any changes in the status of the Christian community there.

Below is part 1 of his report.

 Since my last visit in 2012 there have been some notable changes. An overwhelming sense of fear and anticipation now pervades the Christian community, fuelled by their belief there is little they can do to change anything. They are now a minority representing just 4.8% of the population living among a Moslem majority of 95.2%, with a fragile constitution built on Sharia that affords them less rights or equality. It would be unfair to say they have given up hope, but there is a growing sense of hopelessness.

Palestinian society as a whole seems to be deteriorating with increasing levels of debt, violence, discrimination and lack of interest in even trying to explore ways forward with the Israel. Many are just too tired and weary.

Fear:

Fear was present in most conversations as was anger. There is deep frustration with the Palestinian Authority who, in their opinion, has failed them completely. Basic infrastructures are absent or of poor quality with no credible law and order, health service, social services or education.

This is despite the vast amounts of aid flowing in over twenty years. While I was there, three days of shootings occurred with gunfights in the street at night, and a police officer killed. Hospitals and medical facilities are avoided for fear of catching disease and government schools are seen as incubators of radicalism.

It is unsafe for Christian women to walk in parts of some cities and although not a new phenomenon, the areas in which women will now not walk has widened. Kidnapping is a growing concern, exacerbated by the very recent attempt to take two young female Christian schoolteachers on their way to work. Christian schoolchildren will not travel in taxis unless the driver is a Christian and known personally to the family. There are rumours (unconfirmed) of young children being kidnaped in Beit Sahour, a neighbouring town to Bethlehem, for the harvesting of body organs. Even school Facebook pages are warning parents to be vigilant. It is believed that Beit Sahour is being targeted because it has a higher proportion of Christians.

“Israel is holding us together, otherwise radical Islamists groups like Hamas would have taken us over” 27yr old Hebron Resident

BEDOUIN MYTH #6 – “THE BEDOUIN ARE ONLY DEMANDING 5% OF THE LANDS

WRITTEN BY REGAVIM ON DECEMBER 18, 2013.

Unilateral refusal adopted by the Bedouin sector in relation to any generous offer from the government over the years is in fact a bargaining chip of the Bedouin position, which refuses any compromise and creates “facts on the ground.” For the sake of discussion, they claim that the percentage of lands needed for settling the Bedouin population is only 3% of the area of the Negev (around 86,487 acres), and the amount of land claims amounts to “only” five percent (about 160,618 acres) from the total area of the Negev, which comprises some 3,212,400  acres.

“To remind you and to wake you from your slumber, the Bedouin comprise 30% of the residents of the Negev. The lands disputed over with the government are 5% of the Negev … what is the fuss over? It’s all over 5%. Over this the government establishes an administration? Over this the government establishes staff upon staff? Over this the government makes new committees each day? Apparently there is too much unemployment in the public sector. Shame on the State of Israel that chastises the Bedouin over such meager amounts of land in the Negev.” (Knesset Member Taleb Abu Arar – Ra’am Ta”al Party, from a speech in the Knesset over the Regulatory Act)

These numbers waved before us are completely divorced from reality, both in terms of the amounts of land on which the Bedouin reside today, and also in relation to the amount of land claimed:

Bedouin Settlement in the Northern Negev

The aerial photographs printed above in regards to the section dealing with the number of Bedouin villages in scattered areas gives tangible evidence to the great spread of Bedouin settlement. The investigative division of Regavim has made an updated map of settlement, showing this spread covers 148,263 acres, as will be expanded upon in the following sections.

1.   The True Extent of Lands used for Bedouin settlement is about a fifth (20%) of the Negev.

After taking away the firing ranges used by the IDF, the nature reserves and the areas protected by the National Master Plan (Plan 35), the remaining lands reserved for settlement of the Negev amounts to only 687,200 acres.

It should be emphasized that the settlement areas are not actually ever fully used for settlement and agriculture, but also include parks, open areas and the like. As such, the numbers have a completely different meaning: The Bedouin 148,263 acres actually occupy 21.5% of the lands allotted for settlement throughout the Negev, and make claims on a similar amount of land.

For the sake of comparison: There are 205,000 residents in the city of Be’er Sheva living on only 8,650 acres of land. The Bedouin population, numbering at around 211,000 people, live on an area seventeen times larger, on around 148,260 acres of land!

2.     Percentage of Lands Claimed: All ownership claims over lands that have come to the courts since the 70’s until today, whether initiated by the Bedouin or in the context of opposing claims filed by the State of Israel in the past ten years,[1] have been shelved. The State of Israel has declared over the years that according to the law and according to the registry, it is the owner of the scattered areas of the Negev and it is willing to clarify all claims of ownership of the Bedouin in court. Among the Bedouin population, only 12% (300 families) are categorized as claimants over various areas of land.

Settlement area available in the Negev

In other words: 300 families (approximately 13,000 people) are claiming private ownership over 23% of the Negev that is reserved for settlement!

In order not to leave an opening for the Bedouin claim that also individual farms and agricultural settlements in the Negev receive vast lands; it should be mentioned that this claim is NOT genuine. The farms in this region are placed there as guardians over government land and live under a tenant agreement. None of them make ownership claims over the lands they work and none of them expect to receive the land as private land.

 Conclusion:

The true extent of land where the Bedouin live, where they make claims of private ownership, is not only 5% of the area of the Negev, but rather 23% of the area of the Negev that has been allotted for settlement. Some 20-30% of Bedouin in the Negev have seized lands more than 17 times the size of the city of Be’er Sheva. Whose total number of residents is approximately equal to the total population of the Bedouin in the Negev. Among all of the sectors of Israeli society, there is no sector so small that makes a claim of private ownership over an area so large, despite the fact that from a legal perspective, it has been proven time and time again that their claims are without basis.

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[1] An expansion of this issue can be found in the Regavim position paper, “The Renewal of Opposing Claims for Land Regulation in the Negev.”

BEDOUIN MYTH #5 – GOVERNMENT BUDGETS DISCRIMINATE?

WRITTEN BY REGAVIM ON DECEMBER 18, 2013.

“The Bedouin sector is the poorest among Israeli society; Bedouin local authorities are ranked at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder in Israel.” For years we have heard complaints from the Bedouin and leftist organizations about discrimination and bias on the part of the state. Take for example the claim of Professor Ismail Abu Sa’ad from the Ben Gurion University in Be’er Sheva:

 “Statistics about the situation of Bedouin towns in the Negev teach us of the abject failure of the urbanization policy assimilated into their framework. The sources responsible for this failure include a shortage of land and accompanying services, budget crises in local authorities … The municipal budgets come from two sources: budgetary transfers from the government and independent income from local taxes. In addition to this, eligible municipalities are sometimes given grants for exceptional development projects. The offices of the government systematically discriminate against Bedouin municipalities. Formulas for consideration for Bedouin towns are biased and grants for development given to them are meager in comparison with their urgent needs and what is given to Jewish settlements.”

A table of statistics published by the Central Statistics Bureau[1] regarding data about local councils in 2011 compares the budgets of majority Jewish authorities to those of the Bedouin authorities chosen at random. The majority Jewish authorities that were chosen are also recognized as being ranked low on the socioeconomic ladder and must deal with high unemployment rates. On the majority Jewish side data was gathered from Yeruham, Sderot, Ofakim, Arad, Netivot, Dimona, and Kiryat Gat. On the Bedouin side data was gathered from Segev Shalom, Abu Basma, Arara, Tel Sheva, Hura, Ksifa, and Rahat.

A comparison of data from 2011 displays the exact opposite: governmental participation in the budgets of Bedouin authorities is almost twice as much as its participation in budgets of majority Jewish authorities.

Government Participation in Local Authority Councils

1. The annual percentage of governmental participation in budgets for majority Jewish authorities (including “exceptional budgets”) stands at an average of 51.6%. For Bedouin authorities, the annual governmental participation (including “exceptional budgets”) is an average of 78.9%. The town of Abu Basma stands out with a striking 98% (!). The budget of the authority comes from governmental aid, with only 1.8 percent from independent income.

Percentage of Property Tax Income from General Budget

2.  Percentage of Property Tax Income from General Budget: For majority Jewish authorities, the percentage of independent income from property tax payments in the annual budget stands at an average of 21.3%. On the other side, the percentage of property tax in the annual budget for Bedouin authorities stands at only 3.7%. It is noteworthy that for the Council of Arara, the percentage of property tax collection rose 142% from 2010 to 2011. On opposition to this, during the same period property tax collection for Abu Basma fell by 87%. 

Governmental Budgets per Person

Dividing the average governmental participation in budgets for majority Jewish authorities mentioned (693,595,000 NIS) by the total number of residents (185,400) leaves 3,741 NIS per person. Dividing the average governmental participation from the budgets of Bedouin authorities (599,869,000 NIS) by the number of residents in all of the authorities mentioned (140,200) leaves 4,278 NIS per person. If so, the Bedouin authorities enjoy a governmental investment per person that is 537 NIS higher than the governmental participation per person in the Jewish authorities. 

3.   Property Tax Payments to Local Authorities.

Residents of majority Jewish authorities numbering at 185,400 people made property tax payments in 2011 of an amount of 119,107,000 NIS for 81,051 square meters. The amount of total income from property taxes in these authorities stands at 325,387,000 NIS. The residents of Bedouin authorities, numbering at 140,200 people, paid in that year 20,749,000 NIS for only 19,885 square meters. The amount of income from property taxes in these authorities stands at 27,232,000 NIS. This data teaches on the one hand about the unusually low amount of property tax payments in the Bedouin sector (both from housing and industry), together with a general dysfunction in the collection system of the Bedouin. 

The full findings of the report conducted by Regavim[1] conclusively refute the claims of discrimination in budgets. It turns out that that percentage of governmental participation in the general budget for these authorities is 36% higher than the governmental participation in majority Jewish authorities. If you also figure in the amount of governmental aid per person, there is a difference of more than 500 NIS in favor of the residents of Bedouin authorities.

The discrimination actually favoring the Bedouin continues despite the unusually low amount of property tax payments among the Bedouin sector, where the amount rests at an average of 3.7% of the total budgets for these authorities. In addition, this data points to a low amount of property tax collection areas in the Bedouin sector.

Conclusion: The source of poverty and backwardness among the Bedouin authorities is largely due to the fact that residents do not pay taxes as required by law and live off the public purse. The key to improving quality of life in the Bedouin communities lies in the application of law and participation by residents in property tax payments – as is usual in any other authority in the country.

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[1] “Discrimination or Lack of Inspection?” A report comparing the Jewish and Bedouin budgets in the Negev. July, 2013

High risk pregnancies from Gaza treated at Rambam

Arrived from Gaza in critical condition, returned with healthy
twinsCommunicated 18 Feb 2014

Two-and-a-half weeks after arriving at Rambam between life and death, “H”
said goodbye to Rambam and the people who cared for her and her twins.

“This is the happiest day of my life.”

Pregnant women in Gaza rarely need to turn to Israel for medical help since medical care is available in Gaza before and throughout their pregnancies. It is even rarer that two women from Gaza, within weeks of each other, find themselves and their unborn child facing life-threatening problems necessitating the expertise of specialists at Rambam Health Care Campus - but that is what happened.

Two and half weeks ago, “A”, 29 years old and pregnant with her third child, was brought to Rambam. She was suffering from a problem common in pregnancy - Rh incompatibility - a condition in which the mother and fetus have two different blood types and which can result in the mother’s
antibodies harming the red blood cells of the fetus. However, in “A”’s case, the problem was not detected in time - she was in critical condition and both she and her unborn child were in danger.

Two days after being admitted, “A” gave birth. However, things became even more difficult when her premature son was found to also have a congenital heart problem.

“A” had two small children waiting for her back in Gaza. One week after his birth, “A” had to make the difficult choice of returning to Gaza to care for her children. Her premature son remained in the care of Rambam’s medical staff.
“It’s a very difficult situation,” Yazid Falah, the Palestinian Patient Coordinator at Rambam said. “Naturally the mother wants to stay with her baby. But in this case she is there and he is here. We are doing everything we can to help her feel as close as possible to her son.” 

A few days ago the infant underwent successful surgery for another common
condition: patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), in which a vessel in the heart does not close. The infant is gaining strength and his mother remains in contact by phone on a daily basis until she can return to Rambam and bring him home with her.

One Arrived - Three Returned

Just before “A” arrived at Rambam, "H", a 35 year-old woman in her ninth month, was brought to Rambam from Gaza - also in extremely critical condition. Carrying twins, her condition was so serious that she was barely aware of her surroundings. Since childhood she had suffered from a blood clot disorder. Now that disorder placed her in extreme danger of bleeding to death - she needed special care and medications not available in Gaza.

Upon arrival “H” underwent a C-section to save her first children - a healthy boy and girl - each weighing 2.3 kg. However “H” remained in critical condition and was sent to the intensive care unit (ICU). It would be two full days before she was alert enough to ask about her babies. Each day the medical staff took new photos of the infants so  that she could have a record of their first days once she recovered.

After one week in the ICU “H” saw her children for the first time.

“I still remember when I left from Gaza to come to Israel,” “H” explained.

“The doctor said that my situation was very critical. During the first two days before I fully woke up,  I couldn’t contact my family and they thought I was dead. Until I saw my children for the first time I did not understand myself what had happened. Only when I saw them and held them did I realize that everything was now OK.”

For “H,” the birth of her twins has been a great comfort. A few days ago, two-and-a-half weeks after arriving at Rambam between life and death, “H” said goodbye to Rambam and the people who cared for her.

“H” smiled and said, “My entire family is waiting for us, everyone wants to get to know them and hold them. This is the happiest day of my life.”

UNWRA textbooks in Gaza - continued

It would seem that there is a political game being played between UNWRA and HAMAS and the headline "Hamas blocks UN textbooks in Gaza" is all part of this game.

As David Bediun writes http://www.israelbehindthenews.com/bin/content.cgi?ID=7150&q=1 , there are false rumours about the UNWRA curriculum content.

David's article should be read in its entirety.

I strongly suggest to treat this story with serious caution.

Hamas blocks UN textbooks in Gaza

Hamas blocks UN textbooks in Gaza because they focus too much on ‘peaceful’ conflict resolution.


Ibrahim Barzak : Associated Press : February 13 2014

Gaza’s Hamas authorities have blocked a UN refugee agency from introducing textbooks promoting human rights into local schools, saying it ignores Palestinian cultural mores and focuses too heavily on "peaceful" means of conflict resolution.

Motesem al-Minawi, spokesman for the Hamas-run Education Ministry, said that the government believes the curriculum does not match the "ideology and philosophy" of the local population. He said the textbooks, used in grades 7 through 9, did not sufficiently address Palestinian suffering and did not acknowledge their right to battle Israel. "There is a tremendous focus on the peaceful resistance as the only tool to achieve freedom and independence," he said.

Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks, says that armed resistance is a key component of its struggle against Israel.

The group also objected to the books’ inclusion of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - a document approved by the UN General Assembly in 1948 that recognizes the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family. Hamas believes that certain parts of the declaration violate Islamic law, including the right of people of different faiths to marry and the right to change one’s religion.

Al-Minawi said government officials had met with UNRWA officials and offered to form a joint committee to revise the book. Adnan Abu Hassna, a local UNRWA spokesman, confirmed that the curriculum had been suspended while the sides work out their differences.

The spat is just the latest in a line of disagreements between Hamas and UNRWA. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, known as UNRWA, assists Palestinian refugees and their descendants throughout the region. In Gaza, the agency runs some 245 schools serving more than 232,000 students plus dozens of medical clinics and it distributes food to many of the territory’s 1.7 million residents.


But Hamas has frequently squabbled with UNRWA in a rivalry for the hearts and minds of Gaza’s people. Hamas has pressed the UN not to organize mixed folkloric dancing for boys and girls; to keep Holocaust education out of its curriculum and it has used harsh rhetoric against previous senior UN officials. Last year, UNRWA cancelled its annual Gaza marathon after Hamas banned women from participating. 

The truth behind the "State of Palestine"/Gaza patient story

This story from Elder of Zion - Feb 12th 2014

http://tinyurl.com/oof5xv9 

This story has been getting lots of play over the past couple of hours:

Israel has denied entry permits to some 50 Palestinian medical patients from the Gaza Strip because the words "State of Palestine" appears on the letterhead of their application, officials said on Wednesday.

Israel does not recognize a Palestinian state, whose creation it says should stem from peace negotiations. It voted against a U.N. General Assembly resolution in 2012 that gave de facto recognition to a sovereign Palestinian state.

"On Sunday (the Palestinians) filed a range of requests ... on a document that said 'State of Palestine'. On the spot, we returned it to them, saying they should refile the request on appropriate paperwork," said Major Guy Inbar, a spokesman for COGAT, the military-run authority that handles entry permits.

He said 10 Palestinians whose cases were urgent were allowed to enter Israel while about 50 others were not.

Israeli treatment for patients from the Gaza Strip - an enclave run by Hamas Islamists hostile to Israel - is arranged by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank.

Omar al-Naser of the Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank city of Ramallah said the ministry had been using the "State of Palestine" letterhead for a year without any move by Israel to deny patients entry.

Gulf News adds:

The ban affects ill people using the Erez Crossing and has been labelled by Palestinians as “rude, barbaric, illegal” and “aimed at killing patients” for whom treatment, as the Israelis know, is not available in Gaza.

I spoke to the COGAT spokesperson for Gaza, and found out the real story.

For several months, the Palestnian Authority has been sending requests on the new letterhead. Every single time, COGAT rejected it, and each time they were resubmitted with the Palestinian Authority letterhead - and approved. This was not new, and the PA knows very well that this was the case.

As recently as Sunday, several patients whose requests were on the new stationery were rejected, and then the PA re-faxed the request the old way and they were approved.

Today's story is a propaganda ambush. Some 50-70 patients (apparently non-life threatening) were submitted on the new stationery at once, an unusually high number. As has been the case for months, they were rejected. But this time the story was leaked to the media. (There was a Haaretz story about this in January with only one patient, but it didn't get much coverage. Much better to use 50 or 70 if you want Reuters and AFP to take notice.)

Existing agreements are between Israel and the PA, not the fictitious "State of Palestine." It is obvious that the PA is trying to embarrass Israel and will happily use Gaza patients as a means to do so. It is equally obvious that the "State of Palestine" is a final status issue, and that Israel cannot act otherwise without jeopardizing its negotiating position.

As usual, instead of dealing with Israel directly, the PLO is passive aggressively using the media to demonize (and weaken) Israel on its behalf. And, as usual, the media is happy to play its part in this charade.