Haaretz 14:41 21/11/2007
By Amiram Cohen, Haaretz Correspondent
The government has decided to permit the renewal of flower and strawberry exports from the Gaza Strip to Europe from agricultural export terminals inside Israel. Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, both of Labor, approved the move after Palestinian farmers and Israeli exporters appealed to the High Court of Justice against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Simchon and Barak. The exports came to a halt after the security cabinet declared the Gaza Strip a 'hostile entity' in response to ongoing militant Qassam fire on the western Negev.
Simchon is to send the details of the decision to Palestinian Authority Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Habash. The export of flowers and strawberries from the Gaza Strip to the European Union is carried out with the cooperation of Israeli exporters and European buyers, and amounts to roughly NIS 100 million each year. Of that sum, NIS 45 million comes from the sale of carnations. The Gaza greenhouses that grow carnations were set up with the aid of the European Union and the Dutch government, which recently demanded Israel immediately reverse its blockade of the exports. Since Hamas took control of Gaza in June, Israel has blocked almost all exports from the area, severely hurting the Gazan economy. All exports from Gaza must travel through Israel. Gaza's 40,000 farmers have repeatedly pushed for the renewal of exports. Simchon's announcement that the Palestinians will be able to export all of their flower and strawberry crops will be worth at least $14 million to farmers, the Palestinian Chamber of Commerce said. On Tuesday, farmers fed flowers to their cattle rather than let them go to waste. Israel will in the near future ease trade with Gaza further, Simchon said. The international aid group Oxfam warned Wednesday of an increasing risk to public health in Gaza due to a reduction in fuel supplies. About 225,000 people in Gaza do not receive adequate amounts of drinking water because water pumps are not operating at full capacity, Oxfam said in a release. Abbas has asked Israel to ease its restrictions on impoverished Gaza. Abbas still claims to rule Gaza, though he has little influence there. The matter of calves raised in Israel for Gazan Palestinians has still not been solved. Since agricultural trade between Israel and Gaza stopped, Israeli veal farmers have been losing roughly NIS 2 million per month, as they continue to hold 2,000 calves intended to be sold for slaughter in Gaza.
mercredi 21 novembre 2007
Group 'Judaizing' East Jerusalem accused of withholding donation sources
Haaretz 21.11.2007
By Meron Rapoport
The registrar of associations is considering demanding the dissolution of the Elad association, which promotes the "Judaization" of East Jerusalem. The registrar claims the association is refusing to divulge the sources of donations totaling over $7 million that Elad received in 2005. Elad representatives claim that all they know about the bodies that donated funds is their addresses, and that the association is not obligated to provide any additional information about its donors. Elad has been operating in East Jerusalem for about 20 years. It has acquired and received many properties belonging to Palestinians in Kfar Silwan, adjacent to the Old City, and manages the national park in the City of David on behalf of the state. In recent years, the association has invested many millions to finance the archaeological excavations undertaken by the Antiquities Authority in Silwan. Palestinians in Silwan contend that Elad has "taken over" substantial sections of the village.
Elad had revenues totaling NIS 41 million in 2005 - the last year it reported its figures to the registrar of associations. Of this sum, NIS 38 million came from donations. The association gave the registrar a list of all the donors who had given more than NIS 20,000, in keeping with the recently amended law designed to make donations more transparent. According to the list, however, the lion's share of the donations came from five undisclosed donors. Elad received a donation of $2 million from Farleigh International IT and a similar sum from Ovington World Wide Limited. Leiston Holdings donated $1.5 million to Elad, Dwide Limited gave the association $1.4 million, and a donation of $250,000 was received from Jacobson. This means that a total of over $7.1 million, or 75 percent, of Elad's revenues came from unknown sources. Farleigh International is the former name of Farleigh Consultants, a British investigations firm. This company's manager, David Bowen, told Haaretz he is unfamiliar with Elad and his company did not donate any funds to the association. Attempts to locate the other four donors were unsuccessful. According to government sources, businessmen originally from Russia are among the main donors to Elad. It is also worth noting that at an event held by Elad two years ago, in honor of its new visitors center in the City of David, the guests of honor included Lev Leviev and Roman Abramovich, the owner of the Chelsea soccer club. Representatives of the two would not say whether they made donations to Elad. Despite a number of requests to the association concerning the identity of its donors, Elad has continued to refuse and did not even submit a request to preserve their confidentiality, as permitted by law. As a result, about two weeks ago the registrar of associations announced that this refusal was "liable to arouse a suspicion that the association is not conducting itself in keeping with the Associations Law and the principles of proper management, and could be used as a basis for the registrar to exercise his discretion and withdraw the association's proper management certification or even to demand its dissolution." Such a move would prevent Elad from receiving government budgeting. Following Haaretz's queries, Elad responded in writing that according to the law, the association was obligated to provide only the name of donor and the date a donation was received. "The demands made by the registrar of associations are invalid, made without authorization," followed Elad's written response, which also declared that the association has no other details concerning the donors that gave the $7 million, "apart from their addresses." Elad further claimed that Haaretz's communication to the registrar of associations is "part of a smear campaign that has chosen to use the registrar of associations as a tool to harm the association."
By Meron Rapoport
The registrar of associations is considering demanding the dissolution of the Elad association, which promotes the "Judaization" of East Jerusalem. The registrar claims the association is refusing to divulge the sources of donations totaling over $7 million that Elad received in 2005. Elad representatives claim that all they know about the bodies that donated funds is their addresses, and that the association is not obligated to provide any additional information about its donors. Elad has been operating in East Jerusalem for about 20 years. It has acquired and received many properties belonging to Palestinians in Kfar Silwan, adjacent to the Old City, and manages the national park in the City of David on behalf of the state. In recent years, the association has invested many millions to finance the archaeological excavations undertaken by the Antiquities Authority in Silwan. Palestinians in Silwan contend that Elad has "taken over" substantial sections of the village.
Elad had revenues totaling NIS 41 million in 2005 - the last year it reported its figures to the registrar of associations. Of this sum, NIS 38 million came from donations. The association gave the registrar a list of all the donors who had given more than NIS 20,000, in keeping with the recently amended law designed to make donations more transparent. According to the list, however, the lion's share of the donations came from five undisclosed donors. Elad received a donation of $2 million from Farleigh International IT and a similar sum from Ovington World Wide Limited. Leiston Holdings donated $1.5 million to Elad, Dwide Limited gave the association $1.4 million, and a donation of $250,000 was received from Jacobson. This means that a total of over $7.1 million, or 75 percent, of Elad's revenues came from unknown sources. Farleigh International is the former name of Farleigh Consultants, a British investigations firm. This company's manager, David Bowen, told Haaretz he is unfamiliar with Elad and his company did not donate any funds to the association. Attempts to locate the other four donors were unsuccessful. According to government sources, businessmen originally from Russia are among the main donors to Elad. It is also worth noting that at an event held by Elad two years ago, in honor of its new visitors center in the City of David, the guests of honor included Lev Leviev and Roman Abramovich, the owner of the Chelsea soccer club. Representatives of the two would not say whether they made donations to Elad. Despite a number of requests to the association concerning the identity of its donors, Elad has continued to refuse and did not even submit a request to preserve their confidentiality, as permitted by law. As a result, about two weeks ago the registrar of associations announced that this refusal was "liable to arouse a suspicion that the association is not conducting itself in keeping with the Associations Law and the principles of proper management, and could be used as a basis for the registrar to exercise his discretion and withdraw the association's proper management certification or even to demand its dissolution." Such a move would prevent Elad from receiving government budgeting. Following Haaretz's queries, Elad responded in writing that according to the law, the association was obligated to provide only the name of donor and the date a donation was received. "The demands made by the registrar of associations are invalid, made without authorization," followed Elad's written response, which also declared that the association has no other details concerning the donors that gave the $7 million, "apart from their addresses." Elad further claimed that Haaretz's communication to the registrar of associations is "part of a smear campaign that has chosen to use the registrar of associations as a tool to harm the association."
mardi 20 novembre 2007
IDF: Gaza fuel cuts don't violate humanitarian duty
Haaretz 00:36 20/11/2007
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
Israel's decision to cut fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip does not violate its responsibility to provide humanitarian services to residents of the coastal territory, an Israel Defense Forces official maintained on Monday. Shlomi Muchtar of the IDF Coordination and Liaison Office, which coordinates Palestinian civilian affairs, wrote in an affidavit to the High Court of Justice that the cuts do not "harm the humanitarian minimum to which Israel is committed." The affidavit was submitted after High Court justices last week ordered the State Prosecution to present data affirming that Israel's move would not affect the humanitarian needs of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip.
The affidavit said that Israel intends to cut diesel fuel supplies for transportation purposes from 1.4 million liters per week to 1.2 million, and diesel fuel supplies for power stations from 2.2 liters per week to 1.75 liters. According to IDF calculations, humanitarian needs require 800,000 liters of diesel each week. "And that's a strict estimate," the affidavit said. The High Court hearing is in response to the petition of ten Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations against the state's decision to cut fuel and electricity supplies in response to constant Qassam rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into western Israel. The State Prosecution will submit to the High Court additional calculations regarding the humanitarian needs of the Gaza population, and will also note ways it will supervise the ramifications of the cuts, to ensure the population's needs are being met. The government also intends to cut electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip. However, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz froze the current defense establishment's plan to do so, saying that the it must be examined further to determine whether the measure can be implemented without causing a humanitarian crisis.
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
Israel's decision to cut fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip does not violate its responsibility to provide humanitarian services to residents of the coastal territory, an Israel Defense Forces official maintained on Monday. Shlomi Muchtar of the IDF Coordination and Liaison Office, which coordinates Palestinian civilian affairs, wrote in an affidavit to the High Court of Justice that the cuts do not "harm the humanitarian minimum to which Israel is committed." The affidavit was submitted after High Court justices last week ordered the State Prosecution to present data affirming that Israel's move would not affect the humanitarian needs of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip.
The affidavit said that Israel intends to cut diesel fuel supplies for transportation purposes from 1.4 million liters per week to 1.2 million, and diesel fuel supplies for power stations from 2.2 liters per week to 1.75 liters. According to IDF calculations, humanitarian needs require 800,000 liters of diesel each week. "And that's a strict estimate," the affidavit said. The High Court hearing is in response to the petition of ten Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations against the state's decision to cut fuel and electricity supplies in response to constant Qassam rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into western Israel. The State Prosecution will submit to the High Court additional calculations regarding the humanitarian needs of the Gaza population, and will also note ways it will supervise the ramifications of the cuts, to ensure the population's needs are being met. The government also intends to cut electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip. However, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz froze the current defense establishment's plan to do so, saying that the it must be examined further to determine whether the measure can be implemented without causing a humanitarian crisis.
Dying of occupation - a case of cancer and the Israeli right
By Bradley Burston, Haaretz Correspondent
Haaretz 20.11.2007
Opinion polls consistently demonstrate that most Israelis would like the occupation to end. These words are directed to the substantial minority which disagrees. This past weekend, a Gaza cancer patient named Nail al-Kurdi, 20, waiting since July for permission to cross into Israel for treatment, died of his illness. For five months, officials of the Shin Bet security service received request after request from Physicians for Human Rights, asking that they grant al-Kurdi a permit to be treated in Israel. Request after request was denied. The stated reason? Security. In July, he was referred to Ichilov hospital for urgent diagnostic procedures. As the refusals mounted, his cancer spread. In a case involving al-Kurdi and a number of other seriously ailing Palestinians denied travel requests for treatment, the physicians group appealed the Shin Bet refusals to the High Court. The court allowed prosecutors an extension in the case to allow them to study it further. Al-Kurdi did not survive the extension.
The case bears special significance for Israelis who want the occupation to continue. Right-wing Israelis should be spearheading the fight for the rights of people like Nail al-Kurdi There is no evil quite like the evil of denying crucial medical treatment. Except one, perhaps. Consider the case of Y.H., a 37-year-old Gazan in need of open-heart surgery. By contrast to al-Kurdi, the Shin Bet granted Y.H. an exit permit, so that he could travel to the West Bank city of Nablus for the operation. According to the physicians group, when he came to Erez Crossing to leave Gaza, Shin Bet agents called him aside for interrogation. "If you help us we will help you," Y.H. quoted the agent as telling him, adding that the Shin Bet man asked him to provide information about his acquaintances. The physicians group said that when Y.H. replied that he had no such information, "the interrogator said 'If you don't help up we won't help you. Go and die in Gaza.' He sent him back home, promising that he would never leave Gaza." You may be among those who want to see the occupation continue because they believe that Arabs, and the greater Muslim world, will never truly abide the existence of a Jewish state, and that Palestinian independence in the West Bank and Gaza will serve as a base for unending attacks against Israel. You need to fight for the humanitarian rights of Palestinians. You may believe, with the Bible and/or Revisionist Zionism as your guide, that the borders of Israel should encompass all of the Holy Land from the Mediterranean to the River Jordan. You, of all people, should work to see that Palestinians in need receive the aid they require. You may ardently, wholeheartedly, unabashedly side with the settlers, and want to see their enterprise grow, prosper, and become permanent. You may be among those who dismiss entirely the rights of the Palestinians to a homeland and even to peoplehood. You, more than anyone, should be zealous in seeing that the Palestinians in your midst are treated with the respect and concern that you accord any fellow human being. The same respect you would accord a fellow Jew. For the rest of us in Israel, the struggle to support the rights of needy Palestinians encompasses all of this, plus the broader effort to undo and dismantle the occupation, before it undoes and dismantles the state of Israel. Many on the right have suggested that it is now too late by far to end the occupation. Many on the left have become fearful that they are right. In the meanwhile, however, the occupation continues to kill innocent people, and not only because they were unlucky enough to be in harm's way, caught in a crossfire. All too often, the occupation kills because we - right and left both - do much too little to keep it from killing. We have become too used to allowing cancer to go untreated, especially when it is eating away at our own conscience.
Haaretz 20.11.2007
Opinion polls consistently demonstrate that most Israelis would like the occupation to end. These words are directed to the substantial minority which disagrees. This past weekend, a Gaza cancer patient named Nail al-Kurdi, 20, waiting since July for permission to cross into Israel for treatment, died of his illness. For five months, officials of the Shin Bet security service received request after request from Physicians for Human Rights, asking that they grant al-Kurdi a permit to be treated in Israel. Request after request was denied. The stated reason? Security. In July, he was referred to Ichilov hospital for urgent diagnostic procedures. As the refusals mounted, his cancer spread. In a case involving al-Kurdi and a number of other seriously ailing Palestinians denied travel requests for treatment, the physicians group appealed the Shin Bet refusals to the High Court. The court allowed prosecutors an extension in the case to allow them to study it further. Al-Kurdi did not survive the extension.
The case bears special significance for Israelis who want the occupation to continue. Right-wing Israelis should be spearheading the fight for the rights of people like Nail al-Kurdi There is no evil quite like the evil of denying crucial medical treatment. Except one, perhaps. Consider the case of Y.H., a 37-year-old Gazan in need of open-heart surgery. By contrast to al-Kurdi, the Shin Bet granted Y.H. an exit permit, so that he could travel to the West Bank city of Nablus for the operation. According to the physicians group, when he came to Erez Crossing to leave Gaza, Shin Bet agents called him aside for interrogation. "If you help us we will help you," Y.H. quoted the agent as telling him, adding that the Shin Bet man asked him to provide information about his acquaintances. The physicians group said that when Y.H. replied that he had no such information, "the interrogator said 'If you don't help up we won't help you. Go and die in Gaza.' He sent him back home, promising that he would never leave Gaza." You may be among those who want to see the occupation continue because they believe that Arabs, and the greater Muslim world, will never truly abide the existence of a Jewish state, and that Palestinian independence in the West Bank and Gaza will serve as a base for unending attacks against Israel. You need to fight for the humanitarian rights of Palestinians. You may believe, with the Bible and/or Revisionist Zionism as your guide, that the borders of Israel should encompass all of the Holy Land from the Mediterranean to the River Jordan. You, of all people, should work to see that Palestinians in need receive the aid they require. You may ardently, wholeheartedly, unabashedly side with the settlers, and want to see their enterprise grow, prosper, and become permanent. You may be among those who dismiss entirely the rights of the Palestinians to a homeland and even to peoplehood. You, more than anyone, should be zealous in seeing that the Palestinians in your midst are treated with the respect and concern that you accord any fellow human being. The same respect you would accord a fellow Jew. For the rest of us in Israel, the struggle to support the rights of needy Palestinians encompasses all of this, plus the broader effort to undo and dismantle the occupation, before it undoes and dismantles the state of Israel. Many on the right have suggested that it is now too late by far to end the occupation. Many on the left have become fearful that they are right. In the meanwhile, however, the occupation continues to kill innocent people, and not only because they were unlucky enough to be in harm's way, caught in a crossfire. All too often, the occupation kills because we - right and left both - do much too little to keep it from killing. We have become too used to allowing cancer to go untreated, especially when it is eating away at our own conscience.
samedi 17 novembre 2007
UN: West Bank fence severs Palestinans farmers from fields
By The Associated Press
Haaretz 17.11.2007
Only 18 percent of some 30,000 West Bank farmers who used to work the lands cut off by Israel's separation fence now have Israeli permits to reach their fields, the United Nations said in a report on the lives of some 230,000 Palestinians in 67 communities close to the fence. The report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs looked at 15 communities with about 10,000 residents trapped between the fence and Israel, and at 52 communities with 220,000 residents on the Palestinian side of the divider. Those in the hemmed-in villages require permanent residency permits, while those on the east side of the fence need Israeli-issued visitors permits to reach lands or visit family in the enclosed communities.
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Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said the report is one-sided and that Israel is working to reduce the fence's impact on the Palestinians. Israel started building the fence in 2002, saying it is a temporary security tool meant to keep out of Palestinian attackers who by then had killed hundreds of Israeli civilians in bombings and shootings. However, the fence is largely built on West Bank land and Palestinians say its meandering route amounts to a land grab. Once completed, it would slice off 8.6 percent of West Bank land and, according to UN data, incorporate 380,000 of 450,000 Israelis living in the West Bank, which the Palestinians demand for a future state. The UN report, citing local community leaders, said that of some 30,000 Palestinians who used to work their fields on the Israeli side of the fence, only 18 percent currently have permits to reach their fields. Some 3,000 people stopped applying because they'd been repeatedly rejected in the past. Sixty-seven gates are built into the 200 kilometer stretch of fence studied, the report said. Of those, 19 are open daily to those with permits, but are closed at night, while another 19 are open during special harvest seasons, or weekly, the report said. Of the 15 villages hemmed in by the fence, nine reported that pregnant women had to leave their homes weeks before birth to ensure they could access proper health care, and just over half the villages said they had no access to basic health care, meaning they had to pass through gates in Israel's fence for treatment. The UN report said all the hemmed-in villages reported single people had problems meeting spouses because of that isolation - a burden in conservative Palestinian society, which expects men and women to marry quite young, and looks disapprovingly upon those who delay marriage. The fence, alongside Israeli settlements and Israeli-only roads, has fragmented the West Bank. Some 60 percent has been completed, mostly in the northern West Bank and around Jerusalem. In an advisory ruling in 2004, the International Court of Justice said the parts of the fence that jut into the West Bank are illegal and called on Israel to dismantle them. Regev said the fence has boosted Israeli security. "We have seen since the fence has gone up, a 90 percent reduction of suicide bombings into Israel, surely these are facts that can't be ignored," Regev said. "Ultimately the route of the fence is for security reasons. We have a policy to find the greatest possible security to Israelis and minimize the negative impact to Palestinians," he said.
Haaretz 17.11.2007
Only 18 percent of some 30,000 West Bank farmers who used to work the lands cut off by Israel's separation fence now have Israeli permits to reach their fields, the United Nations said in a report on the lives of some 230,000 Palestinians in 67 communities close to the fence. The report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs looked at 15 communities with about 10,000 residents trapped between the fence and Israel, and at 52 communities with 220,000 residents on the Palestinian side of the divider. Those in the hemmed-in villages require permanent residency permits, while those on the east side of the fence need Israeli-issued visitors permits to reach lands or visit family in the enclosed communities.
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Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said the report is one-sided and that Israel is working to reduce the fence's impact on the Palestinians. Israel started building the fence in 2002, saying it is a temporary security tool meant to keep out of Palestinian attackers who by then had killed hundreds of Israeli civilians in bombings and shootings. However, the fence is largely built on West Bank land and Palestinians say its meandering route amounts to a land grab. Once completed, it would slice off 8.6 percent of West Bank land and, according to UN data, incorporate 380,000 of 450,000 Israelis living in the West Bank, which the Palestinians demand for a future state. The UN report, citing local community leaders, said that of some 30,000 Palestinians who used to work their fields on the Israeli side of the fence, only 18 percent currently have permits to reach their fields. Some 3,000 people stopped applying because they'd been repeatedly rejected in the past. Sixty-seven gates are built into the 200 kilometer stretch of fence studied, the report said. Of those, 19 are open daily to those with permits, but are closed at night, while another 19 are open during special harvest seasons, or weekly, the report said. Of the 15 villages hemmed in by the fence, nine reported that pregnant women had to leave their homes weeks before birth to ensure they could access proper health care, and just over half the villages said they had no access to basic health care, meaning they had to pass through gates in Israel's fence for treatment. The UN report said all the hemmed-in villages reported single people had problems meeting spouses because of that isolation - a burden in conservative Palestinian society, which expects men and women to marry quite young, and looks disapprovingly upon those who delay marriage. The fence, alongside Israeli settlements and Israeli-only roads, has fragmented the West Bank. Some 60 percent has been completed, mostly in the northern West Bank and around Jerusalem. In an advisory ruling in 2004, the International Court of Justice said the parts of the fence that jut into the West Bank are illegal and called on Israel to dismantle them. Regev said the fence has boosted Israeli security. "We have seen since the fence has gone up, a 90 percent reduction of suicide bombings into Israel, surely these are facts that can't be ignored," Regev said. "Ultimately the route of the fence is for security reasons. We have a policy to find the greatest possible security to Israelis and minimize the negative impact to Palestinians," he said.
jeudi 15 novembre 2007
Amendment to Basic Law on Jerusalem shakes up coalition
Haaretz 07:58 15/11/2007
By Shahar Ilan and Zvi Zrahia, Haaretz Correspondents
tags: Annapolis, Gideon Sa'ar
Officially, the government took no stand Wednesday on the matter of amending the Basic Law on Jerusalem, and the coalition allowed its members to vote their conscience. Most Kadima MKs stayed away. In other words: at least for the preliminary reading, the coalition expressed its blessing more than its objection to the bill seeking, ahead of the Annapolis conference, to hobble the government and prevent it from making concessions in Jerusalem. Six ministers backed the bill. Only Labor's ministers voted against it, including Raleb Majadele, who announced the day before in the same place that Israeli law does not apply to the Temple Mount. Under the amendment, proposed by MK Gideon Sa'ar (Likud) and 25 other MKs, a majority of 80 MKs would be required to concede any territory or jurisdiction in Jerusalem. Meretz-Yahad chair Yossi Beilin said that the fact that Sa'ar does not make do with the simple majority of 61 shows that he knows his position has become a minority view. Beilin's statement may be true with regard to the public, but in the Knesset Sa'ar won a large majority of 54 versus 24.
What was the message Sa'ar sought to convey? "Everyone will know from one end of the world to the other, everywhere - in Ramallah, in Washington, in London and in Moscow - that Israel's Knesset expressed its faith in Jerusalem as the eternal capital that is not in dispute." Beilin said he is troubled by that self-same message: "This government is not worthy of ruling on this issue if it does not take a stand and tell the opposition, 'Do not bind our hands.' I am ashamed of Israel's position." What are the odds of this bill passing in first, second and third readings? Slim. This government cannot afford it - Sa'ar presumably remembers that in the next term, he could be in a government that has to give up parts of Jerusalem. In the hour after the amendment passed, it looked like there was no coalition in the land. One after another, the coalition parties dumped coalition discipline, resulting in a series of defeats for the government in subsequent votes on various bills. This was the coalition's first day of defeats since the winter session opened and Kadima's Eli Aflalo took over as coalition chair. MK Reuven Rivlin of Likud said in response to Wednesday's events that Wednesdays, when bills go to the plenum for preliminary vote, are days that dismantle coalitions. Rivlin recalled that the Likud under Ariel Sharon took advantage of Wednesdays to topple Ehud Barak's government. When Sharon came to power in 2001, he made a point of sitting in the plenum on Wednesdays, to forestall defections. After three defeats, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert arrived in the plenum and spoke with Shas chairman Eli Yishai. The coalition was reestablished. The defeats stopped immediately.
By Shahar Ilan and Zvi Zrahia, Haaretz Correspondents
tags: Annapolis, Gideon Sa'ar
Officially, the government took no stand Wednesday on the matter of amending the Basic Law on Jerusalem, and the coalition allowed its members to vote their conscience. Most Kadima MKs stayed away. In other words: at least for the preliminary reading, the coalition expressed its blessing more than its objection to the bill seeking, ahead of the Annapolis conference, to hobble the government and prevent it from making concessions in Jerusalem. Six ministers backed the bill. Only Labor's ministers voted against it, including Raleb Majadele, who announced the day before in the same place that Israeli law does not apply to the Temple Mount. Under the amendment, proposed by MK Gideon Sa'ar (Likud) and 25 other MKs, a majority of 80 MKs would be required to concede any territory or jurisdiction in Jerusalem. Meretz-Yahad chair Yossi Beilin said that the fact that Sa'ar does not make do with the simple majority of 61 shows that he knows his position has become a minority view. Beilin's statement may be true with regard to the public, but in the Knesset Sa'ar won a large majority of 54 versus 24.
What was the message Sa'ar sought to convey? "Everyone will know from one end of the world to the other, everywhere - in Ramallah, in Washington, in London and in Moscow - that Israel's Knesset expressed its faith in Jerusalem as the eternal capital that is not in dispute." Beilin said he is troubled by that self-same message: "This government is not worthy of ruling on this issue if it does not take a stand and tell the opposition, 'Do not bind our hands.' I am ashamed of Israel's position." What are the odds of this bill passing in first, second and third readings? Slim. This government cannot afford it - Sa'ar presumably remembers that in the next term, he could be in a government that has to give up parts of Jerusalem. In the hour after the amendment passed, it looked like there was no coalition in the land. One after another, the coalition parties dumped coalition discipline, resulting in a series of defeats for the government in subsequent votes on various bills. This was the coalition's first day of defeats since the winter session opened and Kadima's Eli Aflalo took over as coalition chair. MK Reuven Rivlin of Likud said in response to Wednesday's events that Wednesdays, when bills go to the plenum for preliminary vote, are days that dismantle coalitions. Rivlin recalled that the Likud under Ariel Sharon took advantage of Wednesdays to topple Ehud Barak's government. When Sharon came to power in 2001, he made a point of sitting in the plenum on Wednesdays, to forestall defections. After three defeats, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert arrived in the plenum and spoke with Shas chairman Eli Yishai. The coalition was reestablished. The defeats stopped immediately.
samedi 10 novembre 2007
Rise in number of abused haredi women
New generation of rabbis encouraging battered Orthodox women to seek help, involve police. Welfare minister: Conspiracy of silence on this issue slowly being broken
David Regev Yedioth Ahranoth Published: 10.11.07, 12:59
The number of calls made to hotlines for victims of domestic violence in the Orthodox community has increased three-fold over the past few years, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.
The number of haredi women who called the hotlines jumped from 477 in 2004 to 1,402 in 2007, while the number of women who were housed in shelters for battered women each month nearly doubled, from 24 to 40 on average.
Attorney Noah Korman, who established the first shelter for abused haredi women in 2000 and opened a second one two years later said, "The phenomenon of violence against women exists in the Orthodox community just as it does in any other, but it was not made public as it was in the secular sector. Haredi women preferred to keep it secret. It must be remembered that domestic violence brings great shame on an Orthodox family."
According to him, haredi women turned to the hotlines and shelters as a last resort.
"Women who arrived here did so after suffering years of abuse, when they felt they were in danger and could not take it anymore," Korman said.
'It's strictly forbidden to beat a woman'
He said the change in the rabbis' position regarding the phenomenon was also instrumental encouraging more abused women in the community to seek help.
"Haredi women are becoming more and more aware of the dangers related to domestic violence, and the new generation of rabbis is encouraging them to file complaints and break the cycle (of violence)," Korman said.
David Yosef, the rabbi of Jerusalem's Har Nof neighborhood and the son of Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, declared on Wednesday that it was "strictly forbidden to beat a woman.
"If the need arises to involve the police in this matter, then they should be involved," he said.
Korman said most of the violent incidents against haredi women take place on Shabbat due to the fact that on weekdays the men are usually studying at yeshiva or tending to other matters.
He said that in many cases the violence erupts at the Shabbat diner table, adding that many of the haredi women arrive at the shelters with their children, "sometimes with nine or 10 of them".
On Wednesday Welfare Minister Issac Herzog visited a shelter for battered haredi women for the first time.
"The conspiracy of silence regarding violence against Orthodox women is slowly being broken, and we plan on helping them as best we can," he said.
David Regev Yedioth Ahranoth Published: 10.11.07, 12:59
The number of calls made to hotlines for victims of domestic violence in the Orthodox community has increased three-fold over the past few years, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.
The number of haredi women who called the hotlines jumped from 477 in 2004 to 1,402 in 2007, while the number of women who were housed in shelters for battered women each month nearly doubled, from 24 to 40 on average.
Attorney Noah Korman, who established the first shelter for abused haredi women in 2000 and opened a second one two years later said, "The phenomenon of violence against women exists in the Orthodox community just as it does in any other, but it was not made public as it was in the secular sector. Haredi women preferred to keep it secret. It must be remembered that domestic violence brings great shame on an Orthodox family."
According to him, haredi women turned to the hotlines and shelters as a last resort.
"Women who arrived here did so after suffering years of abuse, when they felt they were in danger and could not take it anymore," Korman said.
'It's strictly forbidden to beat a woman'
He said the change in the rabbis' position regarding the phenomenon was also instrumental encouraging more abused women in the community to seek help.
"Haredi women are becoming more and more aware of the dangers related to domestic violence, and the new generation of rabbis is encouraging them to file complaints and break the cycle (of violence)," Korman said.
David Yosef, the rabbi of Jerusalem's Har Nof neighborhood and the son of Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, declared on Wednesday that it was "strictly forbidden to beat a woman.
"If the need arises to involve the police in this matter, then they should be involved," he said.
Korman said most of the violent incidents against haredi women take place on Shabbat due to the fact that on weekdays the men are usually studying at yeshiva or tending to other matters.
He said that in many cases the violence erupts at the Shabbat diner table, adding that many of the haredi women arrive at the shelters with their children, "sometimes with nine or 10 of them".
On Wednesday Welfare Minister Issac Herzog visited a shelter for battered haredi women for the first time.
"The conspiracy of silence regarding violence against Orthodox women is slowly being broken, and we plan on helping them as best we can," he said.
mercredi 7 novembre 2007
Peace Now says West Bank settlements are still growing
Haaretz 18:08 07/11/2007
By The Associated Press
tags: Peace Now, settlements
Israel is expanding most of its West Bank settlements despite a commitment to stop doing so as it tries to resume peace talks with the Palestinians, according to a Peace Now report released Wednesday. The report by the group Peace Now showed construction in 88 settlements in the West Bank, most of them located in large settlement blocs that Israel hopes to retain in a final peace agreement. Halting settlement growth is one of the first steps Israel is supposed to take under the U.S.-backed road map peace plan. Israel and the Palestinians have reiterated their commitment to the plan as preparations move ahead for a peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland at the end of this month.
"All that Israel is doing on the ground is of course an obstacle to all that we are trying to achieve," Rafiq Husseini, a top aide to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, said in response to the report's findings. The road map requires the Palestinians to end violence and crack down on armed groups. Neither side has carried out the steps the plan demands of them since it was first presented in 2003. The settlements are a key issue for the Palestinians, who want to include all of the West Bank in a future state. Along with the growth in Israel's officially authorized settlements, the Peace Now report said, settlers have put up at least 10 more permanent structures in some of the 105 unauthorized outposts built in the West Bank since the 1990s to prevent land from being turned over to the Palestinians. The road map requires Israel to dismantle all unauthorized outposts built since March 2001. According to Peace Now, 51 fall into that category. Of 30 outposts evacuated by the government over the years, only 12 were inhabited, Peace Now said. Of those, four were repopulated by settlers, three were moved, one is now maintained by the army and only four were completely dismantled, according to the report. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert acknowledged this week that both sides have not fully implemented the road map, and said Israel was committed to doing so. But he did not say when or if Israel would freeze settlement construction or evacuate outposts.
By The Associated Press
tags: Peace Now, settlements
Israel is expanding most of its West Bank settlements despite a commitment to stop doing so as it tries to resume peace talks with the Palestinians, according to a Peace Now report released Wednesday. The report by the group Peace Now showed construction in 88 settlements in the West Bank, most of them located in large settlement blocs that Israel hopes to retain in a final peace agreement. Halting settlement growth is one of the first steps Israel is supposed to take under the U.S.-backed road map peace plan. Israel and the Palestinians have reiterated their commitment to the plan as preparations move ahead for a peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland at the end of this month.
"All that Israel is doing on the ground is of course an obstacle to all that we are trying to achieve," Rafiq Husseini, a top aide to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, said in response to the report's findings. The road map requires the Palestinians to end violence and crack down on armed groups. Neither side has carried out the steps the plan demands of them since it was first presented in 2003. The settlements are a key issue for the Palestinians, who want to include all of the West Bank in a future state. Along with the growth in Israel's officially authorized settlements, the Peace Now report said, settlers have put up at least 10 more permanent structures in some of the 105 unauthorized outposts built in the West Bank since the 1990s to prevent land from being turned over to the Palestinians. The road map requires Israel to dismantle all unauthorized outposts built since March 2001. According to Peace Now, 51 fall into that category. Of 30 outposts evacuated by the government over the years, only 12 were inhabited, Peace Now said. Of those, four were repopulated by settlers, three were moved, one is now maintained by the army and only four were completely dismantled, according to the report. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert acknowledged this week that both sides have not fully implemented the road map, and said Israel was committed to doing so. But he did not say when or if Israel would freeze settlement construction or evacuate outposts.
jeudi 1 novembre 2007
Reaping the occupation's fruit
By Amira Hass
Haaretz 1.11.2007
If the plot of land belonging to Dr. Salam Fayad, the Palestinian prime minister, were located 50 meters west of its present location, in the level part of the village of Deir al-Ghusun, it would now be growing thorns and thistles. If it were located 50, or at most 100 meters, to the west, Fayad's plot would have found itself on the other side of the separation fence, on the other side of Gate 609, which soldiers open and close three times a day to allow entrance to those who have managed, after investing considerable efforts, to get permits in order to get to their land. Deir al-Ghusun, eight kilometers north of Tul Karm, incorporates about 15,000 dunams (including the built-up area and the master plan). Of these, 2,200 dunams are pinned between the separation fence and the Green Line. About 300 families own plots of land in this area. Throughout the year - not including the height of the agricultural season - about 150 people need regular permits to reach their private land. A few hundred more request permits during the olive-picking and harvesting seasons. Of the village's 10,000 residents, about 4,000 make a living from the plots located behind the fence. Or to be more accurate: they could, theoretically, make a living from them.
'N.C. No crossings' Hired agricultural workers tend to the cauliflower and corn in Fayad's plot. If his land were located on the other side of the fence, most likely the laborers would not be able to cultivate it. Based on the experience of the residents, the Civil Administration grants entry permits only to the land's owners and their first-degree relatives, not to hired laborers. Khaled Abdul Latif Khader, one of Fayad's relatives, is 61 years old. He has no children to help him cultivate the 12 dunams belonging to him and his wife. Until the fence was built, he employed five workers. Last Friday he went to his plot, took a look around and quickly left: It was too painful for him to see the olives that he and his wife cannot pick by themselves, the dry land that they didn't water, the weeds. If Fayad's land were there, on the other side of the fence, and if he had decided that he or his immediate family would cultivate it, this is what he would have to do: Submit a copy of his ID, his tabu (property registration) permits, the Palestinian Authority land registration form, as approved by the Civil Administration's land registry office, and the request for "an entry permit to the seam-line area." When the landowner dies, his sons have to submit a death certificate and an inheritance order, since the land is not registered in their name. This entire bundle of papers is submitted to a special official in the village council, who passes them on to an official in the PA Civil Liaison Office, who travels to the office of the Israeli Civil Administration in the settlement of Kedumim and submits an average of 35 requests a week. And then Fayad would have to wait for a reply and a permit. Sometimes it takes two weeks, sometimes a week, sometimes a month and a half. The negative reply is scribbled in Hebrew, hand-written, on the request for a permit: "N.C. - No crossings," it says on the request form of Amar Ghanem, 27, and on the margins it reads: "Received a permit for olive picking for one week." In other words, someone in the Civil Administration decided that one week is enough. He doesn't need more. Amar's father, Yasser Ghanem, owns 17 dunams of land on the other side of the fence, which he shares with his brothers. On September 21 his previous two-year permit expired. He submitted a request for a new permit well before its expiration date. He waited and waited and the long-awaited permit for him and his wife finally arrived on October 17. It is valid from October 16 to October 22. Seven days, of which the first day has already passed. One of his female relatives died on October 18. Yasser spent three days in the wake house. He had one day left. His brother Taisir and his sister-in-law received a permit on the same day, October 17. Their permit also begins on the 16th of the month, but is valid until October 18. And Taisir recently planted new saplings, which have to be watered every four days. Bakr Ibrahim had a three-month permit that expired on October 6. He submitted a request for a new one, and has been waiting since. The olives on the trees are also waiting. Based on incidental conversations with officers, the residents of Deir al-Ghusun explain the change - from issuing two-year permits to granting permits for only a few days - as a result of the power switch in the Defense Ministry: Amir Peretz's office conveyed to the Civil Administration officers that it was important to pick every last olive. But the last olive is not important to Ehud Barak. This Sunday, 18 permits arrived at the offices of the village council: five are valid for a year, one for three months, six for between 12 days and four weeks, and the remaining six are valid for two days. Husni Abdullah is one of the farmers who, on the afternoon of October 28, received a permit that he had been waiting for since the beginning of the month. The permit is valid from October 28 to October 29. The size of his land: 34 dunams. One-day harvest On October 24, he sent a letter, via the activists of Machsom Watch, to Colonel Sharon Afek, the Israel Defense Forces' legal adviser for the West Bank. In the letter he explained about himself and his cousin, Hafez. They are both childless. They both cultivate the same plot. They both had two-year permits. Neither of them had their permits renewed in time, although they submitted their requests in September. It's true, they noted in the letter, that there are another three family members with permits: one is disabled and cannot work, certainly not by himself; a second is studying in Jordan and the third is Husni's wife. How can she pick olives on an area of 34 dunams by herself? After receiving a permit of two days (which turned out to be just a day) in the end, he once again wrote to the legal adviser, using the services of Machsom Watch. The permit is a mockery, he wrote. Only about 10 of the village's residents did not receive permits, on the grounds of "security reasons." One of them is Jafar Abdul Munim. He had a two-year permit, valid until November 4 of this year. He forgot the permit in the pocket of his pants, which were sent to be laundered. When he asked for a new permit, the Civil Administration suddenly informed him that he was "prevented [from being issued a permit] for security reasons." Munim also sent a letter to the IDF legal adviser via Machsom Watch. In the letter he claimed that there was no basis for turning him into a security risk, and asked that the Shin Bet security services invite him to its special committees (code name: "the agricultural committees") to prove that he does not suddenly represent a security risk. Only his brother is left with a permit to work the 22-dunam plot. "My brother cannot accomplish the task by himself," Jafar wrote to Colonel Afek. "A large percentage of the crop for which we worked so hard all year to support our family will go down the drain." It is a statement that could become the mantra of many residents in the village of the Palestinian prime minister. The Civil Administration claims there has been no change in the policy for issuing permits, and that the procedures are determined by "a professional body, including a staff officer in charge of agriculture, with the main consideration being to make things easier for the resident and to minimize the damage to the farmers." In its reply, the Israeli authority claims that the length of the permit "is determined in accordance with the size of the plot. In the past, in light of the lenient approach, a large number of permits (for farmers and laborers) were given to residents who were not entitled to them, because the size of their plots was small, to the point where we suspected an attempt to receive a permit fraudulently, and working the land certainly does not require many work days or hiring a number of workers. Each request is handled differently, which explains the differences in the duration of replies." In other words, from the response of the Civil Administration we can conclude that permits are in fact given to hired workers. The Deir al-Ghusun council says the decision on the duration of the permit is arbitrary and does not take into account the family ownership, the customary cooperative work and the fact that some of the heirs do not even come to the plot and leave it in the hands of the other siblings. The farmers are also saying that the olive-picking season is followed by the almond season, and that cultivating the land requires prolonged work, which extends beyond the olive harvest.
Haaretz 1.11.2007
If the plot of land belonging to Dr. Salam Fayad, the Palestinian prime minister, were located 50 meters west of its present location, in the level part of the village of Deir al-Ghusun, it would now be growing thorns and thistles. If it were located 50, or at most 100 meters, to the west, Fayad's plot would have found itself on the other side of the separation fence, on the other side of Gate 609, which soldiers open and close three times a day to allow entrance to those who have managed, after investing considerable efforts, to get permits in order to get to their land. Deir al-Ghusun, eight kilometers north of Tul Karm, incorporates about 15,000 dunams (including the built-up area and the master plan). Of these, 2,200 dunams are pinned between the separation fence and the Green Line. About 300 families own plots of land in this area. Throughout the year - not including the height of the agricultural season - about 150 people need regular permits to reach their private land. A few hundred more request permits during the olive-picking and harvesting seasons. Of the village's 10,000 residents, about 4,000 make a living from the plots located behind the fence. Or to be more accurate: they could, theoretically, make a living from them.
'N.C. No crossings' Hired agricultural workers tend to the cauliflower and corn in Fayad's plot. If his land were located on the other side of the fence, most likely the laborers would not be able to cultivate it. Based on the experience of the residents, the Civil Administration grants entry permits only to the land's owners and their first-degree relatives, not to hired laborers. Khaled Abdul Latif Khader, one of Fayad's relatives, is 61 years old. He has no children to help him cultivate the 12 dunams belonging to him and his wife. Until the fence was built, he employed five workers. Last Friday he went to his plot, took a look around and quickly left: It was too painful for him to see the olives that he and his wife cannot pick by themselves, the dry land that they didn't water, the weeds. If Fayad's land were there, on the other side of the fence, and if he had decided that he or his immediate family would cultivate it, this is what he would have to do: Submit a copy of his ID, his tabu (property registration) permits, the Palestinian Authority land registration form, as approved by the Civil Administration's land registry office, and the request for "an entry permit to the seam-line area." When the landowner dies, his sons have to submit a death certificate and an inheritance order, since the land is not registered in their name. This entire bundle of papers is submitted to a special official in the village council, who passes them on to an official in the PA Civil Liaison Office, who travels to the office of the Israeli Civil Administration in the settlement of Kedumim and submits an average of 35 requests a week. And then Fayad would have to wait for a reply and a permit. Sometimes it takes two weeks, sometimes a week, sometimes a month and a half. The negative reply is scribbled in Hebrew, hand-written, on the request for a permit: "N.C. - No crossings," it says on the request form of Amar Ghanem, 27, and on the margins it reads: "Received a permit for olive picking for one week." In other words, someone in the Civil Administration decided that one week is enough. He doesn't need more. Amar's father, Yasser Ghanem, owns 17 dunams of land on the other side of the fence, which he shares with his brothers. On September 21 his previous two-year permit expired. He submitted a request for a new permit well before its expiration date. He waited and waited and the long-awaited permit for him and his wife finally arrived on October 17. It is valid from October 16 to October 22. Seven days, of which the first day has already passed. One of his female relatives died on October 18. Yasser spent three days in the wake house. He had one day left. His brother Taisir and his sister-in-law received a permit on the same day, October 17. Their permit also begins on the 16th of the month, but is valid until October 18. And Taisir recently planted new saplings, which have to be watered every four days. Bakr Ibrahim had a three-month permit that expired on October 6. He submitted a request for a new one, and has been waiting since. The olives on the trees are also waiting. Based on incidental conversations with officers, the residents of Deir al-Ghusun explain the change - from issuing two-year permits to granting permits for only a few days - as a result of the power switch in the Defense Ministry: Amir Peretz's office conveyed to the Civil Administration officers that it was important to pick every last olive. But the last olive is not important to Ehud Barak. This Sunday, 18 permits arrived at the offices of the village council: five are valid for a year, one for three months, six for between 12 days and four weeks, and the remaining six are valid for two days. Husni Abdullah is one of the farmers who, on the afternoon of October 28, received a permit that he had been waiting for since the beginning of the month. The permit is valid from October 28 to October 29. The size of his land: 34 dunams. One-day harvest On October 24, he sent a letter, via the activists of Machsom Watch, to Colonel Sharon Afek, the Israel Defense Forces' legal adviser for the West Bank. In the letter he explained about himself and his cousin, Hafez. They are both childless. They both cultivate the same plot. They both had two-year permits. Neither of them had their permits renewed in time, although they submitted their requests in September. It's true, they noted in the letter, that there are another three family members with permits: one is disabled and cannot work, certainly not by himself; a second is studying in Jordan and the third is Husni's wife. How can she pick olives on an area of 34 dunams by herself? After receiving a permit of two days (which turned out to be just a day) in the end, he once again wrote to the legal adviser, using the services of Machsom Watch. The permit is a mockery, he wrote. Only about 10 of the village's residents did not receive permits, on the grounds of "security reasons." One of them is Jafar Abdul Munim. He had a two-year permit, valid until November 4 of this year. He forgot the permit in the pocket of his pants, which were sent to be laundered. When he asked for a new permit, the Civil Administration suddenly informed him that he was "prevented [from being issued a permit] for security reasons." Munim also sent a letter to the IDF legal adviser via Machsom Watch. In the letter he claimed that there was no basis for turning him into a security risk, and asked that the Shin Bet security services invite him to its special committees (code name: "the agricultural committees") to prove that he does not suddenly represent a security risk. Only his brother is left with a permit to work the 22-dunam plot. "My brother cannot accomplish the task by himself," Jafar wrote to Colonel Afek. "A large percentage of the crop for which we worked so hard all year to support our family will go down the drain." It is a statement that could become the mantra of many residents in the village of the Palestinian prime minister. The Civil Administration claims there has been no change in the policy for issuing permits, and that the procedures are determined by "a professional body, including a staff officer in charge of agriculture, with the main consideration being to make things easier for the resident and to minimize the damage to the farmers." In its reply, the Israeli authority claims that the length of the permit "is determined in accordance with the size of the plot. In the past, in light of the lenient approach, a large number of permits (for farmers and laborers) were given to residents who were not entitled to them, because the size of their plots was small, to the point where we suspected an attempt to receive a permit fraudulently, and working the land certainly does not require many work days or hiring a number of workers. Each request is handled differently, which explains the differences in the duration of replies." In other words, from the response of the Civil Administration we can conclude that permits are in fact given to hired workers. The Deir al-Ghusun council says the decision on the duration of the permit is arbitrary and does not take into account the family ownership, the customary cooperative work and the fact that some of the heirs do not even come to the plot and leave it in the hands of the other siblings. The farmers are also saying that the olive-picking season is followed by the almond season, and that cultivating the land requires prolonged work, which extends beyond the olive harvest.
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