Palestinian | J Crew Obama Jackets

Posts Tagged ‘Palestinian’

israel; israeli wall is deep in occupied palestinian territories july 10 2009

2 israel; israeli wall is deep in occupied palestinian territories july 10 2009 Five years ago today, the international court of justice in The Hague published its advisory opinion on Israel’s separation wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). The keenly awaited verdict, requested by the UN’s general assembly, was clear: Israel’s wall is illegal, it must be removed and adequate compensation paid.

The wall’s illegality, and Israel’s obligation to dismantle the structure and pay damages for the consequences of the wall thus far, were all agreed by the judges by a margin of 14-1. (The ICJ also accepted the use of the term “wall”, since “other expressions” are “no more accurate”.) There was also confirmation that Israel’s settlements were “a flagrant violation” of the convention, established “in breach of international law” (contrast this with the mealy-mouthed nitpicking over outposts and “freezes” by Barack Obama and Binyamin Netanyahu). Overall, the court found that the route of the wall threatened to create “de facto annexation”, with the wall itself described as severely impeding “the exercise by the Palestinian people of its right to self-determination”.

At the time, the ICJ decision was hailed by Palestinians and dismissed by the Israeli government. As Yasser Arafat described it as a “victory for the Palestinian people”, a spokesman for the then prime minister Ariel Sharon, Raanan Gissin, opined that “after all the rancour dies, this resolution will find its place in the garbage can of history”.

Both the US and UK had opposed the entire process, on the odd grounds that the UN’s main judicial body for settling legal disputes was not “the appropriate forum to resolve what is a political issue”. In the words of Jack Straw, it was better not to “embroil” the ICJ “in a heavily political bilateral dispute”.

This opposition was rare later that same month, the general assembly voted by 150 to six in support of the ICJ opinion. The decision was also welcomed by the likes of Oxfam and Amnesty International, with Oxfam’s director adding that the ruling was a “step in the right direction” but needed “further action” by the international community.

But meaningful “further action” was not forthcoming, and Israel pressed on with the wall. Five years on, the wall loops around the West Bank and cuts through East Jerusalem, isolating Palestinian communities and devastating lives, and has become an integral part of Israel’s apartheid regime in the territories. About two-thirds of the 700km+ route, featuring a 8m-high wall, electric fences, sniper towers and “buffer zones” up to 100m wide, is completed or under construction. Of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, 8.5% will be on the “wrong” side of the wall. In terms of size as well as significance, this would be comparable to the UK losing Greater London and south-east England.

For Israel to consolidate its hold on the illegal colonies in the OPT, many Palestinians find themselves hemmed in and surrounded by the wall’s contortions (pdf). About 35,000 Palestinians with West Bank IDs are to be caught between the wall and the Green Line if you add (pdf) the East Jerusalem Palestinians in the same position, this figure increases to about 260,000.

These are the bare facts five years on from the ICJ opinion. Israel has ignored the judges’ decision, but that’s not a surprise. However, has the Palestinian leadership sufficiently exploited the opinion? Speaking to Palestinians involved in monitoring the wall’s progress, or in directly resisting it on the ground, there is a feeling that Palestinian diplomats have not done as much with the ICJ result as they could have.

Palestinians in communities directly affected by the wall continue to put up resistance, sometimes at their cost of their lives: 18 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during anti-wall protests, the youngest victim a 10-year-old boy. While they fight for survival, the wall has also played a key role in changing the big picture, delineating the borders of the Palestinian enclaves Israel will grant “statehood”.

In 1994, the then Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin said that “we have to decide on separation as a philosophy”. However, this is not separation on equal terms the following year Rabin also made it clear that the Palestinian “entity” would be “less than a state”. There is a term for unequal separation in international law apartheid (I will talk about this tonight). The wall urgently needs dismantling; but it is only one part of a bigger whole.

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Israelis vs gaza game war on terror children terrorism !

2 Israelis vs gaza game war on terror children terrorism ! WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (Reuters) – President-elect Barack Obama said on Monday he had requested access to the remaining $350 billion of the $700 billion financial industry bailout package so he would have “ammunition” if the U.S. financial system weakens further.

Obama, who takes office next Tuesday, said his White House would focus the rescue funds on housing foreclosures and small businesses, representing a fundamental change from President George W. Bush’s use of the first half of the money.

“It is clear that the financial system, although improved from where it was in September, is still fragile,” Obama told reporters, when explaining why he had sought the second half of the bailout package now.

“I felt that it would be irresponsible for me, with the first $350 billion already spent, to enter into the administration without any potential ammunition should there be some sort of emergency or a weakening of the financial system.”

Obama, a Democrat, earlier on Monday asked Bush, a Republican, to seek access to the funds from Congress. Obama said he shared the concern of Congressional leaders about how the first half of the package had been spent.

“Many of us have been disappointed with the absence of clarity, the lack of transparency, the failure to track how the money’s been spent, and the failure to take bold action with respect to areas like housing,” he told reporters, speaking after a meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

“My commitment is that we are going to fundamentally change some of the practices in using this next phase of the program. We’re going to focus on housing foreclosures, we’re going to focus on small businesses, we’re going to focus on what’s required to make sure that credit is flowing to consumers and businesses,” he said.

The massive bailout was approved last October to bolster the financial industry and unfreeze credit as the sector reeled under the stress of toxic mortgage-related assets.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason, Editing by Frances Kerry) U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Ellis in Manhattan today said Madoff, charged last month with running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme, may continue to live under house arrest in his apartment on Manhattans Upper East Side. Ellis imposed new conditions, ordering Madoff to compile an inventory of all items in his home and barring him from transferring property.

Because the government has failed to meet its legal burden, the motion is denied, Ellis wrote in a 22-page ruling. The government has failed to articulate any flaw in the current conditions of release Madoff is now scheduled to appear in court Feb. 11 for an evidentiary hearing. If indicted before then, come before another judge to answer the charges, and prosecutors may ask again for him to be jailed. Madoff faces as much as 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine if convicted.

Elliss ruling came a week after prosecutors sought to jail Madoff because he mailed items including a diamond bracelet and watches to relatives in violation of a court- ordered asset freeze in a lawsuit by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Madoffs defense lawyer, Ira Sorkin, said his client didnt know the order from the SEC lawsuit applied to personal items Madoff, 70, was arrested on Dec. 11 and charged with using billions of dollars from new investors to pay off older ones. He told authorities that investors may have lost $50 billion, prosecutors said. With prosecutors consent, he was released on bail and restricted to his Manhattan home, under guard and subject to electronic monitoring. He surrendered his passport.

In another development, the trustee for Madoffs investment firm, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, won approval to issue subpoenas as part of a broad probe of the firms assets and conduct. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Burton Lifland in Manhattan approved the request.

Irving Picard, the trustee appointed by Securities Investor Protection Corp., is working to collect as much cash as possible for the creditors of the trading firm.

Separately, an evidentiary hearing scheduled for today was postponed last week, giving prosecutors a month more to indict Madoff. In his Jan. 9 postponement request, Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Litt said prosecutors and Sorkin have had discussions with respect to a possible disposition of Madoffs case. The parties plan to continue those discussions, Litt said.

Jewelry Mailed On Jan. 5, prosecutors said Madoff violated a court order in the SEC case and obstructed justice by mailing Cartier and Tiffany watches, a ring, a diamond necklace and other jewelry in an effort to dissipate his assets. They said his violation of the order indicated he might flee the country. The property was worth more than $1 million, they said.

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