The Israeli court continues to delay the building of the Wall on Palestinian land. And now some companies benefiting financially are told to stop providing aid:
Dutch gov't warns company to stop work on W. Bank fence
The Dutch foreign minister, Maxime Verhagen, recently warned a construction company from the Rotterdam area to terminate its involvement in work on the separation fence in the West Bank.
"I expect Riwal to stop providing cranes for the wall. I hope this will be the last we hear of it," Verhagen said in a media statement late last month, adding that "the government will keep a close watch" on the company's actions.
The Dutch foreign ministry called the company's work on the barrier "undesirable," citing the 2004 ruling by the Hague-based International Court of Justice that the fence was illegal.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
Unbuilt portions of the "wall" include in areas around Jerusalem, Ma'aleh Adumim, Gush Etzion, the area to the south close to the Dead Sea and section that will surround the settlements of the Shomron.
If only 56% of the "wall" is built, does that mean that only 56% of the suicide bombers have been stopped?? Estimates say the "wall" will not be completed till....2020?
The High Court has heard 109 cases and 39 are still pending.
Does anyone care that according to the UN Report, "Completion of the barrier around the Ma'aleh Adumim bloc will separate east Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, restricting access to workplaces, health, education and to places of worship."
Or that "further south, the route of the barrier around the Gush Etzion settlement bloc will sever Bethlehem from Jerusalem and isolate the majority of Bethlehem's agricultural hinterland."
It's been three years since this report came out and the "wall" continues being built:
But even as fence proponents lamented the slow progress, the United Nations on Monday released a report that blamed the fence for cutting Palestinians off from their land, social fabric and a host of social services such as schools and hospitals.
The report was issued three years to the day after the International Court of Justice at The Hague ruled against the fence. According to the court, all construction of the fence beyond the pre-1967 border was illegal. Only 20% of the projected fence route would be built along that 1967 line, according to the newly-released UN report.
snip
In a survey of 57 Palestinian communities impacted in the northern section of the fence, the report said only 26 of 61 gates were open to allow farmers to cultivate their land on the other side and that even then, farmers could only access that land 64% of the time.
"Less then half have direct, regular access to their land," the report said.
"Seventy-two percent of the surveyed communities complained of regular verbal abuse and humiliation by IDF soldiers at the gates. Twenty-four percent reported damage or refusal of entry of agricultural products," according to the report.
http://www.jpost.com/...
To the east....
Millions of dollars have been raised for Sderot, the town that was build on a destroyed Palestinian town, recipient of the qassums. Now it seems the residents are even upset, it's just become an opportunity for some enterprising business men to make more money:
Sderot mayor probed for misuse of donor funds
Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal may be questioned under caution in the coming weeks on suspicion of cronyism and misuse of approximately NIS 300 million that has been given to Sderot in the seven years since Kassam rockets began to fall in the western Negev town.
snip
Officers from the Intelligence and Investigation Division did confirm the reports that "the NFS's southern desk has been running for a certain time an investigation following complaints of Sderot residents, in which they alleged that Mayor Eli Moyal and others were involved in carrying out criminal acts."
http://www.jpost.com/...
We have all heard how Palestinians just won't quit making babies, possibly hurting the demographics of Israel:
Border Control / Who told them to give birth at night?
The small village of Azun Athma is located in the southeastern part of the West Bank, not far from Qalqilyah and too close to Israel and the Jewish settlements of Etz Efraim, Elkanah, Sha'are Tikva and Oranit, which surround it in all directions. To ensure the security of the residents of Israel and for the sake of the settlers' convenience, the Palestinian village has been encircled by a fence and has become an enclave closed on all sides. In order to partake of essential services in the West Bank, the inhabitants of Azun Athma pass through a gate controlled by the Israel Defense Forces. They undergo physical searches each time they exit and enter. At 10 P.M. the soldiers close the gate and only open it again the next morning at 6 A.M.
It is common knowledge that the Palestinians suffer from a serious lack of discipline, which starts in their mother's womb. There are fetuses that insist on coming into this world right at the time when the Israeli soldiers go to sleep. What is to be done with these babies when Azun Athma only has a clinic providing the most basic services for two hours, twice a week? To make sure they will receive proper medical care during the birth, pregnant women (in an average year about 50 babies are born in the village) tend to leave their homes and move in with relatives, who reside in places where one can obtain accessible and good medical services. Thus, of the 33 babies that were born to inhabitants of the village between January of this year and the beginning of June, 20 were born outside the village. The others were born in their mothers' homes without the aid of a doctor or a qualified midwife.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
Did I mention, 80% of the "wall" will be build on Palestinian land, no wonder Israel hates the UN Reports:
UN: Separation fence will sever Jerusalem from West Bank
The United Nations issued a report Monday saying the security fence Israel is building will effectively separate mainly Arab-populated East Jerusalem from the West Bank.
The UN report said other sections of the fence would effectively trap some 50,000 of the 2.5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank in a zone between the territory and Israel.
"These Palestinians would be unable to access critical services such as schools, clinics and shops in either Israel or the West Bank without special permits," the report said.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
And what are people saying about cutting off water and food to Gaza, like Netenyahu proposed:
Natallie, from Ca:
It really puts some Israelis into a meltdown of frustration that they cannot punish Hamas. In spite of all action taken against Hamas, they are stronger today than ever before. They control Gaza for the first time. They hold the captured IDF man and there is nothing that Israel can do about it. They launch Qassams at will. Normally, before getting to this point, Israels supporters are ready to kill someone. Surely, if Hamas can`t be made to suffer, the Palestinian in the street is more vulnerable. Never mind that he has done nothing to Israel. He is Palestinian and therefore open to Israeli reprisals. Group punishments are a long . Group punishments are a long time Israeli favorite. Its part of what got Israel to where it is today.t
Durson
tadchase from San Fran:
Don`t DESERVE it??????
I don`t think DESERVE is the proper term. I think that as long as Israel maintains its blockade of Gaza it has an OBLIGATION to provide the water. Until Israels blockade of Gazas airport, ports and land crossings is lifted "bottled water" or "water from Egypt" are simply not options. Of course if you don`t mind seeing children dying of thirst and dehydration on TV, then by all means go ahead and cut off the water, you noble, generous people, who are respected around the world for your high ethical and moral standards.
Four Palestinian families have now joined the parents of Rachel Corrie, (a 23-year-old peace activist from Olympia, Washington, that was crushed by a 60-ton Israel Defense Forces bulldozer as she tried to protect a Palestinian home in the Gaza Strip) in reopening a lawsuit against caterpillar the American company profiting from the Israel occupation (hold the company civilly liable for aiding and abetting human rights violations, the destruction of civilian homes).
Previously, a U.S. District Court judge in Tacoma dismissed the lawsuit in 2005:
Chemerinsky insisted that the judge applied the wrong legal standard, and that as long as the company knew how the bulldozers were being used, it could be held liable under common law dating back centuries. "The case should be sent back to the lower court for further proceedings to determine what Caterpillar executives knew," he said.
That Israel purchased the bulldozers with American foriegn aid money furthers complicates the issue:
snip
"If your honors did look at the U.S. as paying for the bulldozer, the U.S. would be an aider and abettor as well," he said. "There is no conclusion that can be reached other than this, it presents a political question," he added.
Judge Michael Hawkins asked Justice Department lawyer Robert Loeb to consider the hypothetical case of a U.S. oven manufacturer during World War II: "If the company continued selling ovens to Germany, knowing they were being used to kill Jews, would there be legal grounds to go after the company?" he asked.
"Yes," Loeb replied, adding "Treason, for starters."
http://www.haaretz.com/...
Europe's boycotts continue, even if American companies "don't get it":
"We send a message to the Israeli state by our support for a boycott of Israeli products and goods," said Barry Camfield, assistant general secretary of the union. "This is not a call to boycott dialogue or for industrial action. As with South Africa, a boycott played a key part in liberating that country from apartheid. Now, we work to liberate the Palestinian people from their suffering at the hands of the Israeli state's military machine."
http://www.jpost.com/...
And what do the latest polls in America show, where most people don't have a clue about what is happening in the Middle East:
But the voters don't want America to be too involved in this worrisome event. They prefer for Israel and international organizations to do the necessary work. What measures should be taken by the administration, the survey asks, and the answer is:
35% percent: Support Israel's right to use military actions.
25 percent: Support working with the International community to isolate Hamas.
15 percent: Support letting humanitarian organizations provide food and medical help.
13 percent: Say no action should be taken.
11 percent: Encourage Israel to stop providing utilities and supplies.
9 percent: Encourage cooperation with the Hamas government in Gaza.
Generally speaking, GOP voters will support military actions by Israel, while Democrats will be more receptive to working with Hamas (14 percent compared to 6 percent of Republicans). Democrats, tired of Iraq, I guess, are also more inclined to say that the US should do nothing (19 percent Democrats, 7 p Republicans).
http://www.haaretz.com/...
UGH!
And will we do our Allie's bidding?
'Time running out for Iran strike'
Predicting that sanctions will ultimately fail to stop Teheran's nuclear program, Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, former head of Military Intelligence's Research Division, told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that time to launch an effective military strike against Iran's nuclear installations was running out.
According to Kuperwasser, who stepped down from his post last year, Iran is "very close" to the point that it will cross the technological threshold and have the capability to enrich uranium at an industrial level. Once they master the technology, the Iranians will have the ability to manufacture a nuclear device within two to three years, he added.
snip
In an article entitled "Halting Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program: Iranian Vulnerabilities and Western Policy Options" published this week by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs - run by former Israeli ambassador to the UN Dr. Dore Gold - Kuperwasser spells out what he believes is the only course of action that will stop Iran's race to nuclear power.
http://www.jpost.com/...
At what point does Israel become a liability?