Ibrahimi Mosque by Nick Thompson
[Update below]
At a time when John Kerry seems to think that the Israelis are playing ball on negotiations, the colonization of the West Bank continues apace.
Noam Sheizaf reports at +972:
According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, new construction projects in West Bank settlements have grown by 176 percent (!) compared to the same period last year (January-March 2012). This is a 355 percent increase, when compared to the final quarter of 2012 (October-December).
One symbol of this expansion is a particularly contentious building in the heart of Hebron we focused on last year. A little over a year ago, in a widely reported political farce, the Israeli military forcibly evicted about 100 Jewish setttlers who had illegally occupied a three story building ‘Beit Hamachpela’ in a Palestinian neighborhood. The BBC reported at the time “local Palestinian police disputed the validity of the deal, saying the building had more than 50 owners, only one of whom sold his share.”
But the settlers were theatrically removed on the eve of Passover, providing the Israeli government with a PR-coup, featuring photos of an evicted settler rolling her baby in a stroller surrounded by Israeli troops as Netanyahu, declaring his commitment to the rule of law, saw the area was cordoned off in a closed military zone while the Ministry of Housing was busy announcing tenders for 800 hundred new plots for expansion in the West Bank!
It’s a very volatile/provocative location and initially there was no military authorization for the purchase, which is supposed to be required. “Economic peace” is worthless when Palestinian homes are gobbled up left and right and Palestinians are constantly getting killed, abducted, arrested, detained and/or imprisoned while Israel expands. Maybe John Kerry should put that in his pipe and smoke it.
Update: Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reported Israeli forces held military exercises inside the Ibrahimi Mosque on Thursday, evicting worshipers:
The Israeli occupation army has held exercises inside the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. Muslim worshippers were forced out of the mosque on Thursday as the troops moved in.
Tayseer Abu Sneineh, the Director of Religious Endowments in Hebron, said that worshippers were excluded from the mosque for several hours while the unidentified exercises took place. He added that the mosque officials were prevented by the soldiers from making the midday call to prayer.
Annie, it’s more of the same… talk, talk, talk, then talk, talk, talk. No actions, no change on the ground. Kerry has to show immediate and fair and balanced progress to resuscitate the 2SS. While he seems honest and diligent, the fact that he relies very heavily on Blair is a bad omen. Blair forced Ashton to delay an EU statement on the zionist regime a week or so ago. This is a man no Palestinian can trust.
The cliche that this is the last window on the 2SS is correct IMHO. What I believe is different this time is the structural and fundamental geo-political changes that are occuring in the region. This time around it seems to me there is a true divergence of the US interests and the zionist interests. The zionist regime is very happy about what is going on in Egypt as any and all turmoil and in-fighting in the enemy’s campy is always welcome by them. zionists thrive on uncertainty and exploiting chaos. They cheered loudly for what happened in Iraq because it destroyed the Iraqi army even though it brought Iran into Iraq. They are very happy at the on-going destruction of the Syrian army even if its fundamentalist extremists could win. Now the Egyptian army’s disintegration has started to the zionist regime’s great content even if the outcome is far from uncertain.
But that is not how the US reads the situation it I think. The US/Obama/Kerry see what’s happening in Egypt as an opportunity to re-establish US’s good will and influence and interests by being the one that established the State of Palestine. They certainly see this as a great act that will certainly pay dividends and sway support towards the US in a region where the US is helpless to influence anything. Palestine/Israel is the one and only area in the ME where the US can be proactive and can influence the outcome.
See this http://bakerinstitute.org/news/publications/re-engaging-the-israelis-and-the-palestinians-why-an-american-role-in-initiating-israeli-palestinian-negotiations-is-necessary-and-how-it-an-be-accomplished on what could lay ahead as Kerry continues his efforts.
Once this window closes, and it will in the next 6 or so months, 2SS is over once and for all and the march continues and intensifies towards 1S1P1V supported by BDS/ICC/ICJ/non-violent actions.
Hague Regulation 1907 Art. 56. The property of municipalities, that of institutions dedicated to religion, charity and education, the arts and sciences, even when State property, shall be treated as private property.
All seizure of, destruction or wilful damage done to institutions of this character, historic monuments, works of art and science, is forbidden, and should be made the subject of legal proceedings. Unless the Palestinians assert their legal rights, then all these International Laws are just scraps of paper.
Ibrahimi, now lets look at this word for a moment. It’s Arabic and refers to the Abraham, the father of Issac and the grandfather of Jacob. The forefathers of the Jewish people. Abraham had another son, Ishmael, to who Islam trace their roots back to. Abraham lived over 2,000 years before Islam was introduced to the world. So the Tomb of the Patriarchs (to Jews) and referred to by Annie as the Ibrahimi Mosque, became part of Islam way after the evolvement of the Jewish religion by the Israelites. The Tomb of the Patriarchs was the most important site for Jews prior to the building of the Jewish Temples in Jerusalem, on top of which now stand the Dome of the Rock and Aksa Mosque. So please Annie, when talking about the Tomb of the Patriarchs, you should try not to hide and/or distort history. Islam often has latched onto the history and traditions of others and the Annie’s of the world couldn’t give a damn.
Annie, you’re always polite and courteous and generous.
virtually everybody, but not eveybody, who posts on this site, are good, decent, conscientious people. I have been studying and following the arab/israeli situation since 1972.
I can still very clearly remember sitting in my parents tv room in 1979 watching the camp davis signing with carter, sadat, and begin. My parents were just elated!. I said it all doesn’t mean a damn thing because they’re not dealing with the root cause which ,of course, is the palestinian refugee problem and the land unabatedly being stolen continuously from them.
I’ve noticed, as I'[m sure most of my fellow readers and posters have also, a definite modus operandi of the likud jews in constantly trying to forestall dealing with this issue through the deceitful charade of “peace talks”, which are nothing more than a delaying tactic while israel steals more and more land.
The bottom line is nothing is going to change,as it hasn’t since 1979, unless there is a serious, and I mean serious, force of some kind to make it change, sort of like that old priciple in physics, something will not change unless there is a force equal or greater to “make” it change,
We all know it’s not going to come about from the american political environment, with our so-called elected officials all bought and payed for by israel like street corner prostitutes, who are, more so, representing israeli citizens than americans.
And you know damn well that likud loyalists read everything we all write here. They’re all probably laughing their asses off at us, knowing that all our well-intentioned words are, well, just words, and they’re going to keep on doing what they’ve always been doinig until if and when that force, whatever it may be, comes along.