DOCSLIB.ORG

Initial Examination, April 18, 2019)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Initial Examination, April 18, 2019) רמה כ ז מל ו תשר מה ו ד י ע י ן ( למ מ" ) רמה כרמ כ ז ז מל מה ו י תשר עד מל מה ו ד ו י ד ע י י ע ן י ן ו ל ( רט למ ו מ" ר ) כרמ ז מה י עד מל ו ד י ע י ן ול רט ו ר Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh's New PA Government (Initial Examination, April 18, 2019) April 18, 2019 Overview On April 13, 2019, the new Palestinian government was sworn in, headed by Prime Minister Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh. So far 20 ministers have been appointed, but more may be added (ministers of internal affairs and of the waqf – the Muslim endowment) have not yet been appointed, possibly because of internal conflicts). It is a government of technocrats who lack deep roots in in the Palestinian public. Dr. Shtayyeh, the prime minister, is an economist and a member of Fatah's Central Committee. Most of the ministers are Fatah members or independents, some of them affiliated with Fatah. However, influential Fatah members, who have a public power base, were not appointed. In addition, prominent organizations, such as Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) are not represented, because from the beginning they refused to participate. On the other hand, small, unimportant organizations (the Palestinian Struggle Front, FIDA, the Palestinian People's Party) are included, but their participation in the government does not obscure Fatah's predominance. Palestinian Prime Minister Dr. Shtayyeh and other members of his government swear loyalty in Mahmoud Abbas' office in Ramallah (Mahmoud Abbas' Facebook page, April 13, 2019). An analysis of the profiles of the new government's ministers reveals that most of them are Muslim (16), male (17), have advanced degrees (11 PhDs) They live in cities in Judea and 088-19 2 Samaria (only three come from the Gaza Strip), and most of them are in their 40s and 50s. Two were imprisoned in Israel for terrorist activities during the first intifada. (Biographical information appears in Appendix A and B). Hamas, the PIJ, the PFLP and the DFLP strongly criticized the formation of the new government. They claimed it worsened the internal Palestinian schism and only served the interests of Fatah. Such a government, they said, could be expected to widen the rift between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as Trump's "deal of the century" approached, and could not meet the challenges the Palestinian people would have to face. In response, Fatah spokesmen represented the government as "the government of the people," representing all strata of society. It would, according to Mahmoud Abbas, be able to deal with the "many difficult and complicated" tasks expected in the near future. Formation of the new government On April 13, 2019, the new PA government was sworn in, headed by Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh, a member of Fatah's Central Committee. The following day, April 14, 2019, Ibrahim Melhem, spokesman for the new government, announced the government had been sworn in again because a sentence (dealing with the Palestinian people's national heritage) had been left out of the original oath (Filastin al-Yawm, April 14, 2019). Meeting with the new government, Mahmoud Abbas said the near future would hold "many difficult and complicated" tasks for the Palestinians, but the Palestinians would join forces to deal with them (Wafa, April 13, 2019). Among the members of the new government are former ministers: Shukri Bishara remains minister of finance and planning; Riyad al-Maliki continues as foreign minister; and Rula Maayah continues as minister of tourism and antiquities. Also continuing are deputy prime ministers Ziad Abu Amr and Nabil Abu Rudeineh, who is also minister of information. According to government spokesman Ibrahim Melhem, appointing ministers of the interior and of the waqf (Muslim endowment) is currently under discussion (Dunia al-Watan, April 14, 2019). According to an edict issued by Mahmoud Abbas, until they are appointed the positions will be filled by Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh. 088-19 3 Right: Incoming Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh (left) and outgoing Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah (Shehab Facebook page, April 14, 2019). Left: Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr (Wafa, April 13, 2019). In addition to ministers, Dr. Amjad Ghanem was appointed government secretary general, with ministerial standing. Ibrahim Melhem, a journalist, was appointed as government spokesman. He was formerly chairman of the Palestinian radio and television authority and the editor-in-chief of the Ma'an New Agency. His most recent position was general supervisor of the al-Quds newspaper (Wafa, April 13, 2019). Right: Dr. Amjad Ghanem, government secretary general. Left: Ibrahim Melhem, government spokesman (Wafa, April 13, 2019). Right: Members of the new Palestinian government at the swearing-in ceremony held in Mahmoud Abbas' office in Ramallah (Wafa, April 13, 2019). Left: Muhammad Shtayyeh interviewed shortly after the ceremony (Muhammad Shtayyeh's Facebook page, April 13, 2019). 088-19 4 Interviewed by Palestinian TV, Muhammad Shtayyeh said their goal was to restore the people's faith in the government. He claimed the ministers represented all the classes of the Palestinian people. He also said that in forming the government it was important to appoint ministers who represented the various organizations and geographical areas, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It was also important, he said, to choose businessmen, Muslims, Christians, and women. The government would serve the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, work to end the schism and hold elections. He also said the government would leave the door open to the other organizations (Palestinian TV, April 13, 2019). Government spokesman Ibrahim Melhem welcomed the new government, which he represented at "a government of the people." He added that Hamas' rejection of the government was unacceptable, and that the government would strive to bring all the Palestinian organizations closer within the PLO. He said Mahmoud Abbas would protect the government from attacks and deal with future challenges, and would not sign any decision that was not taken to defend the rights of the Palestinian people (Palestinian TV, April 13, 2019). The first meeting of the new Palestinian government, chaired by Mahmoud Abbas (Wafa, April 13, 2019). Reactions from the organizations opposing to the government Hamas, the PIJ, and the PFLP, none of which joined the government, strongly criticized its formation. Hamas said the new government was a continuation of the PA's isolationist policies, and worsened the internal Palestinian schism. According to Hamas, the government serves the interests of Fatah at the expense of the interests of the Palestinian people. In addition, the government will only widen the rift between the 088-19 5 West Bank and the Gaza Strip as a step towards the "deal of the century" (Hamas website, April 13, 2019). Senior PIJ figure Khaled al-Batash said the new government was not capable of struggling against "Israel's aggression" in the West Bank and could not end the "strategy of detentions" of West Bank residents [i.e., the detention of Hamas and PIJ operatives and supporters] (Sawa, April 13, 2019). Jamil Muzher, a member of the PFLP's political bureau, criticized the lack of variety behind the organizational affiliation of the ministers of the new government. He said the government would not be able to deal with the challenges facing the Palestinians and would continue to obey Israel's dictates (al-Mayadeen, April 13, 2019). 088-19 6 Appendix A A Profile of the 18th Palestinian government Overview An analysis of the profiles of the new government's ministers shows that like the previous one, headed by Rami Hamdallah, it is a government of technocrats. Most of the ministers are either Fatah members or independents, some of them affiliated with Fatah. Small, marginal Palestinian organizations are represented (the Palestinian Struggle Front, FIDA, the Palestinian People's Party). On the other hand, prominent organizations like Hamas, the PIJ, the PFLP and the DFLP are not represented because from the beginning they refused to participate. An analysis of the new government's ministers indicates the following: Religious distribution: 16 Muslims and four Christians. Gender distribution: Mostly male. There are three women, two Christian and one Muslim. Education: Most of them have graduate degrees, 11 with PhDs. Geographic distribution: Most are from Judea and Samaria, mainly from cities. Only one minister (culture) comes from the Jabalia refugee camp (Gaza Strip).1 Among the ministers are three from the Gaza Strip (two of whom do not currently live there), three from Hebron, one from east Jerusalem. The family of one of the ministers originally came from Tarshiha, in the upper Western Galilee, Israel. Ages: Most of the ministers in their 40s and 50s. Some are 60 and older. Organizational affiliation: Eight ministers are members of Fatah and most of them either held or hold senior positions in the Fatah movement. Nine are designated as independent but some are affiliated with Fatah (one was formerly a Fatah member). Three are members of the Palestinian Struggle Front, FIDA and the Palestinian People's Party. Two were imprisoned in Israel because of terrorist activities during the first intifada (Riad Atari, minister of agriculture; and Atef Abu Seif, minister of culture). 1 During the demonstrations in the Gaza Strip protesting the cost of living in March 2019 he was wounded by Hamas' security forces and transferred to Ramallah for medical treatment. 088-19 7 Government Members No. Name Role Origin/ Religion Organization/ Profession Notes Residence Affiliation 1 Nabil George Odeh Deputy Lives in Christian Fatah Spokesman Same Abu Rudeineh prime Bethlehem and role as minister information in the and minister Hamda minister of llah into govern ment 2 Dr.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Die Nakba – Flucht Und Vertreibung Der Palästinenser 1948
    Die Nakba FLUCHT UND VERTREIBUNG DER PALÄSTINENSER 1948 „… eine derart schmerzhafte Reise in die Vergangenheit ist der einzige Weg nach vorn, wenn wir eine bessere Zukunft für uns alle, Palästinenser wie Israelis, schaffen wollen.“ Ilan Pappe, israelischer Historiker Gestaltung: Philipp Rumpf & Sarah Veith Inhalt und Konzeption der Ausstellung: gefördert durch Flüchtlingskinder im Libanon e.V. www.lib-hilfe.de © Flüchtlingskinder im Libanon e.V. 1 VON DEN ERSTEN JÜDISCHEN EINWANDERERN BIS ZUR BALFOUR-ERKLÄRUNG 1917 Karte 1: DER ZIONISMUS ENTSTEHT Topographische Karte von Palästina LIBANON 01020304050 km Die Wurzeln des Palästina-Problems liegen im ausgehenden 19. Jahrhundert, als Palästina unter 0m Akko Safed SYRIEN Teil des Osmanischen Reiches war. Damals entwickelte sich in Europa der jüdische Natio- 0m - 200m 200m - 400m Haifa 400m - 800m nalismus, der so genannte Zionismus. Der Vater des politischen Zionismus war der öster- Nazareth reichisch-ungarische Jude Theodor Herzl. Auf dem ersten Zionistenkongress 1897 in Basel über 800m Stadt wurde die Idee des Zionismus nicht nur auf eine breite Grundlage gestellt, sondern es Jenin Beisan wurden bereits Institutionen ins Leben gerufen, die für die Einwanderung von Juden nach Palästina werben und sie organisieren sollten. Tulkarm Qalqilyah Nablus MITTELMEER Der Zionismus war u.a. eine Antwort auf den europäischen Antisemitismus (Dreyfuß-Affäre) und auf die Pogrome vor allem im zaristischen Russ- Jaffa land. Die Einwanderung von Juden nach Palästina erhielt schon frühzeitig einen systematischen, organisatorischen Rahmen. Wichtigste Institution Lydda JORDANIEN Ramleh Ramallah wurde der 1901 gegründete Jüdische Nationalfond, der für die Anwerbung von Juden in aller Welt, für den Ankauf von Land in Palästina, meist von Jericho arabischen Großgrundbesitzern, und für die Zuteilung des Bodens an die Einwanderer zuständig war.
    [Show full text]
  • Zerohack Zer0pwn Youranonnews Yevgeniy Anikin Yes Men
    Zerohack Zer0Pwn YourAnonNews Yevgeniy Anikin Yes Men YamaTough Xtreme x-Leader xenu xen0nymous www.oem.com.mx www.nytimes.com/pages/world/asia/index.html www.informador.com.mx www.futuregov.asia www.cronica.com.mx www.asiapacificsecuritymagazine.com Worm Wolfy Withdrawal* WillyFoReal Wikileaks IRC 88.80.16.13/9999 IRC Channel WikiLeaks WiiSpellWhy whitekidney Wells Fargo weed WallRoad w0rmware Vulnerability Vladislav Khorokhorin Visa Inc. Virus Virgin Islands "Viewpointe Archive Services, LLC" Versability Verizon Venezuela Vegas Vatican City USB US Trust US Bankcorp Uruguay Uran0n unusedcrayon United Kingdom UnicormCr3w unfittoprint unelected.org UndisclosedAnon Ukraine UGNazi ua_musti_1905 U.S. Bankcorp TYLER Turkey trosec113 Trojan Horse Trojan Trivette TriCk Tribalzer0 Transnistria transaction Traitor traffic court Tradecraft Trade Secrets "Total System Services, Inc." Topiary Top Secret Tom Stracener TibitXimer Thumb Drive Thomson Reuters TheWikiBoat thepeoplescause the_infecti0n The Unknowns The UnderTaker The Syrian electronic army The Jokerhack Thailand ThaCosmo th3j35t3r testeux1 TEST Telecomix TehWongZ Teddy Bigglesworth TeaMp0isoN TeamHav0k Team Ghost Shell Team Digi7al tdl4 taxes TARP tango down Tampa Tammy Shapiro Taiwan Tabu T0x1c t0wN T.A.R.P. Syrian Electronic Army syndiv Symantec Corporation Switzerland Swingers Club SWIFT Sweden Swan SwaggSec Swagg Security "SunGard Data Systems, Inc." Stuxnet Stringer Streamroller Stole* Sterlok SteelAnne st0rm SQLi Spyware Spying Spydevilz Spy Camera Sposed Spook Spoofing Splendide
    [Show full text]
  • A Guide to Understanding the Struggle for Palestinian Human Rights
    A Guide to Understanding the Struggle for Palestinian Human Rights © Copyright 2010, The Veritas Handbook. 1st Edition: July 2010. Online PDF, Cost: $0.00 Cover Photo: Ahmad Mesleh This document may be reproduced and redistributed, in part, or in full, for educational and non- profit purposes only and cannot be used for fundraising or any monetary purposes. We encourage you to distribute the material and print it, while keeping the environment in mind. Photos by Ahmad Mesleh, Jon Elmer, and Zoriah are copyrighted by the authors and used with permission. Please see www.jonelmer.ca, www.ahmadmesleh.wordpress.com and www.zoriah.com for detailed copyright information and more information on these photographers. Excerpts from Rashid Khalidi’s Palestinian Identity, Ben White’s Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner’s Guide and Norman Finkelstein’s This Time We Went Too Far are also taken with permission of the author and/or publishers and can only be used for the purposes of this handbook. Articles from The Electronic Intifada and PULSE Media have been used with written permission. We claim no rights to the images included or content that has been cited from other online resources. Contact: [email protected] Web: www.veritashandbook.blogspot.com T h e V E R I T A S H a n d b o o k 2 A Guide to Understanding the Struggle for Palestinian Human Rights To make this handbook possible, we would like to thank 1. The Hasbara Handbook and the Hasbara Fellowships 2. The Israel Project’s Global Language Dictionary Both of which served as great inspirations, convincing us of the necessity of this handbook in our plight to establish truth and justice.
    [Show full text]
  • General Assembly Security Council Tenth Emergency Special Session Seventy-Sixth Year Agenda Item 5 Illegal Israeli Actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and The
    United Nations A/ES-10/855–S/2021/280 General Assembly Distr.: General 22 March 2021 Security Council Original: English General Assembly Security Council Tenth emergency special session Seventy-sixth year Agenda item 5 Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory Identical letters dated 22 March 2021 from the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council I am compelled to write again, mere days since my letter of 18 March, in the light of the ongoing escalation of tensions and deterioration of conditions due to the illegal policies and practices of Israel, the occupying Power, which continues to cause immense harm to the Palestinian civilian population in its rabid pursuit of the colonization and annexation of our land, all in grave breach of international law. Israeli occupying forces continue to kill, injure and maim Palestinian civilians. On Friday, 19 March, a Palestinian man, Atef Yousef Hanaysha, aged 45, was shot in the head and killed by live fire from Israeli soldiers, who attacked anti-settlement protesters near the village of Bayt Dajan, east of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. Atef leaves behind a wife and three children, in addition to his extended family, whose lives have been devastated by his loss. Like many other Palestinian villagers, the residents of Bayt Dajan, civilians and unarmed, have been holding weekly protests in an attempt to defend their lands from the occupation and its unrelenting settlement expansion.
    [Show full text]
  • Al Nakba Background
    Atlas of Palestine 1917 - 1966 SALMAN H. ABU-SITTA PALESTINE LAND SOCIETY LONDON Chapter 3: The Nakba Chapter 3 The Nakba 3.1 The Conquest down Palestinian resistance to British policy. The The immediate aim of Plan C was to disrupt Arab end of 1947 marked the greatest disparity between defensive operations, and occupy Arab lands The UN recommendation to divide Palestine the strength of the Jewish immigrant community situated between isolated Jewish colonies. This into two states heralded a new period of conflict and the native inhabitants of Palestine. The former was accompanied by a psychological campaign and suffering in Palestine which continues with had 185,000 able-bodied Jewish males aged to demoralize the Arab population. In December no end in sight. The Zionist movement and its 16-50, mostly military-trained, and many were 1947, the Haganah attacked the Arab quarters in supporters reacted to the announcement of veterans of WWII.244 Jerusalem, Jaffa and Haifa, killing 35 Arabs.252 On the 1947 Partition Plan with joy and dancing. It December 18, 1947, the Palmah, a shock regiment marked another step towards the creation of a The majority of young Jewish immigrants, men established in 1941 with British help, committed Jewish state in Palestine. Palestinians declared and women, below the age of 29 (64 percent of the first reported massacre of the war in the vil- a three-day general strike on December 2, 1947 population) were conscripts.245 Three quarters of lage of al-Khisas in the upper Galilee.253 In the first in opposition to the plan, which they viewed as the front line troops, estimated at 32,000, were three months of 1948, Jewish terrorists carried illegal and a further attempt to advance western military volunteers who had recently landed in out numerous operations, blowing up buses and interests in the region regardless of the cost to Palestine.246 This fighting force was 20 percent of Palestinian homes.
    [Show full text]
  • Geoffrey Aronson Source: Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol
    Settlement Monitor: Quarterly Update on Developments Author(s): Geoffrey Aronson Source: Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 25, No. 4 (Summer, 1996), pp. 125-136 Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the Institute for Palestine Studies Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2538020 Accessed: 26-02-2015 20:41 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. University of California Press and Institute for Palestine Studies are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Palestine Studies. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 108.45.56.202 on Thu, 26 Feb 2015 20:41:59 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions QUARTERLY UPDATE ON DEVELOPMENTS EDITED BY GEOFFREY ARONSON The Changing of the Guard Labor and Likud in theElections Campaign: Portending a SmoothTransition.. 126 1996 LikudParty Platform: Provisions Relevant to Settlements...... ......... 127 Future Face of the West Bank? YESHA'sResponse to Oslo ................ ............................... 128 A Reporton BypassRoads, by LAWE (excerpts)........ .................... 129 Road Map forIDF Redeployment-TheWest Bank-1996 ...... ............... 134 Facts and Figures Settlersand Settlementsat a Glance ........... ............................ 135 Land ConfiscationsSince Oslo............................................ 136 PropertyViolations from Oslo I throughFebruary 1996 (chart) ....
    [Show full text]
  • F-Dyd Programme
    ‘Your memory shines in me’ in shines memory ‘Your St. John’s Wood Church, London NW8 London Church, Wood John’s St. Sunday, 1st April at 6:30pm at April 1st Sunday, 2007 Deir Yassin Day Day Yassin Deir Destroyed Palestinian villages Amqa Al-Tira (Tirat Al-Marj, Abu Shusha Umm Al-Zinat Deir 'Amr Kharruba, Al-Khayma Harrawi Al-Zuq Al-Tahtani Arab Al-Samniyya Al-Tira Al-Zu'biyya) Abu Zurayq Wa'arat Al-Sarris Deir Al-Hawa Khulda, Al-Kunayyisa (Arab Al-Hamdun), Awlam ('Ulam) Al-Bassa Umm Ajra Arab Al-Fuqara' Wadi Ara Deir Rafat Al-Latrun (Al-Atrun) Hunin, Al-Husayniyya Al-Dalhamiyya Al-Birwa Umm Sabuna, Khirbat (Arab Al-Shaykh Yajur, Ajjur Deir Al-Shaykh Al-Maghar (Al-Mughar) Jahula Ghuwayr Abu Shusha Al-Damun Yubla, Zab'a Muhammad Al-Hilu) Barqusya Deir Yassin Majdal Yaba Al-Ja'una (Abu Shusha) Deir Al-Qasi Al-Zawiya, Khirbat Arab Al-Nufay'at Bayt Jibrin Ishwa', Islin (Majdal Al-Sadiq) Jubb Yusuf Hadatha Al-Ghabisyya Al-'Imara Arab Zahrat Al-Dumayri Bayt Nattif Ism Allah, Khirbat Al-Mansura (Arab Al-Suyyad) Al-Hamma (incl. Shaykh Dannun Al-Jammama Atlit Al-Dawayima Jarash, Al-Jura Al-Mukhayzin Kafr Bir'im Hittin & Shaykh Dawud) Al-Khalasa Ayn Ghazal Deir Al-Dubban Kasla Al-Muzayri'a Khirbat Karraza Kafr Sabt, Lubya Iqrit Arab Suqrir Ayn Hawd Deir Nakhkhas Al-Lawz, Khirbat Al-Na'ani Al-Khalisa Ma'dhar, Al-Majdal Iribbin, Khirbat (incl. Arab (Arab Abu Suwayrih) Balad Al-Shaykh Kudna (Kidna) Lifta, Al-Maliha Al-Nabi Rubin Khan Al-Duwayr Al-Manara Al-Aramisha) Jurdayh, Barbara, Barqa Barrat Qisarya Mughallis Nitaf (Nataf) Qatra Al-Khisas (Arab
    [Show full text]
  • 50 Years on and Stones in an Unfinished Wall Lisa Suhair Majaj
    Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice Volume 2 | Issue 1 Article 7 Fall 2000 50 Years on and Stones in an Unfinished Wall Lisa Suhair Majaj Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/jppp Recommended Citation Majaj, Lisa Suhair (2000) "50 Years on and Stones in an Unfinished Wall," Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice: Vol. 2 : Iss. 1 , Article 7. Available at: https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/jppp/vol2/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Lesley. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Lesley. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Majaj: 50 Years on and Stones in an Unfinished Wall 51 Fifty Years On / Stones in an Unfinished Wall For Palestine Lisa Suhair Majaj 1. Fifty years on I am trying to tell the story of what was lost before my birth the story of what was there before the stone house fell mortar blasted loose rocks carted away for new purposes, or smashed the land declared clean, empty before the oranges bowed in grief blossoms sifting to the ground like snow quickly melting before my father clamped his teeth hard on the pit of exile slammed shut the door to his eyes before tears turned to disbelief disbelief to anguish anguish to helplessness helplessness to rage rage to despair before the cup was filled raised forcibly to our lips fifty years on I am trying to tell the story of what we are still losing 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Financing Racism and Apartheid
    Financing Racism and Apartheid Jewish National Fund’s Violation of International and Domestic Law PALESTINE LAND SOCIETY August 2005 Synopsis The Jewish National Fund (JNF) is a multi-national corporation with offices in about dozen countries world-wide. It receives millions of dollars from wealthy and ordinary Jews around the world and other donors, most of which are tax-exempt contributions. JNF aim is to acquire and develop lands exclusively for the benefit of Jews residing in Israel. The fact is that JNF, in its operations in Israel, had expropriated illegally most of the land of 372 Palestinian villages which had been ethnically cleansed by Zionist forces in 1948. The owners of this land are over half the UN- registered Palestinian refugees. JNF had actively participated in the physical destruction of many villages, in evacuating these villages of their inhabitants and in military operations to conquer these villages. Today JNF controls over 2500 sq.km of Palestinian land which it leases to Jews only. It also planted 100 parks on Palestinian land. In addition, JNF has a long record of discrimination against Palestinian citizens of Israel as reported by the UN. JNF also extends its operations by proxy or directly to the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the West Bank and Gaza. All this is in clear violation of international law and particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention which forbids confiscation of property and settling the Occupiers’ citizens in occupied territories. Ethnic cleansing, expropriation of property and destruction of houses are war crimes. As well, use of tax-exempt donations in these activities violates the domestic law in many countries, where JNF is domiciled.
    [Show full text]
  • Screen Version
    A Longing for the good LAnd A Journal on the Ongoing Nakba Mahmoud al-Rimawi From the Arabic: Olive Kenny and Thomas G. Ezzy Towards return of Palestinian refugees This translation of A Longing for the Good Land was first published Issue no. 6 in Anthology of Modern Palestinian Literature, edited by Salma May 2011 Khadra Jayyusi. Removing the kufiyya and iqal from his grey head, Abu al-'Abd tossed them onto the dirty blanket beside him. He heaved a deep sigh, for the heat was unbearable in Arabic. This refers to the clothes ,الوكالة .and he did not dare to strip the Agency uniform off his The Agency uniform thin body. The tent had no door, and there were girls and received from refugee agencies such as UNRWA, established by the women across the way. Undoing the laces of his heavy UN to aid 1948 Palestinian refugees. boots, he flung them into a corner; then, stretching out his legs in extreme exhaustion, he lay on an old Mahmoud al-Rimawi was born in 1948. He spent most coat, carelessly folded under his head, resting it on the of his childhood years in Jericho, which he left in 1967. palm of his dry, chapped hand. Of necessity, he tried to For a decade he moved between Beirut, Cairo, and rest from the weariness of the ten hours he'd spent in Kuwait, working as a journalist. Since 1978 he has been construction work on the neighboring mountain. His living in Amman, where he writes a daily column at the wife, Imm al- 'Abed, was at the neighbors' in the tent Jordanian daily "Alrai".
    [Show full text]
  • A Study on the Embroidery of Palestinian Costume
    IJCC, Vol. 3 No. 2, 161-174(2000) 87 A Study on the Embroidery of Palestinian Costume Moon-Sook Kim* and Shin-Ae Moon + * Professor, Department of Clothing Science, Seoul Women's University Department of Clothing Science, Seoul Women's University Abstract Today's advanced transport and mass media enables people to access easily and frequently to traditional costumes from different countries in the world. Consequently, fashion designers who are fascinated by the variety and beauty of traditional costumes, tend to adapt them to modern fashion design. The continuous study of traditional costumes at such time contains a meaning as a source of inspiration for the creation of a new fashion design. Therefore, among various costumes of the world, this study will focus on the costume of Palestine, that is situated at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa and has exchanged various historical cultures with other cultural regions. It, especially, expects to provide a unique idea in the material modification field of today's fashion design by examining mainly the embroidery ornament which is the most distinctive feature of Palestinian costume. The conclusion was revealed that Palestinian women's costume largely consists of embroidered silk and cotton garments with a V-slitted square panel (gabeh) attached to the chest part. And a variety of luxurious embroidery was employed to emphasize different parts of the dress. These embroideries differ from area to area. Especially the embroidery from Bethlehem was well-known in many places and influenced
    [Show full text]
  • Catastrophe Remembered Palest
    01_Masahla prelims 28/7/05 2:28 pm Page i About this book The war of 1948 is known to Israelis as the “War of Independence”. But for Palestinians, the war is forever the Nakba, “The Catastrophe”. The conflict led to the creation of the state of Israel and resulted in the destruction of much of Palestinian society by Zionist forces. Approxi- mately 90 per cent of the Palestinians who lived in the major part of Palestine upon which Israel was established became refugees. The minority of Palestinians – 160,000 – who remained behind, are one of the main subjects of this book. Many of them were forced out of their homes and became second-class citizens of the state of Israel. As such, they were subject to a system of military administration between 1948 and 1966 by a government that confiscated the bulk of their lands. For the Palestinians, both refugees and non-refugees, the traumatic events of 1948 have become central to Palestinian history, memory and identity. Moreover, in recent years Palestinians have been producing memories of the Nakba, compiling and recording oral history and holding annual commemorations designed to preserve the memory of the catastrophe, while emphasising the link between refugee rights, identity and memory. In the absence of a rich source of Palestinian docu- mentary records, oral history and interviews with internally displaced Palestinians are a critical and natural source for constructing a more com- prehensible narrative of their experiences. This collection is dedicated to the memory of Edward W. Said (1935– 2003), whose voice articulated the aspirations of the disenfranchised, the oppressed and the marginalised, and whose message was humanist and universal, extending beyond Palestine to touch wide audiences.
    [Show full text]