" “Why does the PM insist on blowing up any deal that comes close?” despaired the mother of a hostage held in Gaza, following Israel’s airstrike in Qatar on Tuesday. For anyone who doubted Benjamin Netanyahu’s commitment to the forever war he unleashed after 7 October..." The Guardian view on Israel’s attack in Doha: western passivity is allowing Netanyahu to cross every red line

A grab from CCTV of the Israeli attack on Hamas negotiators in Qatar. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Editorial

The attempt to assassinate Hamas negotiators in the capital of a US ally was the act of a rogue government uninterested in peace

 

Wed 10 Sep 2025 14.05 EDT

Last modified on Wed 10 Sep 2025 22.18 EDT

“Why does the PM insist on blowing up any deal that comes close?” despaired the mother of a hostage held in Gaza, following Israel’s airstrike in Qatar on Tuesday. For anyone who doubted Benjamin Netanyahu’s commitment to the forever war he unleashed after 7 October, the attempt to wipe out Hamas’s ceasefire negotiation team in Doha offered grim confirmation that peace – and the return of Israeli hostages – is low on Mr Netanyahu’s list of current priorities.

Just how close Hamas’s leadership was to endorsing ceasefire proposals backed by Donald Trump – which were being discussed in the capital of an established US ally – is unclear. However, Mr Netanyahu’s strike has ensured that its negotiators will not agree to sit round a table again anytime soon. Israel swiftly stated that the attack was in response to the Hamas-claimed shooting in Jerusalem on Monday, in which six people died. But it also occurred as the Israeli military ordered the complete evacuation of Gaza City, ahead of a full-scale invasion that will bring further death and destruction to a starving, traumatised population.

It could not be plainer that ending the suffering is not compatible with the goals of Mr Netanyahu, and the far-right allies on which his government depends. But faced with such contemptuous intransigence – and growing evidence that those goals include establishing a “Greater Israel” stretching beyond 1967 borders – the west’s response is pusillanimous and painfully inadequate.

As Mr Trump issues ignored deadlines and empty exhortations to peace on social media, Mr Netanyahu is deploying US-derived military might to act with impunity, unilaterally striking targets when and where he wishes. Yet though the president criticised Israel after Tuesday’s attack for violating the sovereignty of a US ally, he also made a point of approving the general aim of eliminating Hamas. For Mr Trump, it appears that there are no truly red lines for Israel’s extremist government to cross.

Against that alarming and dangerous backdrop, it is imperative that Sir Keir Starmer and other European leaders seek to exert greater pressure both on Washington and Israel itself... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/10/the-guardian-view-on-israels-attack-in-doha-western-passivity-is-allowing-netanyahu-to-cross-every-red-line

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635 flying checkpoints have been imposed between Palestinian towns, Refugee camps and cities #Palestine

Palestine PLO - NAD ‏@nadplo 8m8 minutes ago

635 flying checkpoints have been imposed between Palestinian towns, Refugee camps and cities #Palestine

Palestine PLO - NAD

Jerusalem, Palestine : This is the official account of the Palestine Liberation Organization - Negotiations Affairs Department. Follow news and updates from Palestine

Boycotting Israel's Anti-Palestine War Games in the West Bank

"... a settlement boycott—and not just a refusal to buy settlement-produced goods but a prohibition on investing or financially underwriting settlement activity and industries—are really the least that any state or society that sincerely believes in the need for an eventual two-state solution can and should do."  Hussein Ibish

A settlement boycott is the least we can do

Everyone who cares about peace should boycott settlements

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/commentary/565132-a-settlement-boycott-is-the-least-we-can-do

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PLEASE NOTE

This is not "BDS" which too often veers off into being a podium and publicity for one-state activists, anti-Israel agitators, extremists, hate mongers and Zionists who do not support a negotiated end to the Israel-Palestine conflict.  

This is a reasonable call for reasonable people worldwide (as well as all organizations, NGOs, corporations, businesses, concerned governments...etc...) to uphold and respect international law and a two state solution to once and for all end the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Scales of Justice

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood..." The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

*** 

“[The] continued expansion of Israeli illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and other territories occupied by Israel since 1967, threatens the prospect of a just and final peace agreement,”  Foreign ministers from 16 EU countries – including the UK – have signed a letter to the EU’s foreign policy head, Federica Mogherini, requesting she expedite moves to ensure the clear labelling of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements and sold in Europe

My letter to the NYTimes RE In Gaza and the West Bank, Love Struggles to Bridge the Separation

A Palestinian house with the balcony still in use and unchanged in 54 years!, June 2002 photo credit:   BADIL.ORG

 RE: In Gaza and the West Bank, Love Struggles to Bridge the Separation
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/world/middleeast/in-gaza-and-the-west-bank-love-struggles-to-bridge-the-separation.html?smid=tw-share

Dear Editor,

Relieved to see the story "In Gaza and the West Bank, Love Struggles to Bridge the Separation" humanizing Palestinians trapped in a horrible situation.

Clearly hate mongers and militants such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been a huge influence on Israel's policies, exasperating all the worst and sabotaging efforts to shape a just and lasting peace. 

The creation of a safe passage for Palestinians between Gaza and the West Bank obviously requires security co-operation between Israel and Palestine. Negotiations to actually end the conflict and the very real plight of the Palestinians, as well as the angst of the Israelis, should be a priority- for everyone's sake.

NOTES
World Press Roundup: Middle East News

Mideast Quartet calls for speedy resumption of peace talks... "Pending the resumption of negotiations, the Quartet called on both parties to refrain from actions that undermine trust or prejudge final status issues."

Global Citizenship... laying the foundation for a culture of peace

To honor a tragic history, we must work for peace : "The only way to honor our tragic histories is to create a future for our children free of man-made tragedy. This means making peace fully, completely and without reservation, between Israel and Palestine." Ziad Asali


Hamas confirms that it has banned a visit by Palestinian orphans from the Gaza Strip to Israel because it was in the context of “normalization” with Israelis.

During World War II, the Allies adopted the Four Freedoms—freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from fear, and freedom from want—as their basic war aims.... The United Nations Charter "reaffirmed faith in fundamental human rights, and dignity and worth of the human person" and committed all member states to promote "universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion"

A Palestinian’s journey from stone-throwing to conflict resolution

“The United States casts its lot with the problem solvers, the healers, and the builders,”  US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman in a September speech, quoted by CSM in their recent editorial 

Jordan's King: World must stand up to radicals

What Will Israel Become?

STAY CONNECTED... Given the U.S. commitment to religious freedom, and to the international covenants that guarantee it as the inalienable right of every human being, the United States seeks to: Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability for all countries

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?

Palestinian Refugees (1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.

The Golden Rule... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

... Ibrahim's Estate... The Promised Land: In Celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights & Peace Day

Tala Haikal: Empathy Is Essential to Humanity

Hussein Ibish: Non-violent resistance is Palestine’s most powerful weapon

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians

 “Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.” Khalil Gibran (1883-1931), born in Lebanon, immigrated to the United States in 1895 where he grew up to become a beloved poet and respected writer.

"There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies" Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968) American minister, humanitarian and social activist- a cherished leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, whose inspiring words continue to influence and empower diplomatic efforts to bring more justice, more security, more peace and more jobs to more people, every one and every where.

"We are brothers. It's not a question of Jews, of Christians or of Muslims. We're all in the same boat, we have to help each other to get out of this crisis." Lassana Bathily

Mideast Quartet calls for speedy resumption of peace talks... "Pending the resumption of negotiations, the Quartet called on both parties to refrain from actions that undermine trust or prejudge final status issues."

Photo credit: Maan News Israel publishes tenders for 580 hotel rooms in East Jerusalem: There are over 500,000 Israeli settlers living in settlements across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.

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http://news.yahoo.com/mideast-quartet-calls-speedy-resumption-peace-talks-163257960.html

Munich (Germany) (AFP) - The Middle East Quartet powers called Sunday for a speedy resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, urging both sides to avoid any action that could undermine efforts to settle the conflict.

Talks between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed in April despite the efforts of US Secretary of State John Kerry to broker a deal, setting the stage for a bloody war in Gaza just a few months later.

On Sunday, Kerry met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, European Union foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini and UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to review the situation in the region.

"The Quartet underlined the importance of the parties resuming negotiations as soon as possible with a view to reaching a just, lasting and comprehensive peace," a statement said.

The Quartet also "recalled the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative -- with its vision for a comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict -- and the vital role of Arab partners," it said.

"Pending the resumption of negotiations, the Quartet called on both parties to refrain from actions that undermine trust or prejudge final status issues."

The Quartet was set up in Madrid in 2002 as part of efforts to find a comprehensive settlement to the conflict, with the Arab Peace Initiative approved by the Arab League the same year.

The four parties on Sunday also expressed deep concern "over the difficult situation in Gaza" where reconstruction needed to be accelerated to repair the massive destruction of last year's war.

***

THE Arab Peace Initiative

My letter to the NYTimes RE Dennis B. Ross: Stop Giving Palestinians a Pass

A Palestinian boy looks out through a hole in his family house, that witnesses said was damaged by Israeli shelling during the July-August war between Israel and Hamas-led Gaza militants, in the east of Gaza City January 4, 2015. PHOTO OF THE DAY (REUTERS/Suhaib Salem)

RE: Dennis B. Ross: Stop Giving Palestinians a Pass
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/05/opinion/stop-giving-palestinians-a-pass.html?ref=opinion

Dear Editor,

As Hussein Ibish, of the American Task Force on Palestine, succinctly points out in his recent column on the Israel/Palestine conflict: "Palestinians and their profoundly moral cause are in deep trouble."

Ross is right that "Palestinian political culture is rooted in a narrative of injustice; its anticolonialist bent and its deep sense of grievance treats concessions to Israel as illegitimate. Compromise is portrayed as betrayal, and negotiations — which are by definition about mutual concessions — will inevitably force any Palestinian leader to challenge his people by making a politically costly decision."

But Ross is very very wrong to insist that there needs to be "a resolution of the Palestinian refugee issue that allows Israel to retain its Jewish character."  Religion should be a personal private matter, not a state funded mandate. Please don't give Israel a green light to define its supposed Jewishness by perpetually pushing indigenous non-Jewish men, women and children into poverty and forced exile.

Do you really want to live in a world where religion or race dictates who gets citizenship rights and respect? Do you really want to set that formal official legal precedent for Da'esh (ISIS), Hezbollah, & Hamas!

The hard choice is not about refugees' return, for international law already clearly affirms the universal right to return to live in peace. The hard choice is to accept that Israel will remain Israel, and the process of refugee return and reparations will take time, and good will on everyone's part... Refugee resettlement and relocation in a sovereign Palestinian state, or elsewhere, should be encouraged and empowered not to affirm Israel's supposed Jewishness, but so that the people of historic Palestine can be free to find jobs and security and a better way forward for everyone's sake.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
Israeli settlers stone two cars belonging to US consulate staff : US security staff reportedly unholster weapons during standoff in Jerusalem between US consular party and far-right settlers from illegal West Bank outpost

Israeli forces demolish house under construction in Hebron

Hamas confirmed on Sunday that it has banned a visit by Palestinian orphans from the Gaza Strip to Israel because it was in the context of “normalization” with Israelis.

During World War II, the Allies adopted the Four Freedoms—freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from fear, and freedom from want—as their basic war aims.... The United Nations Charter "reaffirmed faith in fundamental human rights, and dignity and worth of the human person" and committed all member states to promote "universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion".

A Christmas poem... in Growing Gardens for Palestine: Star Street Bethlehem Palestine 2014

14 beautiful synagogues that were restored by Muslims

14 beautiful synagogues that were restored by Muslims - See more at: http://www.judaism-islam.com/14-beautiful-synagogues-that-were-restored-by-muslims/#sthash.GLFqhubx.r35jG59P.dpuf

US general rebrands Isis 'Daesh' after requests from regional partners

A Palestinian’s journey from stone-throwing to conflict resolution

“The United States casts its lot with the problem solvers, the healers, and the builders,”  US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman in a September speech, quoted by CSM in their recent editorial

Kerry heads to talks on Palestinian statehood bid: "There are a lot of different folks pushing in different directions out there, and the question is can we all pull in the same direction," Kerry said Friday, when asked about his meeting with Netanyahu."

Jordan's King: World must stand up to radicals

What Will Israel Become?

STAY CONNECTED... Given the U.S. commitment to religious freedom, and to the international covenants that guarantee it as the inalienable right of every human being, the United States seeks to: Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability for all countries

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?

The Golden Rule... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

Palestinian Refugees (1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.

To honor a tragic history, we must work for peace : "The only way to honor our tragic histories is to create a future for our children free of man-made tragedy. This means making peace fully, completely and without reservation, between Israel and Palestine." Ziad Asali

Tala Haikal: Empathy Is Essential to Humanity

Hussein Ibish: Non-violent resistance is Palestine’s most powerful weapon

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians

Five Reasons to Walk the Holy Land

 “Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.” Khalil Gibran (1883-1931), born in Lebanon, immigrated to the United States in 1895 where he grew up to become a beloved poet and respected writer.

"There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies" Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968) American minister, humanitarian and social activist- a cherished leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, whose inspiring words continue to influence and empower diplomatic efforts to bring more justice, more security, more peace and more jobs to more people, every one and every where.

Kerry: 'Imperative' to resume Israel-Palestinian talks: "There wasn't a leader I met with in the region who didn't raise with me spontaneously the need to try to get peace between Israel and the Palestinians, because it was a cause of recruitment and of street anger and agitation,"

"...  We need "to find a way to create two states that can live together side by side, two peoples, with both of their aspirations being respected," Kerry added.

"I still believe that's possible, and I still believe we need to work towards it."

He said the unresolved Israel-Palestinian conflict was fueling recruitment for the Islamic State militant group.

"There wasn't a leader I met with in the region who didn't raise with me spontaneously the need to try to get peace between Israel and the Palestinians, because it was a cause of recruitment and of street anger and agitation," Kerry said.

"People need to understand the connection of that. And it has something to do with humiliation and denial and absence of dignity," he added.

Kerry was the architect of the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process between July 2013 and April, which broke down after Israel announced plans for 700 new illegal settlements..."

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 http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=733668

Kerry: 'Imperative' to resume Israel-Palestinian talks

 ***

Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories that have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967... Al-Aqsa Mosque (Arabic:المسجد الاقصى al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, IPA: [ʔælˈmæsdʒɪd ælˈʔɑqsˤɑ] ( listen), "the Farthest Mosque") also known as Al-Aqsa and Bayt al-Muqaddas, is the third holiest site in Islam and is located in the Old City of Jerusalem. The site on which the silver domed mosque sits, along with the Dome of the Rock, also referred to as al-Haram ash-Sharif or "Noble Sanctuary,"

The Arab Peace Initiative

Emanating from the conviction of the Arab countries that a military solution to the conflict will not achieve peace or provide security for the parties, the council:

1. Requests Israel to reconsider its policies and declare that a just peace is its strategic option as well.

2. Further calls upon Israel to affirm:

I- Full Israeli withdrawal from all the territories occupied since 1967, including the Syrian Golan Heights, to the June 4, 1967 lines as well as the remaining occupied Lebanese territories in the south of Lebanon.

II- Achievement of a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem to be agreed upon in accordance with U.N. General Assembly Resolution 194.

III- The acceptance of the establishment of a sovereign independent Palestinian state on the Palestinian territories occupied since June 4, 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

3. Consequently, the Arab countries affirm the following:

I- Consider the Arab-Israeli conflict ended, and enter into a peace agreement with Israel, and provide security for all the states of the region.

II- Establish normal relations with Israel in the context of this comprehensive peace.

Hussein Ibish: The three-way Israeli-Palestinian impasse- Israel, the PA and Hamas are all trapped in their own policies with no idea how to move forward.

"...The Palestinian groups are simply too divided to meaningfully reunify under current circumstances. Each of them faces a dead-end for their policies, and no notion of what a good alternative would be. Yet Israel, too, is in a dead end of its own. It's addicted to the status quo, which is unsustainable and, eventually, will almost certainly lead to another brutal confrontation. Israel has no idea what to do with the millions of Palestinians that live under its rule. And those Palestinians don't know what to do to get rid of Israel's rule. The three-way standoff is unprecedented and exceptionally dangerous.

It may be the broader regional changes are required to resolve the conflict. But that really means that Israelis and Palestinians have proven utterly incapable of resolving it themselves, including with the help of the United States. What those regional changes might be, moreover, is itself a source of potential alarm. With all three of the principal actors in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict stuck in their own traps and unable to see a way forward, they have essentially lost agency and left themselves at the mercy of events they do not, and cannot, control." Hussein Ibish

Hussein Ibish is a columnist at NOW and The National (UAE). He is also a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine. He tweets @Ibishblog

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https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/commentaryanalysis/564237-the-three-way-israeli-palestinian-impasse

Palestinian women, one holding up the national flag, push against a metal gate part of the controversial separation barrier being constructed by Israel. (AFP/Abbas Momani)

UK Parliament votes to recognize Palestinian state

UK MPs receive 136,000 emails on Palestine before elections

 

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http://news.yahoo.com/uk-parliament-votes-recognize-palestinian-state-214234377.html

LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers voted Monday in favor of recognizing Palestine as a state, a symbolic move intended to increase pressure for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Related Stories

1. UK lawmakers pass symbolic motion on Palestinian state Reuters
2. British MPs pass non-binding vote to recognise Palestine AFP
3. UK lawmakers pass symbolic motion to recognise Palestine as a state Reuters
4. British MPs to hold vote on recognising Palestine AFP
5. UK PM Cameron to abstain in symbolic vote on Palestine status Reuters

Legislators in the House of Commons voted 274 to 12 to support a motion calling on the British government to "recognize the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel."

Prime Minister David Cameron and other government leaders abstained, and more than half of the 650 Commons members did not participate in the vote.

But the motion had support from both government and opposition lawmakers, who said it could help kick-start the peace process following a summer war in Gaza that claimed the lives of more than 2,100 Palestinians, the majority civilians, and more than 70 Israelis, most of them soldiers.

Labour Party legislator Grahame Morris said recognizing a Palestinian state could help break the impasse in peace negotiations before it was too late.

Otherwise, he said, "any hope of a two-state solution — the only viable solution — will have disappeared altogether."

Conservative lawmaker Nicholas Soames — grandson of World War II Prime Minister Winston Churchill — said that "to recognize Palestine is both morally right and is in our national interest."

The government said the vote would not change Britain's official diplomatic stance. Middle East Minister Tobias Ellwood said the U.K. would recognize Palestinian statehood when it would help bring about peace...READ MORE

USA Today... Sweden PM says nation will recognize Palestinian state: "It doesn't change a thing on the ground," Ibish said. "It changes the number of countries that have recognized the Palestinian state. It changes the Western commitment to a two-state solution, (and) it does put more pressure on Israel to make concessions."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/10/03/sweden-to-recognize-palestinian-state/16642735/

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Sweden to become first major European country to recognize state of Palestine

Sweden's new prime minister said Friday his country will be the first Western European nation to recognize a Palestinian state. The move provides diplomatic support but no practical impact on Palestinians' aspirations for statehood.

"The conflict between Israel can only be solved with a two-state solution, negotiated in accordance with international law," Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said during his inaugural address to Parliament, according to Reuters.

"A two-state solution requires mutual recognition and a will to peaceful co-existence. Sweden will therefore recognize the state of Palestine," Lofven said....READ MORE

Salam Fayyad: How To Fix the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process

"21 years after Palestinians granted it recognition of its right to exist in peace and security, Israel should reciprocate symmetrically by recognizing the Palestinians' right to a sovereign state on the territory it occupied in 1967 in its entirety. Second, Israel should be prepared to accept an internationally mandated date for ending its occupation and a mutually agreed path for getting there. Third, in the interim, Palestinians should not continue to be hamstrung in their effort to achieve national unity by an insistence, on the part of the international community, on a rigid application of “the Quartet principles.” As they require any Palestinian government to fully accept the Letters of Mutual Recognition, those conditions obviously derive their validity from a framework whose premises no longer are valid. Fourth, Palestinians need to see a cessation of all practices that undermine their right to live with dignity on their land, as they proceed to attain full national unity and persevere in their effort to build their state and prepare for statehood..." READ MORE

http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142134/salam-fayyad/oslo-is-dead

A protester places a Palestinian flag over a section of an Israeli barrier. (Courtesy Reuters)

"...Thus, it is incumbent on Palestinians, and as a matter of conscious decision-making, to build a state that is founded on the basis of the universally shared progressive values of equality, tolerance, nondiscrimination, openness, and full sensitivity to the unabridged rights and privileges of citizenship. In any event, that, to me, is the only kind of state that would be worthy of the aspirations and great many sacrifices of the Palestinian people." Salam Fayyad

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Excellent letter in the Guardian by Chris Doyle: Trouble and shock in the West Bank

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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/03/trouoble-and-shock-west-bank

Trouble and shock in the West Bank

A signpost in Giv'at HaMatos, centre of controversy over an Israeli settler housing project. Photograph: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

A year ago I went with four MPs to a spot of land south of Jerusalem. It lies on the lands of the neighbouring Palestinian village of Beit Safafa. Nearby is one of the mega-Israeli settlements, Gilo. To the south is Bethlehem, where the wall imprisons the city of the birthplace of Christ. To the east is Har Homa, one of the most recent of the Jerusalem-area settlements. It is a thicket of concrete, designed to separate Jerusalem from Bethlehem and indeed from the southern West Bank. But only months before, this plot of land had been designated for a new Israeli settlement, Givat HaMatos.

Lowering down the last concrete slabs would complete the concrete curtain. Memorably, the Israeli guide stated coolly: “If Netanyahu wants to stab the Palestinian state in the heart, he can do it here.”

Last week, just days before Netanyahu was to see President Obama at the White House, final approval was given to Givat HaMatos. As an editorial in the Israeli paper, Ha’aretz stated this week, “nobody can seriously believe any longer that Netanyahu wants to resolve the conflict” (Report, 3 October). It’s time that European leaders wake up to that reality and did more than just issue statements of concern. Only tough concerted action against these illegal settlements will have any effect.

Chris Doyle
Director, Caabu

The Guardian, Friday 3 October 2014

UN security council calls for Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire: Statement expresses 'serious concern regarding crisis related to Gaza and protection and welfare of civilians'

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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/12/un-security-council-gaza-ceasefire-call

A Palestinian protester argues with an Israeli army soldier near the the West Bank city of Nablus. Photograph: Abed Omar Qusini/Reuters

• Associated Press at the United Nations
• theguardian.com, Saturday 12 July 2014 13.06 EDT

The UN Security Council has called for a ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict centered on Gaza.

A council statement approved on Saturday by all 15 members calls for de-escalation of the violence, restoration of calm and a resumption of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians aimed at achieving a comprehensive peace agreement based on a two-state solution.

The press statement expresses "serious concern regarding the crisis related to Gaza and the protection and welfare of civilians on both sides." It calls for respect for international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians.

The press statement, which is not legally binding but reflects international opinion, is the first response by the UN's most powerful body, which has been deeply divided on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

American Task Force on Palestine Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians

ATFP provides an independent voice for Palestinian-Americans and their supporters and advances human rights and peace. It categorically and unequivocally condemns all violence against civilians, no matter the cause and who the victims or perpetrators may be.

 ***

PRESS RELEASE
http://www.americantaskforce.org/in_media/pr/2014/07/08/1404792000

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians

July 8, 2014, Washington, DC -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) today called on Israel and the Palestinians to de-escalate as quickly as possible from an increasingly explosive situation and a moment of grave peril. Major airstrikes on Gaza have killed numerous Palestinians, reportedly including several children, today while another heavy barrage of rocket fire from Gaza was launched towards southern Israel, and at least one rocket being reportedly shot down over Tel Aviv. Today's violence comes in the context of tit-for-tat killings of, and attacks on, Israeli and Palestinian teenagers in Jerusalem, widespread tensions in the West Bank, and even growing unrest among Palestinian citizens of Israel.

ATFP called on all sides to demonstrate leadership and to take immediate and concrete actions to de-escalate the growing conflict and refrain from inflammatory rhetoric. ATFP urged all parties to consider the negative consequences of similar conflagrations in the past, and recall that they did not benefit either side, militarily or politically, but caused the deaths of countless innocent civilians, enormous destruction of property, and widespread and lasting misery. ATFP urged President Barack Obama and the rest of the international community to use their good offices to ensure that all prospects for resolving the crisis are fully explored.

- See more at: http://www.americantaskforce.org/in_media/pr/2014/07/08/1404792000#sthash.26PdPOrU.dpuf

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Information: Ghaith al-Omari July 8, 2014 - 12:00am

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians

July 8, 2014, Washington, DC -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) today called on Israel and the Palestinians to de-escalate as quickly as possible from an increasingly explosive situation and a moment of grave peril. Major airstrikes on Gaza have killed numerous Palestinians, reportedly including several children, today while another heavy barrage of rocket fire from Gaza was launched towards southern Israel, and at least one rocket being reportedly shot down over Tel Aviv. Today's violence comes in the context of tit-for-tat killings of, and attacks on, Israeli and Palestinian teenagers in Jerusalem, widespread tensions in the West Bank, and even growing unrest among Palestinian citizens of Israel.

ATFP called on all sides to demonstrate leadership and to take immediate and concrete actions to de-escalate the growing conflict and refrain from inflammatory rhetoric. ATFP urged all parties to consider the negative consequences of similar conflagrations in the past, and recall that they did not benefit either side, militarily or politically, but caused the deaths of countless innocent civilians, enormous destruction of property, and widespread and lasting misery. ATFP urged President Barack Obama and the rest of the international community to use their good offices to ensure that all prospects for resolving the crisis are fully explored.

- See more at: http://www.americantaskforce.org/in_media/pr/2014/07/08/1404792000#sthash.RN6TMe7Z.dpuf

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Information: Ghaith al-Omari July 8, 2014 - 12:00am

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians

July 8, 2014, Washington, DC -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) today called on Israel and the Palestinians to de-escalate as quickly as possible from an increasingly explosive situation and a moment of grave peril. Major airstrikes on Gaza have killed numerous Palestinians, reportedly including several children, today while another heavy barrage of rocket fire from Gaza was launched towards southern Israel, and at least one rocket being reportedly shot down over Tel Aviv. Today's violence comes in the context of tit-for-tat killings of, and attacks on, Israeli and Palestinian teenagers in Jerusalem, widespread tensions in the West Bank, and even growing unrest among Palestinian citizens of Israel.

ATFP called on all sides to demonstrate leadership and to take immediate and concrete actions to de-escalate the growing conflict and refrain from inflammatory rhetoric. ATFP urged all parties to consider the negative consequences of similar conflagrations in the past, and recall that they did not benefit either side, militarily or politically, but caused the deaths of countless innocent civilians, enormous destruction of property, and widespread and lasting misery. ATFP urged President Barack Obama and the rest of the international community to use their good offices to ensure that all prospects for resolving the crisis are fully explored.

- See more at: http://www.americantaskforce.org/in_media/pr/2014/07/08/1404792000#sthash.RN6TMe7Z.dpuf

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Information: Ghaith al-Omari July 8, 2014 - 12:00am

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians

July 8, 2014, Washington, DC -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) today called on Israel and the Palestinians to de-escalate as quickly as possible from an increasingly explosive situation and a moment of grave peril. Major airstrikes on Gaza have killed numerous Palestinians, reportedly including several children, today while another heavy barrage of rocket fire from Gaza was launched towards southern Israel, and at least one rocket being reportedly shot down over Tel Aviv. Today's violence comes in the context of tit-for-tat killings of, and attacks on, Israeli and Palestinian teenagers in Jerusalem, widespread tensions in the West Bank, and even growing unrest among Palestinian citizens of Israel.

ATFP called on all sides to demonstrate leadership and to take immediate and concrete actions to de-escalate the growing conflict and refrain from inflammatory rhetoric. ATFP urged all parties to consider the negative consequences of similar conflagrations in the past, and recall that they did not benefit either side, militarily or politically, but caused the deaths of countless innocent civilians, enormous destruction of property, and widespread and lasting misery. ATFP urged President Barack Obama and the rest of the international community to use their good offices to ensure that all prospects for resolving the crisis are fully explored.

- See more at: http://www.americantaskforce.org/in_media/pr/2014/07/08/1404792000#sthash.RN6TMe7Z.dpuf