Settlement Withdrawal And “Ethnic Cleansing”

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From the FMEP Blog

Settlement Withdrawal And “Ethnic Cleansing”,

In addition to cynically invoking memories of the Jewish people’s past oppression and expulsion (which could clearly be considered a form of incitement), Netanyahu’s use of “ethnic cleansing” is particularly offensive given that Israeli policies of home demolition, land confiscation, and expulsion — which the U.S. and its partners have criticized with increasing alarm — are far more deserving of it.

US-Israel relations

U.S. condemns Netanyahu’s charge that Palestinians want to ‘ethnically cleanse’ Jews from West Bank,

U.S. officials condemned a provocative video posted Friday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that accused the Palestinians of wanting to commit “ethnic cleansing” by ridding the West Bank of Jews.

Opinion: Obama & Palestine: The Last Chance,

“If there has been a distinguishing feature of Obama’s record on Israel-Palestine, it is that, unlike his recent predecessors, he has not a single achievement to his name,” writes Nathan Thrall. “In the view of some top advisers, Obama’s final months in power are a unique opportunity to correct the record, and, more important, score an achievement that his successors could scarcely undo.”

U.S.-Israel deal held up over dispute with Lindsey Graham,

After long and arduous negotiations, Israel and the Obama administration have agreed on a landmark military aid package that would increase U.S. aid to Israel over the next 10 years. But the White House is reluctant to sign the deal because officials are upset one leading lawmaker won’t go along: Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.).

CUNY ‘Anti-Semitism’ Investigation Finds Scant Evidence of Wrongdoing by Pro-Palestinian Activists,

Lawyers hired by the City University of New York to investigate alleged instances of anti-Semitism by campus pro-Palestinian activists have found that most of the activists’ conduct was protected under the First Amendment.

Donald Trump Sides With Benjamin Netanyahu in West Bank ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ Flap,

Donald Trump’s adviser on U.S.-Israeli relations told Haaretz Sunday that the Obama administration “should be ashamed of their misguided reaction” to remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Occupation/Human rights

Opinion: Netanyahu is right: Settlements aren't the biggest obstacle to peace,

“Settlements are actually not the main obstacle at present. Netanyahu is,” writes Dahlia Scheindlin.

Opinion: PayPal should level playing field for Palestinian entrepreneurs,

“A report issued this year by the World Bank notes that any idea of a secure Palestinian state will be dependent on a strong and independent economy. The lack of a developed IT system is one of the biggest impediments to achieving such a goal,” writes David Palumbio-Liu.

Abbas says Israel, not Palestinians, committing ‘ethnic cleansing’,

“The government of Israel is carrying out ethnic cleansing and deliberately killing—acts that have exposed it to international criticism all over the world,” Abbas said.

How police killed a Palestinian man, tried to blame his cousin,

“A Jerusalem court rejects police attempt to place the blame for their own bullets elsewhere, but it’s not the first time they’ve tried — or succeeded at doing so,” writes John Brown.

Israeli politics

Jewish Home will hold budget hostage over outpost evacuation, MK warns,

The Jewish Home party will vote against the government’s budget if a court order to evacuate an illegal West Bank outpost goes forward, a Knesset member threatened Monday.

Gaza

World Vision lays off contractors in Gaza after Israel allegations,

Christian aid group World Vision has laid off about 120 contractors in the Gaza Strip following allegations by Israel that the agency’s operations manager in the territory had diverted funds to  Hamas. “Because of the crisis, we have frozen all our activities in Gaza. Our bank accounts in Jerusalem were frozen by the (Israeli) authorities, which also prevented us from making any transfers to Gaza,” a representative said.

Hamas hampering persistent press,

The Foreign Press Association accused Hamas of imposing restrictions on foreign journalists entering the Gaza Strip, which the government denied.

Two years after Gaza war, not a single war crime indictment,

The Israeli military’s law enforcement system and its flawed investigative mechanisms appear primarily geared toward protecting the armed forces instead of civilians, thus allowing impunity to prevail.