Tag Archives: Settlements

The background to this post is the “Deal of the Century” peace deal from President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner and several other Administration officials.  Their hearts were in the right place, and the initial reaction of most Israelis was that this is practically Mashiachzeit – the days of the Messiah. …

FACT: On November 18, 2019, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo expressed the Trump administration’s position that “the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law.”  This was inaccurately described in the media as a reversal of long standing American policy.  In …

The 29th November, or as it is known in Hebrew “Kaf Tet beNovember”, a very significant date in Israeli history, fell last week.  It was the date of the UN Resolution, Resolution 181, to partition then-Palestine into two states, Israel for the Jews and Palestine for the Arabs.  As we …

History was made on Monday evening when US Defence Secretary Mike Pompeo made the historic announcement that the US refutes the concept of the illegality of the settlements – otherwise known as Jewish homes and factories in Judaea and Samaria. He said that this was not an issue of international …

Arabs opposed the State of Israel before there were settlements—and they oppose it still today. It’s time to clear up 5 false myths about settlements. The U.N., as well as some American media and politicians, claim Israel doesn’t want peace, since Jews build houses in disputed territories of Judaea and …

It’s AIPAC time again. A year ago about 18,000 members of American Jewry’s prime pro-Israel advocacy organisation was trying to work out whether and how to welcome Donald Trump to its annual conference. And let’s be clear, since Israel is now unfortunately struggling to retain general American bipartisan support, that …

Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with President Trump in the While House this Wednesday, February 15. It is expected that the “settlements” will be one of their subjects of conversation.  And so, it is a certainty that we are going to be encountering a good deal of media …

In the continuing series on why terminology matters, screaming from the front page of The Jerusalem Post on January 16 was the following headline: “State pressures Bedouin to leave Negev village to make way for Jewish town.” This type of headline has only been seen previously in the likes of …

In a January 18 piece for the Guardian entitled EU adopts resolution criticising Israeli settlement activity by Peter Beaumont in Jerusalem and Jennifer Rankin in Brussels, we read: The European Union has unanimously adopted a tough resolution criticising Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories, despite fierce efforts by …

The European Union has taken upon itself to challenge the labelling of products that are made east of the Green Line as “Made in Israel”.   They should consider international norms and the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians before doing so. “Made in USA” in US Territories It is …

Summary: Pundits parrot Palestinian propaganda and state that Jews living in homes on the west bank of the Jordan River (WBJR) threaten the viability of a Palestinian state, Jodi Roduren of the Times being the latest. As Shakespeare wrote “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”  The New York Times’ …

  Editor’s note: Once again and excellent piece from Arlene Kushner. ~~~~~~~~~~ Mahmoud Abbas would certainly like us to think it is a crisis.  He wants us cringing in fear.  But he’s going to be disappointed on this score: On Wednesday, Abbas made a show of filling out membership forms …

This sounds like  the old child’s game “Simon  says” but it’s “Kerry says”. That guy is delusional. Where is his head? No don’t answer that, it’s a hypothetical question anyhow. In my News Feed this morning I read the headline: Kerry: Israeli-Palestinian peace is not a pipe dream If only …

The media here in recent days has been full of observations about the growing rift between Israel and the US, or, more accurately, between the Netanyahu and Obama administrations. There have been, incredibly, some Israeli politicians and commentators centrist-left who point a finger at Netanyahu, saying that he is provoking …

The Europeans and the Americans are condemning us…again. The United Nations is upset with Israel…still. The Arabs are adamant – it’s the settlements that are the deterrent to peace. It’s not the settlements. It’s the rockets; it’s their intransigence. It’s their stones, their firebombs, their knives. It’s our naivete, it’s …

Written and submitted by Arlene Kushner. This Tuesday, former High Court Justice Edmond Levy died at age 72. Levy was born in Iraq and came to Israel with his family when he was 10.  Roughly a decade after becoming a lawyer and opening a practice, he was appointed as a …

There are two matters that are playing out in this part of the world right now that have captured some attention. One is the sudden emergence of the “legality” of the “settlements” as an issue for national debate. Or non-debate. Whatever. It is difficult to even appreciate how much this …

On January 27, the Australian‘s Middle East correspondent John Lyons reported that a group of “eminent Israelis” and, separately, four “leading lawyers” had written to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in response to her comments questioning the so-called conventional wisdom that Israel’s settlements are illegal. The group, Lyons reported, urged …

Submitted and written by Arlene Kushner. No Time to Spare: Talking about Israel’s Legal Grounds If the Israeli building in Judea and Samaria destroys the peace process, then, Lars Faaborg-Andersen, the EU ambassador to Israel, declared just days ago, “Naturally, the blame will be put squarely on Israel’s doorstep.” Naturally: …

Did you know that sushi was gaining popularity among Jews in Judaea and Samaria?  I sure did not until I read the below, but as with so many things Israeli, or perhaps Jewish, even a story as simple as this one quickly becomes something less simple. The tidbit below was …