When I first visited the Palestinian territories, I was afraid I would have to hide my identity as an American and possibly wear a headscarf. To my surprise, I was warmly welcomed exactly as I was, and after more than two years living and working there, it remains one of my favorite spots on earth. The people are charming and generous, the landscape is gorgeous, and the parties, concerts, and beer gardens in Ramallah are world-class.
But behind all this looms the conflict, the occupation, and violence. Since September 2000, more than 5,500 Palestinians and 1,100 Israelis have been killed. A series of walls, fences, roadblocks, checkpoints, army bases, and settlements keep the Palestinians in the West Bank under an almost constant state of siege and strangle the economy of many towns and villages, including Bethlehem. Gaza has been turned into an open-air prison whose desperate inmates can only get vital supplies through smuggling tunnels -- which also transport weapons that Palestinian militants use to target Israeli civilians. POST
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The Middle East.
28.4.09
24.4.09
11.4.09
Mideast Youth Committed to Fighting Extremism
Last week we asked our readers you to help find pro-peace websites. And you responded! One of the entries is www.mideastyouth.com. This is an exceptional site for a number of reasons, and we're happy to let more people read about them.
Mideastyouth.com is run by students from all over the Middle East, addressing both local and regional concerns. While there is somewhat of a focus on youth issues, much of the content is relevant to every age group. From serious matters such as migrant rights or minorities to more casual categories like "culture and society" or "fun and recreation", Mideast Youth provides an informative tour of Middle East issues, written from the perspective of open minded young people. More
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Mideastyouth.com is run by students from all over the Middle East, addressing both local and regional concerns. While there is somewhat of a focus on youth issues, much of the content is relevant to every age group. From serious matters such as migrant rights or minorities to more casual categories like "culture and society" or "fun and recreation", Mideast Youth provides an informative tour of Middle East issues, written from the perspective of open minded young people. More
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George Galloway's high-profile mission to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza has run into controversy, just as his convoy reaches the final leg of its 5
Egyptian activists who had been planning to welcome Galloway's Viva Palestina trucks as they cross from Libya into Egypt today will instead be staying at home, after allegations surfaced that Galloway was planning to take part in official receptions with the unpopular Egyptian government, despite having recently called for it to be overthrown.
Rumours that Galloway had agreed to meet Ahmed Ezz, a steel magnate who is a close associate of President Hosni Mubarak and has been caught up in several corruption scandals, caused an outcry among groups opposed to a president Galloway has dismissed as a tyrant.
The mile convoy of 110 vehicles left England on 14 February and travelled through Europe and North Africa. Egyptian opposition groups had been preparing a "red carpet" welcome for Galloway and his caravan, impressed at the British MP's forceful denunciations of Mubarak's stance on the Gaza crisis. The Egyptian government largely refused to open its Rafah border crossing with Gaza during Israel's recent 22-day military assault on the area, prompting Galloway to declare that the "dictatorship" of Mubarak was "jointly responsible for the murder of every Palestinian who has died these last two years". Read More
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Rumours that Galloway had agreed to meet Ahmed Ezz, a steel magnate who is a close associate of President Hosni Mubarak and has been caught up in several corruption scandals, caused an outcry among groups opposed to a president Galloway has dismissed as a tyrant.
The mile convoy of 110 vehicles left England on 14 February and travelled through Europe and North Africa. Egyptian opposition groups had been preparing a "red carpet" welcome for Galloway and his caravan, impressed at the British MP's forceful denunciations of Mubarak's stance on the Gaza crisis. The Egyptian government largely refused to open its Rafah border crossing with Gaza during Israel's recent 22-day military assault on the area, prompting Galloway to declare that the "dictatorship" of Mubarak was "jointly responsible for the murder of every Palestinian who has died these last two years". Read More
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7.4.09
Rebuilding Gaza
BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip (AP) — The seven foul-smelling lagoons of sewage near Gaza's coast were supposed to be replaced by a globally funded waste treatment plant. Instead, they epitomize the nightmare faced by foreign donors as they seek to rebuild the territory and open a pathway to peace.
The multimillion dollar project has been delayed by violence and a 20-month-old border closure that have made it difficult to bring supplies into Gaza. Now, after Israel's devastating military offensive, clearing the lagoons is just one part of a much bigger challenge.
On Monday, some 80 donor countries meeting in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheik will be asked to pledge at least $2.8 billion in aid to Gaza.
There's plenty of good will — Saudi Arabia has already promised $1 billion and the U.S. $900 million — and the level of representation will be stellar, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and French President Nicholas Sarkozy.
But for reconstruction to move forward smoothly, toward pacifying Gaza and opening new horizons for Mideast peace efforts, a series of improbable events would need to happen.
Gaza's Hamas rulers would likely have to reconcile with their moderate West Bank rivals led by President Mahmoud Abbas. The Islamic militants would then have to soften their violent anti-Israel ideology and agree to share power with Abbas.
Israel and Egypt would have to recognize Hamas' governing role and reopen the borders they closed after Hamas seized Gaza by force in June 2007. Recently, Israel has also linked a border opening to long-stalled negotiations on a prisoner swap with Hamas.
But the more likely prospect is that the Palestinians will fail to heal their split and Gaza's borders will remain largely closed. In this case, Israel will continue to keep tight control over concrete, steel and other supplies needed for rebuilding 15,000 homes destroyed or damaged in the offensive it launched to halt Hamas rocket fire.
As it is, the Saudi pledge — along with a $250 million pledge from Qatar and $100 million from Algeria — has not materialized because of disagreements between Fatah and Hamas, an Arab League official said, speaking on condition of anonymity Saturday because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
A Hamas-Israel truce being mediated by Egypt envisions open borders. But Israel says it can't allow supplies in freely, for fear Hamas — a group committed to the destruction of the Jewish state — would hijack concrete and steel to build bunkers and rockets. Instead, Israel is willing to allow in specific hardware consignments, in close coordination with international aid agencies.
"We want the accountability of the international community," said Peter Lerner, spokesman for the Israeli military branch that deals with Palestinian civilians. "There can be different types of creative solutions."
Such an arrangement was in place for the Beit Lahiya sewage project, given emergency status after one of the lagoons overflowed in 2007, killing five people. Still, completion of a pumping station and a four-mile pipeline was delayed by 2 1/2 years, and now the pipeline has been damaged by Israeli air strikes, according to Naziq Rihan, a project engineer. Work on the crucial water treatment plant hasn't even begun.
Another monument to thwarted aid is a housing project, funded by the United Arab Emirates for Gazans made homeless in previous Israeli offensives. The work has stalled since the blockade.
"I think in 10 years, they still won't be finished," said security guard Nasser Abu Amouna, 27, who lost his home in an Israeli airstrike in 2007 and was in line for rehousing in the new project. Abu Amouna would like to marry but can't until he has a proper home.
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, a top European Union diplomat, called Friday for an unconditional opening of Gaza's borders, but she and other donors won't say what steps they would take to bring that about, and it's not clear what arrangements, if any, will be agreed on at Monday's conference.
One possibility is to collect pledges and focus for now on the ongoing emergency relief, in the form of dozens of supply trucks entering Gaza every day.
Donors will be asked to fund a $2.8 billion reconstruction plan put together by Abbas' prime minister, Salam Fayyad, an internationally respected economist. Hamas was not invited.
Fayyad wants most of the money funneled through his West Bank-based government. He already administers huge sums of foreign aid — $7.7 billion for 2008-2010 — and has been sending $120 million to Gaza each month for welfare and salaries of Abbas' former civil servants. Other aid, such as for rebuilding homes, would go directly to the bank accounts of Gazans.
Hamas prepared its own 86-page Gaza reconstruction plan and sent copies to the Arab League. But even if bypassed by the donors, as is likely, Hamas would benefit from any aid that eases pressure on it to help the needy. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum suggested the Gaza government would be cooperative.
"We will provide all the logistical help to the donors to implement this huge project," he said. "We are not asking anyone to send money into our accounts."
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The multimillion dollar project has been delayed by violence and a 20-month-old border closure that have made it difficult to bring supplies into Gaza. Now, after Israel's devastating military offensive, clearing the lagoons is just one part of a much bigger challenge.
On Monday, some 80 donor countries meeting in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheik will be asked to pledge at least $2.8 billion in aid to Gaza.
There's plenty of good will — Saudi Arabia has already promised $1 billion and the U.S. $900 million — and the level of representation will be stellar, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and French President Nicholas Sarkozy.
But for reconstruction to move forward smoothly, toward pacifying Gaza and opening new horizons for Mideast peace efforts, a series of improbable events would need to happen.
Gaza's Hamas rulers would likely have to reconcile with their moderate West Bank rivals led by President Mahmoud Abbas. The Islamic militants would then have to soften their violent anti-Israel ideology and agree to share power with Abbas.
Israel and Egypt would have to recognize Hamas' governing role and reopen the borders they closed after Hamas seized Gaza by force in June 2007. Recently, Israel has also linked a border opening to long-stalled negotiations on a prisoner swap with Hamas.
But the more likely prospect is that the Palestinians will fail to heal their split and Gaza's borders will remain largely closed. In this case, Israel will continue to keep tight control over concrete, steel and other supplies needed for rebuilding 15,000 homes destroyed or damaged in the offensive it launched to halt Hamas rocket fire.
As it is, the Saudi pledge — along with a $250 million pledge from Qatar and $100 million from Algeria — has not materialized because of disagreements between Fatah and Hamas, an Arab League official said, speaking on condition of anonymity Saturday because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
A Hamas-Israel truce being mediated by Egypt envisions open borders. But Israel says it can't allow supplies in freely, for fear Hamas — a group committed to the destruction of the Jewish state — would hijack concrete and steel to build bunkers and rockets. Instead, Israel is willing to allow in specific hardware consignments, in close coordination with international aid agencies.
"We want the accountability of the international community," said Peter Lerner, spokesman for the Israeli military branch that deals with Palestinian civilians. "There can be different types of creative solutions."
Such an arrangement was in place for the Beit Lahiya sewage project, given emergency status after one of the lagoons overflowed in 2007, killing five people. Still, completion of a pumping station and a four-mile pipeline was delayed by 2 1/2 years, and now the pipeline has been damaged by Israeli air strikes, according to Naziq Rihan, a project engineer. Work on the crucial water treatment plant hasn't even begun.
Another monument to thwarted aid is a housing project, funded by the United Arab Emirates for Gazans made homeless in previous Israeli offensives. The work has stalled since the blockade.
"I think in 10 years, they still won't be finished," said security guard Nasser Abu Amouna, 27, who lost his home in an Israeli airstrike in 2007 and was in line for rehousing in the new project. Abu Amouna would like to marry but can't until he has a proper home.
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, a top European Union diplomat, called Friday for an unconditional opening of Gaza's borders, but she and other donors won't say what steps they would take to bring that about, and it's not clear what arrangements, if any, will be agreed on at Monday's conference.
One possibility is to collect pledges and focus for now on the ongoing emergency relief, in the form of dozens of supply trucks entering Gaza every day.
Donors will be asked to fund a $2.8 billion reconstruction plan put together by Abbas' prime minister, Salam Fayyad, an internationally respected economist. Hamas was not invited.
Fayyad wants most of the money funneled through his West Bank-based government. He already administers huge sums of foreign aid — $7.7 billion for 2008-2010 — and has been sending $120 million to Gaza each month for welfare and salaries of Abbas' former civil servants. Other aid, such as for rebuilding homes, would go directly to the bank accounts of Gazans.
Hamas prepared its own 86-page Gaza reconstruction plan and sent copies to the Arab League. But even if bypassed by the donors, as is likely, Hamas would benefit from any aid that eases pressure on it to help the needy. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum suggested the Gaza government would be cooperative.
"We will provide all the logistical help to the donors to implement this huge project," he said. "We are not asking anyone to send money into our accounts."
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Hezbollah ready to repel Israeli attack
In an interview with the French paper Le Figaro, Hezbollah Deputy Leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said the movement is "prepared" to any such conflict with Israel.
"But I do not believe that under the current circumstances Israel has an interest in waging another war in Lebanon," he said.
The daily quoted the Sheikh as saying that "Israel's defeat" in its recent war against the Gaza Strip indicates that it is not capable of launching a new front in the region.
"The offensive in Gaza proved that the Israeli army has not drawn any lessons from the 2006 war (in Lebanon), and it remains incapable of translating its military force into diplomatic achievements."
Israel launched an aggression against Lebanon in summer 2006. The conflict lasted for 33 days and resulted in a heavy defeat for Tel Aviv.
"Israel's defeat -- both militarily and psychologically -- is clear. The war in 2006 proved once again the need for armed resistance," the Sheikh told Le Figaro.
Tel Aviv faced another regional defeat when it failed to "topple" Hamasduring its three week offensive against Gaza. The onslaught claimed the lives of more than 1,300 people including women and children in the coastal strip.
Regarding the assassination of Hezbollah's top commander Imad Mugniyah in Damascus, Qassem reiterated to avenge, saying "We vowed to respond. It is our right."
While Tel Aviv denies any involvement in the February 12 assassination, the Hezbollah leader said the movement has "no doubt" that Israel is behind the assassination.
"(The response) will not warrant a declaration of war on Israel's part, but in any case Israel does not need any excuse to initiate hostile acts," he concluded. Story
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"But I do not believe that under the current circumstances Israel has an interest in waging another war in Lebanon," he said.
The daily quoted the Sheikh as saying that "Israel's defeat" in its recent war against the Gaza Strip indicates that it is not capable of launching a new front in the region.
"The offensive in Gaza proved that the Israeli army has not drawn any lessons from the 2006 war (in Lebanon), and it remains incapable of translating its military force into diplomatic achievements."
Israel launched an aggression against Lebanon in summer 2006. The conflict lasted for 33 days and resulted in a heavy defeat for Tel Aviv.
"Israel's defeat -- both militarily and psychologically -- is clear. The war in 2006 proved once again the need for armed resistance," the Sheikh told Le Figaro.
Tel Aviv faced another regional defeat when it failed to "topple" Hamasduring its three week offensive against Gaza. The onslaught claimed the lives of more than 1,300 people including women and children in the coastal strip.
Regarding the assassination of Hezbollah's top commander Imad Mugniyah in Damascus, Qassem reiterated to avenge, saying "We vowed to respond. It is our right."
While Tel Aviv denies any involvement in the February 12 assassination, the Hezbollah leader said the movement has "no doubt" that Israel is behind the assassination.
"(The response) will not warrant a declaration of war on Israel's part, but in any case Israel does not need any excuse to initiate hostile acts," he concluded. Story
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4.4.09
World pledges billions for Gaza reconstruction
The EU, US and Arab states have pledged close to $4.5 billion (3.6 billion euros) to help rebuild the war-torn Gaza Strip and reform the Palestinian Authority.
But as donors met in Egypt on Monday, March 2, they emphasized that financial aid must not fall into the hands of Hamas, the Islamist group which rules Gaza. The donors also called for an immediate lifting of Israel's blockade of the battered coastal strip preventing all but vital aid from entering the area. Gaza has an estimated 1.4 million inhabitants.
"The status quo is of benefit to all the extremism. It is time for us to speed up the agenda," French President Nicolas Sarkozy told the conference at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
Final figures from the conference show the EU has pledged $554 million, the US $900 million and Gulf Arab states $1.65 billion in aid for the Palestinians.
Germany will reportedly pledge an extra $126 million on top of its contribution to the EU aid package.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had asked for some $2.8 billion, almost half of that to pay for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip after Israel's offensive in late December and January.
"We are confronted with a serious dilemma," Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told a final news conference. "Will we once again reconstruct something we built a few years ago and now has been hammered and flattened?
"Many donors, despite pledges, will wish to see political progress before they commit to infrastructure reconstruction," he said. Norway and Egypt jointly presided over the conference.
Gaza remains sealed off
But the United Nations and aid agencies have said that rebuilding the coastal enclave would be extremely difficult as long as border crossings into Gaza remain closed.
"The situation at the border crossings is intolerable. Aid workers do not have access. Essential commodities cannot get in," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told donors at the conference.
"Our first and indispensable goal, therefore, is to open crossings. By the same token, however, it is therefore essential to ensure that illegal weapons do not enter Gaza."
"Money is very important but it is not going to solve the problem unless there is pressure from the international community on Israel to open all (border) crossings with Gaza" said Gasser Abdel-Razek, a spokesman for human rights group Oxfam International.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on Israel to open the border crossings and allow goods through. "Gaza should not actually be a prison with open skies," he told the conference.
Money will not end up "in the wrong hands"
Donors have balked at giving aid to Hamas, which has controlled the Strip since 2007. In response, leaders of Hamas and Abbas's rival Fatah faction agreed to work towards forming a "national unity" government on Thursday, Feb. 26, and to hold fresh elections soon.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was making her first appearance at such a large-scale conference in her new role, reassured delegates on Monday that the US was working with the Palestinian Authority to install "safeguards" to ensure that funding "is only used where and for whom it is intended" and "does not end up in the wrong hands."
She also stressed that the response to the current Gaza crisis "cannot be separated" from broader peace efforts, adding that aid to Gaza could "foster conditions in which a Palestinian state can be fully realized."
Neither Israel nor Hamas were present at the conference. Israel said it supported efforts to help Palestinians in the strip, but wanted assurances the aid money would not reach Hamas militants.
"We definitely don't want to see the goodwill of the international community exploited by Hamas and serve Hamas' extremist purposes," said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
More than 1,300 Palestinians were killed and thousands of Gaza homes and government buildings were reduced to rubble during the Israeli offensive. Thirteen Israelis also died in attacks by Hamas militants. Read more
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