Amnesty International Report "Troubled Waters - Palestinians denied fair access to water - Israel-Occupied Territories."

Review by Dr. Hanan Chehata,
Middle East Monitor, (MEMO), London

Introduction

It is a universally known fact that water is an essential of ingredient of life. Without water there is no life and yet it is this natural, God given resource that Israel is deliberately and callously withholding from the Palestinian people.

This week, (27th October 2009) Amnesty International published a report entitled "Troubled Waters - Palestinians denied fair access to water" which describes in shocking detail the extent of the humanitarian crisis that has been caused by Israel's deliberate, prolonged and spiteful withholding of water from Palestinian men, women and children.

Excerpts from:
European-Mediterranean Relations: From the Barcelona Declaration to the Mediterranean Union

Chapter: Partnership Initiatives in the light of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

A Summary by Senussi Bsaikri,
Middle East Monitor, (MEMO), London

The Arab-Israeli conflict has been the focus of attention of the European Union ever since the early stages of its founding. However, differences of opinion among Member States accounted for the variations of positions by the Europeans and their falling into the balance of power trap, which made Europe loose its ability to make a positive impact on the conflict.

The first year since the founding of the European Union and in particular after the singing of the Treaty of Rome in 1957, did not witness a unified or specific European position. Some countries like France and Britain were not in agreement with Egypt, (the leader of the Arab world in the conflict with Israel), particularly after the period which followed the nationalisation of the Suez Canal and the War which was launched by Israel, France and Britain in 1956. In the 1960s, notably after the Six day War of 1967, some European States moved toward a clarification of their position on the Palestine Question. Observers recall however the controversy that took place after the summit of the European Union in The Hague in 1969 and the differences between the main players concerning the report which the Summit discussed, relating to the conflict. While the French Foreign Ministry regarded it as its official position, Germany and Holland considered it a Working Paper and did not adopt it as a final document. The Report called upon Israel to withdraw from the lands which it occupied in 1967. The Report provoked the anger of Israel, which was strongly condemned by it, but it was never published.

Robert D. Kaplan's article "Why I Love Al Jazeera" (The Atlantic - Oct. 2009 - pp55-56.)

Review by Dr. Hanan Chehata, Middle East Monitor, (MEMO), London

In his article "Why I love Al Jazeera" Robert Kaplan lavishes high praise on the English version of the Qatar based news station. He declares that Al Jazeera "is what the internationally minded elite class really yearns for." He commends the depth and breadth of the reports, the "unbiased" nature of the documentaries, the fact that Al Jazeera is often the first on the ground in troubled regions (and therefore gets the scoop that others don't) and perhaps most importantly, the fact that "Al Jazeera excels at opening your mind."