This month MEMO looks at the global opinions that have emerged in the run-up to direct negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. We also follow the activities of Zionist extremists in the UK as they strengthen their ties with the racist, fascist EDL. Meanwhile in Israel, Wikipedia editing courses are established in a brazen propaganda move to promote the Zionist project while censoring opposition. Spiritual leader of Shas, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, hopes for Palestinians to be struck down with a plague and irradiated from the earth while Shimon Peres insinuates that Brits are anti-Semites.

Direct negotiations forge ahead despite popular Palestinian opposition

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat says that an agreement with Israel within a year is "doable" even though PA President Mahmoud Abbas complained to reporters in Ramallah that he was under almost unbearable international pressure" to return to talks with the Israelis. The Palestinians entered talks on the basis of a statement issued by the Quartet on 20th August; "the carefully worded statement was itself a compromise," wrote Isabel Kershner. A sign of things to come, perhaps? (NY Times). Another headline in the NYT sums it up: "Palestinians resuming talks under pressure" (NY Times)

Thus, under the watchful eye of Obama and joined by Jordan's King Abdullah, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, we are to believe that Netanyahu and Abbas are hashing out a 'sustainable and viable peace deal'. That's the unelected Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, and the right-wing Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu.

Since Abbas agreed to negotiations, Palestinians in the West Bank have been in open opposition viewing participation as selling Palestinian blood on the cheap. The PA's response has been harsh and draconian, rounding up all dissenting voices. In one recent incident, an opposition meeting being held by Palestinian 'liberals and leftist intellectuals' including some members of the PLO executive committee was raided by PA security officers, who gathered up participants and journalists, beating and injuring many. Some commentators are now raising the possibility of a third uprising should talks fail reminiscent of 2000. Since talks began, daily demonstrations have been staged with one defiant Palestinian woman stating "I don't support the negotiations. We don't have anything tangible on the ground, the settlements are still being built and the prisoners are still in jail."

Hamas opposes any negotiations where a one-state solution for the Palestinians is not the central theme and have accused the PA of selling out. This came to a head with the killing of 4 Israeli settlers which Hamas has taken responsibility for. The settler response has been calls for revenge and vows to restart building. 

An unholy alliance is cemented; the Zionist branch of the EDL is born

The English Defense League [EDL] and the ultra-right wing Zionist movement in the UK have recently cemented their alliance with the establishment of the EDL's "Jewish division". Attending various anti-Muslim demonstrations, inciting hatred and spewing racist venom up and down the country together, it's a rather discomforting marriage – Zionists and fascists, who could have imagined it? The BNP's Nick Griffin reckons the League is being manipulated by Zionists in an effort to provoke a race war on Britain's streets insinuating that the Zionist agenda is more treacherous and extreme by far.

Defending the indefensible; Zionists target Wikipedia

This month, Wikipedia, which has long been a battlefield in the narrative war, became an official target of "Zionist editing." Training courses were launched by two right wing Israeli groups to teaching individuals how to edit and influence online encyclopaedic content using Israeli propaganda (hasbara) techniques and explanations. The core aims of these advocates is to defend Israel and its image, to essentially censor discourse on Israel by challenging the use of words like "occupied" to describe the Palestinian Territories and to discretely promote a Zionist world view.

Shimon Peres insinuates that the British are anti-Semitic

In an interview conducted by the rabidly racist Israeli historian Benny Morris, Israeli president Shimon Peres accused British MP's of pandering to anti-Israel sentiment among their Muslim voters. He claimed a "deeply pro-Arab" bias and core existed within the UK establishment which was offset by an anti-Israel stance and that labour politicians had an irrational belief that Palestinians are the underdog. He claimed that in Britain "They always worked against us" and that "There is in England a saying that an anti-Semite is someone who hates the Jews more than is necessary." Peres' assertions were refuted by Labour MP Denis MacShane and Diane Abbott who described them as rubbish. His office later issued a statement saying that he had never accused the British people and their government of anti-Semitism. 

The Turkel commission

At the beginning of the month, Israel's self-appointed commission of inquiry into the flotilla massacre, the Turkel Commission, took place. The three top officials responsible for the bloody raid, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Ehud Barak and military Chief of Staff, Gabi Ashkenazi all testified.

Not surprisingly, Netanyahu asserted that Israel and the IDF had acted in self-defense and according to international law. He also claimed that he could not ignore the threat of Hamas and maintained the need for the blockade. Defense Minister, Ehud Barak blamed the military for the conduct of operations which he claimed politicians were not informed however, he contradicted Netanyahu's assertions that the inner circle of seven ministers had not considered military aspects of the operation. His cross-examination was poorly conducted and he opted to answer all critical questions during the closed session which was not attended by the international observers.

According to one account, despite the internal contradiction that it revealed, it resembled a staged "mise en scène" to prove the justice and infallibility of the Israeli army. It has a limited impact outside Israel and two UN investigations are set to take place in the near future.

Lady Ashton intervenes for human rights

Lady Ashton, the EU foreign Affairs Chief, publicly criticized the conviction of Abdullah Abu Rahmah, a Palestinian Bil'in protestor against the Apartheid Separation Wall in an Israeli military court. It was the first case to use military law on organizing illegal demonstrations since the first intifada. Ashton stated that "The EU considers Abdallah Abu Rahmah to be a human rights defender committed to non-violent protest against the route of the Israeli separation barrier ... The EU considers the route of the barrier where it is built on Palestinian land to be illegal." She also expressed concern that Abu Rahmah will be used as a deterrent to others who wish to exercise their legitimate rights. In custody since December, he is facing a 10 year sentence. An Israeli government spokesman described her intervention, which shows that the EU is monitoring events on the ground, as "highly improper".

The FB trophy photo scandal stirs memories of Iraq's Abu Ghuraib

This month pictures surfaced on the social networking site Facebook which showed a recently discharged female IDF soldier posing with bound and blindfolded Palestinian men who had been rounded up during a raid in a Palestinian village in Gaza in 2008. As the story made its rounds in cyber world, widespread condemnation followed, with the IDF quickly rebuking Abergil for her 'shameless behaviour'. However, others have suggested that this behaviour was 'the customary norms of IDF soldiers' and reflected their daily treatment of Palestinian civilians as well as the deep rooted indifference and racism embedded in the IDF. The director of the Israeli Public Committee Against Torture, Yishai Menuhin, suggested that this culture of humiliating and psychologically  tormenting Palestinians was inherent in IDF practises and in this particular incident, the soldier disregards the right of the Palestinian detainees " not to have their pictures published online in humiliating circumstances, without their knowledge." Abergil has come out in defence of publishing her pictures, calling the IDF's response disappointing. She claims she took care of the detainees under her care, but these claims were dismissed by two of the men who had been detained and photographed.

The legitimacy war continues; boycotting dates from Israel and the West Bank

British Muslims were urged to Boycott dates from Israel and the occupied territories this month in protest against the continued occupation. Dates account for 15% of Israeli exports to the EU or approximately £66 million. Campaigners say it would be an affront and hypocritical to support Israel's actions against the Palestinians during Ramadan by buying their dates and with over 2 million Muslims in the UK, they have the economic clout to harm a lucrative Israeli industry. Israeli ambassador, Ron Prosor, made a flippant and inappropriate joke about a 'two-date solution'.

Israeli Rabbi incites hatred against Palestinians

During his weekly sermon, the founder and spiritual leader of Shas, the leading ultra-orthodox political party in Israel, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, branded all Palestinians "evil, bitter enemies of Israel" and condemned the peace talks. He stated that "Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] and all these evil people should perish from this world," and that "God should strike them with a plague, them and these Palestinians." In 2001, the Shas leader made similarly outrageous comments about Palestinians when he asserted that "It is forbidden to be merciful to them. You must send missiles to them and annihilate them. They are evil and damnable."

A US state department spokesman condemned inflammatory the remarks as incitement saying they were detrimental to the prospects of peace. 

Compassion and hatred in equal measure

NYT columnist Thomas L. Friedman wrote an interesting piece called "Steal this movie". It's about a documentary in which a Palestinian baby is taken to Israel for life-saving medical treatment; there was "an appeal on Israel TV and within hours an Israeli Jew whose own son was killed during military service donates all the money" to pay for the boy's operation: $55,000. The baby's mother, meanwhile, tells the documentary-maker that she hopes he will grow up "to be a suicide bomber to help recover Jerusalem". Those are Mr Friedman's words, not a direct quote from the mother, but you get the gist. Friedman says "this is no Israeli propaganda movie. The drama of the Palestinian boy's rescue at an Israeli hospital is juxtaposed against Israeli retaliations for shelling from Gaza, which kill whole Palestinian families. Dr Raz Somech, the specialist who treats Mohammed as if he were his own child, is summoned for reserve duty in Gaza in the middle of the film. The race by Israelis and Palestinians to save one life is embedded in the larger routine of the two communities grinding each other up."

This "raw film reflects the Middle East... full of amazing compassion, even among enemies, and breath-taking cruelty, even among neighbours," writes the award-winning columnist. He says that he's "not here to defend Israel's bad behaviour. Just the opposite. I've long argued that Israel's colonial settlements in the West Bank are suicidal for Israel as a Jewish democracy. I don't think Israel's friends can make that point often enough or loud enough." However, "there are two kinds of criticism. Constructive criticism starts by making clear" to Israelis that "'I know what world you are living in.' I know the Middle East is a place where Sunnis massacre Shiites in Iraq, Iran kills its own voters, Syria allegedly kills the prime minister next door, Turkey hammers the Kurds, and Hamas engages in indiscriminate shelling and refuses to recognize Israel. I know all of that. But Israel's behaviour, at times, only makes matters worse — for Palestinians and Israelis. If you convey to Israelis that you understand the world they're living in, and then criticize, they'll listen."

He goes on to give examples of "destructive criticism" which closes Israeli ears", before basically calling pro-Israel David Cameron a "destructive critic", the likes of which "dismiss Gaza as an Israeli prison, without ever mentioning that had Hamas decided — after Israel unilaterally left Gaza — to turn it into Dubai rather than Tehran, Israel would have behaved differently, too".

The solution? "How about everybody take a deep breath, pop a copy of 'Precious Life' into your DVD players, watch this documentary about the real Middle East, and if you still want to be a critic (as I do), be a constructive one. A lot more Israelis and Palestinians will listen to you." An interesting article; please follow the link and read it. (NY Times)