October digest briefly looks at the historic prisoner swap, Sheikh Raed Salah judgement, Universal Jurisdiction, the UN bid so far and more
This month, the Hamas Movement managed to secure the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the Israeli–French soldier, Sargent Gilad Shalit. In the past, Israeli negotiators have point blank refused any suggestion of releasing prisoners from territories other than the West Bank and Gaza. However, this historic exchange saw the release of prisoners from inside the Golan Heights, Jerusalem and within Israel itself. The first phase of the exchange saw more than 450 prisoners released while the second phase is due to be confirmed within the next few weeks.
UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Palestine, Professor Richard Falk suggests that the statehood bid can be seen on two levels: Firstly as an extension of Palestinian efforts for self-determination, and on a second problematic level - the impression that the "conflict is between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel rather than between the Palestinian people and Israel…. the sense given is that this is a dispute about territory and if Israel ends the occupation of the bulk of the land taken in 1967 then it's possible to have a peaceful solution, a so-called "two state consensus". This, in effect, undermines greatly the importance of the right of return aspects of the conflict and also possibly creates an atmosphere in which Palestinian rights in Jerusalem are also to some extent sacrificed. And then, of course, it leaves out of the equation altogether the circumstances of the Palestinian minority within Israel and so on."
Following the US congress' decision to block $200 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority as punishment for its September UN state bid, the PA has accused the US of 'collective punishment' that would 'harm the needs of the public without making any positive contribution'. Addressing a meeting of representatives and leaders of Jewish organizations outside the UN headquarters, member of the House sub-committee on the Middle East and South Asia, Gary Ackerman, said that "there may need to be a total cut off of all aid to the Palestinians for pursuing this course of action which is very dangerous and ill advised."
This month Israeli settlers have continued to cause havoc for Palestinians living under occupation using the violent 'price tag' campaign. Right-wing extremist attacks have gathered momentum and spread across Israel in what the Electronic Intifada described as 'a wave of racism'. The government has also come in for condemnation over their inaction in preventing attacks.
The unnamed commander of the Israeli Haruv Battalion responsible for shooting dead 34 year old Palestinian protester, Essan Oudeh , in the village of Qusra just hours before the PA called on the UN recognize a Palestinian state, has been "dismissed from his command due to a number of operational and disciplinary incidents."
On the 25th of the month, the UK's Immigration and Asylum First-Tier Tribunal rejected the case brought by the celebrated Palestinian leader and activist, Sheikh Raed Salah, challenging the Home Secretary, Theresa May's brash decision in June to bar him from entering the UK. The court ruled that Ms May had acted within her powers when she excluded Salah for alleged 'unacceptable behavior' despite a dearth of evidence in support of her case against him.
A plan to build 2,600 new illegal settlement units in the Givat Hamatos area of Jerusalem has been submitted for approval by Israel's interior minister, Eli Yishai; a member of the religious right-wing Shas Party. The plan, which is likely to be backed by PM Benjamin Netanyahu and would establish the first new Jewish colony on occupied Palestinian land in 25 years, severely undermines the possibility of any resumption in the peace process.
At the beginning of the month, the current Israeli leader of the opposition and former Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, was due to visit the UK in the first such visit since September when the government amended British laws governing the issuance of arrest warrants for war criminals. The changes were brought about through intense political pressure from the Israeli establishment after a warrant was issued by Westminster Magistrates Court for Livni's arrest in 2009. It was issued on behalf of victims of Operation Cast Lead [which resulted in 1400 deaths, including hundreds of children] and brought charges of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity against her for her role in the brutal assault. Changes to the law will now allow Livni and others like her, to freely visit the UK without fear of Arrest.
Alstom lost the bid for the second phase of the Saudi Haramain Railway project, worth 10 billion US dollars, following pressure exerted by the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. This included effective campaigning from the newly launched KARAMA - a European campaign to Keep Alstom Rail and Metro Away.
In a refreshing article, New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof said that "Israel is its own worst enemy". He blames Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for "isolating his country" with a "hard line on settlements" which "seems like a national suicide policy". In fact, Kristof concludes, "Nothing is more corrosive than Israel's growth of settlements because they erode hope of a peace agreement in the future." That's the sort of thing which pro-Israel newspapers (as the New York Times is overall) in Britain would never have the courage to publish. In that respect, the NYT is streets ahead of any newspaper with similar ideological allegiances on this side of the Atlantic.
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More than 14,000 new births were recorded in Gaza over the last two months.
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Ofcom vindicate Al-Jazeera and the Guardian for publishing the Palestine Papers.
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