Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA 4 September 2014

In response to the shocking news that the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the armed
wing of the peace partner Fatah movement, is bragging about the missiles it
has, with their website featuring an article on the matter:
http://www.fatehorg.ps/index.php?action=3Dshow_page&ID=3D21244&lang=3Dar
with a photograph showing a room full of missiles that they say they still
posses:
http://www.fatehorg.ps/functions.php?action=3Dfiles&table=3Dattachs&ID=3D15=
705

J-Street has issued a call to peace partner Mahmoud Abbas to act immediately
for his peace partner Fatah movement to honor its signed obligations and
destroy the missiles without delay.

J-Street also called for the US to take firm action to make it clear that
this matter must be resolved at once as this gross and open violation
undermines the standing of peace partner Abbas and his peace partner Fatah
movement.

In a related development, J-Street called on peace partner Abbas to
publicly call for the prosecution and punishment of anyone who engages, from
this point onwards, in violence against Israelis.

Question: why doesn't J-Street ACTUALLY make this call. A call that would
promote peace?
=3D=3D=3D=3D

J Street Condemns New Settlement Announcement, Urges Firmer US Action
September 2nd, 2014
http://jstreet.org/blog/post/j-street-condemns-new-settlement-announcement-=
urges-firmer-us-action_1


J Street condemns as provocative, damaging and extremely destructive to
Israel and to hopes of peace a decision by the Israeli government to seize
almost 1,000 acres of land in the occupied West Bank to build a massive new
settlement.

The decision, both in its timing and intrinsic nature, could hardly be more
negative and harmful. This has been described as the largest grab of
Palestinian land for the purpose of building settlements in 30 years. It
demeans and weakens Israel=92s peace partner, the Palestinian Authority; it
defies the will of Israel=92s most important ally and friend, the United
States, and it flies in the face of a broad international consensus.

Most of all, it casts serious doubt on the Israeli government's sincerity in
claiming to favor a two-state peace agreement with the Palestinians. Prime
Minister Netanyahu says he is in favor of peace based on a two-state
solution, yet almost all of the government's actions and words point to the
opposite conclusion.

This decision is also a test of US seriousness in Mideast peace-making.The
United States has protested settlement announcement after settlement
announcement for decades =96 yet its opinion has been disregarded by
successive Israeli governments to the point that US credibility has been
called into question. How can the world expect US leadership in dealing with
hostile actors across the Middle East when even its closest friend in the
region flagrantly ignores its policies? It is time for the Administration to
make clear to Israel that it means what it says and that US opposition to
settlements is not just symbolic but real.

J Street urges the United States government to undertake a thorough review
of its policy toward Israeli settlements and to announce the steps it will
take if Israel goes forward with this decision. As a first step, it should
declare now that it is the view of the United States that settlements are
not merely "unhelpful" or "illegitimate" but illegal under international law
as laid out in the Fourth Geneva Convention.

It may be true that the land being expropriated from five Palestinian
villages lies within one of the settlement blocs that are likely to be
retained by Israel in any prospective peace deal. But until there is such an
agreement, this kind of land grab can only be seen as a blatant unilateral
move to create new facts on the ground.

It is particularly unfortunate coming on the heels of last week's Gaza
cease-fire which seemed to offer a new start for diplomacy in tackling the
conflict. One would have thought following that war, that Israel would do
everything possible to strengthen PA leaders and their pursuit of diplomacy
and non-violence. Instead, this move undermines President Abbas and
reinforces his opponents, including Hamas, whose abhorrent use of violence
shows exactly why now is the time to empower moderate Palestinian
leadership.

We urge the Israeli government to reverse this decision, to announce a
settlement freeze and its readiness to return to negotiations for a final
settlement based on the 1967 borders with agreed land swaps.

Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni have already
noted how much harm this decision will cause to the US-Israel relationship.
Other responsible members of the ruling coalition should join them in
working to reverse this decision and to move urgently to seek a two-state
solution.

________________________________________
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis

Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on A
rab-Israeli relations

Website: www.imra.org.il