The New Middle East Peace Plan Promises Projects, Not Peace

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Written by Zaha Hassan Zaha Hassan

Published: 05 July 2019 05 July 2019

Live-streamed coverage of the Bahrain “Peace to Prosperity” workshop, phase one in the Trump administration’s release of its peace plan for Israelis and Palestinians, brought to mind a dark, smoke-filled room from an earlier period where other powerful men, British and French, divvied up Arab land after World War I. This time, Arab governments and the U.S. co-hosted the dismemberment of the Palestinians’ national aspirations, while sitting in TED Talk-styled respectability. Just as before, ideas like human rights, self-determination and political and economic sovereignty were completely lost on the architects of this new effort.

The glitzy presentations and marketing materials largely repackage old, failed ideas about the potential for economic development, even while Israel keeps control over Palestinian land. There is no acknowledgment of the existence of an Israeli military occupation, no mention of the likely formal annexation of the West Bank following Israeli elections in September, nor of Israel’s intention to continue its twelve-year isolation and siege of Gaza. Instead, the plan assumes what ails Palestinians is not a lack of freedom and self-determination, but the poor management of their economy and a lack of knowledge about how to run basic municipal services.

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Kushner's plan to sugarcoat the occupation of Palestine

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Written by Josh Ruebner Josh Ruebner

Published: 24 May 2019 24 May 2019

'In Kushner's estimation, self-determination isn't a political concept but an economic one' writes Ruebner [Anadolu]

Date of publication: 22 May, 2019

Comment: A two-day international 'Peace to Prosperity' economic workshop in Bahrain undermines Palestinians and their calls for sovereignty, writes Josh Ruebner.

 

Also read at: https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2019/5/22/kushners-plan-to-sugarcoat-the-occupation-of-palestine

 

In 2018, prosecutors in Brooklyn subpoenaed information from the family-run real estate development business Kushner Companies to investigate how it "routinely filed false paperwork that resulted in the company netting millions during a three-year period" when presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner was its CEO.

At one of its properties, current and former residents alleged that the company deliberately subjected them "to extensive construction, with banging, drilling, dust, and leaking water that they believe were part of targeted harassment to get them to leave and clear the way for higher-paying renters."

Now, as a senior presidential advisor, Kushner has teamed up with Jason Greenblatt - Trump's former real estate lawyer - and US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman - Trump's former bankruptcy lawyer - to form another Kushner and Associates of sorts, to draft the Trump administration's "Deal of the Century" for Israeli-Palestinian peace. 

This new incorporation of Kushner and Associates appears to be adopting its usual shady business practices in an attempt to force Palestinians into submission to perpetual Israeli dominance.

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UN officials call for an immediate halt to demolitions in East Jerusalem and respect for international law amidst rise

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Written by Peter Miller Peter Miller

Published: 03 May 2019 03 May 2019

UN officials call for an immediate halt to demolitions in East Jerusalem and respect for international law amidst rise Jerusalem, 3 May 2019

Today, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Jamie McGoldrick called for an immediate halt to the Israeli authorities’ destruction of Palestinian-owned property in East Jerusalem.   “Demolitions in East Jerusalem have increased at a staggering pace over the last month, leaving tens of Palestinians displaced and others who have lost their livelihoods overnight,” said Mr. McGoldrick. “This must stop.”   As of 30 April 2019, 111 Palestinian-owned structures had been destroyed in East Jerusalem in 2019, either directly by the Israeli authorities or self-demolished by their owners to avoid hefty fines, following the issuance of demolition orders for lack of building permits. Of these, 57 per cent (63 out of 111) were demolished in April, bringing the total number of demolitions in the West Bank to 214 in 2019.   On 29 April alone, the Israeli authorities demolished 31 structures in multiple neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem; this is the highest number of structures demolished in a single day in East Jerusalem since OCHA began systematically monitoring demolitions in 2009. Overall, more Palestinians were displaced in East Jerusalem in the first four months of 2019 than in all of 2018, 193 compared to 176.   Read more: UN officials call for an immediate halt to demolitions in East Jerusalem and respect for... Film: Naila and the Uprising Details Written by Peter Miller Peter Miller Published: 27 March 2019 27 March 2019 Thursday, April 25th at 7pm Film Showing: Naila and the Uprising (76 min) Directed by: Julia Bacha Clinton Street Theater   https://cstpdx.com/ 2522 SE Clinton is on the corner of SE 26th and Clinton Get Poster here! Suggested donation $5 to $10 On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/1045696995626039/ Sponsored by Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights (AUPHR)  www.auphr.org Our media sponsor: KBOO 90.7fm https://www.justvision.org/nailaandtheuprising When a nation-wide uprising breaks out in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, a young woman in Gaza must make a choice between love, family, and freedom. Undaunted, she embraces all three, joining a clandestine network of women in a movement that forces the world to recognize the Palestinian right to self-determination for the first time. Naila and the Uprising chronicles the remarkable journey of Naila Ayesh and a fierce community of women at the frontlines, whose stories weave through the most vibrant, nonviolent mobilization in Palestinian history – the First Intifada in the late 1980s. Read more: Film: Naila and the Uprising More Articles ... Fake Justice: The Responsibility Israel’s High Court Justices Bear for the Demolition of Palestinian Homes and the Dispossession of Palestinians New Research Ranks Israel’s Rule Over West Bank 3rd Most Discriminatory Regime Globally URGENT: Anti-BDS vote in Senate, Tuesday, Jan. 8 Why did CNN fire a pro-Palestinian commentator? Human Rights in the Holy Land: The Rest of the Story Subcategories Latest The latest news from the Joomla! Team Page 1 of 15 Start Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next End Fair Use Notice This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.