Clipmarks | abailart's 'annapolis' clips

Jews against Zionism

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:18:56 GMT

clipped by: abailart
clipper's remarks: I have clipped this not to promote a point of view but to offer those who care to know the many strands of perspectives on Israel an opportunity to go and look at some sites that explain that by no means all Jews support the state of Israel or its Zionist ideology.

Clip Source: www.nkusa.org

March 21, 2008:

Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews in London and New York burn the Zionist flag on Purim.

March 15, 2008 London, England:

Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews in London rallied and demonstrated in protest of the ongoing siege of Gaza

March 18, 2008, New York City

Orthodox Jews join other organizations in protest against the recent horrific atrocities in GAZA and to protest the "Friends of the Israeli Defense Force" dinner.

January 26, 2008, London, Washington, New York:

Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews in London, New York and Washington DC demonstrated in protest of the atrocities in Gaza.....

November 27, 2007, Annapolis, MD:

Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews demonstrated outside the US Naval Academy in Annapolis during the Mid-East Peace Talks Conference

November 2007, Palestine:

Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews joined Palestinian protestors demonstrating against the Zionist demolition of homes.

Clip Source: www.jewsnotzionists.org

Jewish anti-Zionism is not restricted exclusively to the well know Jewish anti-Zionist movements such as Satma

Tags: israel, jewish anti-zionism

Abbas Calls for Arab Peace Keeping Troops

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:53:00 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: www.haaretz.com

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Arab leaders assembled at a Damascus summit Saturday to send peacekeeping troops to the Palestinian territories, as Arab leaders debated the future of a 2002 peace initiative.

"It has become clear that the Israeli government is imposing on the ground the political solution that it wants," Abbas said. "Negotiations cannot continue under the Israeli bulldozers swallowing our land and building settlements and under the daily Israeli military operations."

"The parameters and plans of the solution that Israel is drawing on the ground would not leave more than a group of isolated enclaves of land torn apart by settlements and the wall of racial separation," Abbas continued.

"Jerusalem ... is facing the most vicious settlement campaign which is aimed at its Arab character through confiscation of lands, building settlements and destroying houses of [Arab] residents with the aim of isolating Jerusalem from the rest of the Palestinian lands," he added.

Tags: annapolis

7.4 billion in aid to Palestinians

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:27:57 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

PARIS (Reuters) - An international donors' conference pledged $7.4 billion in aid to the Palestinians over the next three years, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Monday.

"Our goal had been for $5.6 billion. Now we have $7.4 billion," Kouchner told a news conference following the one-day conference which aimed to boost the Palestinian economy and underpin renewed Middle East peace talks.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy had urged the 68 visiting states to be generous at the conference, the financial sequel to last month's Annapolis meeting that launched the first Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in seven years.

"This conference is literally the government's last hope to avoid bankruptcy," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said.

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Many analysts doubt the peace effort will go far because of divisions among the Palestinians and Olmert's weak position with a fragile governing coalition, part of which opposes the compromises necessary for a peace deal.

Tags: palestine, palestinian aid, israel-palestine

US Warns Israel

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:48:57 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: www.haaretz.com

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Israel on Friday that its plan to build 300 house units on land captured in the 1967 Six-Day-War threatened U.S.-backed efforts to reach peace with the Palestinians.

"We are in a time when the goal is to build maximum confidence with the parties and this doesn't help to build confidence," she said in rare U.S. criticism of Israel.

The United States fears the move could scupper peace talks launched last week at a U.S.-hosted conference in Annapolis, Maryland. Peace negotiations are due to begin on December 12.

Tags: annapolis, israeli settlements, green line

Annapolis Myths

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:30:06 GMT

clipped by: katsteevns

Clip Source: www.zmag.org

The 12 Myths of Annapolis

by Phyllis Bennis

December 03, 2007

Myth #1) The Annapolis meeting was designed to launch serious new negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians that aimed at ending the occupation and producing a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region based on a two-state solution.

In fact, the two main reasons for the conference had virtually nothing to do with Israel or Palestine. The real reasons for convening the conference were 1) to strengthen Arab government support for U.S. strategies in the Middle East, including the war in Iraq and particularly the escalation of pressure aimed at Iran. 2) To provide a photo-op to reframe Condoleezza Rice's legacy, now largely shaped by her embrace of Israel's bombardment of Lebanon in 2006, to the legacy of a would-be peacemaker.

Tags: iran, iraq, israelis, palestinians

US Withdraws UN Resolution on Annapolis Agreement

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 07:35:13 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: www.haaretz.com

In a sudden about face, the United States on Friday withdrew a United Nations resolution endorsing this week's agreement by Israeli and Palestinian leaders to try to reach a Mideast peace settlement by the end of 2008, apparently after Israel objected.

Israel expressed opposition to the American initiative to pursue Security Council support for the proposed resolution because it does not consider most of the member states of the council to be friendly toward Israel.

"It's not the proper venue," Israel's deputy ambassador Daniel Carmon told reporters after Friday's council meeting. "We feel that the appreciation of Annapolis has other means of being expressed than in a resolution."

worried a formal resolution would get the United Nations too involved in Middle East peace efforts. Israel and the United States often complain of bias in the world body against Israel.

Tags: annapolis agreement

Avaaz.org : A people's peace in the Middle East?

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:50:45 GMT

clipped by: splendidus

Clip Source: avaaz-annapolis.questionpro.com

AFTER ANNAPOLIS, THE PEOPLE SPEAK:
GLOBAL INTERACTIVE POLL ON THE MIDDLE EAST

Clip Source: de.f260.mail.yahoo.com

This week in Annapolis, US President George W Bush announced a fresh Middle East peace process. Israel and the Palestinian Authority will "make all efforts" to reach a final agreement by the end of 2008. More meetings are planned in Paris, Moscow and the region. But are these talks a major advance toward peace, or a dangerous smokescreen?

Today, we're launching a global interactive poll -- to see if we, citizens around the world, can do any better. Together we will decide the direction of a powerful global campaign on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the coming months, pressing leaders on all sides to make the changes necessary for peace. Just click below to participate in the poll (it should take around 3 minutes), or to view other people's responses:

http://avaaz-annapolis.questionpro.com

This poll will decide Avaaz's course on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Tags: avaaz, peace, middle east

Religious Right in Israel Pray for God to Oust 'foreigners'

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 08:05:27 GMT

clipped by: abailart
clipper's remarks: Another factor to be taken account of.

Clip Source: www.haaretz.com

Thousands of people led by former chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu gathered on Monday night near the Western Wall and prayed. They did not pray to heal the sick, nor for the soldiers' safety. They did not beg forgiveness for their sins, nor did they take oaths. They gathered near the remnants of the Temple to ask for God's help in causing failure at the Annapolis summit.

In their prayers, those gathered sought help in countering any threat to divide the land, and their rabbis published a statement saying that "there is a strict religious ban on giving parts of the Land of Israel to foreigners,

It is one thing to bargain over security arrangements and the border, and an entirely different thing to fight for our forefathers' claims to the entire country based on religious texts. The approach of the people who met Monday near the Western Wall is a recipe for endless bloodletting

Tags: israel, annapolis, mideast peace, fundamentalist judaeism

Annapolis: Absurd, Surreal and Empty

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:08:11 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: www.opendemocracy.net

Annapolis thus represents - consciously or unconsciously - one of the great surreal signatures of postmodern politics: a world where images, language and symbols take preference over meaning, content and results. It is an example of how powerful modern states, in their presumptuous handling of the political issues of "others", abandon real politics and adopt what may be describes as postmodern (non-)politics.

Most manifestations of postmodernity - be they political, cultural, literary or social - are impelled by a temptation to escape from the strictures of sequence and logic that are foundational of modern thought. "If A follows B and then arrives at C" - all this can appear very tedious, restrictive of a human creativity which may want to arrive at C without having to pass through B, or may want to set out

Carried away by language and form, and with no regard to content and political realities, such political postmodernism leads to a constant and transparent denial of reality.

Tags: annapolis, pomo politics

Annapolis Agreement: full text

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:55:29 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

"We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate a culture of peace and nonviolence; to confront terrorism and incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis.

"In furtherance of the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, we agree to immediately launch good-faith bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty, resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception, as specified in previous agreements.

"We agree to engage in vigorous, ongoing and continuous negotiations, and shall make every effort to conclude an agreement before the end of 2008. For this purpose, a steering committee, led jointly by the head of the delegation of each party, will meet continuously, as agreed.

Tags: annapolis

Annapolis: Willingness to Succeed

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:17:40 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

For years the Israelis doggedly refused to accept that Palestinians existed as a people with any rights to a homeland. Those were the days when it was Israel against the Arabs, and the planning assumption from the Israeli leadership was that the Arab world would mop up their Muslim co-claimants to the Holy Land. It took a leap of will but Israel got there in the end and it now accepts the right of a Palestinian state to exist.

Similarly, for years the Palestinian leadership under Yasser Arafat could not countenance a Jewish homeland on what he saw as Palestinian land. He was infamously mealy mouthed when he eventually did recognise Israel in the 1990s but the same cannot be said of Mahmoud Abbas, Arafat's replacement as Fatah leader. His recognition of Israel is unequivocal.

The problem is that more willpower needs to be shown.

the key figure, as he enters his last year in office, is President George W Bush.

Tags: annapolis

Annapolis: the Willingness for Failure

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:12:20 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: www.haaretz.com

Seldom in the annals of tinsel diplomacy has a show garnered such devastating reviews long before its opening curtain.

Dismissed and derided from every quarter, laughed off as a lukewarm sham, the Annapolis peace summit has confounded many Middle East analysts merely by the prospect of its actually taking place.

It may be a ludicrous what-if to even contemplate the notion, but if the Annapolis summit actually amounts to more than a passing footnote in the history of this region, at least we'll know some of the reasons why.

1. The settlers expect it to fail.

2. Hamas expects it to fail.

3. Ehud Barak expects it to fail.

4. All experts expect it to fail

5. The intifada was a failure.

6. The disengagement from Gaza was a failure.

7. No one really likes Iran

8. Syria is not convinced Annapolis will fail.

9. George Bush is desperate

Bush's speech at Annapolis may therefore be the key

if he becomes the first American president to openly declare support for a divided Jerusalem

Tags: annapolis

Israel and US Welcome Syrian and Saudi Involvement at Annapolis

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:28:33 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: www.haaretz.com

Israel welcomed Syria's announcement on Sunday that it would attend a U.S.-hosted peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, but stressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be the main focus of the meeting.

"Israel sees in a positive way the high-ranking participation of Syria in a conference which is clearly about the Israeli-Palestinian track, but could open additional avenues to peace in the Middle East," said Miri Eisin, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who arrived earlier in Washington.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said the future of the Golan Heights could come up in Annapolis negotiations.

Speaking about the importance of wide Arab participation, including Syria and Saudi Arabia, Livni added: "There isn't a single Palestinian who can reach an agreement with Israel without the support of the Arab world. This is one of the lessons we learned seven years ago."

a victory for the U.S., which is hoping that broad Arab participation will support their efforts

Tags: annapolis

Annapolis: No Joint Statement

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 08:58:01 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: www.haaretz.com

Israel and the Palestinian Authority have failed to agree on a joint statement to be presented at next week's U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers on Friday.

Should the teams fail in that final effort to formulate a statement, the summit will conclude with a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza, and not a joint Israel-PA statement.

On Thursday, Hamas' Gaza leader Ismail Haniyeh said that the Annapolis conference is stillborn and will achieve nothing for the Palestinians.

Haniyeh said Abbas did not have the mandate to make compromises in talks with Israel, especially over the demand of Palestinian refugees to return with their families to homes in Israel they lost during the 1948 War of Independence.

called on Abbas not to cave in to a recent Israeli demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. "We do not recognize that this state is Jewish," Haniyeh said.

Tags: annapolis

Israel and Palestine Seek Final Deal in 2008

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:09:18 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Israel and the Palestinian Authority have agreed a pledge to negotiate "immediately and continuously" to reach a final peace agreement within a year in a joint declaration to be issued in 10 days at a key summit in the US.

With diplomatic activity intensifying in advance of the event in Annapolis - pencilled in for November 26 but billed as a "meeting" rather than a conference - officials from both sides say they are putting the finishing touches to a document that commits them to a two-state solution to the world's most intractable conflict.

But the draft declaration avoids going into detail on the core issues in the dispute. Israel has rejected any mention of the 1967 borders, seen by the Palestinians and many others as the indispensable basis for agreement. Expectations for success by next November are very low. But signs are multiplying that Syria and Saudi Arabia will both attend, giving wider Arab backing to the US effort.

Tags: annapolis, palestinian authority, israel, peace negotiations