It is no secret that I am a supporter of the state of Palestine…..my support comes from a friend and colleague when I was working in the Middle East….I saw first hand what the situation was really like in the West Bank…..so out of loyalty to a friend I attempt to help Americans and others become more informed on the situation……
I begin with an American douche bag, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, it is rumored to be on the payroll of the Israel Lobby….oh sorry that should be gets massive donations for his chest from the lobby….he has introduced a new bill…….
Slamming what he characterized as a global effort to “delegitimize Israel,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) introduced a new bill on Monday that would reverse decades of U.S. policy and allow goods produced in the West Bank and Gaza to be labeled “Made in Israel” when they are sold in the U.S.
Cotton’s new bill, which his office says does not yet have any co-sponsors, resembles past congressional attempts to equate Israel with its settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories under the guise of resisting an international boycott against Israel. Yet it goes further than those past efforts: If signed into law, it would reverse a 20-year policy of labeling products from settlement businesses differently than those from Israel proper.
The Obama administration has consistently rejected laws that conflate Israel with the territories it controls. After lawmakers denounced the European Union in November for prohibiting goods made in the occupied territories from being labeled “Made in Israel,” the administration pointed out that U.S. customs law dating back to 1995 has nearly identical provisions.
Specifically referencing the 1995 statute in guidance it issued on Jan. 23, the administration stated, “It is not acceptable to mark [goods produced in the West Bank or Gaza Strip] with the words ‘Israel,’ ‘Made in Israel,’ ‘Occupied Territories-Israel,’ or any variation thereof.”
Yet until the Obama administration pointed this out, it seemed many U.S. lawmakers were unaware that the longstanding policy existed — in part because the U.S. labeling rules have been inconsistently enforced. (now there is a telling statement….”lawmakers were unaware of a longstanding policy”…..)
The problems that the Israelis are having in the West Bank…..settlements are making life miserable for the people living in the West Bank….land is taken, crops destroyed and homes are destroyed all to make room for more settlements….if Israel were truly interested in making peace they would STOP allowing the settlements from being built….the settlements are illegal!
What is the UN doing about this situation? You may ask.
The United Nations General Assembly voted by a wide margin in December to demand Palestinian sovereignty over natural resources under Israeli occupation.
Like numerous other resolutions opposing the occupation, it is unlikely to offer any relief to Palestinians, who continue to be jailed, beaten and killed by military forces and robbed of their lands by settlements.
The resolution was adopted by 164 votes in favour and five against. Predictably, the United States, Canada, Israel and two US neo-colonies – Micronesia and the Marshall Islands – voted against. Australia was among 10 states that abstained.
Source: UN Fiddles While Palestine Burns
The West is disingenuous when they claim to support a ban on settlements…..whose payroll are the politicians really on? Is it the taxpayer or Israel? Actually the answer is obvious….
There is a movement in process for countries to recognize the State of Palestine….Of the 193 member states of the United Nations, 134 recognized the State of Palestine, and an equal number maintain diplomatic relations with the Palestinians. Many have opened consular offices in the Palestinian territories.
Since 1995, the Palestinian Authority has issued Palestinian passports to citizens of the West Bank and Gaza Strip that are widely accepted internationally as valid travel documents.
If that many countries recognize the state of Palestine as a legitimate entity why does the US buck the recognition? The answer to that is obvious…..CASH!
With that said what can Palestine do now?
The French government stated that if the next round of talks between the PLO and Israel fail, it will offer formal recognition to the “State of Palestine”. Unfortunately, as we have seen time and time again, such steps are – in pract
Source: Can Palestine exploit the rift between Israel and the West?
Palestinians need to do everything possible……it is time for the whole world to recognize the state of Palestine. They need to do what the rest of the world does…..exploit the Hell out of the situation.
Do it…..Do it now!
In closing……not ALL Israelis are in the bag of keeping Palestinians down….read this open letter from an Israeli Jew…..
An open letter to my fellow Israelis: As the world media became instantly transparent, the reality of our crimes became impossible to hide, and we put an extra focus on propaganda to twist it all into “self defense”. Who on earth would want to “survive” if this is how “survival” looks?
Source: To my fellow Israelis: We can stop this – Mondoweiss
This concludes the old Professor’s posting day…..I shall return tomorrow
