Don’t be Chickenshits

As part of its continuous, concerted and successful action-plan to hold onto the Occupied Territories, Israel is cold bloodedly taking advantage of today’s murderous attack by two Arabs from East Jerusalem, to slander the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. 

Netanyahu: “the terrorists’ act was a direct result of incitement led by Hamas, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and irresponsibly ignored by the international community…”

Economy Minister Bennet: "Abbas, one of the biggest terrorists to have arisen from the Palestinian people, bears direct responsibility for the Jewish blood spilt … while we were busy with delusions about the [peace] process."

Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz "The hands that held the axes were those of the terrorists, but the voice is that of Abbas." And Foreign Minister Lieberman called on the international community to condemn Abbas' "anti-Semitic statements, which lead to terrible acts of slaughter like the one at the synagogue this morning."

Netanyahu and his senior ministers are lying. More than that, with their inciting defamatory statements, Netanyahu and his cabinet are igniting the fire or at least adding fuel to it. Here is what the head of  the shin bet, Israel’s internal security service, Yoram Cohen, said today: "Abbas is not interested in terror and is not inciting to terror. He's not even doing so behind closed doors." Moreover, Cohen laid the blame for the rising tensions in Jerusalem on visits by right-wing Israeli members of parliament to the Temple Mount and their attempts to introduce legislation, which would change the status quo on the holy site.

A few weeks ago The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has condemned as “disgraceful” a description of Netanyahu, as “chickenshit”, attributed to an unnamed US official. Netanyahu may now be a certified “non- chickenshit” but he should probably not risk asking for a similar certificate to prove that he is not a defaming, inciting liar. It is up to the US and the EU not to be chickenshits and to finally read Israel the riot act.  

Germany and Israel on Palestine

Until this morning, Germany together with the USA, Canada, Guatemala and let’s not forget Micronesia were the only countries that were about to vote against the Palestinian bid to become a non-member-observer-state at the UN. Now it seems that Germany has decided to abstain.

Senior Israeli government spokesmen – in various tones of brutality - have warned that if Abbas would go to the UN it would be the end of the Palestinian Authority. But then, the Israeli government has been doing its utmost to dismantle the Palestinian Authority anyway. The way the vote is going, Israel is being shown what the world thinks of its conduct and its policies. It is sadly fast becoming a pariah state. 

It must have been a hard decision for Mrs. Merkel. Supporting Israeli governments has been one of the means by which German governments have attempted to make reparation by supporting the Jewish people after the Holocaust. Yet, had Germany voted against the Palestinian bid, it would have done so against German public sentiment. Israeli policy vis-à-vis the Palestinians, its arrogant obstinacy and its deteriorating moral values have become too much even for Germany. Germans are becoming more and more anti-Israel.

Not only Germany, Israel too - instead of opposing - should vote for the Palestinian bid. 

Is Israel morally entitled to wage its current war in Gaza?

On the face of it, this should be an easy one. After all, Hamas who control the Gaza strip have been bombarding Israel with rockets and missiles for a long time. Hundreds of rockets emanating from Gaza have been making life miserable for the residents of many southern Israeli towns.

On the pragmatic level, the question should be asked what is achieved by such wars?  Will they bring down Hamas or will they convert it to recognise Israel’s right to exist? Going by past experience, this will not happen. 

This, however, assumes that the Israeli regime wants a two-state solution. If – despite its rhetoric - its purpose is to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and to continue with its colonisation of the West Bank, then such attacks on Gaza make sense. To that end, the Israeli government has systematically weakened the moderate leader Mahmoud Abbas and thereby proven to the Palestinians that moderation does not get them anywhere. The result is the strengthening of the alternative body - Hamas.

The misery of its own population shot at from Gaza is the price Israel seems to be willing to pay in order to entrench in the West Bank.

Israel may have the legal and even moral right of self-defence vis-à-vis the Hamas – However, as this seems to be part of a bigger picture, the morality of Israel’s war in Gaza is questionable.