Julie Bishop: "Don't call settlements illegal"

Australia's Foreign Minister has repaired ties that Bob Carr tried to destroy with his moronic push for votes.

In an exclusive interview with the Times of Israel she questioned why settlements are illegal.

Asked whether she agrees or disagrees with the near-universal view that Israeli settlements anywhere beyond the 1967 lines are illegal under international law, she replied: “I would like to see which international law has declared them illegal.”

The position that settlements breach international law — adopted by the United Nations Security Council, the European Union and many other states and international bodies, but rejected by Israel — is based on an interpretation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Article 49, paragraph 6, states that an occupying power “shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” Violations of the convention are considered war crimes under international law. Israel is a party to the convention and therefore bound by it.

“Our interest is in a negotiated peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians and we believe that every opportunity should be given to those negotiations to proceed to its solution,” said Bishop, who came to Israel on Monday to attend the funeral of former prime minister Ariel Sharon. “I don’t think it’s helpful to prejudge the settlement issue if you’re trying to get a negotiated solution. And by deeming the activity as a war crime, it’s unlikely to engender a negotiated solution.”

Her aim is a negotiated peace agreement.  Thankfully there seems to be unilateral support by the major parties in Australia,

 

Ariel Sharon Dies

Today we had the announcement that Ariel Sharon has passed away.

Much has been said about his legacy - he managed to defend Israel from annihilation, and was well on the road to creating peace with his Kadima party.

Many lies are also told, mainly on the Arab side. 

After 8 years in a coma, it seems he is at rest.  The world is a better place for his legacy.

Israel Pro-Palestinians rescued from Palestinians

A group of Pro-Palestinian Israelis needed to be rescued in the West Bank from a violent attack by Palestinians

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinians threw rocks Thursday at a West Bank hotel, shattering windows and breaking up a meeting of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.

The conference was cut short and three dozen Israeli participants were rushed out the back door, put on Palestinian police buses and driven to safety, organizers said.

The gathering was to have marked the start of two days of meetings by a grassroots group bringing ordinary Israelis and Palestinians together for mock peace talks, organizers said.

Protesters said they object to attempts at normalizing Israeli-Palestinian relations at a time when Israel's military occupation of Palestinian lands continues.

The anti-normalization movement of Palestinians is totally against any existence of a Zionist state, and violence is their accepted means

About 35 Israelis and 50 Palestinians participated in Thursday's gathering, the first the group has held in the West Bank, said Palestinian organizer Ibrahim Enbawi.

Israeli and Palestinian flags were set up in the hotel's conference room.

After word of the gathering got out, about 30 protesters showed up outside the hotel. Protesters tried to enter the hotel, but found the doors locked, and then began throwing stones that shattered several windows and glass doors.

Israeli participant Rami Cohen, a former air force pilot, said he felt uncomfortable after the stone-throwing, but expressed understanding for the protesters.

"There is more anger here than in Israel because the Palestinians suffer more than us," said Cohen, 56, who works for a high tech company in Tel Aviv. "One day, I hope it will be safe for us here in Ramallah as it is safe for us in Tel Aviv."

Nice of him to be an apologist for those attacking him

Jamal Jumaa, a leading Palestinian activist, said he joined the protest because he believes such gatherings distort reality, but said he was not among those throwing stones.

"When they (Israelis) come like this to the middle of Ramallah, they have another agenda, which is to clean up the face of the occupation, to show that Palestinians and Israelis are co-existing when in fact they are not," he said in a telephone interview.

The invitation to the event had said each delegation would include 20 people reflecting the entire political spectrum. It said the objective was to produce a peace agreement in five sessions over two days. It was not clear if the meetings would continue.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has been trying to forge agreement on the outlines of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, but more than five months after the start of the current round of talks, gaps remain wide.

If the two groups are serious about peace, then actually living together safely is key.  

Abbas crushes BDS

Well it seems that Abbas has "officially" crushed the BDS.  In his official statement on 11th December, he recognises Israel and promotes Trade, excluding those manufactured in the West Bank.

Settlements proven not to be "illegal"

I was shown this great article showing that "illegality" of West Bank settlements is not the case.

Contrary to claims made by Palestinian leadership and others in the international community, international law fully recognizes Jewish claims in Judea and Samaria. These areas were part of the Palestine Mandate, which granted Jews the right to settle anywhere west of the Jordan River and to establish a national home there.

History reminds us that the Palestine Mandate, supported by all 51 members of the League of Nations at the time, and codified in international law, is recognized as legally valid by the United Nations in Article 80 of the UN Charter. In addition, the International Court of Justice has reaffirmed this on three different occasions.

While some people argue that the Palestine Mandate became obsolete following its termination in 1947, international legal scholars claim otherwise. According to Eugene Rostow, a Dean of Yale Law School, “A trust never terminates when a trustee dies, resigns, embezzles the trust property, or is dismissed. The authority responsible for the trust appoints a new trustee, or otherwise arranges for the fulfillment of its purpose.” While the Palestine Mandate ceased to exist in Israel and Jordan when Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom obtained independence, Rostow maintains that “its rules apply still to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which have not yet been allocated either to Israel or to Jordan or become an independent state.”

Iranian conterfeiter caught with New Zealand passports

Well, well, well - an Iranian counterfeiter has been caught with New Zealand passports

I doubt we will get any outrage from the left on this one.

Massive BDS Fail in Parramatta

Well the Facebook page was being hammered, they were posting everywhere, had a massive list of speakers.  It was going to be a big fest against Max Brenners in Parramatta yesterday.  They even organised it to be on the Jewish Sabbath to keep opposition numbers.

The Parramatta council warned there would be fines for not obeying the rules.  "Freedom of Speech"  they shouted.  "You can't stop us!!"

They got 20 people.  Yep, that's it. 20. 
 
The main organiser is a very angry young man.  Devout Muslim. 

He must have been a bit miffed at the clientele, enjoying their nice hot chocolate:

#FAIL

This campaign is doing wonders for Max Brenners publicity, and they are laughing all the way to the bank.  I went to the Melbourne Central shop today.  The queues to order were out the door.  And yes, as always, there were many hijabs prominent. 

Thanks to Shirlee Finn for the write up and the photos.