Abbas's new Presidential Guest Palace

Writing at Gatestone, Khaled Abu Toameh asks the question, "What  are Palestinians Doing with U.S. Money?", concluding  "One does not have to be an expert on Palestinian affairs to see that the billions of dollars have neither created democracy for the Palestinians nor boosted the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. "

During the past 20 years, the U.S. has invested $4.5 billion in promoting democracy among the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and boosting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

This is what Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah revealed during a meeting in Ramallah this week with Congressman Kevin McCarthy, Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. Hamdallah said that the money was also invested in projects in various Palestinian sectors.

The $4.5 billion that Hamdallah talked about does not include the billions of dollars poured on the Palestinian Authority (PA) since its creation in 1994. Palestinian economic analysts estimate that the PA has received a total of $25 billion in financial aid from the U.S. and other countries during the past two decades.

One of the "projects" financed by US donations may very well be Abbas's new  Presidential Guest Place. Now serving the 11th year of his 4 year term, Abbas is building himself a facility fit for a king.

The Presidential Guest Palace in Surda, Ramallah

$13 million dollars is budgeted for the project, which includes 2 helipads

Medea Benjamin ignores inquiries on her Caterpillar Investments

Medea Benjamin, BDS doyenne of Code Pink and Global Exchange is in deep denial.

After the BDS -defying  investments of her 12 million dollar "Benjamin Foundation" in Caterpillar, General Electric and Intel were daylighted , Medea's been laying low, hoping that people would forget.

Its not just the "Zionist" inquiries regarding her investments she is ignoring.

Her own supporters are questioning her, and are asking for explanations. Yesterday,  Burkely Hermann, a self described "occupy activist'" asked her directly.

And was met with nothing but silence.

Burkely Hermann is correct. Not only is the BDS hypocritical, its claim that it speaks for the Palestinian people has been  disproven

From the award winning Arab journalist, Khaled Abu Toameh

For some PA officials, BDS is a movement that acts against the true interests of the Palestinians. They say that the actions of those promoting BDS make the Palestinians appear as if they are not interested in peace and coexistence with Israel. BDS activists in Ramallah have succeeded in preventing several planned meetings between Israelis and Palestinians in Ramallah and east Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Authority is also worried that BDS is harming the Palestinians' relations with other countries. The most recent example of BDS efforts to damage Palestinians' relations with friendly countries occurred a few weeks ago, when the "anti-normalization" activists tried to disrupt a performance by an Indian dance troupe in Ramallah.

A PA official in Ramallah explained that BDS and its followers make the Palestinians appear as if they are all radicals who are only interested in boycotting and delegitimizing Israel. "This goes against the PLO's official policy, which is to seek a peace agreement with Israel based on the two-state solution," he said.

 BDS: Hypocritical and anti-peace. Is there anything else you need to know?

Hows that Secular Democratic State working for you?

From an article by the courageous Khaled Abu Toameh, in the Jerusalem Post:

A Palestinian man who clicked "Like" on a Facebook status criticizing a Palestinian Authority official has been sentenced to six months in prison.

Anas Ismail, 29, of Salfit, near Nablus, was found guilty of "libel and slander."

Ismail is the second Palestinian to be imprisoned for Facebook activities in the past few days.

He was sentenced to prison on the same day another PA court in Bethlehem sentenced a Palestinian journalist to one year in prison for sharing a photo on Facebook that compared PA President Mahmoud Abbas to a villain and spy of French colonial authorities in a Syrian drama.

 In the earlier incident, Palestinian journalist Mamdouh Hamamreh, a correspondent for Al-Quds TV in the West Bank, was first arrested by the Palestinian security forces shortly after the derogatory  photo appeared on his  Facebook page in 2010. He was freed on bail until he was re-arrested last Thursday following the court decision. Abbas  pardoned him, some speculate, after intense pressure from the west. Hamamreh was released from prison one day after his sentencing
 
Incidentally,  CAMERA , the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East reporting in America is awarding Khaled Abu Toameh  the organizations' coveted  Emet (truth) Award at their annual dinner on April 21 in New York City.  More than 600 participants are expected to attend the gala.   Khaled Abu Toameh consistently reports what the mainstream media will not, and is our window to truth in the West bank and Gaza

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Palestinians reject BDS, flock to Israeli beaches

During the month of Ramadan Israeli authorities granted permits to tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank to visit Israel. The visitors converged on the beaches and in parks and shopping malls.

Photos from Getty

From an article at Gatestone Institute by Khaled Abu Toameh

For many years, the Palestinians had been complaining about Israeli restrictions that ban them from entering Israel, but during the holy month of Ramadan, in an unprecedented move, the Israeli authorities granted permits to tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank to visit Israel during the Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr.

Hundreds of thousands of Muslims from the West Bank have been entering Jerusalem for Friday prayers at the Aqsa Mosque without permits.

Many Palestinians, particularly shopkeepers in the city, welcomed the Israeli move, noting that it boosted the local economy.

Then, in a move that angered Hamas, the Palestinian Authority and other Palestinians, the Israeli authorities went a step farther by allowing tens of thousands of West Bank Palestinians to enter the rest of Israel.

For the first time in many years, in scenes reminiscent of the good old days before the peace process when Palestinians were able to enter Israel freely, the beaches of Tel Aviv and Jaffa were full of Palestinian Muslims who also converged on shopping malls and water parks in different parts of the country.

But the scenes of Palestinians enjoying themselves on Israeli beaches and shopping in Israeli malls have angered Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

Hamas also fears that the easing of restrictions may have a moderating effect on Palestinians at a time when the Islamist movement is working hard to recruit more followers, especially in the West Bank.

Hamas does not want to see Palestinians happy and enjoying themselves, especially not in Israel. Hamas would prefer to see Palestinians live in misery and poverty so that it could find fertile soil for recruiting terrorists.

The Palestinian Authority, for its part, is now accusing Israel of seeking to damage the Palestinian economy by opening its doors to Palestinian vacationers and shoppers.

Some Palestinian officials in Ramallah are even talking about an Israeli "conspiracy" to undermine the Palestinian Authority. Other officials are opposed to the new Israeli policy because they believe it is aimed at promoting "normalization" with Israel -- something the Palestinian Authority leadership considers a crime...

For years, the Palestinian Authority has been demanding that Israel lift travel restrictions imposed on West Bank Palestinians. But now that Israel has permitted tens of thousands of Muslims to visit its beaches and malls, Israel is being denounced for trying to damage the Palestinian economy.

What is clear is that neither the Palestinian Authority nor Hamas wants to see Palestinians living a good life. Improving the living standards of Palestinians is something that these two parties are not interested in. They would rather see Palestinians direct all their anger and frustration only toward Israel.

Otherwise, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority fear, Palestinians may vent their anger against their own leaders

Pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel?

Pro-Palestinian groups and individuals in the US and Europe are doing Palestinians injustice by devoting all their energies only against Israel, writes Palestinian journalist Khaled Abu Toameh

He continues:
"There is a feeling in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that most of these groups and individuals are more interested in campaigning against Israel than helping the Palestinians.

Being pro-Palestinian does not necessarily mean that one also has to be anti-Israel.

The pro-Palestinian camp in the West should raise its voice against violations of human rights and media freedoms under the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.

In the past few weeks, six Palestinian journalists, bloggers and cartoonists were arrested by security forces belonging to the Palestinian government in the West Bank.

The pro-Palestinian activists around the world chose to turn a blind eye to the ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression in the West Bank.

They also failed --- even refused -- to condemn the Palestinian Authority government's decision to block web sites that are critical of Palestinian leaders in the West Bank.

The pro-Palestinian activists in the West also refuse to examine what is happening under Hamas in the Gaza Strip. They apparently do not care, or do not want to see, that there are executions, arbitrary arrests, and assaults against women and torture in Hamas prisons.

The pro-Palestinian activists and organizations also do not seem to care if the Palestinian Authority and Hamas are brainwashing Palestinian children and filling their minds and hearts with hatred.

Those who care about the Palestinians should come to the Gaza Strip and work toward promoting human rights under Hamas -- of children, women, and journalists.

It would help immensely if hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists came to the West Bank and Gaza Strip to teach Palestinian children English and expose them to the benefits of democracy and Western values, such as equal justice under law, free speech and a free press, and financial transparency and accountability

It would also help immensely if these activists came to the West Bank and Gaza Strip to offer advice on, and help in building, proper government institutions, and in combatting administrative and financial corruption.

But as far as many of the pro-Palestinian activists in the West are concerned, the interests of the Palestinians are not as important as hating Israel."

Our friend at Elder of Ziyon points out the newest manifestation of this phenomenon- with "peace activists" celebrating a decision that ultimately could hurt the Palestinian economy.

The Co-operative Group, Britain’s fifth-largest food retailer has announced that it will stop doing business with four Israeli companies, over the companies’ activities in the West Bank. The Co-op's decision will immediately affect four suppliers, Agrexco, Arava Export Growers, Adafresh and Mehadrin. The BDS cru are practically besides themselves in the flush of this "victory"

Elder of Ziyon has pointed out that Agrexco also exports Palestinian produce from Gaza marketed under the company’s Coral brand, and that the boycott was likely to affect Palestinian farmers who use the company to export their produce to Europe.

From the Elder:
"the Co-op is now boycotting Palestinianhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif Arab farmers who have no other means of distributing their goods to the West, and directly hurting them - and the Palestinian Arab economy as a whole. Tomatoes and other produce grown in Gaza will be affected as well."

Why is a decision that will ultimately hurt Palestinian people and the Palestinian economy being heralded as a victory? In the skewered world of "peace activism" its increasingly clear that hurting Israel is more important to these than helping the Palestinians.

Palestinian strategy: "I didn't do it"

In an episode of the Simpsons, Bart gets a job as Krusty the Clown's production assistant. Bart becomes an accidental star when he says, "I didn't do it" during a botched sketch with Krusty, and becomes famous for this catchphrase.

Hamas appears to have adopted the Bart Simpson strategy of late, according to this article by Khaled Abu Toameh.

"Although Hamas has been in full control of the Gaza Strip since 2007 -- and its security forces and militias have been employing an iron fist against any individual or group that defies the Islamist movement's authority -- lately Hamas has lately been trying to avoid responsibility for rocket and mortar attacks on Israel by claiming that other groups in the Gaza Strip were responsible.

By holding others responsible for the anti-Israel attacks, Hamas is signaling to the world that it has learned a thing or two from Arafat and Abbas. But if in the past Arafat and Abbas were allowed to get away with it, there is no reason why Hamas should be absolved of any responsibility for what is happening in the Gaza Strip.

If Hamas is now saying that it does not have control over other groups that are firing the rockets and mortars at Israel, then its leaders should resign and pave the way for a new regime"

It isn't just Hamas trying to shift the blame. Abu Toameh writes:
"Hamas's line of defense -- "It's not us, it's someone else" -- is not unfamiliar to those who have been closely watching the situation in the Palestinian territories over the past two decades.

For many years, Yasser Arafat used the same argument to explain why the territories under his control were being used as launching pads for anyone who wanted to attack Israel.

Ar first, Arafat said he was unable to stop terror attacks against Israel because they were being carried out by Hamas and Islamic Jihad on instructions from Tehran and Damascus.

Then he said he was unable to take action against the terrorists because of Israel's military response, which also targeted Arafat's security forces in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

So, first Arafat tried to evade responsibility by blaming other Palestinians for the terror attacks on Israel. Then, when the Israel Defense Forces took the initiative to halt terror assaults emanating from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Arafat put the blame on Israel for "escalating tensions" and foiling his efforts to stop the attacks.

Arafat's successor, Mahmoud Abbas, appears to have endorsed the same policy of putting the blame on others."

Read the full article here

Journalist Khaled Abu Toameh to speak at UC Berkeley

Wednesday February 17, 2010 at 7:00pm
Tan Oak Room of MLK Building, UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Berkeley, California

Acclaimed Palestinian Journalist Abu Toameh will speak at UC Berkeley Wednesday. Khaled Abu Toameh ( خالد أبو طعمة‎, ) is an Israeli Arab journalist and documentary filmmaker. He is the West Bank and Gaza correspondent for the Jerusalem Post and U.S. News and World Report, and has been the Palestinian affairs producer for NBC News since 1988.

Khaled Abu Toameh was formerly a senior reporter for The Jerusalem Report, and a correspondent for Al-Fajr. He has produced several documentaries on the Palestinians for the BBC, Channel 4, Australian, Danish and Swedish TV.

Read his work here and here

Khaled Abu Toameh provides a a balanced, nuanced approach to reporting about the middle east. In his words:

During a recent visit to several university campuses in the U.S., I discovered that there is more sympathy for Hamas there than there is in Ramallah.

"Listening to some students and professors on these campuses, for a moment I thought I was sitting opposite a Hamas spokesman or a would-be-suicide bomber.

I was told, for instance, that Israel has no right to exist, that Israel’s “apartheid system” is worse than the one that existed in South Africa and that Operation Cast Lead was launched only because Hamas was beginning to show signs that it was interested in making peace and not because of the rockets that the Islamic movement was launching at Israeli communities.

I was also told that top Fatah operative Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five life terms in prison for masterminding terror attacks against Israeli civilians, was thrown behind bars simply because he was trying to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Furthermore, I was told that all the talk about financial corruption in the Palestinian Authority was “Zionist propaganda” and that Yasser Arafat had done wonderful things for his people, including the establishment of schools, hospitals and universities.

The good news is that these remarks were made only by a minority of people on the campuses who describe themselves as “pro-Palestinian,” although the overwhelming majority of them are not Palestinians or even Arabs or Muslims.

The bad news is that these groups of hard-line activists/thugs are trying to intimidate anyone who dares to say something that they don’t like to hear. "