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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

The dangerous illusion of a two-state solution

2019-03-03

[Ynet] The left-wing has been advocating 'two states for two nations' as if it was an advertising slogan, promising us something, they themselves know can never realistically be achieved, while relying on wishful-thinking and half-truths. “Two states for two nations" is an excellent slogan. The left-wing keeps repeating it as a mantra that will one day bring enlightenment. In reality, however, it is the key to the agenda of the Blue and White party. So much efforts is being invested in making us believe there's real promise behind this plan, and that the long-anticipated peace is just waiting for us nay-sayers to go away so it can make its grand debut. But at the end of the day, the political plans written over the past few years by former military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin and his friends promise us nothing but smoke and mirrors. The "two states for two nations" slogan reminds me of the moment a couple finally ties the knot (or in the case of Israelis and Paleostinians, get divorced) at the end of a rom-com. But while the movies cut away and leave us to imagine that the couple lives happily ever after, they never actually show us the reality of the day after. Well, the day after a two-states deal ‐at least according to those who advocate for Israel to seek a divorce from the Paleostinians‐would be a utopia with our security provided by an international mediating force, as if the world has ever shown Jews that they can count on it in times of need. Another thing that would happen on this magical day after is a fence that nobody would ever try to breach. Just look at Gazoo, and see how well it works there. We would also save so much money once we leave the West Bank ‐ even though evacuating the settlements would cost us a lot more. Because finally, we will have the promise that the Paleostinians will stay over there, while we are over here ‐ a theory that conveniently omits the fact that we would have be over there other day anyway, because they will never stop trying to be over here. Former GOC Central Command Gadi Shamni explained in a thorough report that if the potential Paleostinian state attacks Israel, we would retaliate, but since it’s a sovereign state that wouldn’t approve of our invasion, we would have to rely on an international force. Are there any volunteers for this task? Thus, at this point, as far as I'm concerned, the two-state solution would require the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. It's amazing how in a country that wouldn't demolish the homes of Death Eaters because of an excess of twisted morality, they are contemplating with such ease a mass evacuation of people from not only their homes but from their homeland as well. It’s not happening in any other country‐especially in 2019, in a world where a discourse on human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. is integral‐but here, we drink these ideas with our morning coffee. We are constantly being told about the price we are paying for the continuation of the conflict, but the potential price we would have to pay for a two-state solution is skillfully disguised. Nothing in this country is free, and before you buy two for a price of one, you should check whether it’s actually worth it.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

IDF bid to expel West Bank Palestinians is a step too far

2010-04-12

A new military order will take effect this week, enabling the army to deport tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank and prosecute them on infiltration charges, which carry long prison terms. The order, uncovered by Amira Hass in Haaretz yesterday, bears the signature of Maj. Gen. Gadi Shamni in his previous capacity as commander of the Israel Defense Forces in Judea and Samaria. The order's vague language will allow army officers to exploit it arbitrarily to carry out mass expulsions, in accordance with military orders which were issued under unclear circumstances. The first candidates for expulsion will be people whose ID cards bear addresses in the Gaza Strip, including children born in the West Bank and Palestinians living in the West Bank who have lost their residency status for various reasons. Likely won't be used for that, but it gives the Israelis a tool to toss trouble-makers, which is the point ... Gee whiz, what would a Palestinian have to do to lose his residency status? This would be a grave and dangerous move, unprecedented during the Israeli occupation. For years, Israel has used a heavy hand against the Palestinian population registry, trampling basic human rights such as the freedom to move one's residence within the occupied territories. Many Palestinians' lives have thus been made very difficult because they have been cut off from their previous places of residence without being able to return or legally register their new addresses. The right of all Palestinians to choose where to live in the West Bank or Gaza marks a very low threshold for defining their human rights. Israel, which justifiably prevents Palestinians from returning to where they lived before 1948 and does not offer them fair compensation for their property (while enabling Jews to recover property from the same period, as has happened in Sheikh Jarrah), cannot expel Palestinians from the occupied territories on the basis of dubious bureaucratic claims. Implementing this new military order is not only likely to spark a new conflagration in the territories, it is liable to give the world clear-cut proof that Israel's aim is a mass deportation of Palestinians from the West Bank. While all Jews can settle wherever they wish, in Israel or in the territories, Israel is trying to deprive the Palestinians of even the minimal right to choose where to live in the West Bank or Gaza. The prime minister and defense minister should immediately shelve this military order before the IDF feels free to begin carrying out expulsions. Ms Hass has long taken a definite position on Israeli-Palestinian affairs, according to Wikipedia. With regard to another story she wrote, Hass noted that she had brought forward sourced information, and said that it was the responsibility of newspaper editors to cross-reference it with other information from other sources. Therefore one must ask, whether the Ha'aretz editors have confirmed this reported order with the IDF, or once again ran with the exciting headline.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israel may allow Paleo counter-terror force

2009-07-10

The IDF is considering allowing the Palestinians to establish a specially trained counterterror squad qualified to carry out pinpoint operations against Hamas terrorist cells in the West Bank, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Such a force would be able to carry out special operations against Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank more effectively than could existing Palestinian security forces. The French have already offered to train such a team. The decision to consider the establishment of such a team was made following the Palestinian Authority's operation against a Hamas cell in Kalkilya last month, during which five Hamas terrorists and four members of the US-trained Palestinian security force were killed. The four Palestinian battalions trained by the United States in Jordan and already deployed in the West Bank were taught how to enforce law and order and conduct regular police-like operations, but were not given military training. Their equipment consists of pistols and Kalashnikov rifles, and the content of their training is approved by Israel. The IDF is therefore considering allowing the establishment of a small, elite Palestinian squad that would be capable of conducting operations like the one in Kalkilya more effectively and with fewer casualties. The army recently vetoed a PA request to receive explosives training. The Palestinians also asked Israel for permission to set up an advanced military communication system. This too was denied by the army, due to concern that the Palestinian system would interfere with IDF communications. While the IDF Central Command, under the direction of Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni, has succeeded in dramatically reducing the level of terrorist activity in the West Bank, a top officer warned on Thursday that the army fears that Hizbullah will activate terrorist cells and have them attack Israel.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

'Hamas could take over W. Bank in days'

2008-02-27

"Without the massive IDF presence in the West Bank, Hamas would take over the institutions and apparatuses of the Palestinian Authority within days," OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni told President Shimon Peres Tuesday as the two toured the Command's main base in Jerusalem. Shamni said Hamas was engaged in a constant effort to increase its influence in the region "and its presence is felt in hospitals, preschools, schools, universities and mosques." Peres was shown a Kassam rocket and launcher captured in Nablus. "Although there are no rocket attacks emanating from the West Bank, we've found rockets produced here, and this tells us that there are [rocket production] labs in the region," Shamni said. Shamni said the Palestinian Authority was exerting great efforts in keeping the public order but was not seriously working to stop terrorists operating in the West Bank. On the other hand, he said, "for the first time in a decade, the IDF, intelligence services and the police have managed to almost completely prevent terror attacks on the home front."

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

IDF officer who strayed into Jenin gets 28 days

2007-08-30

The IDF officer who accidentally entered Jenin on Monday and narrowly escaped a lynching was sentenced to 28 days in prison on Wednesday. He was tried before deputy Central Command head Brig.-Gen. Motti Iloz. OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni received the findings of a probe into the incident, which revealed that the officer had ignored safety regulations when traveling in the West Bank, resulting in his accidental foray into Jenin. Shamni has ordered that all regulations and orders pertaining to traveling in the West Bank be updated and transmitted to officers who are stationed in Judea and Samaria. In the Monday incident, the officer, a major, was rescued from the lynch mob by Palestinian Authority security forces. The PA security officers were subsequently condemned by Islamic Jihad, which took responsibility for the attack.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Tips for Tony

2007-06-30

By Aluf Benn 1.Don't invest your own money. Before you begin work in your new office in Jerusalem as the emissary of the Quartet, pop over to New York to visit your predecessor, James Wolfensohn. Like you, he was also highly motivated and optimistic when he took office, and believed his previous experience as president of the World Bank and his frequent contacts with world leaders had prepared him to deal with the Israelis and the Palestinians. But it did not help him when he tried to build a post-disengagement economic infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. The "crossings agreement," which he attained with great effort, was not implemented; Hamas' ascent to power emptied his mission of all content. His biggest mistake was to contribute half a million dollars of his own money to purchase the hothouses from the Gush Katif settlers. Not a single stem has made it to market. Wolfensohn was a successful investment banker who made millions on Wall Street. But you, as a pensioner of Her Majesty, cannot take such an economic risk. Hold on to your savings for Cherie and the children and don't make bad investments in the territories. 2. Forget what you said. The archives at 10 Downing Street are full of your statements on the supreme importance of solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. You have repeatedly said that a solution is at hand, if only the right mediator can be found. You presented the example of the solution you brought to Northern Ireland as an example for the Middle East. Now is the time to make good on those statements. Your friend, U.S. President George W. Bush, and his partners in the Quartet have laid the Middle Eastern trouble at your doorstep. The world will see you as responsible for a solution to the conflict, even if your mandate is limited to "fostering Palestinian institutions." If you fail, you won't be able to counter the criticism completely, but you should learn from Wolfensohn's approach to the stock market: look ahead. Try to forget yesterday's declarations and focus on action. 3. Show you understand security issues. On the Israeli side, that dreamy duo awaits you: Ehud Olmert and Ehud Barak. You've heard from both of them in the past on their willingness to withdraw from the West Bank and establish a Palestinian state there. But that was in your previous position. Now you'll have to deal with the practical side of the conflict, and not just slogans. Olmert and Barak will promise to help ease the Palestinians' situation, but those who decide whether Palestinians receive freedom of movement is the GOC Central Command, Gadi Shamni and the Shin Bet security service regional head. Try to make friends with them and with the brigade commanders. Go with them on stakeouts and on arrest sweeps. Show empathy for security problems and persuade them to listen to you. As a long-time observer, by now you must know how suspicious the Israelis are. In an interview with Haaretz nine months ago you spoke about the concern here that the Israeli interest will be harmed to solve a global problem. You promised then that you would never sacrifice Israel's security. Those suspicions will accompany you throughout your mission. There will always be a politician or pundit who will accuse you of flattering the Arabs in an attempt to erase the shame of the Iraq war. Don't get insulted. Show your credibility by your actions. 4. Set new goals. From your earlier meetings with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, you know how great the gap is between his fine declarations and his meager actions. Just as the Israelis will try to feed you excuses, Abbas, Mohammed Dahlan and Saeb Erekat will complain endlessly that they are weak. Don't let them get away with it. Set minimal goals, but insist on their implementation. Go out with Tawfik Tirawi and Palestinian intelligence operatives to collect weapons and arrest Hamasniks. Explain that every such action allows you to clear one more roadblock. Your life won't be easy then either: There will always be someone who will present you in the Arab press as an agent or a dupe of American and Zionist imperialism. But, again, don't get insulted. Show then you can get results. 5. Prepare a letter. If you succeed, a Nobel Peace Prize awaits you. But don't count on it. Write your letter of resignation ahead of time, in which you accuse Bush of not giving you backing, Olmert of stubbornness and Abbas of ineffectiveness. In moments of despair, when your fine plans go up in the smoke of terrorist attacks in Israel and civil war in the territories, you can look at the letter and fantasize about the summer house you'll buy in Spain or Italy when all this is over.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Olmert and Rice meet to discuss Qana attack

2006-07-31

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Sunday night and discussed the IAF attack that killed at least 60 civilians in southern Lebanon and conditions for a cease-fire, including the proposed deployment of an international force there, an official said. During the meeting, Olmert's military secretary, Gadi Shamni, briefed Rice about the Qana attack and explained that Hizbullah had used the town to fire rockets at Israel, the official said on condition of anonymity because the two-hour Olmert-Rice talks in Jerusalem were private. The official provided no details about the conditions for a cease-fire or the deployment of a peacekeeping force that were discussed. The official and Olmert's office both said the fate of the disputed Shaba Farms territory was not talked about.

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