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Posts tagged ‘Benjamin Netanyahu’

Settlement freeze – What settlement freeze?

At the end of my post regarding Netanyahu’s meeting with Prime minister Gordon Brown, I wrote:

Do you really think that he can go back to Israel and convince his right wing government that all settlements must stop? No chance.

So, further to this meeting with Gordon Brown, you must be wondering what is happening back in Israel regarding these settlements, I know I am.

We know that the US has demanded a settlement freeze, and we also know that the UK wants the same. A settlement freeze is NOT a solution, I have said this before. What needs to be done is the removal of all existing settlements. Settlements on occupied land are illegal under international law. Surely enough reason to remove those settlements?

Now, let’s go back on track to the actual outcome of the Brown-Netanyahu meeting. Israel’s defence ministry will approve the construction of 500 new settlement homes in the occupied West Bank this week, this apparently being a prelude to a settlement freeze. During this so called freeze, work will continue on these new homes and on 2,500 others where Israel says construction has already started.

It has been reported that Netanyahu talked of a “reduction” in settlements rather than a freeze. If Israel truly had any interest in peace talks, they would have halted their building of settlements. If anything, this decision, to continue building settlements, will aid their effort of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

I think we all knew that there would be no positive outcome of Brown meeting Netanyahu.

Israel‘s defence ministry will approve the construction of 500 new settlement homes in the occupied West Bank this week, in a last-minute move before agreeing a compromise settlement freeze with the United States.

The authorisation comes despite criticism from Washington and weakens the effect any suspension of Israeli settlement construction will have. During the Israeli pause, work will continue on these new homes and on 2,500 others where Israel says construction has already started.

Protest – Benjamin Netanyahu visits London

Protestors outside 10 Downing Street

Protestors outside 10 Downing Street

Right wing Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had come to London to meet Gordon Brown on Tuesday, 25 August. Stop the War Coalliation and Palestine Solidarity Campaign had called an emergency protest at Downing Street. For 12 hours notice, it was not a bad turn out at all.

Netanyahu is part of a government that believes it has the right to build settlements on the occupied West Bank. Palestinians are being evicted from their homes. Food and medical supplies are denied. Although after this meeting Brown claimed he was confident that further settlement building will halt, we all know this is not true. Netanyahu himself has said that people who are in these settlements already need to “expand”, what does that mean? More innocent people being forced out of their homes.

We all know the only way to end this is to pull out of the settlements all together, the Israeli government provided incentive for settlers to come into Palestine, they should now offer incentives for settlers to go back into Israel and give back the Palestinians what is rightfully theirs.

Netanyahu is the architect of the suffering experienced by the Palestinian people and the Arab residents of Israel. Do not forget that for a moment. This right wing prime minister will bring no good. Do you really think that he can go back to Israel and convince his right wing government that all settlements must stop? No chance.

(P.S. Apologies for the shoddy picture, my camera was in Brighton unfortunately.)