The #Holocaust, #Shoa Continues

..against Palestinians! Against #Gaza! July 2014

 

 

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Church Leader Tells Palestinians and Israelis “eat together and listen to each other’s stories”

An appalling shallowness has descended over Mainline Protestantism.

by James M Wall

Episcopalians, United Methodists and Presbyterians are actually debating how they should deal with the Israeli Occupation

Martin Luther King, sitting in that Birmingham city jail, would most certainly inform these prelates that there is no debating evil. A brutal military occupation is not open to debate.

It is a disturbing spectacle. The collective ignorance displayed by many of the men and women—though, thank God, not all—who govern these denominations, boggles the mind.

The issue, my dear Christian friends, is justice, pure and simple. And yet, there they are, these robed religiosos, dripping with interfaith piety, proclaiming that the simple act of divestment of church funds is too harsh a tactic to use against Israel’s settlement obsessed, right-wing government.

What do they teach in seminary these days? Have those Old Testament professors who lead their Israeli-sanctioned “study groups” to the Holy Land removed the prophets from their syllabi?

Here is the Episcopal News Service report on the current presiding Episcopal bishop explaining why she, and the church that elevated her to denominational leadership, oppose the simple, non-violent tactic of targeting divestment of church funds from US corporations that profit from Israel’s military occupation:

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori urged Episcopalians to “invest in legitimate development in Palestine’s West Bank and in Gaza” rather than focusing on divestment or boycotts of Israel, during a March 25 “Middle East Peacemakers” luncheon in Los Angeles.

“The Episcopal Church does not endorse divestment or boycott,” the presiding bishop told more than 200 people gathered at the California Club in downtown Los Angeles. “It’s not going to be helpful to endorse divestment or boycotts of Israel. It will only end in punishing Palestinians economically.”

She also called for “a two-state solution with a dignified home for Palestinians and for Israelis” and for “deeper engagement, people of different traditions eating together, listening to each other’s stories,” she said, adding that the interreligious, multi-ethnic gathering hosted by Bishop J. Jon Bruno of the Diocese of Los Angeles was an example of what is possible.

Punishing Palestinians economically?

That statement is an incredible display of ignorance of the political realities of a brutal military occupation.

Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori wants investment in Palestine, not divestment from Israel’s occupation.

Who proposed that approach?

Sounds very much like the warden of the world’s largest outdoor prison inviting church members to come inside the prison and do their good works.

Cottage industries in cell block six?

Starting April 24, delegates to the United Methodist Church General Conference will debate the issue of using targeted divestment as a legislative tactic against injustice.

The United Methodist and the Presbyterian national churches have labored for many years to develop resolutions that focus tightly on US corporations that profit from the Occupation.

One of these corporations, Caterpillar, produces heavy equipment that Israel uses to build its apartheid wall, a wall that has nothing to do with security and everything to do with stealing even more Palestinian land.

Caterpillar also produces those monstrous bulldozers that tear down Palestinian homes, another “security” measure that is really designed to tighten the Occupation noose.

An Israeli soldier drove one of those American-built bulldozers over an American citizen, peace activist Rachel Corrie, on March 16, 2003, as she tried to stop an attack on a Palestinian home. In death, this young woman has become a symbol of non-violent courage to Palestinians.

Not so in the US, where neither action nor formal government protest was taken against the army that killed her.

And yet, here is an Episcopal bishop, standing before 200 of her fellow Episcopalians actually calling for Palestinians and Israelis to “eat together and listen to one another’s stories”.

This is blatant Israeli propaganda. These words were not uttered in the spirit of Amos; they sound more like an American politician scrambling for Israel Lobby money than they do of a Christian leader who must at some point in her career reflected upon, and perhaps even preached on, the call from Amos 5:4 to “let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream!” (NIV).

The saddest thing about this failure of a church leader to grasp the reality of injustice is that she offers palliative words that sound more like a Southern bishop of the 1950s begging the segregated and segregator to live together peacefully.

Bless you bishop, but there are people in Palestine on protest hunger strikes. Others are dying under the boot of a brutal occupying army. This is not a problem that will be addressed by our “eating together and talking to one another”.

For an example of the pepper spray at work, see the Ammar Awad Reuters photo above of Israeli soldiers spraying a Palestinian protestor.  This took place on Land Day, when Palestinians remember their land losses.

Richard Silverstein, who writes the Tikun Olam web site, posted this photo from the New York Times and adds:

The Times headline for the slideshow presentation of Land Day images that includes this one was: Protesters Scuffle With Forces.

I don’t see protesters scuffling with Israeli forces.  I see Israeli border police mauling unarmed Palestinian demonstrators.  I see them pepper-spraying one at point-blank range.

That headline confirms once again that the New York Times is not just biased on this issue on behalf of Israel. It is simply an Israeli hometown paper. Its perspective is always that of the home team, that is, Israel.

Silverstein is Jewish, one of many Jews who knows the damage that the Occupation does to Israelis as well as to Palestinians. Fortunately, Silverstein is also a blogger with a large following.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori knows better than to speak of the Palestinian issue in the language she used.   One of my sources who follows this issue with diligence, wrote to say:

It was she who, perhaps three years ago, visited Gaza, was duly appalled, and vowed to press with all of her and her church’s authority, to end the sadistic blockade and occupation of all of Palestine.

It mystifies me that she can ignore the precedent of, and successful use of BDS, in the closest parallel, South Africa. Schori has succumbed to expedience or the copout of “interfaith” wishy-washiness-cum-cowardice.

How can one have any hope for justice and a viable existence for the Palestinians in the face of such cavalier disregard for the well-known and often courageously expressed recitations of the “facts on the ground” created by the Zionist enterprise?.

Well stated, and true. Trips by church leaders, who finally see first -hand the ugliness of Occupation, are the best way to break through Israeli propaganda.

But, based on Bishop Schori’s public display of hasbara (propaganda) in Los Angeles, the power of the Israel Lobby trumps the truth.

All is not lost. Another source, who attended the bishop’s presentation, did not find the audience very receptive to her call for kum ba yah.

Two denominations will debate divestment resolutions over the next few months, first, the United Methodists and then, the Presbyterians.

The United Methodist supporters of targeted divestments are encouraged at the feedback they are hearing from the grassroots.

Blocking their way to the passage of a divestment resolution is the denomination’s General Board of Pensions, which objects to non-financial types interfering in their decisions to maximize pension profits.

This body has determined over the years that it will not invest in corporations that profit from, for example, South African apartheid, and that old reliable United Methodist staple, alcohol.

Faced with requests that it extend its no-no list  to include three companies supporting the Occupation,  the General Board of Pensions has adopted the Episcopal mantra of “eating together and sharing stories”.

Of course, the General Conference has the final say in this matter. Starting April 24, in their Tampa, Florida, meeting, the Methodists will have their chance to remember that its founding parent,  John Wesley was not a “get along” guy; he was a justice guy.

This is the same denomination, by the way, that moved its 2012 meeting from Richmond, Virginia, to Tampa, Florida, because Richmond has a baseball team named, “The Braves”, a no-no among United Methodists who have agreed not to patronize locations with sports teams the Methodists believe denigrate Native Americans.

Good for them. Now let us see what can be done about the denigration of Palestinians.

 James M. Wall is currently a Contributing Editor of The Christian Century magazine, based in Chicago, Illinois.  From 1972 through 1999, he was editor and publisher of the Christian Century magazine.  He has made more than 20 trips to that region as a journalist, during which he covered such events as Anwar Sadat’s 1977 trip to Jerusalem, and the 2006 Palestinian legislative election. He has interviewed, and written about, journalists, religious leaders, political leaders and private citizens in the region.  Jim served for two years on active duty in the US Air Force, and three additional years in the USAF (inactive) reserve. Jim launched his new personal blog Wallwritings, on April 24, 2008.

Related articles

• Rabbis support Church Divestment from Israel’s Occupation (rabbibrian.wordpress.com)

“Muslim” murders “Jews” in Israeli Settlement!

The posts attacking Muslims and depicting the thugs (Israeli Settlers as victims) have quickly sprung up on WordPress by the hateful  mob of NaZionists and their Muslim-hating supporters.

These Israeli settler thugs who are really subhuman, have committed atrocities against Palestinians daily and as the Israeli Terrorist Forces simply stood by! Even Israelis themselves hate settlers but will use them as a propaganda serving “piece” when it suits the NaZionist regime.

A key event in these was a Day of Rage declared by the Jewish settlers and its brutal oppression by the Israeli police (including severe sexual harassment of a 15 year-old girl by a Jewish police officer). The violence reached the Knesset, where the police was unable to defend its grave offenses: “uniformed criminals” was the general verdict on them.

Source

The recent killing of a family is now Headlines: “The religion of peace: killing Jews in their sleep” or some ignorant self-serving propaganda.

Yet, when these thugs occupy Palestinian homes by force, commit murders and are authorized to terrorize and kill Palestinians, everyone is suddenly silent. They look away hoping for a “Muslim” Palestinian to commit a murder that they could use to bury and hide their own crimes.

Killing in the name of Judaism

But they can’t!

Here’s a sample and simple list of these thugs crimes against Palestinians that – till this day, hardly surface unless one is persistent in one’s search for the truth.Some of the sources are Israeli sources too, which makes this more amazing: that the western media would not even refer to such crimes, because, after all, they’re Jewish crimes.. and stating that fact would be anti-Semitic!

1. Two Palestinians killed by Israeli Settlers
2. Israeli Court Rules Shooting Palestinian OK
3. Settlers Attacking Elderly Palestinians – on Video
4. “We Killed Jesus and We’re Proud of it” – on Video
5. 2 Palestinians Killed, 9 Wounded, 31 buildings damaged
6. Settlers or Nazis? Video
7. The Terror State of Israel a Democracy?
8. Settler thugs attacking Palestinian Schoolgirls
9. Facts about Jewish Settlements
10. Settlers: The Jewish Terrorists

Source

Related Articles

• Settlers attack West Bank villages following outpost demolitions – Ha’aretz (news.google.com)

Astounding Ignorance: “Journalists” and the Middle East

Middle East Unrest Demonstrates Difference from American Values

Remaking the Middle East

Now Dawning: The Next Era of Middle East History

 

Many journalists are rushing to enlighten us about the events in Egypt, or to offer their “wisdom” and “analysis” into the Arab world, Israel and the region as a whole.

Some attribute the events to differences in cultures: ours vs. theirs!

Our values of free speech, individual liberty and our civil behavior foster a fundamentally different culture than suppression and coercion by threat of force.

The writer ignored the fact that our culture is the one who is responsible for thriving dictatorships in the Middle East. We had some leaders on the CIA payroll.. others receive billions in aid which is used primarily for lavish life styles, ignoring the people’s needs… and we just look the other way.

In what increasingly looks like a tsunami of popular unrest in North Africa and the Middle East, Israel has not been given enough consideration by the press.

And this writer thinks that the world revolves around Israel. Here’s an oxymoron: we claim to support freedom and democracy yet we will continue to support Israel’s Nazi-like oppression of Palestinians. I suspect that the leaks (The Palestinian Paper) – although they were welcome, to be our doing! Why? Palestinians were gaining momentum and support in the world about voting for a Palestinian State: something Israel and our culture of freedom and democracy, rejects!

Then there are those who want to continue to brainwash us with words that only started to exist recently! “Islamists” they claim, may be coming to power… and what does one think when hearing the word “Islamist” (as stupid of a word as it is)? “Terrorism.”

In other words, the media successfully brainwashed us – with the help of Israeli propaganda and AIPAC’s lobbying thugs, into making us associate anything Muslim with terrorism!

Then one can argue that Christianity and Nazism are synonymous. Hitler was Christian. Or should I say, Christianist!

Absurd, isn’t it?

The Media is scrambling to prove its utter ignorance. If they only read.. and learn a little about the history of the region. For example, according to Islamic history, it was Omar bin Khattab, the second Caliph, who stood against slavery by stating “.. since when do you enslave people when their mothers gave birth to them as free people?  The Prophet Muhammad encouraged manumission of slaves, even if one had to purchase them first. Almost 1,200 years later, Christianity and the New America, went to great lengths to acquire and enslave Africans.

The people of the Middle East continued to be free until the demise of the Ottoman Empire and the start of dividing and colonizing the Arab world. The colonists installed dictators who we supported throughout history and until this day, with millions of dollars, so that they could be silenced and in return, silence their  own people.

Yes cultures are different, ours seem to be based on hypocrisy; we create the situation then wonder why dictatorships and oppression exist!

 

Related Articles

• Israel braces for ‘new Middle East’ – Aljazeera.net (news.google.com)
• Egypt protests: Israel fears unrest may threaten peace treaty (guardian.co.uk)
• Analysis: U.S. warily seeks to shape Mideast outcome (reuters.com)
• Gaza protests accuse Palestinian Authority of betrayal in talks with Israel (guardian.co.uk)
• Israel ‘protective of Mubarak’ for fear Egypt unrest may threaten peace treaty – The Guardian (news.google.com)
• Palestine Papers: If US can’t be ‘honest broker’ in Middle East, get out of the way (csmonitor.com)
• Thank AIPAC For Placing USA On Wrong Side In Egypt (tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com)

U.S. Losing Credibilty on Egypt!

The United States is ‘losing credibility by the day’ in calling for democracy in Egypt while continuing to support President Hosni Mubarak, leading dissident Mohamed ElBaradei says.

‘The American government cannot ask the Egyptian people to believe that a dictator who has been in power for 30 years will be the one to implement democracy,’ ElBaradei told US network CBS from Cairo on Sunday.

On MEET THE PRESS today, Sunday January 30, 2011, the only two worth-while guests one should listen to and learn something from, were Martin Indyk, Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and Tom Friedman, Columnist, New York Times. Full scripts and video on MSNBC.

The interview really revolved more about Israel than about the Will of the Egyptians. We show no support or concern that a real democracy be installed in the Middle East. We just worry about Egypt opening its borders to Gaza – and that would break the illegal Israeli siege! No concern whatsoever to the starving Palestinians and their well being.. no empathy with Egyptians to be a free democratic state… all we are concerned about is how this revolution in Egypt will affect our – OUR – interests… the hell with everyone else! Shameful.

And we [U.S.A.] are the advocates of democracy? Do we now understand why the people – not dictators – of the Middle East don’t trust us and our politics?

Excerpts – Martin Indyk:

Egypt is at the epicenter. But not just geostrategically central, it’s the largest militarily most powerful by far the most influential country. Where egypt goes will have a tsunami effect. It may start in Yemen but the if it end up in Egypt this is very profound. Because american interests are so tied up with Egypt, what happens there will have a profound effect.

We have to walk a very fine line because some of our interests are tied up with this leadership in egypt.

[Mubarak] He’s 80 years old. He’s sick and an old man. The compact with his people has been broken. Unfortunately because he’s been a good friend of the United States, but he did not open his political space. He did not allow for the people to express themselves and now he’s reaping the consequences and basically nothing that he or we can do about its.This is such a big deal that could have profound consequences for the peace treaty and the whole process of reconciliation between Israel.. The regime is critically important. There’s a head of the military who has been put in place as vice president. They are the ones who have to hold the ring now, tell Mubarak to go and announce that there will be presidential elections within, I think six months. Omar Suleiman, the Vice President now will not stand but the military will oversee a process of democratic evolution.

I often wonder how “politicians” get their positions and speak with such eloquence ignorance!

A more intelligent outlook and foresight comes from Tom Friedman:

Excerpts – Tom Friedman, Columnist, New York Times

We got to this moment, basically, because our concern about having a stable Egypt first and foremost to preserve the Peace Treaty with Israel and later after 9/11 to be a partner in the war on terrorism. Basically let us give Mubarak a pass on democratization. For the first 15 years of his rule Egypt stagnated. I visited 12 years ago I remember writing Mubarak had more mummies in his cabinet than King Tut. Then he slowly under our pressure and pressure over globalization, started to open up.. and in the last few years actually appointed a lot of reformers to his cabinet who produced a real opening, 6% growth, I believe, last year. Egypt is in such a hole economically, David, that it needs to grow at China-India [7.5%] rates if it’s going to even remotely have chance to keep up with this population.

I think what the United States should be focusing on are three things. One, emphasizing that we hope whatever transition there, is peaceful. Two, that we hope that it will be built around consensual politics, not another dictatorship and Three, whatever regime, whatever government emerges, whether the Muslim brotherhood or not, it’s a government that’s dedicated to ushering Egypt into the 21st century.

Egypt and really most of the Arab world has been on vacation from history for the last 50 years thanks largely to oil.

Egypt didn’t have oil.. it had the peace treaty with Israel. What peace with Israel was to Egypt, oil is to Saudi Arabia: it got Egypt all of this aid [$1.5 billion a year].

Mubarak has had three decades, basically, to make the big decision of making Egypt, promoting Egypt in a transition to democratization. He did not use this opportunity all these years and now he’s got to make a big decision. Egypt’s got to make a decision not from a position of strength but at least from the government’s point of view from a real position of weakness.

You never make good decisions, you never make far sighted decisions from a position of weakness. So it’s hard to see something positive ever coming out of the Mubarak-Egyptian relationship again.

I would add that Israel today, though, I think israel should really reflect what’s going on in Egypt. It does not want to be the Mubarak of the peace process. Israel has never been stronger militarily or economically. This is exactly the time it should be looking to forge and close a peace deal with the Palestinians, not because it will change the Arab world but because it will be a huge opportunity and stabilizer for that relationship.

I think for all of us analysts inside, outside, the most dangerous thing you can do in a situation like this is confuse your hopes with your analysis. I know what my hopes are. My hopes are we’ll see a transition in Egypt that will allow the emergence of a Muslim moderate progressive center there, precisely what Mubarak never built. But my analysis and my fear, especially looking at the news, the looting today and whatnot is that when you open the lid on a society like this, where the government has done nothing basically to build civil society for the last 20 years, what comes out is anger, rage. And makes the building of a kind of a modern progressive center that much more difficult. Now the implications are enormous. One of the big questions is the Muslim brotherhood in Egypt, a huge powerful movement.. will they go for one of three strategies? One is to emulate Iran.. the other is Hamas. Or the option we hope they choose is the Turkey model, be a partner in a consensual rebuilding. Egypt and basically try to build their strength on a democratic foundation.

ATW Views

If we are really for democracy and justice, then we (the USA) should offer genuine help to the Egyptians in this process. We should respect the wishes of the people and the direction their country will take. We should get our heads out of the sand and stop the attacks on anyone and everyone criticizing Israel. When we offer Israel $4 billion in aid a year and less than half of that to a country of 80 million (10 times the size of Israel), what message are we sending Egyptians and the Arabs? Long gone are the days Israel claimed it was a victim. As Friedman said above, Israel has never been stronger militarily and economically. It’s time to treat everyone equally if we expect peace to work.

And those who are quick to blame Hamas and Hizbollah and that any aid falling in their hands will be used against Israel, look at the facts before you insert you Zionist shoe in your mouth. Palestinians have been deprived from any and all humanitarian aid by Israel. Israel continues to annex and ethnic cleanse Palestinians and openly discriminate against Palestinians whether they are Israeli-Arabs or Palestinians seeking rebuilding permits.   And the US just looks the other way. The death toll of Palestinians outnumber that of Israelis by at least 10 to 1.The chart below is from an Israeli Human Rights group: B’Tselem.

Breakdown of Deaths

	Israelis	Palestinians
Children Killed (More on the impact on children.)	124 Remember These Children	1,452 Remember These Children
Civilians* Killed	731 B’Tselem	3,535 – 4,226 B’Tselem
People killed in the course of a targeted killing	1	408 or more B’Tselem
People who were the object of a targeted killing	1	238 B’Tselem
People killed on own land	586 (54.1%) B’Tselem	6,359 (98.9%) B’Tselem
People killed on others’ land	498 (45.9%) B’Tselem	71 (1.1%) B’Tselem

It’s time for the U.S. to apply the “Equal Opportunity” principles here:

1. Our first and foremost concern should not be to worry about a dictator we continue to call ALLY! Our allies should be democracies not dictatorships we install and reward with billions!
2. If we are against the occupation of Kuwait by Iraq and will use power to reverse such occupation, the same should be applied to Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
3. If we advocate the freedom of southern Sudanese, we should equally advocate Palestinian freedom and the right for them to have their own state – not threaten to Veto any such UN resolution.
4. If we intend to apply U.N. resolution by force – against Iraq, Iran, Syria, etc., then the same is to be applied against Israel’s violation of over 60 UN resolutions.
5. If we support dictatorships – whether in Saudi Arabia, Jordan or the Gulf states, then we should continue to expect a turbulent Middle East. Maybe that’s really our interest… keep it in chaos while we exploit the resources.
6. If we are serious about a peaceful prosperous Middle East and eliminate terrorism, we should extend both hands to all, support democracies, topple dictatorships without meddling in internal politics and end-up with a European-Union type of a region.

Related Articles

• Mubarak’s concessions not enough: Clinton (cbc.ca)
• Israel ‘anxiously monitoring’ Egyptian riots, says Netanyahu (jta.org)
• Special Report: The Revolt in Egypt and U.S. Policy (Guest Voice) (themoderatevoice.com)

WikiLeaks: Truth Rewarded by Jail!

 

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has denounced the release of classified diplomatic cables as an “attack on the international community”.

Mrs. Clinton also stated:

“This disclosure is not just an attack on America’s foreign policy interests,” she said. It is an attack on the international community: the alliances and partnerships, the conversations and negotiations that safeguard global security and advance economic prosperity.”

 

This is quite bizarre. Global security through murders and killings? Exposing American forces savagery in Iraq is now a threat and/or attack on the international community? Insulting world leaders while schmoozing up to these world dictators, is justified as “partnership? Let me get this straight: Saddam was accused of hiding WMD, invaded a sovereign country next door and was immediately dealt with, toppled, executed and the country is in complete chaos. We “brought Iraq democracy.” Or so we’d like to claim while millions of innocent people including children have been executed by our forces!

Yet, Israel, a terrorist nation of Apartheid and NaZionism continues with its crimes against humanity – and we quickly reward this nation of terrorists and Nazis with more advanced planes and weapons.

Clinton with Mutassim Qaddafi, Libyan Security Adviser. Supporting Dictatorships!

But why are these leaked “secrets” considered a threat to our National Security? Let’s look at some:

As to diplomats’ portrayals of world leaders, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is said to have been described as feckless, vain and ineffective and sharing a close relationship with the “alpha dog”, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

President Nicolas Sarkozy of France is said to be thin-skinned and authoritarian, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel is described as risk-averse.

Corruption in Afghanistan with concerns heightened when a senior official was found to be carrying more than $52m (£33m) in cash on a foreign trip

Meanwhile, Libya’s Colonel Muammar Gaddafi always travels with a “voluptuous blonde” Ukrainian nurse, according to one of the cables.

This is such sensitive information! After all, the voluptuous Ukrainian nurse is really another form of WMD! And the $52 million in cash? Secret? I say this is just the type of story I expect to hear on the 7 o’clock news!

Wikileaks has posted only some of the 200 of the 251,287 messages it says it has obtained. However, the entire bundle of cables has been made available to five publications, including the New York Times and the UK’s Guardian newspaper. Will more “secrets” be revealed to the cattle (human race) of the world? If it “serves our foreign policy and national interests,” you bet… and other trash is revealed or leaked to us so that we would think there’s really nothing of value in these leaked secrets!

For example, Wikileaks argues the release of the documents has shed light on the wars, including allegations of torture and reports that suggest 15,000 additional civilian deaths happened in Iraq. We also know that… but the sad truth is that Banning, the one accused of such leaks, is imprisoned… as the news reported this morning (Tuesday November 30, 2010) for releasing a video of American forces in a helicopter, executing Iraqi civilians indiscriminately.  I remember the story well: when it was first reported, we were told that these people were insurgents… then the truth came out briefly and the story quickly buried  and disappeared!

But if another country committed such atrocities, we would be invading them to restore “justice.”

And if an “ally” committed the same atrocities, we praise them for their self-control in not killing more civilians!

This is exactly why Private First Class Bradley Manning is in jail!

 

 

Israel continues to Terrorize and Ethnic Cleanse!

Image via Wikipedia

Eviction of Palestinian Family, After a “Legal” Battle, Underlines Tensions Over Jerusalem

By ISABEL KERSHNER
Published: November 23, 2010

JERUSALEM — Israeli police officers evicted a Palestinian family from their home in a predominantly Arab neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Tuesday morning, and a group of Jewish settlers [thugs] moved into the property at night.

The episode struck one of the more sensitive nerves in the Israeli-Palestinian relationship at a time of increasing tension and as the Obama administration is working to restart stalled peace negotiations. Such evictions have drawn international condemnation in the past.

but nothing is ever done about that!

The Palestinian family, the Karains, lost a legal battle for ownership of the house. They said it had been sold to settlers illegally and without their knowledge by a relative, Ali Karain, who was a part-owner of the house, and who has since died.

The Israeli courts upheld the sale about six months ago.

Note that Israeli courts always rule in favor of replacing Palestinian families.. this is how they “legally” ethnic cleanse!

After the eviction, family members milled about in the street and on a neighboring rooftop, while Israelis protected by armed police officers went about installing security cameras and sealing the windows and balconies of the building with boards and wire mesh.

“My uncle died almost two years ago,” said Fadi Karain, 21, who is studying to be a teacher at an Israeli college in predominantly Jewish West Jerusalem. “A month after he died, we heard from the bailiffs that the house had been sold.” He said that the new owners were associated with Elad, a group that promotes Jewish settlement in Arab areas of Jerusalem, and particularly in Silwan.

The settler takeover of the Karain house will represent a new point of Jewish settlement in this contested city. The three-story stone building is wedged among other houses on a steep slope in the Farouk section of the Jebel Mukaber neighborhood, with a panoramic view of the Old City, the Aksa Mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock. Those shrines sit atop the plateau revered by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, and by Jews as the Temple Mount.

A stone slab set into the wall of the house is engraved with an image of the Dome of the Rock and the words “Al mulk lillah,” Arabic for “Everything belongs to God.”

The Pride of Palestine: always Arab; always palestinian!

A Jewish volunteer who was helping to prepare the house for its new inhabitants said he was acting out of “Zionism.” Israelis have the right to live and buy property anywhere in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, he said.

Zionism, terrorism, Nazism, barbarism.. all the same!

The issue of Israeli construction in Jewish sections of East Jerusalem has been a source of tension in recent months between Israel, the Palestinians and the United States. Jewish settlers are increasingly moving into predominantly Arab neighborhoods, deepening confusion about the future shape of the city.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem shortly after capturing it and the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war. The annexation was never internationally recognized, and the Palestinians claim the territory as the capital of a future independent state. But many Israelis maintain that Jerusalem belongs entirely to Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently had a sharp exchange with the Obama administration in which his office released a statement defending Jewish construction in Jerusalem, saying, “Jerusalem is not a settlement; Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel.” (Never was and Never will be)

In recent years, settlers have evicted Palestinians and taken over several houses in Sheikh Jarrah, a coveted area near the Old City, after the Israeli courts, including the Supreme Court, upheld rulings from the 1970s that the properties had originally belonged to Jews.

Activists of the Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity group were in Jebel Mukaber on Tuesday, helping the Karain family remove boxes of food and some last belongings from the house.

The group issued a statement saying that the objective of the new settlement was “without doubt to undercut the rationale of the 2000 Clinton Proposal, namely the division of Jerusalem into two capitals,” referring to an idea put forward by President Bill Clinton.

On the upper edge of Jebel Mukaber, dozens of Jewish families now live in a private Jewish development, Nof Zion, built on land that was purchased by an Israeli developer.

Udi Ragones, a spokesman for Elad, said the Karain home was purchased a few years ago by a foreign-registered company called Lowell.

Mr. Ragones did not acknowledge any direct Elad role in buying the property, but he said that there had been contacts between the group and the purchasers.

But groups like Elad, also known as the City of David, are known to use foreign-registered straw companies to buy properties in East Jerusalem. They say that they have to work discreetly in order to protect the Palestinian sellers whose lives are threatened by other Palestinians who oppose such deals.