Egyptian historian on normalizing relations with Israel: Egypt has to look out for its own interests, not for the 'Palestinians'
It wouldn't surprise me to see Egyptian President Abdelfatah al-Sisi try to normalize relations with Israel. For that matter, it wouldn't surprise me either if 'our friends, the Saudis' and the Gulf States did so as well. Countries don't have relations, they have interests. And it is clearly in the interest of all those who oppose both Iran and Islamism (the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State et al) to join forces with Israel. That leaves the 'Palestinians' - the darlings of both Iran and the Islamists - out in the cold. Or at least it should.
Let's go to the videotape.
Labels: Egypt, Gulf states, Islamic State, normalization with Israel, Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia
'Peace' is at hand: 'Palestinian youths' punishing normalizers
'Palestinian' media report that 'Palestinian youths' are acting to
punish normalizers - people who try to have normal relations with Jews and Israelis - in ways that only they know how (link in Arabic - Google translation
here).
This
came during a dialogue Youth Open which was organized today Sharek
Youth Forum on "anti-normalization with the occupation," the centrality:
normalization of political and economic, cultural, academic and social
development, the provincial world of Israel, divestment and sanctions,
and occur when all of the activist and volunteer in the National
Committee for a boycott of Israel نصفت Khuffash, and economic news in
the new Al-Hayat newspaper Ibrahim Abu Kamc, and activist Bahaa
al-Khatib from the efforts of the Foundation, and participated in the
dialogue a number of representatives of youth and youth groups and
interested parties in addition to a number of experts, at the Forum
headquarters in Ramallah.
He called on young people to more awareness campaigns
anti-normalization in schools, universities and across all media, and
the emphasis on chain stores Province Rami Levy supermarket built on the
Palestinian territories.
It was agreed that young people with the National Committee for a
boycott of Israel, divestment and sanctions on the concept of
normalization, which is "to participate in any project or initiative
fizz activity, local or international specifically designed for the
collection (either directly or indirectly) between the Palestinians and
or Arabs and Israelis individuals who were or institutions, nor
explicitly designed to resist or expose the occupation and all forms of
discrimination and oppression practiced against our people.
He said the Executive Director of Sharek Youth Badr زماعرة, has
established this meeting discussions are important and fruitful in the
next stage with young people, emphasizing the lack of awareness of the
concept of normalization and thrown sometimes lump on any activity or
any work that youth is described as normalization and is one of the
errors that must be thinking about them.
Note the mention of the Rami Levy supermarket chain. That chain, which maintains stores in Judea and Samaria that have
both Arab and Jewish customers and employees,
infuriates the 'Palestinians' like almost nothing else. The 'Palestinian Authority' has tried many times to convince 'Palestinians'
not to shop in Rami Levy, but to no avail. So now they're going to start by trying to keep the kids out.
Once the kids figure out that Rami Levy has better quality and prices than any 'Palestinian' store... what could go wrong?
Labels: BDS, normalization with Israel, Rami Levy
'Israeli Arabs' back out of Fox store in Ramallah
Two 'Israeli Arabs' who had planned to
open a branch of Israel's Fox clothing in Ramallah have backed out of the venture out of
fear for their lives. As a result, another 150 'Palestinians' will remain jobless.
Although the owners had obtained permission from
the PA Ministry of Economy to open the clothing store, Palestinian
activists and journalists launched a campaign against the opening of a
clothing store in Ramallah.
The activists and journalists said
that the opening of an Israeli clothing store in a Palestinian city was a
form of “normalization” with Israel.
One of the leaders of the
campaign, Fadi Arouri, a photojournalist with China’s Xinhua News
Agency, told Wattan TV that the opening of a Fox store in Ramallah was a
“stain of disgrace.”
Arouri has also led campaigns aimed at preventing Israeli journalists from working in PA-controlled territories.
Earlier
this week, a group of Palestinian activists demonstrated in the center
of Ramallah in protest against the intention to open a Fox store in the
city. The activists called on the Palestinian Authority to ban Israeli
firms from opening businesses in Palestinian cities.
Following the
protests, the two businessmen decided this week to cancel the project,
although renovation work at the new clothing store had reached an
advanced stage.
A Palestinian businessman in Ramallah expressed
sorrow over the decision not to open the Fox store, saying this was a
blow to the Palestinian economy.
“Many people could have profited from this project,” the businessman told the Post. “It’s sad when thugs and extortionists succeed in preventing any economic project.”
Yes, it is. And it's why the 'Palestinian' economy continues to stagnate in a catatonic stupor, while all around it the Israeli economy is booming. And then they're jealous....
Labels: Bar Refaeli, BDS, normalization with Israel, Palestinian economy, Ramallah
Is this any way to make peace?
The 'Palestinians' claim that they want 'peace.' But not only do they continue to
incite terrorism and violence against their Jewish neighbors, they also condemn anyone among their own who seems to espouse a different view.
On Tuesday, '
moderate' '
Palestinian' President
Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen 's Fatah terror organization condemned a meeting between prominent 'Palestinians' from the PLO and Israelis because it '
promoted normalization.'
The Israeli delegation to the meeting – which was organized
by the Geneva Initiative group – included members of the Likud and Shas, rabbis,
political consultants and municipal council members.
During their visit
to Ramallah, the Israelis met with PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo, top
Fatah official Nabil Sha’ath, PLO Executive Committee member Mohamed Masri, and
Ashraf al-Ajrami, a former minister for prisoner affairs in the Palestinian
Authority.
Abed Rabbo is also the head of the Palestinian branch of the
Geneva Initiative.
...
Referring to the most recent meeting in
Ramallah, Fatah said: “We condemn normalization and those behind it. Such
meetings are void of political content and a waste of time. They are
unjustified, nationally and politically.”
The faction said in a leaflet
that such meetings were in violation of PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s position to
halt meetings with the Israeli government.
According to Fatah, the
Ramallah meeting “ignored the feelings of our people and the living memory among
our people – that these Zionists are the staunchest enemies of our
rights.”
The Fatah statement concluded, “While we strongly condemn such
meetings and categorically reject them, we call upon our leadership to form a
commission of inquiry to hold accountable those responsible.”
And John Kerry thinks peace is at hand?
Labels: Fatah, Geneva initiative, normalization with Israel, Palestinian Authority
What would happen if he met with Netanyahu?
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh slammed '
moderate' '
Palestinian' President
Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen for meeting with Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum, calling the meeting '
normalization.'
"We do not count much on such meetings which are aspects of
normalization and attempt to bring into life a dead body called
negotiations," Haniyeh said while hosting a Moroccan delegation in Gaza
City.
The Hamas premier also criticized coordination between the Palestinian Authority and Israeli security forces.
"It
is regrettable to talk proudly about security cooperation between the
Palestinian people and their occupiers. This is bizarre and reverse
terminology," he said.
He was commenting on remarks by Abbas that
96 Israeli soldiers who mistakenly entered the West Bank in 2012 were
returned to Israel.
"We should treat the Israeli occupation as a major enemy of the Palestinian people, and not as a friend," Haniyeh said.
"I
believe the United States has nothing to offer to the Palestinian
people, and Israel does not even consider offering the least of the
Palestinian people's rights. Thus, we have only one strategy, resistance
and insistence on our inalienable rights."
Abu Mazen's top priority is reconciliation with Haniyeh and Hamas. That ought to help the 'peace process' along. Imagine what Haniyeh if Abu Mazen actually met with an elected Israeli official....
Labels: Abu Mazen, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, Ismail Haniyeh, Middle East peace process, normalization with Israel, Shimon Peres
The 'Arab spring' wasn't about Israel, except that it was
We kept hearing throughout the 'Arab spring' that it's not about Israel, that Israel has nothing to do with this, and that it's just the Arabs demanding democracy and freedom (and protesting their economic plight. Except that apparently
it was at least partly about Israel.
In October, Tunisians will elect a new government and choose whether to adopt a presidential or parliamentary system. But a constitutional draft completed earlier this month expressly prohibits normalization of ties with Israel, while upholding support of the Palestinians as state policy and enshrining Islam as the country's official religion.
...
The country is homogeneous, relatively prosperous and has a tradition of secularism and women's rights - Tunisia was the first Arab state to legalize abortion and remains one of the few anywhere in the Islamic world where it is allowed. Observers had hoped these characteristics would help turn Tunisia into an example of progressive Arab democracy.
Early this month, the authority in charge of post-Ben Ali political reform adopted a "republican pact" to form the basis of a new constitution. The completed pact included the provision prohibiting ties with Israel, though some commission members reportedly favor leaving it out. Islamist parties, along with Arab nationalists and extreme leftist factions, are pushing to implement a constitutional provision that would ban normalization of relations with Israel.
Those reports spurred some 600 people to rally in the capital Tunis a week ago, threatening to unseat leaders believed to support normalization with the Jewish state. Tunisia and Israel briefly opened interest sections in each other's capitals in 1996, but that cooperation ceased in 2000 with the outbreak of the Second Intifada.
"Death to all Tunisians attempting to normalize relations with Israel," said Ahmed Kahlaoui, who chairs a committee opposing the restoration of diplomatic ties. "We will denounce them and publish their names," he said, the AFP news agency reported, speaking at a meeting attended by hundreds of people, some waving anti-Israeli banners. Participants performed songs, dances and poems, and Tunisians veterans who took part in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war gave testimonies, AFP reported.
"We can no longer trust this body's members, which includes academics who support normalization with Israel and have had ties themselves" with Israel, Kahlaoui said. The recently banned Islamist party Al Nahda (Renaissance) opposes removing the anti-normalization provision, as do Arab nationalist factions and those on the extreme left. Polls show Al Nahda enjoys roughly 20 percent of the electorate's support.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Arab spring, Islamist, normalization with Israel, Tunisia
