Förespråkar KD förintelse av Israel? Inbjuder läsning av Aftonbladet till satanism?

Frikyrkopastorn Stanley Sjöberg skriver i en krönika i veckans nummer av Kristdemokraten (Kristdemokraternas medlemstidning) att

Så länge som PLO:s ledare med Hamas och andra militanta röster inom islam kräver kräver Israels förintelse, så måste vi stödja Israels existens

Hm...? Det betyder allstå att om den palestinska ledningen skulle ändra uppfattning (vilket den de facto redan gjort, PLO har erkänt staten Israel och Hamas uppmanar inte till 'Israels förintelse'), stödjer Sjöberg då inte längre Israels existens?

Grammatiska felslut åsido, så erbjuder Sjöbergs krönika på en omgång av det vanliga proisraeliska dravlet (om än i något mer apokalypiska ordalag än SKMA eller Dilsa Demirbag-Steen). Den koloniala människosynen lyser kraftigt igenom. Israel skönmålas ("Judarna hade väckt liv i regionen och blomstrade allt mer i enlighet med de visioner som uttalats från årtusenden av profetiska röster."), araber/muslimer är till sin natur onda ("Men de arabiska grannfolken ville utplåna Israel och förinta judarna").

Sjöberg beklagar sig också över 'förtalskampanjen om att Israel sysslar med organdonationer...' (En artikel i Aftonbladet = 'Förtalskampanj'?), betecknar förtalskampanjen som 'nynazistiskt obehagligt' och att 'förtalskampanjen' är ett 'hot mot det judiska folkets existens'. Slutklämmen inbjuder till försatta funderingar: "Falska anklagelser av sådant slag kan förbereda djävulskheter som riskerar att legitimera satanisk ondska."

11 candidates for the PLO Executive; including Hanan Ashrawi, Mustapha Barghouti

According to Maan, the Palestinian National Council chairman Salim az-Zanoun has announced that there are eleven candidates running for the six vacant seats (out of a total of 18) in the Executive Committee of the PLO. The six will be elected at the upcoming PNC session in Ramallah. Az-Zanoun shared the names of five candidates in the race; Hanan Ashrawi, Abdul Raziq Al-Yahyah, Saeb Erekat, Ahmad Al-Majdalani and Mustapha Barghouti.

PFLP: Palestinian National Council meeting should stick to its agenda

From Maan;

Gaza – Ma'an – The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) on Monday announced its rejection of additional items to the agenda of an urgent convention of the Palestinian National Council (PNC).

The leftist Palestinian faction said only one item should be discussed during the session: updates to the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee membership.

According to Abu Ahmad Fuad, a member of the PFLP's politburo, some Executive Committee members and Palestinian faction leaders sought to add other items to the session's agenda. He warned that adding anything new would be in violation of the 14th article of the Palestinian Basic Law, and could escalate tensions.

Fuad also stressed that the PNC session not impede the national dialogue between Hamas and Fatah, nor replace the 2005 agreement between all Palestinian factions to reconstruct the PLO.

Tripartite agreement on transfer of Palestinian refugees from Iraq to Sudan

This blog had earlier noted the negotiations on the possibility of a transfer of Palestinian refugees from Iraq to Sudan. The Palestinian weekly al-Hourriah has published the text of the tripartiate agreement between the PLO, the Government of Sudan and UNHCR. The agreement stipulates the setting up of residences, in mobile homes, at a compound in Soba, in the outskirts Khartom. The compound will cover 107389 m2. UNHCR will built an elementary school and a health clinic within the compound. Approximately 2,000 Palestinian refugees, now trapped in camps at the Iraqi-Syrian border and living in dismal conditions, are expected to be included in the transfer. The Sudanese government would give passports without citizenship, and would have working permits, health insurance and free education including university studies.

PLO list wins UNRWA union election in Gaza

This week, a list of four PLO factions (Fatah, PFLP, DFLP and the Palestinian People's Party) won the UNRWA union elections in the Gaza strip. The PLO list won control over two of three unions (Employees and Service unions) as well as the Executive Committee of the General Workers Union, defeating the incumbent Hamas leadership. Hamas, retained control over the Teachers Union (a position it has held for 16 consecutive years).

There were also some independents and minor factions in the fray.

UNRWA is the most important employer in Gaza, employing some 10,100 Gazans. Turn-out at the union election was high, 97% of employees participated.

Interestingly, whilst Arabic media has highlighted that Hamas was defeated in 2 out of 3 unions and lost control over the union executive, Jerusalem Post ran the headline "Hamas wins teachers union elections for UN schools in Gaza".

Sources: Jerusalem Post, al-Hourriah, Palestinian People's Party, Wafa

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Update: Haaretz has an article on the post-election scenario, written by Amira Hass.

On the prospects of Israeli overseas voting

Haaretz online version carries an editorial "Don't let Israelis vote abroad". The editorial is written in reaction to a proposal raised by the incoming governing partners Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu.

Whilst the underlining motifs behind the proposal are sinister electoral calculations (the rightwing is hoping to score more votes if out-of-country-voting is established) and racism (hoping to diminish the Arab influence in Knesset), the Haaretz rebuttal also raises some questions. If the Zionist concept that Israel is the national home of all Jews around the world is to be upheld, wouldn't overseas voting be a logical consequence?

Different countries have different legislations of overseas voting, some have no such mechanism (Denmark) whilst others have rather elaborate overseas voting mechanisms (Italy, Ecuador). Generally speaking, states which put emphasis on diaspora relations tend to have more generous rules to allow non-resident citizens to vote. In the Italian electoral system, there are even four extraterritorial parliamentary constituencies; North America, South America, Europe and Africa-Asia-Australia. There are parties uniquely based in the Italian diaspora in South America, and Italian parliamentary elections are preceded by intense election campaigning amongst the Italian communities in countries like Argentina. Considering the Zionist discourse on the link between the Jewish diaspora and the State of Israel, the fact that Israel is one of the states that doesn't allow overseas voting is a bit odd. From a Zionist perspective, that is.

It's not really my task to decide on internal Israeli matters, and I suppose the proposal will pass through various stages of wrangling before becoming a reality. As per the diminish Arab influence, the problem shouldn't be overrated. In the racist order of Israeli politics, the Arab parties are a pariah in Knesset and are never included in governing coalitions anyway. I'm not a full-fledged expert on Israeli domestic politics, but are there any cases were proposals raised by Arab parties have been passed as legislature? As per the prospect of Avigdor Lieberman doing his campaign work in Minsk or Moscow rather than the streets of Tel Aviv, that would just contribute to illustrate the non-link of Lieberman and his party colleagues to the lands of the Middle East.

But the debate on overseas voting in Israel should also be noticed on the Palestinian side, especially as there are reforms in the PLO. The PLO is the para-statal organization representing the entire Palestinian people. But its institutions are dominant and its leadership is appointed by agreements of political factions, not general elections. The creation of the Palestinian National Authority after Oslo has led to the side-lining of the PLO and creating cleavages between the Palestinians living under occupation and those in exile. In order to have a leadership fully representative of the entire Palestinian people, there the Palestinian National Council ought to formed through elections, be it in Jerusalem, Nablus, Gaza and the refugee camps across the Arab world. That would create a PLO that could negotiate with the enemy on more equal terms.

Update on Cairo talks

According to Walid Awad, who represents the Palestinian People's Party at the Cairo unity talks, the Steering Committee will continue discussions whilst the thematic working groups have concluded their work. The Steering Committee will try to resolve differences on the main stumbling points that remain. According to Awad, there are four issues around which discussion will continue:
-PLO: How to run the organization in the transitional phase until a new Palestinian National Council has been formed.
-Government: The programe and form of a unity government, and its relations to the Palestinian Legislative Council.
-Security: How to integrate the various security services into a single organization
-Elections: Different proposals on electoral systems are to be discussed. There will also be discussions on the transitional period preceding the elections.

Source: PPP website
News links: Telegraaf

حزب الشعب: لجنة التوجيه العليا للحوار الوطني

قال وليد العوض عضو المكتب السياسي لحزب الشعب الفلسطيني المشارك في حوار القاهرة ضمن لجنة منظمة التحرير في تصريحات صحفية ان لجنة التوجيه العليا للحوار الوطني في القاهرة تواصل اجتماعاتها.

وأكد العوض في تصريحات صحافية أن لجنة التوجيه العليا بعد مغادرة وفود اللجان المشاركة في جلسات الحوار الوطني عقدت اجتماعًا هامًا لمتابعة العقد التي مازالت عالقة في الحوار وهي

في ملف منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية

البحث عن الصيغ التي تتابع العمل الفلسطيني خلال المرحلة الانتقالية لحين إجراء انتخابات المجلس الوطني.

وفي ملف الحكومة

البحث في شكل الحكومة وطبيعتها وبرنامجها واستئناف عمل المجلس التشريعي وبحث قضية توكيلات النواب.

وفي ملف الأجهزة الأمنية

النقطة التي مازالت عالقة: البحث في أوضاع الأجهزة الأمنية وسبل دمجها وبنائها على أسس مهنية وسلاح واحد وسلطة واحدة.

في ملف الانتخابات

قانون الانتخابات على أساس التمثيل النسبي الكامل ونسبة الحسم. ومازالت اجتماعات اللجنة متواصلة وتبحث في مقترحات عدة لمعالجة نقطة المرحلة الانتقالية لحين إجراء انتخابات المجلس الوطني، ومن المتوقع الانتهاء من ذلك خلال اليوم ومن ثم سيتم بحث النقاط التي مازالت عالقة حسبما اتفق في الاجتماع الصباحي للجنة.

من حزب الشعب الفلسطيني

Intressant intervju med Hamas-ledaren Khalid Meshal i SvD

länk här.

Bloggat om Meshal: Palestine Updates. Artikel i norska VG om strandade förhandlingar om fångutväxling, SvD2, HD2

Islamic Jihad Movement ready to join the PLO

In what can be seen as an advance in the Cairo unity talks, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine has declared that it is committed to Palestinian unity and is ready to join the Palestine Liberation Organization after the forming of a new Palestinian National Council and election of a new PLO Executive Committee, provided that the movement undergoes internal process of renewing its political and administrative programes. The statement was made today by deputy general secretary of the movement, Ziad Al-Nakhalaha.

Source: Paltoday.com

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News links on claims of Islamic radicalism in Denmark: 1, 2

Palme om Palestina

copy-pastat från Pasteys blogg;

"Men det får icke finnas en folkrätt för fattiga länder och en annan folkrätt för rika nationer och deras vänner. Därför är den flathet varmed man på sina håll reagerat inför Israels angreppskrig djupt betänklig.

Israel har visat öppet förakt för Förenta Nationernas fredsbevarande styrkor, för besluten i säkerhetsrådet och generalförsamlingen. Israel bildades en gång genom beslut i FN. Det vore en historiens grymma ironi om just detta land genom sin arrogans skulle bli en starkt bidragande orsak till fredsorganisationens sönderfall.

Vi måste på humanitära grunder med yttersta skärpa reagera mot Israels krigföring. Sedan uppgörelsen om eld upphör för ett år sedan har verkligen ingen israel omkommit genom aktioner av den palestinska befrielseorganisationen PLO. Inom PLO har de krafter som önskar en politisk lösning vunnit i styrka. Den extremistgrupp som angrep Israels ambassadör i London var inte ansluten till PLO, och den bekämpade Arafat. Ändå användes detta otäcka dåd för att rättfärdiga de frukantsvärda terroraktioner som Israel riktat mot civilbefolkningen i Libanon och som inneburit död och förintelse för väldigt många människor. Dessa illdåd kommer att för lång tid fläcka Israels anseende. Israel borde ha lärt sig av sitt eget folks historia att man inte kan utrota ett helt folk. Man kan inte lösa den palestinska frågan genom att förstöra PLO. Att ödelägga är inte att bringa fred, även om man kallar det så."

,tal vid TCOs kongress 1982. Noteras att Israel fortfarande bombar Gaza. Läs också Jesper Nilssons dissekrering av högerns nonsensargumentation om Stoppa Matchen-demon. Radar noterar Amnestys rapport om krigsbrott i Gaza

Hamas and the recognition of Israel

In days like these, when the friends of the Israeli war machine desperately seek to legimatize the mass killings in Gaza, the argument about the non-recognition of the state of Israel by Hamas keeps popping up a lot in Western media. This is of course an attempt to create a side-track in the debate, diverting attention from what's happening on the ground in Gaza.

Somehow, the non-recognition of the state of Israel is presented as an underlying intention of Hamas to destroy Israel and conduct genocide on its population. But whilst Qassam rockets can seriously injure and at times kill people, does anyone seriously believe that Hamas would be in position to dismantle the entire Israeli state and military apparatus through launching home-made rockets?

When studying the documents and discourse of Hamas (short for 'Islamic Resistance Movement'), one should remember that Hamas caters to a constituency that differs starkly from the mainstream political debate in the West. Whilst secular Palestinian liberation movements use discourses of motifs to which Western progressives can easily relate, Hamas uses a discourse packed with religious motifs. The historical and cultural references used by Hamas are at times difficult to understand without also putting them into their context and references to Islamic history. Bluntly translated and consciously misquoted by Israeli sources, they come off as violent and militaristic.

As to the concrete issue of recognition, I think its important to go into some dept about what the political leadership of Hamas says about the possibility of recognizing Israel. Hamas considers that recognition between Israel and an independent Palestinian state should be mutual, Hamas won't recognize Israel unless there is an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. That is quite far from 'destroying Israel', as Hamas has stated that it seeks to establish a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders (see article in Haaretz).

There is a difference between Hamas and the PLO in this regard. The PLO has recognized Israel since 1988. On the other hand, twenty years later Israel still haven't recognized the independence of Palestine. One can thus ask, what incentives that could be given for Hamas to do the same?

If Western politicians, journalists, etc., feel that it is essential that Hamas (which is a political party, not a state) issues a 'recognition' of Israel, they should also ask Kadima, Likud and the Israeli Labour Party whether they are willing to recognize a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders? The postures of Hamas might be far from perfect, but in this regard they are far more advanced than the mainstream Israeli parties.