Thursday, December 10, 2009

UK: W. Bank produce must be marked 'settlement' or 'Palestinian'- Isreal Protest for branding.Thousands Isreal protest on 10months stop construction.

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A Palestinian boy from a Kurd family, who were evicted from a disputed house last week, is held by his father as UNRWA commissioner Karen Abu Zayd, not seen, talks to the press in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009. Abu Zayd called on Israel Thursday to return Palestinians evicted from an east Jerusalem neighborhood to their homes. "UNRWA calls upon the Israeli authorities to reinstate all Palestine refugee families that have been displaced or forcibly evicted from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah and asks that the dignity, rights and freedoms of these people be protected at all times," Abu Zayd said

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U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) commissioner Karen Abu Zayd, left, holds the hand of Rifka al-Kurd, the grandmother of the family who was evicted last week from a disputed house in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009. Abu Zayd called on Israel Thursday to return Palestinians evicted from an east Jerusalem neighborhood to their homes. "UNRWA calls upon the Israeli authorities to reinstate all Palestine refugee families that have been displaced or forcibly evicted from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah and asks that the dignity, rights and freedoms of these people be protected at all times," Abu Zayd said.

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U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) commissioner Karen Abu Zayd, holds a press conference outside a disputed house that al-Kurd family members were evicted from recently in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009. Abu Zayd called on Israel Thursday to return Palestinians evicted from an east Jerusalem neighborhood to their homes. "UNRWA calls upon the Israeli authorities to reinstate all Palestine refugee families that have been displaced or forcibly evicted from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah and asks that the dignity, rights and freedoms of these people be protected at all times," Abu Zayd said


Israeli officials reacted angrily Thursday night to a British decision to advise retailers and importers to distinguish on labels whether imported produce from the West Bank is being made in the settlements or by Palestinians.

According to a statement released by the British Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, "Importers, retailers, NGOs and consumers have asked the Government for clarity over the precise origin of products from the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The label 'West Bank' does not allow consumers to distinguish between goods originating from Palestinian producers and goods originating from illegal Israeli settlements."

Therefore, according to guidelines put out by the department, "Traders and retailers may wish to indicate whether the product originated from an Israeli settlement or from Palestinian producers. This could take the form, for example, of 'Produce of theWest Bank (Israeli settlement produce)' or 'Produce of the West Bank (Palestinian produce)', as appropriate."

In addition, the guidelines said that "traders would be misleading consumers, and would therefore almost be certainly committing an offence, if they were to declare produce from the OPT (including from theWest Bank ) as 'Produce of Israel'. This would apply irrespective of whether the produce was from a Palestinian producer or from an Israeli settlement in the OPT. This is because the area does not fall within the internationally recognized borders of the state of Israel."

Foreign Minister spokesman Yigal Palmor said the issuance of these guidelines was tantamount to "caving into Palestinian organizations, and will only radicalize Palestinian positions even more. The decision comes at a critical phase and harms Israeli and international efforts to renew the peace process on the basis of mutual agreements"

Another government official said that, despite British denials, the advisory encourages a boycott of Israel goods. Furthermore, he said that the British were "singling Israel out for this type of treatment, something that is very, very problematic."

Why was it less important, he asked, for the British consumer to know that products they were buying were coming from other areas of dispute, such as Tibet, Kashmir, northern Cyprus, Chechnya, Kosovo, parts of Bosnia or even places like Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands and Northern Ireland.

British embassy spokesman Rafi Shamir denied that the move was tantamount to a call for a boycott, and said the British government was responding to concerns raised by consumers and stores who were unhappy the products were simply labeled "West Bank." He pointed out that this was merely advice, not a mandatory regulation.

The guidelines come at a time of strain in British-Israeli ties, with Britain being the main supporter inside the EU of the Swedes in the recent, but unsuccessful effort, to get the EU to adopt a statement recognizing east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.


Israel's prime minister on Thursday offered additional funds and new social benefits to tens of thousands of Jewish settlers in a move seen as an attempt to soothe tensions over new restrictions on construction in the West Bank.

Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled the proposal a day after thousands of settlers and their supporters demonstrated against the West Bank building restrictions outside his Jerusalem residence.

Netanyahu infuriated settlers and their backers two weeks ago when he imposed a 10-month moratorium on the construction of most new homes in the settlements. He said the freeze was meant as a gesture to bring the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

The Palestinians say the Israeli freeze is insufficient because it excludes east Jerusalem and more than 3,000 homes already under construction in the West Bank. The Palestinians claim both areas, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, for a future state. They insist on a total freeze before peace talks resume.

Netanyahu's proposal Thursday appeared to do little to ease the anger of settlers, who have grown increasingly strident in their attempts to block building inspectors from entering their communities to enforce the ban.

Yishai Hollender, a settler spokesman, said that the proposal is "a step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go. We will continue to struggle against the freeze in construction until the edict is reversed," he said.

Dovish lawmakers accused the prime minister of caving in to settler pressure. Labor Party legislator Amir Peretz said, "If anyone doubted that the whole intention of the freeze was just to buy time, now all of those doubts have been proven false."

Netanyahu spokesman Mark Regev said the proposal was not connected to the settlement controversy.

He said the funds would assist many distressed populations, including residents near the Gaza and Lebanon borders and Israeli Arab communities. The program will give preferential treatment to about two million Israelis, about 100,000 of whom are Jewish settlers.

"The position of this government is that the future of settlements must be negotiated," said Regev. "In the interim period, those who live in communities which face special challenges will receive the same things that other Israeli citizens receive."

The program, which is expected to be approved by Israel's Cabinet, will provide a boost in funds for transportation, education and health care, Regev said.

Also Thursday, Israel arrested the leader of the most persistent Palestinian protests against Israel's West Bank separation barrier.

Abdullah Abu Rahmeh has been leading weekly barrier protests in the Palestinian village of Bilin for almost five years. His wife Majida said her husband was taken from his home early Thursday.

Israel began building the barrier during a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings that originated in the West Bank, with the purpose of keeping attackers out. The line was mostly unmarked and unguarded until then, but the path of the barrier cuts into the West Bank in many places.

Bilin is a symbol of opposition to the barrier, portrayed by Palestinians as a land grab. The barrier separates Bilin from 60 percent of its land.

Since June, 31 Bilin protesters have been arrested. The protests include marches and stone-throwing. The military says the arrests are meant stop violence. Bilin activists say Israel's clampdown is meant to silence a nonviolent movement.

On Thursday, Karen Abu Zayd, the outgoing head of UNRWA, the U.N. agency that aids Palestinian refugees, toured the tense east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheik Jarrah.

In recent weeks, Israeli settlers have evicted families from several houses in Sheik Jarrah. Both sides claim ownership of the properties.

Abu Zayd warned that by mixing the populations, Israeli actions in the neighborhood endanger efforts to solve the conflict with two states.

"Such acts are in violation of Israel's obligations under international law," she said.

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