I want to look at the implications of these words, using Torah and rabbinic tradition.

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "I want to look at the implications of these words, using Torah and rabbinic tradition."

Transcription

1 From Tikkun Magazine from Tikku.org Editor's Note: Rabbi David Seidenberg, one of the most creative rabbinic voices explicating the Jewish mystical tradition and championing the environment, presents an important Jewish religious perspective on the religious ethical issues raised by Israel's war in Gaza. Please share these articles with anyone you know in the Jewish world who has given blanket support to Israel's current actions in Gaza. Also please read the article by Peter Beinart on the lies being told by the American Jewish establishment and the impassioned plea from Israeli pop singer Noa. -- Rabbi Michael Lerner ******************************************** On Jewish Ethics and the War in Gaza by Rabbi David Seidenberg The terrorists are firing rockets from schools, from mosques, from hospitals, from heavily civilian populations. We have to try and are doing our best to minimize civilian casualties. But we cannot give our attackers immunity or impunity. Benyamin Netanyahu, on July 24, 2014 On the same day that Bibi spoke these words, Israel may have bombed a UN school in Gaza that had become a place of refuge for Palestinians who left their homes to escape the shelling. We don t know for sure if it was Israeli fire that hit that school, but Israel had hit schools two other times before, and on the morning of July 30th, Israeli artillery hit another school, killing 20 or more internal refugees from this war. As Bibi said, we cannot give our attackers immunity or impunity. I want to look at the implications of these words, using Torah and rabbinic tradition. The Talmud (Beitzah 32b) says that the Jews are a compassionate people (rachmanim), and that someone who claims to be Jewish but doesn t show the quality of compassion is not really a Jew. Sefer Chinukh (Yitro42) says that Jews are compassionate people, sons and daughters of compassionate people. The Zohar (1:174a) even says that when Jacob received the name Israel after wrestling the angel, that this was in order to allow Jacob to become attached to this quality of compassion. According to rabbinic tradition (both midrash and Kabbalah), the most important name of God, YHVH (often translated as Lord), is also tied to compassion, whereas the name Elohim (God) is tied to God s judgment. The Zohar explains that Jacob was renamed Israel in order to bring down into the world that quality of YHVH s compassion. At the same time, there still is a need for God s judgment. When is that? Says the Zohar (ibid.), When the wicked abound in the world, God s name becomes Elohim because God must bring judgment upon the wicked in order to save the world. Now listen again to what Netanyahu is saying. He is not just prosecuting a war, he is carrying out a judgment, deciding between those who should have immunity, and those who should not. It is as if Bibi were casting the IDF in the role of instrument of God s judgment. Bibi sounds a note of compassion ( we have to try to minimize civilian casualties ), but he does so in order to validate that what is raining down upon Hamas is truly justice, not just vengeance. But what is justice, and what is vengeance?

2 Take a step back, to before this war. One of Hamas s demands is an end to the blockade of Gaza. Israel s blockade of Gaza has been going on since Hamas came to power. The blockade has always had several purposes. One was to stop arms from being smuggled in. But, many say, another goal was to make sure the Gazan Palestinians knew that they had chosen wrongly by electing Hamas, by electing a government that rejects the existence of Israel. To put it bluntly, the people were made to suffer because they had sinned. When Bibi says that there can be no immunity or impunity, it doesn t just mean impunity for Hamas. It means that there is no place in Gaza safe from Israel s arm of justice, the arm that brings down God s judgment. In reality, because of the way Gaza is set up and fenced in, this means no impunity for anyone. There is no place in Gaza where non-combatants, families, children, can be immune from attack not the beach, not a school, not a hospital. It is possible to claim that it is right for Israel to enact God s judgment. After all, the same Zohar passage teaches that even though Jacob became attached to compassion when he was renamed Israel, sometimes Israel must turn back into Jacob: When Jacob was not in the midst of enemies or in a foreign land, he was called Israel; when he was among enemies or in a foreign land, he was called Jacob. From the Zohar s perspective, when Israel is in the midst of enemies, it is both necessary and right for Israel to turn back into Jacob, to embody and become the instrument of God s judgment. And yet: One who shows no compassion, it is known for sure that he is not of the seed of Abraham. (Talmud, ibid.) I would be remiss if I didn t point out that Hamas members, being Muslim, are also of the seed of Abraham. That Hamas has been hiding rockets in schools, daring Israel to fire on places that should be safe (see Haaretz.) That Hamas used concrete to build miles of tunnels and no public bomb shelters. And that Hamas s lack of compassion, to their own people and to Israeli civilians, shows that they are neither true Muslims, nor of the spiritual seed of Abraham. Yet Netanyahu s nod to compassion also seems like the nod of one who has lost compassion s compass, not like one from the seed of Abraham. Why must there be no place of immunity or impunity? What if Israel decided to never shell schools and hospitals where people were taking refuge? Surely I will never be called on to make such decisions, and I also know that people in Israel Jews and Arabs are traumatized by Gaza s rocket fire, and that it needs to stop. I know Israel needs to defend itself. And yet On the shabbat between these two calamities at Gazan schools, we read about the city of refuge or ir miklat, where someone who has accidentally killed another can flee in order to be safe from punishment. (Numbers 35) Just as happens in war, outside the city of refuge (by analogy, in the chaos of a combat zone), a blood-redeemer has the right to avenge the victim s death. However, if this blood-redeemer attempts to kill a person who has reached a refuge, he or she is counted as a murderer. But what if there is no refuge? What if the fighting leaves no site of refuge in Gaza to which people can flee? As Netanyahu has clearly said, there will be no place off-limits to Israel s artillery. If Hamas makes any building a target, the IDF will shoot at it. The idea of a city of refuge isn t just an analogy; the idea at its heart threads its way throughout Jewish law, which requires that if one besieges a city, one side of the city must be left open for people who wish to flee. A place should be left open for fleeing, and for all those who desire to escape with their lives. (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 6:7)

3 If one prosecutes a war, in a place where innocents have no place safe to flee to, and no way to leave, then that becomes murder. If the attacking army drops leaflets and calls civilians, telling them to evacuate an area that will be bombed, but there is no place to evacuate to, what compassion is this? How does it affect the purity of arms that has always been the hallmark of the IDF? Imagine instead what might happen if Israel declared particular schools and shelters off-limits to attack. What if Hamas put all its rocket launchers in those schools? This is what would happen: everyone would see Hamas for what it is, and there would be an overwhelming international outcry against them. And yet people will say, such liberal interpretations are good, but what about the teaching that one who is compassionate to the cruel will in the end become cruel to the compassionate? (Tanchuma M tzora 1) Moreover, the same Torah reading where the city of refuge appears is also a bonanza for the most right-wing policies. It defines the borders of the land of Israel in a way that includes all of Gaza and the West Bank (Numbers 34), and in Numbers 33:55, it commands the Israelites to drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you because otherwise they will be thorns in your sides and they will harass you. The rabbinic response was that these strictures applied only to the original Canaanite nations, and not to anyone else, certainly not to the Palestinians. But that won t stop those right-wing people who believe that God is on their side, who wish to believe that they are the arm of God s judgment. One thing is true, however. If we ever were compassionate people, the sons and daughters of compassionate people, we can no longer count on this. We are already cruel to the compassionate. Along with more than a thousand Palestinians and fifty Israelis who have died, so has our claim as Jews to be the unwavering seed of Abraham. Perhaps if we realized this, we would be ready to make peace, one broken people to another. ******************************************** Gaza Myths and Facts: What American Jewish Leaders Won t Tell You by Peter Beinart Excerpts from a terrific new piece by Peter Beinart. It appeared in Ha aretz and it is essential reading, especially useful for rebutting the Jewish community s myths about Gaza. If you ve been anywhere near the American Jewish community over the past few weeks, you ve heard the following morality tale: Israel left the Gaza Strip in 2005, hoping the newly independent country would become the Singapore of the Middle East. Instead, Hamas seized power, ransacked greenhouses, threw its opponents off rooftops and began launching thousands of rockets at Israel. Israel Left Gaza It s true that in 2005, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon withdrew Israel s more than 8,000 settlers from Gaza. (At America s urging, he also dismantled four small settlements in the West Bank). But at no point did Gaza become its own country. Had Gaza become its own country, it would have gained control over its borders. It never did. Even before the election of Hamas, Israel controlled whether Gazans could enter or exit the Strip. Israel controlled the population registry through which Gazans were issued identification cards. Upon evacuating its settlers and soldiers from Gaza, Israel even created a security perimeter inside the Strip from which Gazans were barred from entry. (Unfortunately for Gazans, this perimeter included some of the Strip s best farmland). Pro-Israel commentators claim Israel had legitimate security reasons for all this. But that concedes the point. A necessary occupation is still an occupation. That s why it s silly to

4 analogize Hamas rockets repugnant as they are to Mexico or Canada attacking the United States. The United States is not occupying Mexico or Canada. Israel according to the United States government has been occupying Gaza without interruption since To grasp the perversity of using Gaza as an explanation for why Israel can t risk a Palestinian state, it helps to realize that Sharon withdrew Gaza s settlers in large measure because he didn t want a Palestinian state. By 2004, when Sharon announced the Gaza withdrawal, the Road Map for Peace that he had signed with Mahmoud Abbas was going nowhere. Into the void came two international proposals for a two state solution. The first was the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, in which every member of the Arab League offered to recognize Israel if it returned to the 1967 lines and found a just and agreed upon solution to the problem of Palestinian refugees. The second was the 2003 Geneva Initiative, in which former Israeli and Palestinian negotiators publicly agreed upon the details of a two state plan. As the political scientists Jonathan Rynhold and Dov Waxman have detailed, Sharon feared the United States would get behind one or both plans, and pressure Israel to accept a Palestinian state near the 1967 lines. Only an Israeli initiative, Sharon argued, will keep us from being dragged into dangerous initiatives like the Geneva and Saudi initiatives. Sharon saw several advantages to withdrawing settlers from Gaza. First, it would save money, since in Gaza Israel was deploying a disproportionately high number of soldiers to protect a relatively small number of settlers. Second, by (supposedly) ridding Israel of its responsibility for millions of Palestinians, the withdrawal would leave Israel and the West Bank with a larger Jewish majority. Third, the withdrawal would prevent the administration of George W. Bush from embracing the Saudi or Geneva plans, and pushing hard as Bill Clinton had done for a Palestinian state. Sharon s chief of staff, Dov Weisglass, put it bluntly: The significance of the disengagement plan is the freezing of the peace process. And when you freeze that process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda. And all this with authority and permission. All with a presidential blessing and the ratification of both houses of Congress. It s no surprise, therefore, that the Gaza withdrawal did not meet minimal Palestinian demands. Not even the most moderate Palestinian leader would have accepted a long-term arrangement in which Israel withdrew its settlers from Gaza while maintaining control of the Strip s borders and deepening Israeli control of the West Bank. (Even in the 2005, the year Sharon withdrew from Gaza, the overall settler population rose, in part because some Gazan settlers relocated to the West Bank). Hamas Seized Power I can already hear the objections. Even if withdrawing settlers from Gaza didn t give the Palestinians a state, it might have made Israelis more willing to support one in the future if only Hamas had not seized power and turned Gaza into a citadel of terror. But Hamas didn t seize power. It won an election. In January 2006, four months after the last settlers left, Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem chose representatives to the Palestinian Authority s parliament. (The previous year, they had separately elected Abbas to be the Palestinian Authority s President). Hamas won a plurality of the vote forty-five percent but because of the PA s voting system, and Fatah s idiotic decision to run more than one candidate in several districts, Hamas garnered 58 percent of the seats in parliament. This doesn t change the fact that Hamas election confronted Israel and the United States with a serious problem. After its victory, Hamas called for a national unity government with Fatah for the purpose of ending the occupation and settlements and achieving a complete withdrawal from the

5 lands occupied [by Israel] in 1967, including Jerusalem, so that the region enjoys calm and stability during this phase. But those final words this phase made Israelis understandably skeptical that Hamas had changed its long-term goals. The organization still refused to recognize Israel, and given that Israel had refused to talk to the PLO until it formally accepted Israel s right to exist in 1993, it s not surprising that Israel demanded Hamas meet the same standard. Still, Israel and the U.S. would have been wiser to follow the counsel of former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy, who called for Sharon to try to forge a long-term truce with Hamas. Israel could also have pushed Hamas to pledge that if Abbas who remained PA president negotiated a deal with Israel, Hamas would accept the will of the Palestinian people as expressed in a referendum, something the group s leaders have subsequently promised to do. Instead, the Bush administration suddenly less enamored of Middle Eastern democracy pressured Abbas to dissolve the Palestinian parliament and rule by emergency decree. Israel, which also wanted Abbas to defy the election results, withheld the tax and customs revenue it had collected on the Palestinian Authority s behalf. Knowing Hamas would resist Abbas efforts to annul the election, especially in Gaza, where it was strong on the ground, the Bushies also began urging Abbas former national security advisor, a Gazan named Mohammed Dahlan, to seize power in the Strip by force. As David Rose later detailed in an extraordinary article in Vanity Fair, Condoleezza Rice pushed Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to buy weapons for Dahlan, and for Israel to allow them to enter Gaza. As General Mark Dayton, US security coordinator for the Palestinians, told Dahlan in November 2006, We also need you to build up your forces in order to take on Hamas. Unfortunately for the Bush administration, Dahlan s forces were weaker than they looked. And when the battle for Gaza began, Hamas won it easily, and brutally. In response, Abbas declared emergency rule in the West Bank. So yes, members of Hamas did throw their Fatah opponents off rooftops. Some of that may have been payback because Dahlan was widely believed to have overseen the torture of Hamas members in the 1990s. Regardless, in winning the battle for Gaza, Hamas which had already shed much Israeli blood shed Palestinian blood too. But to suggest that Hamas seized power as American Jewish leaders often do ignores the fact that Hamas brutal takeover occurred in response to an attempted Fatah coup backed by the United States and Israel. In the words of David Wurmser, who resigned as Dick Cheney s Middle East advisor a month after Hamas takeover, what happened wasn t so much a coup by Hamas but an attempted coup by Fatah that was pre-empted before it could happen. The Greenhouses Israel responded to Hamas election victory by further restricting access in and out of Gaza. As it happens, these restrictions played a key role in explaining why Gaza s greenhouses did not help it become Singapore. American Jewish leaders usually tell the story this way: When the settlers left, Israel handed over their greenhouses to the Palestinians, hoping they would use them to create jobs. Instead, Palestinians tore them down in an anti-jewish rage. But one person who does not endorse that narrative is the prime mover behind the greenhouse deal, Australian-Jewish businessman James Wolfensohn, who served as the Quartet s Special Envoy for Gaza Disengagement. In his memoir, Wolfensohn notes that some damage was done to the greenhouses [as the result of post-disengagement looting] but they came through essentially intact and were subsequently guarded by Palestinian Authority police. What really doomed the greenhouse initiative, Wolfensohn argues, were Israeli restrictions on Gazan exports. In early December [2005], he writes, the much-awaited first harvest of quality cash crops

6 strawberries, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers and flowers began. These crops were intended for export via Israel for Europe. But their success relied upon the Karni crossing [between Gaza and Israel], which, beginning in mid-january 2006, was closed more than not. The Palestine Economic Development Corporation, which was managing the greenhouses taken over from the settlers, said that it was experiencing losses in excess of $120,000 per day It was excruciating. This lost harvest was the most recognizable sign of Gaza s declining fortunes and the biggest personal disappointment during my mandate. The point of dredging up this history is not to suggest that Israel deserves all the blame for its long and bitter conflict with Hamas. It does not. Hamas bears the blame for every rocket it fires, and those rockets have not only left Israelis scarred and disillusioned. They have also badly undermined the Palestinian cause. The point is to show contrary to the establishment American Jewish narrative that Israel has repeatedly played into Hamas hands by not strengthening those Palestinians willing to pursue statehood through nonviolence and mutual recognition. Israel played into Hamas hands when Sharon refused to seriously entertain the Arab and Geneva peace plans. Israel played into Hamas hands when it refused to support a Palestinian unity government that could have given Abbas the democratic legitimacy that would have strengthened his ability to cut a two state deal. And Israel played into Hamas hands when it responded to the group s takeover of Gaza with a blockade that although it has some legitimate security features has destroyed Gaza s economy, breeding the hatred and despair on which Hamas thrives. In the ten years since Jewish settlers left, Israeli policy toward Gaza has been as militarily resourceful as it has been politically blind. Tragically, that remains the case during this war. Yet tragically, the American Jewish establishment keeps cheering Israel on. ********************************************

The Gaza Strip: A key point in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict

The Gaza Strip: A key point in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict The Gaza Strip: A key point in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict By Al Jazeera, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.05.17 Word Count 1,490 Level 1050L Palestinian children fasten a flag near fishing boats as

More information

November Guidelines for the demilitarization of Gaza and a long-term arrangement in the South. MK Omer Barlev

November Guidelines for the demilitarization of Gaza and a long-term arrangement in the South. MK Omer Barlev November 2014 Guidelines for the demilitarization of Gaza and a long-term arrangement in the South MK Omer Barlev Following Operation Protective Edge Last summer was difficult, very difficult. For the

More information

Regional Issues. Conflicts in the Middle East. Importance of Oil. Growth of Islamism. Oil as source of conflict in Middle East

Regional Issues. Conflicts in the Middle East. Importance of Oil. Growth of Islamism. Oil as source of conflict in Middle East Main Idea Reading Focus Conflicts in the Middle East Regional issues in the Middle East have led to conflicts between Israel and its neighbors and to conflicts in and between Iran and Iraq. How have regional

More information

March 28, Installation of the camp close to Jabalia, Gaza. March 26, Media command installed prior to the march to host journalists.

March 28, Installation of the camp close to Jabalia, Gaza. March 26, Media command installed prior to the march to host journalists. This past Friday, March 30, marked the start of Hamas Great March of Return. By dusk, nearly 20,000 Palestinians could be seen congregating for a series of mass protests in tent cities erected in six locations

More information

H. RES. ll IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H. RES. ll IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TH CONGRESS ST SESSION... (Original Signature of Member) H. RES. ll Recognizing Israel s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, reaffirming the United States strong support for Israel, and supporting

More information

Poll s املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH. Survey Research Unit.

Poll s املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH. Survey Research Unit. املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH Survey Research Unit Poll s 19 March 2019 The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is an independent

More information

Chapter 5 The Peace Process

Chapter 5 The Peace Process Chapter 5 The Peace Process AIPAC strongly supports a negotiated two-state solution a Jewish state of Israel living in peace and security with a demilitarized Palestinian state as the clear path to resolving

More information

[For Israelis only] Q1 I: How confident are you that Israeli negotiators will get the best possible deal in the negotiations?

[For Israelis only] Q1 I: How confident are you that Israeli negotiators will get the best possible deal in the negotiations? December 6, 2013 Fielded in Israel by Midgam Project (with Pollster Mina Zemach) Dates of Survey: November 21-25 Margin of Error: +/- 3.0% Sample Size: 1053; 902, 151 Fielded in the Palestinian Territories

More information

Giving Peace a Chance in the Middle East

Giving Peace a Chance in the Middle East Giving Peace a Chance in the Middle East Oct. 5, 2017 The days when the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the most important one for Arab states are over. By Jacob L. Shapiro On Oct. 4, Palestinian Authority

More information

Special Gaza War Poll 2 September 2014

Special Gaza War Poll 2 September 2014 Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research Special Gaza War Poll 2 September 2014 Gaza War ends with a victory for Hamas leading to a great increase in its popularity and the popularity of its approach

More information

Palestine: Peace and Democracy at Risk, and What Europe Can Do?

Palestine: Peace and Democracy at Risk, and What Europe Can Do? Palestine: Peace and Democracy at Risk, and What Europe Can Do? by Walid Salem 1 A presentation delivered in ELDR Congress "A Liberal Europe for a Free World", Berlin 18-19 October 2007 What the future

More information

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S)

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S) Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S) October 2, 25 Five years of violent confrontation between Israel and the Palestinians: data and characteristics Overview

More information

Polls المركز الفلسطيني للبحوث السياسية والمسحية

Polls المركز الفلسطيني للبحوث السياسية والمسحية المركز الفلسطيني للبحوث السياسية والمسحية Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY Polls Survey Research Unit 12 December 2017 The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is an independent

More information

Joint Presser with President Mahmoud Abbas. delivered 10 January 2008, Muqata, Ramallah

Joint Presser with President Mahmoud Abbas. delivered 10 January 2008, Muqata, Ramallah George W. Bush Joint Presser with President Mahmoud Abbas delivered 10 January 2008, Muqata, Ramallah President Abbas: [As translated.] Your Excellency, President George Bush, President of the United States

More information

Arab-Israeli conflict

Arab-Israeli conflict Arab-Israeli conflict 1948-9 1947- Introduction The land known as Palestine had, by 1947, seen considerable immigration of Jewish peoples fleeing persecution. Zionist Jews were particularly in favour of

More information

The Gaza Crisis and the Politics of the Light Switch

The Gaza Crisis and the Politics of the Light Switch t The Gaza Crisis and the Politics of the Light Switch June 26, 2017 The Gaza Crisis and the Politics of the Light Switch The Gaza Strip is under unprecedented pressure. The situation on the ground has

More information

Defeating Terror Promoting Peace

Defeating Terror Promoting Peace Israel s Operation against Hamas Defeating Terror Promoting Peace 1 Moderates vs. Extremists The Struggle for Regional Peace Israel desires peace with those who seek peace, but must deter those who seek

More information

2011 AIPAC and the State of Israel

2011 AIPAC and the State of Israel 2011 AIPAC and the State of Israel May 26, 2011 Dean Bible Ministries www.deanbible.org Dr. Robert L. Dean, Jr. AIPAC and the State of Israel 2011 Why Do Bible-Believing Christians Support Israel? Gen.

More information

MINDS ON ACTIVITY SETTING THE STAGE. News in Review January 2013 Teacher Resource Guide EIGHT DAYS: Israel and Hamas

MINDS ON ACTIVITY SETTING THE STAGE. News in Review January 2013 Teacher Resource Guide EIGHT DAYS: Israel and Hamas News in Review January 2013 Teacher Resource Guide EIGHT DAYS: Israel and Hamas MINDS ON ACTIVITY 1. Imagine you are living in a nation that has been the target of repeated terrorist attacks from a group

More information

President Mahmoud Abbas Lecture Cooper Union College

President Mahmoud Abbas Lecture Cooper Union College President Mahmoud Abbas Lecture Cooper Union College Sep. 22 nd 2014 President Bharacha, distinguished faculty and guests, religious leaders, dear students and members of the Cooper Union community, thank

More information

Walkthrough: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Art Exhibit

Walkthrough: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Art Exhibit Walkthrough: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Art Exhibit In Hostage: The Bachar tapes, a video presentation included in the Walid Raad exhibit, a character named Souheil Bachar provides testimony about his

More information

My Study Trip to the Middle East

My Study Trip to the Middle East My Study Trip to the Middle East Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter was the thirty-ninth president of the United States (1977-1981). He now heads the Carter Center in Atlanta, which he founded in 1982. These remarks,

More information

The Palestinian-Israeli Pulse: A Joint Poll

The Palestinian-Israeli Pulse: A Joint Poll The Palestinian-Israeli Pulse: A Joint Poll Tables of Findings -- June 2016 V: joint question fully identical I: Israeli only question PV: Joint question Similar, Palestinian version P: Palestinian only

More information

Changing Borders. UN s 1947 Palestine Partition Plan After the 1949 War After the Six-Day War 1967

Changing Borders. UN s 1947 Palestine Partition Plan After the 1949 War After the Six-Day War 1967 Israel vs. Hamas Terror & counterterror orgs are deeply embedded in the century-long struggle between Israelis and Palestinians for control over territory. Understanding the evolution of terror is inseparable

More information

Pray for Israel 20 November 2012

Pray for Israel 20 November 2012 Pray for Israel 20 November 2012 Israel Launches Operation Pillar of Defense Against Hamas After over 7 years of the almost incessant firing of rockets into southern Israeli cities, repeatedly targeting

More information

Carleton University Learning in Retirement Program (Oct-Dec 2017) Israel/Palestine: Will it ever end? Welcome. Peter Larson

Carleton University Learning in Retirement Program (Oct-Dec 2017) Israel/Palestine: Will it ever end? Welcome. Peter Larson Carleton University Learning in Retirement Program (Oct-Dec 2017) Israel/Palestine: Will it ever end? Welcome Peter Larson Introductory videos 1. Rick Steve's The Holy Land: Israelis and Palestinians today

More information

Palestine Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH. Poll Number (17)

Palestine Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH. Poll Number (17) المركز الفلسطيني للبحوث السياسية والمسحية Palestine Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH Polls Survey Research Unit Poll Number (17) 7-9 September 2005 The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research

More information

Islam for Christians. John W. Herbst, PhD

Islam for Christians. John W. Herbst, PhD Islam for Christians John W. Herbst, PhD Islam, the Middle East, and Terrorists: Wisdom for Troubled Times October 19, 2017 Two concepts that shape Muslim thinking on the Middle East 1. The distinction

More information

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S)

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S) Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S) December 12, 2006 Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya firmly positioned himself in the Iranian-Syrian axis during

More information

Polls. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. 8 April Survey Research Unit PRESS RELEASE. Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No (55)

Polls. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. 8 April Survey Research Unit PRESS RELEASE. Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No (55) Polls Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY Survey Research Unit 8 April 2015 The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is an independent nonprofit institution and think tank of policy

More information

Oil in the Middle East

Oil in the Middle East Oil in the Middle East OPEC Member NaEons About 2/3 of the world s known oil reserves are located in the Middle East Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, & other countries have obtained great wealth from

More information

Introduction. Background. Measures to Reconcile the Gaza Strip Crisis between Israel and Palestine. Arab League President. TIANMUN 2018 Arab League 1

Introduction. Background. Measures to Reconcile the Gaza Strip Crisis between Israel and Palestine. Arab League President. TIANMUN 2018 Arab League 1 TIANMUN 2018 Arab League 1 FORUM: ISSUE: STUDENT OFFICER: POSITION: Arab League Measures to Reconcile the Gaza Strip Crisis between Israel and Palestine Isabel Lourie Arab League President Introduction

More information

The United States proposed a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip.

The United States proposed a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. The United States proposed a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip December 6, 2018 Overview On November 30, 2018, the United States Mission

More information

Conference call with Hillel Frisch

Conference call with Hillel Frisch Conference call with Hillel Frisch Omri Ceren: Good afternoon everybody. Thank you for joining us. Thank you in advance to Professor Hillel Frisch, who is here this afternoon to help us unpack some of

More information

Polls. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. 9 December Survey Research Unit PRESS RELEASE. Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No (54)

Polls. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. 9 December Survey Research Unit PRESS RELEASE. Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No (54) Polls Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY Survey Research Unit 9 December 2014 The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is an independent nonprofit institution and think tank of

More information

The Jewish view of civilian casualties in war

The Jewish view of civilian casualties in war Sat 30 Aug 2014 / 4 Elul 5774 Dr Maurice M. Mizrahi Congregation Adat Reyim Lunch and Learn in honor of Maurice s 65 th birthday B H The Jewish view of civilian casualties in war Motivation -Hamas targets

More information

Palestinian Terrorism: Analysis of 2017 and Forecast for 2018

Palestinian Terrorism: Analysis of 2017 and Forecast for 2018 Palestinian Terrorism: Analysis of 2017 and Forecast for 2018 February 15, 2018 The extent of Palestinian terrorism and the policies behind it 1 During 2017 the number of terrorist attacks continued to

More information

The First Arab-Israeli War

The First Arab-Israeli War The First Arab-Israeli War Establishment of the state of Israel / Israeli independence United Nations (UN) taking over the mandate of Palestine and UNSCOP Role of the United Sates and Truman leading up

More information

Polls. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. 15 January Survey Research Unit. Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No (54)

Polls. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. 15 January Survey Research Unit. Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No (54) Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY Polls Survey Research Unit Poll Number (54) 15 January 2015 The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is an independent nonprofit institution

More information

GOD REPLACED ARABS EUROPEANS PAST-FUTURE MOSHE SISELSENDER

GOD REPLACED ARABS EUROPEANS PAST-FUTURE MOSHE SISELSENDER GOD REPLACED ARABS EUROPEANS PAST-FUTURE MOSHE SISELSENDER 1 GOD REPLACED ARABS EUROPEANS PAST-FUTURE 2 THE TROJAN HORSE STATE OF PALESTINE CREATED BY THE EUROPEANS ON NOVEMBER 29, 2012 WAS AN ONGOING

More information

Operation Pillar of Defense

Operation Pillar of Defense 1 Operation Pillar of Defense Our Jewish tradition is no fan of war. On the contrary, we Jews yearn constantly for peace and this is reflected in many of the prayers found in tonight s service. Yet our

More information

Interview with the Ambassador of Palestine in Athens, Marwan Emile Toubassi

Interview with the Ambassador of Palestine in Athens, Marwan Emile Toubassi Centre for Mediterranean, Middle East and Islamic Studies Interview with the Ambassador of Palestine in Athens, Marwan Emile Toubassi The interview was conducted by Zakia Aqra and Raffaele Borreca Athens,

More information

Polls املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. 21 March2016. Survey Research Unit PRESS RELEASE

Polls املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. 21 March2016. Survey Research Unit PRESS RELEASE املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY Polls Survey Research Unit 21 March2016 The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is an independent

More information

Polls املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. 6 October Survey Research Unit

Polls املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. 6 October Survey Research Unit املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY Survey Research Unit 6 October 2015 The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is an independent nonprofit

More information

Professor Shibley Telhami,, Principal Investigator

Professor Shibley Telhami,, Principal Investigator 2008 Annual Arab Public Opinion Poll Survey of the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland (with Zogby International) Professor Shibley Telhami,, Principal Investigator

More information

Palestine Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH. Poll Number (14)

Palestine Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH. Poll Number (14) المركز الفلسطيني للبحوث السياسية والمسحية Palestine Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH Survey Research Unit Poll Number (14) 1-5 December 2004 The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR)

More information

Who speaks for Palestine: the political struggle for Gaza

Who speaks for Palestine: the political struggle for Gaza Roger Williams University DOCS@RWU Macro Center Working Papers Center For Macro Projects and Diplomacy 4-15-2004 Who speaks for Palestine: the political struggle for Gaza Adam Maust Roger Williams University

More information

Poll s املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH. Survey Research Unit.

Poll s املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH. Survey Research Unit. املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH Survey Research Unit Poll s 4 July 2018 The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is an independent

More information

A Christian Response to Israel and the Jewish People Joel 3:1-3

A Christian Response to Israel and the Jewish People Joel 3:1-3 Sermon Notes May 29, 2011 FBCam A Christian Response to Israel and the Jewish People Joel 3:1-3 On May 15, just 2 weeks ago, a worship service at Cornerstone Church was interrupted for over an hour. The

More information

Welcome back! Let s pray. Current news: The leaders of Russia, Iran, and Turkey met in Ankara on Wednesday, April 4 th, for talks on resolving the

Welcome back! Let s pray. Current news: The leaders of Russia, Iran, and Turkey met in Ankara on Wednesday, April 4 th, for talks on resolving the Welcome back! Let s pray. Current news: The leaders of Russia, Iran, and Turkey met in Ankara on Wednesday, April 4 th, for talks on resolving the conflict in Syria. This is basically a meeting between

More information

The "great return march " :

The great return march  : The "great return march " : Demonstrations and riots, Friday, June 8, 2018 June11, 2018 Overview The events of Friday, June 8, 2018, to mark Global Quds Day (initiated every year by Iran) and Naksa Day,

More information

Hamas, Dahlan and the Palestinian Unity Government: What Next for the Gaza Strip?

Hamas, Dahlan and the Palestinian Unity Government: What Next for the Gaza Strip? The October, 2017 Palestinian Unity Government: Factors and Repercussions SITUATION ASSESSMENT Hamas, Dahlan and the Palestinian Unity Government: What Next for the Gaza Strip? Policy Analysis Unit October

More information

'We Palestinian Christians Say Allahu Akbar'

'We Palestinian Christians Say Allahu Akbar' 'We Palestinian Christians Say Allahu Akbar' Nadezhda Kevorkova is a war correspondent who has covered the events of the Arab Spring, military and religious conflicts around the world, and the anti-globalization

More information

THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION SABAN FORUM 2014 STORMY SEAS: THE UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL IN A TUMULTUOUS MIDDLE EAST

THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION SABAN FORUM 2014 STORMY SEAS: THE UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL IN A TUMULTUOUS MIDDLE EAST 1 THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION SABAN FORUM 2014 STORMY SEAS: THE UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL IN A TUMULTUOUS MIDDLE EAST ADDRESS BY ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU Washington, D.C. Sunday, December

More information

THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION FALK AUDITORIUM A STATESMAN S FORUM WITH PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS. Washington, D.C.

THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION FALK AUDITORIUM A STATESMAN S FORUM WITH PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS. Washington, D.C. 1 THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION FALK AUDITORIUM A STATESMAN S FORUM WITH PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS Washington, D.C. Thursday, June 10, 2010 PARTICIPANTS: Introduction and Moderator: MARTIN

More information

Meeting Minutes Erekat Sneh / Dangot 8:30PM June West Jerusalem (Inbal Hotel)

Meeting Minutes Erekat Sneh / Dangot 8:30PM June West Jerusalem (Inbal Hotel) Meeting Minutes Erekat Sneh / Dangot 8:30PM June 19 2006 West Jerusalem (Inbal Hotel) Attendance: Palestinians: Israelis: Dr. Saeb Erekat (SE) COL Hazem Atallah (HA) Nazmi Muhannah (NM) 1 Rami Dajani (RD)

More information

just past and to let its experiences influence our immediate future. This is no less so for the

just past and to let its experiences influence our immediate future. This is no less so for the Rosh Hashanah 5778 By Rabbi Freedman An integral part of Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe is to review the year that has just past and to let its experiences influence our immediate future. This is no

More information

2009 Annual Summary Data and Trends in Palestinian Terrorism Annual Summary. Data and Trends in Palestinian Terrorism

2009 Annual Summary Data and Trends in Palestinian Terrorism Annual Summary. Data and Trends in Palestinian Terrorism 2009 Annual Summary Data and Trends in Palestinian Terrorism Prominent Trends in 2009 2009 displays a significant decline in the amount of attacks coming from the Palestinian Territories as opposed to

More information

Mahmoud Abbas is the first elected president of the Palestinian. Mahmoud Abbas

Mahmoud Abbas is the first elected president of the Palestinian. Mahmoud Abbas BORN: March 26, 1935 Zefat, Palestine Palestinian president The choice is not between Palestinian unity or peace with Israel; it is between a two-state solution or settlement-colonies. Mahmoud Abbas. #

More information

Joint Remarks to the Press Following Bilateral Meeting. Delivered 20 May 2011, Oval Office of the White House, Washington, D.C.

Joint Remarks to the Press Following Bilateral Meeting. Delivered 20 May 2011, Oval Office of the White House, Washington, D.C. Barack Obama Joint Remarks to the Press Following Bilateral Meeting Delivered 20 May 2011, Oval Office of the White House, Washington, D.C. AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly

More information

Inversion Towards Occupation

Inversion Towards Occupation Inversion Towards Occupation A New Challenge to Israel s National Security Concept January 2007 A New Challenge to National Security Crisis in Israel s National Security Concept Israel is in Strategic

More information

Laura Levitt, Temple University

Laura Levitt, Temple University REVENGE, 2002 Laura Levitt, Temple University Revenge 1. To inflict punishment in return for (injury or insult). 2. To seek or take vengeance for (oneself or another person); avenge. (American Heritage

More information

Results of Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No October 2011

Results of Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No October 2011 An-Najah National University Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies Tel: (972) (9) 2345113 Fax: (972)(9) 2345982 Nablus Palestinian: P.O.Box 7, 707 Email: Polls@najah.edu hussein596@yahoo.com Results

More information

OPINION jordan palestine ksa uae iraq. rkey iran egypt lebanon jordan palstine

OPINION jordan palestine ksa uae iraq. rkey iran egypt lebanon jordan palstine aq turkey iran egypt lebanon jordan lestine ksa uae iraq turkey iran egyp banon jordan palestine ksa uae iraq rkey iran egypt lebanon jordan palstine ksa uae iraq turkey iran egypt banon jordan palestine

More information

Israeli-Palestinian Arab Conflict

Israeli-Palestinian Arab Conflict Israeli-Palestinian Arab Conflict Middle East after World War II Middle Eastern nations achieved independence The superpowers tried to secure allies Strategic importance in the Cold War Vital petroleum

More information

ISRAEL, TELL THE WORLD THE TRUTH! By Ariel Natan Pasko October 31, 2005

ISRAEL, TELL THE WORLD THE TRUTH! By Ariel Natan Pasko October 31, 2005 ISRAEL, TELL THE WORLD THE TRUTH! By Ariel Natan Pasko October 31, 2005 This past Shabbat (Saturday) Synagogues and Temples around the world began reading the Torah from the beginning of Genesis again.

More information

THE SABAN CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST POLICY THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION AFTER GAZA. Thursday, October 6, Stein Room Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.

THE SABAN CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST POLICY THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION AFTER GAZA. Thursday, October 6, Stein Room Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. 1 THE SABAN CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST POLICY THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION AFTER GAZA Thursday, October 6, 2005 Stein Room 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. [TRANSCRIPT PREPARED FROM A TAPE RECORDING.]

More information

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC)

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC) Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC) June 12 2008 Israel has decided to give a chance to the Egyptian-brokered talks on a lull

More information

President Trump s Speech Recognizing Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel (6 December 2017)

President Trump s Speech Recognizing Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel (6 December 2017) President Trump s Speech Recognizing Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel (6 December 2017) https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/12/06/statement-president-trump-jerusalem! President Trump presenting

More information

Introduction: Key Terms/Figures/Groups: OPEC%

Introduction: Key Terms/Figures/Groups: OPEC% Council: Historical Security Council Topic: The Question of the Gulf War Topic Expert: Mina Wageeh Position: Chair Introduction: IraqileaderSaddamHusseinorderedtheinvasionandoccupationofneighboringKuwaitonthe

More information

Poll s املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH. Survey Research Unit.

Poll s املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH. Survey Research Unit. املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY RESEARCH Survey Research Unit Poll s 18 December 2018 The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is an

More information

2010 Annual Summary Data and Trends in Terrorism Annual Summary. Data and Trends in Terrorism

2010 Annual Summary Data and Trends in Terrorism Annual Summary. Data and Trends in Terrorism 2010 Annual Summary Data and Trends in Terrorism -2- Prominent trends in 2010 2010 has displayed a drop in the scope of terrorism, much like in previous years. 2010 concludes with 798 terror attacks as

More information

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continue preparing a mass march to the Israeli border ("the great return march"), planned for Land Day, March 30, 2018

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continue preparing a mass march to the Israeli border (the great return march), planned for Land Day, March 30, 2018 March 7, 2018 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continue preparing a mass march to the Israeli border ("the great return march"), planned for Land Day, March 30, 2018 Overview Palestinians in the Gaza Strip

More information

A new Gaza crisis? BICOM Briefing. June Key points. Are we heading for a new conflict in Gaza? What is the current situation on the ground?

A new Gaza crisis? BICOM Briefing. June Key points. Are we heading for a new conflict in Gaza? What is the current situation on the ground? BICOM Briefing A new Gaza crisis? June 2017 Key points The risk of new fighting between Israel and Hamas is increasing as the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip deteriorates, but could be prevented

More information

Polls املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. Survey Research Unit. 20 March 2018

Polls املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. Survey Research Unit. 20 March 2018 املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY Polls Survey Research Unit 20 March 2018 The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is an independent

More information

Remarks by High Representative/Vice- President Federica Mogherini following her

Remarks by High Representative/Vice- President Federica Mogherini following her 08/12/2017-16:56 REMARKS Remarks by High Representative/Vice- President Federica Mogherini following her meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan, Ayman Al Safadi Remarks

More information

ISRAEL NEWS FROM CALVARY CHAPEL JERUSALEM

ISRAEL NEWS FROM CALVARY CHAPEL JERUSALEM ISRAEL NEWS FROM CALVARY CHAPEL JERUSALEM March 3, 2004 ~ Adar 10, 5764 SHARON PLANNING TO BOMB SETTLEMENTS? Deputy Education Minister Tzvi Hendel (National Union) says there are "secret plans" in the

More information

Ford Foundation. Joint Israeli Palestinian Poll, September 2012

Ford Foundation. Joint Israeli Palestinian Poll, September 2012 האוניברסיטה העברית ירושלים המכון למחקר ע"ש הרי ס. טרומן למען קידום השלום The Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Harry S. Truman Research Institute For the Advancement of Peace טל :' 02-5882300/1 פקס :

More information

PREPARATORY MEETING FOR PRESIDENT ABBAS MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER SHARON FEBRUARY 3,2005

PREPARATORY MEETING FOR PRESIDENT ABBAS MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER SHARON FEBRUARY 3,2005 PREPARATORY MEETING FOR PRESIDENT ABBAS MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER SHARON FEBRUARY 3,2005 MEETING NOTES Attendees: Palestine: Dr. Saeb Erekat, Dr. Hassan Abu Libdeh, Mohamad Dahlan, Habib Hazzan Israel:

More information

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S)

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S) May 29, 2006 Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S) Katyusha rockets fired deep into the Galilee led to a day of exchange of heavy fire between the IDF

More information

Polls. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. 27 September Survey Research Unit PRESS RELEASE. Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No (61)

Polls. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. 27 September Survey Research Unit PRESS RELEASE. Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No (61) Polls Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY Survey Research Unit The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is an independent nonprofit institution and think tank of policy analysis

More information

THE MIDDLE EAST IN CURRENT AMERICAN DIPLOMACY. Ambassador Frank G. Wisner Vice-Chair of External Affairs for the American International Group (AIG)

THE MIDDLE EAST IN CURRENT AMERICAN DIPLOMACY. Ambassador Frank G. Wisner Vice-Chair of External Affairs for the American International Group (AIG) THE MIDDLE EAST IN CURRENT AMERICAN DIPLOMACY Ambassador Frank G. Wisner Vice-Chair of External Affairs for the American International Group (AIG) Robertson Hall Princeton University April 2, 2002 When

More information

United Nations General Assembly Fourth Committee Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL)

United Nations General Assembly Fourth Committee Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL) Forum: Issue: Student Officer: Position Mail: United Nations General Assembly Fourth Committee Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL) The question of Syrian Golan Björn Haubold Chair

More information

CUFI BRIEFING HISTORY - IDEOLOGY - TERROR

CUFI BRIEFING HISTORY - IDEOLOGY - TERROR CUFI BRIEFING HEZBOLLAH - THE PARTY OF ALLAH HISTORY - IDEOLOGY - TERROR Who is Hezbollah Hezbollah, an Arabic name that means Party of Allah (AKA: Hizbullah, Hezbullah, Hizbollah), is a large transnational

More information

Palestinian Public Opinion: Peace, Politics, and Policy

Palestinian Public Opinion: Peace, Politics, and Policy Palestinian Public Opinion: Peace, Politics, and Policy October 2009 Palestinians want a two-state solution, though many would consider a provisional state. Here are several options for a Palestinian state.

More information

DIA Alumni Association. The Mess in the Middle East August 19, 2014 Presented by: John Moore

DIA Alumni Association. The Mess in the Middle East August 19, 2014 Presented by: John Moore DIA Alumni Association The Mess in the Middle East August 19, 2014 Presented by: John Moore The Mess in the Middle East Middle East Turmoil Trends since Arab Spring started Iraq s civil war; rise of the

More information

Two-State Solution Suddenly a Minority Position

Two-State Solution Suddenly a Minority Position Two-State Solution Suddenly a Minority Position The main Palestinian national goal for the next five years is... No opinion/don t know, 2.8% No opinion/don t know, 1.6% Work for one-state solution, 11.2%

More information

Overview. cases, these events are characterized by a high level of violence, resulting in casualties

Overview. cases, these events are characterized by a high level of violence, resulting in casualties January 16, 2019 Examination of the list of fatalities in the return marches reveals that most of them are operatives of terrorist organizations, about half of whom affiliated with Hamas Overview The events

More information

The Peace Index - May 2018 (N=600) 28-30/5/2018

The Peace Index - May 2018 (N=600) 28-30/5/2018 The Peace Index - May 2018 (N=600) 28-30/5/2018 1. What is your position on conducting peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority? Strongly in favor 23.4 37.2 25.7 Moderately in favor

More information

The American Public on the Islamic World

The American Public on the Islamic World The American Public on the Islamic World June 7, 2005 Comments By PIPA Director Steven Kull at the Conference on US-Islamic World Relations Co-Sponsored by the Qatar Foreign Ministry and the Saban Center

More information

ISRAEL. The Historical Atlas. The Story of Israel From Ancient Times to the Modern Nation By Correspondents of The New York Times.

ISRAEL. The Historical Atlas. The Story of Israel From Ancient Times to the Modern Nation By Correspondents of The New York Times. ISRAEL The Historical Atlas The Story of Israel From Ancient Times to the Modern Nation By Correspondents of The New York Times Joel Brinkley Malcolm W. Browne Peter Grose Bernard Gwertzman Clyde Haberman

More information

Polls املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. 14 December Survey Research Unit PRESS RELEASE

Polls املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية. Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY. 14 December Survey Research Unit PRESS RELEASE املركز الفلسطيين للبحوث السياسية واملسحية Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY Polls Survey Research Unit 14 ember 2015 The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is an independent

More information

The Big Lie #1 The Palestinians have held the land known as Palestine since the seventh century.

The Big Lie #1 The Palestinians have held the land known as Palestine since the seventh century. It has been said that the first casualty of war is truth. That is why it is important for Christians to sort out the facts from the fiction being reported in the news media concerning the ongoing war between

More information

22.2 THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN. Birthplace of three major world religions Jerusalem:

22.2 THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN. Birthplace of three major world religions Jerusalem: 22.2 THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN Birthplace of three major world religions Jerusalem: Jews Historical: Modern Capital of : Visited my many each year Temple Mount Christians Historical: Modern Mount of Olives

More information

AMALEK STRIKES AGAIN

AMALEK STRIKES AGAIN AMALEK STRIKES AGAIN Remember! (Sermon for Shabbat Zahor, March 19, 2011) By Rabbi Haskel Lookstein זכור את אשר עשה לך עמלק...לא תשכח! Remember what Amalek did to you do not forget. The actual Hebrew word

More information

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 154 STATE OF NEW JERSEY. 216th LEGISLATURE INTRODUCED SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 154 STATE OF NEW JERSEY. 216th LEGISLATURE INTRODUCED SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. STATE OF NEW JERSEY th LEGISLATURE INTRODUCED SEPTEMBER, 0 Sponsored by: Assemblyman CHRIS A. BROWN District (Atlantic) Assemblyman GARY S. SCHAER District (Bergen and Passaic)

More information

Senior Palestinian figures, including clerics, call for boycotting the municipal elections in Jerusalem. Overview

Senior Palestinian figures, including clerics, call for boycotting the municipal elections in Jerusalem. Overview Senior Palestinian figures, including clerics, call for boycotting the municipal elections in Jerusalem September 20, 2018 Overview On October 30, 2018, the municipal elections in Jerusalem are to take

More information

Is the Church Committed to Middle East Peace?

Is the Church Committed to Middle East Peace? Is the Church Committed to Middle East Peace? An Open Letter to United Methodist Leaders Back in 1989, when my wife, Brenda, and I were commissioned as missionaries with the United Methodist Church, we

More information

Polls المركز الفلسطيني للبحوث السياسية والمسحية

Polls المركز الفلسطيني للبحوث السياسية والمسحية المركز الفلسطيني للبحوث السياسية والمسحية Palestinian Center for POLICY and SURVEY Polls Survey Research Unit 18 December 2017 The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is an independent

More information

Peace Talks over Jerusalem

Peace Talks over Jerusalem Peace Talks over Jerusalem A Review of the Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations Concerning Jerusalem 1993-2011 Lior Lehrs 2011 Executive Summary Introduction The issue of Jerusalem is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian

More information