Palestine did indeed exist

Wow! That’s the nicest thing I can say in print after reading Hena Schlund’s letter of Dec. 4 (‘Fact is, there is no Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip’).

She is ignoring what is and has been happening to the people of Gaza, formerly the country of Palestine, for the past 60 years.

If I were to deny the Holocaust, I would be charged with a crime, yet Schlund denies what has happened to the people of Palestine, who have been living in that area for the past 2,000 years or so.

Time to check our history books.

Let’s start with maps.

Prior to 1945, National Geographic maps clearly show a country called Palestine with a capital city.  This changed after the Second World War when England pulled out due to violent actions perpetrated by Jewish terrorists (look up the bombing of the King David Hotel in the 1940s).

In 79 A.D. the Roman Empire wiped out Israel. The area then belonged to many other countries, until it became the country of Palestine.

The current country of Israel was founded by taking the land from the Palestinians, who could not stand up to the combined might of England and the U.S. at the end of the war.

These two countries decided to create a country for the Jewish people due to what happened during the war.

I can imagine how those Palestinians felt when they were told their country was not going to be theirs any more.

Israel says it is protecting its people from hostile attacks that won’t stop.

How about this? Give the land back to those who were there before Israel.

Stop building illegal settlements in land that is not Israel’s. Acknowledge the rights of those who were there before Israel and they may acknowledge Israel’s rights.

Israel may not have death camps,  but it does force a select ethnic group into a small walled-off area and prevent them from having free will, the ability to travel freely and the ability to call themselves free.

Sounds very familiar to anyone who lived in Warsaw during the 1940s.

Thousands of Palestinians have died due to this conflict; hundreds of Israelis, too. Both sides are to blame, but one side started it all. It’s time for that side to take the higher road and actually want to make peace.

Until then, this is all going to continue.

Michael Martin

Kamloops

via Kamloops This Week – Palestine did indeed exist.

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Filipino workers may go to Israel, Gaza again

The Department of Labor and Employment has lifted the deployment ban to the Gaza Strip and parts of Israel, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said over the weekend.

Baldoz said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) board allowed the deployment of new hires to the Gaza Strip and the southern and central Israel towns and cities of Sderot, Beersheva, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

“We issued the resolution based on the recommendation of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) which lifted its alert level 2 status for southern and central Israel and alert level 4 status for the Gaza Strip,” Baldoz said.

Aside from Baldoz, POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, governing board chairman, and board members Alexander E. Asuncion and Guillermina T. Gabor signed the resolution lifting the deployment ban.

The ban was imposed after the DFA on Nov. 20 raised its alert level in the Gaza Strip to level 4 and in southern and central Israel to level 2 due to the armed conflict between the Hamas and the Israelis.

“The DFA recommended the lifting of the above Alert Levels in view of reports from the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv that the situation in Israel has stabilized and that the ceasefire agreement announced on 21 November 2012 continues to be observed by both sides,” said the POEA governing board resolution.

Baldoz said that under Republic Act No. 10022, the POEA Governing Board, after consultations with the DFA, is authorized to impose or lift a ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers to any country.

via Workers may fly to Israel, Gaza again—DOLE | Inquirer Global Nation.

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Palestine, EU Finalize Joint 5-Year Action Plan

Around 30 officials from PA ministries and the European Union convened to exchange their views on all key political, economic and development sectors.

The meeting was the eighth time representatives from the two sides have met as part of this high-level policy meeting. It was also the first time the joint committee has taken stock of the work done during the year on the committee’s expanded group of six separate policy dialogue forums on issues ranging from human rights to trade.

The Palestinian side was headed by Mazen Jadallah, advisor to Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Institutions Performance Affairs, and Christian Berger, director for North Africa and Middle East in the European External Action Service, represented the European side.

“The successful holding of this Joint Committee and the increased PA ownership of the ENP process is testament to the strengthened institutional capacity of the PA,” said the EU statement. “The EU has been instrumental in supporting the Palestinians in their state-building efforts. These efforts will continue following the Palestinian enhanced non-member observer state status at the United Nations.”

The joint committee is currently the highest level body bringing together officials from the EU and the PA. It takes place on an annual basis in Brussels and Ramallah in the context of the ENP and the EU – PA Joint Action Plan.

The EU – PLO joint committee reviews the work done by a total of six policy dialogue forums, known as subcommittees, which cover human rights, good governance, rule of law, trade, internal market, agriculture, education, culture, social affairs, energy and water issues.

M.S.

via Palestine News & Info Agency – WAFA – PA, EU Finalize Joint 5-Year Action Plan.

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Fellow Muslims helping Gaza

“We hope to carry out follow-up missions soon. I will meet the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (Datuk Seri Anifah Aman) for their views and advice on our follow-up action,” he said.

On that note, he urged all parties to put aside their political differences to ensure the success of the aid mission for the people of Palestine who are also fellow Muslims.

The humanitarian aid mission organised by KP1M and the 1Malaysia Youth Movement which brought along US$1.5 million (RM4.5 million) worth of aid concluded their mission to Gaza Thursday and will move to Cairo, Egypt to present assistance there.

The volunteers in the mission are scheduled to fly home Friday night. – Bernama

via Abdul Azeez appointed honorary ambassador for Palestine – Nation | The Star Online.

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Israel-Palestine: A better two-state solution

According to the CBC, 87% of Canadians approved the elevation of Palestine to observer status at the United Nations last week, and disapproved the stance of the Canadian government opposing this move. I assume that the CBC poll is reasonably professional, (unlike these jokey polls the Toronto Star likes to cite, including in matters related to me, in which recorded telephone conversations are randomly launched in small numbers around metropolitan areas, producing whatever results the Star seeks). Presumably, Canadians approve a two-state solution and think that this is just a positive step in that direction. And even the comments of respected commentators in the National Post, such as Jonathan Kay and my dear friend David Frum, tend to strengthen that view.

via Israel-Palestine: A better two-state solution | Full Comment | National Post.

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