Israel Largest Land Grab in 30 Years Take 1000 Acres of Palestinean Land

[DonLever]

From the Daily Mail:

Israel’s decision to grab nearly 1,000 acres of Palestinian land to build settlements was condemned by David Cameron yesterday as ‘utterly deplorable’.

Israel announced on Sunday that an area of the West Bank, near existing settlements at Etzion, south of Bethlehem, has been designated as ‘state land’ which means it can be used for homes for Israelis.

The move came days after an indefinite ceasefire brought an end to weeks of conflict in Gaza during which more than 2,100 Palestinians and 73 Israelis were killed.

Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of building obstacles to the creation of a Palestinian state and a lasting peace.

Mr Cameron, addressing MPs on the summer crises in Iraq, Russia and Gaza, used unusually strong language to condemn the move.

He said that while Israel had a right to defend its civilians against the ‘terrorist tactics’ of Hamas, this did not mean supporting all the Israeli government’s decisions

‘The appropriation of nearly 1,000 acres of land in the West Bank near Bethlehem is utterly deplorable,’ he said.

‘Settlements are illegal under international law and will do nothing to create the kind of peace process we all want, and we urge the Israeli government to reverse this decision.’

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said it was ‘a particularly ill-judged decision that comes at a time when the priority must be to build on the ceasefire in Gaza.’

The US also criticised the move, calling it ‘counterproductive to Israel’s stated goal of a negotiated two-state solution with the Palestinians’.

Mr Cameron has faced criticism over his response to the crisis, in which he has staunchly backed Israel’s right to defend itself in the face of constant rocket attacks from Hamas.

But he has long criticised the illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where around half a million Israelis live. Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan during the Six Day War in 1967.

Israel Radio said the step was taken in response to the kidnapping and killing of three Jewish teens by Hamas militants in the area in June.

Tensions stoked by the incident quickly spread to Israel's border with Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, and the two sides engaged in a seven-week war that ended on Tuesday with an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.

This announcement, like every other settlement announcement Israel makes, planning step they approve and construction tender they issue, is counterproductive to Israel's stated goal of a negotiated two-state solution with the Palestinian

- U.S. State Department official

The notice published on Sunday by the Israeli military gave no reason for the land appropriation decision.

Peace Now, which opposes Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank, territory the Palestinians seek for a state, said the appropriation was meant to turn a site where 10 families now live adjacent to a Jewish seminary into a permanent settlement.

Construction of a major settlement at the location, known as 'Gevaot', has been mooted by Israel since 2000. Last year, the government invited bids for the building of 1,000 housing units at the site.

Peace Now said the land seizure was the largest announced by Israel in the West Bank since the 1980s and that anyone with ownership claims had 45 days to appeal. A local Palestinian mayor said Palestinians owned the tracts and harvested olive trees on them.

Israel has come under intense international criticism over its settlement activities, which most countries regard as illegal under international law and a major obstacle to the creation of a viable Palestinian state in any future peace deal.

Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, called on Israel to cancel the appropriation. 'This decision will lead to more instability. This will only inflame the situation after the war in Gaza,' Abu Rdainah said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broke off U.S.-brokered peace talks with Abbas in April after the Palestinian leader reached a reconciliation deal with Hamas, the Islamist movement that dominates the Gaza Strip.

In a series of remarks after an open-ended ceasefire halted the Gaza war, Netanyahu repeated his position that Abbas would have to sever his alliance with Hamas for a peace process with Israel to resume.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2739781/Israel-fire-largest-West-Bank-land-grab-30-years-soldiers-swoop-1-000-acres-Palestinian-territory.html#ixzz3C7MetPNx
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[Dral]

let me begin...

Israel good... Russia bad !

[Watermelon]

I bet Taxi and Special Ed will say its to protect themselves. I still say Israel is a bigger terrorist than Hamas

[Dral]

I bet Taxi and Special Ed will say its to protect themselves. I still say Israel is a bigger terrorist than Hamas

that's pretty ignorant

[DonLever]

Why are there no sanctions against Israel by the West, yet there are sanctions against Russia for doing the same thing by taking parts of the Ukraine?

Can you spell H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-S-Y?

[TheOgRook]

I bet Taxi and Special Ed will say its to protect themselves. I still say Israel is a bigger terrorist than Hamas

Easy now, I wouldn't go that far...this conflict has been nasty between both sides for as long as history books have been written. Both sides have committed atrocities. There's a reason we pray for peace....it's not just as simple we would like it to be

[DefCon1]

let me begin...

Israel good... Russia bad !

Yep...such a weird world isn't it? Soon Israel will take over the whole Palestinian land and make Palestinians homeless. Just imagine that Palestinians had a land before and in the future they might be homeless.

[FramingDragon]

Wouldn't it be better if those ISIS idiots were bringing hell to the IDF instead? I almost want to just pluck them and drop them off near Israeli bases. I feel like the two would complement each other nicely. It's revenge porn I fap to.

[Watermelon]

that's pretty ignorant

Both are terrorists but one of them gets away with it

[Dral]

Why are there no sanctions against Israel by the West, yet there are sanctions against Russia for doing the same thing by taking parts of the Ukraine?

Can you spell H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-S-Y?

Yep...such a weird world isn't it? Soon Israel will take over the whole Palestinian land and make Palestinians homeless. Just imagine that Palestinians had a land before and in the future they might be homeless.

They are actually pretty different situations.... I was being facetious with that remark...

Ukraine doesn't fire 3,000 rockets per day at Russia

The Palestinians don't owe Israel billions of dollars

the list figuratively goes on forever.... and the two situations really aren't comparable at all

[DefCon1]

Easy now, I wouldn't go that far...this conflict has been nasty between both sides for as long as history books have been written. Both sides have committed atrocities. There's a reason we pray for peace....it's not just as simple we would like it to be

Peace? There won't be no peace, ever, in that region as long as Israel keeps expanding. Why would the Palestinians bend over like a cheap whore and let Israel rape them of their land? I would be pissed if I was a Palestinian right now, seeing as my land get reduced to nothing. Good luck with peace. There wouldn't be any problem if Israel wasn't created by UN (a pretty useless organization).

[Dral]

Wouldn't it be better if those ISIS idiots were bringing hell to the IDF instead? I almost want to just pluck them and drop them off near Israeli bases. I feel like the two would complement each other nicely. It's revenge porn I fap to.

pffft, everyone knows chicks don't fap

[DefCon1]

that's pretty ignorant

Its not ignorant, it just depends which side you are supporting. In my eyes, both of them are no different.

[FramingDragon]

pffft, everyone knows chicks don't fap

You're right, they schlick

[Dral]

Its not ignorant, it just depends which side you are supporting. In my eyes, both of them are no different.

You should probably go see a doctor about getting glasses

[Dral]

You're right, they schlick

[Rounoush]

Everyone just do yourself a favor in this conflict.

Don't pick a side.

[FramingDragon]

RE: Terrorism

Both sides are right but they are arguing for the wrong thing. For some reason, "terrorism" has become a catch all phrase for everything terrible done by a group so when someone says "USA/Israel/NATO/whatever are the REAL terrorists" what they really mean to say is that they are just as cruel, or lacking humanity etc. [tip: just say that instead]

What is being overlooked when that happens is that the term terrorism has requirements (although those grey as well and depends on context) when used in a technical sense has nothing to do with the moral validity of the cause by the organization. Terrorist organizations are traditionally not seen as state run, rather they are the equivalent of guerilla militias fighting against national armed forces. Terrorist tactics are not just random rampages (ie, Elliot Rodgers) but deliberate acts of violence by a minority organization (from my understanding) for political gains, especially against non-combatants.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitions_of_terrorism

This is a really interesting read

[Hugor Hill]

1000 acres? That's it? I expected more from Israel... perhaps they are playing the long game.

[Solinar]

Comparing Ukraine to Hamas, and Russia to Israel, seems to be like not being able to comprehend the news we get to read/hear.

Ukraine is in massive debt to Russia. Also used to be part of Russia. Russia wants her back. Prime farmland, more people to pay more taxes, etc. I don't agree with it, but that sure ain't going to stop Ukrainians being split on the issue. Some want Russia back, others don't. Now Russia is going to wait for winter, as they cut all the gas off to the Ukraine and bring them to their knees.

The Palestinians vs Israel goes back to ...well, when the Jewish people went to Israel after escaping Egyptian slavery. Israelis take over, kick palestinians out and then the reverse happens, ad nauseum. They both do horrible things to each other. They never forget those horrible things, and continue to feel justified in continuing said horrible things to each other.

If you really want to solve this conflict you could relocate the israelis again. You could relocate the palestinians. Of course, they'll eventually gravitate back to each other and bam.

I don't agree with Israel bombing the crap out of Hamas...but then again, I don't agree with Hamas firing rockets into Israel. The main thing I get from the people supporting Hamas here is that they feel that Hamas is justified because they just aren't as good at protecting themselves from rockets as the Israelis have been. I mean, as far as intentions go, Hamas wants to murder just as much as the israelis do, they just seem to not be as well equipped to do so.

I say this, cripple them all financially...except, well, the arab world won't allow that to happen to their spiritual allies...and the jewish community and their allies won't allow it to happen to the Israelis...

At least with Russia and Ukraine, we might actually be able to successfully negotiate a lasting peace.