1841

+10,000.

1842

Because radical Israeli settlement groups started them decades ago as a way to reclaim what they see as Israeli land by creating “facts on the ground” in the sense that once there were enough jews living on the land it could be properly annexed. And once jews started moving in the Israeli army was then obligated to protect them from the less-than-appreciative locals.

Currently there are very well-funded settlement groups that buy up palestinian land and then turn around and subsidise families of jews who move in by waiving a substantial part of their rent/living costs to encourage more jewish residents.

1843

And then some other religious nutcases delivered a box of Korans to the Mosque.

Two settler rabbis on Tuesday delivered a box of Korans to a West Bank mosque which had been torched by vandals, in an unusual peace gesture welcomed by Palestinians.

Several hundred Palestinians cheered as the two rabbis arrived at the mosque in bulletproof Land Rovers accompanied by a small delegation of Israeli soldiers.

1844

The choice between compassion/empathy and hate/disassociation lies within each person?

1845

Israeli settlers have begun building new homes at a quick pace since the government lifted its moratorium on West Bank housing starts - almost 550 in three weeks, more than four times faster than the last two years.

And many homes are going up in areas that under practically any peace scenario would become part of a Palestinian state, a trend that could hamper U.S.-brokered peace talks.

The building spurt of the past three weeks compares to average annual housing starts of about 2,000 in recent years, including just under 1,900 in 2009 and just over 2,100 in 2008, according to government figures. That is a rate of about 115 in three weeks, making the current pace more than four times faster.

The actual number is likely higher. When officials provided a range, the AP used the lowest figure. And it did not include 133 apartments a contractor said he was building in three settlements, because he did not say how many were already started.

1846

Hey, if they want to be Palestinian citizens in fifteen years, that’s fine with me.

1847

But we all know that’s no going to happen.

I’ve come to accept that it seems like a good chunk of Israeli society is quite happy with the way things are now. There’s a low level conflict that permits a degree bad behaviour that is fully supported by the US and no doubt helps keep the Israeli state more conservative than it would otherwise be. What could they gain from peace? Not much. And until there is far more to gain from peace than from no-peace, there’s no real incentive to compromise. It’s the same story the world over.

1848

Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has reportedly met stiff opposition within his cabinet to a US proposal for freezing settlement construction in the West Bank for 90 days.

In exchange for the new 90-day proposed freeze, the US has made several offers, reportedly including the steeply discounted sale to Israel of 20 F-35 stealth aircraft, worth an estimated $3bn.

$3 Billion+ in exchange for stopping construction for 90 days? Must be good work if you can get it.

1849

You know, just once, we should try negotiating like this: stop expanding or we stop supporting you.

1850

JERUSALEM – Three dozen top Israeli rabbis threw their support Tuesday behind a religious ruling barring Jews from selling or renting homes to non-Jews - an indication of growing radicalism within the rabbinical community at a time of mounting friction between Israeli Arabs and Jews.

The action by the clerics - who are chief rabbis in some of Israel’s largest cities and influential among the devout - quickly fueled charges of racism. It was also likely to deepen the feelings of alienation growing between Israel’s majority Jews and minority Arabs, and widen the schism between secular and religious Jews.

The religious opinion first became a focus of controversy last year when the chief rabbi of Safed - a town in northern Israel that has a large concentration of devout Jews - urged that it be applied specifically to Arabs.

Nitai Morgenstern, an aide to Safed’s chief rabbi, Shmuel Eliahu, said the town has “a problem of a lot of people renting and selling to Arabs, and that destroys the city’s social fabric.”

Recently, a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews asked other chief rabbis to express their support for the ruling to prove it has widespread backing, Morgenstern said Tuesday. Thirty-seven rabbis signed it and The Associated Press obtained a copy of the ruling with their signatures attached on Tuesday.

Morgenstern said he understood how this attitude could cause friction with the Arab minority, which accounts for one-fifth of Israel’s population of 7.6 million.

“But people have to see the other side,” he said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/07/AR2010120701364.html

1851

One can only assume the development of ‘Frickin’ laser beams!’ is next.

An Egyptian official has claimed that a shark that killed one person and left four others injured in Egypt could have been placed there by agents from Mossad, the Israeli spy agency.

1852

Damn - first car bombs, and now sharks?!? Those Mossad agents are pretty vicious! ;)

1853

You’ll never find a president or congress that would do that.

1854

US gives up on trying to convince/bribe Israel into freezing settlement construction

Oslo Peace Initiative, 1993-2010

1855

They probably threatened to unleash the sharks on US beaches…

1856

This seems appropriate.

1857

After the cable revelation, one answer might have been: ignore consequences as always and bomb to smithereens the ambulances of all protected relief agencies, but especially Red Crescent.

1858

Ehud Barak leaves the Labor party (which he supposedly led) ahead of a vote that was expected to force him to quit the government over Netanyahu’s refusal to negotiate in good faith with the Palestinians.

Mr. Barak said at a news conference that Labor had drifted too far from the mainstream and that he was tired of the pressure to withdraw from the government over the lack of progress on peace.

Translation: “my being a cabinet minister is more important than my principles.”

With the Labor party chopped in half from what was already a weakened party after the last election, there’s no real left-of-center party left in Israel. So much for that peace with the Palestinians thing!



1859

A very interesting documentary from Louis Theroux, where he spends time with Israeli’s in the disputed areas of the West Bank: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ybyxp/Louis_Theroux_Ultra_Zionists/ It’s bbc iplayer so not sure how easy it will be for everyone to see, but it is worth it.

1860

I’m actually glad I can’t watch that here in NZ as it would be depressing, I am sure.