‘You will never break our will’ – Palestinians to Netanyahu after Jordan Valley annexation pledge

middleeastmonitor.com September 11, 2019

“It’s our parents’ and grandparents’ land. We will hold onto it no matter what it costs.”

‘You will never break our will’ – Palestinians to Netanyahu after Jordan Valley annexation pledge

Palestinian protesters hold placards prior to the arrival of the Israeli prime minister to attend a state memorial ceremony at the Ibrahimi mosque, in the West Bank city of Hebron on 4 September 2019. [Mosab Shawer-Apaimages]

Palestinians tilling the fertile Jordan Valley said on Wednesday they have been rooted for generations to the West Bank land that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to annex, and they vowed never to give it up, Reuters reports.

“We tell Netanyahu, and whoever follows him, you will not break the Palestinians’ will, you will never break our will, never, never,” said Hassan Al-Abedi, a 55-year-old farmer who lives in the village of Jiftlik.

“It’s our parents’ and grandparents’ land. We will hold onto it no matter what it costs.”

Drawing condemnation from Palestinian and other Arab leaders , the right-wing Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that he plans to “apply Israeli sovereignty” to the Jordan Valley and adjacent northern Dead Sea if he prevails in what is shaping up as a tough battle for re-election on Sept. 17.

Palestinians seek to establish a state in all of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and their leaders said Israeli annexation would violate international law and effectively nullify interim peace deals from the 1990s that included security cooperation.

Against the backdrop of Jordan’s desert mountain range to the east, Palestinian farmers tended their crops and worried about their future in an area where the town of Jericho and the River Jordan are reminders of a biblical past.

“This is not Netanyahu’s land to give,” said Ismael Hassan, a 75-year-old Palestinian from Zbeidat village. “Whether or not Netanyahu succeeds (in the election) we won’t accept it. This land is for Palestine, for the Palestinians.”

In Israel, which captured the West Bank in a 1967 war, Netanyahu’s declaration was widely seen as a bid to sap support from far-right election rivals who advocate annexation of Jewish settlements, and from a centre-left that for decades has argued that the Jordan Valley should be kept on security grounds.

Retaining the Jordan Valley would effectively leave Israel encircling any Palestinian political entity that emerges.

CRAFTING OPINION

Following up on his speech with remarks on Facebook on Wednesday, Netanyahu took credit for having persuaded U.S. President Donald Trump to recognise Israeli sovereignty over another strategic slice of occupied territory – the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in 1967 – and to relocate the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.

The White House was informed in advance of Tuesday’s annexation announcement, Netanyahu said, adding that he was “crafting opinion in favour of recognition of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley”.

U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu (R) show members of the media the proclamation Trump signed on recognising Israel’s sovereignty over Golan Heights after their meeting outside the West Wing of the White House 25 March 2019 in Washington, DC. [Alex Wong/Getty Images]

A U.S. official confirmed Washington had been pre-notified but said the announcement was not coordinated between the sides.

“He (Netanyahu) is a politician making a political statement,” another U.S. official said.

Netanyahu’s decision to issue the promise showed, however, that he had little reason to fear any pushback from the Trump administration, which has hewed to a heavily pro-Israel policy and backed him at almost every turn since taking Trump took office in 2017.

BREADBASKET, BORDER

Some 53,000 Palestinians and around 12,800 Israeli settlers live in the Jordan Valley, according to monitor Peace Now. The main Palestinian city in the region is Jericho, with around 28 villages and smaller Bedouin communities.

Palestinians often refer to the Jordan Valley as their “breadbasket”. In his speech on Tuesday, Netanyahu described it as Israel’s eastern border with Jordan.

“Even Netanyahu’s main rivals believe that any Palestinian entity that is established in the West Bank should be completely encircled by Israel, having no border with Jordan,” said Nathan Thrall, an International Crisis Group analyst.

“The annexation plan shouldn’t be dismissed as election bluster. If re elected, Netanyahu will be under tremendous pressure to implement it.”

The valley, which at 2,400 square kilometres (926 square miles) accounts for nearly 30% of the West Bank, has dozens of Palestinian farms as well as open areas that the Palestinian Authority has sought to develop for solar energy projects and industrial zones.

There are some 30 mainly agricultural settlements in the area, along with 18 smaller Israeli outposts, Peace Now says.

“It’s impossible to have a Palestinian state without the Jordan Valley,” chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters in an interview from his office in Jericho.

“My prosperity can come (only) if I can control my natural resources, my shores on the Dead Sea, my shores on the Mediterranean, my water, my land.”

Erekat said the Palestinians would welcome “a third party presence” such as NATO or the European Union but said: “A Israeli military or civilian presence in the state of Palestine is not okay. Because this will not make peace.”

Israeli leaders have ruled out such a foreign peacekeeper force, citing the failure of a similar proposal for Gaza after Israel quit that territory in 2005.

“We did not get an era of peace. We got three wars. We’re not going to allow that to happen to our east,” said Dore Gold, a Netanyahu confidant who runs the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs think-tank.

POLITICAL GAMBIT

The last round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down in 2014.

The Trump administration is expected to release its long-delayed peace plan after Israel’s election, and it is still unclear the proposal will adhere to previous U.S. support for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.

That rollout is unlikely to be affected even if Netanyahu goes ahead with the Jordan Valley annexation plan after the election, a U.S. official said.

Palestinians have boycotted the Trump administration, accusing it of pro-Israel bias.

A far-right coalition partner of Netanyahu hinted at doubt about the premier’s sincerity, saying there had been no movement on the Jordan Valley question during his decade in power. “How come this matter (annexation) is coming up now, a week before the election?” Bezalel Smotrich told Israel’s Army Radio.

Netanyahu also reaffirmed a pledge to annex all of the settlements Israel has established in the West Bank. But he said that broader step could take longer and required “maximum coordination” with Washington.

Netanyahu is fighting for his political life after an inconclusive election in April. His right-wing Likud party is running neck and neck in opinion polls with former armed forces chief Benny Gantz’s Blue and White. 

"Operation Yellowhammer" - The Document

Wales On Line  11 SEP 2019

By Ruth Mosalski Political Editor

 "Operation Yellowhammer" - The Document

Government publishes secret Operation Yellowhammer plans for a no-deal Brexit

The Government has released documents relating to Operation Yellowhammer - its contingency plan for a no-deal Brexit.

MPs won a vote to force the Government to release the documents on Monday.

Only one section of the document is redacted. The rest shows:

• 'Low-income groups will be disproportionate affected by any price rises in food and fuel'
• Disruption at ports will last three months before it starts to improve
• Lorries could face delays of up to 2.5 days
• As Brits will face immigration checks, there will be delays at airports, train stations and ports
• Electricity prices will increase "significantly" to consumers and businesses
• Medicines are "particularly vulnerable" to extended delays
• It will be harder to prevent and control disease outbreaks
• Supplies of fresh food will decrease - there is a risk of panic buying
• UK nationals overseas will lose rights and access to services
• Protests and counter-protests will take place across the UK - 'there may be a rise in public disorder and community tensions'
• Trade with Ireland will be "severely" disrupted with "agri-food" hardest hit
• There is a likelihood of clashes between fishing vessels as EU nations fishing vessels will be in UK waters
• Care for the elderly services are vulnerable.

The document is titled: "Operation Yellowhammer: HMG Reasonable Worst Case Planning Assumptions"

On Wednesday, business secretary Andrea Leadsom said that Operation Yellowhammer documents were a "worst case scenario" about leaving without a deal rather than a "prediction".

"I actually do not think that it serves people well to see what is absolutely the worst thing that could happen."

The Prime Minister's spokesman said MPs demands to see Operation Yellowhammer, and messages by Downing Street staff about prorogation were "disproportionate and unprecedented".

The documents are here .

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By Associated Press September 11, 2019 

Massive Rally for Catalonia's Secession in Barcelona

BARCELONA, SPAIN - Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards who support the secession of Catalonia gathered in Barcelona on the region’s main holiday Wednesday, just weeks before a highly anticipated verdict in a case against 12 leaders of the separatist movement.

Supporters of Catalan secession came from all parts of the wealthy northeastern region to its main city. Many carried flags or wore T-shirts supporting Catalan independence as they met for the rally in a large public square.

Protesters hold esteladas or independence flags as they take part in a demonstration during the Catalan National Day in Barcelona, Spain, Sept. 11, 2019. 

The Sept. 11 holiday memorializes the fall of Barcelona in the Spanish War of Succession in 1714. Since 2012, it has become the date of massive rallies for the region’s secessionist movement.

The Barcelona police said that around 600,000 people turned out for the event.

Polls and the most recent election results show that the region’s 7.5 million residents are roughly equally split between those in favor and those against breaking with the rest of Spain.

Spain’s caretaker prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, who has tried to thaw tensions with Catalonia since taking power last year, wrote on Twitter that “Today should be a day for all Catalans. For the path of dialogue within the Constitution, harmonious coexistence, respect and understanding.”

This year’s rally comes while a dozen leaders of Catalonia’s 2017 failed attempt to secede await a verdict from the Supreme Court on charges that include rebellion. They face spending several years behind bars if found guilty, and a heavy punishment would most likely spark public protests in Catalonia. The verdict is expected this month or next.

The movement, however, is going through its most difficult period since separatist sentiment was fueled by the previous decade’s economic difficulties, from which Spain has only recovered in recent years.

The pro-secession political parties have yet to agree on what the response to a guilty verdict by the Supreme Court should be. That has earned the criticism of the leading grassroots groups which have fueled the secessionist drive.

Regional Catalan president Quim Torra says that a guilty verdict would provide an opportunity to make another push for independence, without specifying how that could be carried out.

“The objective of independence should be the horizon of this country after the verdict,” he said in a recent interview on Catalan public television.

Other separatist politicians think the best move is to call regional elections in an attempt to increase their representation in the regional parliament and focus on gaining the backing of more than half of Catalans. Those against independence complain that the separatists have monopolized the holiday for their political ends.

But some activists have accused all their political leaders of not taking concrete steps to achieve their goal. Radical activists recently expressed their anger by throwing garbage and excrement on the doors of the offices of pro-secession parties.


“Not only have we not advanced, but we have taken some steps backward,” Elisenda Paluzie, the head of the influential pro-secession grassroots group ANC, told the crowd. “We demand that our leaders don’t let us down.”

Rupavahini Corporation brought under Defence Ministry

Colombo Telegraph September 9, 2019 

Rupavahini Corporation brought under Defence Ministry

State television, Rupavahini Corporation, has been brought under the Ministry of Defence. 

A gazette notification has been issued bringing the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) under the purview of the Ministry of Defence which is headed by President Maithripala Sirisena. 

The move comes as the Elections Commission prepares to call for Presidential elections. 

Rupavahini Corporation was earlier under the Ministry of Mass Media which comes under Non Cabinet Minister Ruwan Wijewardene.

India tightens Kashmir crackdown with curfew

India tightens Kashmir crackdown with curfew

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Indian police have clashed with Shiite mourners at banned religious processions in Kashmir. Indian authorities have warned residents "not to venture out of their home" amid a tightening crackdown in the contested region.

Indian authorities on Sunday imposed curfews in several parts of Kashmir amid a growing crackdown across the contested territory. 

"People are advised to stay indoors and not venture out of their home," police announced over loudspeakers in the Lal Chowk square in Srinagar, the biggest city in the state. "Strict action under law will be taken against violators."
Authorities tightened restrictions in the area after police clashed with Shiite mourners during a banned religious procession. 

"Reasonable restrictions are necessary for peace and protection of life," said Ajit Doval, India's national security adviser, late Saturday. He said restrictions would not be lifted until Pakistan stopped deploying "terrorists" to the area and accused Islamabad of fomenting unrest.
Meanwhile, some Sunni Muslims have said they would join a procession with Shiite mourners on Tuesday, the Ashura — a religious day marking the 10th day of Moharram, the first month of the Islamic year. 

Indian policemen detain Kashmiri Shiite Muslims as they shout pro-freedom slogans 

Some Kashmiri Shiite Muslims have vowed to resist Indian authorities as they attempt to observe religious traditions 

Crackdown 

Last month, India withdrew Kashmir's special autonomous status by revoking Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. The controversial move triggered further unrest in Kashmir. 

At the time, Srinagar residents told DW that the area had become a "garrison," with some saying: "We're not allowed to move out and all streets are filled with security personnel." 

Critics have accused the Indian government of overstepping its powers by attempting to split Kashmir into two separate territories and changing inheritance rights for native Kashmiris. 

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence from British colonial rule, two of which have centered on the disputed Kashmir region. 

Since 1898, roughly 70,000 people have been killed in the course of Kashmiri uprisings against Indian rule.

Source: DW 

India’s end game in Kashmir could blow up

India’s end game in Kashmir could blow up
By SAIKAT DATTA

More than a month after India ended the special status for the state of Jammu and Kashmir, it is preparing to restore a high degree of normality by mid-October. This means that the curbs on people’s communication and movement in force since August 5 are likely to continue for another month, highly placed Indian government sources have told Asia Times.

“We believe that by mid- or end-October we will have snowfall in the mountain passes that link the state to Pakistan-administered Kashmir,” a senior official said. “Once the passes are closed, attempts by armed militants to infiltrate into the Indian side will diminish rapidly. That seems to be the ideal time to restore normalcy in the region.”

On August 5, India removed Article 370, a Constitutional provision that gave the state of Jammu and Kashmir a high degree of autonomy. While the degree of autonomy had been progressively whittled down since it was first passed, it had remained a major talking point since an armed insurgency broke out in the state in 1990. The Bharatiya Janta Party, which has been in power since 2014, promised in its election manifestoto abrogate Article 370.

Violence on temporary hold

Officials in the federal government are aware that the abrogation will lead to considerable violence in the coming months. In anticipation the government airlifted nearly 30,000 additional federal police personnel to the state a week before the decision was announced. All forms of communication were cut off in the state after midnight on August 5, and restrictions placed on movement.

Government officials agree that there will be considerable unrest when communications are restored. “We have seen how they use WhatsApp to arrange protests. Once the internet and mobile phone communications are restored, we are likely to see a major outbreak of protests,” a security official said.

The major reference point for Indian security officials worried about the fallout in Kashmir is the killing of Kashmiri militant commander Burhan Wani three years ago. He was killed on July 8, 2016, and as news of his death spread, protests broke out across the Kashmir Valley.

Since then, on hid death anniversary each year a  communications shutdown is ordered across the valley. Wani was a local who joined the Hizbul Mujahideen, a group that has traditionally been staffed by locals, unlike other armed militant groups that have drawn on Pakistanis. Wani was active on social media and was seen as a major hero to youngsters, who saw him as a symbol of Kashmir’s separatist aspirations. His killing by a Indian Army unit led to furious clashes between protestors and security forces.

At that time, the use of WhatsApp and mobile phones had allowed groups to coordinate large protests. Therefore, keeping all forms of communications closed was an imperative before India abrogated Article 370.

However, most of the senior officials in the state as well as federal officials posted there were unaware about the government’s intent to abrogate Article 370. Several senior officials who spoke to Asia Times confirmed that very few people were in the loop before the federal government announced the decision in Parliament. While everyone was told that a major decision was coming, most assumed that it would be the revocation of a sub-clause of Article 370 that prevents outsiders from buying land in the state.

India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, a former career intelligence officer with extensive experience in Kashmir, said that Pakistan’s reactions would determine how quickly India can restore normality in the state.  “We would like all restrictions to go but it depends on how Pakistan behaves. It is a stimulant-and-response situation with the stimulant coming from Pakistan to create provocations, unrest – intimidate and threaten,” he said.

Basic rights curtailed

It’s highly unusual for a senior Indian government official to acknowledge, Pakistan’s moves on Kashmir as a factor to India. New Delhi has steadfastly maintained that Kashmir is an “internal issue” and therefore, it is free to take decisions as it sees fit.

The Narendra Modi-led federal government has been arguing that the abrogation of Article 370 will facilitate greater investments and quicker development in the state. However, this is a view that is increasingly being challenged based on the little evidence that has emerged from the state since the unprecedented lock down was imposed.

“The biggest worry for us is the erosion of the middle ground in Kashmir,” a veteran federal official who spent years in the state told Asia Times. “The government decided to detain all the prominent elected leaders since August 5 to prevent any uprising. Many of them were supportive of India’s policies in the state. They have now been put in an extremely difficult position.”

The state’s politics were dominated by two local political parties for decades. The National Conference, first led by Sheikh Abdullah, the state’s first prime minister under the special constitutional status, was the dominant party. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was formed much later. It managed to run a coalition government with the BJP for four years until the latter withdrew support. The federal government promptly placed the state under its direct rule.

Now leaders from both parties are under “preventive detention,” resulting in a major vacuum in the state’s politics. Worryingly, the government’s assessment is that the state’s political landscape is being replaced by banned groups that advocate a more fundamentalist version of Islam. “This is likely to increase radicalization among the youth and will lead to a major rise in violence,” a security official said

The fact that the state has curtailed the internet for over a month has also caused irreparable harm to the local economy. “The internet is pretty much basic to most banking and financial transactions now,” that security official said. “The lack of the internet and mobile telephony has made it impossible to carry out large financial transactions. This has hurt the economy of the region quite a lot and will be a major deterrence to any investments in the state. We are likely to see tough days ahead as the local economy comes to a standstill.”

Journalists who have managed to report from the state say that the information clampdown is leading to reports of human rights abuses being suppressed. On September 9 reports of journalists being hurt by pellet guns used by the police to control crowds emerged for the first time. While India has won considerable international support for its move on Kashmir, this could be waning as the lockdown continues.

For India, the immediate endgame in Kashmir is to keep the protests and violence down. But the longer the lockdown remains, the harder it will become for authorities to suppress the coming uprising.

Pakistan Arrests 22 Protesters at Pro-Freedom- (JKLF) Kashmir Rally

9 September 2019 

Pakistan Arrests 22 Protesters at Pro-Freedom- (JKLF) Kashmir Rally

"Our main demand is that the international community must take steps to resolve the issue of Kashmir and take steps to send back the armies of both countries [from Kashmir]," a protester said.

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09-09-2019

Afghan Government Praises Trump Suspension of U.S.-Taliban Negotiations

Amid much relief, there also was uncertainty and uneasiness about the fate of efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement of America’s longest war

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