Al-Jazeera's 'Fail'-Leaks (edited)

Many of you might have been shocked to read 'The Palestine Papers', Al-Jazeera's version of 'Wikileaks' concerning the Palestine-Israel talks, that (in conclusion) mention how the Palestinian Authority (PA) offered concessions to Israel, including the opportunity to annex all East Jerusalem settlements to Israel, in an alleged land exchange ratio of 1:50 (wouldn't that equal the entire West Bank?!), compromises on the right of return and so on.


One would wonder, and I must ask, if this truly happened, why didn't Israel accept? Where is their signature on this?


Then there's the issue with the timing, Al-Jazeera has admit to have been in possession of these documents for months, then why release them now and not months ago when they received them? Why did they decide to reveal these documents now, at a time when the Palestinians are winning foreign and diplomatic relations at the expense of Israel?


The media's job is to broadcast the news, and Al-Jazeera has done a good job at ignoring or giving minimal attention to many important news, including the "fever" of recognitions in South America, who are now up to 9 countries (Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Ecuador, Chile, Peru and Paraguay), bringing the total to over 110 countries that recognize a Palestinian state. The European Union is showing its intention to recognize a Palestinian state if Israel does not stick to its obligations according to international law. Which brings me to another question: if the PA offered land to Israel, why is it seeking international recognition on that land?


If you notice the way of presentation and writing of these documents, first and foremost, there is no source. If I were to write a paper for one of my courses and present it to my professor without a source he would throw it in my face (credits to a friend of mine for this example)! If Al-Jazeera is very confident of the document's authenticity, why not include the source?


If Al-Jazeera was an indifferent news channel, as it claims, they would ask to review the documents with the PA, they can also include all Arab countries in the process since they are all in possession of the authentic documents.

Al-Jazeera is owned by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who enjoys excellent relations with the U.S. (the best out of all Middle East countries). Just a few kilometers away from Al-Jazeera's headquarters in Doha, Qatar, is the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, called Al-Udeid (there are 2 bases actually, the other is called As Saliyah), a very important base for the U.S. in its invasion of Iraq. Sheikh Hamad Al Thani has made several visits to Israel, even after the Israeli offensive on Gaza, he would criticize Israel on TV, but his meetings with them prove otherwise. Israeli leaders like Shimon Peres and Tvipi Livni have also made visits to Qatar, where they visited Al-Jazeera's headquarters in Doha, yet Al-Jazeera never mentioned any of this! Not to mention that Sheikh Hamad overthrew his own father (Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, who was forced to live in exile for years) to become Emir of Qatar.

There's no denying that the primary beneficiaries of this dirty media campaign are the U.S. and Israel, who is feeling the pressure from the international community to freeze illegal settlement activity. It is very unfortunate that Qatar, a country we thought supported the Palestinian cause, is putting so much effort into creating more division among Palestinians and serve the interests of Israel, especially after the Palestinian leadership refused to hold any talks with Israel unless it freezes settlement activity, including in East Jerusalem. One might recall a report released by Wikileaks, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said to leaders of the Jewish community in the U.S:  "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is the most dangerous Arab leader and we must get rid of him".


We must also keep in mind that whatever conclusion is reached between the Palestinian leadership and Israel will be up for referendum, where every Palestinian (inside Palestine and all around the world) will have the right to vote on the final solution.


It is important that we analyze the news that we read before we react to them. After all, there are two sides to every story but only one of them is true, and the truth of the documents will be revealed soon.

Netanyahu: "Mahmoud Abbas is the most dangerous Arab and Palestinian leader, we must get rid of him".

Wikileaks revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during his closed meeting with leaders of the Jewish community in the U.S: "President Abbas is the most dangerous Arab and Palestinian leader that Israel faces in its history." He continues to say: "President Abbas destroys the image of Israel in several ways, while in the mean time he builds a Palestinian state from the inside through Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad".

He goes on to say: "We tried to use Hamas against him and we failed, we even used people from Fatah against him and still we failed. On the contrary, he gained popularity, therefore we must get rid of him, and we need your help to weaken him." (end of Wikileaks revelation).

It is no secret that Israel is considering getting rid of President Abbas, just like they got rid of Yasser Arafat and Khalil Al-Wazir (Abu Jihad) before him. This proves that President Abbas's strategy of a peaceful struggle is most effective, it has gained international support for Palestine, for example every single country in the world today believes that building settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is an obstacle to peace, even the U.S, Israel's biggest ally. The non-violent struggle showed the real face of Israel, and finally we Palestinians are taking the initiative of building our state, despite all the constraints from the occupation and the internal conflict.

Israelis must understand that in order for there to be any chance of achieving peace Israel must dismantle its settlements (and the wall, build one outside 1967 borders if Israel needs a wall) and withdraw from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, even before sitting at a table to discuss a peace deal. The Palestinian leadership has constantly agreed to a foreign presence to guard the borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state, whether it's NATO or another side agreed upon by both sides. This way the issue of borders and security would be solved, and this doesn't take a long time to solve. Then afterwards we move to more, non-negotiable, obligations that Israel must follow, such as the issues of refugees, prisoners and water. Only then will it be known as a two-state solution.

We must keep in mind that any country that is recognizing Palestine now is not doing so because it is against Israel, but rather taking a stand in the middle, recognizing a Palestinian state on 1967 borders is being impartial and fair, that should be the standard, it's not a pro-Palestinian stand. Taking all this into consideration, the Palestinian leadership is going by international law and UN resolutions, it's now up to Israel to carry out it's obligations.

In order for there to be total peace, there must be an Israeli government that is serious about achieving peace.

Can Latin America Be A Role Model for Palestine? (translated article)

I read this very good article online in Arabic written by Nasser Laham, a journalist from Ma'an News Agency that travels with President Mahmoud Abbas, who usually gives some interesting details that other news agencies and reporters don't get a hold of. I will try my best to translate it:

"- Brasilia - Ma'an dispatch Nasser Laham - I watched president Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) very quietly throughout the journey to Latin America, asking myself in every hour 'what does Abu Mazen want to tell us, himself, and the Fatah leadership through the warm relations with Latin America? how were the people of this continent liberated from colonialism and dictatorships? How did these countries turn into the biggest producers and exporters in the global economy? And how will we Arabs learn from all this? Questions that stole our hearts with joy as we stood in solidarity with tens of thousands of people who gathered in the rain in Brasilia when President Lula - a friend of the Palestinian people - handed over power to newly elected president Dilma Rousseff, his pupil from the same political party.

I felt proud as a Palestinian when president Lula warmly shook the hand of our president, and I felt it even more when more of the continents' presidents shook his hand especially Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez who said to him: "you are going in the right direction and we are with you until the establishment of a free Palestinian state."


So it is freedom, we say freedom not money, privileges. or position. Freedom is the key.


The moment was a historical one, important, big, and far away from the preoccupied Arab and local news agencies creating details of the problems of this or that, far from party media and the insults that they make us hear every day, here we see nations freed, freed first from the illusion, greed, and dependence of its decisions on strangers. Their creativity excelled in the project of human civilization, and their necks drink water from the river of freedom that never runs out.


In the Middle East we have seen in the past decade nations crumble, armies run away, capitals fall, and our cities shatter under bombardment, let alone heroes are imprisoned and leaders executed. I see that we must rise again, not to carry weapons and fight, but to think first and regain the confidence in ourselves and free ourselves from delusions and sophistry, magic and palmistry. At the same time that Arab satellite channels are busy hosting fortune-tellers on New Year's eve, here the people are free dancing samba and salsa in the streets restoring their dignity and raising the banners of victory.


Some time back, the U.S. President issued a warning to Brazil, President Lula replied: "Don't forget that Brazil is an independent and powerful nation". When I heard this I couldn't help but hear myself saying: "God bless you, Lula!", not because he challenged the U.S., but because this president, who began his life mopping shoes in the streets of poor neighborhoods, is now in the moral strength that allowed him to say so.

To seize the moment I asked Dr. Monjed Saleh - Palestinian Director General of Latin American issues - to explain more to me about the people of Latin America. Dr. Saleh, a native of Kufl Haris who studied in Cuba in 1981, said a lot and I allowed myself to re-formulate the information that he gave me in the form of stories.


Almost all of the people of Latin America are now liberated from tyrants and oppression without resorting to violence or massacres, but through community-based programs and a national struggle and using the ballot to vote in heroes and leaders that did not go against international order or shut down their embassies or borders, instead they set up national laws that protected them from tyranny and international companies that came to loot their property and turn them into hired slaves.


For your information, a U.S. citizen will need a visa to enter most of these countries. So as the U.S. requests a visa from them to enter its territory, in return they ask every American to obtain a visa before entering theirs.


One of the strange and bizarre stories that I have heard here, El Salvador - its capital is San Salvador with a population of around 10 million people - has witnessed five years ago presidential elections and two of the people that nominated themselves were originally from the city of Bethlehem, the first from the well-known Al-Saqqa family, the other also from a well-known family named Handal. The nominee from the Al-Saqqa family represented the right-wing party while the other represented the left-wing party, Al-Saqqa won the presidency, but unfortunately the Palestinians didn't get much use out of it as much as the Israel did, who managed to get an ambassador from El Salvador of Jewish origin appointed in Tel Aviv!

As for Argentina - the capital Buenos Aires has a population of 40 million people - was headed by a man of Lebanese origin, Carlos Menem, now led by President Cristina de Kirchner, one of the bravest leaders in the continent who met president Abbas, keeping in mind that these nations have respect for the women and their capabilities, the women participate in all aspects of life, working as police, firefighters, police and politics, not just machine-breeding slaves as some in our region.


Peru - the capital Lima has a population of around 25 million people - now headed by Alan Garcia, a leftist, but now part of the centerist party.


As for Paraguay, the capital Asuncion has a population of 10 million, a country with very little resources, elected two years ago a priest named Fernando Lugo, who studied in the city of Beit Jala near Bethlehem, but was slapped with 8 lawsuits and admitted to 5 of them where women said they gave birth to his children. Paraguay's government and people are kind and respectful to Palestine, they know a lot about it since Lugo was in Beit Jala when Sharon occupied it in 2002, this really affected Lugo.


Uruguay - it's capital Montevideo has a population of 4 million people - currently led by 76-year-old President Pepe Mujica, who in his earlier years was part of the rebels in Tupac Amaru and in his body are 6 bullets. A free man and a fighter who knows the meaning of freedom.


At the ceremony that we attended for the inauguration of President Dilma, the media was busy filming vice-president Michel Temer, a Lebanese national, and his beautiful wife Marcela.


Although the Lebanese presence is ever increasing in the Amazon countries, the first of them to immigrate some 130 years ago, around 6 million today, which is 3% of its 194 million population, none of them have reached a political position like the one Temer was able to reach. The largest Arab communities in Latin America are Lebanese, Syrian then Palestinian.

Temer's wife, over 42 years his junior, a former beauty queen now called "Carla Bruni America" because she is a former model of Italian origin exactly like the wife of the French president, Sarkozy.


Ecuador - it's capital Quito with a population of 15 million - currently led by Rafael Correa, a part of Alba, the axis led by Venezuelan President Chavez.


Bolivia - capital: La Paz, it's president is Evo Morales. Strangely enough, it is 4000 meters above sea level, Brazilian football players cannot play in its stadiums and are forced to use artificial air to continue playing, they don't get to enjoy a victory because they're not accustomed to this weather.


FYI, countries like Cuba, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela give Palestinian students scholarships annually.


Back to the Palestinian expert Dr. Saleh who says Europe has consumed almost all of its natural resources who now turn to this rich continent, the first ever in the world in terms of alternative energy, recycling waste and biggest exporter of rubber, coffee and agricultural products.


The Mountains of Bolivia, for example, are rich with in diamonds, gold and uranium. Brazil and Argentina have immense agricultural production whereas Chile is the biggest exporter of copper, and Venezuela is the biggest oil-exporting country in the world after Saudi Arabia.


In response to our question about the percentage of religious affiliation, our Palestinian expert tells us most of the people here are Catholic Christians, clergy are mostly loved by the people because they helped the rebels, and stood by the people, not by the side of tyranny.


At the end of the report there was a sigh of relief when Dr. Saleh answered my question: Do Brazilians and Latin Americans work as servants in richer countries? He answered quickly and without hesitation "no, no, they work in professions, they're not servants".


So, how can there be any cooperation between us except for religious tourism? Since it is a rich continent and doesn't need the Arabs? He answered: "They are interested in importing stone, olives, and popular embroidery paintings from Palestine, they love them!"


the bottom line is that President Abbas wanted to tell us, the delegation that's accompanying him: Look, the origin of the matter is that we feel the importance of liberty and to breathe the air of freedom, get over our internal differences and others will help liberate our country. To draw lessons that victory comes from the issuance of men, and not by violence alone will revolutions be won, but with leaders and with nations that believe in themselves and their cause.


As Jesus said: What good is a man if he gained the world but lost his soul?


Before we liberate the land, we must first free our souls from fear and internal differences. From now until September we can achieve the dream of Yasser Arafat, the founding of the state of Palestine with (East) Jerusalem as its capital. "

For those who prefer reading the article in Arabic: http://www.maannews.net/arb/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=347278