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Israel/Palestine
In reply to the discussion: Israel launches ground incursion in Gaza Strip [View all]Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)47. Israel mows the lawn ( Mouin Rabbani )
In 2004, a year before Israels unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip, Dov Weissglass, éminence grise to Ariel Sharon, explained the initiatives purpose to an interviewer from Haaretz:
The significance of the disengagement plan is the freezing of the peace process And when you freeze that process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda. And all this with a [US] presidential blessing and the ratification of both houses of Congress The disengagement is actually formaldehyde. It supplies the amount of formaldehyde that is necessary so there will not be a political process with the Palestinians.
In 2006 Weissglass was just as frank about Israels policy towards Gazas 1.8 million inhabitants: The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger. He was not speaking metaphorically: it later emerged that the Israeli defence ministry had conducted detailed research on how to translate his vision into reality, and arrived at a figure of 2279 calories per person per day some 8 per cent less than a previous calculation because the research team had originally neglected to account for culture and experience in determining nutritional red lines.
This wasnt an academic exercise. After pursuing a policy of enforced integration between 1967 and the late 1980s, Israeli policy shifted towards separation during the 1987-93 uprising, and then fragmentation during the Oslo years. For the Gaza Strip, an area about the size of Greater Glasgow, these changes entailed a gradual severance from the outside world, with the movement of persons and goods into and out of the territory increasingly restricted.
in full: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n15/mouin-rabbani/israel-mows-the-lawn
The significance of the disengagement plan is the freezing of the peace process And when you freeze that process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda. And all this with a [US] presidential blessing and the ratification of both houses of Congress The disengagement is actually formaldehyde. It supplies the amount of formaldehyde that is necessary so there will not be a political process with the Palestinians.
In 2006 Weissglass was just as frank about Israels policy towards Gazas 1.8 million inhabitants: The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger. He was not speaking metaphorically: it later emerged that the Israeli defence ministry had conducted detailed research on how to translate his vision into reality, and arrived at a figure of 2279 calories per person per day some 8 per cent less than a previous calculation because the research team had originally neglected to account for culture and experience in determining nutritional red lines.
This wasnt an academic exercise. After pursuing a policy of enforced integration between 1967 and the late 1980s, Israeli policy shifted towards separation during the 1987-93 uprising, and then fragmentation during the Oslo years. For the Gaza Strip, an area about the size of Greater Glasgow, these changes entailed a gradual severance from the outside world, with the movement of persons and goods into and out of the territory increasingly restricted.
in full: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n15/mouin-rabbani/israel-mows-the-lawn
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38 Palestinians killed as Israel presses Gaza ground assault/ Report: 3 Israeli soldiers wounded by
Jefferson23
Jul 2014
#4
Woman hurt and home hit near Ashdod, intercepts over Tel Aviv as central Israel under heavy fire
Jefferson23
Jul 2014
#5
The violence has been horrific..the leadership is not what I would call leaders.
Jefferson23
Jul 2014
#7
LIVE UPDATES: Israeli civilian killed, 4 wounded by Gaza rocket near Dimona
Jefferson23
Jul 2014
#14
It is sickening, they are doing just that. Points to score over dead bodies...all of them. n/t
Jefferson23
Jul 2014
#29
Yes the instance a couple days back, right around when the ground war started up.
bemildred
Jul 2014
#33
unconfirmed - Hamas armed wing: 5 Israeli soldiers killed in new cross-border attack
azurnoir
Jul 2014
#34