Israel-Palestine: Settlers' Conflict with Palestinians Escalating?

Tension in the West Bank between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank appears to be rising. On Friday, settlers vandalized and set fire to a mosque in a Palestinian village in the village of Yasuf, south of Nablus. The attackers left messages such as "Price tag - greetings from Effi" and "We will burn the lot of you" before escaping.

Palestinian villagers and Israeli security forces clashed after the incident, and the Palestinian Authority criticised the Israeli Government even though Israeli officials condemned the mosque assault.

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Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said, "This is an extremist act geared toward harming the government's efforts to advance the political process for the sake of Israel's future." Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the PA, responded, "The torching of the mosque in Yasuf is a despicable crime, and the settlers are behaving with brutality. The settlers' unruly behavior must be stopped."

The U.S. State Department said: "We condemn this attack in the strongest terms and call for the perpetrators to be brought to justice."

Buying Power: Did UK Government Just Aid A Boycott of Israeli Products?

The British government has issued an official recommendation urging UK businesses to pay attention to whether any product from the West Bank is produced by Israeli settlers or Palestinians. Labeling a product from a settlement as "manufactured in Israel" will be considered misleading of the consumer.

Israel's Foreign Ministry official Yossi Levy criticized the move on Thursday: "This is a capitulation of the British government to the Palestinian and pro-Palestinian organizations. This only harms the Middle East peace process, and will hinder Israel's and the world's efforts to renew the diplomatic process at such a critical stage, and that is doubly disappointing." In response, the British embassy in Israel issued a statement: "This is a recommendation, not a binding order. The British government is opposed to any kind of boycott of Israel."

Hmm.... Despite the British Government's denial, the effect is both a message to British businesses --- would the label "manufactured in Israel" on a West Bank product be considered a criminal offense? --- and an aid to any consumer who boycotts Israeli products or those produced by Israeli settlers.

Is this just good business practice, attracting Muslim consumers who want the assurance of Palestinian production? Or is this more than an economic "clarification", putting political pressure on Israel? part of scheduled pressure on Israeli decision-makers?

Analysis: Israel's Netanyahu "Helpless" Against Right-Wing Protests?

Is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in trouble with the growing opposition to his "concessions" regarding the status of West Bank settlements, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights?

On Wednesday, the Knesset voted in favour of continuing legislative work on the Golan Heights and Jerusalem Referendum Bill, by an overwhelming majority of 68 to 22, with one abstention. The bill requires that any withdrawal from east Jerusalem, the Golan, or another area under Israeli sovereignty would first have to go to a referendum.

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More than one-third of legislators from the "centrist" party Kadima supported the bill and the majority of Labor ministers were absent. Defense Minister and Labor member Ehud Barak, who was critical of the bill in debate, still voted in favour whereas the opposition Kadima leader Tzipi Livni voted against.

The first reaction came from Damascus, which was allegedly ready to start peace talks without any preconditions. Syrian sources told the BBC-Arabic radio station: "Israel has already annexed the Golan Heights after conquering the area and as far as we are concerned [the referendum law] makes no difference; every action that Israel would take in the Golan Heights is illegitimate. Israel cannot hold a referendum on land that it does not own."

In a sense, the Knesset vote is only holding the Netanyahu Government to account, given that it called Jerusalem the "undivided & eternal capital" of Israel; stated over and over that this settlement freeze is "one-time and temporary" and expressed the sentiment that "Israel would never withdraw from the Golan Heights". More than 10,000 right-wing protesters gathered on Wednesday in Paris Square in Jerusalem near the Prime Minister's residence to demonstrate against the temporary settlement freeze. And it appears that Netanyahu either heard them or sympathised with them all along. He stated that certain settlements outside of the large blocs in the West Bank would be considered "national priority areas" where settlers will receive benefits in education, employment, and other social provision.

Interpretation? Netanyahu is using the country's "political will", benefiting from the spectre of mass domestic protests to resist to the demands of the international community.

Livni Criticizing Netanyahu's 10-Month Moratorium

On Monday, Kadima's leader Tzipi Livni criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's 10-month settlement moratorium, saying that the decision will harm Israel's interests "in retaining the larger settlement blocs." Livni went on:

When I hear the prime minister saying to settlers that 'we'll get through this freeze together,' that it is a temporary arrangement and that everything will grow again, the meaning is that there is still no decision.

Livni also stated that the moratorium is merely serving American interests:

The moment the desire is merely to appease America, it will be understood that no real decision has been made.

If the prime minister says concerning the outposts that 'we'll get through this together' then there are three alternatives which are all not good. Either the government has not decided on the need for a peace deal, it is a government that is deceiving itself or that it is deceiving the public.

But Likud sought to use Livni's words as evidence of a victory for Netanyahu. The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement saying that, "I happily heard the opposition members' support for the [settlement] blocs."

Israel: PM Netanyahu Calling for Unity under His Leadership

Speaking at Israel’s weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that his Government's decision to freeze settlement construction in the West Bank for 10 months “proves that Israel wants peace”.

As for the tension with settlers, Netanyahu said: "It has to do with the heart of the homeland of the Jewish people. It has to do with settlers, Israelis who are our brothers; they are part of us and we are part of them."

His last call was to ministers: "Our internal cohesion at this time is important - perhaps more important than anything - and I request the ministers' cooperation in implementing the decision and in helping, to
the best of their abilities, to get through it as easily as possible, while upholding the law in the State of Israel."