The Israeli government said it will move ahead with “sensitive housing projects” in East Jerusalem and the West Bank as a rebuttal to UNESCO’s decision to grant Palestine full-member status. The US meanwhile cut funds to UNESCO.
The US has already cut funds to the Palestinian Authority as a punitive measure in response to its statehood bid. From Kosova to Somaliland to Western Sahara, numerous other countries around the world similarly wait and sacrifice for UN recognition.
In defiance of pressure from the European Union, Russia and Turkey as well as Arab states, Israel insists it intends to go ahead with the newly announced construction of 1,100 Jewish homes in Gilo on annexed land close to East Jerusalem.
The right-wing blogosphere is having a field day with claims that Palestinian ambassador Maen Rashid Areikat called for “a Jew-free Palestinian state.” But Areikat responds that it’s a “total fabrication” and a “total set-up” by conservo-bloggers.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has broached supporting recognition by the US Senate of the Armenian genocide as part of a diplomatic offensive against Turkey, the Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
Egyptian authorities declared a state of emergency after protesters broke into the Israeli embassy in Cairo and dumped hundreds of documents out of the windows. The embassy’s Israeli flag was torn down, and a Palestinian one raised.
The UN issued its its report on the deadly May 2010 Gaza flotilla raid, criticizing Israel for using “excessive and unreasonable” force but finding that the blockade of the Gaza Strip itself is lawful. Turkey responded by recalling its ambassador from Israel.
The Palestinian bid for UN recognition could deprive Palestinians of international representation by transferring that responsibility from the PLO to a state that doesn’t exist yet, a legal briefing warns.
Egypt registered a formal complaint with Israel over the killings of three Egyptian officers at the Sinai border and demanded an immediate investigation, as Israel bombed Gaza for a second day.
Israel carried out air-strikes across the Gaza Strip in response to the militant attack on Eliat—and admonished Egypt for allowing the militants to infiltrate from its territory. The US has meanwhile postponed planed military drills with Egypt.
US Sen. Patrick Leahy is promoting a bill to suspend Washington’s assistance to three elite Israel Defense Forces units, alleging they are involved in human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
More than 200,000 marched in Tel Aviv, under a banner with the word “Go!” in Arabic—a key symbol of the protest movement that brought down Hosni Mubarak, and a clear reference to Bibi Netanyahu. Below, in Hebrew, were the words: “Egypt is here!”
