IMEU : Politics & Democracy

Text of Mahmoud Abbas's speech to UN General Assembly on Palestinian Statehood (PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas)

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 00:08:44 PST

Palestine comes today to the General Assembly because it believes in peace and because its people, as proven in past days, are in desperate need of it. Palestine comes today to this prestigious international forum, representative and protector of international legitimacy, reaffirming our conviction that the international community now stands before the last chance to save the two-State solution.

The Palestine Liberation Organization, the future State of Palestine, and the question of popular representation (DocumentCloud)

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 07:21:59 PST

A Legal Opinion on The Palestine Liberation Organization, the future State of Palestine, and the question of popular representation.

Amnesty International says U.S. Veto of UNSC Resolution Gives "Green Light" to Israel to Expand Illegal Settlements (Amnesty International)

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:40:02 PST

Amnesty International Friday condemned the United States' veto of a United Nations Security Council resolution reaffirming that Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) are illegal and demanding that Israel cease all settlement activities in the OPT, including East Jerusalem. The other 14 members of the UN Security Council voted in favour of Resolution S/2011/24, which was proposed by Lebanon and co-sponsored by some 120 countries.

Largest Jewish settlements in the West Bank (Ma'an News Agency)

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 05:44:53 PST

Since it occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has set up more than 130 settlements in the territory excluding annexed East Jerusalem. They now have more than 300,000 residents.

According to Interior Ministry figures, the majority of Jewish settlers live in eight large settlements which Israel wants to annex in any lasting peace agreement with the Palestinians.

FAQ on Settlements (IMEU)

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 02:31:11 PST

On September 26, 2010, Israel refused to extend a partial settlement freeze, bringing to a halt the most recent round of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. In the leadup to the critical deadline and in hopes of avoiding a premature end to the peace talks, world leaders from President Obama to the European Union's Foreign Ministers urged Israel to continue the settlement freeze. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignored these calls and allowed the partial settlement freeze to expire. The decision was met with mass celebrations by the Israeli settler community across the West Bank.

2009 settlement report says population up 40 fold (Ma'an News Agency)

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:42:30 PST

The number of Israelis living in illegal West Bank settlements increased more than 40 times between 1972 and 2009, according to a report issued Tuesday by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

By comparison, the number of Israelis living in Israel and the occupied Syrian Golan has doubled during the same period, PCBS' statistics revealed.

The First Anniversary of Israeli Offensive against the Gaza Strip (Al-Dameer Center for Human Rights)

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:06:36 PST

27 December 2009, marks the first anniversary of Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip. The unlawful blockade imposed by Israel continues, and is in its Fourth year , producing further deterioration of the entire civilian population situation since Israel launched Operation Cast Lead against the territory on 27 December 2008, and maintained its military attack for 22 days.

Between political statements and reality on the ground: Eighteen months since the Annapolis Conference (Alternative Information Center)

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:21:19 PST

This report provides the AIC's analysis of the Annapolis process 18 months after it took place. Through our analyses we can affirm that in spite of the peace conferences, the Roadmap, and speeches, the Israeli Government has not fulfilled its commitments and the settlement project continues to rapidly increase, presenting one of the major obstacles to peace. The settlement issue is the reason for the big question mark on the future direction of the peace process.

The Israeli state budget and the needs of Arab citizens (Mossawa Center)

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:06:40 PST

An analysis of the 2009-2010 State Budget proposal and what has been allotted to the Arab citizens in Israel has revealed that although this group comprises 19% of the total population they will receive less than 5% of the governmental development funds and less than 6% of the salary budget allotted to government employees. A breakdown of the budgets of most ministries shows that the percentages of funds allotted to Arabs are consistently and proportionately lower than the population.

Hamas: Ideological rigidity and political flexibility (United States Institute of Peace)

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:39:40 PST

The report attempts to inject some gray areas into an issue that is often framed only in black and white terms. In a unique approach, the authors do not ask us to necessarily change our conclusions about the value of such engagement. Instead, they invite us to reevaluate our assumptions by providing a new prism through which to analyze Hamas.