Weekend long read

1) Our CAMERA colleague Sean Durns has recently produced two backgrounders which readers may find useful:

Hezbollah Backgrounder: 2016

Palestinian Islamic Jihad Backgrounder: 2016Weekend Read

2) As readers are probably aware, it is not unusual to find the BBC promoting the notion that the Gaza Strip is still under Israeli occupation, despite nearly eleven years having passed since the disengagement. Gilead Sher and Dr Dana Wolf explain why that is not the case.

Article 42 of the 1907 Hague Regulations outlines legal requirements for occupation, which include the physical existence of hostile troops in an area, so that the legitimate government is incapable of exercising effective powers of government. Conversely, military withdrawal is a prerequisite for clearly demarcating the end of occupation. As such, never since the enactment of the Hague Regulations has an occupation been recognized without a foreign army present.” 

3) At The Tablet, David Collier asks “Do NGOs that work in and around Israel use their volunteers for propaganda?”.

“There are hundreds of websites dedicated to providing information on volunteering opportunities worldwide and almost all of these sites contain a section on Palestine. One of the main concerns, wherever the NGO is based, is always safety. The African Volunteer Network, in a section on Somalia, as well as the group Hand in Hand for Syria both explicitly state they cannot send nonmedical volunteers into their specific areas because of the dangers. So how can there be so many aid agencies advertising for volunteers in Palestine? How can there be NGOs claiming Israel is conducting “genocide,” and is engaged in “war crimes” at the same time as organizations advertise for volunteers to help plant olive trees, teach English and work in refugee camps?”

4) BBC coverage of the recent anniversary of the Iran deal focused on highlighting negotiators’ recollections but the corporation refrained from providing its audiences with any substantial analysis of the topic.

“My favourite was the Persian chicken with crushed pistachios,” recalls Wendy Sherman. “Those times of breaking bread together are always useful in building the relationships you need when you are the middle of such tough negotiations.”

The Henry Jackson Society and the Friends of Israel Initiative have published a paper titled The Iran Deal a Year On: Assessing Iranian Ambitions.

“Key findings include:

  • Iran has breached the JCPA and associated agreements, with no penalty and in some cases active collusion by Western supporters of the deal.
  • Serious concerns exist over IAEA finding and reporting in relation to the implementation of the deal and the military dimension of Iran’s nuclear programme.
  • Iranian forces, in particular the Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), are still involved in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen as an integral part of the Iranian government’s destabilising agenda.
  • Iran remains the principal sponsor of terrorism in the world – as acknowledged by the U.S. Department of State.
  • Iran continues to develop its ballistic missile programme.
  • The grave violations of human rights and freedom within Iran have not ceased and the hopes for a moderation of the regime have remained unmet.”

The full report can be found here

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