The Palestinian Jihad Against Peace

by Bassam Tawil • January 28, 2019 at 5:00 am

According to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, an upcoming US-sponsored global summit to discuss the Middle East and Iran will "bring together dozens of countries from all around the world, from Asia, from Africa, from Western Hemisphere countries, Europe too, the Middle East of course."
The Palestinian strategy is now based on inciting Arabs against their leaders. This is the message that Abbas and his officials are sending to the Arabs: "You need to join us in our campaign to stop our leaders from making peace with Israel. You must condemn any leader who seeks normalization with Israel as a traitor."
Other senior Palestinian officials have gone further by warning the Arab countries that any form of normalization with Israel would be considered an act of treason
It now remains to be seen whether the Arab countries will surrender to the latest campaign of Palestinian incitement and intimidation.

As part of the "anti-normalization" campaign, Palestinian leaders are putting pressure on Arab countries to boycott a US-sponsored global summit to discuss the Middle East and Iran. According to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (center), the summit will "bring together dozens of countries from all around the world, from Asia, from Africa, from Western Hemisphere countries, Europe too, the Middle East of course." (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Palestinian leaders have recently stepped up their efforts to stop Arab countries from normalizing their relations -- or even signing peace agreements -- with Israel.

The campaign comes against a backdrop of reports about the warming of relations between Israel and some Arab countries, including a recent visit to Oman by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The specter of peace between the Arab countries and Israel has become a nightmare for Palestinian leaders. Instead of worrying about building a better future -- which the Palestinians desperately need -- Palestinian leaders are feverishly working to thwart any attempt to bring the Arab countries closer to Israel.

As part of the "anti-normalization" campaign, the Palestinian leaders in the West Bank are now putting pressure on the Arab countries to boycott a US-sponsored global summit to discuss the Middle East and Iran, which is scheduled for next month in Poland.

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Turkey: Imprisoning Dissidents while Bidding for EU Membership

by Uzay Bulut • January 28, 2019 at 4:00 am

Erdogan did not hide the fact that his statements promising "freedom of faith, freedom of thought and freedom of opinion" were part of his "preparations for the 2019 local elections." The Turkish president did, however, hide the fact that his words were completely false.
On December 19, Prof. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, president of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV), was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for being one of 2,212 signatories to an "Academics for Peace" petition in 2016. The petition called on the Turkish government to cease its violence against the Kurds in southeastern Turkey. Fincancı is one of 429 academics who, as of December 19, have stood on trial since December 5.
Erdoğan was not telling the truth when he declared that everyone in Turkey would enjoy "freedom of faith, freedom of thought and freedom of opinion." In fact, Turkish jails and prisons are so packed with people imprisoned for expressing their beliefs, that the government just announced it will be building 228 more prisons over the next five years to accommodate the overflow.
Simultaneously, Turkey is stepping up its decades-long bid to become a member of the European Union. As part of this bid, Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul announced on December 11 that he would be unveiling a new strategy for judicial reform. Under no circumstances should the EU allow itself to be duped by such a transparently deceptive and deceitful move.

On December 19, Prof. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, president of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for being one of 2,212 signatories to an "Academics for Peace" petition, which called on the Turkish government to cease its violence against the Kurds in southeastern Turkey. Pictured: Fincancı receives the Physicians for Human Rights award in New York City on April 18, 2017. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Physicians for Human Rights)

At a rally in Ankara over the summer, held by the women's branch of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced:

"From now on, there will be no fight for freedom of faith, freedom of thought and freedom of opinion. Everyone will be free in their own faith [and] be free to live accordingly. [Everyone will be at liberty to] say whatever he [or she] believes in."

Erdogan did not hide the fact that his statements at the August gathering were part of his "preparations for the 2019 local elections," scheduled for March 31. The Turkish president did, however, hide the fact that his words were completely false. To illustrate, let us review some of the human-rights abuses in Erdoğan's Turkey that took place in one month, December 2018, alone.

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