The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) is deeply concerned about the destruction of houses belonging to Palestinian families in East Jerusalem. It demands that the Israeli government immediately halt these so-called “administrative demolitions”. The FDFA is following the recent events in East Jerusalem and in the vicinity of Ramallah with increasing concern and regrets the continued house demolitions by the Israeli government. East Jerusalem is an integral part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. According to international humanitarian law, Israel is under an obligation to ensure the protection of the civilian population. In spite of this, however, since 2000 more than 600 houses have been demolished in East Jerusalem and more than 1,600 in the West Bank as a whole. The FDFA regards the recent incidents as violations of international humanitarian law, which forbids an occupying power from destroying property in an occupied territory. In this particular case there is no military need to justify the destruction of these houses. The FDFA has initiated a demarche concerning this matter with the Israeli Foreign Ministry. 13 November 2008

You ,the failed leadership in Israel who have surrendered Jewish land and homes for no peace will eventually be tried for your treacerous crimes against the state. It is time you end your failed agenda of rewarding and appeasing the Islamic jihadists on the backs of Jewish homebuilders. It is time you stopped serving failed foreign interests which endanger Israel's survival.

The new Master Plan (for Jerusalem) was submitted three months ago and is not yet approved but Adalah Advocate Suhad Bishara stated "the effect of its submission is immediate." The plans include the expansion of the infrastructure to further connect the settlement blocks to Jerusalem. This will include massive land confiscation and huge numbers of houses demolished for roads and a railway, none of which will adequately serve Palestinian communities. The groups based their opposition not only on the bald discrimination and human rights violations that would occur because of the plan, but also in the context of international law invoking the Fourth Geneva Convention as adjudicated by the International Court of Justice in 2004.

Once upon a time there was a sissyboy called Ehud, who met a wicked old witch, Daniella, in the depths of the dark forest...Daniella said BOO ! and Ehud fled as fast as his little legs would carry him.

citizen: it's time for your governments to cede a vast swat of land in your own countries and designate it as the 'area of refuge' for the peace loving endangered palis. Take them in; feed them, cuddle them and enjoy your newly found sence of justice and eqaulity.. You will not need to worry about opressive Jews anymore. I we will wish you a true happiness and prosperity for eternity. But as far as Land of Israel - for them: it's out, out, out...

Those who were responsible for chasing thousands of people from their homes should be arrested and put in jail for as long as the people remained homeless. Their tactics did not work. Sucking up to those who would destroy us is sickening. Hebron is part of Israel and has always been part of Israel. Giving away territory has caused more trouble than not. We have become a weak, faithless nation. This is the price we pay for our non-believers. Gilad Shalit pays the price for the weakness of the country and its leaders (?). What's next? There is yet more shame that we must suffer until someone with nerve and no fear comes to lead us. Good luck!!!

How nice that 28 settler youths have been detained for questioning. How many Arab youth have been detained?

The Land of Israel, including, Hebron, rightfully belongs only to the Jewish people. The notion of two states for two peoples in the land of Hebron, as the entirety of the Land of Israel, is ours by Historical and Moral right. Israel cannot be accepted as the land of Israel rightfully belongs only to the Jewish people and to divide our country would be an historic injustice. As it is well known, the conflict between Israel and the Arabs is not a territorial one. If it were a territorial conflict, it could have been solved a long time ago, by territorial concessions, which have been offered a number of times to the Arabs, and rejected every time… As to the legitimate rights of the Jewish people (3 parts): http://xrl.us/osjoz

So rapid is the pace of systemic change in that indivisible entity known as Palestine/Israel that it almost defies our ability to keep up with it. The deliberate and systematic campaign of driving Palestinians out of the country in 1948 was quickly forgotten, the plight of more than 700,000 refugees becoming an invisible “non-issue.” Instead, a plucky, European, “socialist” Israel arose as the darling of even the radical left, completely eclipsing the campaign of ethnic cleansing which enabled its creation. Likewise Israel’s 1967 occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, which remained a virtual non-issue until the outbreak of the first Intifada in the last days of 1987. The only part of the conflict which did appear on the public radar was the equation of Palestinians with terrorism. Until the start of the Oslo negotiations in 1993, even the mention of the word “occupation,” not to mention “Palestinians,” would have gotten you labeled an anti-Semite – terms that until today are seldom used in Israel. Even when the conflict, if not the Occupation per se, became an international issue, Israeli ruled the all-important realm of PR. The most telling argument against the Palestinian struggle is the widespread notion that Arafat refused Ehud Barak’s “generous offer” at Camp David. The facts of the matter – that there never was a “generous offer” and that even if Barak had offered 95% of the Occupied Territories (as Olmert has recently “offered” 93%), a Palestinian state would constitute little more than a truncated and non-viable South African bantustan on less than 20% of historic Palestine – disappear in the spin. All that remains is a re-demonized Arafat. Sharon’s subsequent imprisoning the Palestinian president in a dark room of his demolished headquarters, eliminating him politically and physically, raised virtually no opposition or even criticism in the international community. For all that, a determined effort of civil society groups around the world – human rights and political organizations, church and critical Jewish groups, trade unions, intellectuals and even certain political figures, in Israel as well as abroad – succeeded in the past decade or so in raising the Occupation to the status of global issue. No sooner had the concept of Occupation taken hold, however, than Israel’s feverish expansion of the “facts on the ground” overtook that term. For an occupation is defined in international law as “a temporary military situation.” The establishment of more than 200 Jewish-only settlements and outposts in the Occupied Territories, organized into seven large settlement “blocs” anchored by more than 20 are major urban centers, all tied inextricably into Israel proper by a massive network of Israeli-only highways and, most recently, the Separation Barrier, have rendered the Occupation permanent. No longer either temporary or security-based, one indivisible system, an Israeli system, has grown up between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River. Before our eyes those willing to look unflinchingly saw the truth: whether committed to a two-state solution or not, the Occupation has been transformed into a permanent state of apartheid. It is as yet an de facto reality. If the “Annapolis Process” works out according to Israel’s plan, it will become a de jure system of apartheid, cleverly sold as a “two-state solution” and approved by a Palestinian collaborationist-leader.

For your consideration, a quote from one of your countrymen: "We know of no spectacle so ridiculous as the British public in one of its periodic fits of morality." Abolitionist and Reformer, Lord Thomas Macaulay

Cause I am really sure if you weren't in prison you and your opinions would have come on Aliyah years ago!

and if you aren't coming on Aliyah...please do consider to putting a sock in it.

Livni says it is bad for the Jewish residents of Hevron to hit the IDF After mortars from Gaza hit the IDF she and her corrupt leadership did nothing,didn't even say it was bad that IDF soldier lost his leg ,. Now the labor,kadima,likud rats unite to go after the Jewish homebodies of Hevron. What worthless cowards who have great courage to go after fellow Jew's who only want to live in their homes but turn a blind eye to the immediate Gaza threat. When the wicked are in authority ,the people mourn.

Your revisionist history is remarkably incongruent. arabs in Palestine were ordered to leave by their leaders who promised that the advancing arab armies with British and French officers leading them would drive all Jews into the Mediterranean. They left happily, but aft6er the arab armies were defeated they realized "they" made a huge mistake. So you are really saying that the law of logical consequences does not apply to arabs? Jordan was given by the British against the wishes of the League Of Nations as an arab homeland. tell your arab buddies to move to their own land and Leave Judea and Samaria to the real owners, the Jewish citizens of Israel..

Do you believe anything he says? He withdrew from Lebanon, OK, but the manner was bad, with SLA falling apart, israeli arms fell into hezbollah hands, and lots of them.That's his fault. Two israeli soldiers got lynched on TV in Ramallah and he did nothing. Hamas lobs rockets at israel, a soldeir gets his leg sliced off and barak does nothing. I agree with Ben Israel that barak is the worst defense minister in israel's history, especially given his military background.All what he says is bla, bla, bla. Also, he sustained the coward and war failure in power Olmert in power, so he has a lot to be ashamed of.

stop quoting other people's columns and articles as your own. you are tiring, really. and above all, very stupid and totally misinformed as to history. i suggest you go educate yourself. moron.

Just maybe if you ,and I,took a break ,just for a day Richard,and stopped bashing Israel ,whether they deserve it or not is bye the bye,maybe the Israelis would feel slightly less defensive and perhaps a teeny weeny bit less arrogant.We all know they can be arrogant Richard ,we were saying that when you were in nappies,but please just give it up and descend from the Bandwagon ,just for one day ..it must be tiring for you and tiresome for us.Greetings...