Israel bulldozes Fayyad's Freedom Road

[shaayecanaan]

"On Sept. 1, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad celebrated with the residents of Qarawat Bani Hassan the inauguration of a mile-long road linking the small West Bank village to a spring its residents consider the lifeline of the community. It was called Freedom Road.

Israeli officials had informed Fayyad and the village residents that they would not allow the road because it was located in an area under its full control.

According to the village mayor, the Israeli army tried to stop construction on the $335,000 road, paid for by the Palestinian Authority, several times. But they continued with the project, and when the road was completed, Israeli officials informed the mayor two days before the inauguration that he had one week to destroy the road or the army would be sent in to do so.

But Fayyad snubbed the Israeli threat and proceeded with the official inauguration ceremonies.

Israel did not act until about three months later, when Fayyad was abroad, and bulldozers were sent in.

Fayyad on Thursday took time off from his busy schedule in Japan to denounce the Israeli step as “an act of sabotage.” He said, “Israel’s destruction of Freedom Road in Qarawat Bani Hassan will only strengthen the will of our people to continue on the road to freedom.” He vowed to rebuild the road."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/11/west-bank-fayyads-freedom-road-succumbs-to-israeli-dictate.html


*************************

I thought I should post this for the benefit of those posters who voice outrage when Palestinians commit "property damage" (such as clearing brush in order to plant olive trees).

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[hayu_lol]

2. The last comment made on the link...

seems reasonable according to the law.

Is this just more of the Palestinian game-playing to achieve hidden ends? Seems so.

Always two sides to these situations.

[shaayecanaan]

4. Of course it is reasonable...

no doubt all perfectly routine and legally ship-shape. Just like having separate toilets for black South Africans was perfectly sensible, because after all most of them have HIV, and you can hardly expect good God-fearing white folk to have to put up with dangers like that.

[Tripmann]

3. Guess it was another 'fire hazard'.

:sarcasm:

[azurnoir]

5. have the Israeli citizens living in Havat Meir said what they plan to name the spring?

The spring, to which the road was built, is located near an illegal Israeli settlement outpost called Havat Meir.

[oberliner]

7. There is no such place

Havat Meir does not exist. It is not the name of the settlement outpost near this village.

One would think that before publishing an article like this, the author might want to get that right.

Perhaps it is only one of other factual errors in this article.

[azurnoir]

8. so you are that familiar with the settlement outposts

thanks for sharin that with us

[oberliner]

9. More familiar than a hack writer/blogger? for the LA Times apparently

Maybe he needs to hang out on DU so he can benefit from the collective information of the many knowledgeable people who post here.

Or he could just learn how to do a Google search.

[azurnoir]

10. ok I understand if it does not turn up on a Google search it does not exist

strange interpretation of reality IMO

[oberliner]

11. I don't agree with that

Lots of things exist that don't turn up on a Google search.

But, if one was an actual reporter, I would think one would want to maybe do a little research on the village being written about.

Maybe do a Google search to see if there were any other news items or incidents related to the village. Specifically with the nearby settler outpost.

Perhaps such research might turn up the correct name of that outpost.

Even Wikipedia has that one right.

[azurnoir]

12. If as you claim you already know the name why do you not share it with us? n/t

[oberliner]

13. That isn't really the point

The point is that the writer who was published in the LA Times got it wrong.

He's supposed to be the professional.

Not sure why that would not make you question the veracity of the other info.

[azurnoir]

14. oh so for you the point is delegitimizing not clarifying n/t

[oberliner]

15. Yes, exactly

I am attacking the credibility of the author of the article by pointing out the fact that he cannot even get basic facts correct.

[azurnoir]

16. well then what are the basic facts?

you claim to know that there is no such settlement or outpost as the one mentioned in the article, insinuate you know the actual name but will not go any further, seems rather pointless to me.
As to outposts they come and go some are more well established than others and that some are relatively unknown is hardly a surprise.

[oberliner]

17. There is no such place as Havat Meir

That would be one basic fact the article got wrong.

The author is not just some person, he is a journalist writing about a specific location and misidentifying it.

[shaayecanaan]

18. The Palestine Telegraph also included a mention of the destruction of the road

and happily for you, they also seem to have gotten the name of the road right:-

"Adam Mansour, a seven year old child from East Jerusalem, was taken to hospital following the brutal and criminal beating he received from Israeli soldiers yesterday. The Prime Minister has requested of the Minister of Health to provide all the necessary medical facilities and care for Adam andwe pray for his speedy recovery.

The Israeli government should take immediate action against their soldiers that perpetrated this crime and these acts will be addressed to the UN Secretary General as one more event in a continuing series of violations against Palestinian children that arein direct violation of international law and the Convention on the Rights ofthe Child.

This is a hate crime against a defenseless child by well trained, armed Israeli soldiers and there should be no impunity. Latest incidents of the Israeli destruction:

• Israeli bulldozers demolish the whole village of Abu Ajaj in the Jordanvalley, and displace its 150 residents.

• Israel sweeps lands in Bani Hassan and destroys agricultural facilitiesthere, also removing two agricultural projects created by the PA in area of Wadi Qana in the town of Dair Estia-Salfit.

• Israeli municipality of Jerusalem demolishes 6 nurseries and 3 stores inHizma. And demolishes the house of Aziz Zblih in Al- Tur neighborhood and displacing his 7 family members, under the pretext of illegal construction.

• The occupation destroys a mosque, 2 residential structures and 4 barns in Khirbet Yasra- Tubas in the northern valley, displacing 2 families of 11 members. And destroys a house in Yatta- Hebron, leaving 25 people without shelter.

• Settlers take over an apartment in a building consisting of 3 floors in Al- Tur neighborhood- Jerusalem.

• Israeli bulldozers demolish and sweeps Al- Nwetef road in Qarawat Bani Zaid, a road which PM Fayyad opened called the Freedom Road.

• Settlers began to raze more than 50 dunums of agricultural land in Jalud Village- southern Nablus.

• Settlers fence destroy tens of dunums of land in the village of Yasuf in Salfit.

• Israeli municipality of Jerusalem demolishes livelihood- related structures in Al Isawiya, which were partiality demolished on November the 11th."

http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7609:Israeli-Crimes-of-Destruction&catid=110:press-releases&Itemid=207

[oberliner]

23. I am not disputing the name of the road

Nor do I dispute anything written in that excerpt from The Palestine Telegraph.

I was referencing the LA Times article (the OP) where the author referred to a nearby Israeli settlement outpost that does not actually exist.

[azurnoir]

21. so if as you have been claiming there is no such place

what proof do you have is it a case of mistaken name or what you insinuated you knew a few posts back but as of yet have provided nothing other than your claim and admission your actual goal was to delegitimize the entire article

[oberliner]

24. Here are the facts

The article mentions an illegal Israeli settlement outpost.

There is no illegal Israeli settlement outpost of that name.

There is an illegal Israeli settlement outpost there of a different name.

The author did not bother to make certain that he had the name right before submitting the article and/or the LA Times did not bother to check to see if the name was right before publishing it.

If this basic fact in the story is wrong - other facts may be wrong too.

Edit to add: With about 2 minutes of Googling, I was able to find not only the correct name of the outpost, but also numerous pictures of the outpost, and other articles chronicling other past disputes between this outpost and the Palestinian village.

Shouldn't an LA Times reporter be expected to do at least that much legwork before getting a story published at a minimum to be taken at all seriously?

[azurnoir]

25. Then what is the name of the outpost?

what other facts may he have gotten wrong? My guess is that the name of the settlement is close but not quite what was mentioned in the article, I did Google yesterday

[oberliner]

26. Other facts he may have gotten wrong

1. "Israeli officials had informed Fayyad and the village residents that they would not allow the road because it was located in an area under its full control."

What officials were those? Was that the exact reason given? Nothing else? Any quotes? Any statement from the Israeli side? Any further explanation?

2. "Israeli officials informed the mayor two days before the inauguration that he had one week to destroy the road or the army would be sent in to do so."

Evidence? Quotes? Which officials? What did they say exactly?

3. "Israel did not act until about three months later, when Fayyad was abroad, and bulldozers were sent in."

No action at all? No further statements or warnings?

I mean there isn't one sourced quote or statement from anyone on the Israeli side in the entire piece.

Plus he didn't know the name of the nearby outpost.

Were any Israelis consulted at all by this journalist?

"Israeli officials" are referenced several times, but none by name and no evidence of any actual quotes or conversations.

[azurnoir]

27. , you have admitted your goal was to delegitimize the article

something you simply cannot do. You still do not seem to be able to produce the name of the outpost, and the fact that Israel destroyed the road can not be refuted when Israel issued the order the talks were due to resume the next day, a fact that may explain the delay, however such delays are not uncommon

[oberliner]

28. I am attacking the credibility of the author of the article by pointing out the fact

that he cannot even get basic facts correct.

That has already been done.

Here's one Israeli news source on the incident:

Security forces are also razing an illegal road paved in a nature reserve situated in Israeli-controlled territory. The paving of the road was funded by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

And from the AP:

The Israeli military said the road was built illegally in a nature preserve

Note that this tidbit did not surface in the LA Times article/blog post.

Again I ask - were any Israelis asked anything when the "journalist" was putting together this piece?

[azurnoir]

29. as nothing is said we do not know to state otherwise is a gratuitous

assumption at best

[oberliner]

30. Journalism should not be based on assumption

It should be based on asking questions of all involved parties and trying to get the facts right.

[azurnoir]

32. however the basic fact is that Israel destroyed a Palestinian road in the West Bank

really trying to whitewash that fact by making what would now after days of this appear to unfounded claims of your own and giving facts from unlinked articles (the links to which I am sure will be in your reply, right?) but still you do not seem to able to prove your claim that no such settlement outpost exists or that the name is wrong, why is that?

[bemildred]

6. Tsk. Really puts him in his place, doesn't it? nt

[Violet_Crumble]

19. That'll teach those pesky Palestinians to try to create things for themselves!

Israel needs to get its settlers and get out of the Occupied Territories. The destruction of Palestinian roads and of attempts by Palestinians to build themselves a functioning infrastructure are things only the most zealoted of its 'supporters' can try to justify or try to make out isn't happening...

[hayu_lol]

20. I had hoped that we could have had a legitimate discussion...

on this topic. Some, as usual, threw in the kitchen sink full of other matters and have prevented discussion.

Black and White toilets(as well as black and white drinking fountains)were here in the southern US not that many years ago. You sure don't have to reference S. Africa for that. Oh yeah, we don't have those separate facilities here any more.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Violet_Crumble]

31. No-one's stopping you, so go ahead...

No-one stops me from doing it, as you can see from what I said in my post. I don't know why people prefer to argue about correct spelling and font sizes and avoid talking about the actual topic itself, but I don't indulge them and I'm not sure why you chose to express yr displeasure about such posts to me....