Sunday, January 8, 2006

Palestine-Israel, Media. The joint struggle against the separation fence and occupation get results 8 Jan

Contributor note: The conflicts within the Israeli ruling elite is both influencing the media manipulation of public opinions (its main tool in developed capitalist states) but also influenced by it in a complicated chain of feedback loops. In Israel, the interests of the main fraction of the business capitalist elite which has more to gain from fast compromise with the Palestinians is expressed in a surprising support the Israeli media is giving to the joint struggle of the Israeli Anarchists Against The Wall and the popular comity against the separation fence of the Bil'in village.
The power of this fraction increase lately faster and faster, and the power of the pro settler colonialism fraction diminish really fast last years of the second intifada. The joint struggle of Israelis and Palestinians was used by the media which is dominated by the pro compromise fraction of ruling elite as one of the levers to shift the public opinion to its side. This is the main reason that the Haaretz daily - the main pro business capitalist daily give lot of support to the "leftists" struggling for the end of occupation - including giving lot of space and support for the joint struggle in Bil'in. (Probably the only daily in the world that give such support for direct action of anarchists).

The following article about a radical act (the most radical till this day) of the Israeli supreme court that put a stay on the settler colonialist building activity on the lands of Bil'in robed with the help of the separate fence is both the result of our struggle and the shifting balance, and hopefully will accelerate it.
The most astonishing is the fact that the Attorney Aner Helman of the State Prosecution took the side of the "Peace Now" petition to the court against the builders of settler colonialist town that got till this day full support of the Israeli state. Ilan S.

> State mulls criminal probe into illegal settlement construction -- By Akiva Eldar

In a rare move against settlement expansion, the State Prosecution on Friday told the High Court of Justice it will look into the possibility of opening a criminal investigation pertaining to the illegal construction in the the Matityahu East neighborhood in the West Bank settlement of Upper Modi'in.

Attorney Aner Helman of the State Prosecution told the court it should issue a temporary injunction to forbid the plan to double the housing units in the neighborhood from 1,500 to 3,000.

Justice Ayala Procaccia on Friday ordered to halt construction immediately of the hundreds of illegal housing units in the neighborhood.

In a temporary injunction issued at the request of Peace Now, Justice Procaccia also ordered a cessation of efforts to populate or sell additional units at the construction site.

The injunction was issued against the defense minister, the Israel Defense Forces commander in the West Bank, IDF GOC central commander, head of the Civil Administration, the local council of Upper Modi'in and the building contractors Green Park, Green Mount and Ein Ami.

Helman added that the court should demand that Upper Modi'in's local planning and construction committee ensure the construction be halted, and stop allowing construction without permits from the West Bank command's central planning bureau.

He said that if proper actions are not taken by local officials, inspectors from the central command would be forced to act.

Helman also confirmed Haaretz' findings that a local licensing authority granted construction permits to dozens of apartments - 22 buildings of five floors or more - that are either completed close to completion.

The illegal construction is taking place on property belonging to the Palestinian village of Bil'in. The property was acquired by the settlement from land dealers through dubious powers of attorney, then rezoned as state land and leased or sold to settlers' construction companies.

The separation fence cuts Bil'in off from the land, thereby facilitating the settlers' access to it.

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