Mark Twain and Palestine. Have you ever actually read Innocents Abroad? The Israeli narrative only mentions a couple of lines. Why would that be?

It’s actually quite simple. If it isn’t the “acknowledged” Sovereign Territory of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt or Israel,
then it’s the territory of what remains of Palestine since Jordan and Israel declared their Sovereign Independence from Palestine in 1946 & 1948.

ShortLink http://wp.me/pDB7k-Jp

“we made the desert bloom” or “Israel is the only democracy in the M East” or Israel treats Gays better than the Arab states or there was no state of Palestine or the number of Jewish Nobel prize winners or Israel’s alleged invention of computer chips or the mobile telephone or most Palestinians would rather live under Israeli rule than Palestinian rule or anything that happened prior to 00:01 May 15th 1948 (ME time), including Mark Twain’s description of Palestine is COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT TO THE LEGAL STATUS OF TERRITORIES and the rights and duties of Statehood. They are all non-arguments. Hasbara nonsense 101.

The argument that Jews made the dessert bloom, has no legal bearing on the matter.  It is completely irrelevant to International Law. Never the less, let’s have a look at what the Hasbara fails to mention from Twain. Twain was recovering from cholera during his journey through Palestine, IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER… take it from here … for the most part the route he took to Jerusalem, was through barren areas. E.g., Damascus to the Sea of Galilee. Nablus to Jerusalem. Look at Google Earth even today. The dead sea, today. These are the areas Twain is quoted for! IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER. You will not find the following cited by apologists for a Greater Israel. “The narrow canon in which Nablous, or Shechem, is situated, is under high cultivation, and the soil is exceedingly black and fertile. It is well watered, and its affluent vegetation gains effect by contrast with the barren hills that tower on either side” “Sometimes, in the glens, we came upon luxuriant orchards of figs, apricots, pomegranates, and such things, but oftener the scenery was rugged, mountainous, verdureless and forbidding” “We came finally to the noble grove of orange-trees in which the Oriental city of Jaffa lies buried” “Small shreds and patches of it must be very beautiful in the full flush of spring, however, and all the more beautiful by contrast with the far-reaching desolation that surrounds them on every side” “Every where about the Mosque of Omar are portions of pillars, curiously wrought altars, and fragments of elegantly carved marble–precious remains of Solomon’s Temple. These have been dug from all depths in the soil and rubbish of Mount Moriah, and the Moslems have always shown a disposition to preserve them with the utmost care. At that portion of the ancient wall of Solomon’s Temple which is called the Jew’s Place of Wailing, and where the Hebrews assemble every Friday to kiss the venerated stones and weep over the fallen greatness of Zion, any one can see a part of the unquestioned and undisputed Temple of Solomon, the same consisting of three or four stones lying one upon the other, each of which is about twice as long as a seven-octave piano, and about as thick as such a piano is high. But, as I have remarked before, it is only a year or two ago that the ancient edict prohibiting Christian rubbish like ourselves to enter the Mosque of Omar and see the costly marbles that once adorned the inner Temple was annulled. The designs wrought upon these fragments are all quaint and peculiar, and so the charm of novelty is added to the deep interest they naturally inspire. One meets with these venerable scraps at every turn, especially in the neighboring Mosque el Aksa, into whose inner walls a very large number of them are carefully built for preservation“ ————- Bayard Taylor who wrote of the Jezreel Valley in 1852 “one of the richest districts in the world” Laurence Oliphant 1887, again of the Valley of Jezreel “…was ‘a huge green lake of waving wheat, with its village-crowned mounds rising from it like islands; and it presents one of the most striking pictures of luxuriant fertility which it is possible to conceive’ “ ——– It’s rather obvious from reading Innocents abroad, Mark Twain did not visit the most fertile areas of Palestine. It’s also rather obvious that Israel’s holey old Hasbara is just cherry picking!

Pushing the Hasbarrow for Israel.

…It’s actually quite simple. If it isn’t the actual Sovereign Territory of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt or Israel, then by default it is the territory of what remained of Palestine on May 15th 1948.
Non-self Governing Territories fall under the protection of the UN Charter Chapt XI…

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The Hasbarrow Inc

End the Israeli occupation of Palestine

This is a snip Click for full image with dialogue

This is another snip Click for full image with dialogue

ShortLink http://wp.me/pDB7k-Ik#We-were-poor-and-happy

“We were poor and happy. The sort of happiness felt when a person as is turning desert into garden.” Peres worked in two kibbutz – Kibbutz Alumot, which was in desert. In his time it was a failure. It didn’t blossom in the desert. The other, Geva in the Jezreel Valley, which was NOT poor land or a desert. It was already blooming and had done so for centuries. Of the Jezreel Valley Bayard Taylor 1852 wrote “one of the richest districts in the world” Laurence Oliphant 1887 wrote “the Valley of Esdraelon (Jezreel) was ‘a huge green lake of waving wheat, with its village-crowned mounds rising from it like islands; and it presents one of the most striking pictures of luxuriant fertility which it is possible to conceive’ “ Kibutz Alumot was a failure in his time, it didn’t turn the desert into garden. It was abandoned until 1967 and Kibbutz Geva was not in desert, it had been a garden for centuries. What was his point? Israel allegedly turning the desert into a garden is IRRELEVANT to the actual legal status of Israel’s Internationally recognized sovereign extent. See also Mark Twain Another Hasbara fairy tale, completely IRRELEVANT to the actual legal status of Israel’s Internationally recognized sovereign extent.

This is a snip Click for full image with dialogue

Israel vs Palestine. Contrary to the Hasbara, Palestine has existed far longer than any Jewish kingdom or Jewish State. By denying the existence of Palestine and the Palestinian people, the longer history of Jewish existence in the region, as Palestinian Jews, is being denied.

It’s actually quite simple. If it isn’t the “acknowledged” Sovereign Territory of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt or Israel, then it’s a territory of Palestine
.
ShortLink http://wp.me/pDB7k-GO

Apart from being irrelevant to the legal status of non-self governing territories and recognized extent of Israeli Sovereignty, by denying the existence of Palestine and the Palestinian people, the Jewish population who lived in Palestine throughout the diaspora
are being denied the longer history of Jewish existence in the region. As Palestinian Jews.

Palestina moderna et Terra Sancta [1480?].

How many times have you heard “there were no such people as the Palestinians” or “No such country as Palestine”? To be correct, there was and still is no Independent Sovereign State of Palestine, nor for that matter was there an Independent Sovereign State, country or even a region called Israel until 1948. There was once a kingdom for a short period of time. There was however Palestine. The maps on linked on the sides of this page aren’t maps drawn in the era of the Hasbara. They’re of the region, drawn in 1480 & 1655 of the region at the time. From the Jewish National and University Library no less. This was drawn in 1845 From the Zionism & Israel Information Center. Basic maths: Since the Roman era, i.e., about 2,000 of the 3,200 year history of the Jewish people, the region in all it’s forms and under a number rules, has been known as Palestine. During this 2,000 year period, longer than there ever was a Jewish Kingdom or a Jewish State, Jewish folk living in Palestine were, like Palestine’s other folk, Palestinians. After having areas declared independent of it, TransJordan 1946, Israel 1948, what remains is still Palestine. The name has not changed for over two thousand years In denying the existence of Palestine, the Jewish population who lived in Palestine throughout the diaspora are being denied their Jewish Palestinian history. Herzl, who during his life time could have bought land and lived anywhere in Palestine as a Palestinian Jew, didn’t. Those who stayed in Palestine did. Tens of thousands who migrated in the late 1800’s did. That right was taken away by the formation of a separate state, independent of Palestine. Now Israeli Jews (and Israel’s other citizens) are prohibited from settling any where in Palestine by the laws Israel swore to uphold. Even under it’s own Law of Entry 1948 and still current, Israeli citizens are prohibited from entering a hostile entity. Not to mention the GC’s, Laws of War, UN Charter and numerous UNSC resolutions. There is no logical reason for the notion that Palestine and the Palestinians did not exist except to justify the notion of a Greater Israel, at any cost. Even the history of the non-diaspora Palestinian Jews.

Totius Terrae Sanctae Delineatio [1655]

Contrary to the Hasbara twaddle Have you actually read Twain’s “Innocents Abroad”? Or Bayard Taylor who wrote of the Jezreel Valley in 1852 “one of the richest districts in the world” Some very nice pics Photos of early Palestine Show thriving, well ordered rural communities. (thanks The Angry Arabs) From Michael: Chairman of the Permanent Mandates Commission in 1937: “For the Mandates Commission, Palestine had never ceased to constitute a separate entity. It was one of those territories which, under the terms of the Covenant, might be regarded as “provisionally independent”. The country was administered under an A mandate by the United Kingdom, subject to certain conditions and particularly to the condition appearing in Article 5: “The Mandatory shall be responsible for seeing that no Palestine territory shall be . . . in any way placed under the control of the Government of any foreign Power”. […] Palestine, as the mandate clearly showed, was a subject under international law. While she could not conclude international conventions, the mandatory Power, until further notice, concluded them on her behalf, in virtue of Article 19 of the mandate. The mandate, in Article 7, obliged the Mandatory to enact a nationality law, which again showed that the Palestinians formed a nation, and that Palestine was a State, though provisionally under guardianship. It was, moreover, unnecessary to labour the point; there was no doubt whatever that Palestine was a separate political entity.” DocumentLink http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/FD05535118AEF0DE052565ED0065DDF7 BTW read Peres’ ‘making deserts bloom’ at the UN 2010

The Map from the Peace Treaty of Versailles Showing Palestine (original appears to be a microfilm negative) Here for a clear positive image

MORE – Palestine. A country, a state? Mandate period treaty documents between Palestine and Great Britain, Ireland, Iraq, Syria, TransJordan, Turkey, Egypt seem to confirm that it was.

What will happen if the Palestinians Declare Sovereign Independence by the ’67 armistice lines?

…It’s actually quite simple. If it isn’t the “acknowledged” Sovereign Territory of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt or Israel, then it’s a territory of Palestine…

Shortlink http://wp.me/pDB7k-Gl

Click for Highly Detailed Google Earth Overlay Click for enlargement

A declaration of Sovereign Independence according to the Armistice lines of ’67 by the Palestinians makes for a really interesting situation… FACT : Palestine’s name has not changed since Roman era. Under the Ottoman rule, the region was called Palestine. Under the Mandate, the region was called Palestine. Jordan was declared Independent of Palestine in 1946. What remained was still called Palestine. Israel was declared Independent of Palestine in 1948. . What remained was and is still called “Palestine”. The UNSC resolutions call for “peace in Palestine”, never peace in Israel. The wars have not been fought in Israel. FACT : Palestine today is comprised by default, of the territories outside of and bound by the actual Internationally recognized extent of Lebanese, Syrian, Jordanian, Egyptian & Israeli sovereignty. The legal status of Palestine has not changed since Israel was declared independent of Palestine on May 14th 1948. Armistice Demarcation Lines and Cease Fire lines have changed, neither of which have changed any borders. FACT : Jerusalem was never instituted as a corpus separatum by the UN. It was not a part of Israel’s declared or recognized sovereignty. Jerusalem’s status has never legally changed from being a part of Palestine for over 2,000 years. Far longer than the entire existence of the Jewish Kingdom. FACT :Territory can only be ‘acquired’ by legal annexation. The territories Israel illegally acquired by war by 1950 and has never legally annexed, are still legally a part of Palestine. (about 33% of the territory Israel claims as it’s own). It is inadmissible to ‘acquire’ territory by war. According to Schwebel/Lauterpacht, a state may ‘restore’ its sovereignty over its own territory by war. E.g., Syria has the right to ‘restore’ the Golan. FACT : No actual borders were changed in ’67. Armistice Demarcation Lines are not borders unless they follow the actual borders existing before the armistice or unless “occupied territories” are legally annexed during the period of the armistice. FACT : A Declaration of Sovereign Independence only comes into effect when the territories declared are completely free of occupation. (example ..“The Act of Independence will become effective at one minute after six o’clock on the evening of 14 May 1948, Washington time” After the British occupation/Mandate ended.) In order to come into effect, Israel would have to withdraw from all of the territories declared by Palestine. FACT : A Palestinian declaration according to the ’67 armistice lines and subsequent recognition as an Independent state, will not change the extent of Israel’s actual Internationally recognized declared sovereignty. There will still be a requirement to legally annex the territories between Israel’s legally recognized borders of 1948 and the border of Palestine for them to become sovereign to Israel. By declaring Sovereign Independence according to the ’67 armistice lines, territories not declared as sovereign by the Palestinians and not declared as sovereign or legally annexed to Israel, would remain a part of Palestine until their status is legally changed via legal annexation. Israel will finally have to either legally annex them, (legal annexation requires an agreement of the legal citizens, sans citizens of the annexing party) OR occupy them. As the Occupying Power, Israel would then be duty bound to PROTECT THEM until they in turn have the ability to become independent or decide to be annexed. However, as an Independent Sovereign State, Palestine would also be Regional Power. As such it would also have the same right to legally claim, annex or occupy the same territories. Conundrum : If the Palestinians declare themselves independent by the boundaries of the ’67 armistice and call their state Palestine, what will the remaining, tiny, entity be called? And what are the ramifications if it erupts in civil war, outside the sovereignty of either entity? (HERE for the possible ramifications for Israeli citizens). Which Regional Power would take over. It could ask to be legally annexed by one of the Regional Powers, as the Palestinians requested of TransJordan in 1950. Which Regional Power would it trust? One who has for 64 years usurped the Palestinians, denying them RoR, razing their homes, villages, farms? Or the party who would sacrifice some 50% of it’s rightful territories, in order that there be peace, helping Israel extract itself from the illegal, facts on the ground black hole it has dug for itself and it’s illegally settled citizens? If neither Israel or Palestine annex, hundreds of thousands of people living in the remaining, tiny, entity, many of whom are currently Israeli citizens, will be stateless. If Israel does annex, it must be by agreement with the remaining tiny entity. This action alone would show the world that these territories were never a part of Israel. I.e., it has been bullsh*tting for 64 years. (Not that Israel ever seems to care about being shown as deceitful, as long as it has land). Palestine would have just as much right as Israel to legally annex. Would Israel go ballistic? Kick the sh*te out of ye olde china shoppe? Ask yourself….. Who will stop them? The US, mightiest nation on earth, can’t even stop Israel’s illegal settlement program!

Israel vs Palestine. Occupation is a position of TRUST. There is an OBLIGATION and a DUTY to PROTECT the occupied, their property and their territory.

…It’s actually quite simple. If it isn’t the “acknowledged” Sovereign Territory of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt or Israel,
then it’s the territory of what remains of Palestine since Jordan and Israel declared their Sovereign Independence from Palestine in 1946 & 1948.

ShortLink http://wp.me/pDB7k-Gb

Jerusalem Declared Israel Occupied City by Israeli Government Proclamation12 Aug 1948

Israel has never legally annexed any of this territories or any other territory it captured in the 1948/49 war.

The Occupying Power cannot legally annex without agreement with the civilian population of the territory being annexed, sans the citizens of the Occupying Power.

And Israel’s illegal annexation of east Jerusalem and the Golan, captured in the ’67 war were condemned by the UNSC.

Today Israel still occupies Palestinian territories, according to UNSC Res 1860 Jan 2009

CHAPTER XI: DECLARATION REGARDING NON-SELF-GOVERNING TERRITORIES
Article 73“Members of the United Nations which have or assume responsibilities for the administration of territories whose peoples have not yet attained a full measure of self-government recognize the principle that the interests of the inhabitants of these territories are paramount, and accept as a sacred trust the obligation to promote to the utmost, within the system of international peace and security established by the present Charter, the well-being of the inhabitants of these territories, and, to this end etc etc “

——
First, read the UN Charter, care fully. It is actually a fine document with noble aspirations. Perfect? No. Nothing is perfect. However nothing, by it’s very nature, simply doesn’t exist.

What does exist is a set of rules for when parties cannot, do not or refuse to resolve their conflicts. Many of the rules exist because of the fate of the millions who suffered the horrors brought on by the Nazis. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees exists in large part because of the dispossession and deaths of European Jews and countless millions of other innocent people.

The rules have been accepted by all UN Members, without reservation. A UN Member State cannot opt out of ANY of the UN Charter which BTW reminds UN Members of their obligations to International Law and conventions already ratified by the majority (passing into Customary International Law) before Israel became a member.

Under the UN Charter there is an obligation and a duty for the UN/UNSC and/or Regional Powers after having stated their intentions to the UNSC, to intervene when a UN Member state acts illegally outside the extent of it’s sovereignty. They’re the rules Israel unconditionally accepted in order to become a United Nations Member.

Under the UN Charter (Chapt XI) non-selfigoverned territories are to be afforded protection by UN Member States. Occupation is a position of TRUST. There is an obligation and a duty to protect the occupied, their property and their territory. There is an obligation to assist the occupied in achieving statehood with all their rights, in all of their rightfull territories.

Israel is doing exactly the opposite while the world stands by, terrified of being called Antisemitic if they dare criticize, even though justifiable criticism is founded in the very laws Israel swore to uphold. Influenced by the Hasbara provided by the squeakiest door in the building. Fearfull of what the little Red Heifer in the Middle East might do to the china shop if held to account.

Israel’s founders at the time of declaration were well aware of the legal implications of declaring sovereignty. Well aware of the UN Charter, Laws of War & Geneva Conventions, before committing to them. Israel’s legal advisers were not naive. They were aware of every word, every punctuation mark, every exacting detail. They know full well that as long as a resolution or the writing of a resolution is being disputed, no action can be taken. None more obvious than the delaying tactic of arguing over the word ‘the’ in UNSC Res 242.

Unless the Zionist Federation were idiots, and we know they weren’t, when Plan Dalet was launched they must have known Israel could not be held to account by the UN until it joined the UN. The UN cannot censure non-members. However, the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, says “it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. “

A search of the UNSC resolutions on the conflict from 14th May 1948 till admission to the UN reveals no direct demand or censure on Israel. After admittance May 11, 1949, we see the UN directly censuring Israel.

Israel’s narrative now is “The UN is biased against Israel, why doesn’t the UN censure the Palestinians, Hamas?”. Well, unless idiots are running the country, it’s BLOODY OBVIOUS!!