'Ma'aleh Adumim, Palestine'

[Phx_Dem]

Ma'aleh Adumim resident Julian Czarny woke up recently to discover that he lived in "Palestine" - at least according to the popular Internet social networking site Facebook.

Facebook no longer allows members from Ma'aleh Adumim, Ariel, Betar Illit and other settlements over the Green Line to list their hometowns as situated in Israel, but instead provides only a preset location, with their country listed as "Palestine."

"Someone at Facebook is simply prejudging whatever may or may not come about in future negotiations," said Czarny. "Who exactly decided on this computerized transfer of over a quarter-million Jews from Israel to Palestine?"

Fellow Ma'aleh Adumim resident and Facebook user Seth Vogelman also found his country of residence changed from "Israel" to "Palestine."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1205420682738&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Background on the anti-semitism at Facebook:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=316&topic_id=1433&mesg_id=1433

[UndertheOcean]

1. Petty ,

[ProgressiveMuslim]

2. Well it sure has hell isn't "Israel." nt

[azurnoir]

3. Isn't calling the area Israel

doing the same as this just from the other side?

Someone at Facebook is simply prejudging whatever may or may not come about in future negotiations," said Czarny. "Who exactly decided on this computerized transfer of over a quarter-million Jews from Israel to Palestine?"

so that is ok, but Palestine is Antisemitism?

Both designations make conclusions that have yet come to pass

[Crunchy Frog]

4. Hey, that sounds pretty cool. Glad to hear it.

Could be a model for how the international community can begin to approach this situation.

[breakaleg]

5. So, that makes Facebook anti-semitic? Interesting. Given that it's an ILLEGAL settlement

located OUTSIDE Israel. Those pesky little facts....

[Dick Dastardly]

6. Its not illegal under Res 242 and other applicable laws and such

It was also built on state owned land under the Turks not private.

[Douglas Carpenter]

8. thank you - ALL credible- independent international bodies & organization are in ABSOLUTEagreement

that at ALL settlements on land Occupied after June, 1967 are completely illegal. There simply is NO disagreement about this among ANY and ALL credible international bodies; NONE whatsoever - and there NEVER - EVER has been.

Even Judge Thomas Burgenthal the one dissenting Judge in the International Court of Justice ruling that Declared the Wall in to be illegal; although he did not agree with the 14 other judges regarding the wall, stated in his opinion brief that if the Wall or parts of the Wall is being built to protect the settlements, those parts of the Wall are ipso facto illegal, Because the settlements themselves are illegal. He also stated categorically that all land in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza is Occupied Palestinian Territory. On this matter ALL Judges including Judge Burgenthal were in complete and unanimous agreement.
link: http://www.asil.org/insights/insigh141.htm#_ednref2

Even Theodore Meron , the Israeli Foreign Ministry legal adviser at the time of the 1967 War notified the Israeli government of these fact way back in September of 1967:

"The declaration by Theodor Meron, the Israeli Foreign Ministry's legal adviser at the time and today one of the world's leading international jurists, is a serious blow to Israel's persistent argument that the settlements do not violate international law, particularly as Israel prepares to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the war in June 1967.

The legal opinion, a copy of which has been obtained by The Independent, was marked "Top Secret" and "Extremely Urgent" and reached the unequivocal conclusion, in the words of its author's summary, "that civilian settlement in the administered territories contravenes the explicit provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention."

Judge Meron, president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia until 2005, said that, after 40 years of Jewish settlement growth in the West Bank - one of the main problems to be solved in any peace deal: " I believe that I would have given the same opinion today."

Judge Meron, a holocaust survivor, also sheds new light on the aftermath of the 1967 war by disclosing that the Foreign Minister, Abba Eban, was " sympathetic" to his view that civilian settlement would directly conflict with the Hague and Geneva conventions governing the conduct of occupying powers"

link:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/secret-memo-shows-israel-knew-six-day-war-was-illegal-450410.html

Even the whole principle of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 was based on the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquirement of land by force:

Here are just some of the many UN Security Council Resolutions affirming the recognition by the virtually the entire international community that the territories are OCCUPIED Arab land and the illegality of the settlements - particularly settlement activity and activity that changes the status of Jerusalem.

Resolution 252 (1968)
Urgently calls upon Israel to rescind measures that change the legal status of Jerusalem, including the expropriation of land and properties thereon.

267 (1969)
Urgently calls upon Israel to rescind measures seeking to change the legal status of occupied East Jerusalem.

271 (1969)
Reiterates calls to rescind measures seeking to change the legal status of occupied East Jerusalem and calls on Israel to scrupulously abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention regarding the responsibilities of occupying powers

298 (1971)
Reiterates demand that Israel rescind measures seeking to change the legal status of occupied East Jerusalem.

446 (1979)
Calls upon Israel to scrupulously abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention regarding the responsibilities of occupying powers, to rescind previous measures that violate these relevant provisions, and "in particular, not to transport parts of its civilian population into the occupied Arab territories."

452 (1979)
Calls on the government of Israel to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction, and planning of settlements in the Arab territories, occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem.

465 (1980)
Reiterates previous resolutions on Israel's settlements policy.

484 (1980)
Reiterates request that Israel abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention.

592 (1986)
Insists Israel abide by the Fourth Geneva Conventions in East Jerusalem and other occupied territories.

672 (1990) Israel
Reiterates calls for Israel to abide by provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention in the occupied Arab territories.

673 (1990) Israel
Insists that Israel come into compliance with resolution 672.

681 (1990) Israel
Reiterates call on Israel to abide by Fourth Geneva Convention in the occupied Arab territories.

link:

http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2002/0210unres.html

.

[Crunchy Frog]

10. Clearly international law is antisemitic. n/t

[oberliner]

7. Facebook has changes their policy on this

Late afternoon on Friday, just before the Sabbath, Facebook bowed to pressure. A spokesman said that now, “Facebook users in the Israeli West Bank settlements of Ma’ale Adumim, Beitar Illit and Ariel can now choose between Israel and Palestine.”

“We also offer Hebron in both Israel and Palestine,” the spokesman added. “We only support 18 cities in the West Bank at this point, so most settlements are not yet supported, though we certainly intend to add them. We also have many more cities in other countries yet to add and will continue to so over time.”

http://www.forward.com/articles/12947/

[Crunchy Frog]

11. I wonder if they'll allow Arab citizens of Israel

to list their place of residence as "Palestine"?

[Violet_Crumble]

9. Since when has it been antisemitic to state the bloody obvious?

The settlements aren't in Israel. It doesn't matter how many deluded Facebook morons insist they are, the reality is that they're not. And that might have a little bit to do with things like international law being a bit more credible than a bunch of twits on Facebook....

Even though I think this Facebook thing is as juvenile and petty as that stupid Monopoloy crap, Facebook should stick to the facts and put the location as *Occupied West Bank*. Or any of those folk who are so obsessed with having their location show up as Israel should actually get off their arses and move to Israel. This might be a bit difficult for them seeing as how they seem totally confused about where Israel is, but I'm sure someone can spring for a map to send them on their way...