Call for labels on Israeli settlement products

Tánaiste has said Ireland will push for an EU-wide move to label products produced in illegal Israeli settlements, and will introduce labelling unilaterally if agreement is not reached.

Mr Gilmore was speaking after a meeting with a group of retired international leaders, The Elders.

Former US President Jimmy Carter said he was encouraged by a meeting this morning.

Mr Carter was at a meeting at the Department of Foreign Affairs with representatives of 20 EU states, who unanimously supported the labelling move.

Former President Mary Robinson, another member of The Elders, said they were not happy that the EU just “talks the talk” and said they wanted to see practical steps.

Mr Gilmore said work was under way at EU level to introduce labelling, and it would clearly be more effective if it was done at European level.

However, he said the Government had a process in train to do it unilaterally if necessary.

The other members of The Elders are Martti Ahtisaari, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Lakhdar Brahimi, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Fernando Cardoso, Graca Machel, and Desmond Tutu.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela is an Honorary Elder.

via Call for labels on Israeli settlement products – RTÉ News.

via Call for labels on Israeli settlement products – RTÉ News.

Obama Urges Palestinians to Drop Demand for Israeli Settlement Freeze

Obama clearly defined lines appear to offer little hope to Palestine

President Obama more closely aligned himself with the Israeli government’s terms for resuming peace talks with the Palestinians Thursday as he continued his visit to the region. Speaking in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Obama urged Palestinians to drop their longstanding demand for Israel to halt settlement construction on Palestinian land as a precondition for talks.

President Obama: “What I shared with President Abbas, and I will share with the Palestinian people, is that if the expectation is, is that we can only have direct negotiations when everything is settled ahead of time, then there’s no point for negotiations. So I think it’s important for us to work through this process, even if there are irritants on both sides.”

Obama had previously backed the Palestinian demand for a settlement freeze at the start of his first term. On Thursday, Obama said the Israeli settlements are not “constructive” or “appropriate,” but he stopped short of calling them illegal, a point stressed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

President Mahmoud Abbas: “Regarding the issue of settlements, it is not only our perception that settlements are illegal, but it is a global perspective. Everybody considers settlements not only a hurdle, but even more than a hurdle, towards the two-state solution.”

via Headlines for March 22, 2013 | Democracy Now!.

via Headlines for March 22, 2013 | Democracy Now!.

My Neighbourhood: a Palestinian boy’s view of Israeli settlements – video

My Neighbourhood (directed by Julia Bacha and Rebekah Wingert-Jabi) tells the story of Mohammed El Kurd, a Palestinian teenager growing up in the heart of East Jerusalem. When Mohammed’s family is forced to give up a part of their home to Israeli settlers, local residents begin peaceful protests, and in a surprising turn, are quickly joined by scores of Israeli supporters. Mohammed comes of age in the face of unrelenting tension with his neighbours and unexpected co-operation with Israeli allies in his backyard. My Neighbourhood is latest short film by Just Vision, an organisation that uses film and media to increase the power and legitimacy of Palestinians and Israelis working to end the occupation and resolve the conflict nonviolently.

For video please click on the link below

via My Neighbourhood: a Palestinian boy’s view of Israeli settlements – video | World news | guardian.co.uk.

via My Neighbourhood: a Palestinian boy’s view of Israeli settlements – video | World news | guardian.co.uk.