The Case against 'Occupied Palestinian Territory'
The Presidents of the European Union and South Africa made the common claim: Israel occupies Palestinian territory. They sought to stop the ‘wrongful’ labelling, ‘Product of Israel’ and substitute it with, ‘Made in a settlement in the ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’ (OPT)Free Palestine? A lesson in sloganeering
Martin Schulz, ex President of the EU, warned Israel that Europe will have its way.
"There is enormous pressure, also in the European Parliament, to label products because a lot of my colleagues consider the settlements illegal. They think the rule should be that products coming from regions with an illegal status couldn’t have normal access to the European market."
Advocate for Israel
My Lord, the court will hear evidence that the real estate given the name, ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory’ (OPT) is not real. There are two hard reasons for that:
(1) War records turn up nothing to support the name.
(2) Law and statutes turn up nothing to support it.
Evidence will be led that OPT reflects a political policy or aspiration. There really is no Palestinian territory to be occupied.
Evidence will be led that the move to debar Israeli products made in the ‘OPT’ has everything to do with lobby groups and politics but nothing to do with informing and protecting the customer. To the contrary, the label would trick unwary customers. It would also cast suspicion on any product labelled thus, and be used as a backdoor trade boycott of Israel.
To begin, certain facts of history are too real to dispute. In the 1948 War Egypt took the Gaza Strip, and Jordan took Judea and Samaria, the so-named “West Bank.” Egypt did not claim sovereignty in Gaza, but in 1950 Jordan annexed Judea and Samaria. The annexation was not recognized by the international community, other than Pakistan and the UK. Even the Arab countries objected to what Jordan did. They threatened to kick it out of the Arab League.
After the Six Day War in June 1967 the territories,which were earmarked for the national home of the Jewish people by the (binding) Mandate Charter of San Remo of 1920, finally came under Israeli control. So much for the foundation facts.
With My Lord’s permission I call my first witness. Professor Judge Stephen M Schwebel was elected to the ICC in January 1981. He was subsequently re-elected twice, serving as president of the court from 1997–2000:
"A state [Israel] acting in lawful exercise of its right of self-defense may seize and occupy foreign territory as long as such seizure and occupation are necessary to its self-defence. Where the prior holder of territory had seized that territory unlawfully [Jordan], the state which subsequently takes that territory in the lawful exercise of self-defence has, against that prior holder, a better title. As between Israel, acting defensively in 1948 and 1967, on the one hand, and her Arab neighbours, acting aggressively, in 1948 and 1967, on the other, Israel has the better title in the territory… including the whole of Jerusalem, than do Jordan and Egypt.
"You hear that, Mr Presidents. Israel has more right than Jordan to be occupying the 'West Bank' and more right than Egypt to be occupying Gaza. Or had more right: today not one Jew blights the landscape of Gaza."
The “Free” in “Free Palestine” is not only a verb, but also an adjective. Nothing – at least nothing of lasting, true value in this world – means much if it comes free. You have to work long and hard for the things you hold dear and truly want to accomplish in life; if you are handed them on a silver platter they are no more than hollow shells that will invariably crumble. Palestinians hold their hands out to any and every benefactor, portraying themselves as hapless, helpless victims who cannot stand on their own two feet. And gullible marks, to be sure, are everywhere for the taking; billions of free, unrestricted dollars pour annually into Palestinian coffers from individuals, institutions and governments around the world, freeing the Palestinians to concentrate on screaming for justice, blame everyone else for their troubles and foment acts of terror.IDF Soldier Who Was First Into Entebbe Airport in Legendary July 4, 1976 Operation Speaks
Guess what? We Jews had a much tougher task ahead of us when we established this country. A third of our people had been murdered, we were constantly under attack by our neighbors, and few nations were willing to gamble that we would survive. Poverty was rampant and living conditions primitive. But there were swamps to be drained, fields to be cleared of rocks and then cultivated, roads to be built, and children to be educated, and so we stopped complaining and started working. And we built – from the ground up – a magnificent country that is the envy of the Middle East, if not the entire world. Ironically, we are the role model that you Palestinians should be emulating, not demonizing. “Free” was not in our vocabulary, nor should it be in yours; more often than not, you get what you pay for when the item is free.
But I also accept that the “Free” in your slogan is equally a verb; you just are misdirecting it. Palestine indeed should be freed, but not from Jews or Israel. You should be freed from your tyrannical, self-serving despotic “leaders” who cynically keep you in endless captivity. They pen you up in squalid refugee camps so that they can display you to the world as victims, rather than allow you to live in decent housing. They bombard your brains into believing that violence and bloodshed are your only paths to freedom and dignity. They send you out on terrorist missions and convince you that the only way to succeed is by hurting others, rather than helping yourselves. They keep you captive in a psychological prison where life is denigrated and death is glorified. They exalt the shahid rather than the doctor, scientist, teacher or responsible parent you could and should become.
Your only hope is to break free of these malicious masters, to exercise your free choice and seek a course of peace and compromise rather than eternal war and hatred. But it won’t come easy, and it certainly would help you to have a powerful slogan, one that will energize your cause and direct your energy.
I recommend you borrow one of our favorites, known as the “Golden Rule” of Judaism: “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow human being.”
An Israeli special forces veteran who was first into the Entebbe airport terminal during the IDF’s now-legendary 1976 hostage rescue operation spoke about his experience on Thursday and reflected on the death of Yonatan Netanyahu — the operation’s commander and brother of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Entebbe operation took place on July 4, 1976 after Palestinian and German terrorists hijacked an Air France jet and held 105 Israelis hostage at the Ugandan airport terminal.
Rather than give in to the terrorists’ demands, Israel’s elite Sayeret Matkal unit quickly planned and executed a daring operation that would see Israeli soldiers fly several large transport planes into hostile airspace, land at Entebbe, storm the terminal, kill the terrorists, and free the hostages.
Only one Israeli soldier — Yonatan Netanyahu — died in the operation, though several others were severely wounded. In addition, three hostages were killed. Following the operation, “Yoni” became a national hero.
As the anniversary of the operation approached, Walla reported that Amir Ofer, a former soldier in Sayeret Matkal, recounted how he was the first to burst into the terminal where the hostages were being held.
“I found myself inside,” he said. “I was 22 years old. Let’s say that during the flight (to Entebbe) there was a lot of time to think, to be tense, and perhaps even to be afraid.”
In the battle, however, “you start to run; you’re not thinking any more, you’re not afraid anymore.”
“It was a large hall,” Ofer said of the terminal, and one wall was made of glass, so it “was possible to see from outside what was happening inside.”
The terrorists almost immediately realized what was happening and opened fire.