Trump to delist Sudan from terror list for $335m (The New Arab)
"President Donald Trump said on Monday he was ready to remove Sudan from a US blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, a landmark boost for the civilian-backed government as it turns the page on the nation's decades as an international pariah."
"Trump said that Sudan, which has sought the delisting for years, had agreed to a $335 million compensation package for victims and relatives of past attacks."
"The Trump administration, seeing leverage as it eyed removing the designation, has also leaned on Sudan to normalise relations with Israel, following the lead last month of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. With US elections in two weeks, another landmark Arab recognition of Israel would be hailed by Trump's evangelical Christian base, which staunchly backs the Jewish state."
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A Tale of Two Hospital Visits, and Two Sets of Morals (Haaretz)
Gideon Levy writes, "Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel is a sensitive, compassionate man. Last week he paid a visit to the COVID-19 ward at Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva and afterward posted on Twitter what he saw: “A man about my age, a father of four, lies in intensive care, on a ventilator between life and death. His family cannot visit him. The only thing left is to pray.”
"The day before, the minister of mercy and humanity saw the picture of a different patient, also a man around his age, also teetering between life and death."
This is what Hendel wrote about this hospital visit: “This is exactly why there is no chance I will agree to a partnership with the Joint [List]. I am a Zionist who supports the full absorption of Israeli Arabs, and not the absorption of those who support [Israel’s] enemies. A reminder to those who have lost their way.”
"Akhras is the most courageous person in Israel at present, a freedom fighter who is willing to sacrifice his life. The success of his struggle will actually contribute to Israeli democracy, certainly much more than Hendel’s path of racism and political deceit."
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Uri Blau writes "The Jewish National Fund has allowed settlement group Elad to pursue legal actions on its behalf since the 1980s, an internal report reveals. The collaboration has led to the eviction of Palestinians while bolstering Jewish presence in East Jerusalem."
"Founded in 1901, the Jewish National Fund was established to buy and develop land for Jewish settlement in Palestine under Ottoman and British rule, and later the State of Israel. Over the years, the organization has been heavily criticized by Palestinians and supporters of Palestinian rights for its activities inside Israel and beyond the Green Line. The JNF has a strong philanthropic presence in the United States; U.S.-based JNF nonprofit organizations raised $72 million in 2018 alone."
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"An astonishing poll from Israel bears this idea out. Trump is backed more than three to one by Israeli Jews — 77 to 23 percent among those with an opinion. Israeli Jews love our fascistic president. American Jews could not be more different. They like Biden by the same overwhelming proportion. Trump is losing to Biden among American Jews by 70 to 27 percent, according to Pew’s survey in early October."
"Democratic leadership calls Israel a beacon of democracy, the startup nation, and a miracle and a gift and a jewel. Nancy Pelosi says the Capitol will crumble and fall before the Democratic Party walks away from Israel. These Democratic leaders aren’t going to tell you that Israeli society overwhelmingly adores Donald Trump, because the Israel lobby is too important for the party. And Haaretz‘s reporting hasn’t shown up in the American papers, of course."
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In the shadow of an olive tree (We Are Not Numbers)
Huda Hussam Soboh writes from Gaza: "I am 16 years old, and I still haven’t tasted Nablus’s knafeh, floated in the Dead Sea, taken a picture of Jaffa’s beach, camped in Haifa’s mountains, celebrated the new year in Bethlehem, or prayed at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. Most importantly, I’ve been rejected three times in my attempts to visit the capital of my country, Jerusalem."
"The Israeli occupation lurks constantly in the hearts of those who live under the weight of it. Every aspect of our lives is affected by the Israeli occupation. Here in Gaza, I can gather joyfully with my family. We might even gather in the shadow of an olive tree and smile to be together. But we do not feel safe; we are not safe under occupation and siege. We are not free."
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