France's upcoming presidency of the European Union will aim to "move towards a powerful Europe in the world, a fully sovereign Europe, free to make its own choices and able to master its destiny," said French president Emmanuel Macron.
The six-month tenure, due to start on January 1, overlaps with the country's presidential election.
Here are six takeaways from Macron's speech on Thursday as he unveiled Paris' priorities for the rotating presidency of the 27-nation bloc.
Read more:
Six takeaways as Macron unveils priorities of French EU presidency | Euronews
Showing posts with label Independence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Independence. Show all posts
12/9/21
5/10/21
Britain: : Boris Johnson calls for talks after Scottish Nationalist victory
The Scottish National Party's (SNP) win is likely to set the stage for a second independence referendum.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said the election results proved that a second independence vote for Scotland was "the will of the country'' and that any London politician who stood in the way would be "picking a fight with the democratic wishes of the Scottish people."
Read more at: UK: Boris Johnson calls for talks after Scottish Nationalist victory | News | DW | 09.05.2021
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said the election results proved that a second independence vote for Scotland was "the will of the country'' and that any London politician who stood in the way would be "picking a fight with the democratic wishes of the Scottish people."
Read more at: UK: Boris Johnson calls for talks after Scottish Nationalist victory | News | DW | 09.05.2021
5/5/21
EU - Explainer: Scotland’s difficult route to another independence referendum - by Andrew Macaskill
Scottish independence supporters are calling Thursday’s election the most important in the nation’s history as they vow that if they win a majority in the devolved parliament, they will push for another referendum on breaking from the United Kingdom.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) is close to controlling the devolved parliament - knows as Holyrood - outright in Thursday's election.
Read more at: Explainer: Scotland’s difficult route to another independence referendum | Reuters
The Scottish National Party (SNP) is close to controlling the devolved parliament - knows as Holyrood - outright in Thursday's election.
Read more at: Explainer: Scotland’s difficult route to another independence referendum | Reuters
2/16/21
Spain: Catalonia elections: Has the result made independence more likely?
Elections in Spain's Catalonia region have given Catalonia separatists a shot in the arm, leading to renewed calls for an independence referendum.
Three pro-independence parties secured over half of the vote in elections for the first time, winning 74 seats.
Read more at: Catalonia elections: Has the result made independence more likely? | Euronews
Three pro-independence parties secured over half of the vote in elections for the first time, winning 74 seats.
Read more at: Catalonia elections: Has the result made independence more likely? | Euronews
11/4/20
EU-US Relations: EU plots course as US awaits election winner
With key states still up for grabs, the US presidential election is anything but decided. Foreign policy experts point out that, no matter the outcome, the European Union must be willing go its own way.
Read more at: EU plots course as US awaits election winner | Europe| News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 04.11.2020
Read more at: EU plots course as US awaits election winner | Europe| News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 04.11.2020
9/9/20
Belarusus- EU relations: The EU Should Be Prepared to Defend the Independence of Belarus
With Belarus rapidly moving towards a post-Lukashenko era, the EU has no credible option but to support Belarusians’ bottom-up demands for democracy. This has geopolitical implications that the EU needs to be prepared to address. Russia is determined to maintain control over Belarus and likely to perceive the EU’s engagement as undesirable if not threatening.
The awakening of Belarusian civil society is surprising and impressive. Since the blatantly falsified presidential elections of 9 August, hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have peacefully taken to the streets, demanding free elections and braving police brutality.
The EU has stated that it does not accept the falsified election outcome and started to prepare sanctions against “those responsible for violence, repression and the falsification of election results”.
It is also mobilizing support to Belarusian civil society and is ready to facilitate a negotiated way forward.
The EU is using the instruments that it has and responding by and large the way it has to, if values such as democracy and human rights are to have any place in its foreign policy. However, it needs to respond more seriously to the geopolitical implications of the Belarusian revolution.
The EU’s ability to influence the outcome is limited. As with any democratization process, domestic factors play the decisive role. Furthermore, the most influential external actor in Belarus is Russia, not the EU. And Russia’s view on the events in Belarus, and on the EU’s activity there, is bound to be different from the European one.
Read more:
The EU Should Be Prepared to Defend the Independence of Belarus – ICDS
The awakening of Belarusian civil society is surprising and impressive. Since the blatantly falsified presidential elections of 9 August, hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have peacefully taken to the streets, demanding free elections and braving police brutality.
The EU has stated that it does not accept the falsified election outcome and started to prepare sanctions against “those responsible for violence, repression and the falsification of election results”.
It is also mobilizing support to Belarusian civil society and is ready to facilitate a negotiated way forward.
The EU is using the instruments that it has and responding by and large the way it has to, if values such as democracy and human rights are to have any place in its foreign policy. However, it needs to respond more seriously to the geopolitical implications of the Belarusian revolution.
The EU’s ability to influence the outcome is limited. As with any democratization process, domestic factors play the decisive role. Furthermore, the most influential external actor in Belarus is Russia, not the EU. And Russia’s view on the events in Belarus, and on the EU’s activity there, is bound to be different from the European one.
Read more:
The EU Should Be Prepared to Defend the Independence of Belarus – ICDS
1/31/20
EU-Scotland relations: Scotland asks EU to 'leave a light on' in Brussels after Brexit
Many in Scotland have an eye on independence from the UK, a move they see as opening a path to joining the European Union.
Read,more at:
https://www.euronews.com/2020/01/31/scotland-asks-eu-to-leave-a-light-on-in-brussels-after-brexit
Read,more at:
https://www.euronews.com/2020/01/31/scotland-asks-eu-to-leave-a-light-on-in-brussels-after-brexit
1/14/20
Scotland Independence: Scottish independence referendum: Sturgeon says 'democracy will prevail' after new vote refused
Read more at:
https://www.euronews.com/2020/01/14/democracy-will-prevail-says-sturgeon-after-johnson-refuses-second-scottish-referendum
12/18/19
Scotland to request new independence referendum
Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, on Tuesday told the parliament
in Edinburgh that she will submit a request to hold another
independence referendum in 2020, Bloomberg writes. "This is a watershed
moment for Scotland," Sturgeon told lawmakers, adding that this week she
will take "the next steps to secure Scotland's right to choose". During
the last referendum in 2014, 55 percent of Scots chose to remain in the
UK.
Read more at: Scotland to request new independence referendum
Read more at: Scotland to request new independence referendum
12/13/19
Britain: After Boris Johnson Comservative win, Scotland wants to remain in EU and demands fresh independence vote
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Prime Minister Boris
Johnson has no mandate to take Scotland out of the European Union and
demanded a fresh independence vote on its place in the United Kingdom.
With all of the Scottish results now counted, the Scottish National Party (SNP) won 48 of the country’s 59 available seats — 13 more than the pro-independence party won in 2017.
The Conservative Party while winning a majority across the whole of the United Kingdom, actually lost seven seats in Scotland and now only has six MPs (Member of Parliament) in the country.
EU-Digest
With all of the Scottish results now counted, the Scottish National Party (SNP) won 48 of the country’s 59 available seats — 13 more than the pro-independence party won in 2017.
The Conservative Party while winning a majority across the whole of the United Kingdom, actually lost seven seats in Scotland and now only has six MPs (Member of Parliament) in the country.
EU-Digest
10/19/19
Spain - Catalan Indepence: Ex Catalan president says of independence push that it went too fast
Amid turmoil in Barcelona, ex-Catalan president says of independence push: ‘We went too fast’
Read more at:
9/11/19
EU Commission: A new team to defend Europe’s economic sovereignty – by Jorge Valero
Achieving a “more assertive” Europe that can improve its
competitiveness and sovereignty in an increasingly hostile world.
These are the main guidelines of President-elect Ursula von der Leyen to the new College of Commissioners, unveiled on Tuesday (10 September).
Europe is losing ground in the digital race that is reshaping the economy and society at large. China is now considered a “systemic rival”, while the US is no longer a reliable partner since the election of Donald Trump, with preparations underway in Washington to step up the trade war against Europe.
According to Ursula von der Leyen, this is why the protection of Europe’s sovereignty – and its economic might – has to be top of the agenda for her new team of commissioners.
Read more: A new team to defend Europe’s economic sovereignty – EURACTIV.com
Support EU-Digest, which has reported the news without any political affiliation since 2004, and opposes those who seek to discredit and even destroy news organizations who believe in the right of a free Press. You can do that by investing in an advertisement in EU-Digest, or by giving a donation to keep our efforts going : to donate or advertise and pay by credit card, click on: https://www.paypal.com/webapps/hermes?token=8BP18304C1657151J&useraction=commit&mfid=1567106786154_8591ae1288ebf
These are the main guidelines of President-elect Ursula von der Leyen to the new College of Commissioners, unveiled on Tuesday (10 September).
Europe is losing ground in the digital race that is reshaping the economy and society at large. China is now considered a “systemic rival”, while the US is no longer a reliable partner since the election of Donald Trump, with preparations underway in Washington to step up the trade war against Europe.
According to Ursula von der Leyen, this is why the protection of Europe’s sovereignty – and its economic might – has to be top of the agenda for her new team of commissioners.
Read more: A new team to defend Europe’s economic sovereignty – EURACTIV.com
Support EU-Digest, which has reported the news without any political affiliation since 2004, and opposes those who seek to discredit and even destroy news organizations who believe in the right of a free Press. You can do that by investing in an advertisement in EU-Digest, or by giving a donation to keep our efforts going : to donate or advertise and pay by credit card, click on: https://www.paypal.com/webapps/hermes?token=8BP18304C1657151J&useraction=commit&mfid=1567106786154_8591ae1288ebf
8/31/19
Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon: Parliament suspension may make Scottish independence 'inevitable'
Boris Johnson‘s controversial decision to suspend Parliament in the build up to Brexit may be the moment that Scottish independence became “completely inevitable”, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
The Scottish First Minister claimed that support for leaving the UK was growing with each passing day, accusing the Prime Minister of acting like “some kind of tinpot dictator”.
She also said the suspension proved Mr Johnson would be willing to shut down the Scottish Parliament to achieve his political aims, a suggestion she had previously regarded as “silly”.
But the Scottish Conservatives backed the move, arguing there would still be “ample” time for MPs to debate Brexit and describing the SNP‘s reaction as “predictably hysterical”.
Read more: Nicola Sturgeon: Parliament suspension may make Scottish independence 'inevitable'
Support EU-Digest, which has reported the news without any political
affiliation since 2004. by investing in an advertisement, or by giving a
donation to keep our efforts going : click on https://www.paypal.com/webapps/hermes?token=8BP18304C1657151J&useraction=commit&mfid=1567106786154_8591ae1288ebf
5/29/19
EU-USA Relations: Why The United States And European Union Are Destined To Collide
Scruton called for something conservatives have been pondering on both sides of the pond for a while now: the abolition of universities
in their current form, because they have turned into indoctrination
chambers. The conference also tackled one of the biggest topics in front
of Anglo-American grand strategy—the future of Europe, the European
Union, and the coming rivalry between nation-states and a borderless
marauding liberalism.
The conference came ahead of a crucial EU Parliament election, after a thorough betrayal of the biggest mandate in the history of British democracy by a prime minister whom a large section of the country perceives at best to be an incompetent imbecile, and at worst a traitor. Britain should have been out of the EU imperium by now. But as the latest BBC documentary shows, British Prime Minister Theresa May destroyed the negotiation from within.
The European Union, meanwhile, is not even pretending anymore, with Orwellian tweets that demonstrate how cultist the organization has become since it was formed to increase free trade and institutionalize peace within the continent. Meanwhile, a section of delusional American liberals, and even some conservatives still mentally living in the early 1990s, think the EU is a benevolent ally, despite all evidence to the contrary, from trade fines to military buck-passing. Yet the EU leaders are not even hiding their imperial ambitions.
“The world is developing into one not of nation-states, but of empires. China is an empire. India is an empire. The U.S. is an empire. We need to create a European Union that is capable of defending our interests,” said Guy Verhofstadt, the cantankerous leader of the liberal group of the EU Parliament. He supports further centralization.
According to Hazony, a future conflict between the EU and United States is almost inevitable. The EU is already a German-dominated empire, he said, but one that has cleverly managed to toss the continent’s entire security burden to American taxpayers, even when it has spent a record amount of 23 billion Euros on welfare for refugees.
Because American policymakers and taxpayers, either due to misguided optimism, delusion, or naivete, do not see what the EU is slowly morphing into, Germany can carry on the coercive imperium, but without the burden of paying for it and providing all the manpower. Hazony noted this is unsustainable. As the EU consolidates, and U.S. power and control over the EU declines, the EU will inevitably chart its own path, and side with U.S. adversaries.
Read more: Why The United States And European Union Are Destined To Collide
The conference came ahead of a crucial EU Parliament election, after a thorough betrayal of the biggest mandate in the history of British democracy by a prime minister whom a large section of the country perceives at best to be an incompetent imbecile, and at worst a traitor. Britain should have been out of the EU imperium by now. But as the latest BBC documentary shows, British Prime Minister Theresa May destroyed the negotiation from within.
The European Union, meanwhile, is not even pretending anymore, with Orwellian tweets that demonstrate how cultist the organization has become since it was formed to increase free trade and institutionalize peace within the continent. Meanwhile, a section of delusional American liberals, and even some conservatives still mentally living in the early 1990s, think the EU is a benevolent ally, despite all evidence to the contrary, from trade fines to military buck-passing. Yet the EU leaders are not even hiding their imperial ambitions.
“The world is developing into one not of nation-states, but of empires. China is an empire. India is an empire. The U.S. is an empire. We need to create a European Union that is capable of defending our interests,” said Guy Verhofstadt, the cantankerous leader of the liberal group of the EU Parliament. He supports further centralization.
According to Hazony, a future conflict between the EU and United States is almost inevitable. The EU is already a German-dominated empire, he said, but one that has cleverly managed to toss the continent’s entire security burden to American taxpayers, even when it has spent a record amount of 23 billion Euros on welfare for refugees.
Because American policymakers and taxpayers, either due to misguided optimism, delusion, or naivete, do not see what the EU is slowly morphing into, Germany can carry on the coercive imperium, but without the burden of paying for it and providing all the manpower. Hazony noted this is unsustainable. As the EU consolidates, and U.S. power and control over the EU declines, the EU will inevitably chart its own path, and side with U.S. adversaries.
Read more: Why The United States And European Union Are Destined To Collide
4/24/19
Scotland: if Brexit becomes a reality Scotland wants another independence referendum
Scotland must have second independence referendum by 2021 if Brexit goes ahead, says FM Sturgeon
2/1/19
Spain: the shattered dream of Catalan independence
Later this February, 12 men and women will go on trial at Spain's Supreme Court. Nine of them have already spent more than a year behind bars. They now face between seven and 25 years in prison. All are accused of playing a role in the failed Catalan bid to secede from Spain in 2017. In Catalonia, they have become martyrs to the separatist cause.
But more than a year later, what remains of their fight? And what about the process that was supposed to lead to independence?
Read more at:
9/7/18
EU - Migration Problems: Merkel and Macron mull migration in Marseille, France
German Chancellor Angela Merkel met French President Emmanuel Macron in Marseille on Friday as the two allies plan how to tackle major issues such as Brexit and migration ahead of an EU summit later this month.
Merkel told reporters ahead of the meeting that she was "very optimistic" that their close partnership would continue, particularly in terms of migration. Both nations have agreed on the need to strengthen the European Union's external borders in order to ease the burden on nations like Greece and Italy.
The chancellor also remarked that both she and Macron shared a vision of "a Europe that is independent, a Europe that can solve its problems independently," in what may have been a veiled reference to the EU's tense relationship with the United States.
Read more: Merkel and Macron mull migration in Marseille | News | DW | 07.09.2018
Merkel told reporters ahead of the meeting that she was "very optimistic" that their close partnership would continue, particularly in terms of migration. Both nations have agreed on the need to strengthen the European Union's external borders in order to ease the burden on nations like Greece and Italy.
The chancellor also remarked that both she and Macron shared a vision of "a Europe that is independent, a Europe that can solve its problems independently," in what may have been a veiled reference to the EU's tense relationship with the United States.
Read more: Merkel and Macron mull migration in Marseille | News | DW | 07.09.2018
7/4/18
USA - CALEXIT: California separatist declare independence for California today July 4th
For the complete report click on link below:
7/3/18
Global Politics: The EU and NATO and Trump — Oh My! – by Stephen M. Walt
It is no secret that U.S. President Donald Trump has an instinctive
animus against the European Union and NATO. He supported the Brexit vote
in the United Kingdom, reportedly advised French President Emmanuel Macron that his country should leave the union too, and last week falsely claimed
that the EU was created “to take advantage of the United States.” (This
last statement raises an obvious question: Does Trump know any history
at all? The answer appears to be no.) He has long complained that NATO’s
European members aren’t paying enough for defense and has offered only
tepid support for the mutual defense clause that is at the heart of the
NATO treaty.
So, it’s not surprising that both Europeans and Americans are now looking ahead to the NATO summit in July with a certain foreboding. Coming on the heels of Trump’s petulant tantrums during and after the G-7 summit in June, and taking place just before he is scheduled to meet one-on-one with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the summit could turn out to be the diplomatic equivalent of a 29-car pileup.
Unfortunately, Trump’s evident distaste for these institutions mostly reveals his own ignorance and lack of strategic acumen. Why? Because there is a connection between U.S. interests, its commitment to NATO, and the strength of the EU. Although a good case can be made for gradually reducing the U.S. role in Europe and letting Europeans handle their own defense, moving in that direction actually makes the EU more rather than less important, because it plays an important role in keeping Europe peaceful and prosperous. If Trump wants to do less for NATO, in short, he should be embracing the EU instead of denigrating it.
The U.S. interest in Europe is fairly straightforward. In addition to their mutually beneficial trade and investment relations, the United States has long sought to preserve an overall balance of power in Europe. Washington did not want any single country to dominate Europe, or unify it under its leadership, because a regional hegemon of this sort would be a peer competitor and might eventually try to establish a substantial security role in the Western Hemisphere and force Americans to worry more about defending their own shores. The United States intervened in World War I and World War II to prevent Germany from establishing hegemony in Europe, and it kept more than 200,000 troops in Europe during the Cold War to keep the Soviet Union from attempting the same thin
There is no potential hegemon in Europe today, however — neither Germany nor Russia has the population, economic strength, and military clout to take over the whole place — and thus there is no serious threat to the regional balance of power. Thus, the United States could (and should) reduce its military role and gradually turn European security back to the Europeans.
But the United States still has a continuing interest in peace in Europe, partly for economic reasons, but mostly so that Americans don’t have to spend much time worrying about that region and can focus on areas — most notably Asia — where the balance of power is more delicate and a potential regional hegemon, China, is apparent. For this reason, the U.S. role in Europe should be reduced gradually and in a cooperative spirit, so that NATO’s European members have time to adjust. Trump’s bull-in-a-china-shop approach to diplomacy is exactly the wrong way to proceed.
And that’s where the EU comes in. The European Union and its predecessors were not created to rip the United States off, as Trump claims, but rather to help Western Europe generate the economic strength needed to stand up to the Soviet Union and to make war between Europe’s separate states unlikely-to-unthinkable. Given that the United States still has an interest in a tranquil Europe, a strong EU would be even more valuable if the U.S. security role in Europe were to decline.
But the EU is far short of becoming a single state and probably never will. Nationalism remains a powerful force in Europe, and there are vast differences between the various members. If anything, in fact, recent trends are running the other way. At present, therefore, the EU is just united enough to help stabilize the continent but not so unified as to be able to speak with a single voice and pose a serious challenge to U.S. interests.
For this reason, Trump’s simultaneous opposition to the EU and skepticism about NATO is both short-sighted and contradictory. He seems to think getting out of NATO would save the United States lots of money, though that wouldn’t be the case if the Pentagon just decided to spend it on other missions, and that helping destroy the EU would let the United States impose one-sided “deals” on its members. The latter step is unlikely; more important, unraveling the EU would accelerate the renationalization of European foreign policy and reignite security competition there, which would in turn force the United States to pay more attention to Europe than if Europe remained loosely unified and therefore mostly tranquil.
Note EU-Digest: It has been said many times now. The EU and its member States must get off "Uncle Sam's" lap. Trump, or no Trump. The US, like just about any other country in the world, is only a reliable partner, if and when it is in their own interest. If it does not go their way, it becomes a policy of divide and conquer. Unfortunately, this has still not dawned into the heads of most European politicians, the EU Commission and the EU Parliament.
Read oreThe EU and NATO and Trump — Oh My! – Foreign Policy
So, it’s not surprising that both Europeans and Americans are now looking ahead to the NATO summit in July with a certain foreboding. Coming on the heels of Trump’s petulant tantrums during and after the G-7 summit in June, and taking place just before he is scheduled to meet one-on-one with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the summit could turn out to be the diplomatic equivalent of a 29-car pileup.
Unfortunately, Trump’s evident distaste for these institutions mostly reveals his own ignorance and lack of strategic acumen. Why? Because there is a connection between U.S. interests, its commitment to NATO, and the strength of the EU. Although a good case can be made for gradually reducing the U.S. role in Europe and letting Europeans handle their own defense, moving in that direction actually makes the EU more rather than less important, because it plays an important role in keeping Europe peaceful and prosperous. If Trump wants to do less for NATO, in short, he should be embracing the EU instead of denigrating it.
The U.S. interest in Europe is fairly straightforward. In addition to their mutually beneficial trade and investment relations, the United States has long sought to preserve an overall balance of power in Europe. Washington did not want any single country to dominate Europe, or unify it under its leadership, because a regional hegemon of this sort would be a peer competitor and might eventually try to establish a substantial security role in the Western Hemisphere and force Americans to worry more about defending their own shores. The United States intervened in World War I and World War II to prevent Germany from establishing hegemony in Europe, and it kept more than 200,000 troops in Europe during the Cold War to keep the Soviet Union from attempting the same thin
There is no potential hegemon in Europe today, however — neither Germany nor Russia has the population, economic strength, and military clout to take over the whole place — and thus there is no serious threat to the regional balance of power. Thus, the United States could (and should) reduce its military role and gradually turn European security back to the Europeans.
But the United States still has a continuing interest in peace in Europe, partly for economic reasons, but mostly so that Americans don’t have to spend much time worrying about that region and can focus on areas — most notably Asia — where the balance of power is more delicate and a potential regional hegemon, China, is apparent. For this reason, the U.S. role in Europe should be reduced gradually and in a cooperative spirit, so that NATO’s European members have time to adjust. Trump’s bull-in-a-china-shop approach to diplomacy is exactly the wrong way to proceed.
And that’s where the EU comes in. The European Union and its predecessors were not created to rip the United States off, as Trump claims, but rather to help Western Europe generate the economic strength needed to stand up to the Soviet Union and to make war between Europe’s separate states unlikely-to-unthinkable. Given that the United States still has an interest in a tranquil Europe, a strong EU would be even more valuable if the U.S. security role in Europe were to decline.
But the EU is far short of becoming a single state and probably never will. Nationalism remains a powerful force in Europe, and there are vast differences between the various members. If anything, in fact, recent trends are running the other way. At present, therefore, the EU is just united enough to help stabilize the continent but not so unified as to be able to speak with a single voice and pose a serious challenge to U.S. interests.
For this reason, Trump’s simultaneous opposition to the EU and skepticism about NATO is both short-sighted and contradictory. He seems to think getting out of NATO would save the United States lots of money, though that wouldn’t be the case if the Pentagon just decided to spend it on other missions, and that helping destroy the EU would let the United States impose one-sided “deals” on its members. The latter step is unlikely; more important, unraveling the EU would accelerate the renationalization of European foreign policy and reignite security competition there, which would in turn force the United States to pay more attention to Europe than if Europe remained loosely unified and therefore mostly tranquil.
Note EU-Digest: It has been said many times now. The EU and its member States must get off "Uncle Sam's" lap. Trump, or no Trump. The US, like just about any other country in the world, is only a reliable partner, if and when it is in their own interest. If it does not go their way, it becomes a policy of divide and conquer. Unfortunately, this has still not dawned into the heads of most European politicians, the EU Commission and the EU Parliament.
Read oreThe EU and NATO and Trump — Oh My! – Foreign Policy
4/20/18
Middle East: Israel marks its 70th anniversary, but not everyone shares the joy
Sirens sounded throughout the country at 11:00 a.m. local time on
Wednesday, when even in Israel's most vibrant cities life is being
paused for two silent minutes, with cars pulling over at the side of the
road and people standing still, paying their respects to the dead.
Independence Day itself, however, is anything but silent.
Just a few meters outside Jerusalem's Damascus Gate, young Jewish settlers are raising donations "to expand Jewish presence in the West Bank," they shout at passersby. "Every Shekel will bring us closer to redemption," 15-year-old-Naomi tells DW. She generally refuses to talk to the media, but said that "for the holy sake of rebuilding Judea and Samaria, no measure is too extreme."
Meanwhile, two kilometers west of the Old City, 28-year-old Ahmed is helping tourists find their way around the lively quarter. He manages a boutique hotel and is constantly in touch with visitors from all over the world – as well as from other parts of Israel.
"Israel's Independence Day is like any other day for me," he says. "A constant reminder of what I don't have – but also of what I can have." Ahmed is hoping to move to Germany with his girlfriend, to get his master's degree there and eventually find a job. "My parents obviously don't want me to leave," he admits. "Not only because I will be far from them, but also because – in their words – they don't want us [Palestinians] to leave this land for the Jews."
When he was younger, he reveals, he couldn't stand Israelis. "I cursed soldiers. I cursed all of them." But now that he speaks fluent Hebrew and is in daily contact with many Israelis, he thinks differently. "When you are taught from day one that the other people want to destroy you – what are you supposed to think? I don't blame Israelis. I don't blame Palestinians either."
"We have every reason to celebrate,” says 42-year-old Miri Hajbi, a high school teacher who brought her two teenage daughters to watch the annual airshow passing above Sacher Park, one of the most attended events in the city. "We are strong, we are united, we have a blooming high-tech industry and a powerful army – we made it against all odds,” she pauses for a bit, "and whoever's got a problem with that is welcome to test us."
Her words resonate with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements at the ceremony, in which he declared that the Jewish state was becoming a "world power," adding that its light would overcome what he called its enemies' "darkness."
In another 70 years' time, he continued, "you'll find a country that is many times stronger because what we've done until today is just the beginning.”
Read more: Israel marks its 70th anniversary, but not everyone shares the joy | News | DW | 19.04.2018
Just a few meters outside Jerusalem's Damascus Gate, young Jewish settlers are raising donations "to expand Jewish presence in the West Bank," they shout at passersby. "Every Shekel will bring us closer to redemption," 15-year-old-Naomi tells DW. She generally refuses to talk to the media, but said that "for the holy sake of rebuilding Judea and Samaria, no measure is too extreme."
Meanwhile, two kilometers west of the Old City, 28-year-old Ahmed is helping tourists find their way around the lively quarter. He manages a boutique hotel and is constantly in touch with visitors from all over the world – as well as from other parts of Israel.
"Israel's Independence Day is like any other day for me," he says. "A constant reminder of what I don't have – but also of what I can have." Ahmed is hoping to move to Germany with his girlfriend, to get his master's degree there and eventually find a job. "My parents obviously don't want me to leave," he admits. "Not only because I will be far from them, but also because – in their words – they don't want us [Palestinians] to leave this land for the Jews."
When he was younger, he reveals, he couldn't stand Israelis. "I cursed soldiers. I cursed all of them." But now that he speaks fluent Hebrew and is in daily contact with many Israelis, he thinks differently. "When you are taught from day one that the other people want to destroy you – what are you supposed to think? I don't blame Israelis. I don't blame Palestinians either."
"We have every reason to celebrate,” says 42-year-old Miri Hajbi, a high school teacher who brought her two teenage daughters to watch the annual airshow passing above Sacher Park, one of the most attended events in the city. "We are strong, we are united, we have a blooming high-tech industry and a powerful army – we made it against all odds,” she pauses for a bit, "and whoever's got a problem with that is welcome to test us."
Her words resonate with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements at the ceremony, in which he declared that the Jewish state was becoming a "world power," adding that its light would overcome what he called its enemies' "darkness."
In another 70 years' time, he continued, "you'll find a country that is many times stronger because what we've done until today is just the beginning.”
Read more: Israel marks its 70th anniversary, but not everyone shares the joy | News | DW | 19.04.2018
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