International Oil Transportation
1. Petroleum
Very few commodities have become as vital as petroleum since it can be used as a source of energy as well as a raw material in the manufacturing of plastics and fertilizers. As a commodity of strategic importance, petroleum has for long been the object of geopolitical confrontations. Several contemporary geopolitical events were closely related to oil or had consequences on oil supply and prices. The first event that triggered the geopolitical importance of oil was the decision in 1912 by the British Admiralty to convert warships from coal to oil propulsion because of speed and range advantages. Since Britain had no oil resources, it nationalized the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and committed itself to the protection of this resource in Persia (Iran after 1934).World War I demonstrated the growing importance of the internal combustion engine (trucks, tanks and planes) on modern military operations. The 1920s were characterized by exploding civilian demand for oil because of motorization as the automobile was becoming a significant mode of transportation. A the same time, the industry quickly became controlled by a few major corporations that became the oil giants of today. The oligopolistic commercial control on the price and the production of oil was first established in 1928 by the Achnacarry Agreements between the "seven sisters", the major oil multinationals of the time.
"Seven Sisters". The seven major oil multinationals which by the early 20th century have achieved dominance over the industry. Five of them were American and the two other were British. The American companies included Exxon (Standard Oil of New Jersey), Mobil (Standard Oil of New York) and Socal (Standard Oil of California which later became Chevron), all of which were the result of the forced breakup of Standard Oil in 1911, and Gulf and Texaco which were created after the discovery of the Spindletop field in Texas in 1901. The British companies were Royal Dutch Shell (a joint venture with the Netherlands) and British Petroleum (BP), whose interest in world oil expanded with the discovery of oil fields in Persia (Iraq) and in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). Through mergers and acquisitions the "Seven Sisters" have become four; ExxonMobil, Chevron-Texaco, BP (acquired Amoco and Arco) and Royal Dutch Shell.These corporations have invested massively in extraction infrastructures, especially in the Middle East and Latin America. They were effectively in control of the world's oil supply and demand with a set of strategies such as fixing quotas, prices and production. However, a nationalization trend started to emerge in many developing countries, sowing the seeds of future oil supply control and shocks. In 1938 Mexico forcefully took control, through expropriation, of its entire oil industry undermining for a while its access to foreign markets but triggering sympathy in many developing countries as a symbol against foreign exploitation of national resources.
World War II revealed to be a conflict strategically dominated by oil as key weapons were armored and air forces. The decision of the United States to establish an oil embargo on Japan in 1941 is one event that triggered the war in the Pacific. Japan's strategic objectives were to secure the resources of Southeast Asia, especially the oil fields of Indonesia, and has planned fast operations to achieve these objectives. The same year, Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union had among its major objectives the securing of the oil fields around Baku in the Caucasus region. Both Germany and Japan failed to establish a secure source of oil, contributing to their defeat in 1945 by strategically more mobile allied forces. Allied nations controlled about 86% of the world's oil supply.
The post World War II era underlined the growing geopolitical importance of the Middle East, as Europe and the United States were importing growing quantities of oil from that region. In 1948 the Ghawar Field was discovered in Saudi Arabia, which accounted for the largest conventional oil field in the world. The supply was shifting rapidly to this region as more oil reserves were discovered. Attempts were made to integrate countries like Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia in alliances with Western powers, but a series of geopolitical events, such as the creation of the OPEC and Islamic nationalisms, would complicate access to oil resources.
2. The Geopolitics of Petroleum
In view of the powerful economic control of oil production by Western multinational corporations (the Seven Sisters), several producing countries, most of them in the Middle East, had a goal to gather a greater share of the oil incomes by controlling supply. Venezuela, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait founded the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1960 at the Baghdad conference. From its foundation until the beginning of 1970s, the OPEC was unable to increase oil prices. The main reasons were that production was very important in non-member countries and because of the difficulty of OPEC members to agree on a common policy since economic theory clearly underlines that cartels are bound to fail at fixing prices. Consequently, developed countries were confident that the price of petroleum would remain relatively stable. The American Government even predicted in the early 1970s that oil prices might rise to about 5 dollars per barrel by 1980. In such an environment of low petroleum prices and strong economic growth, no developed country had an energy policy and energy waste was common. This situation however changed quickly.In the 1970s, OPEC countries achieved control over more than 55% of the global oil supply and started to fix production quotas based on the oil reserves of each of its members. Each member began a process of nationalization of their oil industry (Libya, 1971; Iraq, 1972; Iran, 1973; Venezuela, 1975). By 1972, 25% of the ownership of oil operations in OPEC countries is nationalized, a figure that climbed to 51% by 1983. Another objective was to establish co-operation between producers in order to avoid competition that would bring the down the prices. This cartelistic objective was feasible in the context of a growing market demand and the dependency on only a few oil suppliers, but very difficult to maintain in a competitive environment. However, the initial trigger of the surge in oil prices in the 1970s was a monetary event. In 1971 the United States decided to "close the gold window" essentially removing the convertibility of the US dollar in gold. The dollar thus because entirely a fiat currency only backed up by the confidence in the American economy. Strong inflationary pressures thus began, as this event essentially became a "license to print", which quickly percolated into commodity prices, including oil. Between 1970 and 1973, oil prices jumped from $1.80 to $3.29 per barrel as OPEC countries adjusted their price to reflect the American inflationary monetary policy.
The Kippur War between Israel and Egypt (and several other Arabian countries) in 1973 gave OPEC additional reasons to intervene by nationalizing production facilities, reducing production by 25% and imposing export quotas. The goal was to undermine Israel's support, mainly by the United States. Oil became a geopolitical weapon. On October 19 1973, OPEC declared an oil embargo against the United States, which lasted until June 1974. The price of oil consequently climbed to $12 per barrel by the end of 1973, a fourfold increase. In a context of high oil demand, of limited additional capacity in developed countries and of no readily energetic substitutes, OPEC gained the temporary ability to control the price of oil. The market became controlled by supply (oil producers) causing the first oil shock.
Under the control of the OPEC, the price of oil remained high but stable from 1974 to 1978, around $12 per barrel. Developed countries started to worry about the exhaustion of oil reserves and unreliable supply sources but not much was done on this regard. The Iranian revolution of 1979 and the ensuing Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) caused the second oil shock where the price of oil surged over $35 per barrel, imposing several drastic, but somewhat temporary, measures to lower oil consumption. This resulted in a relocation of energy-consuming industries, in strategies for consuming less energy (such as energy efficient cars and appliances), in relying more on national energy sources (petroleum, coal, natural gas, hydroelectricity, nuclear energy), in building strategic reserves, and in substituting petroleum for other energy sources when possible. It is estimated that about 2 billion barrels are held in strategic reserves around the world, the bulk of it in the United States, Japan and Germany. The Carter Doctrine (1980), stating that the United States would intervene militarily if its oil supply was compromised, is also the outcome of the uncertainties derived from the first and second oil shocks. The military presence of the United States in the Middle East was increased, as the oil of the Persian Gulf was clearly perceived as of foremost importance to national security.
At the end of the 1980s and at the beginning of the 1990s, OPEC countries lost their price-fixing power because of internal problems (economic and geopolitical conflicts between its members) and especially with the arrival of new producers such as Russia, Mexico, Norway, the United Kingdom and Colombia. These new producers were not submitted to OPEC policies and were free to fix their own prices. Mexico, for instance, surpassed Saudi Arabia in 1997 to become the second largest oil exporter to the United States. Latin American countries such as Columbia and Brazil are trying to boost their oil production. Vietnam is exploring offshore fields, as are other Southeast Asian countries, hopeful that there are major reserves under the South China Sea.
From 1982, divergences occurred within OPEC members to fix quotas and prices as competition increased. Furthermore, the share of OPEC dropped from 55% of all the petroleum exported in the 1970s to 42% in 2000, with an all-time low of 30% in 1985. That year, Saudi Arabia lowered its oil price to increase its market share while OPEC members were competing with each other to be allotted larger quotas. A decision was made to allocate quotas in proportion to proven oil reserves, which lead to an array of "creative accounting" practices in the estimation of reserves. Thus, reserves were indexed to fit production needs, leaving doubts about their true extent. For instance, Kuwait's reserves surged from 64 to 92 billion barrels in just one year and without any new discoveries. The reserves of the United Arab Emirates were boosted from 31 to 92 billion barrels. Iran announced that its real reserves were 93 billion barrels, up from 47 billion barrels. The most significant "increase" in oil reserves in 1985 came from Iraq when its reserves went to 100 billion barrels, up from previous figures of 47 billion barrels. Those inflated and possibly non-existent reserve figures remain today. The result of this inflation of reserves and the larger export quotas they permitted was an oil counter-shock that lowered the barrel price under 20 dollars, even reaching a record low of 15 dollars in 1988. The oil market was again a market controlled by the demand.
Abiding to production quotas became a major issue among OPEC members with countries such as Kuwait producing well above quota. This transgression was a motivation, among others, for the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1990, triggering the First Gulf War (1990-1991). The market reacted to these uncertainties and the price of petroleum jumped to $23 per barrel. The United States applied the Carter Doctrine an intervened with a massive military operation, which ousted Iraqi forces of Kuwait. Then an oil embargo on Iraq was established by the United Nations. However, other petroleum-exporting countries were quick to expand their production to replace Iraq's and Kuwait's shortfalls and the price of oil fell to $15 per barrel by the end of the 1990s. Henceforth, OPEC countries only control about 40% of the global oil production. In the current setting OPEC can be considered as a dysfunctional cartel likely bound to failure and be dismantled. Formal price fixing mechanisms, both on the supply and demand sides, commonly fail as there are too many incentives not to abide, particularly if oil prices are high.
The beginning of the 21st century saw increased insecurities in oil supply, political pressures, monetary debasement and military interventions; a third oil shock has unfolded between 2003 and 2008. The Second Gulf War (2003), under the pretense of fighting terrorism and securing weapons of mass destruction (which turned out to be non-existent), saw the American occupation of Iraq. The outcome was a greater control of long term petroleum supply sources but with increasing political instabilities in the Middle East. Oil output from Iraq, which account for the fourth largest reserves on the world, has remained problematic. Additionally, instability in Venezuela (corruption and nationalization) and Nigeria (civil unrest), have stretched the world’s extra capacity thin. Increased demands, mainly from China which has become the world second largest importer, are also stretching global oil supplies. There are numerous challenges facing the global oil industry in terms of additional capacity, refining capacity and its distribution through a system of pipelines and tankers. The systematic debasement of the US dollar by the Federal Reserve is also contributing to higher oil prices through inflationary policies also followed by the European Central Bank. Attempts at mitigating the consequences of an asset inflation phase triggered by accommodating credit creation policies have spilled over the commodity and energy sectors. Unlike the first two oil shocks, the third oil shock was related to unhealthy mix of strained supplies, geopolitical risk and monetary debasement.
3. Petroleum Supply and Demand
The oil industry is oligopolistic both in its supply, demand, control and in its functional and geographical concentration. The demand is controlled by a few very large multinational conglomerates, each having a production and distribution system composed of refineries, storage facilities, distribution centers and at the end of the supply chain, gas stations. The supply is controlled by a few countries where the oil industry is often nationalized or by the OPEC umbrella, which regulates about 37% of the global oil production.Since the first commercial exploitations in Pennsylvania in 1859, the importance of oil increased significantly in the global economy. In 1920, 95 million tons of oil were produced annually around the world. This number reached 500 million tons by 1950, a billion tons in 1960, and an average annual production around 3 billion tons in the 1990s. This strong growth rests for a very large part on the availability of oil resources and their low cost. Like many other resources, petroleum reserves is subject to variations that are related to new discoveries and what can be economically extracted. Continuous technological innovations in surveying and extraction enabled to discover and economically exploit oil resources in previously inaccessible locations. This notably involves artic and sub artic environmental conditions (e.g. Alaska and Siberia) or offshore locations (e.g. North Sea). The relationships between oil supply and demand are characterized by:
- Reserves. Oil reserves have a high level of concentration, with 64% of proved reserves located in the Middle East. The question remains about how much reserves of oil are available and how much time they would last. Figures about the totality of earth's oil reserves were between 2,100 and 2,800 billion barrels before oil began to be exploited in the 19th century. As of 2001, an estimated 1,020 billion barrels of proved oil reserves were available and 900 billion barrels have been extracted, which represents about a third of all available oil reserves. To this figure, can be added between 200 to 900 billion barrels of oil that potentially remain to be found. Considering these figures, the global oil production should peak around 2005-2010 and then start to decline. This trend is being confirmed by the output of the world's largest oil fields, all which is either in decline or possibly declining, in addition to an ongoing decline in several oil producing regions in the West. On a long-term perspective, the control of OPEC will emerge again since the bulk of oil reserves is located within its jurisdiction. Saudi Arabia alone has about 25% of all the world's oil reserves, putting upward pressures on energy prices. There is however a potential in tapping tar sands (particularly in Canada) to produce oil, but this process is energy intensive and leads to low quality fuels.
- Supply. Oil production has steadily increased in the second half of the 20th century to satisfy a growing demand. On average 81.6 million barrels of crude oil are produced each day (2006 figures), 32% of it in the Middle East, the single most important oil producing region in the world. About 60% of all the oil being produced is already committed and 40% is sold on open markets. More significantly, excess oil production is limited both in capacity and in its geographical origin. 90% of this excess oil production is located in the Persian Gulf with Saudi Arabia, along with accounting for the world's largest oil reserves, being the only major supplier able to provide instant additional capacity if required. Excess production capacity is of high relevance as if a major disruption in other suppliers occurs, the additional capacity can immediately be brought up to maintain the current oil supply level without significant price disruptions. Recent events, namely the conflict in Iraq, nationalization in Venezuela and civil unrest in Nigeria, have increased uncertainty for oil supplies.
- Demand. An average of 83.7 million barrels of petroleum per day were consumed (2006 figures), compared with 31.2 million barrels in 1965. Economic systems, which include industry, housing, energy generation and transportation, became dependant on cheap oil prices, with the United States being the most eloquent example. While the United States ranks as the leading global consumer of oil (20.1 Mb/d), the rapid growth of the Chinese economy in the last decade has propelled China to the second rank of oil consumers (5.5 Mb/d), surpassing Japan (5.3 Mb/d). China accounted for around 40% of the global growth in oil demand in the recent years. Since 52% of all oil is consumed by transportation activities, motorization is one of the driving forces behind the consumption of petroleum. Demand is also characterized by a level of seasonality with heating oil demands in the winter and more gasoline demands in the summer.
An overview of the geography of oil production and consumption thus underlines a strong spatial differentiation between the supply and the demand. Because of geographical and geological factors, where oil is mainly produced is different from where oil is mainly consumed resulting in acute imbalances which are growing rapidly. This can only be overcome by massive oil transportation infrastructures, including pipelines, tankers and storage facilities.
4. Petroleum Transportation
The barrel is the standard unit of measure for oil production and transportation even if it no longer has much reference in reality (steel drums are sometimes used). Its usage has an unusual origin. In the 1860s oil riggers were at a loss about where to store the oil suddenly gushing out of new rigs. Empty whiskey barrels were used as a palliative and a convenient mean to store and move oil for the emerging industry. Barrels have always been a convenient mode in a pre-motorized era since they could handled by hand by rolling them. By 1866, a standard barrel size of 42 US gallons (158.98 liters) was agreed upon. Since then, the volume of international trade in oil increased as a result of world economic growth. The largest oil consumers are the most heavily industrialized countries such as the United States Western Europe and Japan. OECD countries account for about 75% of global crude oil imports. Since oil consumption and production do not happen in the same places, international oil trade is a necessity to compensate the imbalances between supply and demand. Unlike most other countries, a major portion of OPEC’s oil is traded in international markets.Since the first oil tanker began shipping oil in 1878 in the Caspian Sea, the capacity of the world's maritime tanker fleet has grown substantially. As of 2005, about 2.4 billion tons of petroleum were shipped by maritime transportation, which is roughly 62% of all the petroleum produced. The remaining 38% is either using pipelines (dominantly), trains or trucks. Crude oil alone accounted for 1.86 billion tons. The dominant modes of petroleum transportation are complimentary, notably when the origins or destinations are landlocked or when the distance can be reduced by the use of land routes. The maritime circulation of petroleum follows a set of maritime routes between regions where it is been extracted and regions where it is been refined and consumed. More than 100 million tons of oil are shipped each day by tankers. About half the petroleum shipped is loaded in the Middle East and then shipped to Japan, the United States and Europe. Tankers bound to Japan are using the Strait of Malacca while tankers bound to Europe and the United States will either use the Suez Canal or the Cape of Good Hope, pending the tanker's size and its specific the destination. International oil trade is often correlated with oil prices, as it is the case for the United States.
The world tanker fleet capacity (excluding tankers owned or chartered on long-term basis for military use by governments) was about 280 million deadweight tons in 2002. There are roughly 3,500 tankers available on the international oil transportation market. The cost of hiring a tanker is known as the charter rate. It varies according to the size and characteristics of the tanker, its origin, destination and the availability of ships, although larger ships are preferred due to the economies of scale they confer. About 435 VLCCs account for a third of the oil being carried. Transportation costs account for a small percentage of the total cost of gasoline at the pump. For instance, oil carried from the Middle East to the United States account for about 1 cent per liter at the pump. Transportation costs thus account for about 5 to 10% of the added value of oil. The growth in oil prices since 2000 makes the transport costs an even lower component of the total costs. Tanker ships can also be used as semi-permanent storage tanks. In 1990, about 5% of the world's tanker capacity was being used for oil storage.
Different tanker size are used for different routes, namely for issues of distance and port access constraints. There is thus a specialization of maritime oil transportation in terms of ship size according to markets. VLCCs are mainly used from the Middle East in high volumes (more than 2 million barrels per ship) and over long distances (Europe and Pacific Asia). Shorter journeys are generally serviced by smaller tanker ships such as from Latin America (Venezuela and Mexico) to the United States. Transport costs have a significant impact on market selection. For instance, three quarters of American oil imports are coming from the Atlantic Basin (including Western Africa) with journeys of less than 20 days. Accordingly, the great majority of Asian oil imports are coming from the Middle East, a 3 weeks journey with the halfway location of Singapore being one of the world's largest refining center. In addition, due to environmental and security considerations, single-hulled tankers are gradually phased out to be replaced by double-hulled tankers.
Article 51 of the UN Charter, which gives a nation the right to self-defense.
ReplyDelete"The attack," Reagan wrote in his memoirs," was not intended to kill Gaddafi; that would have violated our prohibition against assassination. The object was to let him know that we weren't going to accept his terrorism anymore, and that if he did it again he could expect to hear from us again." He cited article 51 of the UN Charter, which gives a nation the right to self-defense. In a television address to the nation Reagan said, "When our citizens are attacked or abused anywhere in the world, on the direct orders of hostile regimes, we will respond so long as I'm in this office."
The self-defense, consent,[2] and Security Council authorization pursuant to Article 42 of the UN Charter.[3] The right to self defense is an inherent concept in law “and is fundamental to the system of states.”[4] It is recognized and protected by Article 51 of the UN Charter:
Article 51
Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security...
The application of the right to combat terrorism was further reinforced by international practice following the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States. Two Security Council resolutions issued pursuant to Chapter VII of the UN Charter[5] reflect this consensus:
Security Council Resolutions 1368 (2001).
Recogniz[es] the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense in accordance with the Charter;...
Expresses its readiness to take all necessary steps to respond to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, and to combat all forms of terrorism, in accordance with its responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations.
Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001).
Reaffirming further that such acts, like any act of international terrorism, constitute a threat to international peace and security,
Reaffirming the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense as recognized by the Charter of the United Nations as reiterated in resolution 1368 (2001),
Reaffirming the need to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts...
The West Bank (Judea and Samaria) was re-taken and liberated from Jordan by Israel in 1967 after another failed Arab attempt at destroying the young Jewish state and has been under Israel control ever since. In the Oslo accords (which are now null and void), Israel tried to give the PA limited supervision on a part of the area but it obviously did not work as the Arab goal here is not the creation of an Arab-Palestinian state but simply the destruction of the Jewish state. That is why they train the Arab children and the masses to commit terror and violence, honor terrorists and suicide bombers. If they wanted a Arab-Palestinian state, they would have asked Jordan before 1967 for the territories. They never bothered (because they knew it was occupied Jewish territory) until Israel took over.
ReplyDeleteThe Arab countries persecuted and expelled over a million Jews and their families, the Arabs confiscated all their personal assets, including Real estate property 120,440 sq. km. 5-6 times the size of Israel, valued in the trillions of dollars (these Jewish people and their children have lived in those Arab countries for over 2,200 years. Most of those Jews were resettled in the liberated Greater Israel.
Israel must stop all Arab violence at all costs and restore security and safety to its citizens.
YJ Draiman
Ben Gurion
"No Jew has the right to yield the rights of the Jewish People in Israel.
No Jew has the authority to do so.
No Jewish body has the authority to do so.
Not even the entire Jewish People alive today has the right to yield any part of Israel.
It is the right of the Jewish People over the generations, a right that under
no conditions can be cancelled.
Even if Jews during a specific period proclaim they are relinquishing this right, they have neither the power nor the authority to deny it to future generations.
No concession of this type is binding or obligates the Jewish People. Our right to the country - the entire country - exists as an eternal right, and we shall not yield this historic right until its full and complete redemption is realized."
End the Unjust Arab Occupation of Jewish Land
When a poison strikes the human body, the only way to address it, is to remove it and destroy it completely. That is the way the terrorist organizations should be treated.
The big mistake is that people are missing the economic benefits for Israel and its neighbors. That is if there was a true peace.
The Qur'an 17:104 - states the land belongs to the Jewish people
No Jew has the right to yield the rights of the Jewish People in Israel -
ReplyDeleteDavid Ben Gurion
(David Ben-Gurion was the first Prime Minister of Israel and widely hailed as the State’s main founder).
“No Jew is entitled to give up the right of establishing [i.e. settling] the Jewish Nation in all of the Land of Israel. No Jewish body has such power. Not even all the Jews alive today [i.e. the entire Jewish People] have the power to cede any part of the country or homeland whatsoever. This is a right vouchsafed or reserved for the Jewish Nation throughout all generations. This right cannot be lost or expropriated under any condition or circumstance. Even if at some particular time, there are those who declare that they are relinquishing this right, they have no power nor competence to deprive coming generations of this right. The Jewish nation is neither bound nor governed by such a waiver or renunciation. Our right to the whole of this country is valid, in force and endures forever. And until the Final Redemption has come, we will not budge from this historic right.”
BEN-GURION’S DECLARATION ON THE EXCLUSIVE AND
INALIENABLE JEWISH RIGHT TO THE WHOLE OF
THE LAND OF ISRAEL:
at the Basle Session of the 20th Zionist Congress at Zurich (1937)
“No country in the world exists today by virtue of its ‘right’.
All countries exist today by virtue of their ability to defend themselves against those who seek their destruction.”
Aside from all that, there is the moral, ethical side of standing with Israel, which is the moral compass of the world, against the push to create a 23rd Arab colonialist, apartheid state in tiny New Jersey size Israel.
In 1995-96 after the Oslo agreement I was in charge of managing the construction of a 5 star hotel across from Jaffa gate to the old city of Jerusalem. There was great excitement by various world companies and investors including myself to develop and utilize the Oslo agreement to enhance and improve the economic and standard of living for the Arabs and the other people living in the region. But instead some of my workers got blown by suicide bombers on busses on Jaffa road in Jerusalem. I caught some of the Arab workers putting cement in the sewer lines sabotaging the construction. This is only the tip of the iceberg as to how the Arab population behaved.
ReplyDeleteI have always believed that if you improve the economic condition and the standard of living for the Arabs it would be the best approach to co-existence.
I have to revise my expectations. Until the extreme elements are taken down and the Arab population ceases to promote their children and the masses to commit mayhem and terror, reward terrorists with pride and jubilation for their actions, there can be no chance for co-existence.
In the late 60's and early 70's I traveled all over Israel from the Sinai dessert to Petra in Jordan it was beautiful. I lived with Arabs and drank coffee with them, we laughed and joked and life was heading in a positive track.
But everything has changed for the worse.
I think going back to the early 1960's the world powers did not really want a true peace in that region. Because if you take Israeli technology and know-how, add to it the Arab labor and resources, you would have one of the most successful economy in the world. That would set up a major economic competition to the World powers. Therefore the world powers play the game of wanting peace, but it is only a game not a reality.
The British violated many treaties and agreements for the sake of controlling Arab oil resources and so have other nations.
It is a sad situation the world is in today.
Have you been to Jerusalem, It is an experience to walk from west Jerusalem to the Old city of Jerusalem, you step into a civilization that is 3,000 years old with the various smells and architecture, what a history. If only society can live together in harmony and enjoy life.
YJ Draiman
Before you make inaccurate comments. I advise you to study the history of the Jews ibn Arab countries for the past 2,500 years.
ReplyDeleteRead: From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict Over Palestine Paperback – Apr 1993
http://www.amazon.ca/From-Time-Immemorial.../dp/0963624202
http://www.levitt.tv/media/watch/680 http://www.levitt.tv/media/watch/680
As I told you, my own grandparents lived in Yemen and were forced to leave and their Assets and land confiscated, same applied to their rest of the family which consisted about 100 people.
Study your history; Muhammed in 627 about 1,500 years ago beheaded 700 Jews in Medina which was a Jewish town in Saudi Arabia, he killed all the men took the women as slaves and raped their daughters. This is just the tip of the history of the Jewish people in Arab countries.
Do you want more, study the complete unbiased history of the Jewish people in Arab countries objectively.
How many Jews are left today in Arab countries and how many Christians have been murdered and millions forced to leave the Arab countries.
YJ Draiman
-We as Jews survived the past 4,000 years of persecutions, pogroms and libels.
ReplyDelete-We survived the Spanish inquisition.
-We survived the Holocaust with no help from any one.
-We were victorious when we stood alone in our war for independence against the 6 Arab countries despite their British and German helpers.
-We won the Six Day War in six days under an American arms embargo and the almighty was with us.
-We suffered terrible losses at the start of the Yom Kippur War, because we listened and took American advise (against a preemptive strike) seriously which cost us thousands of casualties. But against all odds we defeated our enemies.
-We listened again during the Gulf war and were terrorized by Scud missiles raining on Israel.
- Never Again -
Article 51 of the UN Charter, which gives a nation the right to self-defense.
"The attack," Reagan wrote in his memoirs," was not intended to kill Gaddafi; that would have violated our prohibition against assassination. The object was to let him know that we weren't going to accept his terrorism anymore, and that if he did it again he could expect to hear from us again." He cited article 51 of the UN Charter, which gives a nation the right to self-defense. In a television address to the nation Reagan said, "When our citizens are attacked or abused anywhere in the world, on the direct orders of hostile regimes, we will respond so long as I'm in this office."
-Today, by investing in Israel $3 billion a year (which over 2/3% goes to American companies), the US saves around $12 billion a year, which it would need to spend to find an alternative to what Israel provides in return (Jane's).
No Jew has the right to yield the rights of the Jewish People in Israel -
David Ben Gurion
(David Ben-Gurion was the first Prime Minister of Israel and widely hailed as the State’s main founder).
“No Jew is entitled to give up the right of establishing [i.e. settling] the Jewish Nation in all of the Land of Israel. No Jewish body has such power. Not even all the Jews alive today [i.e. the entire Jewish People] have the power to cede any part of the country or homeland whatsoever. This is a right vouchsafed or reserved for the Jewish Nation throughout all generations. This right cannot be lost or expropriated under any condition or circumstance. Even if at some particular time, there are those who declare that they are relinquishing this right, they have no power nor competence to deprive coming generations of this right. The Jewish nation is neither bound nor governed by such a waiver or renunciation. Our right to the whole of this country is valid, in force and endures forever. And until the Final Redemption has come, we will not budge from this historic right.”
Obama’s relations with Israel and other Nations r9
ReplyDeleteObama has no credibility or respect from many of the International community. Obama has no credibility, he has the least experience in real politics, he is the worst president the U.S. has ever had.
Obama has alienated many nations and has caused foreign policy damage that is costing the American taxpayer trillions. His decisions are also costing numerous American lives in vain. Obama's foreign policy is a joke. It is a failed policy.
Obama has abused his executive powers and should be prosecuted for his violations. Obama is ignoring the true sovereignty of the Jewish people in Israel and the various treaties and international agreements entered into after WWI and the various congressional resolutions on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people since WWI. Obama’s blatant disrespect of Netanyahu and Israel’s International legitimate rights shows his naivety in International matters and foreign policy. We can also blame Obama for increasing American deficit from 7 trillion to 17 trillion.
Obama’s lack of etiquette is an outright embarrassment to the United States.
Natanyahu is trying his best, but he will not compromise the security of Israel and that is the way a leader should perform. No other decent leader of the free world perform differently.
It is noteworthy to inform the world at large, that Jordan (Jordan territory has taken over 77% of the land allocated to the Jewish people under 1920 International Treaty) is a country that never existed in history before WWI and nobody is contesting its legitimacy or territorial sovereignty and control. The same powers that established 21 Arab States plus Jordan after WWI also re-established the State of Israel based on the Balfour Declaration and the San Remo Treaty of 1920 and confirmed by the 1920 Treaty of Sevres and Lausanne.
On the other hand, Israel and its Jewish people have over 4,000 year of recorded history (just review all the archeological discoveries the past 100 years in Greater Israel).
Many Nations and people are questioning Israel’s control of its liberated territory. No one is mentioning that the Arab countries had persecuted and ejected over a million Jewish families and their children from their countries which they have lived in for over 2,200 years, the Arabs confiscated their assets, businesses, homes and Real estate property. About 650,00 of these expelled Jewish families and their children were resettled in Greater Israel. The Real estate the Arab countries confiscated from the Jewish people 120,440 sq. km. or 75,000 sq. miles which is over 5-6 times the size of Israel, and its value today is in the trillions of dollars. The British as trustee for the Jewish people, violated the 1920 San Remo Treaty and Mandate for Palestine and re-allocated 80% of the territories assigned to the Jewish people under International Treaty and gave it to the Arabs as a new Arab State Trans-Jordan, East of the Jordan river and prohibiting Jewish people from residing in Jordan.
Let the 21 Arab countries resettle the Arab Palestinians in the land they confiscated from the Jews which is 5-6 times the size of Israel. Provide them with funds they confiscated from the million Jewish people they expelled and let them build an economy, This will benefit both the Arab-Palestinians and the hosting countries, The other alternative is relocate the Arab-Palestinians to Jordan, (originally land allocated for the Jewish people under the San Remo Treaty of 1920 and confirmed by the 1920 Treaty of Sevres and Lausanne) which is already 80% Arab-Palestinians, and give them funds to relocate and build an economy. This will solve the Arab-Palestinians refugee problem once and for all. It will also reduce hostility and strife in the region.
If this is not discrimination against Israel, I do not know what is.
It seems like nobody cares about land violations in other countries in the world, but when it comes to Israel, everyone has a say. Israel’s rights in the terms of the treaty of San Remo of 1920 are in affect in perpetuity,
It seems like nobody cares about land violations in other countries in the world, but when it comes to Israel, everyone has a say. Israel’s rights in the terms of the treaty of San Remo of 1920 are in affect in perpetuity, it clearly states that the Jewish people are the only ones with political rights in the British Mandate of Palestine and that the Jewish people can live anywhere in the British Mandate, confirmed by the 1920 Treaty of Sevres and Lausanne. The U.N. cannot create countries, it can only recommend its resolutions.
ReplyDeleteIf the U.S., Europe and other countries will stop meddling, and stop its criticism and involvement in the politics of Israel and the Arabs, than there will be a chance for peace.
We know the great powers are only interested in the OIL and nothing else, that is the bottom line.
A true and lasting peace in Israel will bring mammoth economic prosperity to The Israelis and The Arabs alike.
An approach to peace starts by teaching your children and the people not to hate and condemn any acts violence that hurts civilian population and stop celebrating and rewarding the death and destruction of each other.
http://www.cfr.org/israel/san-remo-resolution/p15248
http://www.cbn.com/.../July/San-Remo-Resolution-Revisited/
YJ Draiman
P.S.
No Jew has the right to yield the rights of the Jewish People in Israel -
David Ben Gurion
(David Ben-Gurion was the first Prime Minister of Israel and widely hailed as the State’s main founder).
“No Jew is entitled to give up the right of establishing [i.e. settling] the Jewish Nation in all of the Land of Israel. No Jewish body has such power. Not even all the Jews alive today [i.e. the entire Jewish People] have the power to cede any part of the country or homeland whatsoever. This is a right vouchsafed or reserved for the Jewish Nation throughout all generations. This right cannot be lost or expropriated under any condition or circumstance. Even if at some particular time, there are those who declare that they are relinquishing this right, they have no power nor competence to deprive coming generations of this right. The Jewish nation is neither bound nor governed by such a waiver or renunciation. Our right to the whole of this country is valid, in force and endures forever. And until the Final Redemption has come, we will not budge from this historic right.”
BEN-GURION’S DECLARATION ON THE EXCLUSIVE AND
INALIENABLE JEWISH RIGHT TO THE WHOLE OF
THE LAND OF ISRAEL:
at the Basle Session of the 20th Zionist Congress at Zurich (1937)
“No country in the world exists today by virtue of its ‘right’.
All countries exist today by virtue of their ability to defend themselves against those who seek their destruction.”
1947 Text of the Law Drafted by the Political Committee of the Arab League against the Jews in Arab countries
ReplyDeleteSummary
In 1947, the Political Committee of the Arab League (League of Arab States) drafted a law which was to govern the legal status of Jewish residents in all Arab League countries. This law had already been approved by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, provided that, “beginning with a specified date, all Jews – with the exception of citizens of non-Arab countries – were to be considered members of the Jewish ‘minority state of Palestine,’ and that their bank account be frozen and used to finance resistance to ‘Zionist ambitions in Palestine.’ Jews believed to be active Zionists would be interned as political prisoners and their assets confiscated. Only Jews who accept active service in Arab armies or place themselves at the disposal of these armies would be considered ‘Arabs.’” 1
Excerpts of Direct Quotes of the Law drafted by the Political Committee of the Arab League
• “All Jewish citizens…will be considered as members of the Jewish minority of the State of Palestine and will have to register [“within 7 days”] with the authorities of the region wherein they reside, giving their names, the exact number of members in their families, their addresses, the names of their banks and the amounts of their deposits in these banks…”2
• “Bank accounts of Jews will be frozen. These funds will be utilized in part or in full to finance the movement of resistance to Zionist ambitions in Palestine.”3
• “Only Jews who are subjects of foreign countries will be considered ‘neutrals.’ These will be compelled either to return to their countries, with a minimum of delay, or be considered Arabs and obliged to accept active service in the Arab army.”4
• “Every Jew whose activities reveal that he is an active Zionist will be considered as a political prisoner and will be interned in places specifically designated for that purpose by police authorities or by the Government. His financial resources, instead of being frozen, will be confiscated.”5
• “Any Jew who will be able to prove that his activities are anti-Zionist will be free to act as he likes, provided that he declares his readiness to join the Arab armies.”6
• “The foregoing…does not mean that those Jews will not be submitted to paragraphs 1 and 2 of this law.”7
1 Memorandum Submitted to the U.N. Economic and Social Council by the World Jewish Congress. (Jan. 19, 1948) Section I. (2) a. June 2, 1948. [ZIIC - This reference is in the document prepared by JJAC and is probably incorrect]
2 Text of the Law drafted by the Political Committee of the Arab League. Paragraph 1.
3 ibid. Paragraph 2.
4 ibid. Paragraph 3.
5 ibid. Paragraph 5.
6 ibid. Paragraph 6.
7 ibid. Paragraph 7. (Paragraph 1 & 2 indicate all Jews must register and disclose personal and banking information and
that bank accounts will be frozen and utilized for anti-Zionist resistance.)
1947: Draft Arab League Law Against Jews (Excerpts) - Following the partition resolution of the United Nations, the Arab League drafted a proposed law that would force all Jewish citizens of member countries to register, and that would lead to freezing and confiscation of their assets, reminiscent of draconic Nazi-era legislation,
Read “From Time Immemorial” by Joan Peters
Preventing Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria is a violation of international law and League of Nations
ReplyDeleteThe “Mandate” Defined Where Jews Are and Are Not Permitted to Settle
The “Mandate for Palestine” document did not set final borders. It left this for
the Mandatory to stipulate in a binding appendix to the final document in the
form of a memorandum. However, Article 6 of the “Mandate” clearly states:
“The Administration of Palestine, while ensuring that the rights and position of other sections of the population are not prejudiced, shall facilitate Jewish immigration under
suitable conditions and shall encourage, in co-operation with the Jewish agency
referred to in Article 4, close settlement by Jews on the land, including State
lands and waste lands not required for public purposes.”
"It should be remembered that in 1918, with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Britain and France were handed more than 5,000,000 square miles to divvy up and 99% was given to the Arabs to create countries that did not exist previously. Less than 1% was given as a Mandate for the re-establishment of a state for the Jews on both banks of the Jordan
River. In 1921, to appease the Arabs once again, another
three quarters of that less than 1% was given to a fictitious state called
Trans-Jordan." (Jack Berger, May 31, 2004.)
The total for all the 22 Arab League countries is 6,145,389 square miles (SM). By comparison, all 50 states of the United States have a total of 3,787,318 SM. Israel has 8,463 SM, about one-sixth of that of the State of Michigan. Iran, Turkey,
Pakistan and Afghanistan are Muslim but not Arab and are not included.
World Arab population: 300 million; World Jewish
population: 13.6 million; Israel's Jewish population: 5.4 million. (Dr.
Wilbert Simkovitz, http://dehai.org/archives/deha...
"... during the late 1940s, more than 40 million refuges around the world were resettled, except for one people. They [Palestinian arabs] remain defined as refugees, wallowing 60
years later in 59 UNRWA refugee camps, financed by $400 million contributed
annually by nations of the world to nurture the promise of the "right of
return" to Arab neighborhoods and Arab villages from 1948 that no longer
exist." (Noam Bedein, Jerusalem Post, January 6, 2009.)
Some 990,000 Jewish families were forced to leave behind
$3 trillion in assets when they were forced to flee for their lives from the
Arab countries in the 1940s. They hold deeds for five times Israel's size. (Independent Media Centre, Winnipeg - 120,440 sq. km.)
Re Israel's irrevocable ownership of Israel, Golan, Samaria, Judea and Gaza: "Nothing that Israel's legal system says can change the facts that: (1) the legal binding document is the Mandate of the League of Nations and (2) the obligations of the Mandate are valid in
perpetuity." (Professor Julius Stone)
"By 1920 the Ottoman Empire had exercised undisputed sovereignty over Palestine for 400 years. In Article 95 of the treaty of Sevres, that sovereignty was transferred to England in trust for a national homeland for the Jewish people.
The local Arabs had never exercised sovereignty over Palestine and so they lost nothing. Their rights were fully protected by a provisio in the grant: '...it being clearly understood
that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights
of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine...' The proviso has been
fully observed by the Israelis. Since 1950 the Arabs have built some 261 new
settlements in Judea and Samaria — more than twice as many as the Jews, but you never
hear of them. They fill them with Arabs from Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan and by the grace of God they become Palestinians.
Allahu Akbar! The Arabs call Judea "the West Bank' because
they would look silly claiming that Jews are illegally living in Judea."
(Comment by Wallace Brand on Martin Peretz "Narrative
Link to 1925 Waqf Temple Mount Guide noting that the First and Second Jewish Temples were located on the Temple Mount
ReplyDeletehttp://www.templeinstitute.org/1925-wakf-temple-mount-guide.pdf
For Jews, the Temple Mount is the holiest place in the world. The Jewish connection to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount originates in the biblical narrative, as it is said to be the location of the binding of Isaac.[2] The Talmud, Judaism’s supreme canonical text, says that the foundation stone on the Temple Mount is the location from which the world was created.[3] In Samuel II 24:18-25, King David bought the bedrock for the Temple from Araunah the Jebusite. Subsequently, Solomon, David’s son, used the bedrock to build the First Temple.[4] Solomon’s Temple was eventually destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 586 BCE.
Link to 1925 Waqf Temple Mount Guide noting that the First and Second Jewish Temples were located on the Temple Mount
For Jews, the Temple Mount is the holiest place in the world.
Following the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple, many Jews were sent into exile. However, under the Persian King Cyrus, the Jews were allowed to return and began to rebuild the Temple. The Second Temple was completed in 516 BCE and expanded by King Herod in 19 BCE. In 70 CE, the Roman Empire, led by Emperor Titus, laid siege to Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple. Jews have maintained an unbreakable connection to Jerusalem, and the Temple Mount since that time.
Today, Jews follow a number of different customs in remembrance of their fallen Temple. When Jews pray, they pray toward Jerusalem. Within the daily liturgy, there are numerous calls for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple. During the week, after meals, Jews recite a grace, which includes the recitation of Psalm 137 (“If I forget thee, O Jerusalem…”).[5] At the end of a wedding ceremony, the groom breaks a glass, which signifies the Jewish people’s continued mourning over the Temple’s destruction. In addition, many have the custom of leaving a wall in their home unfinished in remembrance of the destruction. All of these customs play a significant part in the Jewish connection to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, which former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated “represents the purist expression of all that Jews prayed for, dreamed of, cried for, and died for in the two thousand years since the destruction of the Second Temple.”[6] In addition to the customs and ideology, the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel and Jerusalem is internationally recognized.[7]
ISLAMIC LITERATURE AND THE TEMPLE MOUNT
Classic Islamic literature also recognizes the existence of a Jewish Temple and its importance to Judaism. This makes Arab-Palestinian Temple Denial all the more puzzling.
In Sura 17:1 of the Koran, the “Farthest Mosque” is called the al-masjid al-Aqsa. The Tafsir al-Jalalayn,[8] a well-respected Sunni exegesis of the Koran from the 15th and 16th centuries, notes that the “Farthest Mosque” is a reference to the Bayt al-Maqdis of Jerusalem.[9] In Hebrew, the Jewish Temple is often referred to as the Beyt Ha-Miqdash, nearly identical to the Arabic term. In the commentary of Abdullah Ibn Omar al-Baydawi, who authored several prominent theological works in the 13th century, the masjid is referred to as the Bayt al-Maqdis because during Muhammad’s time no mosque existed in Jerusalem.[10] Koranic historian and commentator, Abu Jafar Muhammad al-Tabari, who chronicled the seventh century Muslim conquest of Jerusalem, wrote that one day when Umar finished praying, he went to the place where “the Romans buried the Temple [bayt al-maqdis] at the time of the sons of Israel.”[11] In addition, eleventh century historian Muhammad Ibn Ahmad al-Maqdisi and fourteenth century Iranian religious scholar Hamdallah al-Mustawfi acknowledged that the al-Aqsa Mosque was built on top of Solomon’s Temple.[12]
This is a small sample of the Islamic literature attesting to the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount. Innumerable other writings from other faiths attest to this fact, as well.