By Jonathan Cook in Nazareth
Mishmeret Yesha, which stands for 'Guardians of the Jews of Judea, Samaria and Gaza', trains armed response teams in settlements to fight off Palestinian invaders, plants vines and olive trees around the West Bank to claim it for Jews and keep it away from Palestinians, and pushes the creation of jobs and development for Jews. It rejects working with or acknowledging any legitimacy to Palestinians. Members the group train in a school in Yitzhar. Photo: Rina Castelnuovo for The New York Times
Gush Shalom, a small peace group that advocates Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territories, is preparing to send details to the US tax authorities questioning the charitable status of several organizations.
Adam Keller, a spokesman, said these operations’ tax-exempt status meant that “settlement expansion is effectively being subsidized out of the pockets of the US taxpayer and government”.
The campaign is designed to increase pressure on Barack Obama, the US president, to demand action from Israel on his repeated calls – so far largely ignored – to end settlement building. Last week, Israel announced plans to build 455 new homes in West Bank settlements and 500 apartments in East Jerusalem.
Mr Obama is expected to unveil a Middle East peace plan this month.
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