The Jerusalem Post reported yesterday that a Palestinian man was sentenced to death for selling land to a Jew.

In the first case of its kind, a Palestinian Authority “military court” on Tuesday sentenced a Palestinian man to death by hanging after finding him guilty of selling land to Jews.

As I mentioned before, this isn’t really that new. In 1997 the Palestinian justice minister, Freih Abu Medein declared that selling land to a Jew was a capital crime and in the next month three Palestinian land dealers were murdered. And in 1998 the Palestinian Legislative Council passed a law, declaring that selling land to an Israeli constituted “high treason.”

When it comes to Israel, Israel is judged by seemingly impossible standards. How many times do we read something like “Before Jews are a minority between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River and Israel will have to make peace with the Palestinian or become an apartheid-like state” or “Israel will have to choose between being a Jewish state and a democracy?” (And forget for a moment how uncertain those demographic projections are.)

The NYT columnist Anthony Lewis used to worry about Israel’s “soul,” who now worries about Palestine’s “soul?”

Now of course, the short answer is “We hold Israel to a higher standard.”

Think back a few months. The municipality of Jerusalem planned to destroy a few illegally build homes in a Arab section of the city. Secretary of State Clinton declared that the plan was unhelpful.

Although only a couple of homes in the area currently face imminent demolition, according to official city documentation, fallacious reports came out after the recent municipal committee ruling, claiming that Israel was on the verge of razing dozens of the homes. This set off US criticism and a virtual public relations fiasco for Barkat during the Clinton visit.

Clinton called Israel’s demolition of the illegally built Palestinian homes unhelpful, and in violation of the US-backed peace plan.

Barkat called the top US diplomat misinformed.

“The international and Arabic press were not interested in the facts,” Barkat said. “The Palestinians successfully spun the story in this round, but the facts are stronger than spin.”

And yet the news that a man was condemned for selling land has not elicited a single critical comment from Secretary Clinton.

Israel’s not held to a higher standard. Israel’s held to arbitrary standards and the Palestinians are held to none.

Given that the Palestinians – the moderate faction of Palestinians – have passed and implemented an apartheid-like law shouldn’t it result in some sort of diplomatic opprobrium or perhaps the loss of funding? Is there any outrage that the Palestinians could commit that would disqualify them from being “peace partners?”

In 2005 Israel evacuated 8000 of its citizens from Gaza. To this day many of them are still unemployed and living in temporary homes, but that doesn’t seem to bother too many people in diplomatic or political circles. But imagine if Israel had forced 8000 Palestinians from their homes. There’d have been cries of “ethnic cleansing” and the matter would be before the UN Security Council in an instant.

The fact that Palestinians won’t countenance any Jews in their midst doesn’t render their nationalism illegitimate. The highly selective use of “occupation” has rendered the forcible removal of Israelis from their homes acceptable.

In different ways Israel’s critics use concepts like peace, demographics and occupation to denounce Israel. When Israel is found wanting due to any of these considerations, it is not just criticized, but condemned; its worthiness questioned. The critics of course defend their righteousness. They criticize Israel for its own good, to save its soul.

But their sincerity is dubious. Israel’s critics excuse the Palestinians for doing worse than what they condemn Israel for. But they expect nothing from the Palestinians. Will they ever start worrying about the soul of the Palestinian state?

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Fatah insists that any unity government formed will be acceptable to the international community and satisfy the conditions of the so-called quartet of Middle East peace makers — the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia. That means recognizing Israel’s right to exist, renouncing all violence and accepting previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements.

Whether Fatah really accepts all these things is a matter of uncertainty. It claims to have accepted them, but operates as if it hadn’t. The Palestinians regularly violate their agreements with Israel. And Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which is affiliated with Fatah still engages in violence. Hamas though, is apparently honest.

Hamas has so far refused to accept the conditions. “How can I recognize Israel when Israel does not recognize Hamas?” asked Mr. Abu Marzouk, the senior Hamas leader.

He added that Fatah recognized Israel long ago and had still not achieved a peace deal, and that Israel still did not have fixed borders that could be recognized. He described the placing of conditions as “putting the cart in front of the horse” and “political blackmail by Israel.”

Why is it political blackmail to demand that a terrorist group lay down its arms?

But of course reconciliation is important.

But Azzam al-Ahmed, a senior Fatah official who participated in the talks, said ending the Palestinian division was also a priority for Fatah, and a prerequisite for a peace deal with Israel.

We can’t have peace unless Fatah and Hamas reconcile. How that will bring about peace when Hamas is openly opposed to Israel’s existence is an exercise best left to someone else.

Israel Matzav observes that, unsurprisingly, Hamas blames Israel for the failure to reach an agreement,

And how are things gong in “moderate” Fatahland?

I’m glad you asked.

A Palestinian court sentenced a man to death on Tuesday for selling land in the West Bank to Israelis. The court in Hebron sentenced the man, Anwat Breghit, 59, to death by hanging after finding him guilty of treason and of “selling Palestinian land to Israelis.”

The article notes that the death penalty requires the approval of “moderate” Palestinians President Abbas.

Solomonia and Elder of Ziyon have previously commented on this case, but this is nothing new:

On 5 May 1997, the Minister of Justice Freih Abu Middein announced that the PA would begin using a Jordanian law that provided the death penalty in cases of Arabs selling land to Jews.29 Before 1967, the Jordanian law specified that selling land to “foreigners” should be punished by up to 5 years in prison, with hard labor, but this law was changed in the 1980s so that the death sentence could be imposed. Jordan abolished this provision in 1997 as part of the peace process with Israel. It is therefore confusing to note that the PA uses Jordanian laws introduced after 1967, even if they subsequently were abrogated by Jordan.

Enforcement came about rather quickly and brutally.

Ali Mohammed Jumhour, 34, was the third land dealer found dead in the West Bank since the Palestinian Justice Minister, Freih Abu Medeen, was quoted on May 4 saying that Palestinians who sold land to Jews faced execution.

Abu Medein’s declaration was followed up legislatively by the Palestinian legislative council which passed a law declaring that selling land to a Jew was “high treason.” There is some question as to whether Arafat ratified the law. Still it seems to be the prevailing legal standard in the Palestinian Authority, even among the “moderate” Fatah. That’s the same organization that refuses to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

Somehow getting Fatah on the same page with Hamas is supposed to bring peace even though both of them, through words and actions, demonstrate little inclination to co-exist peacefully with Israel.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.