Menachem Begin's limited view of Palestinian autonomy…
April 1979 CE
Menachem Begin's limited view of Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank becomes apparent almost immediately after the agreement known as the Treaty of Peace Between Egypt and Israel is signed in March 1979.
The following month, his government approves two new settlements between Ramallah and Nablus.
The military government establishes civilian regional councils for the Jewish settlements.
Finally, and most provocative, autonomy plans are prepared in which Israel will keep exclusive control over the West Bank's water, communications, roads, public order, and immigration.
In effect, the acceleration of settlements, the growth of an increasingly militaristic Jewish settler movement, and Israel's stated desire to retain complete control over resources in the territories precludes the participation in the peace process of either King Hussein or moderate Palestinians, such as the newly formed National Guidance Committee composed of West Bank mayors. (The PLO had refused from the beginning to participate in the peace process.)
Groups
Topics
Commodities
Subjects
Subregions
Near East
View →Related Events
No active filters.
Showing 10 events out of 1928 total
In May, 1979, former Trilateral Commission director and current national security director Zbigniew Brzezinski appoints Muldoon chairman of the Board of Governors of the IMF/World Bank, allegedly directed to do so by David Rockefeller.
Muldoon is to head a three-man administration committee reportedly including Trilateral Commission member and Canadian Finance Minister Mitchell Sharp, and Australian Treasurer McMahon.
Hand, Nugan, Brierley and Fletcher allegedly meet in Hand’s Sudney penthouise on June 8, 1979, to lay out plans for international monopoly control of New Zealand.
In mid-1979, Gulf Oil allegedly works through Brierley to capture key sectors of New Zealand’s economy.
A.
B.
Consolidated is restructured into the Goodman Group.
Goodman is allegedly to run the operations while the majority of the stock is held by I. E. L. and Brierley using shell companies and dummy organizations.
In a supposed attempt to win control of food-and-produce resources, Brierley and Fletcher allegedly restructure a small private company, H. W. Smith, using Cyril Smith as Chairman but with Judge, Collins and McKenzie as key executives.
Advantages to using a private company include no control by the Commerce Commission, no published accounting and no public disclosures of transactions.
Bunting is allegedly established as a shell company and the South Island targeted for asset-stripping and takeover of key sectors of the auto industry.
Travelodge, using funds allegedly channeled through City Realties, NZUC and Marac extends their operations by buying control of Transholdings, which possesses strategic holdings in Vacatin Hotels and Tourist Corp. Fiji Holdings.
An alleged meeting including Hand, Brierley, Fletcher, Goodman, Alan Hawkins, R. Trotter and L. Papps targest key secttors of the New Zealand economy for takeover, assigning to Goodman, food; Fletcher and Trotter, forestry and farming; Brierley and Jones, property and Brierley, Hand and Papps, banking insurance and finance.
Hand and Hawkins alegedly assume responsibility for setting up additional money channels into New Zealand to facilitate these take-overs with 5% loans.
In October, 1979, BP initiates a US$100 million joint venture with Fletcher and Trotter at Tasman.
Muldoon allegedly makes a secret deal with Big Oil by giving Shell/BP/Todd the Maui Gas concession, bypassing the normal auction tender sustem incorporated in the worldwide system used to grant drilling rights on public land.
The Republic of Palau passes the world’s first anti-nuclear constitution in 1979.
Shell/BP/Todd reportedly pays no tax on Kapuni profits, while putting funds into Maui development.
Muldoon, Fletcher and Trotter allegedly hold a secret meeeting in Auckland on November 19, 1979 to transfer 43 percent of Tasman Pulp and Paper held by the New Zealand government trio Challenge Corporation (of which trotter is Chairman) and Fletchers.
Tasman reportedly has a lucrative 75-year contract for cheap timber signed in 1955.
Muldoon allegedly receives a US$1 million “non-repayable” loan, with $500,000 of it to be paid into his account number 874665 at the New Hebrides Branch of the Australian National Bank.
Muldoon lifts New Zealand’s restrictions on foreign investment in November, 1979.
Chevron subsidiary AMAX captures the Martha Hill goldmine.
Muldoon unveils what are allegedly Rockefeller-directed plans to form New Zealand into an offshore production base for multi-national corporations, the benefits of which will be government export incentives, stable government and cheap labor.
David Kennedy allegedly delivers $100,000 cash to Muldoon on November 27, 1979 as a reward for providing a favorable investment climate for Big Oil’s Seven Sisters and such corporations as Bechtel, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Nippon Steel and the various international banks.
New Zealand Steel’s production is allegedly to be expanded 500 pecent, the global steel glut notwithsatnding.
Fletchers reportedly owns 10 percent of New Zealand Steel and are majority stockholders in Pacific Steel; allegedly, Fletchers controls a New Zealand monopoly over wire rod and reinforcing steel.
Muldoon uses “fast-track” legislation to introduce the National Development Bill intended to keep New Zealand’s economy “free of obstruction” for long-term monopolization.
The C. E. R. plan is introduced, an alleged Trilateral Commision-conceived scheme for integrating the economies of Australia and New Zealand for the purposes of exploiting the South Pacific countries and as a “back-door” entrance to China, the world’s largest untapped consumer market.
New Zealand is also the closest country to Antarctica, a continent possessing vast mineral resources potentially exploitable at some future date.
Contemporary studies, of which Muldoon is seemingly aware, reportedly show that New Zealand could conserve up to 40 percent of its current energy consumption using existing technology, which would enable funds to be invested eleswhere to potentially, lower consumer prices, lower inflation rates, lower demand for imported oil and increase employment buy creating new industries to manufature and install energy savings technology.
These options are of course contrary to the aims of multi-national corporations.
In December, 1979, Muldoon unveils the second stage of a four-stage plan to exploit the Great South Basin; a plan allegedly developed by the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based “think tank” linked to the Trilateral Commisssion (staffed, as it generally is, by former advisors to US Democratic adminstrations.)
The plan’s “stage two” includes a methanol plant and a synthetic gasoline plant, which would initially use gas from the Maui field and would later link with an underwater gas pipe from Campbell Island.
Under “stage three” of the plan, involving the quintupling of New Zealand Steel production capcity, taxpayer-financed contracts are reportedly awarded to Bechtel, Fluor Corp., Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Nippon Steel and others.
In early 1980, the Travelodge operations are extended with an affiliation agreement between Dominion Brewereies and Seattle First National Bank-owned Western International Hotels.
A US$500,000 deposit to Muldoon’s account number 8746665 is allegedly made on January 17, 1980.
In May, 1979, former Trilateral Commission director and current national security director Zbigniew Brzezinski appoints Muldoon chairman of the Board of Governors of the IMF/World Bank, allegedly directed to do so by David Rockefeller.
Muldoon is to head a three-man administration committee reportedly including Trilateral Commission member and Canadian Finance Minister Mitchell Sharp, and Australian Treasurer McMahon.
Hand, Nugan, Brierley and Fletcher allegedly meet in Hand’s Sydney penthouse on June 8, 1979, to lay out plans for international monopoly control of New Zealand.
In mid-1979, Gulf Oil allegedly works through Brierley to capture key sectors of New Zealand’s economy.
A.
B.
Consolidated is restructured into the Goodman Group.
Goodman is allegedly to run the operations while the majority of the stock is held by I. E. L. and Brierley using shell companies and dummy organizations.
In a supposed attempt to win control of food-and-produce resources, Brierley and Fletcher allegedly restructure a small private company, H. W. Smith, using Cyril Smith as Chairman but with Judge, Collins and McKenzie as key executives.
Advantages to using a private company include no control by the Commerce Commission, no published accounting and no public disclosures of transactions.
Bunting is allegedly established as a shell company and the South Island targeted for asset-stripping and takeover of key sectors of the auto industry.
Travelodge, using funds allegedly channeled through City Realties, NZUC and Marac extends their operations by buying control of Transholdings, which possesses strategic holdings in Vacation Hotels and Tourist Corp. Fiji Holdings.
An alleged meeting including Hand, Brierley, Fletcher, Goodman, Alan Hawkins, R. Trotter and L. Papps targets key sectors of the New Zealand economy for takeover, assigning to Goodman, food; Fletcher and Trotter, forestry and farming; Brierley and Jones, property and Brierley, Hand and Papps, banking insurance and finance.
Hand and Hawkins allegedly assume responsibility for setting up additional money channels into New Zealand to facilitate these takeovers with 5% loans.
In October, 1979, BP initiates a US$100 million joint venture with Fletcher and Trotter at Tasman.
Muldoon allegedly makes a secret deal with Big Oil by giving Shell/BP/Todd the Maui Gas concession, bypassing the normal auction tender system incorporated in the worldwide system used to grant drilling rights on public land.
Six years after its final mission,Skylab, the first US-manned orbiting laboratory, meets a fiery end when it disintegrates over the Indian Ocean and uninhabited regions of Australia.
Shell/BP/Todd reportedly pays no tax on Kapuni profits, while putting funds into Maui development.
Muldoon, Fletcher and Trotter allegedly hold a secret meeting in Auckland on November 19, 1979 to transfer 43 percent of Tasman Pulp and Paper held by the New Zealand government trio Challenge Corporation (of which trotter is Chairman) and Fletchers.
Tasman reportedly has a lucrative 75-year contract for cheap timber signed in 1955.
Muldoon allegedly receives a US$1 million “non-repayable” loan, with $500,000 of it to be paid into his account number 874665 at the New Hebrides Branch of the Australian National Bank.
Muldoon lifts New Zealand’s restrictions on foreign investment in November, 1979.
Chevron subsidiary AMAX captures the Martha Hill gold mine.
Muldoon unveils what are allegedly Rockefeller-directed plans to form New Zealand into an offshore production base for multinational corporations, the benefits of which will be government export incentives, stable government and cheap labor.
David Kennedy allegedly delivers $100,000 cash to Muldoon on November 27, 1979 as a reward for providing a favorable investment climate for Big Oil’s Seven Sisters and such corporations as Bechtel, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Nippon Steel and the various international banks.
New Zealand Steel’s production is allegedly to be expanded 500 percent, the global steel glut notwithstanding.
Fletchers reportedly owns 10 percent of New Zealand Steel and are majority stockholders in Pacific Steel; allegedly, Fletchers controls a New Zealand monopoly over wire rod and reinforcing steel.
Muldoon uses “fast-track” legislation to introduce the National Development Bill intended to keep New Zealand’s economy “free of obstruction” for long-term monopolization.
The C. E. R. plan is introduced, a scheme allegedly conceived by the Trilateral Commission to integrate the economies of Australia and New Zealand for the purposes of exploiting the South Pacific countries and as a “backdoor” entrance to China, the world’s largest untapped consumer market.
New Zealand is also the closest country to Antarctica, a continent possessing vast mineral resources potentially exploitable at some future date.
Contemporary studies, of which Muldoon is seemingly aware, reportedly show that New Zealand could conserve up to 40 percent of its current energy consumption using existing technology, which would enable funds to be invested elsewhere to potentially, lower consumer prices, lower inflation rates, lower demand for imported oil and increase employment buy creating new industries to manufacture and install energy savings technology.
These options are of course contrary to the aims of multinational corporations.
In December, 1979, Muldoon unveils the second stage of a four-stage plan to exploit the Great South Basin; a plan allegedly developed by the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based “think tank” linked to the Trilateral Commission (staffed, as it generally is, by former advisors to US Democratic administrations.)
The plan’s “stage two” includes a methanol plant and a synthetic gasoline plant, which would initially use gas from the Maui field and would later link with an underwater gas pipe from Campbell Island.
Under “stage three” of the plan, involving the quintupling of New Zealand Steel production capacity, taxpayer-financed contracts are reportedly awarded to Bechtel, Fluor Corp., Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Nippon Steel and others.
Australian filmmaker Gillian Armstrong brings Miles Franklin’s “My Brilliant Career” to the screen in 1979.
Australian film director Bruce Beresford directs the powerful Boer War drama “Breaker Morant” in 1979.
SEATO, headquartered in Bangkok, is dissolved in 1979.
Smallpox is officially eradicated in October 1979.
From 1979, the CIA supports pol Pot’s khmer Rouge guerillas in the effort to regain control of Cambodia.
Saudi Arabia joins most of the other Arab nations in severing diplomatic relations with Egypt after the signing of the Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement on March 26, 1979, although Khalid reacts moderately to Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat's Israeli peace initiative.
Domestic unrest continues with rioting by Shi'ite Muslims in eastern Saudi Arabia in 1979.
The establishment of the (Shi'ite) Islamic Republic of Iran causes the Saudi monarchy serious concern.
Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, Osama bin Laden, now in his mid-twenties and a devout Wahabi Muslim, joins the mujahideen, a resistance movement against the "godless" USSR.
The United States government is a primary source of funds for the anti-Soviet resistance fighters, whose ranks swell with many other young, zealous Saudis.
Following the bilateral treaty of friendship between Afghanistan and the USSR, the Soviet military assistance program escalates significantly.
On January 28, 1979, the first serious military uprisings begin against the government in eastern parts of the country.
The Taraki regime's survival is increasingly dependent upon Soviet military equipment and advisers as the insurgency spreads and the Afghan army begins to collapse.
On February 14, terrorists take US Ambassador to Afghanistan Adolph Dubs hostage in Kabul.
Afghan forces rush the building in which he was being held and he is slain.
On March 27, Foreign Minister Hafizullah Amin is named Premier Minister of Afghanistan, although Taraki retains his posts as president of the Revolutionary Council and secretary general of the PDPA.
The expanding revolts in the countryside, however, continue, and the Afghan Army collapses.
The Amin regime asks for and receives additional Soviet military aid.
On April 30, Taraki declares that Pakistani President Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq is "involved" with attacks on border positions in eastern Afghanistan.
On September 15, Kabul Radio reports that Interior Minister Aslam Watanjar and Frontier Affairs Minister Sherjan Mazdouryar have been removed from their posts.
It is reported that gunfire and explosions had occurred in Kabul following the announcement of the cabinet dismissals.
The following day, Radio Kabul reports that President Taraki has asked to be relieved of his government positions because of "bad health and nervous weakness." In fact, Taraki, who objected to the purge of the Afghan Cabinet, had been killed on September 14 in a confrontation between his supporters and those of Amin.
These intramural Communist quarrels both embarrass the Soviets and threaten to further destabilize the Afghan regime in the face of growing Muslim resistance.
On October 9, Kabul Radio announces that Taraki had died.
President Amin publishes a list of 12,000 killed by the Taraki regime.
By now, relations between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union are tense in the face of Amin's refusal of Soviet advice on ways to stabilize and consolidate his government.
The Soviets build up their military strength across the border and hint to American diplomats that they might feel obliged to intervene.
Amin then attempts to broaden his internal base of support and to again interest Pakistan and the United States in Afghan security.
Over the next two months, instability plagues Amin's regime as he moves against perceived enemies in the PDPA.
By December, party morale is crumbling and the insurgency is growing.
The Soviet Union, concerned about the unsteady Communist rule in Afghanistan and faced with a deteriorating security situation, steps in with the full force of the Red Army.
On the night of December 24, 1979, large numbers of Soviet airborne forces, joining thousands of Soviet troops already on the ground, begin to land in Kabul under the pretext of a field exercise.
On December 25, the Soviet army begins its occupation of Afghanistan with some 30,000 troops.
On December 26, a US government representative states that in the past 24 hours there has been "a large-scale Soviet airlift" to Kabul, raising Soviet military involvement in Afghanistan to "a new threshold." On December 27, a coup d'état leads to the murder of Amin and many of his followers.
The Soviets, having brought into the country Babrak Karmal, the exiled former deputy prime minister and leader of the Parcham faction, install him as prime minister, president of the Revolutionary Council, and secretary general of the PDPA.
Isma'il Khan, born in 1946 in Shindand, Farah province, attends Kabul Military School and Military University, then serves as a lieutenant in the 17th division of the army in Herat when the Afghan Communists take control of the government in 1978.
In March 1979, he defects from the army and participated in the bloody and unsuccessful uprising of the Heratis against the Taraki regime, during which scores of Soviet advisors and regime officers are killed.
The city falls to the rebels, but after three days, Soviet planes bomb the city and the regime forces attack.
Several thousand people are killed and the popular uprising is crushed.
Many people flee to the mountains and some manage to cross the border into Iran.
Isma'il Khan escapes, as does Alauddin Khan, his communications officer.
After the uprising, Isma'il Khan goes to Pakistan and joins Rabbani's Jami'at-e Islami party.
After a few months, Isma'il Khan and Alauddin Khan return to Herat and began an armed struggle against the Soviet-backed regime in Kabul.
Another external pressure on Zia in early 1979 is the Islamic revolution in Iran.
Partly in response, Zia extends his own Islamization program.
Islamic criminal are formally enacted as law in February.
Zia decrees the establishment of shariat courts to try cases under Islamic law.
After the Supreme Court review of former president Bhutto's conviction of ordering the murder of political opponents, he is hanged on April 4, 1979.
Suppression of the PPP continues, and at times Bhutto's widow, Nusrat, and his daughter, Benazir, are placed under house arrest or jailed.
Elections for local bodies are held in September 1979 on a nonparty basis.
Many of those elected locally identify themselves as Awami Dost (friends of the people), a designation well known as a synonym for the PPP.
Zia announces national and provincial elections for November 17 and 20, 1979, respectively, but these, too, are canceled.
Many think that the showing of the Awami Dost makes him fear that a substantial number of PPP sympathizers will be elected.
As further restrictions are placed on political activity, parties are also banned.
Romania continues to express resentment for the loss of Bessarabia, condemning the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
Bulgaria in 1979 proposes a treaty with Yugoslavia that will guarantee the inviolability of the borders established after the Second World War; Yugoslavia rejects this proposal, however, because of Bulgaria's refusal to admit the existence of a distinct Macedonian nationality.
From the Bulgarian point of view, such an admission would both fly in the face of historical reality and legitimize Yugoslav claims on the Pirin region.