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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday (March 22) said the world must enact sanctions on Iran that will "bite" and called on the Palestinian leadership to end incitement against Jews and Israel. She made the comments during a 45-minute address to a packed room of 7,500 attendees and an estimated 400-plus journalists from around the world who were assembled for AIPAC’s annual Policy Conference in Washington. "Those who preach violence must be proven wrong," said Clinton. "When a Hamas-controlled municipality glorifies violence and renames a square after a terrorist who murdered innocent Israelis, it insults the families on both sides who have lost loved ones over the years," said Clinton, referring to Dalal al-Mughrabi, the Palestinian woman who carried out a suicide attack in 1978 that killed 37 civilians, including one American. The square named in al-Mughrabi's honor is actually located in Ramallah, which is in Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah-controlled West Bank. The renaming was held two weeks ago, during Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Israel.
"And when instigators deliberately mischaracterize the rededication of a synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City and call upon their brethren to defend nearby Muslim holy sites from so-called 'attack,' it is purely and simply an act of incitement," said Clinton, speaking of the Hurva Synagogue ceremony. "These provocations are wrong and must be condemned for needlessly inflaming tensions and impairing prospects for a comprehensive peace."
Clinton said she planned to meet later Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that President Obama would meet with Netanyahu on Tuesday (March 23).
More highlights from Secretary Clinton's speech to AIPAC:
• “For President Obama, for me, and for this entire administration, our commitment to Israel’s security and Israel’s future is rock solid.”
• “Guaranteeing Israel’s security is more than a policy position for me. It is a personal commitment that will never waver.”
• “Elements in Iran’s government have become a menace, both to their own people and in the region. Iran’s President foments anti-Semitism and threatens to destroy Israel.”
• “In addition to threatening Israel, a nuclear-armed Iran would embolden its terrorist clientele and would spark an arms race that could destabilize the region. This is unacceptable. Unacceptable to the United States. Unacceptable to Israel. And unacceptable to the region and the international community.”
• “So let me be very clear: The United States is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”
• “We are working with our partners in the United Nations on new Security Council sanctions that will show Iran’s leaders that there are real consequences for their intransigence, that the only choice is to live up to their international obligations. Our aim is not incremental sanctions, but sanctions that will bite. It is taking time to produce these sanctions, and we believe that time is a worthwhile investment for winning the broadest possible support for our efforts. But we will not compromise our commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring these weapons.”
• “Iran is not the only threat on the horizon. Israel today is confronting some of the toughest challenges in her history. The conflict with the Palestinians and with Israel’s Arab neighbors is an obstacle to prosperity and opportunity for Israelis, Palestinians, and people across the region. And it threatens Israel’s long-term future as a secure and democratic Jewish state.”
• “As Israel’s friend, it is our responsibility to give credit when it is due and to tell the truth when it is needed.”
• “The status quo is unsustainable for all sides. It promises only more violence and unrealized aspirations. Staying on this course means continuing a conflict that carries tragic human costs. Israeli and Palestinian children alike deserve to grow up free from fear and to have the opportunity to live up to their full God-given potential.”
• “There is another path. A path that leads toward security and prosperity for all the people of the region. It will require all parties – including Israel – to make difficult but necessary choices.”
• “Our message to Hamas is clear: Renounce violence, recognize Israel, and abide by previous signed agreements. And I will repeat today what I have said many times before: Gilad Shalit must be released immediately and reunited with his family.”
• “The way forward is clear: two states for two peoples living side by side in peace and security, with peace between Israel and Syria, and Israel and Lebanon, and normal relations between Israel and all the Arab states. A comprehensive peace that is real and not a slogan, that is rooted in genuine recognition of Israel's right to exist in peace and security, offers the best way to ensure Israel's enduring survival and well-being. And, it is a goal that the Obama administration is determined to achieve.”[1]
Following are recent examples of incitement by Iran-backed Hamas, the Palestinian Authority and other Palestinian leaders.
Examples of Incitement by Palestinian Officials, Clergy
March 16: Hamas issued a statement calling for a “Day of Rage” and called on Israeli Arabs and Arab residents of East Jerusalem to go to the al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount.[2] Leaders from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party, Iran-backed Hamas, as well as religious officials had called earlier that week for Israeli Arabs and Arab residents of East Jerusalem to converge on Jerusalem to riot against Israel and Jews and “protect” the al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount. The leaders and officials said Israel was endangering the mosque but offered no evidence for their claims.[3]
March 15: Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar encouraged Palestinians to respond to “Israel's crimes and protect the sites that are holy to Muslims and Christians from the Zionists' racist onslaught.” He also said Palestinians should observe five moments of silence “for Israel's disappearance and to identify with Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa Mosque.” He added that Israel is “destined to be destroyed. You've made a deal with the devil and with destruction itself – just like your synagogue.”[4]
March 15: Palestinian supreme sharia (Islamic law) judge Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi issued a statement calling on “Palestinian people everywhere, especially those who live in Jerusalem and in other cities inside Israel,” to go to Jerusalem to “protect” the al-Aqsa Mosque from Jewish groups.[5]
March 15: PLO Executive Committee member Ahmad Qurei raised the specter of an intifada (uprising). He also stated, “Jerusalem is exposed to an unprecedented danger which targets its land, people, holy sites, heritage and history” and that the dedication of the Hurva Synagogue is a “dangerous program” for “Judaizing” Jerusalem in order to falsify history.[6] The synagogue is located in the Jewish section of Jerusalem’s walled Old City. Said U.S. State Department Spokesman Philip Crowley, “We are deeply disturbed by statements made by several Palestinian officials mischaracterizing the event in question. We call upon Palestinian officials to put an end to such incitement.”[7]
March 14: Khatem Abdel Kader, a senior Palestinian Authority and Fatah official with responsibility for Jerusalem, called for Israeli Arabs and Arab residents of East Jerusalem to “converge on al Aksa to save it” from “Israeli attempts to destroy the mosque and replace it with the [Jewish] temple.” As with the case of other Palestinian leaders, Kader offered no evidence for his claim.[8] Fatah Central Committee member Mohammed Dahlan also called on Israeli Arabs and Arab residents of East Jerusalem to go to the al-Aqsa mosque to “protect it from the Jews.”[9]
March 11: At a ceremony on honoring Dalal al-Mughrabi, a female Palestinian terrorist who led an attack in which 37 civilians and an American were killed, Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi said, “We are all Dalal Mughrabi” and that “for us she is not a terrorist...[but] a fighter who fought for the liberation of her own land.”[10]
Senior Palestinian Authority (PA) officials at the last minute canceled plans to hold a ceremony to dedicate a square in the West Bank city of Ramallah commemorating al-Mughrabi, but the square was still named after al-Mughrabi. The event would have coincided with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to the region.[11] The Fatah movement’s official spokesman, Faez abu Ita, said al-Mughrabi is a symbol of “our national struggle” and that the Palestinian people and Fatah are proud of her sacrifice.[12] He also said Palestinians have the right to celebrate al-Mughrabi in any way that they see fit and that they don’t need anyone’s permission to do so.[13]
Feb. 28: Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum called on Palestinians “to continue the intifada and the anger that began in Hebron, Jerusalem and throughout Palestinian lands.” He also called for a “popular, Arab and Islamic uprising."[14]
Other Recent Incidents of Incitement by the Palestinian Authority
*
Following the killing of Israeli civilian Rabbi Meir Hai in the West Bank on Dec. 24, 2009, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared the terrorists responsible for the attack to be shahids (martyrs) after they were killed during an arrest operation by an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unit. In addition, Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad visited the families of the terrorists to give his condolences.[15]
Rabbi Hai was shot and killed by terrorists from Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades militia in the West Bank on Dec. 24, 2009. He was driving from his home in the community of Shavei Shomron to the nearby community of Einav.[16]
Fatah’s official website issued a statement following the terror attack stating that the “armed struggle” should be continued and that “resistance” is “the primary option for liberating Palestinian lands from the filth of the children of Zion [Jews].”[17]
*
During Fatah’s sixth General Assembly that began Aug. 4, 2009, the faction issued a statement saying, “We won’t abandon any of our options, and we believe that resistance, in all forms, is a legitimate right of occupied people in confronting their occupiers.” Fatah is headed by PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
The statement caused concern in Israel as it seemingly left the door open for a return to violence in the name of politics. Fatah’s new platform also insisted on the right of Palestinian refugees from 1948 and their descendants to be settled inside Israel. This is often seen within Israel as a policy designed to subvert the state and a severe obstacle to any final peace agreement.[18]
*
In June 2009, PA Minister for Prisoners Ashraf al-Ajrami lauded the terrorist activities of the Fatah-run Palestinian security forces. He said the PA security forces were “the ones who bore arms and carried out the greatest and most important operations [terror attacks] against the Israeli occupation - and especially against soldiers, and some of the most famous operations [terror attacks] in the West Bank - Ein-Arik, Wadi Al-Haramiyeh, Sorda, and others. These were carried out by the heroes of the Palestinian security forces, who protected the homeland and the national interest.”[19]
*
In June 2008, al-Ajrami appeared to advocate the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers when he said, “The language of peace and negotiations is not enough to urge Israel to cooperate positively regarding prisoners. The way Israel likes, it seems, is to exchange [prisoners] with kidnapped Israeli soldiers.”[20]
Israeli Prime Minister, President and Jerusalem Mayor Call for Peace, Calm
March 16: Israeli President Shimon Peres: “Today we are… at a decisive moment and we must decide…that even in a time of threats we will not give up on peace.” Israel, he added, should “venture to make bold decisions; decisions that follow our vision, even as shadows darken our surroundings. These must include leaving an open hand to our neighbors. Peace is not the tactic of a past era. Rather, it is the strategy of generations after generations in the history of our people. Our leaders today, like those before them, are demanded anew to stand up and decide to lead our people to the place we all desire—a peace agreement—regardless of the obstacles on their path...This was the deepest desire of our previous leaders. And this remains the choice of our generation.”[21]
March 15: Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat: “I want to send a message of peace to all religions…I believe that from this place, where we experienced the terrible pain of the destruction of a place that was holy to us...we will know to be sensitive to others doubts and troubles.”[22]
March 15: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “Many people are excited about this moment - and justifiably so…We have allowed believers in other faiths to conserve their houses of worship. We proudly hold on to our heritage, while at the same time allowing others freedom of religion.”[23]
Statements by U.S. Congress Members on the U.S.-Israel relationship
March 15: Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.): “In every administration […] there are times when the U.S.-Israeli relationship is not what it should be. But the guarantor of that relationship is the bipartisan, pro-Israel majority in Congress…Our enemies are common; let’s not let a mistake grow into a divisive dispute between members of the same family…Nothing good is going to happen in the Mideast without both the United States and Israel working together. That’s what we need to do, and the sooner the better.”[24]
March 15: Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), Republican Whip: “Israel has always been committed to the peace process, including advocating for direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians, in effort to bring this conflict to an end. Unfortunately, the Palestinian Government continues to insist on indirect talks and slowing down the process… Israel continues to be a world leader in the fight against terrorism and speak out against the prospects of a nuclear Iran.”[25]
March 13: Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) “I advocate an even-handed, not a one-sided, U.S. policy as we do the difficult work of establishing peace, and eventually, a Palestinian state. These are critical goals for our nation and for the future of the Middle East. We owe the process nothing less than fairness, candor, and intellectual honesty, not a policy of constant appeasement and reinforcement of the Palestinians’ failings as legitimate partners in the peace process.
“I strongly believe that despite this week’s flap over Israel’s announcement regarding housing construction, the U.S.-Israel relationship is strong and our partnership in pursuit of peace remains undiminished. I call on the White House to rethink its counterproductive rhetoric and to affirm that the U.S. and Israel remain united in pursuing a fair, equitable, and honest peace process with the Palestinian powers that be.”[26]
March 15: Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.): “Israel is an indispensable ally and friend of the United States. U.S. condemnations of Israel and threats regarding our bilateral relationship undermine both our allies and the peace process, while encouraging the enemies of America and Israel alike. I am also deeply concerned about the Administration’s softer approaches towards the Palestinian Authority, Syria, and Iran, which are being carried out in conjunction with hard-line tactics against our key democratic ally, Israel. Our nation’s security cannot afford a foreign policy which isolates our allies and moves towards appeasing enemies of the U.S.”[27]
Footnotes:
[1] Secretary Clinton's remarks to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference, March 22, 2010, http://www.aipac.org/PC2010/videos.asp
[2] Abu Toameh, Khaled, “PA calls Arabs to ‘defend al Aksa’,” The Jerusalem Post, March 14, 2010, http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=170950; Waked, Ali, “'Day of rage': Hamas calls for terrorist attacks inside Israel,” YnetNews, March 16, 2010, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3863432,00.html; “So be on Tuesday a day of anger and horns in support of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Hamas Web site Palestine Info, March 15, 2010, http://translate.google.co.il/translate?hl=en&sl=ar&u=http://www.palestine-info.info/ar/&ei=rF2fS4-zOMyOsAaZ0PjADA&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBAQ7gEwAQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpalestine%2Binfo%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3Dbw9%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official
[3] “So be on Tuesday a day of anger and horns in support of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Hamas Web site Palestine Info, March 15, 2010, http://translate.google.co.il/translate?hl=en&sl=ar&u=http://www.palestine-info.info/ar/&ei=rF2fS4-zOMyOsAaZ0PjADA&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBAQ7gEwAQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpalestine%2Binfo%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3Dbw9%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official; Waked, Ali, “'Day of rage': Hamas calls for terrorist attacks inside Israel,” YnetNews, March 16, 2010, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3863432,00.html
[4] Waked, Ali, “Hamas' al-Zahar: Israel made deal with the devil,” YnetNews, March 15, 2010, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3863184,00.html
[5] “'Rededication' of Old City synagogue raises timing questions,” Ma’an News Agency, March 15, 2010, http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=268857; “Palestinian Call For Wordwide Mobilization Of Muslims To Defend Al-Aqsa,” MEMRI, March 15, 2010, http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/25648.
htm
[6] “Qrei'a fears Intifada if Israeli policy persists,” Ma’an News Agency, March 15, 2010, http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=268980
[7] Blum, Michael, “Israel reopening of historic synagogue angers Palestinians,” AFP, March 15, 2010 http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j4uQ1xLe9WPxbO2Ao221xLht0K-Q
[8] Abu Toameh, Khaled, “PA calls Arabs to ‘defend al Aksa’,” The Jerusalem Post, March 14, 2010, http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=170950
[9] Harel, Amos; Issacharoff, Avi, “Palestinians aren't missing the chance to fan the flames,” Haaretz, March 15, 2010, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1156466.html
[10] Kershner, Isabel, “Palestinians Honor a Figure Reviled in Israel as a Terrorist,” The New York Times, March 11, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/world/middleeast/12westbank.html
[11] Ravid, Barak, “Israel to soon publish 'Palestinian incitement index,'” Haaretz, March 10, 2010, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1155420.html
[12] “Fatah: We are proud of Dalal al-Mughrabi and that she is a great symbol in our national struggle,” WAFA, March 10, 2010, http://arabic.wafa.ps/arabic/index.php?action=detail&id=67181
[13] “Fatah: We are proud of Dalal al-Mughrabi and that she is a great symbol in our national struggle,” WAFA, March 10, 2010, http://arabic.wafa.ps/arabic/index.php?action=detail&id=67181
[14] “Hamas, Jihad urge escalation of protests,” Ma’an News Agency, Feb., 2, 2010, http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=264908
[15] “Abbas turns 3 latest terrorists into Palestinian heroes,” Palestinian Media Watch Bulletins, Dec. 29, 2009, http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=1524
[16] “Man killed in West Bank shooting,” YnetNews, Dec. 24, 2009, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3824847,00.html
[17] “Behind the Headlines: Palestinian incitement distances peace,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jan. 11, 2010, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/Behind+the+Headlines/Palestinian_incitement_distances_
peace_11-Jan-2010.htm
[18] Abu Toameh, Khaled, “Fatah moves 'to remove, defeat occupation,” The Jerusalem Post, Aug. 10, 2009, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418557097&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull “Fatah Meeting Foreign Policy Platform,” Aug. 11, 2009, http://www.mideastweb.org/fatah_program_2009.htm; “Israel, the Conflict and Peace: Answers to frequently asked questions,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, November 2007, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Palestinian+terror+since+2000/Israel-+the+Conflict+and+Peace-+Answers+to+Frequen.htm#return
[19] “PA boasts of past terror attacks by security forces currently being trained by the US,” Palestinian Media Watch, July 7, 2009, http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=979
[20] “Kidnapping-for-hostage policy,” Palestinian Media Watch, June 2008, http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=663&fld_id=663&doc_id=1298
[21] Statement by Israeli President Shimon Peres at a memorial service for the late prime ministers and presidents of Israel: “We cannot afford to unravel the delicate fabric of friendship with the United States,” Spokesperson’s Dept., Office of the President, March 16, 2010
[22] Hasson, Nir; Mozgovaya, Natasha, “Netanyahu seeks to ease East Jerusalem tensions at synagogue dedication,” Haaretz, March15, 2010, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1156587.html
[23] Hasson, Nir; Mozgovaya, Natasha, “Netanyahu seeks to ease East Jerusalem tensions at synagogue dedication,” Haaretz, March15, 2010, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1156587.html
[24] “SENATORS JOHN McCAIN AND JOE LIEBERMAN SPEAK ON THE SENATE FLOOR 3-15-10,” U.S. Senator John McCain’s Youtube channel, March 15, 2010, http://www.youtube.com/user/SenatorJohnMcCain#p/a/u/0/JtqOLPH1VU8
[25] “Administration’s Stance on Israel Irresponsible and Dangerous,” Web site of the Office of the Republican Whip, March 15, 2010, http://republicanwhip.house.gov/newsroom/2010/03/administration-israel.html
[26] “BERKLEY STATEMENT ON REBUKE OF ISRAEL BY VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN AND SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON,” News from Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, March 13, 2010
[27] Rubin, Jennifer, “The Fallout,” Commentary Magazine, March 15, 2010, http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/category/contentions?author_name=rubin
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