http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=172451
American Jewry’s deafening silence
By SHMULEY BOTEACH
When it came to protecting the right of the Libyan Ambassador to the UN living immediately next door to me in Englewood, my Democratic Congressman, Steve Rothman, found his voice, issuing a three page press release about a deal he had brokered with the State Department 27 years ago for the Libyans to bizarrely remain in a New Jersey suburb. But when I asked Rothman, who is Jewish, to comment on US President Barack Obama’s degrading treatment of Israel’s elected officials recently and the administration’s opposition to Jews building in all parts of Jerusalem, his chief of staff sent me an email that said the congressman was “away for the holidays so we won’t be able to provide you with a statement.” Attitudes like these on the part of influential Jewish members of the American establishment explain why Obama has been allowed to get away with his treatment of Israel. Yes, it is we Jews who allow it, afraid to take a stand against a president who is rapidly emerging as the new Jimmy Carter.
Don’t think Obama isn’t listening.
When it came to endorsing a recent Congressional vote to label the Turks’ slaughter of over one million Armenians during the first World War a genocide, Obama quickly broke a campaign pledge, and a moral duty, to do just that and publicly distanced himself from the term genocide in order not to offend the Turkish government. And when it came to hosting the Dalai Lama at the White House, the president quickly bowed to Chinese bullying, not only refusing to greet the great humanitarian publicly but sending him out through the service entrance of the White House where he was photographed surrounded by giant bags of garbage. But when it comes to treating America’s most reliable ally like a pariah nation, Obama has no fear of the American Jewish community because he’s convinced there will be no price to pay. The Jews are too timid to react.
HOW SAD that we Jews have become so politically pathetic. Although there were grave suspicions about Obama’s position on Israel before the campaign, greatly compounded by his having sat through 20 years of vitriol toward Israel from his own pastor, American Jewry gave Obama the benefit of the doubt. Nearly eighty percent of American Jews voted for him against a proven friend of Israel in John McCain.
But as they say, “fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
Amid the Jewish propensity to blindly pull the Democrat lever in every vote without even thinking, if Obama gets anything more than twenty percent of the Jewish vote in 2012 it will be a manifestation of a community which simply doesn’t know how to stand up for itself and has contempt for its own interests.
And spare me the lectures on dual loyalty. If there is one thing the American people have learned it’s that the Israeli people are their canaries in the coalmine. Attacks that Israelis experience first just presage what Americans will later face.
Why? Because the Islamic nations hate Israel for the same reason they hate America. Israel is a bastion of freedom in a region of tyranny. The mullahs are religious, the Arab dictators mostly secular. But what they share in common is an absolute desire to rule absolutely. They hate Israel and America for its freedoms. They know that elections will knock them out of power and, like Saddam Hussein, they would face trial for crimes against humanity.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hates his own people even more than he hates Israel, brutalizing and slaughtering them in the streets whenever they stand up for themselves. The last thing the House of Saud wants is democracy, preferring to plunder their country’s oil wealth and concentrate it in the hands of princes of the blood, all of whom live like kings.The same hatred of liberty is harbored by all the other Arab potentates who have oppressed their people for decades, from Mubarak who has been in power for three decades, to Gaddafi and the Assads.
RATHER THAN pressuring Jews not to build condos in Jerusalem, Obama ought to pressure the Arabs to liberalize and democratize. He ought to use his considerable eloquence to state the obvious truth.That until such time as the Arabs allow their citizens to be free, there will never be peace in the Middle East.
Israel is the solution rather than the problem. The more Arab countries emulate its market economy and liberal democracy, the more our oppressed Islamic brothers and sisters will prosper. They will not need scapegoats, like Jews, to vent their understandable frustration at their wretched, impoverished lives, all brought about by clerics and dictators whose steal their money and their freedoms.
According to many estimates, Muammar Gaddafi is the richest man in the world, with a net worth of over $70 billion. That a thief and a murderer of that magnitude is allowed to own a tax-free mansion next door to me where we, honest and hard-working Americans, pay for his police protection and trash removal, is a travesty of truth and justice.
When American Jews stand up to the lie that Israeli intransigence is the reason for conflict in the Middle East, they end up helping their Arab brethren as well. Because the last thing the five hundred million Arabs who live under state censorship and political oppression need is their rulers and clerics finding a convenient scapegoat upon whom to place the blame for their people’s suffering.
And every time Obama falsely puts the blame on Israel for the region’s tensions, he puts another nail in the coffin of future Mideast freedom and Arab democracy and liberty.
The writer is founder of This World: The Values Network. His most recent book is The Blessing of Enough: Rejecting Material Greed, Embracing Spiritual Hunger. Follow him on Twitter @RabbiShmuley.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Did Swiss gov't okay Iran nuclear deal?
BENJAMIN WEINTHAL
08/04/2010 01:07
Official backtracks after he says state gave permit for nuclear device delivery.
BERLIN- The nuclear devices provided to Iran for enriching uranium were not approved by the Swiss government, Inficon CEO Lukas Winkler told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday, contradicting his earlier statement that the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) issued a permit to deliver nuclear equipment. The role of the Swiss government in the delivery of the devices is attracting intense media attention in Switzerland.
On Sunday, the online edition of 20 Minuten headlined its story “Swiss help Ahmadinejad” and asserted that “the Swiss authorities were informed and undertook no action” to stop the delivery of nuclear pressure gauges to Iran.
Winkler backtracked and told the Post that “we do not need a permit,” and denied securing approval from SECO.
In an e-mail on Wednesday to the Post, Rita Baldegger, a spokeswoman for SECO, wrote, “Swiss export control authorities have knowledge about this case since June 2009...The goods were not subject to an export license. The exporter was not aware that those goods were destined for Iran. Otherwise an approval of the Swiss export control authorities would have been necessary. Switzerland would not grant any license for the export of such transducers to Iran.”
Asked in the Post's press query if the trade deal endangered the the security of the European Union and Israel, Baldegger, the SECO spokeswoman, declined to comment.
Shlomit Sufa, an Israeli diplomatic spokeswoman in Bern, told the Post on Wednesday that the Israeli Embassy in Bern wished to not comment on Switzerland's involvement in facilitating the delivery of the nuclear pressure gauges to Teheran. A spokeswoman for the Swiss Embassy in Tel-Aviv, Renate Schrenk, told the Postthat Ambassador Walter Haffner was “very informed” about the Swiss nuclear equipment deal with Iran, but would not issue a statement.
Critics charge the Swiss with lax export control regulations and an energetic pro-Iran trade policy that jeopardizes the international effort to compel the Islamic republic to suspend its nuclear enrichment program.
In 2008, the Swiss Social Democratic Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey traveled to Teheran to help seal a massive $28 billion gas deal between the Swiss energy giant Elektrizitaets-Gesellschaft (EGL) Laufenburg and the state-owned National Iranian Gas Export Co. While euphorically embracing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the visit, Calmy-Rey donned a head-scarf.
Nuclear proliferation experts deemed Iran's acquisition of the Swiss nuclear gauges as a crucial step toward Iran's quest to attain nuclear weapons capability. David Albright, an American nuclear weapons expert and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, D.C, told the Swiss paper SonntagsZeitung that the Swiss-Iran deal was a “ very important case and a disappointing defeat in the fight against Iran's atomic weapons program.”
Comment: Sanctions, what sanctions-follow the money! This is the same Calmy-Rey who came out in support of "Palestinians" regardless of the violence they used against civilians, and berated Israel without haste. Apparently, we see $28 billion reasons why she sold her soul.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Syrian Regime Never Makes Lasting Peace or Real Compromises, Still Claims Territory From Its New "Friend" Turkey
RubinReports
Barry Rubin
Ha! Syria now proclaims itself a good friend of Turkey and vice-versa. No problems, right? But go to the official website of the Syrian Ministry of Tourism and guess what? There's a map in which the Syrian government claims the Turkish territory of Alexendratta (Iskanderun), which was passed to Turkey back in the 1930s. At several points in recent times, the Syrian government told the Turks it was dropping the claim. But, of course, the Syrian regime never gives up on its goal of dominating the Arabic-speaking world and incorporting all of Lebanon, Israel, and Palestinian-ruled territories into its empire. When they are feeling in a good mood they sometimes throw in Jordan, as well as Iraq as a sphere of influence.
Meanwhile, the United States courts Syria, ignoring for all practical purposes its involvement in massive terrorism in Iraq and Lebanon. Yet the idea that Syria's regime is going to change its direction and become moderate is an illusion. They haven't even moderated in real terms toward their new friend, Turkey.
Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal. His latest books are The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley), and The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan). His new edited books include Lebanon: Liberation, Conflict and Crisis; Guide to Islamist Movements; Conflict and Insurgency in the Middle East; and The Muslim Brotherhood
Barry Rubin
Ha! Syria now proclaims itself a good friend of Turkey and vice-versa. No problems, right? But go to the official website of the Syrian Ministry of Tourism and guess what? There's a map in which the Syrian government claims the Turkish territory of Alexendratta (Iskanderun), which was passed to Turkey back in the 1930s. At several points in recent times, the Syrian government told the Turks it was dropping the claim. But, of course, the Syrian regime never gives up on its goal of dominating the Arabic-speaking world and incorporting all of Lebanon, Israel, and Palestinian-ruled territories into its empire. When they are feeling in a good mood they sometimes throw in Jordan, as well as Iraq as a sphere of influence.
Meanwhile, the United States courts Syria, ignoring for all practical purposes its involvement in massive terrorism in Iraq and Lebanon. Yet the idea that Syria's regime is going to change its direction and become moderate is an illusion. They haven't even moderated in real terms toward their new friend, Turkey.
Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal. His latest books are The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley), and The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan). His new edited books include Lebanon: Liberation, Conflict and Crisis; Guide to Islamist Movements; Conflict and Insurgency in the Middle East; and The Muslim Brotherhood
Is Israel Facing War with Hizbullah and Syria?
David Schenker
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Vol. 9, No. 22 6 April 2010
www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DRIT=1&DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=283&PID=0&IID=3647&TTL=Is_Israel_Facing_War_with_Hizbullah_and_Syria?
Concerns about Israeli hostilities with Hizbullah are nothing new, but based
on recent pronouncements from Syria, if the situation degenerates, fighting
could take on a regional dimension not seen since 1973.
On February 26, Syrian President Bashar Assad hosted Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Damascus.
Afterward, Hizbullah's online magazine Al Intiqad suggested that war with
Israel was on the horizon. Raising tensions further are reports that Syria has provided Hizbullah with
the advanced, Russian-made, shoulder-fired, Igla-S anti-aircraft missile,
which could inhibit Israeli air operations over Lebanon in a future
conflict. The transfer of this equipment had previously been defined by
Israeli officials as a "red line."
In the summer of 2006, Syria sat on the sidelines as Hizbullah fought Israel
to a standstill. After the war, Assad, who during the fighting received
public assurances from then-Prime Minister Olmert that Syria would not be
targeted, took credit for the "divine victory."
Damascus' support for "resistance" was on full display at the Arab Summit in
Libya in late March 2010, where Assad urged Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas
to abandon U.S.-supported negotiations and "take up arms against Israel."
After years of diplomatic isolation, Damascus has finally broken the code to
Europe, and appears to be on the verge of doing so with the Obama
administration as well. Currently, Syria appears to be in a position where
it can cultivate its ties with the West without sacrificing its support for
terrorism.
In February 2010, tensions spiked between Israel and its northern neighbors.
First, Syrian and Israeli officials engaged in a war of words, complete with
dueling threats of regime change and targeting civilian populations. Weeks
later, Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah pledged to go toe-to-toe with
Israel in the next war.1 Then, toward the end of the month, Israel began
military maneuvers in the north. Finally, on February 26, Syrian President
Bashar Assad hosted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Nasrallah for
an unprecedented dinner meeting in Damascus.
Concerns about Israeli hostilities with Hizbullah are nothing new, but based
on recent pronouncements from Damascus, if the situation degenerates,
fighting could take on a regional dimension not seen since 1973. In January
and February, Syrian officials indicated that, unlike during the 2006
fighting in Lebanon, Damascus would not "sit idly by" in the next war.2
While these statements may be bravado, it's not difficult to imagine Syria
being drawn into the conflict.
The Israeli government has taken steps to alleviate tensions, including,
most prominently, Prime Minister Netanyahu issuing a gag order forbidding
his ministers to discuss Syria.3 Still, the situation in the north remains
volatile. Within a three-day span in mid-March: the Lebanese Armed Forces
(LAF) fired at Israeli jets violating Lebanese airspace;4 four Lebanese
nationals were charged with spying for Israel against Hizbullah;5 and
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi told the Knesset
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the Shiite militia was "building
up its forces north of the Litani (river)." Currently, according to
Ashkenazi, the border was calm, "but this can change."6
It's easy to see how the situation could deteriorate. Hizbullah retaliation
against Israel for the 2008 assassination of its military leader Imad
Mugniyyeh could spark a war. So could Hizbullah firing missiles in
retribution for an Israeli strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. The
transfer of sensitive Syrian technology to the Shiite militia could also
prompt an Israeli strike. Regrettably, even if Israel continues to try and
diffuse tensions in the north, given the central role Tehran has in
determining Hizbullah policy, a third Lebanon war may be inevitable.
Martyrs Month Pronouncements
In mid-February, Hizbullah held the annual commemoration for its pantheon of
heroes, a week of celebrations marking the organization's top three
martyrs - founding father Ragheb Harb, Secretary General Abbas Mussawi, and
military leader Imad Mugniyyeh. On February 16 - Martyred Leaders Day -
Nasrallah gave a speech where he defined a new, more aggressive posture
toward Israel, upping the ante in the militia's longstanding "balance of
terror" strategy. Promising parity with Israeli strikes on Lebanon,
Nasrallah threatened:
If you [Israel] bomb Rafik Hariri international airport in Beirut, we will
bomb Ben-Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. If you bomb our docks, we will bomb
your docks. If you bomb our oil refineries, we will bomb your oil
refineries. If you bomb our factories, we will bomb your factories. And if
you bomb our power plants, we will bomb your power plants.7
With current estimates suggesting that Hizbullah now possesses in excess of
40,000 missiles and rockets, Nasrallah's threats have some resonance.
Raising tensions further are reports that Syria has provided Hizbullah with
the advanced, Russian-made, shoulder-fired, Igla-S anti-aircraft missile,
which could inhibit Israeli air operations over Lebanon in a future
conflict.8 The transfer of this equipment had previously been defined by
Israeli officials as a "red line."9 It is unclear whether such a
transgression remains a casus belli.
In addition to laying out Hizbullah's new targeting strategy, Nasrallah also
discussed his yet unfulfilled pledge to retaliate against Israel for the
2008 killing of Mugniyyeh. Two years ago, immediately after the
assassination, Nasrallah declared an "open war" against Israel, swearing
vengeance for the group's martyred leader. However, to date, the militia's
attempts to strike Israeli targets - in Azerbaijan and Turkey - have
failed.10 During his speech, Nasrallah reiterated Hizbullah's commitment to
retaliate. "Our options are open and we have all the time in the world," he
said, adding, "What we want is a revenge that rises to the level of Imad
Mugniyyeh."11
The Damascus "Resistance" Summit
In recent years, meetings between Assad and Ahmadinejad have been routine
occurrences. It has also been customary for senior Syrian and Iranian
officials to visit their respective capitals - and to sign defense or
economic agreements - immediately following meetings between the Assad
regime and U.S. officials. So it came as little surprise that Ahmadinejad
arrived in Damascus just days after Undersecretary of State William Burns
departed the Syrian capital. The surprising part about his visit was that
Hassan Nasrallah joined the presidents for dinner.
On the day before Nasrallah's visit, Assad and Ahmadinejad made great
efforts to demonstrate that Washington's transparent efforts to drive a
wedge between the thirty-year strategic allies had failed. In a press
conference on February 25, Assad famously mocked U.S. Secretary of State
Hilary Clinton and the administration's gambit to split Syria from Iran,
announced the end of visa requirements for travel between the two states,
and described "support for the resistance [a]s a moral and national duty in
every nation, and also a [religious] legal duty."12 He also said that he
discussed with his Iranian counterpart "how to confront Israeli terrorism."
While the Syria-Iran bilateral meeting and subsequent press conference was
described in some detail by Assad regime insider Ibrahim Humaydi in the
pan-Arab daily Al Hayat, far less is known about what Assad, Ahmadinejad,
and Nasrallah discussed during their dinner meeting the next day. According
to the account in Hizbullah's online magazine Al Intiqad, the meeting was
about "the escalating strategic response of the axis of the
confrontationist, rejectionist, and resistance states" to the U.S.-Israeli
threat.13 Significantly, this article also suggested that war with Israel
was on the horizon.
Resorting to the most extreme decision - that is, launching and setting a
war on its path - will decide the final results. In any case, if reasonable
calculations prevail, they will lead to producing comprehensive and specific
[Israeli] compromises or it will lead to postponing the war which still
waits for its most appropriate time for everyone.14
Based on its analysis of the trilateral summit in Damascus, this Hizbullah
organ seems to be suggesting that a war, while not imminent, is inevitable.
The Weak Link
In the summer of 2006, Syria sat on the sidelines as Hizbullah fought Israel
to a standstill. After the war, Assad, who during the fighting received
public assurances from then-Prime Minister Olmert that Syria would not be
targeted, took credit for the "divine victory."15 Since then, Syria has
upgraded its rhetorical and materiel support for the Shiite militia.16
Damascus has helped Hizbullah to fully rearm, reportedly providing the
militia with cutting-edge Russian weaponry from its own stocks. In this
context, Syrian officials have been increasingly trumpeting their support
for, and loyalty to, the resistance, so much so that the official
government-controlled Syrian press now proclaims that "Syrian foreign policy
depends on supporting the resistance."17
Damascus' support for "resistance" was on full display at the Arab Summit in
Libya in late March 2010. According to reports, at the meeting Assad urged
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to abandon U.S.-supported negotiations
and "take up arms against Israel," imparting his own experience that "the
price of resistance is not higher than the price of peace."18 During his
speech before his fellow Arab leaders, Assad was equally hard-line in his
prescriptions. At a minimum, he said, Arab states should cut off their
relations with Israel. The "maximum" - and presumably preferable - policy
option, he said, would be to support the resistance.19
Despite the rhetoric, however, it's not clear that Syria is presently
itching for a fight with Israel. After years of diplomatic isolation,
Damascus has finally broken the code to Europe, and appears to be on the
verge of doing so with the Obama administration, which recently announced
the posting of a new ambassador and indicated a willingness to revise
sanctions and modify U.S. economic pressures on Damascus.20 Currently, Syria
appears to be in a position where it can cultivate its ties with the West
without sacrificing its support for terrorism.
War would change this comfortable dynamic. In the event of an
Israel-Hizbullah conflagration, pressures on Syria to participate would be
intense. Furthermore, could Syria really watch an Israeli attack on Iran's
nuclear facilities without responding? After so much crowing about its
support for Hizbullah and its regional ilk, could Syria sit out yet another
fight?
Conclusion
While it's too early to predict the timing or the trigger, on Israel's
northern border there appears to be a growing sense that war is coming. Iran
may have an interest in maintaining Hizbullah's arsenal until an Israeli
strike. Likewise, for Hizbullah, which lately has been playing up its
Lebanese identity in an effort to improve its image at home, waging war on
Israel on behalf of Iran could be problematic. In any event, it is all but
assured that a war on Israel's northern front will be determined, at least
in part, by Tehran.
In early February, Israeli Minister of Defense Ehud Barak told the IDF: "In
the absence of an arrangement with Syria, we are liable to enter a
belligerent clash with it that could reach the point of an all-out, regional
war."21 Regrettably, regardless of what happens between Syria and Israel in
the coming months, the decision of war or peace with Hizbullah may be out of
Israel's hands.
* * *
Notes
* The author would like to thank his research assistant Cole Bunzel for his
excellent assistance in the preparation of this article.
1. "Full Text of H.E. Sayyed Nasrallah Speech on Day of Martyred Leaders,"
http://english.moqawama.org/essaydetails.php?eid=10225&cid=214.
2. "Syria Will Back Hizbullah Against IDF," Jerusalem Post, January 6, 2010.
Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem echoed this threat in February 2010; see
"Al-Mouallem at Press Conference with Moratinos," SANA, February 4, 2010.
http://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2010/02/04/270781.htm.
3. Attila Somfalvi, "Bibi Tells Ministers to Keep Mum on Syria," Ynet,
February 4, 2010, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3844619,00.html.
Netanyahu also reassured Syria that Israel remained interested in peace.
4. "Lebanese Army Fires on Israeli Warplanes," AFP, March 21, 2010,
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20100321-260030/Lebanese-army-fires-on-Israeli-warplanes.
5. "Lebanon Charges Four with Spying for Israel," Press TV, March 20, 2010,
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=121274§ionid=351020203.
6. Amnon Meranda, "Ashkenazi: Hamas Doesn't Want a Flareup," Ynet, March 23,
2010, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3866883,00.html.
7. "Nasrallah Speech on Day of Martyred Leaders."
8. See, for example, Barak Ravid, "Israel Warns Hizbullah: We Won't Tolerate
Arms Smuggling," Ha'aretz, October 12, 2008,
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1009384.html.
9. "Report: Hizbullah Trains on Missiles," UPI, January 17, 2010,
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2010/01/17/Report-Hezbollah-trains-on-missiles/UPI-51221263741141/.
10. See Yossi Melman, "Hizbullah, Iran Plotted Bombing of Israeli Embassy in
Azerbaijan," Ha'aretz, May 31, 2009,
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1089204.html. Also Avi Isaacharoff,
"Turkish Forces Foil Attack on Israeli Target," Ha'aretz, December 9, 2009,
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1133747.html.
11. "Nasrallah Speech on Day of Martyred Leaders."
12. Ibrahim Humaydi, "Al Asad: Ta'ziz al-'alaqat bayna duwal al-mintaqa
tariq wahid li-l-qarar al mustaqill," Al Hayat, February 26, 2010,
http://international.daralhayat.com/internationalarticle/112984.
13. "Qimmat Nejad-Al-Asad-Nasrallah: Ayy hisabat ba'daha?"
http://www.alintiqad.com/essaydetails.php?eid=27878&cid=4.
14. Ibid.
15. "Speech of Bashar Asad at Journalist Union 4th Conference," August 15,
2006,
http://www.golan67.net/NEWS/president%20Assad%20Speech%2015-8-6.htm.
16. In addition to the Igla-S anti-aircraft missile, some unconfirmed
reports indicate that Syria may have transferred some of its Scud-D
missiles - capable of delivering chemical warheads - to Hizbullah.
17. "Junblatt wa-l-Tariq ila Dimashq," Al Watan, March 10, 2010,
http://alwatan.sy/dindex.php?idn=75718. That support for resistance is
central to Syrian foreign policy comes as little surprise: in 2009, Foreign
Minister Walid Mouallem volunteered to join Hizbullah. See "Muallem Says
He's Ready to Join Hizbullah," Gulf News, May 3, 2009,
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/lebanon/muallem-says-ready-to-join-hezbollah-1.248887.
18. "Arab Leaders Support Peace Plan," AP, March 28, 2010,
http://www.jpost.com/middleeast/article.aspx?id=171981.
19. Ziyad Haydar, "Qimmat sirte infaddat 'ala 'ajal...wa bila za'al," As
Safir, March 29, 2010,
http://www.assafir.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=3020&EditionId=1496&ChannelId=34736.
In an interview following the summit, Syrian advisor Buthaina Sha'ban
declared victory for the Syrian position, saying that "an agreement took
place among the Arab leaders in a closed session to support the resistance
and reject normalization" with Israel.
20. Ibrahim Humaydi, "Washington tarfa' mu'aradataha 'udwiyat Suriya fi
munazzimat al-tijara al-'alamiya," Al Hayat, February 24, 2010,.
http://international.daralhayat.com/internationalarticle/112646.
21. Amos Harel, "Barak: Without Peace We Could Be Headed for All-Out War,"
Ha'aretz, February 2, 2010,
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1146731.html.
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Vol. 9, No. 22 6 April 2010
www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DRIT=1&DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=283&PID=0&IID=3647&TTL=Is_Israel_Facing_War_with_Hizbullah_and_Syria?
Concerns about Israeli hostilities with Hizbullah are nothing new, but based
on recent pronouncements from Syria, if the situation degenerates, fighting
could take on a regional dimension not seen since 1973.
On February 26, Syrian President Bashar Assad hosted Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Damascus.
Afterward, Hizbullah's online magazine Al Intiqad suggested that war with
Israel was on the horizon. Raising tensions further are reports that Syria has provided Hizbullah with
the advanced, Russian-made, shoulder-fired, Igla-S anti-aircraft missile,
which could inhibit Israeli air operations over Lebanon in a future
conflict. The transfer of this equipment had previously been defined by
Israeli officials as a "red line."
In the summer of 2006, Syria sat on the sidelines as Hizbullah fought Israel
to a standstill. After the war, Assad, who during the fighting received
public assurances from then-Prime Minister Olmert that Syria would not be
targeted, took credit for the "divine victory."
Damascus' support for "resistance" was on full display at the Arab Summit in
Libya in late March 2010, where Assad urged Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas
to abandon U.S.-supported negotiations and "take up arms against Israel."
After years of diplomatic isolation, Damascus has finally broken the code to
Europe, and appears to be on the verge of doing so with the Obama
administration as well. Currently, Syria appears to be in a position where
it can cultivate its ties with the West without sacrificing its support for
terrorism.
In February 2010, tensions spiked between Israel and its northern neighbors.
First, Syrian and Israeli officials engaged in a war of words, complete with
dueling threats of regime change and targeting civilian populations. Weeks
later, Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah pledged to go toe-to-toe with
Israel in the next war.1 Then, toward the end of the month, Israel began
military maneuvers in the north. Finally, on February 26, Syrian President
Bashar Assad hosted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Nasrallah for
an unprecedented dinner meeting in Damascus.
Concerns about Israeli hostilities with Hizbullah are nothing new, but based
on recent pronouncements from Damascus, if the situation degenerates,
fighting could take on a regional dimension not seen since 1973. In January
and February, Syrian officials indicated that, unlike during the 2006
fighting in Lebanon, Damascus would not "sit idly by" in the next war.2
While these statements may be bravado, it's not difficult to imagine Syria
being drawn into the conflict.
The Israeli government has taken steps to alleviate tensions, including,
most prominently, Prime Minister Netanyahu issuing a gag order forbidding
his ministers to discuss Syria.3 Still, the situation in the north remains
volatile. Within a three-day span in mid-March: the Lebanese Armed Forces
(LAF) fired at Israeli jets violating Lebanese airspace;4 four Lebanese
nationals were charged with spying for Israel against Hizbullah;5 and
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi told the Knesset
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the Shiite militia was "building
up its forces north of the Litani (river)." Currently, according to
Ashkenazi, the border was calm, "but this can change."6
It's easy to see how the situation could deteriorate. Hizbullah retaliation
against Israel for the 2008 assassination of its military leader Imad
Mugniyyeh could spark a war. So could Hizbullah firing missiles in
retribution for an Israeli strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. The
transfer of sensitive Syrian technology to the Shiite militia could also
prompt an Israeli strike. Regrettably, even if Israel continues to try and
diffuse tensions in the north, given the central role Tehran has in
determining Hizbullah policy, a third Lebanon war may be inevitable.
Martyrs Month Pronouncements
In mid-February, Hizbullah held the annual commemoration for its pantheon of
heroes, a week of celebrations marking the organization's top three
martyrs - founding father Ragheb Harb, Secretary General Abbas Mussawi, and
military leader Imad Mugniyyeh. On February 16 - Martyred Leaders Day -
Nasrallah gave a speech where he defined a new, more aggressive posture
toward Israel, upping the ante in the militia's longstanding "balance of
terror" strategy. Promising parity with Israeli strikes on Lebanon,
Nasrallah threatened:
If you [Israel] bomb Rafik Hariri international airport in Beirut, we will
bomb Ben-Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. If you bomb our docks, we will bomb
your docks. If you bomb our oil refineries, we will bomb your oil
refineries. If you bomb our factories, we will bomb your factories. And if
you bomb our power plants, we will bomb your power plants.7
With current estimates suggesting that Hizbullah now possesses in excess of
40,000 missiles and rockets, Nasrallah's threats have some resonance.
Raising tensions further are reports that Syria has provided Hizbullah with
the advanced, Russian-made, shoulder-fired, Igla-S anti-aircraft missile,
which could inhibit Israeli air operations over Lebanon in a future
conflict.8 The transfer of this equipment had previously been defined by
Israeli officials as a "red line."9 It is unclear whether such a
transgression remains a casus belli.
In addition to laying out Hizbullah's new targeting strategy, Nasrallah also
discussed his yet unfulfilled pledge to retaliate against Israel for the
2008 killing of Mugniyyeh. Two years ago, immediately after the
assassination, Nasrallah declared an "open war" against Israel, swearing
vengeance for the group's martyred leader. However, to date, the militia's
attempts to strike Israeli targets - in Azerbaijan and Turkey - have
failed.10 During his speech, Nasrallah reiterated Hizbullah's commitment to
retaliate. "Our options are open and we have all the time in the world," he
said, adding, "What we want is a revenge that rises to the level of Imad
Mugniyyeh."11
The Damascus "Resistance" Summit
In recent years, meetings between Assad and Ahmadinejad have been routine
occurrences. It has also been customary for senior Syrian and Iranian
officials to visit their respective capitals - and to sign defense or
economic agreements - immediately following meetings between the Assad
regime and U.S. officials. So it came as little surprise that Ahmadinejad
arrived in Damascus just days after Undersecretary of State William Burns
departed the Syrian capital. The surprising part about his visit was that
Hassan Nasrallah joined the presidents for dinner.
On the day before Nasrallah's visit, Assad and Ahmadinejad made great
efforts to demonstrate that Washington's transparent efforts to drive a
wedge between the thirty-year strategic allies had failed. In a press
conference on February 25, Assad famously mocked U.S. Secretary of State
Hilary Clinton and the administration's gambit to split Syria from Iran,
announced the end of visa requirements for travel between the two states,
and described "support for the resistance [a]s a moral and national duty in
every nation, and also a [religious] legal duty."12 He also said that he
discussed with his Iranian counterpart "how to confront Israeli terrorism."
While the Syria-Iran bilateral meeting and subsequent press conference was
described in some detail by Assad regime insider Ibrahim Humaydi in the
pan-Arab daily Al Hayat, far less is known about what Assad, Ahmadinejad,
and Nasrallah discussed during their dinner meeting the next day. According
to the account in Hizbullah's online magazine Al Intiqad, the meeting was
about "the escalating strategic response of the axis of the
confrontationist, rejectionist, and resistance states" to the U.S.-Israeli
threat.13 Significantly, this article also suggested that war with Israel
was on the horizon.
Resorting to the most extreme decision - that is, launching and setting a
war on its path - will decide the final results. In any case, if reasonable
calculations prevail, they will lead to producing comprehensive and specific
[Israeli] compromises or it will lead to postponing the war which still
waits for its most appropriate time for everyone.14
Based on its analysis of the trilateral summit in Damascus, this Hizbullah
organ seems to be suggesting that a war, while not imminent, is inevitable.
The Weak Link
In the summer of 2006, Syria sat on the sidelines as Hizbullah fought Israel
to a standstill. After the war, Assad, who during the fighting received
public assurances from then-Prime Minister Olmert that Syria would not be
targeted, took credit for the "divine victory."15 Since then, Syria has
upgraded its rhetorical and materiel support for the Shiite militia.16
Damascus has helped Hizbullah to fully rearm, reportedly providing the
militia with cutting-edge Russian weaponry from its own stocks. In this
context, Syrian officials have been increasingly trumpeting their support
for, and loyalty to, the resistance, so much so that the official
government-controlled Syrian press now proclaims that "Syrian foreign policy
depends on supporting the resistance."17
Damascus' support for "resistance" was on full display at the Arab Summit in
Libya in late March 2010. According to reports, at the meeting Assad urged
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to abandon U.S.-supported negotiations
and "take up arms against Israel," imparting his own experience that "the
price of resistance is not higher than the price of peace."18 During his
speech before his fellow Arab leaders, Assad was equally hard-line in his
prescriptions. At a minimum, he said, Arab states should cut off their
relations with Israel. The "maximum" - and presumably preferable - policy
option, he said, would be to support the resistance.19
Despite the rhetoric, however, it's not clear that Syria is presently
itching for a fight with Israel. After years of diplomatic isolation,
Damascus has finally broken the code to Europe, and appears to be on the
verge of doing so with the Obama administration, which recently announced
the posting of a new ambassador and indicated a willingness to revise
sanctions and modify U.S. economic pressures on Damascus.20 Currently, Syria
appears to be in a position where it can cultivate its ties with the West
without sacrificing its support for terrorism.
War would change this comfortable dynamic. In the event of an
Israel-Hizbullah conflagration, pressures on Syria to participate would be
intense. Furthermore, could Syria really watch an Israeli attack on Iran's
nuclear facilities without responding? After so much crowing about its
support for Hizbullah and its regional ilk, could Syria sit out yet another
fight?
Conclusion
While it's too early to predict the timing or the trigger, on Israel's
northern border there appears to be a growing sense that war is coming. Iran
may have an interest in maintaining Hizbullah's arsenal until an Israeli
strike. Likewise, for Hizbullah, which lately has been playing up its
Lebanese identity in an effort to improve its image at home, waging war on
Israel on behalf of Iran could be problematic. In any event, it is all but
assured that a war on Israel's northern front will be determined, at least
in part, by Tehran.
In early February, Israeli Minister of Defense Ehud Barak told the IDF: "In
the absence of an arrangement with Syria, we are liable to enter a
belligerent clash with it that could reach the point of an all-out, regional
war."21 Regrettably, regardless of what happens between Syria and Israel in
the coming months, the decision of war or peace with Hizbullah may be out of
Israel's hands.
* * *
Notes
* The author would like to thank his research assistant Cole Bunzel for his
excellent assistance in the preparation of this article.
1. "Full Text of H.E. Sayyed Nasrallah Speech on Day of Martyred Leaders,"
http://english.moqawama.org/essaydetails.php?eid=10225&cid=214.
2. "Syria Will Back Hizbullah Against IDF," Jerusalem Post, January 6, 2010.
Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem echoed this threat in February 2010; see
"Al-Mouallem at Press Conference with Moratinos," SANA, February 4, 2010.
http://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2010/02/04/270781.htm.
3. Attila Somfalvi, "Bibi Tells Ministers to Keep Mum on Syria," Ynet,
February 4, 2010, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3844619,00.html.
Netanyahu also reassured Syria that Israel remained interested in peace.
4. "Lebanese Army Fires on Israeli Warplanes," AFP, March 21, 2010,
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20100321-260030/Lebanese-army-fires-on-Israeli-warplanes.
5. "Lebanon Charges Four with Spying for Israel," Press TV, March 20, 2010,
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=121274§ionid=351020203.
6. Amnon Meranda, "Ashkenazi: Hamas Doesn't Want a Flareup," Ynet, March 23,
2010, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3866883,00.html.
7. "Nasrallah Speech on Day of Martyred Leaders."
8. See, for example, Barak Ravid, "Israel Warns Hizbullah: We Won't Tolerate
Arms Smuggling," Ha'aretz, October 12, 2008,
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1009384.html.
9. "Report: Hizbullah Trains on Missiles," UPI, January 17, 2010,
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2010/01/17/Report-Hezbollah-trains-on-missiles/UPI-51221263741141/.
10. See Yossi Melman, "Hizbullah, Iran Plotted Bombing of Israeli Embassy in
Azerbaijan," Ha'aretz, May 31, 2009,
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1089204.html. Also Avi Isaacharoff,
"Turkish Forces Foil Attack on Israeli Target," Ha'aretz, December 9, 2009,
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1133747.html.
11. "Nasrallah Speech on Day of Martyred Leaders."
12. Ibrahim Humaydi, "Al Asad: Ta'ziz al-'alaqat bayna duwal al-mintaqa
tariq wahid li-l-qarar al mustaqill," Al Hayat, February 26, 2010,
http://international.daralhayat.com/internationalarticle/112984.
13. "Qimmat Nejad-Al-Asad-Nasrallah: Ayy hisabat ba'daha?"
http://www.alintiqad.com/essaydetails.php?eid=27878&cid=4.
14. Ibid.
15. "Speech of Bashar Asad at Journalist Union 4th Conference," August 15,
2006,
http://www.golan67.net/NEWS/president%20Assad%20Speech%2015-8-6.htm.
16. In addition to the Igla-S anti-aircraft missile, some unconfirmed
reports indicate that Syria may have transferred some of its Scud-D
missiles - capable of delivering chemical warheads - to Hizbullah.
17. "Junblatt wa-l-Tariq ila Dimashq," Al Watan, March 10, 2010,
http://alwatan.sy/dindex.php?idn=75718. That support for resistance is
central to Syrian foreign policy comes as little surprise: in 2009, Foreign
Minister Walid Mouallem volunteered to join Hizbullah. See "Muallem Says
He's Ready to Join Hizbullah," Gulf News, May 3, 2009,
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/lebanon/muallem-says-ready-to-join-hezbollah-1.248887.
18. "Arab Leaders Support Peace Plan," AP, March 28, 2010,
http://www.jpost.com/middleeast/article.aspx?id=171981.
19. Ziyad Haydar, "Qimmat sirte infaddat 'ala 'ajal...wa bila za'al," As
Safir, March 29, 2010,
http://www.assafir.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=3020&EditionId=1496&ChannelId=34736.
In an interview following the summit, Syrian advisor Buthaina Sha'ban
declared victory for the Syrian position, saying that "an agreement took
place among the Arab leaders in a closed session to support the resistance
and reject normalization" with Israel.
20. Ibrahim Humaydi, "Washington tarfa' mu'aradataha 'udwiyat Suriya fi
munazzimat al-tijara al-'alamiya," Al Hayat, February 24, 2010,.
http://international.daralhayat.com/internationalarticle/112646.
21. Amos Harel, "Barak: Without Peace We Could Be Headed for All-Out War,"
Ha'aretz, February 2, 2010,
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1146731.html.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
"Holding Fast"
Arlene Kushner
Pesach ended here in Israel with dark last night, and will end tonight everywhere else.
Before I slip back into the political morass known as current events, I want to take the liberty of doing a bit of personal sharing.
Yesterday, on the seventh day of Pesach, I was with my daughter, who is active with a women's t'fillah (prayer) group. (For those who wonder -- yes, this is kosher, and, in this instance, sanctioned by an Orthodox rabbi who has provided guidance.) It was my great honor to stand next to her, as she read, from the Torah, Az Yashir, the song of thanksgiving sung by Moses and the children of Israel, after they had gone through the parted sea and the Egyptians pursing them had then been drowned. This is done in a special trop (melody), and my daughter rendered it powerfully and movingly. As always, I listen carefully to the words, and, as always, they mark me. But perhaps never more than this year. (Yes, I know these words are also found in the prayer service, but this reading has special power.)
"I will sing to the Almighty, for he is exalted, horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
"The Almighty is my strength and song, and has become my salvation.
"This is my G-d...and the G-d of my father, and I will exalt him.
"The Almighty is a man of war..."
"The Almighty is a man of war." A literal translation from the ancient words -- ish ha-milkhama -- of the Hebrew text found in Shemot (Exodus) 15.
~~~~~~~~~~
I look around at the state of the world, and I find it incomprehensible. I have come to understand, even as I remain convinced that we must stand strong and do our best, that it cannot be comprehended.
In the end, our salvation will come from Heaven.
It is understood by the Torah that there are times when war, in whatever form it may take, is necessarily part of that salvation. And so does it seem to be the case now.
~~~~~~~~~~
A week has passed since I have written, and I closed before the holiday -- even as Pesach and its priority called to me -- with a sense of reluctance to be away from the happenings, and the postings. But now, some days later, it is altogether unclear to me what has transpired that is truly new. I am back to that feeling of going in frustrating and ugly circles.
And so, here I will note that I am back, and touch relatively briefly on a variety of subjects, as we go round about in that bewildering and reprehensible dance.
~~~~~~~~~~
The articles keep coming with regard to the Obama administration's hostility to Israel. It's being denied, or papered over, in certain quarters, but it's there, without a doubt.
I am, quite frankly, sickened every time I read the description of how Obama left a meeting with Netanyahu to go have dinner with his family, while Netanyahu and his advisors were left unfed. Fervently do I wish that our prime minister, if he hadn't the courage to decline a meeting in the White House all together, had at least had the courage to tell his advisors, "Guys, pack your briefcases, we're out of here. We will not sit still for being demeaned this way."
~~~~~~~~~~
Caroline Glick, in her column last Friday, says there's a bright side to this: If we are not being treated by the Obama administration as part of the team, then Israel is provided with a "rare opportunity to stop acceding to US policies that are bad for Israel and the US alike...if Israel can do no right in the eyes of the administration, then there is no point in bending to its will. Instead, Israel must simply do what it must to secure its interests."
If only...
~~~~~~~~~~
We are still in a state of limbo, you see, with regard to how and when and if our government will bend to Obama's will. There are those same interminable rumors, and nothing solid. Certainly within the nation and the Likud party (and amongst a majority of the inner cabinet), there is strong support for Netanyahu to say "no."
Commentator Isi Liebler, writing in the JPost, says, "Prime Minister Netanyahu: Talk to us."
"If he fails to speak up soon, all Israelis will begin to question him...Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s reluctance to speak to the nation is encouraging the Obama administration to intensify pressure on Israel. He is creating uncertainty both in Israel and among its friends throughout the world."
~~~~~~~~~~
It was in my opinion a very poor decision Netanyahu made when he refused a gift of 10,000 yellow friendship roses that American Christian friends wanted to send to him because they were so incensed by how Obama had treated him. Why did he refuse? So as not to upset Obama.
Come on!
I go on record here as saying that I appreciate the spirit of that intended gift.
~~~~~~~~~~~
One sign of how virulently anti-Israel is the tone in Washington these days is the report by Lauren Rozen in the Politico blog that at least one unnamed administration official had accused Middle East strategist Dennis Ross (a Jew) of what amounts to "dual loyalties." Ross had the temerity to suggest that Netanyahu could be pushed just so far, and that there has to be some understanding of his political constraints and the make-up of his coalition.
Said the unnamed official: “He [Ross] seems to be far more sensitive to Netanyahu's coalition politics than to U.S. interests. He doesn't seem to understand that this has become bigger than Jerusalem but is rather about the credibility of this administration."
One needs only to know something about Ross's political/diplomatic record to understand how ludicrous this is. After Ross completed his service to then president Clinton as special envoy for the Middle East, he wrote about how he knew that Arafat wasn't sincere, wouldn't honor his commitments and never relinquished the "terrorism card." And yet, during that time when he was already cognizant of this, he continued to push Israel to make ever more concessions. Protecting Israeli interests was clearly not high on his agenda. He was doing a job for the American president, and Israeli security be damned. I marked him then as no friend.
Even aside from "dual loyalty" charges, I am unsettled by the comment that whether we build in Jerusalem is about "the credibility of this administration." No, sir. It's about our integrity as a nation.
~~~~~~~~~~
I would like to call your attention to an extremely interesting blog by Sultan Knish (Daniel Greenfield) who a week ago addressed the hypocrisy of Joe Biden, who was presumably terribly upset, that there was an announcement about our building in Ramat Shlomo, past the Green Line in Jerusalem, while he was here. An insult. A slap in the face.
However....
"In 1995 Biden himself served as a co-sponsor of S. 1322, known as the Jerusalem Embassy Act" which included the policy statements that:
"(1) Jerusalem should remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected;
"(2) Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel;"
And before this, in 1992, Biden had co-sponsored the Senate Consecutive Resolution 113, which states that the Congress--
"(1) congratulates the residents of Jerusalem and the people of Israel on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the reunification of that historic city;
"(2) strongly believes that Jerusalem must remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected as they have been by Israel during the past twenty-five years; and
"(3) calls upon the President and the Secretary of State to issue an unequivocal statement in support of these principles."
And back in 1990, Biden had co-sponsored yet another similar resolution.
So, says Greenfield, "naturally, like any good politician, he was insulted by Israel taking him at his word. To argue that Biden was gravely insulted by Israel, is to argue that he was insulted by the policies he himself supported.
"Not just passively supported, but co-sponsored..."
http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2010/03/full-measure-of-joe-bidens-hypocrisy-on.html
(With thanks to Bud and Phyl for calling this to my attention.)
~~~~~~~~~~
I want to mention here the juxtaposition of Obama and Pesach. For the third year running, he ran a seder. How ridiculous, how patently and transparently political. Could there actually be Jews who think this is neat?
I understand that he managed to complete the seder without "L'Shana haba'a b'Yerushalayim" -- next year in Jerusalem. Would we expect anything different from him?
Obama also delivered a message to Jews on Pesach that included this:
"The enduring story of the Exodus teaches us that, wherever we live, there is oppression to be fought and freedom to be won. In retelling this story from generation to generation, we are reminded of our ongoing responsibility to fight against all forms of suffering and discrimination, and we reaffirm the ties that bind us all."
He conveniently left out the entire thrust of Pesach (see Az Yashir, above), which is about G-d taking his people out of bondage with a strong hand, and bringing us to salvation in the land of Israel.
Jennifer Rubin, writing in the Commentary blog, called this "off-key, hyper-political, and condescending."
Would we expect anything different from him?
~~~~~~~~~~
In a statement to the New York Times yesterday, Obama said that, "We know that they [the Iranians] have pursued nuclear weapons in the past, and that the current course they’re on would provide them with nuclear weapons capabilities."
He said he will continue to work to prevent this from happening. But this is shtuyote, nonsense, as nothing that is being advanced by him is going to stop Iran.
There are serious analysts who believe that this is a coded message signaling that Obama is prepared to accept a nuclear Iran, which will be "contained." This is what John Bolton, former US Ambassador to the UN, said a week ago. He believes Obama is trying to prevent Netanyahu from hitting Iran.
Obama's legacy is heading rapidly to shameful beyond words.
Our concern is what Netanyahu's legacy will be, and whether he will finally have the strength to order that hit on Iran -- Obama's wishes be damned. Netanyahu certainly knows that a nuclear Iran would be a disaster not only for us, but for the entire region, and, yes, for the US. G-d give him the courage to do what needs to be done.
Will we pay a price? Absolutely. Will there be repercussions? Without a doubt. But all of this fades in comparison to the prices to be paid, and the repercussions to be endured, if Iran were to go nuclear.
And the irony, which the Arab Gulf States know full well, is that we would be doing the world a favor. The world doesn't suffer favors from us gladly.
~~~~~~~~~~
Please see a commentary by IMRA's Aaron Lerner, with regard to the admission made by key Fatah leader Nabil Shaath that an armed resistance is not possible because of the presence of the IDF. This must never be forgotten for a moment, as there is pressure from the US for the IDF to pull back.
http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=47662
~~~~~~~~~~
see my website www.ArlenefromIsrael.info
Pesach ended here in Israel with dark last night, and will end tonight everywhere else.
Before I slip back into the political morass known as current events, I want to take the liberty of doing a bit of personal sharing.
Yesterday, on the seventh day of Pesach, I was with my daughter, who is active with a women's t'fillah (prayer) group. (For those who wonder -- yes, this is kosher, and, in this instance, sanctioned by an Orthodox rabbi who has provided guidance.) It was my great honor to stand next to her, as she read, from the Torah, Az Yashir, the song of thanksgiving sung by Moses and the children of Israel, after they had gone through the parted sea and the Egyptians pursing them had then been drowned. This is done in a special trop (melody), and my daughter rendered it powerfully and movingly. As always, I listen carefully to the words, and, as always, they mark me. But perhaps never more than this year. (Yes, I know these words are also found in the prayer service, but this reading has special power.)
"I will sing to the Almighty, for he is exalted, horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
"The Almighty is my strength and song, and has become my salvation.
"This is my G-d...and the G-d of my father, and I will exalt him.
"The Almighty is a man of war..."
"The Almighty is a man of war." A literal translation from the ancient words -- ish ha-milkhama -- of the Hebrew text found in Shemot (Exodus) 15.
~~~~~~~~~~
I look around at the state of the world, and I find it incomprehensible. I have come to understand, even as I remain convinced that we must stand strong and do our best, that it cannot be comprehended.
In the end, our salvation will come from Heaven.
It is understood by the Torah that there are times when war, in whatever form it may take, is necessarily part of that salvation. And so does it seem to be the case now.
~~~~~~~~~~
A week has passed since I have written, and I closed before the holiday -- even as Pesach and its priority called to me -- with a sense of reluctance to be away from the happenings, and the postings. But now, some days later, it is altogether unclear to me what has transpired that is truly new. I am back to that feeling of going in frustrating and ugly circles.
And so, here I will note that I am back, and touch relatively briefly on a variety of subjects, as we go round about in that bewildering and reprehensible dance.
~~~~~~~~~~
The articles keep coming with regard to the Obama administration's hostility to Israel. It's being denied, or papered over, in certain quarters, but it's there, without a doubt.
I am, quite frankly, sickened every time I read the description of how Obama left a meeting with Netanyahu to go have dinner with his family, while Netanyahu and his advisors were left unfed. Fervently do I wish that our prime minister, if he hadn't the courage to decline a meeting in the White House all together, had at least had the courage to tell his advisors, "Guys, pack your briefcases, we're out of here. We will not sit still for being demeaned this way."
~~~~~~~~~~
Caroline Glick, in her column last Friday, says there's a bright side to this: If we are not being treated by the Obama administration as part of the team, then Israel is provided with a "rare opportunity to stop acceding to US policies that are bad for Israel and the US alike...if Israel can do no right in the eyes of the administration, then there is no point in bending to its will. Instead, Israel must simply do what it must to secure its interests."
If only...
~~~~~~~~~~
We are still in a state of limbo, you see, with regard to how and when and if our government will bend to Obama's will. There are those same interminable rumors, and nothing solid. Certainly within the nation and the Likud party (and amongst a majority of the inner cabinet), there is strong support for Netanyahu to say "no."
Commentator Isi Liebler, writing in the JPost, says, "Prime Minister Netanyahu: Talk to us."
"If he fails to speak up soon, all Israelis will begin to question him...Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s reluctance to speak to the nation is encouraging the Obama administration to intensify pressure on Israel. He is creating uncertainty both in Israel and among its friends throughout the world."
~~~~~~~~~~
It was in my opinion a very poor decision Netanyahu made when he refused a gift of 10,000 yellow friendship roses that American Christian friends wanted to send to him because they were so incensed by how Obama had treated him. Why did he refuse? So as not to upset Obama.
Come on!
I go on record here as saying that I appreciate the spirit of that intended gift.
~~~~~~~~~~~
One sign of how virulently anti-Israel is the tone in Washington these days is the report by Lauren Rozen in the Politico blog that at least one unnamed administration official had accused Middle East strategist Dennis Ross (a Jew) of what amounts to "dual loyalties." Ross had the temerity to suggest that Netanyahu could be pushed just so far, and that there has to be some understanding of his political constraints and the make-up of his coalition.
Said the unnamed official: “He [Ross] seems to be far more sensitive to Netanyahu's coalition politics than to U.S. interests. He doesn't seem to understand that this has become bigger than Jerusalem but is rather about the credibility of this administration."
One needs only to know something about Ross's political/diplomatic record to understand how ludicrous this is. After Ross completed his service to then president Clinton as special envoy for the Middle East, he wrote about how he knew that Arafat wasn't sincere, wouldn't honor his commitments and never relinquished the "terrorism card." And yet, during that time when he was already cognizant of this, he continued to push Israel to make ever more concessions. Protecting Israeli interests was clearly not high on his agenda. He was doing a job for the American president, and Israeli security be damned. I marked him then as no friend.
Even aside from "dual loyalty" charges, I am unsettled by the comment that whether we build in Jerusalem is about "the credibility of this administration." No, sir. It's about our integrity as a nation.
~~~~~~~~~~
I would like to call your attention to an extremely interesting blog by Sultan Knish (Daniel Greenfield) who a week ago addressed the hypocrisy of Joe Biden, who was presumably terribly upset, that there was an announcement about our building in Ramat Shlomo, past the Green Line in Jerusalem, while he was here. An insult. A slap in the face.
However....
"In 1995 Biden himself served as a co-sponsor of S. 1322, known as the Jerusalem Embassy Act" which included the policy statements that:
"(1) Jerusalem should remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected;
"(2) Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel;"
And before this, in 1992, Biden had co-sponsored the Senate Consecutive Resolution 113, which states that the Congress--
"(1) congratulates the residents of Jerusalem and the people of Israel on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the reunification of that historic city;
"(2) strongly believes that Jerusalem must remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected as they have been by Israel during the past twenty-five years; and
"(3) calls upon the President and the Secretary of State to issue an unequivocal statement in support of these principles."
And back in 1990, Biden had co-sponsored yet another similar resolution.
So, says Greenfield, "naturally, like any good politician, he was insulted by Israel taking him at his word. To argue that Biden was gravely insulted by Israel, is to argue that he was insulted by the policies he himself supported.
"Not just passively supported, but co-sponsored..."
http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2010/03/full-measure-of-joe-bidens-hypocrisy-on.html
(With thanks to Bud and Phyl for calling this to my attention.)
~~~~~~~~~~
I want to mention here the juxtaposition of Obama and Pesach. For the third year running, he ran a seder. How ridiculous, how patently and transparently political. Could there actually be Jews who think this is neat?
I understand that he managed to complete the seder without "L'Shana haba'a b'Yerushalayim" -- next year in Jerusalem. Would we expect anything different from him?
Obama also delivered a message to Jews on Pesach that included this:
"The enduring story of the Exodus teaches us that, wherever we live, there is oppression to be fought and freedom to be won. In retelling this story from generation to generation, we are reminded of our ongoing responsibility to fight against all forms of suffering and discrimination, and we reaffirm the ties that bind us all."
He conveniently left out the entire thrust of Pesach (see Az Yashir, above), which is about G-d taking his people out of bondage with a strong hand, and bringing us to salvation in the land of Israel.
Jennifer Rubin, writing in the Commentary blog, called this "off-key, hyper-political, and condescending."
Would we expect anything different from him?
~~~~~~~~~~
In a statement to the New York Times yesterday, Obama said that, "We know that they [the Iranians] have pursued nuclear weapons in the past, and that the current course they’re on would provide them with nuclear weapons capabilities."
He said he will continue to work to prevent this from happening. But this is shtuyote, nonsense, as nothing that is being advanced by him is going to stop Iran.
There are serious analysts who believe that this is a coded message signaling that Obama is prepared to accept a nuclear Iran, which will be "contained." This is what John Bolton, former US Ambassador to the UN, said a week ago. He believes Obama is trying to prevent Netanyahu from hitting Iran.
Obama's legacy is heading rapidly to shameful beyond words.
Our concern is what Netanyahu's legacy will be, and whether he will finally have the strength to order that hit on Iran -- Obama's wishes be damned. Netanyahu certainly knows that a nuclear Iran would be a disaster not only for us, but for the entire region, and, yes, for the US. G-d give him the courage to do what needs to be done.
Will we pay a price? Absolutely. Will there be repercussions? Without a doubt. But all of this fades in comparison to the prices to be paid, and the repercussions to be endured, if Iran were to go nuclear.
And the irony, which the Arab Gulf States know full well, is that we would be doing the world a favor. The world doesn't suffer favors from us gladly.
~~~~~~~~~~
Please see a commentary by IMRA's Aaron Lerner, with regard to the admission made by key Fatah leader Nabil Shaath that an armed resistance is not possible because of the presence of the IDF. This must never be forgotten for a moment, as there is pressure from the US for the IDF to pull back.
http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=47662
~~~~~~~~~~
see my website www.ArlenefromIsrael.info
Storm in a Teacup is Well-Orchestrated Campaign!
Steven Shamrak
Not long ago, the assassination of a renowned terrorist in Dubai , UAE, was big news for several weeks. Without any solid evidence, Israel was immediately accused and implicated in his death. As soon as newspapers and TV channels realized that the audience had become tired of this 'news', they calmed down about this issue and another anti-Israel tempest in a teacup was created. This time it is 'the best friend of Israel ' who is culprit and creator of the 'storm'. For some inexplicable reason, the Vise President of the United States made a big issue out of a routine announcement of construction approval in an Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood of Jerusalem. In spite of the unfortunate apology by the Israeli Prime Minister, which should not be made, and several explanations given, this well-orchestrated anti-Semitic campaign, as many others before it, has been run frantically by media outlets (who said that Jews own the press?) and continuously fuelled by invisible and skillful hands for a few weeks now.
Even if Ramat Shlomo was in East Jerusalem (see note below), Israel must say "get lost" to all anti-Semitic idiots or fake friends and do what is in the best interest of Jewish people! Our enemies, the Muslim and those traditional 'European' ones, will never be satisfied, regardless of what Jews do or refrain from doing. Genocide of Jewish people has always been and still is on their agenda! We must stop paying attention to their venomous attacks, as they are designed to weaken Israel and distract our attention from reaching our own national goal and we must start working seriously toward reunification of Eretz-Israel and removing of all enemies from Jewish land!
Note: "Let's get the facts straight. Ramat Shlomo is not in "east" Jerusalem as often reported, but in North Jerusalem. It is not a new settlement, but an existing, established neighbourhood. The planning request application has already taken years and will take at least another three for the first brick to be laid." - Ron Prosor, Israel's Ambassador to the UK.
Major Snub Raised No US Outrage or Media Screaming! Mrs Clinton made clear to Russia prior to her visit that the Obama administration was opposed to the timing of the nuclear plant's launch. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced the plans as soon as Mrs Clinton arrived for a two-day visit. (Israel is the only country that is not allowed to conduct its own policies!)
Israel Need to Re-evaluate the 'Friendship' with Obama. For a head of state to visit the White House and not pose for photographers is rare. For a key ally to be left to his own devices while the President withdraws to have dinner in private was, until this week, was unheard of.
Hypocrisy of the Headlines and the US Policy:
Obama: Israel's Announcement of New Jerusalem Housing Not 'Helpful' - Nothing is helpful for Arabs, as far as Israel s existence is concerned! Must we care?
Say "Get lost" to Deceptive Idiots. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said it clearly to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in challenging her strong anti-united Jerusalem stand at American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) meeting: "Jerusalem is not a settlement; it's our capital." Netanyahu spoke several hours after Secretary Clinton. (Anti-Israel bigots, like Clinton , should not be given stage at the Jewish meeting. The time of being nice to them has passed. We must be clear and unapologetic about our rights and goals!)
Who is the Real Villain in the 'Peace' Game. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, emboldened by U.S. President Barack Obama's tough talk on Israel, has rejected American-mediated talks with Israel . Abbas told the Arab League summit in Libya that Israel must make more concessions. (What concessions has the PA made?)
Another 'Honest Broker' and 'Friend' of Israel is Busted. The London Daily Telegraph and the London Daily Mail have published findings that former Prime Minister Tony Blair's, the Quartet (Russia, the U.S, the EU, and the UN) envoy to Middle East, has secret financial deals with Kuwait's royal family and an oil firm dealing with the Middle East .
Self-hating Traitors in Cahoots with the Friends . Eric Yoffie, president of the United States-based Union for Reform Judaism, is calling on the State of Israel to enact a construction ban for Jews in portions of Jerusalem liberated from Jordan during the 1967 Six Day War.
Food for Thought. by Steven Shamrak
We have done enough intellectual and analytical work about the behaviour of our enemies, Islamic and anti-Semitic thugs. It has taken too much of our time and effort, with no resolve. We must come up with an answer to the most important question: "How can we unite Jewish people behind our national goal - re-unification of Eretz-Israel?" The rest is easy!
The Quartet: Another Burking anti-Israel Dog. The Quartet called for a restarting of negotiations between Israel and the PA, and the establishment of a Palestinian state within two years, calling on Israel to freeze all construction in Judea and Samaria, including construction for natural increase. (Why don't they call for freeze on all construction by the PA at the same time?)
Saudi Arabia Seeks Strike on Iran. The German news magazine Der Spiegel has reported that Saudi Arabia is hoping Israel will strike Iran's nuclear facilities, and is even prepared to open its skies to Israeli warplanes to allow such an operation to take place.
Would He Arrive in Saudi Arabia on a Muslim Holiday? The UN Secretary General was deeply offended that there was no official reception other than a security detail when he arrived in Israel on Friday night. What a Chutzpah! He arrived in the Jewish State on Shabbat and expected Israel to break Jewish religious codes to greet him. (Even giving security protection to a bigot was too much!)
Idiocy Still Dominates in Israeli Courts. The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court handed down a six-month suspended sentence to three young men for calling on Israelis to oppose the 'disengagement plan' by blocking roads. (Charges should have been dropped long ago!)
Obama is Pro-Arab, Americans are pro-Israel. Around 42 percent of Israelis view U.S. President Barack Obama as pro-Arab, and only seven percent see him as pro-Israel. Thirty-four percent of the respondents are reserving judgment with a neutral view, most likely because they are ashamed of the fact that they supported and were fooled by Obama. A recent poll in the United States has shown an 8 to 1 margin of Americans saying that their government should side with Israel in the conflict with the Palestinian Authority. (When the oil business and traditional anti-Jewish sentiments are involved, even in the great democracy like the US, public opinion is worth nothing!)
Quote of the Week: "In my country there are 170,000 Armenians; 70,000 of them are citizens. We tolerate 100,000 more. So, what am I going to do tomorrow? If necessary I will tell the 100,000: okay, time to go back to your country. Why? They are not my citizens. I am not obliged to keep them in my country." - Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of Turkey - Muslim and Arabs rulers are never concerned with or pay attention to international opinion. They speak their minds and intentions quite clearly. It is time for Israel to learn this useful trait!
Israel's Fifth Column. Arab MK (member of Knesset) Ibrahim Tzartzur said that Jews do not have any right to Jerusalem and called on "the Islamic nation" to liberate it from Israeli hands. (He was elected by and represents views of Arab-Israeli votes - the enemies within. All enemies must be removed from Jewish land!)
No Independence for Basques. French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that his government plans to crack down on Basque separatists. (Basque lands are still occupied by Spain and France. Their language is not even recognized as European by the EU. But Europeans and other 'friends' of Israel feel morally superior to lecture Israel, the country that for over 60 years, in spite of occupation of Jewish land by Arabs, has been trying to make peace with them.)
International Harassment is Working. The Jerusalem Municipal Building Committee approved the construction of housing units for Arabs but refused to grant permission for construction in the Jewish neighborhood of Har Homa. The move is likely due to fears that it would upset the Obama administration during Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to the U.S. (Israel must ignore international harassments. They will never end unless Jewish State will start to care about its own interest first!)
Not long ago, the assassination of a renowned terrorist in Dubai , UAE, was big news for several weeks. Without any solid evidence, Israel was immediately accused and implicated in his death. As soon as newspapers and TV channels realized that the audience had become tired of this 'news', they calmed down about this issue and another anti-Israel tempest in a teacup was created. This time it is 'the best friend of Israel ' who is culprit and creator of the 'storm'. For some inexplicable reason, the Vise President of the United States made a big issue out of a routine announcement of construction approval in an Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood of Jerusalem. In spite of the unfortunate apology by the Israeli Prime Minister, which should not be made, and several explanations given, this well-orchestrated anti-Semitic campaign, as many others before it, has been run frantically by media outlets (who said that Jews own the press?) and continuously fuelled by invisible and skillful hands for a few weeks now.
Even if Ramat Shlomo was in East Jerusalem (see note below), Israel must say "get lost" to all anti-Semitic idiots or fake friends and do what is in the best interest of Jewish people! Our enemies, the Muslim and those traditional 'European' ones, will never be satisfied, regardless of what Jews do or refrain from doing. Genocide of Jewish people has always been and still is on their agenda! We must stop paying attention to their venomous attacks, as they are designed to weaken Israel and distract our attention from reaching our own national goal and we must start working seriously toward reunification of Eretz-Israel and removing of all enemies from Jewish land!
Note: "Let's get the facts straight. Ramat Shlomo is not in "east" Jerusalem as often reported, but in North Jerusalem. It is not a new settlement, but an existing, established neighbourhood. The planning request application has already taken years and will take at least another three for the first brick to be laid." - Ron Prosor, Israel's Ambassador to the UK.
Major Snub Raised No US Outrage or Media Screaming! Mrs Clinton made clear to Russia prior to her visit that the Obama administration was opposed to the timing of the nuclear plant's launch. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced the plans as soon as Mrs Clinton arrived for a two-day visit. (Israel is the only country that is not allowed to conduct its own policies!)
Israel Need to Re-evaluate the 'Friendship' with Obama. For a head of state to visit the White House and not pose for photographers is rare. For a key ally to be left to his own devices while the President withdraws to have dinner in private was, until this week, was unheard of.
Hypocrisy of the Headlines and the US Policy:
Obama: Israel's Announcement of New Jerusalem Housing Not 'Helpful' - Nothing is helpful for Arabs, as far as Israel s existence is concerned! Must we care?
Say "Get lost" to Deceptive Idiots. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said it clearly to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in challenging her strong anti-united Jerusalem stand at American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) meeting: "Jerusalem is not a settlement; it's our capital." Netanyahu spoke several hours after Secretary Clinton. (Anti-Israel bigots, like Clinton , should not be given stage at the Jewish meeting. The time of being nice to them has passed. We must be clear and unapologetic about our rights and goals!)
Who is the Real Villain in the 'Peace' Game. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, emboldened by U.S. President Barack Obama's tough talk on Israel, has rejected American-mediated talks with Israel . Abbas told the Arab League summit in Libya that Israel must make more concessions. (What concessions has the PA made?)
Another 'Honest Broker' and 'Friend' of Israel is Busted. The London Daily Telegraph and the London Daily Mail have published findings that former Prime Minister Tony Blair's, the Quartet (Russia, the U.S, the EU, and the UN) envoy to Middle East, has secret financial deals with Kuwait's royal family and an oil firm dealing with the Middle East .
Self-hating Traitors in Cahoots with the Friends . Eric Yoffie, president of the United States-based Union for Reform Judaism, is calling on the State of Israel to enact a construction ban for Jews in portions of Jerusalem liberated from Jordan during the 1967 Six Day War.
Food for Thought. by Steven Shamrak
We have done enough intellectual and analytical work about the behaviour of our enemies, Islamic and anti-Semitic thugs. It has taken too much of our time and effort, with no resolve. We must come up with an answer to the most important question: "How can we unite Jewish people behind our national goal - re-unification of Eretz-Israel?" The rest is easy!
The Quartet: Another Burking anti-Israel Dog. The Quartet called for a restarting of negotiations between Israel and the PA, and the establishment of a Palestinian state within two years, calling on Israel to freeze all construction in Judea and Samaria, including construction for natural increase. (Why don't they call for freeze on all construction by the PA at the same time?)
Saudi Arabia Seeks Strike on Iran. The German news magazine Der Spiegel has reported that Saudi Arabia is hoping Israel will strike Iran's nuclear facilities, and is even prepared to open its skies to Israeli warplanes to allow such an operation to take place.
Would He Arrive in Saudi Arabia on a Muslim Holiday? The UN Secretary General was deeply offended that there was no official reception other than a security detail when he arrived in Israel on Friday night. What a Chutzpah! He arrived in the Jewish State on Shabbat and expected Israel to break Jewish religious codes to greet him. (Even giving security protection to a bigot was too much!)
Idiocy Still Dominates in Israeli Courts. The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court handed down a six-month suspended sentence to three young men for calling on Israelis to oppose the 'disengagement plan' by blocking roads. (Charges should have been dropped long ago!)
Obama is Pro-Arab, Americans are pro-Israel. Around 42 percent of Israelis view U.S. President Barack Obama as pro-Arab, and only seven percent see him as pro-Israel. Thirty-four percent of the respondents are reserving judgment with a neutral view, most likely because they are ashamed of the fact that they supported and were fooled by Obama. A recent poll in the United States has shown an 8 to 1 margin of Americans saying that their government should side with Israel in the conflict with the Palestinian Authority. (When the oil business and traditional anti-Jewish sentiments are involved, even in the great democracy like the US, public opinion is worth nothing!)
Quote of the Week: "In my country there are 170,000 Armenians; 70,000 of them are citizens. We tolerate 100,000 more. So, what am I going to do tomorrow? If necessary I will tell the 100,000: okay, time to go back to your country. Why? They are not my citizens. I am not obliged to keep them in my country." - Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of Turkey - Muslim and Arabs rulers are never concerned with or pay attention to international opinion. They speak their minds and intentions quite clearly. It is time for Israel to learn this useful trait!
Israel's Fifth Column. Arab MK (member of Knesset) Ibrahim Tzartzur said that Jews do not have any right to Jerusalem and called on "the Islamic nation" to liberate it from Israeli hands. (He was elected by and represents views of Arab-Israeli votes - the enemies within. All enemies must be removed from Jewish land!)
No Independence for Basques. French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that his government plans to crack down on Basque separatists. (Basque lands are still occupied by Spain and France. Their language is not even recognized as European by the EU. But Europeans and other 'friends' of Israel feel morally superior to lecture Israel, the country that for over 60 years, in spite of occupation of Jewish land by Arabs, has been trying to make peace with them.)
International Harassment is Working. The Jerusalem Municipal Building Committee approved the construction of housing units for Arabs but refused to grant permission for construction in the Jewish neighborhood of Har Homa. The move is likely due to fears that it would upset the Obama administration during Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to the U.S. (Israel must ignore international harassments. They will never end unless Jewish State will start to care about its own interest first!)
Monday, April 05, 2010
The Palestinians: Why Negotiate? The U.S. Will Extract Concessions For You
Mark Silverberg
When Jackson Diehl of the Washington Post attacks the White House’s outrage over the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee’s decision to approve the construction of 1,600 housing units in Ramat Shlomo (a post-1967 Jerusalem neighborhood) as “ideological and vindictive,” you know that the Obama administration has made a serious political blunder. The administration has apparently decided to provoke a diplomatic crisis with Israel over a construction project that was plainly in keeping with past U.S.-Israeli undertakings concerning East Jerusalem. Israel’s official position for the last 40 years has been that East Jerusalem’s status will not be negotiable in any future land-swap agreement with the Palestinians. This policy, however distasteful it may be to the Obama administration, did not prevent the conclusion of peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan, nor did it preclude the Palestinians from negotiating with Israel for more than 15 years after the Oslo Accords of 1993. Now, suddenly, it has become a major issue with this administration, and an impediment to world peace. Apparently, a zoning dispute in Israel’s capital city is more important than addressing the nuclear threat posed by Iran.
This dispute has affected American credibility with Israel, our European and Asian allies, as well as the Arab and Iranian world. As Robert Kagan notes in the Washington Post: “The president has shown seemingly limitless patience with the Russians as they stall an arms-control deal that could have been done in December. He accepted a year of Iranian insults and refusal to negotiate before hesitantly moving toward sanctions. The administration continues to woo Syria without much sign of reciprocation in Damascus. Yet [the White House] angrily orders a near-rupture of relations with Israel for a minor infraction like the recent settlement dispute – and after the Israeli prime minister publicly apologized.”
For some unfathomable reason, the Obama administration sees Israel as obstructionist, defiant and intransigent. It is oblivious to the risks Israel has taken in withdrawing from Gaza, the continuous incitement taking place in Palestinian society through its mosques, media, schools, and government sponsored events, the missile attacks on Israel's civilian population centers, and the enormous concessions – rejected by Mahmoud Abbas – that the governments of Barak (2000) and Olmert (2008) were prepared to make on both Jerusalem and the West Bank prior to the Second Intifada, not to mention Israel’s continuing efforts to negotiate a durable and lasting peace. These events are rarely if ever mentioned by this administration.
Evidently, since the White House could not coerce Israel to acquiesce to its demands through quiet pressure, they have decided to bring such pressure into the public sphere by insisting upon demands to which no Israeli government can acquiesce – demands that include giving the U.S. a veto over any Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear installations. To enforce this demand, they ordered an embargo of the Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) – the super bunker-buster bombs that he had earlier promised to Israel. These munitions have since been diverted to the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia.
Nor is this the first time he has interfered with Israel’s qualitative military edge. A January 2010 Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) Report notes that “the White House has so far blocked key weapons projects and upgrades for Israel, rejecting requests for AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters while approving advanced F-16 multi-role fighters for Egypt …. Israel’s request for the six AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters was blocked by the Obama Administration in June – the same time the Egyptian sale was approved.”
The Israeli Prime Minister is also being exposed to diplomatic isolation – a taste of which he encountered during his recent humiliation at the White House. Dictators and tyrants have received better treatment. The administration also insists that Netanyahu must toe the line on U.S. foreign policy by demanding that Israel hand over areas adjacent to Jerusalem (specifically Abu-Dis, where Palestinian government institutions were previously established) to exclusive PA control; cease all Jewish construction in East Jerusalem; give serious consideration to releasing hundreds of convicted Palestinian terrorists from Israeli prisons “as a goodwill gesture;” establish a Palestinian state within the next two years (which would bring in U.S. forces thereby inhibiting Israeli counter-terrorism operations in Judea and Samaria); renew peace talks with Syria; agree to negotiate the partition of Jerusalem; withdraw from West Bank “settlements” (despite understandings that the large settlement blocs would remain in Israel proper in any negotiated final agreement); and agree to the “right of return” of hostile foreign Arabs to pre-1948 Israel.
Netanyahu’s acquiescence to a Palestinian state, a 10-month moratorium on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria that specifically excluded Jerusalem (a fact this Administration now dismisses), and the dismantling of hundreds of checkpoints and roadblocks apparently means nothing to an administration whose long term strategy seems to demonstrate to America’s enemies that the U.S. is prepared to force a Czechoslovakian-type deal on Israel to concede everything, while giving the Palestinians a pass – including their dedication of tournaments, streets, marketplaces and a town square outside Ramallah to “martyrs” whose sole “accomplishments” have been slaughtering Israeli men, women and children. One explanation is the desire of this administration to demonstrate to our enemies that there is no length to which it will not go by betraying its friends in the name of “peace.”
Under such circumstances, why should the Palestinians agree to negotiate with Israel when they are content to watch a U.S. administration extract concessions significantly greater than any they could ever hope to achieve though bilateral talks? Diehl’s editorial in the Washington Post lays the blame for the current crisis squarely on the White House, which it accuses of treating Netanyahu “as if he were an unsavory Third World dictator, needed for strategic reasons, but conspicuously held at arms’ length.” Diehl goes on to say: “[The White House] picked a fight over something that virtually all Israelis agree on, and before serious discussions have even begun….A new Administration can be excused for making such a mistake in the treacherous and complex theater of Middle East diplomacy. That’s why Obama was given a pass by many when he made exactly the same mistake last year. The second time around, the president doesn’t look naive. He appears ideological - and vindictive.” And, according to Caroline Glick: “[The White House] has pocketed Netanyahu’s concessions and escalated his demands …… With the [White House] treating Israel like an enemy, the Palestinians have no reason to agree to sit down and negotiate.”
The fact is that neither George Mitchell nor Hillary Clinton nor Robert Gates, nor the president himself has obtained a single concession from the Palestinian Authority – not one. Since the Oslo Accords of 1993, 17 years of efforts under three presidents and six prime ministers have led nowhere. This administration has spent more time provoking our friends than they have challenging our enemies. Constant attempts to engage with Iran, Syria and Turkey combined with the delay in signing the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act, suggest that they view developing U.S. relations with these anti-American regimes as his primary foreign policy goal. Given that each of these leaders has demanded that in exchange for better relations, the White House must abandon Israel as a U.S. ally, recent behavior can be explained in strategic terms rather than as pique over new apartment buildings in Jerusalem.
Seeing a potential break between Washington and Jerusalem, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas have done everything possible to undermine the U.S.-Israeli relationship even more. Palestinian incitement and violence against Israel and Jews have increased as have missile attacks from Gaza and Arab riots across Israel and the West Bank. And why not? If the Obama administration is to adopt the policies of Israel’s enemies, how can Israel’s enemies be any less aggressive than the White House? As a result, the administration’s constant affirmations of its commitment to Israel’s security – from officials in Washington, to Mitchell and Biden in Israel, to Clinton at the AIPAC Conference last month are no longer credible. The Obama administration has jeopardized not Israel’s stature, but its own regional interests and its international credibility. It is no longer seen as a reliable ally by the Israelis, the Europeans, the Asians, and especially by the Arab/Persian world.
The Obama administration had best not delude itself: The Arab Street will never support America. When the U.S. distances itself from Israel, it does not win influence with the Arab world; it only earns their disdain and justifies the Arab world backing away from any peace settlement. The Obama administration considers establishing a Palestinian state central to their other regional goals, and believes that the Palestinians, led by Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayyad are ready to run a country. He is wrong on both counts. An Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement will not solve America’s problems with Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan or al-Qaeda contrary to statements issued by some administration officials. As Centcom commander Gen. David Petraeus said in his testimony before Congress recently: “Even if the U.S. were to announce a total military and economic boycott of Israel tomorrow, nothing would induce radical Islamists to lay down arms against America. Even if America joined the global jihad and offered to fight shoulder to shoulder with al Qaeda, the extremists would not accept the offer, and give up their attacks against U.S. targets. For extremist regimes like Iran, Israel is a secondary target. Their main problem is the Western world and its leader, the United States.”
The White House says Israel must prove that it is committed to peace. It is unfortunate that this administration is not making the same demands of the Palestinians, the Syrians and the Iranians. Israeli settlements are not the root of America’s woes.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Mark Silverberg is a foreign policy analyst for the Ariel Center for Policy Research (Israel), a Contributing Editor for Family Security Matters, Arutz Sheva (Israel National News) and the New Media Journal and is a member of Hadassah’s National Academic Advisory Board. His book “The Quartermasters of Terror: Saudi Arabia and the Global Islamic Jihad” and his articles have been archived under www.marksilverberg.com and www.analyst-network.com. This article was originally published by www.hudson-ny.org."
Comment on this article Persuade the Stupid or Alert the Intelligent?
Tariq Alhomayed
Asharq Alawsat
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said "unfortunately some of us always view everything that we undertake with suspicion, and this has brought us to defeatism in our thinking and [believing] we are not capable of doing something positive." He added "if the Jews acted in this manner they would not have a State." This statement is accurate, and is something that is confirmed by everything that we see with regards to the Palestinian Cause, the manner that this is being managed, as well as the management of the negotiations and the Arab involvement in this, and above all else the inter-Palestinian division and the administration of the Gaza Strip. Someone might say that there's nothing new in this, and that this has been the state of the Palestinian Cause for decades, and that is the real problem.
As Fayyad said, this defeatism has intensified, and the real and genuine hard work to establish a State of Palestine has been reduced to false slogans that are being used merely to gain power, rather than create a Palestinian State. This can also be seen in the case of Hamas, and this defeatism has intensified among some Arabs who facilitate the investment in Hamas's adventures, rather than genuinely helping to build a State on the ground, and turn this into a reality, and work politically to provide international momentum.
The simplest example here is what was put forward at the most recent Arab Summit, where there was talk about the possibility of withdrawing from the two-state solution project, and returning to one state that includes both the Israelis and Palestinians. In other words, throwing decades of conflict, bloodshed, and financing, into the sea, and starting once more from anew. This is less a political vision and more evidence of frustration, however politics, and particularly negotiations, does not recognize frustration, and instead is based upon the principles of "give and take."
At the same time that Salem Fayyad is talking about building institutions and organs for the Palestinian State, and imposing this as a reality through political work and peaceful public [action], we see that what is happening in Gaza is the complete opposite of this. It becomes clear day after day that there is division and confusion in the Hams ranks, and this comes at the same time that the Muslim Brotherhood affiliated movement is trying to extend its influence at the expense of the other Palestinian factions that want to launch rocket attacks on Israel. Israel Haniyeh said that his government is contacting the [Palestinian] factions in order to reach an internal consensus on the cessation of rocket fire and that this is in order to "protect our people and strengthen our unity" which is the same position announced by Khaled Mishal following his telephone conversation with the Russian Foreign Minister. However at the same time, there is another position, and Hamas official Mushir al-Masri said that Hamas is not backing away from the resistance, and he said that he considers the Fatah position that favors popular [peaceful] civil action to be a type of collusion with Israel. All of this comes at a time that Gaza is witnessing a media battle between Hamas and the other [Palestinian] factions in an attempt to implement what has been called the "Persuade the Stupid" operation that targets Israeli soldiers.
Away from the stupid, the question here is; are the intelligent paying attention to our region and the Palestinians? Are they aware that what is happening in Gaza will overturn the Palestinian boat, and that the best thing to do today is to establish the Palestinian State as a reality on the ground, and take a decisive stand towards what is taking place in Gaza, rather than appeasing Hamas and remaining silent over what is happening?
Asharq Alawsat
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said "unfortunately some of us always view everything that we undertake with suspicion, and this has brought us to defeatism in our thinking and [believing] we are not capable of doing something positive." He added "if the Jews acted in this manner they would not have a State." This statement is accurate, and is something that is confirmed by everything that we see with regards to the Palestinian Cause, the manner that this is being managed, as well as the management of the negotiations and the Arab involvement in this, and above all else the inter-Palestinian division and the administration of the Gaza Strip. Someone might say that there's nothing new in this, and that this has been the state of the Palestinian Cause for decades, and that is the real problem.
As Fayyad said, this defeatism has intensified, and the real and genuine hard work to establish a State of Palestine has been reduced to false slogans that are being used merely to gain power, rather than create a Palestinian State. This can also be seen in the case of Hamas, and this defeatism has intensified among some Arabs who facilitate the investment in Hamas's adventures, rather than genuinely helping to build a State on the ground, and turn this into a reality, and work politically to provide international momentum.
The simplest example here is what was put forward at the most recent Arab Summit, where there was talk about the possibility of withdrawing from the two-state solution project, and returning to one state that includes both the Israelis and Palestinians. In other words, throwing decades of conflict, bloodshed, and financing, into the sea, and starting once more from anew. This is less a political vision and more evidence of frustration, however politics, and particularly negotiations, does not recognize frustration, and instead is based upon the principles of "give and take."
At the same time that Salem Fayyad is talking about building institutions and organs for the Palestinian State, and imposing this as a reality through political work and peaceful public [action], we see that what is happening in Gaza is the complete opposite of this. It becomes clear day after day that there is division and confusion in the Hams ranks, and this comes at the same time that the Muslim Brotherhood affiliated movement is trying to extend its influence at the expense of the other Palestinian factions that want to launch rocket attacks on Israel. Israel Haniyeh said that his government is contacting the [Palestinian] factions in order to reach an internal consensus on the cessation of rocket fire and that this is in order to "protect our people and strengthen our unity" which is the same position announced by Khaled Mishal following his telephone conversation with the Russian Foreign Minister. However at the same time, there is another position, and Hamas official Mushir al-Masri said that Hamas is not backing away from the resistance, and he said that he considers the Fatah position that favors popular [peaceful] civil action to be a type of collusion with Israel. All of this comes at a time that Gaza is witnessing a media battle between Hamas and the other [Palestinian] factions in an attempt to implement what has been called the "Persuade the Stupid" operation that targets Israeli soldiers.
Away from the stupid, the question here is; are the intelligent paying attention to our region and the Palestinians? Are they aware that what is happening in Gaza will overturn the Palestinian boat, and that the best thing to do today is to establish the Palestinian State as a reality on the ground, and take a decisive stand towards what is taking place in Gaza, rather than appeasing Hamas and remaining silent over what is happening?
OBAMA – NO WE CAN’T!
March 27, 2010
Avi Ifergan, father of Alma (5), Shira, (3), Netta (1).
Rehovot, Israel
Dear Mr. President,
Earlier this month, your Secretary of State told a forum of Jewish leaders that ‘sometimes friends need to tell each other the hard truth’. Well Mr. President, allow me, on behalf of my people, to return the courtesy. You have always been rhetorically supportive of Israel, but the incongruence of your actions in the first year of your presidency have left us Israelis, and Jews worldwide, scratching their heads in bewilderment. Mr. President, here’s the hard truth from an Israeli father of 3 daughters, under the age of 6. No we can’t take any chances when it comes to the physical security of our land, our people or my girls. There exists no room for error. Security is the primary priority. You see, we learn from our history, and it teaches us a simple truth:
No we can’t count on the promises or protection of other nations when our people face an existential threat. The world watched, immovable, as we were slaughtered by the Nazis. In every decade of Israel’s existence, its neighbors, or the Palestinians waged war on us, and the world watched in relative silence. In the years after the so-called Oslo Peace Treaty, the world remained silent as Israelis faced hundreds of Palestinian suicide bombings, stabbings, drive-by shootings, and kidnappings. The world did however feel free to openly criticize us when we set up check posts and built a security fence to protect ourselves.
No we can’t understand how, in 2006, when over 4,000 Hezbollah missiles rained down on a third of the Israeli population, the leaders of the world found it important to criticize Israel’s military reaction. Similarly we read their criticisms that were splashed across the headlines of the global media during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008. They remained silent during the preceding 6 years that the Kassam rockets from Gaza forced Israel’s Southern population to sleep in bomb shelters, and did not commend Israel’s military restraint. Of course, that changed as the Israeli military went into Gaza to locate and destroy the Hamas rocket launchers.
No we can’t believe that you would expect your governments to react any differently, if you and your children were faced with the similar threats.
No we can’t stomach the thought of a holocaust-denying, Hezbollah - and Hamas - funded by Iranian President, who in the same breath openly states that his intentions are for Iran to achieve nuclear capabilities, and for the destruction of the ‘Zionist entity’.
No we can’t imagine you doing anything more than proposing more painful sanctions on Iran – and what do you call it – ‘containment’? This is where he ends up getting the nuclear weapons he seeks, right?
No we can’t accept a divided Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel, and of the Jewish people. It is not ‘the third holiest city’, as it is for the Moslems . It is the only holy city of the Jewish people. It has been so for over 2,000 years. Since coming under Israeli sovereignty all religions have been able to visit and practice openly and freely. Oh – and you should know that the ‘Waqf’, those Palestinians who control the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, do not allow any other religions, Jew or Christian, to pray there. I even hear that swaying or the silent moving of the lips is forbidden.
So, No we can’t have friends dictating to us where in Jerusalem we can or cannot build – or feeling insulted when we do as we please in our own land.
No we can’t believe that giving the Palestinian people a land of their own is such a high priority on your foreign policy agenda. Considering their civil rights and terrorist track-record, and the growing influence of Hamas as the likely ruling party. Mr. President, did you know that when the Palestinian Authority came to power in 1994, the first piece of legislation that it passed was the death penalty for any Palestinian who sells land to Jews. Over 100 Palestinians have died, under sentence or extra-judicially, for such sales in the last 15 years. Is this the ‘two-state solution’ that you imagine?
No we can’t comprehend why you would spend the first year of your presidency hugging, bowing and warming to those 'shining leaders of freedom and democracy' Venezuela’s Chavez, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, or Mubarak of Egypt. I know you’re aware of the brutality and lack of freedoms in such non-democracies – the beheadings, the inability of a woman to bear witness in court, or to simply drive, the lack of tolerance when it comes to people who are different – be it culture, religion, or sexual orientation.
And No we can’t understand why, in Israel, where the opposite is true, where Arabs enjoy more freedoms than in any Arab country in the world – freedoms of speech and expression, the press, religion, tolerance to the gay and lesbian community, gender equality, you choose to make a big deal about Jews building in their holiest city - Jerusalem? We’re an easy target, we know, but please, how about finding something more substantial to make an issue of – and about a non-democracy.
No we can’t fathom why on earth you don’t get us Israelis yet. We Israelis and our governments have repeatedly demonstrated an unwavering commitment to peace, and a willingness to pay a high price for it. In 1947, we accepted the UN’s ‘two-state’ resolution on the partition of Palestine, despite the fact that we would not have had any control of Jerusalem or the surrounding neighborhoods; the Arabs rejected it, and instead 6 Arab nations declared war on our fledgling state. In 1979 we gave up a piece of land greater than the size of the state of Israel, the Sinai, for peace with Egyptians. In 1999, we unilaterally withdrew from South Lebanon, allowing Hezbollah to set up its bases in our stead. A year later, Israeli PM Ehud Barak offered the Palestinians ‘the deal of the century’ – 97% of the West Bank, 100% of the Gaza strip, the dismantling of 63 settlements and agreeing that the East Jerusalem neighborhoods would become the capital of their new state. This too, was rejected by the Palestinians. In 2005, Israeli PM Sharon, without negotiations or demanding of concessions, unilaterally pushed through his disengagement plan that led to the dismantling of 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and 4 in the West Bank.
No we can’t trust you...yet. Trust is earned. You see, Mr. President, I teach my girls to pay little attention to words and close attention to deeds. My people have demonstrated by deed that we are willing to pay a high price for peace and security. On more than one occasion you have said that you are committed to the Israel’s security and will not tolerate a nuclear-capable Iran. Now it’s your turn to match your words with deeds. A two-state solution with the Palestinian people is of little relevance if Iran achieves its nuclear goals.
Avi Ifergan, father of Alma (5), Shira, (3), Netta (1).
Rehovot, Israel
Dear Mr. President,
Earlier this month, your Secretary of State told a forum of Jewish leaders that ‘sometimes friends need to tell each other the hard truth’. Well Mr. President, allow me, on behalf of my people, to return the courtesy. You have always been rhetorically supportive of Israel, but the incongruence of your actions in the first year of your presidency have left us Israelis, and Jews worldwide, scratching their heads in bewilderment. Mr. President, here’s the hard truth from an Israeli father of 3 daughters, under the age of 6. No we can’t take any chances when it comes to the physical security of our land, our people or my girls. There exists no room for error. Security is the primary priority. You see, we learn from our history, and it teaches us a simple truth:
No we can’t count on the promises or protection of other nations when our people face an existential threat. The world watched, immovable, as we were slaughtered by the Nazis. In every decade of Israel’s existence, its neighbors, or the Palestinians waged war on us, and the world watched in relative silence. In the years after the so-called Oslo Peace Treaty, the world remained silent as Israelis faced hundreds of Palestinian suicide bombings, stabbings, drive-by shootings, and kidnappings. The world did however feel free to openly criticize us when we set up check posts and built a security fence to protect ourselves.
No we can’t understand how, in 2006, when over 4,000 Hezbollah missiles rained down on a third of the Israeli population, the leaders of the world found it important to criticize Israel’s military reaction. Similarly we read their criticisms that were splashed across the headlines of the global media during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008. They remained silent during the preceding 6 years that the Kassam rockets from Gaza forced Israel’s Southern population to sleep in bomb shelters, and did not commend Israel’s military restraint. Of course, that changed as the Israeli military went into Gaza to locate and destroy the Hamas rocket launchers.
No we can’t believe that you would expect your governments to react any differently, if you and your children were faced with the similar threats.
No we can’t stomach the thought of a holocaust-denying, Hezbollah - and Hamas - funded by Iranian President, who in the same breath openly states that his intentions are for Iran to achieve nuclear capabilities, and for the destruction of the ‘Zionist entity’.
No we can’t imagine you doing anything more than proposing more painful sanctions on Iran – and what do you call it – ‘containment’? This is where he ends up getting the nuclear weapons he seeks, right?
No we can’t accept a divided Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel, and of the Jewish people. It is not ‘the third holiest city’, as it is for the Moslems . It is the only holy city of the Jewish people. It has been so for over 2,000 years. Since coming under Israeli sovereignty all religions have been able to visit and practice openly and freely. Oh – and you should know that the ‘Waqf’, those Palestinians who control the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, do not allow any other religions, Jew or Christian, to pray there. I even hear that swaying or the silent moving of the lips is forbidden.
So, No we can’t have friends dictating to us where in Jerusalem we can or cannot build – or feeling insulted when we do as we please in our own land.
No we can’t believe that giving the Palestinian people a land of their own is such a high priority on your foreign policy agenda. Considering their civil rights and terrorist track-record, and the growing influence of Hamas as the likely ruling party. Mr. President, did you know that when the Palestinian Authority came to power in 1994, the first piece of legislation that it passed was the death penalty for any Palestinian who sells land to Jews. Over 100 Palestinians have died, under sentence or extra-judicially, for such sales in the last 15 years. Is this the ‘two-state solution’ that you imagine?
No we can’t comprehend why you would spend the first year of your presidency hugging, bowing and warming to those 'shining leaders of freedom and democracy' Venezuela’s Chavez, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, or Mubarak of Egypt. I know you’re aware of the brutality and lack of freedoms in such non-democracies – the beheadings, the inability of a woman to bear witness in court, or to simply drive, the lack of tolerance when it comes to people who are different – be it culture, religion, or sexual orientation.
And No we can’t understand why, in Israel, where the opposite is true, where Arabs enjoy more freedoms than in any Arab country in the world – freedoms of speech and expression, the press, religion, tolerance to the gay and lesbian community, gender equality, you choose to make a big deal about Jews building in their holiest city - Jerusalem? We’re an easy target, we know, but please, how about finding something more substantial to make an issue of – and about a non-democracy.
No we can’t fathom why on earth you don’t get us Israelis yet. We Israelis and our governments have repeatedly demonstrated an unwavering commitment to peace, and a willingness to pay a high price for it. In 1947, we accepted the UN’s ‘two-state’ resolution on the partition of Palestine, despite the fact that we would not have had any control of Jerusalem or the surrounding neighborhoods; the Arabs rejected it, and instead 6 Arab nations declared war on our fledgling state. In 1979 we gave up a piece of land greater than the size of the state of Israel, the Sinai, for peace with Egyptians. In 1999, we unilaterally withdrew from South Lebanon, allowing Hezbollah to set up its bases in our stead. A year later, Israeli PM Ehud Barak offered the Palestinians ‘the deal of the century’ – 97% of the West Bank, 100% of the Gaza strip, the dismantling of 63 settlements and agreeing that the East Jerusalem neighborhoods would become the capital of their new state. This too, was rejected by the Palestinians. In 2005, Israeli PM Sharon, without negotiations or demanding of concessions, unilaterally pushed through his disengagement plan that led to the dismantling of 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and 4 in the West Bank.
No we can’t trust you...yet. Trust is earned. You see, Mr. President, I teach my girls to pay little attention to words and close attention to deeds. My people have demonstrated by deed that we are willing to pay a high price for peace and security. On more than one occasion you have said that you are committed to the Israel’s security and will not tolerate a nuclear-capable Iran. Now it’s your turn to match your words with deeds. A two-state solution with the Palestinian people is of little relevance if Iran achieves its nuclear goals.
Turkish Islamist Regime Writes New Constitution To Guarantee Its Future Rule
RubinReports
Barry Rubin
Given the whitewash generally and generously applied to Turkey's Islamist-oriented regime internationally, there is little awareness of one of that government's (now closer to Iran and Syria than to the United States) most dangerous projects: the rewriting of Turkey's constitution. The drafting of that document is in the hands of party loyalists. Nor does it deal with Turkey's real political problems: the fact that leaders of political parties are virtual dictators; the 10 percent minimum which allowed the regime when it first "won" the elections to get almost two-thirds of the seats with only around 31 percent of the votes.
Instead, there are cute pseudo-democratic gimmicks that sound good but are designed to entrench the current government in power forever.
For example, the president can appoint two people who merely have a BA degree to the Constitutional Court. One can imagine how they would vote. It also takes the right to ban political parties away from the high court and gives it to parliament, meaning the government could ban opposing parties whenever it felt like it.
According to former president Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the prime minister now controls parliament and is adding the judiciary to that, thus having total control over the branches of government. With the army intimidated by threats, arrests, and slander, there is nothing left to limit the regime's power.
Perhaps public criticism--in those parts of the media the government does not yet control or intimidate--could make the regime back down but it could jam through a constitution designed to end Turkey's status as a democratic state.
By taming the army, subordinating the courts, taking over or intimidating the media, packing the bureaucracy with its own supporters, and using leverage over the universities, the regime intends to stay in power forever.
Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal. His latest books are The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley), and The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan). His new edited books include Lebanon: Liberation, Conflict and Crisis; Guide to Islamist Movements; Conflict and Insurgency in the Middle East; and The Muslim Brotherhood
Barry Rubin
Given the whitewash generally and generously applied to Turkey's Islamist-oriented regime internationally, there is little awareness of one of that government's (now closer to Iran and Syria than to the United States) most dangerous projects: the rewriting of Turkey's constitution. The drafting of that document is in the hands of party loyalists. Nor does it deal with Turkey's real political problems: the fact that leaders of political parties are virtual dictators; the 10 percent minimum which allowed the regime when it first "won" the elections to get almost two-thirds of the seats with only around 31 percent of the votes.
Instead, there are cute pseudo-democratic gimmicks that sound good but are designed to entrench the current government in power forever.
For example, the president can appoint two people who merely have a BA degree to the Constitutional Court. One can imagine how they would vote. It also takes the right to ban political parties away from the high court and gives it to parliament, meaning the government could ban opposing parties whenever it felt like it.
According to former president Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the prime minister now controls parliament and is adding the judiciary to that, thus having total control over the branches of government. With the army intimidated by threats, arrests, and slander, there is nothing left to limit the regime's power.
Perhaps public criticism--in those parts of the media the government does not yet control or intimidate--could make the regime back down but it could jam through a constitution designed to end Turkey's status as a democratic state.
By taming the army, subordinating the courts, taking over or intimidating the media, packing the bureaucracy with its own supporters, and using leverage over the universities, the regime intends to stay in power forever.
Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal. His latest books are The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley), and The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan). His new edited books include Lebanon: Liberation, Conflict and Crisis; Guide to Islamist Movements; Conflict and Insurgency in the Middle East; and The Muslim Brotherhood
Sunday, April 04, 2010
The Angel of Faith
by Ari Bussel
“…The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” Abraham Lincoln On the West side of Los Angeles statues of men are spread at various intersections. One on San Vicente, another on Burton Way, yet another near the Natural History Page Museum. The men stare at traffic, yet we hardly ever reciprocate. How often does one stop to read the caption, let alone inquire about the person? I guess there is one exception to this history sewn into the fabric of Los Angeles: On Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills stands a shining female torso facing those walking southward toward Wilshire Boulevard. Her nakedness attracts tourists’ comments of the wildest kinds.
In Fairfax Boulevard, once the center of Jewish Los Angeles, only a few remnants of this heritage remain, including Cantor’s Deli, Diamond and Eilat Bakeries, Sami Makolet (a neighborhood grocery store like in Israel), several thrift shops and a Chabad House. Slowly, during recent years, the icons of Jewish presence have been replaced, predominantly with trendy fashion stores I never understood. These stores serve as a magnet for young people, standing in line at 7AM to buy t-shirts they likely cannot afford.
Fairfax used to be a congested center of Russian and Israeli communities. It was a symbol of Jewish LA. Jewish Family Services, the National Council of Jewish Women and SOVA remain in the neighborhood, but the true character of the neighborhood has changed. The predominantly Jewish areas are now La Brea (ultra-Orthodox) and Pico (modern-Orthodox). Israelis can be found everywhere, particularly in the San Fernando Valley. Now only the older Russians remain around Fairfax. They were never “too” Jewish, and the generation that gave the neighborhood its character is replaced with a young generation who was born and raised here, whose distance from Judaism has grown even further.
It is the corner of Fairfax and Beverly Boulevards on which I want to focus today. Diagonally across from the CBS studios is Bargain Fair, the early version of Bed Bath and Beyond that still thrives today. At the North East corner stands a building, shaded by a Ficus tree. Once a Great Western Bank, it is today the home of one of the many Chase branches that sprouted as a result of the financial meltdown of 2008-2009.
In front of the building is a statue of a man with two wings larger than himself. They enable him to fly, yet protect him like the wings of a butterfly or those of an angel visiting earth to spread Good unto others.
Since 1988 the statue has stood there, watching passerby’s vehicles and pedestrians (the elderly and the homeless). I may have glanced at it, not even noticing, proceeding on my route. It is one of many statues that make up the landscape to which we pay no attention.
Today I stopped to read the plaque:
Raoul Wallenberg
This “Angel of Rescue” went to Budapest in the summer of 1944 as a Swedish diplomat with a mission to save the remainder of the Jews of Hungary from the gas chambers of Auschwitz.
He issued thousands of protective passes, set up “safe houses” and brought back the persecuted from the deportation trains and death marches.
In the final hours of the siege of the city, he prevented the Nazis from blowing up the ghetto where 70,000 Jews still lived.
The Soviet Army misunderstood his work and took him prisoner. He was never released.
He saved our faith in humanity.
The Survivors.
So reads the plaque: “He saved our faith in humanity.”
Apparently the venerable Mr. Wallenberg exuded an aura of authority. He did not hesitate to pull people from right under the Nazis’ most guarded transfer system. Against all odds he succeeded, possibly only because he had the drive of conviction and the courage to act. Was he terrified? We will never know. I would have been.
In 1945 he was arrested by the Soviets and disappeared into their Gulag (the labor camps system). According to a 1957 Gromyko Memorandum by the Soviets, Mr. Wallenberg died on July 17, 1947, yet they presented neither his body nor other reliable documentation. There have been numerous eyewitness accounts that he has been in prisons or labor camps in the years that followed and possibly decades later.
Mr. Wallenberg received a posthumous honorary US citizenship, and there is a working group of researchers here in the USA still looking into his whereabouts. The case – still alive today – was apparently discussed in general terms during Russian President Medvedev’s visit to Stockholm on November 18, 2009, and might have been raised as recent as March 11, 2010, during the return visit to Moscow by Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.
In breaking news, the Working Group reports this month in a letter to the Wallenberg family:
We are writing to you to share the information enclosed below. As you know, over the last few years, we have continued an often slow but productive exchange with the archives of the Federal Security Services of the Russian Federation (FSB). The latest round of discussions in November 2009, have yielded a resounding surprise. In a formal reply to several questions regarding Russian prison interrogation registers from 1947, FSB archivists stated that ”with great likelihood” Raoul Wallenberg became ”Prisoner No. 7? in Moscow’s Lubyanka prison some time that year. The archivists added that ”Prisoner No. 7? had been interrogated on July 23, 1947, which – if confirmed – would mean that the Soviet era claims of Wallenberg’s death on July 17, 1947 are no longer valid. Never before have Russian officials stated the possibility of Raoul Wallenberg’s survival past this date so explicitly.
Raoul Wallenberg who was born in 1912 would have been 98 in a few months. He might have been murdered by the Soviets a few days short of his 35th birthday, or he may have survived and lived longer – weeks, months, years or even decades. We are unlikely to know.
What is known is that the young Raoul, only thirty two year old at the time he was sent to Budapest as a Swedish diplomat (July,1944), did an extraordinary thing – he was a human being who risked his life to help countless others. Six months of a person’s life, a lasting imprint on humanity’s remembrance book. May any of us be blessed to have left such a mark.
Wallenberg was recognized by Yad Va’Shem as Righteous Among the Nations in 1966. In 1985 another foreign diplomat was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations: Consul General Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat in Lithuania who risked his and his family’s lives by issuing thousands of transfer visas (contrary to the Japanese government’s wishes, for which he had paid a price to his last day). They each showed that kindness did not disappear from the world, expecting—and indeed getting—nothing in return for their deeds.
As the survivors wrote on the statue of Raoul-as-an-angel, he restored our faith in humanity. If only his home country would have done the same.
For his 97th birthday, just a few months ago, the leading Swedish daily newspaper had an investigative piece to report to the Swedish nation and the world: Israelis are harvesting organs of Palestinians (males whom they kill). Purportedly, some of the very descendants of those who were sent to Auschwitz and other extermination camps, those whose lives were destined to the crematoriums for being sub-humans, filth that needed to be eradicated, were now engaged in similar atrocities. Yet, it is not Israel that lost her humanity – the Jewish people have emerged from the Holocaust and still carry the flame of humanity today, alone in the world. Rather, it is Sweden who has not changed its character since World War II, single individuals notwithstanding.
How can a nation, from which a Raoul Wallenberg had arisen, forget, six and a half decades after his heroic actions, what took place? How can Sweden defend, in the name of freedom of speech or press, the vile accusations setting forth the basis for the next Holocaust? Why bother at all to continue highlighting the deeds of one person, Raoul Wallenberg, when the main message that resonates from Sweden to its own next generation is that of innate hatred toward the Jews and their infestation of the Middle East, that any action against the Jews is permissible even after the Holocaust?
Have we learned nothing?
Today, as I walked past the Raoul Wallenberg statue, I circled it again and again. The sun was at an angle, and I provided my own interpretation. He was here as a reminder to me, not of the Swedes or most other members of the United Nations, another organization that sprouted from the ashes of the Holocaust. Rife with honorable intentions and goals, the UN now serves in the arsenal of the Muslim countries in their quest to eradicate Israel and the Jews.
Raoul Wallenberg is a personal reminder: If we are ever in a position of power (relative or absolute), we must always use that power and position to do good. Power is given or bestowed on us not for our own pleasure or abuse, but so we can use it wisely and channel it to benefit others.
At times we will pave a new course for history. Other times we will set in motion events that otherwise would not have occurred. Enable something against all odds, contrary to the prevailing attitudes of the time, only because we will know, deep in our hearts, the cause is just, and our way correct. Always put yourself in another person’s position, then you can easily judge the rightness of your acts.
Raoul Wallenberg did exactly that. Using his position, over a very short, yet most intense, period of time, managed to perform miracles. These man-made miracles happened because one man was driven, knew what needed to be done and carried courageously forward.
We need another Raoul Wallenberg now, when it is popular to make false claims Israel is evil, that her soldiers murder young male Arabs in order to extract their organs. Someone needs to stand up and protect Israel, and by so doing protect all humanity and its sanity. It is unpopular, even dangerous at times, and at present will not gain anything but personal fear and apprehension. But credit will accrue toward entrance to Heaven.
When promoting good, caring about others, advocating all that Israel and the Jews stand for, these “angels of will” will accrue points for goodness so noticeably absent nowadays. They will arise, singly against all odds and follow in the footsteps of rare individuals like a Raoul Wallenberg. Perhaps you can apply his actions to the present day and influence the lives of many or even one. Some future writer might encounter your statue on a street corner decades in the future and possibly it may change the course of his life as well.
“Do not be afraid” is the Wallenberg’s message to me. Stand and fight, despite all odds. Angels from above will protect and guide you. One may even wear a nametag bearing the initials RW.
In the series “Postcards from Israel,” Ari Bussel and Norma Zager invite readers throughout the world to join them as they present reports from Israel as seen by two sets of eyes: Bussel’s on the ground, Zager’s counter-point from home. Israel and the United States are inter-related - the two countries we hold dearest to our hearts - and so is this “point - counter-point” presentation that has, since 2008, become part of our lives.
© Postcards from Home, April, 2010
Contact: aribussel@gmail.com
Reflections on Birthright
http://www.princetonhillel.org/articles/100330Birthright.html#Rachael
Benjamin Cogan
This past Winter Break, 19 other Jewish Princeton students and I had the time of our lives—not relaxing on the beach, but spending 10 jam-packed days in the Land of Israel on a Taglit-Birthright Israel: Hillel trip. For most of the participants, this trip was our first to Israel, and we took advantage of all of our time there, crisscrossing the country from North to South. Our trip began in Tiberius, near the Golan Heights, and ended in the old city of Jerusalem, stopping at Masada, the Dead Sea, Tzfat, and numerous other sites. Our sightseeing was supplemented by our Jewish learning, and the group had meaningful and frank discussions about religious and cultural Jewish issues, such as Jewish dating and relationships. Though I had a great time throughout, my favorite part of the trip was the service component, in which our group visited what is known as an absorption center in the city of Arad. The absorption center, funded by the Israeli government, was tasked with, as its name suggests, absorbing recent immigrants to Israel. The center provides immigrants help in finding housing, learning Hebrew, and understanding Israeli customs. The center is split in two parts, one for adults, and one for children, for which the center also serves as a daycare center/school. Though Israel receives immigrants from all over the world, the absorption center in Arad was almost entirely composed of recent Ethiopian immigrants, most of whom had never set foot on a plane before flying to Israel. In Arad, I was lucky enough to spend my afternoon and evening with the children.
First, I have to admit that, although I’ve never been very good at soccer, I need to take a close look at my athletic skills after being constantly outmaneuvered and outrun by 12 year olds on the soccer pitch. This was my experience playing soccer with recent Ethiopian immigrants. After losing to my new Israeli friends, I figured ‘if you can’t beat them, join them,’ and I subsequently spent the next quarter panting ‘regga!’, or wait, to my Israeli teammates as I ran back and forth on the field, trying to catch up. It was a blast. Still, I probably got the most out of, after the game was over, talking with my recent teammates in Hebrew about their former lives in Ethiopia and their new lives in Israel. Having noticed that almost all Israelis speak English, it was nice to finally utilize my year and half of Hebrew language skills to communicate with people who could only talk to me in the language I was studying.
Though I’ve always had an interest in Israel and Israeli culture, I feel like my Taglit-Birthright Israel: Hillel trip this past December really set the stage for a lifetime relationship between the country and me. This summer, I along with another Birthright alum, are going on another, longer trip to Israel called Jewish Leadership Institute in which we will study Jewish texts and travel to more of the country. I also hope to, after I graduate, live in Israel for some time. The Taglit-Birthright Israel: Hillel trip has laid the groundwork for these, along with subsequent adventures.
Kate Fischl
There are very few places in the United States where you will see a markedly Orthodox Jewish man dressed in a black suit with tzitzit sticking out, rollerblading down the street of a city at the height of the afternoon. There also aren’t any places in the United States where complete strangers will be told, “Welcome home” as soon as they step off of the plane and into a new country for the first time. However, in Israel neither of these occurrences are strange or unheard of. As someone who has never really lived in a highly Jewish populated area, just the concept of the state of Israel is something I find really cool, not to mention getting the chance to spend ten free days there.
When I sent a bunch of my friends an e-mail with the subject “Birthright?” last September there was no way that I could have foreseen the incredible experience I had this past December on Taglit-Birthright Israel. Although I had been to Israel before with my own family, it was a completely different experience going with nineteen other Princeton students plus twenty other college students from four different universities. Even though it’s virtually impossible to see an entire country in only ten days, Taglit-Birthright Israel tries very hard to do so - and personally I think they do a pretty great job. We traveled all over the country, doing things that ranged from purely fun, to meaningful, as well as to quite thought-provoking.
But despite all of the sites we saw, for me it wouldn’t have been the same experience for me without the people I went with. Putting a note in the Western wall alongside a friend, with whom I usually complain to about my classes while brushing our teeth before bed at Princeton, is an experience I will never forget. Or, the hours I spent listening to my classmates tirelessly debate Middle East foreign policy as we drove through the Middle East, seeing the boarders that were being discussed. Or even, just watching the sunset over Jerusalem and realizing how many American Jews would be turning east to face us this Shabbat.
Visiting Israel as an American college student on Taglit-Birthright Israel is certainly a distinct type of experience, but one that left me with many more questions than I started with and a desire to go back and experience the many things we simply did not have time to do. I tell many of my friends that Taglit-Birthright Israel is meant for people who 1) Don’t know very much about Judaism and 2) Don’t know very much about Israel. As an active member of the CJL community and someone with close relatives in Israel I like to think I don’t fit into either of those categories. Still, I learned so much on our trip, not just through the places we saw but also through the questions we asked, both to our tour guide and to each other. I signed up for the trip with a few of my closest friends, but still really got to know a lot of the other people on our trip quite well. And even though on campus we might still joke about our crazy tour guide, or our inability to “count-off”, it was the entire jam-packed ten days in a country marked by its delicious falafel, the saltiest of seas, and sites considered holy to so many people that made my winter break a really meaningful experience.
Rachael Alexandroff
I am lucky to have had the opportunity to do a lot of travelling while growing up. I’ve been all over the world and I now attend school in another country. Yet in all my travels, no country I have ever been to was quite like Israel. This past December on Birthright was my first opportunity to visit Israel and it was a welcome I will never forget.
The one moment that stands out in particular for me was arriving in Jerusalem. We exited a tunnel and suddenly laid out before us was the entire city, with the setting sun behind us. Spontaneous dancing and singing broke out as we finally set foot in the city that we had all heard so much about. It was an indescribable moment of joy. It was an experience unlike any I had ever had before. I was welcomed with open arms into a foreign place exactly as if I was returning home from a long and weary journey, one that had lasted over a thousand years. That feeling of belonging stayed with me throughout my entire trip. Whether touring the city during the day or going out at night, it was exciting and thrilling but yet felt like home to be in Israel.
You would think this would be surprising considering how different Israel is from my home in North America. Well, while Israel is a very different place what’s so different is actually finding myself in a place where I feel similar, like I belong. Being Jewish always used to make me different. In high school I spent many years as the only Jewish student in my grade and it took everyone a while to figure out why I would miss school on days that no one else did. But in Israel, being Jewish was what bound me to everyone else; it was what made me a part of the community. For the first time in my life everyone else, just like me, seemed to almost forget the passing of December 24 and then 25, perhaps only stopping to muse, like me, how with so few santas or Christmas lights it was hard to tell the holiday had even passed. It was a strange feeling to feel similar, and yet a welcome one as I became fully immersed in a new community that seemed ready to welcome me.
While it has already been a couple of months since my trip to Israel the memories of those ten days are still so fresh in my mind. I find it difficult to describe all the amazing experiences I had in such a short period of time. I made great friends, saw interesting sites and ate some delicious food. But the thing that stood out the most to me was how welcome I was made to feel, and as a result how at home I felt in a country I had never been to before. That is the memory that will stick with me from my first journey to Israel.
What About The Arab Apartheid?
http://www.hudsonny.org/2010/03/what-about-the-arab-apartheid.php
by Khaled Abu Toameh
How come the Lebanese students who recently talked about Israel's "war crimes" in the Gaza Strip during Israel Apartheid Week on many North American college campuses had nothing to say about the fact that tens of thousands of Palestinians have been massacred in Lebanon over the past four decades?
Dozens of refugees were killed and hundreds wounded in the three-month offensive that also destroyed thousands of houses inside the refugee camp. Reporters said it was the worst internal violence in Lebanon since the civil war that hit the country between 1975-1990. And just three years ago, the Lebanese Army used heavy artillery to bomb the Nahr-al-Bared refugee camp in north Lebanon. Yet who has ever heard of a United Nations resolution condemning Syria or Lebanon for committing horrific atrocities or discriminating against the Palestinians?
The Lebanese, Syrian and Jordanian students and professors who took part in the anti-Israel events on campuses have clearly "forgotten" that their regimes probably have more Palestinian blood on their hands than Israel. In the early 1970s, the Jordanians slaughtered thousands of Palestinians in what has become known as Black September. Can somebody point to one United Nations resolution condemning that massacre?
And where was the United Nations when Kuwait and several Gulf countries expelled more than 400,000 Palestinians in one week? The exodus took place in March 1991, after Kuwait was liberated from Iraqi occupation. Ironically, the first week of March is being celebrated on university campuses as Israel Apartheid Week with no reference to the mass expulsion of Palestinians from the Gulf.
Although there are more than 400,000 Palestinians living in Lebanon in twelve refugee camps -- which human rights organizations and Palestinians say have the worst living conditions of all the refugee camps in the Middle East -- as in most of the Arab countries, these Palestinians have been assigned the status of "foreigners," a fact which has deprived them of health care, social services, property ownership and education.
Even worse, Lebanese law bans Palestinians from working in many jobs. This means that Palestinians cannot work in the public services and institutions run by the government such as schools and hospitals. Unlike Israel, Lebanese public hospitals do not admit Palestinians for medical treatment or surgery.
Can somebody imagine the outcry of the international community if Israel's parliament, the Knesset, passed a law today prohibiting Arabs from working in certain professions or receiving medical treatment? Ironically, the Arab citizens of Israel enjoy more rights in the Jewish state than their Palestinians brothers do in any Arab country.
The same applies to Palestinians living in most of the Arab countries. While Israel has never stripped its Arab citizens of their citizenship, Jordan has begun revoking the Jordanian citizenship of thousands of its citizens who are of Palestinian descent. Jordan was the only Arab country that has ever granted Palestinian Jordanian citizenship. In recent years, however, the Jordanians appear to have regretted that decision.
As for the rest of the Arab countries, Palestinians can only dream of obtaining citizenship. It is almost impossible to find a Palestinian with Egyptian or Moroccan or Kuwaiti citizenship.
Is it not absurd that Jordan and Egypt have been arresting Palestinians who demonstrate in support of their brothers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip or collect donations for them while Israeli citizens hold almost daily protests inside Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians?
And is it not ironic that the government of Binyamin Netanyahu is doing more to boost the Palestinian economy in the West Bank than any Arab country? .
At first glance, it looked as if the students who were distributing leaflets and posters that depicted the suffering of Palestinians inside Israel and the Palestinian territories, particularly those living in refugee camps, were actually talking about the suffering of Palestinians in their own countries - Lebanon and Egypt.
How come there was no talk on these campuses about the plight of Palestinians living in most of the Arab countries, where they have been subjected to discrimination, massacres and intolerance?
Perhaps the time has come to start paying attention to the plight of the Palestinians in the Arab world.
Perhaps the time has come for these students and professors behind Israel Apartheid to consider holding not Arab Apartheid Week, but a year-long seminar to discuss repression and discrimination against Palestinians living in various Arab countries. Of course one week would not be enough for this topic and that is why there is need for a whole year.
We have heard enough how "awful" Israel is. Let us take a look now at what is happening to the Palestinians in the Arab world. Or is something the organizers of Israel Apartheid Week do not want to hear about?
by Khaled Abu Toameh
How come the Lebanese students who recently talked about Israel's "war crimes" in the Gaza Strip during Israel Apartheid Week on many North American college campuses had nothing to say about the fact that tens of thousands of Palestinians have been massacred in Lebanon over the past four decades?
Dozens of refugees were killed and hundreds wounded in the three-month offensive that also destroyed thousands of houses inside the refugee camp. Reporters said it was the worst internal violence in Lebanon since the civil war that hit the country between 1975-1990. And just three years ago, the Lebanese Army used heavy artillery to bomb the Nahr-al-Bared refugee camp in north Lebanon. Yet who has ever heard of a United Nations resolution condemning Syria or Lebanon for committing horrific atrocities or discriminating against the Palestinians?
The Lebanese, Syrian and Jordanian students and professors who took part in the anti-Israel events on campuses have clearly "forgotten" that their regimes probably have more Palestinian blood on their hands than Israel. In the early 1970s, the Jordanians slaughtered thousands of Palestinians in what has become known as Black September. Can somebody point to one United Nations resolution condemning that massacre?
And where was the United Nations when Kuwait and several Gulf countries expelled more than 400,000 Palestinians in one week? The exodus took place in March 1991, after Kuwait was liberated from Iraqi occupation. Ironically, the first week of March is being celebrated on university campuses as Israel Apartheid Week with no reference to the mass expulsion of Palestinians from the Gulf.
Although there are more than 400,000 Palestinians living in Lebanon in twelve refugee camps -- which human rights organizations and Palestinians say have the worst living conditions of all the refugee camps in the Middle East -- as in most of the Arab countries, these Palestinians have been assigned the status of "foreigners," a fact which has deprived them of health care, social services, property ownership and education.
Even worse, Lebanese law bans Palestinians from working in many jobs. This means that Palestinians cannot work in the public services and institutions run by the government such as schools and hospitals. Unlike Israel, Lebanese public hospitals do not admit Palestinians for medical treatment or surgery.
Can somebody imagine the outcry of the international community if Israel's parliament, the Knesset, passed a law today prohibiting Arabs from working in certain professions or receiving medical treatment? Ironically, the Arab citizens of Israel enjoy more rights in the Jewish state than their Palestinians brothers do in any Arab country.
The same applies to Palestinians living in most of the Arab countries. While Israel has never stripped its Arab citizens of their citizenship, Jordan has begun revoking the Jordanian citizenship of thousands of its citizens who are of Palestinian descent. Jordan was the only Arab country that has ever granted Palestinian Jordanian citizenship. In recent years, however, the Jordanians appear to have regretted that decision.
As for the rest of the Arab countries, Palestinians can only dream of obtaining citizenship. It is almost impossible to find a Palestinian with Egyptian or Moroccan or Kuwaiti citizenship.
Is it not absurd that Jordan and Egypt have been arresting Palestinians who demonstrate in support of their brothers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip or collect donations for them while Israeli citizens hold almost daily protests inside Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians?
And is it not ironic that the government of Binyamin Netanyahu is doing more to boost the Palestinian economy in the West Bank than any Arab country? .
At first glance, it looked as if the students who were distributing leaflets and posters that depicted the suffering of Palestinians inside Israel and the Palestinian territories, particularly those living in refugee camps, were actually talking about the suffering of Palestinians in their own countries - Lebanon and Egypt.
How come there was no talk on these campuses about the plight of Palestinians living in most of the Arab countries, where they have been subjected to discrimination, massacres and intolerance?
Perhaps the time has come to start paying attention to the plight of the Palestinians in the Arab world.
Perhaps the time has come for these students and professors behind Israel Apartheid to consider holding not Arab Apartheid Week, but a year-long seminar to discuss repression and discrimination against Palestinians living in various Arab countries. Of course one week would not be enough for this topic and that is why there is need for a whole year.
We have heard enough how "awful" Israel is. Let us take a look now at what is happening to the Palestinians in the Arab world. Or is something the organizers of Israel Apartheid Week do not want to hear about?
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