donderdag 11 maart 2010

Israel vraagt VS om vernoeming plein naar terroriste te veroordelen

Op de voorpagina van de Volkskrant stond vandaag dat de bouw van 1600 nieuwe woningen in Oost Jeruzalem de vredesbesprekingen bemoeilijken, met een reactie van president Abbas. Ook andere kranten meldden dit prominent. Over de verheerlijking van geweld en terroristen door de Palestijnse Autoriteit staat niks in de krant. Over de hele Mughrabi affaire (het speelt al vanaf december 2009) ben ik niets in de kranten, in het journaal of de actualiteitenrubrieken tegengekomen. Waarom is de bouw van 1600 woningen belangrijker dan de verering van terroristen die onschuldige kinderen doodschieten of zichzelf opblazen in supermarkten en bussen? En waarom zijn 1600 woningen in Oost Jeruzalem überhaupt zo problematisch? Israel bouwt er ook duizenden woningen voor Arabieren. De groene lijn is geen grens en dat wel zo zien zou er in Jeruzalem op neer komen dat de Klaagmuur en de oude Joodse begraafplaats op de Olijfberg bezet Arabisch gebied zijn. De grens in Jeruzalem moet door onderhandelingen worden vastgesteld.

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PMW Bulletin - March 10, 2010

Israel asks US VP Biden to condemn PA naming
of square after terrorist, Dalal Mughrabi

This follows PMW's report that the PA chose to name the square after the terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, tomorrow, on the anniversary of her terror attack, in which terrorists killed 37. Earlier today, it was reported that Abbas had rejected PM Netanyahu's demand, conveyed by the US, that the event honoring the terrorist be cancelled.

http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=1733

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

The ongoing confrontation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority over the naming of a square after the terrorist Dalal Mughrabi continues as Prime Minister Netanyahu has requested of US Vice President Biden to try to stop the naming of the square after the terrorist, or at the very least to publically condemn it. [Channel 2 News, Israel] In January, Palestinian Media Watch publicized that the Municipality of Ramallah planned to name a public square in honor of the terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, who led the worst terror attack in Israel's history when she and other terrorists hijacked a bus and murdered 37 civilians in 1978. Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately protested to the US and sharply criticized the PA. Now it has been reported that "the Prime Minister [Netanyahu] has personally raised the issue with Vice President Biden." [Channel 2 News, Israel]

"Israel is now demanding that the Vice President [Biden] at least condemn the [PA] incitement - a topic Israel has complained about before but now the PM has personally raised the issue with Vice President Biden. The Palestinians plan to name on Thursday a square in Ramallah for terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, the terrorist who participated in the hijacking of what is known as the "blood bus" in 1978 [in which 37 were killed]. The PA is calling her a Martyr and national hero. Israel protested to the US over this two months ago and the Americans turned to the Palestinians but the Palestinians are continuing with the inauguration [of the square to the terrorist Dalal Mughrabi]. Senior officials in Jerusalem tell me [Udi Segal] they expect the United States will raise this issue today with the Palestinian Authority, and Israel is hoping at the very least for a strong American condemnation of this incitement."

[Israel Channel 2 TV news]

Timeline on Dalal Mughrabi Square debate:

Dec. 31, 2009: PMW releases story of PA's intention to name square after Mughrabi
Click to view PMW's release of PA's naming of square after terrorist Dalal Mughrabi.

Jan. 7, 2010: PM Netanyahu protests PA's honoring Mughrabi to the US

"Today, and a week ago, senior officials from the Prime Minister's office conveyed a protest to the US against Mahmoud Abbas... that the governor of Ramallah named a square in her [Mughrabi's] honor."

[Israeli News Channel 2]

Jan. 10: PM Netanyahu opens cabinet meeting with criticism of PA's honoring Mughrabi

"Whoever sponsors and supports naming a square in Ramallah in honor of a terrorist who murdered dozens of Israelis on the Coastal Road - encourages terror."

[Galei Zahal, (IDF radio), Jan. 10, 2010]

Jan. 11: PA Minister of Culture, Siham Barghouti, rejects Netanyahu's protest

"Honoring them this way [by naming places after Martyrs] is the least we can give them, and this is our right."

[Al-Ayyam, Jan. 11, 2010]

Jan. 17: PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas rejects Netanyahu's protest

"I do not deny [the naming]. Of course we want to name a square after her [Mughrabi]... [We] carried out military activities; can I then later renounce all that we have done? No, I don't renounce it."

[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 17, 2010]

Feb. 3: Ashraf Ajrami, former PA Minister of Prisoners' Affairs, defends naming

"[PA] talk about Shahids (Martyrs) is considered, from their [Israel's] point of view, extremism and support for terror... Likewise, naming a square after Dalal Mughrabi is [according to Israel] reason for criticism and attack."

[Al-Ayyam, Feb. 3, 2010]

Feb. 25: Mahmoud Al-Aloul, General Commissioner for Recruitment and Organization, emphasizes importance of naming

"Mahmoud Al-Aloul, member of the Fatah Central Committee and General Commissioner for Recruitment and Organization, emphasized that it is important to continue commemorating the memory of the Shahids (Martyrs) and the Palestinian acts of heroism, and most importantly the anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dalal Mughrabi, heroine of the Coastal Road operation [terror attack], which falls on March 11th each year."

[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Feb. 25, 2010]

March 7: PA daily announces Thursday's inauguration of square

"The El-Bireh Municipality has completed construction work at the Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi Square ... and has commenced preparations for its inauguration this Thursday, the anniversary of Mughrabi's Martyrdom... City Council member Aida Abu-Ubeid said that the square is considered a symbol of the sacrifice of the Palestinian woman. She also noted that flowers and trees will be planted there, and that a picture of the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi will be placed at the center of the square."

[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 7, 2010]

March 9: Israeli Information and Diaspora Minister Yuli Edelstein asks PM Netanyahu to involve US in canceling the inauguration, as reported in "Haaretz":

"The square is to be dedicated tomorrow with senior PA officials in attendence, and Information and Diaspora Minister Yuli Edelstein has asked Netanyahu to approach the American administration about stopping the event."

[Haaretz website, March 10, 2010
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1155420.html]

Today, March 10: Abbas rejects PM Netanyahu's demand to cancel the event:

Initial radio reports indicate that Abbas has rejected PM Netanyahu's demand to cancel the event, conveyed via the US special envoy George Mitchell. Later reports now claim that Netanyahu's office is "waiting to see" if Abbas will cancel:
"Sources in the Prime Minister's Office said that Israel is waiting to see whether Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] will cancel the event. Senior political personnel have said that if the Palestinians want peace, they must educate towards peace."
[IBA website, March 10, 2010
http://www.iba.org.il/bet/?entity=625801&type=1]

Today, March 10: Israel hopes the US will condemn PA naming of square after terrorist

[Israel Channel 2 TV news]

The following are links to PMW's recent publications of PA's glorification of terrorist Dalal Mughrabi:

Click to view PMW's publication of how PA preparations continue for inauguration of square named after terrorist Mughrabi.

Click to view PMW's publication of PA's preparations for inauguration of square named after terrorist Mughrabi.

Click to view PMW's publication of Abbas's approval of naming a square after terrorist Mughrabi.

Click to view PMW's publication of PA's Minister of Culture defending naming places after terrorists.

Click to view PMW's publication of Abbas sponsoring birthday celebration for terrorist Mughrabi and PA decision to name square.

===================

PMW | King George 59 | Jerusalem | Israel

p:+972 2 625 4140 e: pmw@palwatch.org

f: +972 2 624 2803 w: www.palwatch.org

woensdag 10 maart 2010

De witte intifadah van Fayyad

Volgend onderstaande analyse valt er de eerste vier maanden nog geen vooruitgang te verwachten in de (indirecte) onderhandelingen die nu binnenkort van start zouden moeten gaan. Fatah wil namelijk eerst de Palestijnse gemeentelijke verkiezingen winnen op 17 juli, en daarvoor werkt een confrontatie-koers met Israël beter dan een lijstje met concessies aan Israël.

Wouter

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Fayyad's White Intifada

Upcoming local elections in West Bank real test of Abbas-Fayyad duo
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3859607,00.html
Alex Fishman
Published: 03.09.10, 10:36

At this time, senior Palestinian figures no longer want the VIP cards issued by Israel to about 300 elected officials and heads of Palestinian security arms. These cards enable them, among other perks, to stay in their air-conditioned Mercedes and quickly pass through IDF roadblocks in the West Bank, while their people watch on angrily and enviously.

These cards have become a symbol of "collaboration," that is, the good ties between the PA's security agencies and the Israeli Shin Bet; yet now, these cards are being shunned. Hussein al-Sheikh, the deputy minister for civilian affairs in the Palestinian Authority, publicly announced that he refuses to accept the card, because Israel removed 100 names from the VIP list – all of them members of the Fatah's central committee who took part in the protests in Bil'in.

Yet they are not only shunning the cards. They are also shunning the economic ties with Israel. Palestinian officials are discussing the gradual elimination of Palestinian work at industrial zones in the settlements, as part of changing the PA's economic-organizational structure. Monitors go into West Bank stores and confiscate goods made in the settlements.

On the whole, the Abbas-Fayyad duo is attempting to erase the last remnants of the Oslo Accords. For example, they are trying to blur the differences between West Bank areas A, B, and C, which were designated in Oslo. Recently, Fayyad opened agricultural offices in the Jordan Rift Valley and also settled farmers in areas within area C, which is under Israeli control. This was not done secretly, but rather, in public ceremonies, with photos being published in all media outlets.

Meanwhile, they are leveraging every controversial Israeli move – ranging from the killing of three terror suspects in Nablus to the declaration of heritage sites – in order to press the Americans to prevent Israel from engaging in so-called "hot pursuits" within the West Bank.

All these moves, which are part of what is known as "Salam Fayyad's White Intifada" in the West Bank - are directed at one target date: July 17, 2010; the upcoming local elections in the West Bank.

Israel asleep again
Nobody pays any attention to it in Israel, yet these elections will be the real test of the legitimacy of the Abbas-Fayyad duo. Everything happening at this time in the West Bank is directed at this target – seeing a sweeping Palestinian Authority victory in the elections. For the first time in years, they wish to show this kind of revolution – the return of power to the PLO's and Fatah's hands vis-à-vis Hamas, which in the 2005 elections won 70% of votes in the large cities.

Abbas and Fayyad are aspiring to win at least 50% of the vote this time around. With such support, they would be able to move on to negotiations with Israel with the legitimacy of the Palestinian public, and not only with the backwind provided by moderate members of the Arab League. This would be a real source of power, not a bogus one. Hamas has already announced that it will not take part in the elections. The PA will go to elections even without it.

Oddly, in Israel today there is a tendency to ignore the elections on the Palestinian side. In 2005 we fell asleep and were stunned when Hamas took over local authorities, and later on, through general elections, took over the majority in the Palestinian parliament. Now too we are keeping our eyes closed. For example, we now have expectations of the indirect negotiations slated to be launched this week between attorney Molcho and Saeb Erekat (who will not sit together in fact – US Envoy Mitchell will be the mediator between them.)

However, before the local elections in the West Bank, nothing will come out of these contacts.

The Palestinians enter these talks in the aims of discussing the core issues, so that they can showcase them in four months, ahead of the elections. Israel views these talks merely as a stage en route to direct talks which will be launched – according to Mitchell's plan – in four months. Meanwhile, the Americans want to end these talks with at least a declaration on final-status borders.

What we have here are three parallel lines that do not meet; certainly not at this time.

Moreover, the PA cannot show up at the July 17 elections with a record of concessions on the national front. The opposite is true. It has a clear interest in creating a crisis in order to prompt a warm public embrace and reach the elections with an image of national strength, clear of any indication of "collaboration."

Israel is een prima vakantieland

"Is vakantie oorlog?" vroeg Jos van Noord afgelopen week in de Telegraaf, en gaf bij monde van twee vrouwen vervolgens flink af op de onbeschofte behandeling die de reiziger zou wachten op Ben Gurion Airport in Israël.

Zie ook ons eigen Reisverslag Israël.

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Israel is een prima vakantieland

Volgens Jos van Noord worden toeristen in Israel schandalig behandeld en moeten mensen met vakantieplannen voor dit land daarom van tevoren worden gewaarschuwd door het ministerie van buitenlandse zaken over wat ze daar te wachten staat. Onder het mom van veiligheid zouden 'kauwgomkauwende snotneuzen met spiegelzonnebrillen' de welwillende toerist aan een eindeloze reeks vernederingen onderwerpen. Dit alles lijkt voornamelijk gebaseerd op de ervaringen van twee vrouwen. In één moeite door prijst Van Noord Dries van Agts boek over 'het geroofde land' en komt met het cliché dat Israel lak heeft aan iedereen.

Mijn ervaringen zijn heel anders. Ja, je wordt grondig gecontroleerd, vooral bij vertrek (bij aankomst sta je ca. een half uur in de rij om je paspoort te laten zien en na twee vragen te beantwoorden over wat je in Israel gaat doen sta je buiten). Voor een land dat met zoveel terrorisme te maken heeft niet extreem lijkt me zo. Bij vertrek wordt je bagage grondig gecontroleerd, en vraagt men waar je bent geweest. De controles zijn hinderlijk, vooral als er rijen staan en vooral nadat je voor de vijfde keer je handbagage of paspoort moet laten zien. De medewerkers zijn correct en professioneel. Ik heb nooit enige vernedering ervaren.

Over de behandeling in veel landen valt te klagen, vooral als je ernaar op zoek gaat. Het is opvallend dat in een column die suggereert in het algemeen over controles in vakantielanden te gaan, Israel er weer uit wordt gepikt. Al die Arabische staten, waar je douanebeambten wat toe moet steken voordat je door kunt (lees het na bij Joris Luyendijks 'Het zijn net mensen'), al die landen waarvoor je eerst (voor veel geld) een visum aan moet vragen en dat vervolgens in Den Haag moet afhalen (waaronder Iran) laten we buiten beschouwing. Alle aandacht gaat naar Israel dat een ware hel zou zijn.

Na vier keer in Israel te zijn geweest kan ik het iedereen aanraden. Israel is, meer nog dan Nederland, een smeltkroes van culturen waar het bruist van het leven. Waar de oproep tot gebed tot op het strand is te horen, waar Arabische families in het park barbecueën tussen voetballende jongeren, waar tussen duizenden jaren oude ruines en gebouwen een van de modernste hightech centra ter wereld is verrezen. Kortom: een land van tegenstellingen, van uitersten en waar niets is wat het lijkt.

Ratna Pelle

Saoedische minister van BuZa legt het nieuwe Midden-Oosten uit

Het Midden-Oosten omvat meer dan het Israelisch-Arabische conflict, en oplossing daarvan is dan ook niet de sleutel tot oplossing van alle problemen. De Arabische staten van hun kant hebben meer aan hun hoofd dan een mini Joods staatje en de bezetting van een gebied ter grootte van Gelderland. Een Iraans kernwapen bijvoorbeeld.

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The Saudi Foreign Minister Explains the New Middle East

http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2010/03/saudi-foreign-minister-explains-new.html
By Barry Rubin

Here's today's evidence that we are now living in Middle East 2.0 instead of the old version.

First, a definition:

Middle East 1.0: Characterized by Arab nationalist domination, competition among the strongerArab states to lead the region and by the weaker ones trying to survive those campaigns. Arab-Israeli conflict is a real enterprise. Roughly 1952-2000 or so. International aspect: Cold War competition between the United States and USSR and, near the end, US as sole superpower.

Middle East 2.0: Characterized by a battle between Arab nationalist regimes and revolutionary Islamists. An Iran-led bloc (Syria, Hamas, Hizballah, Iraqi insurgents) seeking regional hegemony. Israel and most Arab states have parallel interests; Arab states (except for Syria) put low priority on conflict. International aspect: Will the West support the moderates or appease the radicals.

The latest occasion is an interview of Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister with Maureen Dowd of the New York Times. Of course, there are the usual rhetorical flourishes about Israel but the passion and focus is clearly on Iran and various Islamist terrorists. ("There is nothing wrong with keeping the terrorists on the run," says the prince.)

This is the same man who told Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that sanctions would be too slow in stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons and the United States better do something quick. Here he says he prefers a resolution through the UN but it isn't clear what that means.

It's funny that in the West the region is being discussed, written about, and taught as if we were back in the 1970s. There is a particular obsession with the idea that everything is about the Arab-Israeli conflict. But if the Saudis talk like this publicly (you can imagine what they say privately) it's a sign of how changed everything is in Middle East 2.0's world.

Read this carefully. The prince says:

"There are no troops arrayed on the border of Israel waiting for the moment to say, 'Attack Israel. Nobody is going to fight them and threaten their peace. But they didn't accept that. So it makes one wonder, what does Israel want?"

Now you can take this as propaganda, and of course Israel does have a lot to worry about: Iran, Syria, Hamas, Hizballah, Arab countries being overthrown by Islamist warmongers, nuclear weapons, terrorism, and agreeing to a Palestinian state that then begins phase two of an effort to destroy Israel. It also needs agreement that any peace treaty permanently end the conflict, that Palestinian refugee be resettled in Palestine, that a Palestinian state is really going to block cross-border raids, and that foeign armies (notably those of Iran and Syria) aren't going to enter the West Bank.

Even Dowd, not known as being sympathetic to Israel, understand some of this and makes the remarkable statement: "If anyone deserves to be paranoid, of course, it's Israel. But Israel can't be paranoid because paranoia is the mistaken perception that people are out to get you."

But Faisal isn't just trying to score points. He is trying to get across the point that Saudi Arabia's government doesn't want a war with Israel and prefer the conflict to go away. It can't and won't make a formal peace but the Saudis certainly don't think the way they did decades ago.

And when Faisal talks about "no troops arrayed on the border....Nobody is going to fight them and threaten their peace," how does that look if one subtitutes Saudi Arabia for Israel? The Saudis and other Gulf Arab states (along with Lebanon and Iraq) are now on the front line and under threat more than Israel is right now. Faisal know it and so should we all.

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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. To read and subscribe to MERIA, GLORIA articles, or to order books. To see or subscribe to his blog, Rubin Reports.

De constante leugens van Stop de Bezetting

Ik heb zelf al vaker geblogd over de leugens van Stop de Bezetting, en er is ook een nieuwe blog die zich daarop toelegt van Mike Bing. Israned doet ook een duit in het zakje. Overigens worden de leugens van Stop de Bezetting met geld van de overheid gefinancierd, daar zij geld krijgt van Oxfam Novib en United Civilians for Peace.

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De constante leugens van Stop de Bezetting

http://www.israned.com/2010/03/de-constante-leugens-van-stop-de.html

Binnenkort ook op Israned te bewonderen: Blogwatch
Weer een ~~prachtig~~ voorbeeld op SDB in dit artikel geschreven door Paul Lamp. Wat zegt Paul precies in dat stukje? Laten we dit eens zin voor zin uiteenrafelen.

"Dat het AD zoals de meeste kranten geen enkel begrip kan opbrengen voor het in haar moederland – Palestina – al bijna uitgeroeide Palestijnse volk...."

Het "Bijna uitgeroeide Palestijnse volk" suggereert dat er honderdduizenden Palestijnen over de kling gejaagd zijn de afgelopen 60 jaar. Is dat zo?
In 1850 leefden er zo'n 350000 mensen in het gebied wat nu beslagen wordt door Israel, de Westelijke Jordaanoever en Gaza, waarvan zo'n 336000 christenen en moslims, in 1900 was dat 576000, in 1914 was dat 638000.
Wat gebeurde er sinds die tijd?
In 1948 waren dat er 1.3 millioen geworden. De laatste telling geeft aan dat er in dit zelfde gebied 4.6 millioen palestijnen wonen, waarvan 1.3 millioen binnen de grenzen van 1967 als Israelisch burger en 3.3 millioen in Gaza en de Westelijke Jordaanoever. (Bron: Engelstalige Wikipedia, hier)

Uitgeroeid? Nah, het tegenovergestelde is eerder waar; er is nog nooit in de geschiedenis een periode geweest waarin de niet-Joodse bevolking van het voormalige Mandaatgebied Palestina zo gegroeid is als in de afgelopen 60 jaar. Het is dus gewoon leugenachtige stemmingmakerij die nog eenvoudig te weerleggen is ook.

"...ten koste van een vreemd Westers volk..."

Volgens Paul zijn de Joden dus een vreemd volk en nog Westers ook. Met die vaststelling gaat Paul voorbij aan het feit dat meer dan 50% van de joodse bevolking in Israel haar wortels heeft in Oosterse, veelal Arabische, landen als Marokko, Jemen, Irak etc.

"dat eigendom claimt op een gebied dat het al 2000 jaar geleden om doorgaans economische redenen in de steek heeft gelaten..."

Dus Paul gelooft dat de Joden in het begin van onze jaartelling gewoon een soort economische asielzoekers waren en ontkent het bestaan van de Romeinen, de oorlogen in de eerste paar eeuwen van de jaartelling en de schade aangericht door de kruisvaarders zo'n duizend jaar later.

Bovendien stelt Paul hier vast dat de Joden het gebied in de steek lieten. Nochthans hebben er sinds het begin van onze jaartelling altijd Joden in het huidige Israel en de Westelijke Jordaanoever gewoond. Er zijn zelfs tijden geweest dat ze in sommige steden de meerderheid vormden en dat geldt zelfs voor steden die heden ten dage in Palestijns gebied liggen zoals Hebron.

De rest van Pauls verhaal is slechts een poging de afschuwelijke en antisemitische uitspraken van Gretta Duisenberg te ontkennen en hij verdenkt het AD bovendien van boze opzet. Dat mag hij natuurlijk, maar erg slim zit het niet in elkaar.

dinsdag 9 maart 2010

Israel geeft groen licht voor nieuwe apartementen in nederzetting Beitar Illit

Dit is natuurlijk geen fraai gebaar aan het begin van de indirecte onderhandelingen die binnenkort zullen starten, maar dat geldt ook voor de verering van terroristen door de Palestijnse Autoriteit, het verspreiden van leugens en het aanzetten tot rellen van de bevolking. Beide partijen doen niet erg hun best de ander ook maar enig vertrouwen te geven, en zo de kans dat de onderhandelingen enig resultaat zullen hebben, te vergroten. Het is dus waarschijnlijk een zoveelste zinloze onderneming, erop gericht de schijn op te houden naar de geldgevers in Washington en Brussel, dat men iets doet. Ondertussen gaan beide partijen door met waar ze goed in zijn: nederzettingen bouwen van Israels kant, en leugens verspreiden en geweld verheerlijken door de Palestijnen. Netanjahoe en Abbas lijken elkaar wel te hebben verdiend.

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The Jerusalem Post
Israel OKs new settlement work
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
08/03/2010 11:39

Ministry of Defense allows construction in Beitar Illit for safety issues.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=170463

Israel authorized the construction of 112 new apartments in the West Bank despite a pledge to slowdown settlement building, the government disclosed Monday - a decision that enraged the Palestinians a day after they reluctantly agreed to resume peace talks.

Word of the new construction in Beitar Illit came amid a flurry of activity by the US to try to salvage peacemaking.

US Vice President Joseph Biden is due to land later Monday on the highest-level visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories by an Obama administration official. Washington's special envoy to the Mideast, George Mitchell, is also meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Jewish construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem is a particularly sore point with the Palestinians because it challenges their claims to lands they want for a future state.

Under heavy US pressure, Israel agreed in November to restrict building in the West Bank to some 3,000 apartments whose construction was already underway. But it rejected any curbs in east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want for their future capital.

The government said at the time that exceptions to the slowdown could be allowed, and on Monday, the Ministry of Defense said an exception was made in the case of the ultra-Orthodox Beitar Illit because of what it termed safety issues.

On Sunday, Palestinian leaders agreed to hold US-brokered peace talks with Israel for four months, ending a 14-month breakdown. In so doing, they backed off from a demand that Israel freeze all building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem before they would return to the negotiating table.

On Monday, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Israel of trying to undermine the talks even before they began.

"If the Israeli government wants to sabotage Mitchell's efforts by taking such steps, let's talk to Mitchell about maybe not doing this (indirect talks) if the price is so high," Erekat said.

Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now also questioned Israel's motives. "The Israeli government is welcoming the (US) vice president by demonstrating, to our regret, that it has no genuine intention to advance the peace process," said the group's settlement expert, Hagit Ofran.

Israel accepted the indirect talks last week. It is not clear when the talks will officially begin.

The Palestinians broke off the talks after Israel launched Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip in December 2008, aimed at stopping years of rocket attacks on Israeli towns.

Mensenrechtenraad en mensenrechtenaktivisten komen bijeen in Geneve - op verschillende lokaties

Terwijl de VN mensenrechtenraad binnenkort Iran als een van haar nieuwe leden zal verkiezen, kwamen afgelopen maandag in Geneve de echte strijders voor de mensenrechten bijeen, waaronder politieke dissidenten uit China, Iran en Birma, en een voormalige slaaf uit Soedan. Voor de verhalen van deze mensen is in de mensenrechtenraad geen ruimte, want ze zijn niet islamitisch en worden niet door Israel of het Westen onderdrukt.

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MARCH 7, 2010, 4:11 P.M. ET.
Friend and Faux on Human Rights

Iran bids to join the U.N.'s rights body.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703915204575104172684112434.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_AboveLEFTTop

Some of the world's most courageous champions of human rights will convene today, Monday, March 8, in Geneva, seat of the United Nations's Human Rights Council. But don't expect the Council itself to welcome these distinguished visitors.

The Geneva Summit -- organized by groups such as U.N. Watch and Freedom House, and chaired by Poland's Lech Walesa and the Czech Republic's Vaclav Havel -- will bring together political dissidents from China, Iran and Burma, rights activists for the Tibetan and Uighur peoples, a survivor of the North Korean gulag, plus a former Sudanese slave named Simon Deng who plans to speak about "the gross human-rights abuses by radical jihadists and the Islamic government in Khartoum."

As for the U.N. Council's meeting, the main drama (apart from the ritual Israel-bashing) will be Iran's bid to get elected later this spring as a member. Among its presumptive qualifications, says Iran's foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki, is that last June's elections were "an exemplary exhibition of democracy and freedom." Other contenders vying for election include the Maldives, which bans the public practice of all religions save Sunni Islam; and Malaysia, whose judiciary is currently prosecuting opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on dubious charges of sodomy.

The U.S. also has a seat on the Council. A year ago, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised that by joining the Council -- the Bush Administration had refused -- the U.S. "will engage in the work of improving the U.N. human rights system." Whatever they're doing, it doesn't seem to be working.

In 1975, Daniel Patrick Moynihan wrote that it was time "that the American spokesman came to be feared in international forums for the truths he might tell." In Geneva today, the real truth tellers will be meeting down the block from the Council's chambers. It would be nice to see the U.S. ambassador show up.

To follow the Geneva Summit tomorrow via live webcast, blog posts and twitter, visit www.genevasummit.org.

Opperrabbijn Erdogan doet uitspraak over Joodse heilige plaatsen

De Turkse premier Erdogan schurkt verder aan tegen zijn Palestijnse 'moslim broeders', en verklaart dat de Joodse heilige plaatsen nooit Joods zouden zijn geweest. Een gotspe! Typisch geval van ruzie zoeken?

Wouter

__________________

The Jerusalem Post
'Rachel's Tomb was never Jewish'
By JPOST.COM STAFF
07/03/2010 12:47

Speaking to Saudi paper, Turkish PM criticizes Israel's Heritage List.

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=170394

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday continued his assault on Israel, according to Saudi paper Al Wattan, which quoted him as saying that that al Aksa Mosque, the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb "were not and never will be Jewish sites, but Islamic sites."

Speaking to Palestinian journalists, Erdogan reportedly said "Palestine [was] always at the top of Turkey's priorities." He expressed his support for the renewal of indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Donning a cloak of pan-Islamic identity, Erdogan told Al Wattan that he "loves my brothers in Fatah and my brothers in Hamas to the same degree, because they are my Muslim brothers and I cannot distinguish between them."

Erdogan's sticking of his nose in the recent Palestinian rancor over Israel's declaration that the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb will be part of a list of sites slated for preservation is the latest in a seemingly calculated series of moves based on Turkey's reassessment of a power-shift occurring in the Middle East. It was not clear why he mentioned the mosque, as Israel never declared it part of the list.

The significance of Israel's decision in itself is more symbolic than real, as it would mean little change on the ground.

Turkey's prime minister began criticizing Israel in the wake of Operation Cast Lead last year, and has been punctilious in voicing his opinion on Israel's actions on occasions where this might benefit Turkish diplomacy. In the recent past he sharply criticized Israel during press conferences with the Lebanese prime minister and earlier with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Turkey also recently distanced itself from the United States, withdrawing the ambassador from Washington after a congressional committee decided to label the killing of Armenians during World War I a genocide. In a sign of the tension between Israel and Turkey, Ankara did not seek the help of Jewish lobbies in Washington, and these groups, which usually advocated on behalf of Turkey, refrained this time from pressing Congress not to accept the resolution.

Israel zet PA onder druk om rellen te beëindigen

De Palestijnse Autoriteit beschuldigt Israel er regelmatig van zich niet aan de door beide partijen aanvaarde Routekaart voor Vrede te houden, maar schendt deze zelf ook op diverse manieren. Zo wordt aanstaande donderdag een plein dat is vernoemd naar de eerste vrouwelijke terroriste, Dalal Mughrabi, ingewijd. Zij leidde een buskaping waarbij alle 37 inzittenden werden gedood, waaronder 12 kinderen. Ook hitst de PA in de door haar gecontroleerde media de Palestijnen op tegen Israel, en verkondigt leugens als dat er nooit een Joodse tempel is geweest en de Joden van de Khazaren afstammen. Bovendien speelt de PA, net als bij de uitbraak van de tweede intifada in 2000, een hoofdrol in de 'spontane' demonstraties en ongeregeldheden van de afgelopen weken. In de ene hand een olijftak, in de andere een steen, zo commentarieerde Haaretz gisteren al terecht.

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PA source: Israel told us, 'fight violence or we will'
By Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel

Haaretz 8 March 2010
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1154846.html

Israel has conveyed messages to the Palestinian Authority over the past few days that it must contain the popular protests that have recently erupted in the West Bank, stop PA officials from participating in them and keep them from turning violent, Palestinian sources told Haaretz.

They said Israel also told the PA it must reduce incitement regarding the Temple Mount and Jerusalem and curtail its campaign against the use of Israeli products.

Israeli officials said that if the PA does not cut down on the incitement and keep the protests and boycott campaign in check, Israel will reduce cooperation with the PA and increase its arrests in Palestinian-controlled areas, the Palestinian sources said.

Over the past few months, arrests by Israel in PA areas have declined, and the Israel Defense Forces has been limiting the entry of troops into those areas.

The messages to the PA were delivered during several conversations between senior Israeli security officials and their Palestinian counterparts, as well as by political figures. The Palestinian sources said Shin Bet security service chief Yuval Diskin had discussed the matter with the PA official responsible for civil matters in the West Bank, Hussein al-Sheikh.

The PA has sponsored several rallies in the villages of Bil'in and Na'alin, west of Ramallah, some of which have been attended by PA officials. In recent weeks, the PA has also backed protests in the village of Nebi Salah, north of Ramallah, and in Umm Salamuna in the Bethlehem region. Palestine Liberation Organization officials are prominently involved in clashes in the Jerusalem area and have come out against what the PA describes as the Judaization of Jerusalem.

In addition, PA President Mahmoud Abbas has spoken out sharply against the inclusion of Hebron's Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb, near Bethlehem, in a list of Jewish heritage sites.

The PA has so far done nothing to curtail the protests and as of Sunday, had conveyed no message to its grassroots activists to maintain a lower profile at upcoming rallies.

Sources in the Israeli security establishment say they sense that the PA is taking an active part in organizing popular protests in the West Bank. Security sources say that at this point a third intifada does not appear imminent. However, the sources say, the PA could lose control if it gives the protesters too much leeway.

Mitchell to meet Abbas on Monday

The PLO executive committee on Sunday announced its support for indirect talks with Israel on a final-status agreement, mediated by U.S. special envoy George Mitchell, for a four-month period.

Mitchell is to meet in Ramallah on Monday with Abbas and the chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat.

On Tuesday, Mitchell will meet with Abbas and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.

Palestinians are pessimistic about the chances for the success of renewed talks in light of Israel's harsh stands on several issues.

Posted by Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel on March 8, 2010

maandag 8 maart 2010

Arafat was laatste (kleine) kans op vrede volgens Rabin

Rabin vertrouwde hem voor geen meter, en waarschijnlijk terecht, maar de opkomst van het islamitisch fundamentalisme noopte Rabin om toch met Arafat een vredesproces in te gaan. Als immers de religieuze extremisten de overhand krijgen is er geen kans meer op vrede. Was Oslo dan mede aan Hamas te danken?

Wouter

______________

Rabin thought peace with Arafat was only a 'long shot'
By DAVID HOROVITZ
05/03/2010 05:38
http://www.jpost.com/ArtsAndCulture/Books/Article.aspx?ID=170285

New Yehuda Avner book includes PM's verbatim explanation of Oslo, 2 days before assassination.

Yitzhak Rabin considered the likelihood of reaching a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with Yasser Arafat to be only "a long shot." But he attempted it, reluctantly, via the Oslo process, because he recognized that Muslim fundamentalists were gradually winning over the hearts and minds of the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza, and that their domination would mean "the certainty of no settlement at all."

That was the explanation offered by Rabin on Wednesday, November 1, three days before he was assassinated, to Yehuda Avner, his long-time English speechwriter and friend, when Avner met with Rabin in his Jerusalem office ahead of a planned return to the prime minister's employ. "It is either the PLO or nothing," Rabin said.

Avner, who worked with prime ministers Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, notably Menachem Begin and, briefly, Shimon Peres, had already worked with Rabin during his first prime ministerial term in the 1970s, and prior to that when Rabin was Israeli ambassador in Washington. As the veteran diplomat, today 81, explains in a new book, he had just completed an ambassadorship to Australia in late 1995 and had been invited by Rabin to rejoin his team.

"I met him at his Jerusalem office on Wednesday, 1 November," Avner writes in The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership, which is being published this month by Toby Press. "My first question was, 'Why did you shake Yasser Arafat's hand?'"

Rabin, in Avner's account, gave a considered and detailed explanation, which is published here for the first time. It offers a unique insight into Rabin's thinking and motivations immediately prior to his assassination, and underlines how profoundly Rabin recognized the escalating threat posed by Iranian-spearheaded Islamic fundamentalism to the stability of the region and to the prospects of viable compromise with the Palestinians.

It also makes telling reading on the eve of new "proximity talks" between Israel and the Palestinians, and at a time when Iran's growing influence in the region, its threats against Israel and its pursuit of a nuclear weapon are regarded by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu as an existential challenge to the Jewish state.

Like much of Avner's book, a narrative woven from his decades at the sides of a succession of prime ministers at some of Israel's most fateful moments, the conversation is reconstructed from precise notes that he took at the time.

"Number one," he recounts Rabin as saying, "Israel is surrounded by two concentric circles. The inner circle is comprised of our immediate neighbors – Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon and, by extension, Saudi Arabia. The outer circle comprises their neighbors – Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Libya. Virtually all of them are rogue states, and some are going nuclear.

"Number two," the prime minister went on, "Iranian-inspired Islamic fundamentalism constitutes a threat to the inner circle no less than it does to Israel. Islamic fundamentalism is striving to destabilize the Gulf Emirates, has already created havoc in Syria, leaving twenty thousand dead, in Algeria, leaving one hundred thousand dead, in Egypt, leaving twenty-two thousand dead, in Jordan, leaving eight thousand dead, in the Horn of Africa – the Sudan and Somalia – leaving fourteen thousand dead, and in Yemen, leaving twelve thousand dead. And now it is gaining influence in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

"Iran is the banker," Rabin pointed out, "pouring millions into the West Bank and Gaza in the form of social welfare and health and education programs, so that it can win the hearts of the population and feed religious fanaticism.

"Thus," he continued to Avner, "a confluence of interest has arisen between Israel and the inner circle, whose long-term strategic interest is the same as ours: to lessen the destabilizing consequences from the outer circle. At the end of the day, the inner circle recognizes they have less to fear from Israel than from their Muslim neighbors, not least from radicalized Islamic powers going nuclear."

Next, Rabin came to the thinking at the heart of his decision to pursue the Oslo process: The Israel-Arab conflict, he said, "was always considered to be a political one: a conflict between Arabs and Israelis. The fundamentalists are doing their level best to turn it into a religious conflict – Muslim against Jew, Islam against Judaism. And while a political conflict is possible to solve through negotiation and compromise, there are no solutions to a theological conflict. Then it is jihad – religious war: their God against our God. Were they to win, our conflict would go from war to war, and from stalemate to stalemate.

"And that, essentially," the prime minister summed up to his longtime adviser, "is why I agreed to Oslo and shook hands, albeit reluctantly, with Yasser Arafat. He and his PLO represent the last vestige of secular Palestinian nationalism. We have nobody else to deal with. It is either the PLO or nothing. It is a long shot for a possible settlement, or the certainty of no settlement at all at a time when the radicals are going nuclear."

Avner, who presents this episode as an "Endnote" in his book, concludes by writing: "I made full notes of these words, and I had a lot to chew over. Rabin instructed his chief aide, Eitan Haber, to arrange for a second meeting the following Sunday 5 November – but it never took place. The evening before, as Yitzhak Rabin was leaving a Tel Aviv peace rally, he was murdered by a Jewish nationalist zealot."

Officiële onthulling Mughrabi Plein in Ramallah

Aanstaande donderdag wordt het plein in Ramallah dat is vernoemd naar de terroriste Dalal Mughrabi officieel 'geopend'. Zij leidde een buskaping in 1978 waarbij 37 Israeli's omkwamen, waarvan 12 kinderen. Volgens de burgemeester van de stad is zij een held en een voorbeeld van een martelaar die de bezetting bestreed.

The mayor, Jamal Al-Tawil, said that... this year the municipality will celebrate the inauguration of the Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi Square in order to commemorate her memory and her sacrifice as a Palestinian woman who resisted the occupation. City Council member Aida Abu-Ubeid said that the square is considered a symbol of the sacrifice of the Palestinian woman. She also noted that flowers and trees will be planted there, and that a picture of the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi will be placed at the center of the square."

Zolang de Palestijnse Autoriteit dit soort mensen als voorbeeld stelt, en niet de mensen die hun nek uitsteken voor vrede, zal er geen vrede komen. De EU en de VS, de financiers van de PA, dienen deze hier hard op aan te spreken en verdere financiering afhankelijk te maken van een einde aan het verheerlijken van geweld.

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PMW Bulletin - March 7, 2010

Click here to view PMW's new web site

PA to name square for murderer of 37
on anniversary of her attack

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=1715

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Another chapter is unfolding in the ongoing confrontation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority over the naming of a square after the terrorist Dalal Mughrabi. In December, Palestinian Media Watch publicized that the Municipality of Ramallah planned to name a public square in honor of the terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, who led the worst terror attack in Israel's history when she and other terrorists hijacked a bus and murdered 37 civilians in 1978. Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately protested to the US and sharply criticized the PA for its intention to name the square in Ramallah "after a terrorist who killed dozens of Israelis."

The official PA daily newspaper reports today that the PA has chosen to ignore PM Netanyahu's criticism and protests to the US. Not only does it still intend to name the square after the terrorist, but the date chosen for the inaugural ceremony is this Thursday, March 11, the 32nd anniversary of the terror attack.

Since PMW's exposure of the story, PA leaders have repeatedly rejected PM Netanyahu's criticism while defending the practice of honoring murderers, whom they honor as Martyrs (Shahids). PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas also referred to the terror attack as "military activities."

See the timeline of the ongoing dispute below.

After PMW's exposure of the PA's naming of the square in December, Israeli PM Netanyahu protested and condemned the intention:

[Israeli News Channel 2, Jan. 7, 2010]

"Whoever sponsors and supports naming a square in Ramallah in honor of a terrorist who murdered dozens of Israelis on the Coastal Road - encourages terror."

[Galei Zahal, (IDF radio), Jan. 10, 2010]

Today the official PA daily reports that the Municipality is continuing with this Thursday's inauguration:

Headline: "Preparations for inauguration of Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi Square complete"
"The El-Bireh Municipality has completed construction work at the Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi Square in the Um Al-Sharait region, and has commenced preparations for its inauguration this Thursday, the anniversary of Mughrabi's Martyrdom. The mayor, Jamal Al-Tawil, said that... this year the municipality will celebrate the inauguration of the Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi Square in order to commemorate her memory and her sacrifice as a Palestinian woman who resisted the occupation. City Council member Aida Abu-Ubeid said that the square is considered a symbol of the sacrifice of the Palestinian woman. She also noted that flowers and trees will be planted there, and that a picture of the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi will be placed at the center of the square."

[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 7, 2010]

There has been no public comment from the Obama administration about the PA's honoring of the terrorist.

Timeline on Dalal Mughrabi Square debate:

Dec. 31, 2009: PMW releases story of PA's intention to name square after Mughrabi

Click to view PMW's release of PA's naming of square after terrorist.

Jan. 7, 2010: PM Netanyahu protests PA's honoring Mughrabi to the US

[Israeli News Channel 2]

Jan. 10: PM Netanyahu opens cabinet meeting with criticism of PA's honoring Mughrabi

"Whoever sponsors and supports naming a square in Ramallah in honor of a terrorist who murdered dozens of Israelis on the Coastal Road - encourages terror."

[Galei Zahal, (IDF radio), Jan. 10, 2010]

Jan. 11: PA Minister of Culture, Siham Barghouti, rejects Netanyahu's protest

"Honoring them this way [by naming places after Martyrs] is the least we can give them, and this is our right."

[Al-Ayyam, Jan. 11, 2010]

Jan. 17: PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas rejects Netanyahu's protest

[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 17, 2010]

Feb. 3: Ashraf Ajrami, former PA Minister of Prisoners' Affairs, defends naming

[Al-Ayyam, Feb. 3, 2010]

Feb. 25: Mahmoud Al-Aloul, General Commissioner for Recruitment and Organization, emphasizes importance of naming

[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Feb. 25, 2010]

Today, March 7: PA daily announces Thursday's inauguration of square

[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 7, 2010]

PMW | King George 59 | Jerusalem | Israel

Palestijnse Autoriteit houdt olijftak en steen in hand

Het is, zoals Avi Issacharoff correct opmerkt, een beproefde methode van de Palestijnse Autoriteit en hij werkt nog steeds. Van een strateeg als Netanjahoe zou je verwachten dat die daar een beter antwoord op heeft, maar dat is misschien makkelijk gezegd: Hij heeft te maken met Lieberman op buitenlandse zaken, een rechts-nationalistisch kamp dat z'n eisen stelt en een ontigelijk negatieve en onfaire internationale pers. Iets in die combinatie doet hem de das om.

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PA holds olive branch in one hand, stone in the other
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1154450.html

Talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority will restart this week under almost ideal circumstances for the Palestinians.

Dozens were hurt on both sides Friday in disturbances at Jerusalem's Temple Mount, clashes which soon spread into the Old City's Muslim Quarter and to several East Jerusalem neighborhoods. Rallies were also held against the West Bank separation fence in Bil'in and Na'alin. For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if the Al-Aqsa Mosque was again becoming a casus belli.

But as the hours passed, tempers cooled - in part due to Israeli police's policy of restraint, at least in Jerusalem. That no one was killed Friday on the Temple Mount allowed quiet to return to the Old City's streets by evening.

Holding talks on a final-status agreement while allowing a limited, grassroots mini-intifada to unfold earns the PA a crucial advantage in international opinion - which tends to view the clashes as a manifestation of Israeli, rather than Palestinian, provocation.

To the rest of the world, Friday's clashes appear to be spontaneous, nonviolent events in which most of the injured were Palestinian. As such, the PA returns to the role of David facing down Israel's Goliath, shedding the "terrorist" label with which it was tagged during the second intifada.

Ramallah is now waging an old-new policy: wielding an olive branch in one hand and in the other, a stone. Meanwhile, Israel continues to perpetuate its negative image abroad - designating the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb as national heritage sites, allowing Jews to settle in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah, continuing settlement building, and tolerating the muscle-flexing of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

One of the first to respond to this series of events was Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who exhorted the United States to stop Israeli adventurism lest it ignite a regional religious war.

Abbas' conduct underscores the unwillingness of the PA to distance itself from "grassroots" rallies that stir up fears of a third intifada - demonstrations to which Fatah and PA leaders give their full support.

And still, a few caveats.

First, such supposedly grassroots clashes are, for now, limited in scope. But if any Palestinians or Israelis are killed, they could quickly escalate into armed confrontations.

Second, though negotiations are getting underway, Israel refuses to grant the Palestinians' wishes and vice versa. The Netanyahu government will not accede to a full withdrawal from the West Bank or 1-to-1 territorial exchanges. The PA will not agree to less than these, particularly when core issues like Jerusalem and refugees are not even on the negotiating table.

Another failed round of talks is liable to end in a round of violence, one far more painful than that seen on Friday.

Iran bouwt grote lanceerinstallatie voor (atoom)raketten

Als Iran slechts uit was op kernenergie, waarom zou het dan raketsystemen ontwikkelen en testen die juist bedoeld zijn om kernkoppen mee te lanceren? Dit is het zoveelste project dat pas zin heeft in combinatie met een kernwapen. De samenwerking met Noord-Korea zou daarnaast ook zeer te denken moeten geven.

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Iran building massive rocket launcher

Meet the Iranian nuclear weapon delivery system. One by one, the pieces fall into place, but nobody outside Israel seems interested in stopping Iran's nuclear project.

Ami Isseroff

================

'Iran developing massive launch site'

By JPOST.COM STAFF
06/03/2010

North Korea reportedly assisting Teheran in building launch pad for new missile.

Iran is building a new rocket launch site with North Korean assistance, Israel Radio quoted IHS Jane's as reporting overnight Friday.

The new launcher, constructed near an existing rocket base in the Semnan province east of Teheran, is visible in satellite imagery, according to the report.

The defense intelligence group said the appearance of the launcher suggests assistance from North Korea, and that it may be intended to launch the Simorgh, a long-range Iranian-made missile unveiled in early February and officially intended to be used as a space-launch vehicle (SLV). SLV's can be converted to be used as long-range ballistic missiles for military purposes.

Both the missile and the launch pad, which according to Jane's is large enough to accommodate it, point to cooperation from Pyongyang.

Tal Inbar, head of the Space Research Center at the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies, said shortly after the unveiling of the Simorgh that the rocket is a worrisome development since the missile could one day be adapted into an ICBM, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

After analyzing images of the missile, Inbar said that it appeared to currently be powered by liquid fuel, but could one day be configured to work with a solid fuel propellant, a technology that the Iranians have already begun using in their Sajil ballistic missile, which has a range of around 2,500 km.

"This is a major technological breakthrough and could mean that the Iranians are on their way to obtaining an ICBM," he said.

Israel and other Western countries suspect that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.

In August 2009, President Shimon Peres told his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev during a visit to Moscow "The fact that Iran is investing billions of dollars in the development of long-range missiles, in parallel to its nuclear project, is clear indication of its intent."
The president said there would be no point for any country to develop missiles capable of reaching targets so far and then loading them with conventional warheads.

Evoking Holocaust imagery during the meeting with Medvedev, Peres likened an Iranian nuclear bomb to a "flying death camp."

Yaakov Katz contributed to this report

Hooggerechtshof Israel moet bepalen of er een 'Israelische natie' is

Israel worstelt al vanaf haar ontstaan met de relatie tussen Jodendom en nationaliteit. Aangezien Jodendom zowel een religie als een etniciteit is en volgens sommigen ook een natie, en Israel een Joodse staat wil zijn maar ook een staat voor al haar inwoners, is dit een nogal complexe zaak. Alle Israelische staatsburgers hebben de Israelische nationaliteit zou je zeggen, maar zo wordt dat niet geregistreerd. Er bestaat geen Israelische natie, en Joden worden als Joods, Arabieren als Arabisch en anderen als het land waar zij vandaan komen geregistreerd.

The Interior Ministry has compiled a list of more than 130 possible nationalities for Israeli citizens including Jewish, Arab, Druse, Circassian, Samarian, Hong Konger, German, Albanian and Lichtensteinian. "Israeli" is not on the list.

Hiertegen is verzet van een organisatie 'I Am Israeli', die het recht claimt van alle burgers om als Israeli geregistreerd te worden. Dit is hun motivatie:

"The right of every person to bear the nationality of their state is unchallengeable, since nationality expresses the legal relationship of that person to his state," wrote attorneys Yoella Har-Shefi and Yosef Ben-Menashe, who represented the appellants.

They also maintained that the Declaration of Independence distinguished between the "Jewish nation" in Israel and the "Jewish nation" in the Diaspora. The first was called upon to "establish the state and become like all other nations standing in its own right in its sovereign state." Diaspora Jews were called upon to emigrate to Israel and only then to participate in building the state. The implication was that it was incorrect to classify the nationality of Jewish Israeli citizens as "Jews."

Dat klinkt alleszins redelijk. Voordat mensen echter een oordeel vellen over een en ander en Israel van racisme beschuldigen, is het goed je eerst in de zaak te verdiepen. Niet bij ieder volk ligt een en ander zo eenduidig. Ook Arabieren zien zich overigens als zowel etniciteit als volk, en ook in veel andere landen wordt onderscheid gemaakt op grond van religie of etniciteit.

Lees ook Ami Isseroff (in 2006): Israel: Democracy or "State of all its citizens?"

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The Jerusalem Post
Supreme Court to decide if there is an 'Israeli nation'
By DAN IZENBERG
07/03/2010 03:06

21 appellants, including former MKs, want their ID card identities changed from Jewish or Arab to Israeli.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=170360

The Supreme Court is due to rule on an appeal by 21 Israelis, Jews and non-Jews, who are demanding that the Interior Ministry register all of them as belonging to the Israeli nation.

Since the establishment of the state in 1948, the nationality of Jewish citizens of Israel has been registered as "Jewish," that of Muslim and Christian-Arab citizens as "Arab," and those of non-Jews who immigrated to Israel and received citizenship as their country of origin.

The Interior Ministry has compiled a list of more than 130 possible nationalities for Israeli citizens including Jewish, Arab, Druse, Circassian, Samarian, Hong Konger, German, Albanian and Lichtensteinian. "Israeli" is not on the list.

Fifteen years ago, Uzi Ornan, now 87 and a former leader of the Canaanite movement, established an organization called "I Am Israeli" that demanded that any Israeli citizen who so desires should be entitled to register his nationality in the Population Registry as "Israeli."

Several members of the organization turned to the court, starting in 2003, asking it to order the Interior Ministry to change their nationality status after the ministry refused to do so.

The 21 appellants in the current case include Ornan, former MK and activist Uri Avnery, former Meretz party leader Shulamit Aloni, singer Alon Olearchik, playwright Yehoshua Sobol and Israeli-Arab Adel Kaadan, who in 2000 won a High Court petition to build a home in the overwhelmingly Jewish community of Katzir.

"Each person has many identities, including an ethnic identity," Ornan told The Jerusalem Post. "But it is not appropriate that his ethnic identity should be first and foremost."

In 2006, 21 members of the I Am Israeli movement filed a petition with the Jerusalem District Court for a declaratory order affirming that their nationality was Israeli. The order would have forced the Interior Ministry to register their nationality as such in the Population Registry.

Jerusalem District Court Judge Noam Sohlberg rejected the petition, accepting the state's argument that it was not justiciable. At the same time he added that "There is no such thing, from the point of view of the law, as an 'Israeli nation,' and the court must not create something out of nothing. It must not legislate rather than adjudicate."

But Sohlberg made it clear that it mattered to him that not only Jews, but Arabs, Druse and others were included in the appeal. This, he explained, was the reason for his ruling that the petition was unjusticiable, whereas the High Court had agreed to hear a similar petition filed in 1970 by a Jewish Israeli citizen.

"I don't think we can treat the two cases similarly," Sohlberg wrote. "In the present case, people of many different religions, cultures and nationalities, Jews, Arabs, Druse and others, have joined together. This was not true in the previous case, which involved only a Jew. It is not at all the same to recognize Israeli nationality for a Jew as it is for members of other nations."

The appellants maintained that the Israeli nation was established simultaneously with the establishment of the State of Israel.

"The right of every person to bear the nationality of their state is unchallengeable, since nationality expresses the legal relationship of that person to his state," wrote attorneys Yoella Har-Shefi and Yosef Ben-Menashe, who represented the appellants.

They also maintained that the Declaration of Independence distinguished between the "Jewish nation" in Israel and the "Jewish nation" in the Diaspora. The first was called upon to "establish the state and become like all other nations standing in its own right in its sovereign state." Diaspora Jews were called upon to emigrate to Israel and only then to participate in building the state. The implication was that it was incorrect to classify the nationality of Jewish Israeli citizens as "Jews."

In his decision, Sohlberg questioned the true motives of the appellants. Although they claimed to be asking for a technical and administrative change, he wrote, "one is led to believe that what they are really interested in is not population registry, which is hidden from the public eye, but a public declaration by the court and the recognition of the general public that an "Israeli nationality" has been created.

During the hearing of the appeal, the Supreme Court sharply rejected Sohlberg's ruling that the petition was unjusticiable. However, it also strongly indicated that it would reject the appeal.

"The nationality entry does not appear in Israeli identity cards," Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch pointed out. "The question is how important the Population Registry is. You are granting it exaggerated importance."

Justice Uzi Fogelman added: "The question is whether or not the court is the right place to solve this problem."

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Door EU gesubsidieerde NGO's werken mee aan "Israel Apartheid Week"

Een aantal sprekers tijdens de 'Israel Apartheid Weken' zijn van organisaties die door de EU en het New Israel Fund (dat zich tegen deze weken heeft uitgesproken) worden gesteund en gefinancierd. De EU zegt - net als overigens het NIF - dat het vrede en verzoening op basis van een tweestatenoplossing en te verkrijgen door onderhandelingen voorstaat, wat lijnrecht indruist tegen de delegitimatie van Israel tijdens de Apartheid weken. Deze weken zijn niet gericht op het vinden van een faire oplossing, maar vallen direct Israels bestaansrecht aan, door het gelijk te stellen met het vroegere Zuid-Afrikaanse bewind dat onder internationale druk is bezweken.

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http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article/israeli_apartheid_week_ngo_involvement

NGO Monitor
1 Ben Maimon Blvd.
Jerusalem, Israel 92262

mail@ngo.monitor.org
www.ngo-monitor.org

Promoting Accountability in the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Israeli Apartheid Week: NGO Connections and their EU/NIF Funders

Pro-Palestinian activists have organized events for "Israeli Apartheid Week" (IAW -- March 1-14) on college campuses and in major cities in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Since 2005, IAW has been a powerful forum for exploiting "apartheid" allegations to demonize and delegitimize Israel, and to advance the boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign. BDS is the core of the "Durban strategy," formulated at the NGO Forum of the UN's 2001 Durban Conference.

NGO Monitor's research reveals that many of the speakers listed for the 2010 events are officials of NGOs funded by European governments, including the European Commission and the New Israel Fund.

A representative of Adalah (funded by New Israel Fund and the European Union) is scheduled to speak at Al Quds University on "Apartheid as it is experienced by Palestinian citizens of Israel" (i.e. Israeli-Arabs).
Michael Warschawski and Shir Hever of Alternative Information Center (funded by Sweden, via Diakonia and Christian Aid) will appear in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Two IAW events will also be held in AIC's offices.
Sahar Francis of Addameer will speak about "Palestinian Political Prisoners" and Nidal al-Azza from Badil on "Refugees and Israel's Apartheid Regime" at Al Quds University.
A video from Breaking the Silence (funded by NIF, EU, UK, and other European sources), titled Israeli Soldiers talk about Hebron, will be screened in Connecticut.

See NGO Monitor's full report for more details.

VS neigen naar Palestijnse eisen aan raamwerk onderhandelingen

Als alles volgens plan verloopt beginnen deze week de indirecte onderhandelingen tussen Israel en de Palestijnse Autorititeit, met de Amerikaanse gezant George Mitchell als go-between. Volgens een intern bericht van het Israelische ministerie van buitenlandse zaken, hebben de besprekingen voor de VS geen hoge prioriteit. Ook zou de VS dichter bij de Palestijnse positie staan dan bij de Israelische. Israel zelf is niet optimistisch over de onderhandelingen, wellicht mede vanwege de positie van de VS.

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Last update - 14:03 07/03/2010
Secret Israeli report: U.S. cozying up to Palestinians
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1154530.html

The U.S. administration will not put a lot of effort into the upcoming indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, opting instead to focus on the November Congressional elections, according to an internal Foreign Ministry report that was distributed to Israeli diplomatic missions abroad.

The classified report claims that in the preparatory discussions for the Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks the Obama administration adopted positions that are closer to Palestinian demands.

"The recent American statements point to the adoption of wording in line, even if partially and cautiously, with Palestinian demands in regard to the framework and structure of negotiations," the report stated. "Still, the [U.S.] administration is making sure to avoid commenting on its position on core issues."

U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell arrived in Israel last night for what is expected to be a final series of talks before the official announcement of the resumption of talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, in an indirect format.

The proximity talks are to continue for four months. They will involve Mitchell going between Jerusalem and Ramallah, relaying messages and responses, or, alternatively, talks in either Washington or Europe.

Mitchell met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak last night and is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. Mitchel is slated to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Monday in hopes of announcing the resumption of talks immediately afterward, Monday night.

The Central Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization is expected to meet in Ramallah Sunday to confirm the Palestinians' return to negotiations.

A senior American official told Haaretz Saturday that the talks are expected to resume within days.

"We told the parties that our goal is to achieve two states for two peoples through negotiations," the U.S. official said. "If there are obstacles we will try to help to overcome them and to propose our own ideas, and if we think one of the parties is not meeting its obligations we will say so."

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is due to arrive in Israel Monday afternoon. The Obama administration hopes to be in a position to announce the resumption of talks before his arrival so that his visit can concentrate on U.S. relations with Israel and with the PA rather than on bridging the gap between Israel and the Palestinians.

Biden is expected to present the administration's broad vision of the peace process and to avoid focusing on the details of the conflict.

The report released recently by the Foreign Ministry's center for political research, which focuses on strategic foreign policy, is less optimistic about the chances for progress in the next round of peace talks. The document was delivered to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and to Israeli diplomatic missions abroad several days ago.

According to the report Washington is aware of the domestic political problems faced separately by both Netanyahu and Abbas and has decided to concentrate on achieving the limited goal of restarting the negotiations. The peace talks will not be at the top of the Obama administration's agenda, the report claims.

"In our assessment the administration will focus in the coming year on domestic issues that are expected to determine the results of the Congressional elections," the report's authors wrote. "As such, and due to the difficulties to date in achieving significant gains in the peace process we can assume that the administration's focus on this issue will be limited and will predominantly remain in the hands of Mitchell's teams."

According to the report, Washington can be expected to portray the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian talks as a domestic and international achievement, in the hope of creating an atmosphere that is conducive to direct negotiations between the parties on the core issues.

The authors of the report also predict that the administration will avoid taking any position that suggests disagreement with Israel, because of the support that Israel enjoys among both parties in Congress.

zondag 7 maart 2010

CIDI symposium veilig Israel in veilig Midden-Oosten

U bent welkom om aanstaande dinsdag en woensdag op deze pagina het CIDI symposium te volgen.

Voor het programma zie hieronder.

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CIDI-symposium: Een veilig Israel in een veilig Midden-Oosten

http://www.israned.com/2010/03/cidi-symposium-een-veilig-israel-in-een.html

CIDI organiseert 9 en 10 maart een internationaal symposium met als onderwerp: Een veilig Israel in een veilig Midden-Oosten. In het Vredespaleis. Het symposium is opgedragen aan vertrekkend bestuursvoorzitter John Manheim (zie het interview met Manheim in het NIW van deze week). Het programma is veelbelovend - de anti-Israellobby ergert zich al bij voorbaat groen -, met sprekers als minister Maxime Verhagen, VVD-leider Mark Rutte, minister Ernst Hirsch Balllin, Israels vice-premier Dan Meridor, prof. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer en ambassadeur van Israel Harry Kney-Tal. Op 9 maart om 17:00 uur is de welkomstspeech live te bekijken en het hele symposium zal live worden uitgezonden worden op 10 maart vanaf 10:00 uur. Nadere bijzonderheden over de uitzending volgen.

Internationaal Symposium

9-10 maart 2010

In het Vredespaleis, te Den Haag

inleiding / introduction
PROGRAMMA / PROGRAM

Bekijk het symposium live

INLEIDING

Veiligheid is een belangrijke voorwaarde voor een duurzame vrede in het Midden-Oosten. Dat geldt voor alle landen en volkeren in de regio, maar in het bijzonder voor Israel. Het land wordt nog steeds in zijn voortbestaan bedreigd door radicale organisaties en regiems. De Palestijnse kwestie is een open wond.

Om tot een oplossing van het Arabisch-Israelisch conflict te komen is het nodig de onveiligheid in het Midden-Oosten en het gevoel van onveiligheid te verminderen. Dat is ook van belang voor de harmonieuze verhoudingen tussen de bevolkingsgroepen in ons deel van de wereld.

Hoe maken we een eind aan de verbale agressie, de terreur- en oorlogsdreiging en de wapenwedloop in het Midden-Oosten? Kunnen we verhinderen dat onderdelen van het Arabisch-Israelisch conflict overslaan naar Europa en de VS? Zou een NATO lidmaatschap van Israel en/of een internationale troepenmacht de veiligheid in het Midden-Oosten kunnen vergroten? Valt de ontwikkeling van een Iraanse atoombom te stuiten?

De cruciale relatie tussen veiligheid en vrede zal het kernthema zijn van het internationale symposium, onder de titel "Een veilig Israel in een vreedzaam Midden-Oosten" dat CIDI op 9 en 10 maart 2010 in het Vredespaleis te Den Haag organiseert.

Het symposium is opgedragen aan John Manheim, die na 11 jaar zijn voorzitterschap van CIDI zal neerleggen.

Hij heeft zich al die jaren ingezet voor een Israel, dat in vrede en harmonie met zijn buren, in het bijzonder met een nog op te richten Palestijnse staat, zal leven.

PROGRAMMA

9 maart Receptie

17.00 -19.00 Welkom en toespraken van onder andere minister van Buitenlandse Zaken, Maxime Verhagen, VVD fractieleider Mark Rutte en ambassadeur van Israel, Harry Kney-Tal.

Afscheid van John Manheim als CIDI-voorzitter.

10 Maart Symposium

9.30 Registratie en koffie

10.15 -10.30 Opening door Onno Hoes, nieuwe voorzitter CIDI

10.30 -11.15 Prof. Ernst Hirsch Ballin, minister van Justitie

Het recht als barrière tegen de import van haat en geweld uit het Midden-Oosten.

11.15-11.40 Pauze

11.40- 12.25 Dan Meridor, vice-premier Israel, minister van Informatie en Atoomenergie

The nuclear threat of Iran.

12.25- 13.10 Prof. Irwin Cotler, parlementslid Canada, hoogleraar rechten aan de Harvard en Yale Universiteiten, oud-minister van Justitie van Canada

The Danger of a Nuclear, Genocidal, Rights-Violating Iran: The Responsibility to Prevent

13.10- 14.00 Lunch

14.00-14.45 Prof. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, hoogleraar internationale politiek Universiteit Leiden en oud-secretaris-generaal NAVO

De rol van de NAVO voor de veiligheid in het Midden-Oosten.

14.45- 15.40 Discussie:

Prof. Rob de Wijk, directeur Haags Centrum voor Strategische Studies

Danny Rothschild, directeur Institute for Policy and Strategy, Herzliya Israel

The relationship between security and peace.

15.40- 16.00 Pauze

16.00- 16.45 Paul Bremer III, oud-gouverneur van de VS in Irak, oud-ambassadeur van de

VS in Nederland

American guarantees for a peaceful Middle East.

16.45-17.00 Nawoord: Ronny Naftaniel, directeur CIDI

donderdag 11 maart 2010

woensdag 10 maart 2010

dinsdag 9 maart 2010

maandag 8 maart 2010

Israeli Apartheid Week: NGO Connections and their EU/NIF Funders

zondag 7 maart 2010

Internationaal Symposium

9-10 maart 2010

In het Vredespaleis, te Den Haag

Simultaan vertaling Engels-Nederlands en Nederlands-Engels aanwezig

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