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DAILY ALERT Monday,
March 9, 2009
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In-Depth Issues:
Diaspora Jews Learn in Israel How to Protect Community Institutions - Eli Bardenstein (Maariv-Hebrew)
Representatives of Jewish communities throughout the world are coming to Israel for courses in security to learn how to protect synagogues and schools, in the wake of a rise in anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews in many places.
Another course in public institution security concluded two weeks ago, attended by tens of representatives of Jewish communities.
A European Jewish official explained that the course did not involve self-defense or weapons training, but rather the internal security of institutions, checking identification papers, and learning about types of threats.
The principal problem is not with embassies or organizations such as the Jewish Agency and the JDC, which have advanced security systems, but with the smaller organizations.
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British Muslim Leader Urged Attack on Foreign Navies Seeking to Halt Gaza Arms Smuggling - Jamie Doward (Observer-UK)
Dr. Daud Abdullah, deputy director-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, is facing calls for his resignation after it emerged that he signed a public declaration in support of Hamas and military action.
He is accused of advocating attacks on the Royal Navy if it tries to stop arms for Hamas being smuggled into Gaza.
Abdullah also led the MCB's boycott of Holocaust Memorial Day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buenos Aires Bombing Investigator Kidnapped, Tortured (Jerusalem Post)
Argentinean Jewish community leaders were demanding an immediate probe Sunday into the kidnapping and torture of a senior investigator in the 1994 Iranian-Hizbullah bombing of the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires.
Claudio Lifschitz said masked attackers nabbed him at his home on Friday, threw him into the trunk of a van and violently interrogated him for several hours.
"They put a plastic bag over my head and with a blowtorch, they burnt the letters AMIA on my arm and my back," Lifschitz said.
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
Israel: Iran Using Nuclear Talks to Buy Time for Bomb
Iran is trying to use the talks with Western powers on its nuclear ambitions to buy time to produce an atomic bomb, Israel's military intelligence chief said on Sunday. "Iran has crossed the technological threshold. Reaching a military-grade nuclear capability is a question of synchronizing its strategy with the production of a nuclear bomb," Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin told cabinet ministers. "Iran continues to stockpile hundreds of kilograms of low-level enriched uranium and hopes to use the dialogue with the West to buy the time it requires in order to move towards an ability to manufacture a nuclear bomb," a senior official quoted Yadlin as saying. (AFP)
See also Military Intelligence: Iran Capable of Creating Nuclear Bomb - Roni Sofer
According to figures released by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has enriched 1,010 kilograms of low quality uranium. The amount of low quality enriched uranium needed for the creation of one nuclear bomb is 1,500 kilograms. (Ynet News)
Senior U.S. Envoys Hold Talks in Syria - Raed Rafei and Borzou Daragahi
The Obama administration dispatched two senior U.S. diplomats to meet top officials in Damascus on Saturday. Jeffrey Feltman, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, called discussions with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem "very constructive." (Los Angeles Times)
Iran, Hamas, Hizbullah and Syria Back Sudan's President Over Darfur
Officials from Iran, Hamas and Hizbullah joined Syria's parliament speaker and the leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad for talks in Khartoum on Friday to express support for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. The visit comes days after the International Criminal Court at The Hague issued a warrant for al-Bashir's arrest on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's Darfur region. Ali Larijani, Iran's parliament speaker, said the ICC arrest warrant is an "insult directed at Muslims." Meanwhile, the Khartoum government shut down 13 foreign and local aid agencies after accusing them of passing information to war crimes prosecutors. (Al-Jazeera-Qatar)
Protestors Riot at Sweden-Israel Tennis Match
More than 100 demonstrators clashed Saturday with Swedish police outside a sports arena in Malmo at a Davis Cup tennis match between Sweden and Israel. Youths clad in black, their faces covered with masks, threw bottles of paint, stones and firecrackers at police. (AFP)
See also Israel Beats Sweden 3-2 in Davis Cup and Advances to Quarterfinals (AP/Jerusalem Post)
Israel Closes Embassy in Mauritania - Isabel Kershner
Israel closed its embassy in Mauritania on Friday at Mauritania's request, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said. The military junta that took over Mauritania last summer is said to have been growing closer to Iran and Libya, countries hostile to Israel, after being refused assistance by the West. (New York Times)
Morocco Severs Relations with Iran - Alfred de Montesquiou
Morocco cut off diplomatic relations with Iran on Friday, accusing Tehran of trying to spread Shia Islam in this Sunni Arab kingdom. Morocco's Foreign Ministry accused Iran's Embassy in Rabat of trying to "alter the religious fundamentals of the kingdom" and threaten Morocco's religious unity. The Moroccan press has repeatedly accused the Iranian Embassy of proselytism in recent years. (AP)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
U.S. Warns It Won't Recognize PA Unity Government without PM Fayyad - Akiva Eldar and Avi Issacharoff
The U.S. will only recognize a future Palestinian unity government if Salem Fayyad is reappointed prime minister, according to a message relayed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to European and Arab leaders at last week's donor meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh. Fayyad announced his resignation over the weekend, but Palestinian sources believe that the American threat, which is likely to be backed by the EU and Egypt, will lead to Hamas changing its opposition to Fayyad, enabling him to rescind his resignation. Support for the U.S.-educated Fayyad, a former senior staffer at the World Bank, translated into massive amounts of foreign aid for the Palestinians. (Ha'aretz)
See also Hamas: PA Unity Government Would Not Recognize Israel
Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar told the UAE-based Al-Khalij newspaper that any PA national unity government would not recognize the Zionist entity. He added that Hamas would not recognize the agreements signed between the PLO and the Zionist entity. (Hamas-Gaza)
Palestinian Rocket Fire Continues - Ilana Curiel
Palestinians in Gaza fired four Kassam rockets that exploded in southern Israel on Sunday morning. (Ynet News)
Jerusalem Police Officers Describe Tractor Attack - Efrat Weiss
Two Israel Police officers who survived a tractor attack by a Palestinian in Jerusalem on Thursday described the event. "We were sent to deal with a routine traffic incident," said Staff-Sergeant Major Camal Zahaika. When we were finished, "we got into the car and then I felt a strong thump. I saw a tractor and understood immediately that this was a terror attack...we were flipped over to the left and the tractor kept pushing us."
Sergeant Hila Shmuel, a mere week on the force, said that at first she thought a car had accidentally crashed into the police cruiser. "Then I heard the tractor's noise....You feel it dragging you and you think that somehow you're in this crazy action film. I was sure we were going to be slammed into the bus and that it was all going to end very badly. My life just flashed before my eyes. I didn't think anyone could save us. We're both grateful to the other police officers and the taxi driver who were there." (Ynet News)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
Modest Hopes for Direct Diplomacy with Iran and Syria - Editorial
During her first tour of the Middle East as secretary of state, Ms. Clinton got an earful from Arab rulers alarmed both by Iran's continued belligerence across the region and by the notion that a deal between Washington and Tehran might be in the works. "There's a great deal of concern about Iran in the entire region," she said after three days of talks; a senior State Department official said that Ms. Clinton had expressed doubt in one of her private meetings that Iran would respond to a U.S. offer of engagement.
There are also big and probably insurmountable obstacles to any breakthrough with Syria. Mr. Assad heads a murderous regime; a UN tribunal was established last week to consider political murders in Lebanon that most likely were authored in Damascus. Mr. Assad continues to seek hegemony over Lebanon, something the U.S. should not countenance. (Washington Post)
See also U.S. Seeks to Woo Syria, But Price Could Be Steep - Jay Solomon and Dada Raad (Wall Street Journal)
Talk with Iran? Then Move Fast - David Ignatius
There's wide support, in principle, for a process of "engagement" between the U.S. and its adversaries in the Middle East. Does Iran really imagine that it can engage the U.S. when its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said last week that Barack Obama was following the "crooked ways" of his predecessor and that Israel was a "cancerous tumor"? That's a recipe for stopping dialogue rather than starting it.
The first challenge in Iran is what might be called the "two clocks" problem. Administration officials want a slow clock, in the sense that they favor a careful process of sustained, direct dialogue. But they also realize that a fast clock is ticking on the Iranian nuclear program and that by next year the Iranians could have enough fuel to make a bomb. Efraim Halevy, a former chief of Mossad, the Israeli spy service, highlighted this problem in a recent e-mail to me. "The strategy of engagement will succeed only if the Iranians realize they do not have all the time in the world to negotiate." He argued that the U.S. should "limit the dialogue to a very few months." (Washington Post)
Observations:
Islam Should Prove It's a Religion of Peace - Tawfik Hamid (Wall Street Journal)
Many Muslims seem to believe that it is acceptable to teach hatred and violence in the name of their religion - while at the same time expecting the world to respect Islam as a religion of peace, love and harmony.
Scholars in the most prestigious Islamic institutes and universities continue to teach things like Jews are "pigs and monkeys," that women and men must be stoned to death for adultery, or that Muslims must fight the world to spread their religion.
The stoning of women exists in both the Old Testament and in Islamic tradition. The difference, though, is that leading Jewish scholars agreed to discontinue these practices centuries ago, while Muslim scholars have yet to do so. Hence we do not see the stoning of women practiced or promoted in Israel, the "Jewish" state, but we see it practiced and promoted in Iran and Saudi Arabia, the "Islamic" states.
So, Islamic scholars and clerics, it is up to you to produce a Sharia book that will be accepted in the Islamic world and that teaches that Jews are not pigs and monkeys, that declaring war to spread Islam is unacceptable, and that killing apostates is a crime. Such a book would prove that Islam is a religion of peace.
The writer, a former member of an Egyptian Islamist terrorist group, is an Islamic reformer and senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.
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Monday, March 9, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Daily alert
Prepared for the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
View this page at www.dailyalert.org
Subscribe RSS-XML
DAILY ALERT Tuesday,
March 3, 2009
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daily Alert Needs Your Support
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In-Depth Issues:
Clinton Offers Handshake of Friendship to Syria - James Hider (Times-UK)
At the Gaza donor's conference in Egypt, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shook hands and exchanged a few words Monday with Walid Mouallem, her Syrian counterpart.
The brief encounter was seen as a sign that Washington was prepared to mend fences with Syria, whose leader, Bashar Assad, was treated as a pariah by the Bush administration.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iran Seeks Arrest of 15 Israeli Leaders for Gaza Operation (AP/Washington Post)
Iran's judiciary has asked Interpol to issue arrest warrants for 15 Israelis in connection with the Gaza offensive, Iranian state TV reported Monday. Interpol denied receiving such a request.
Prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi was quoted as saying Prime Minister Olmert, Foreign Minister Livni, Defense Minister Barak and top military officers were all on the list.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Puzzled in Gaza - Yvonne Green (Jerusalem Post)
Deeply disturbed by the reports of wanton slaughter and destruction during Israel's Gaza operation, I felt I had to see for myself and crossed into Gaza on Jan. 28.
What I saw was that there had been precision attacks made on all of Hamas' infrastructure.
Gazans contradicted allegations that Israel had murderously attacked civilians. They told me again and again that both civilians and Hamas fighters had evacuated safely from areas of Hamas activity in response to Israeli telephone calls, leaflets and megaphone warnings.
The UNRWA school in Al-Fakhora was visibly intact, making it impossible to understand how UN and press reports could ever have alleged that it had been hit by Israeli shells.
I was shown where Hamas had been firing from nearby the school, and when I met Mona al-Ashkor, one of the people injured running toward Al-Fakhora, I was told that Israel had warned people not to take shelter in the school because Hamas was operating in the area.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Report: Russia to Send 50 Armored Vehicles to PA (AP/International Herald Tribune)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that Russia would provide the Palestinian Authority with 50 armored vehicles "in the very near future," the Interfax news agency reported.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of the Turkish-Israeli Honeymoon? - Haymi Behar (Ynet News)
Following Turkey's harsh criticism of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, angry Israelis canceled more than 70% of travel bookings to Turkey.
In any case, they wouldn't feel so welcomed in many Turkish shops, which displayed signs expressing anti-Israeli sentiments.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
Obama Seeks Russian Help to Stop Iranian Weapons Development - Peter Baker
President Obama sent a secret letter to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev last month suggesting that he would back off deploying a new missile defense system in Eastern Europe if Moscow would help stop Iran from developing long-range weapons, American officials said Monday. The letter, hand-delivered in Moscow by top administration officials three weeks ago, said the U.S. would not need to proceed with the interceptor system if Iran halted any efforts to build nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles. U.S. officials said that while the letter did not offer a direct quid pro quo, it was intended to give Moscow an incentive to join the U.S. in a common front against Iran. (New York Times)
Clinton "Troubled" by Continued Rocket Attacks on Israel
After the Gaza donors conference in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, on Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters: "I am troubled by the continuing rocket attacks coming out of Gaza, 15 to 18 rockets in the last several days. We call upon all parties to move toward a durable ceasefire, but it is very difficult for any country to just sit and take rockets falling on its people. That is the crux of the Israeli problem. How are they supposed to respond when they continue to have that kind of attack?"
Q: Will the U.S. Administration consider engaging with Hamas, the same way you're reaching out to Iran?
Clinton: "Hamas is not a country. It is an entity that has to understand what the principles for any engagement are, not just from the United States. The Quartet...as well as the Arab League are in agreement that there are certain principles that Hamas would have to adopt in order for any of us to engage with Hamas: recognize Israel, renounce violence, and agree to abide by the prior PLO agreements....Everyone knows what Hamas must do, and it is up to Hamas." (State Department)
See also Clinton Reiterates Need for Two-State Solution - Roni Sofer (Ynet News)
See also Clinton Says U.S. Diplomacy Unlikely to End Iran Nuclear Program - Paul Richter
The Obama administration has already concluded that a diplomatic overture to Iran is unlikely to persuade Tehran to give up its nuclear ambitions. Secretary of State Clinton told the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheik Abdullah ibn Zayed al Nuhayyan, in a private meeting Monday that it is "very doubtful" a U.S. approach will persuade Iran to relent, said a senior State Department official. But Clinton said an Iranian rebuff could strengthen America's diplomatic position. She said that Iran's "worst nightmare is an international community that is united and an American government willing to engage Iran." (Los Angeles Times)
Donors Pledge $4.5B for Palestinians - Heba Saleh
International donors at a conference in Egypt pledged $4.48 billion over two years to support the Palestinian economy and rebuild Gaza, but made clear none of the funds should end up in the hands of Hamas. (Financial Times-UK)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
Israel Files UN Complaint Over Gaza Rockets - Yitzhak Benhorin
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gabriela Shalev, filed an official complaint with the UN Security Council Monday regarding the rocket fire from Gaza on Israeli towns. "Since Israel declared a unilateral cease-fire on 18 January 2009, there have been nearly 100 rocket and mortar attacks from the Gaza Strip," Shalev wrote. "These ongoing attacks not only hinder efforts to reach a stable and durable cease-fire, but they represent an ongoing threat to the peace and security of Israel, as well as the people of Gaza." "In response to these ongoing attacks, Israel has the inherent duty to exercise its right to self-defense enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter." (Ynet News)
See also Palestinian Rocket Fire Continues - Shmulik Hadad
Palestinians in Gaza fired a Kassam rocket that landed south of Ashkelon late Monday evening. (Ynet News)
Illegal Palestinian Construction in David's Garden - Nadav Shragai
For hundreds of years floodwaters drained into the garden of the kings of Judea, east of the Shiloah Pool in Jerusalem, which is described in the Books of Nechemiah and Ecclesiastes. The Turks and the British took care to preserve the open green area for hundreds of years as a public area, intended for preservation and development of parks and tourism. About 20 years ago, the Jerusalem municipality shored up the water runoff there, and an illegal Palestinian outpost arose. Within 18 years 88 buildings went up, causing significant and irreversible damage to antiquities, according to the director general of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Shuka Dorfman.
Construction was finally halted after the Jerusalem municipality confiscated tractors and heavy machinery from the lawbreakers, and the existing buildings are being dealt with legally by means of demolition orders and indictments. After a plan for laundering the construction was initiated by the inhabitants and human rights organizations, the planning commission rejected the plan. In response, the Palestinian Authority and the Islamic Movement in Israel have begun demonstrations and initiated an outcry to protest "the intention to carry out the demolition orders in the King's Garden."
While carrying out the demolition orders as written, nearly 20 years after the violation was committed, may be just, it is not wise. A more fair solution, suggested by municipal council member Yakir Segev, is to evacuate the lawbreakers and to give them compensation and land elsewhere. (Ha'aretz)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
The Need to Reconstruct Gaza Is Gaza's Own Doing - Editorial
The need to reconstruct Gaza is Gaza's own doing - the direct consequence of the penchant for terror displayed by the governing Hamas and other like-minded groups, of their insistent practice of targeting Israeli civilians for over eight years with assorted rocketry. Misguided efforts at assistance will prop up the very regime that is the root cause of Gaza's woes. Hamas will benefit from resources bestowed even on ostensibly non-belligerent organizations. Those funds will free Hamas from responsibility for public welfare and free up money for rearmament.
Gaza would have faced far less hardship had it not invested its energies in gun-running, rocket-manufacture and bunker and tunnel construction. Israel cannot, and will not, allow materials into Gaza that are likely to be misused. The transfer of funds must be made contingent on a proven commitment to cease rocket attacks, demonstrated by several months of uninterrupted calm. Without this, reconstruction contributions will wind up boosting Hamas' war-chest.
As long as Israelis are fired upon, no Gazan reconstruction can last. Sooner or later Israel will again have to protect its citizens - as would every donor nation were its people similarly threatened. The prerequisite for sustainable reconstruction is an end to the abuse of Gaza as a base for attacking Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
Urge Damascus to Come Clean on Nuclear Activity - Michael Singh
The International Atomic Energy Agency's recent report on its investigation into Syria's nuclear activities reinforces concerns that the Assad regime was secretly building a nuclear reactor until it was destroyed in late 2007. According to the U.S. intelligence community's publicly released 2009 threat assessment, the Assad regime, despite its professed desire for better relations with Washington, has maintained its interference in Lebanon, support for Palestinian terrorist groups, and close ties with Iran; further, it has "increased substantially" its military support for Hizbullah.
The extent to which the U.S. can persuade Syria to change its attitude toward the IAEA investigation from one of recalcitrance to one of voluntary cooperation will serve as a concrete test of Damascus' willingness to change its ways and mend fences with the international community. The writer, an associate fellow of The Washington Institute, is former senior director for Middle East affairs on the National Security Council. (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)
Observations:
Don't Push Israel to Give Territory to Terrorists - Tom Gross (Wall Street Journal Europe)
A small miracle occurred in Israel on Nov. 5. Kinneret Chaya Boosany gave birth to her first child. Six years earlier, Kinneret, then 23, was blown up as she worked as a waitress in a coffee shop in Tel Aviv. She suffered burns over 85% of her body, her doctors gave her a 2% chance of survival, and she remained in a coma for 88 days.
She is just one of the thousands of Israelis - both Jews and Arabs - injured by Palestinian suicide bombers sent on their deadly missions by either the Islamist Hamas movement or the Fatah faction headed by "moderate" Mahmoud Abbas and his predecessor Yasser Arafat. The number of Israelis killed in terror attacks has been greatly reduced in recent years after the government built a security fence to make it harder for bombers to get through.
Her story is worth reflecting on as Hillary Clinton arrives in Israel. Barely a day goes by way without Jimmy Carter and assorted European politicians calling on Mr. Obama to coerce Israel into hastily withdrawing from more land no matter the security risks.
Like most Israelis, Kinneret Chaya desperately wants peace with the Palestinians. It is my experience of covering the region as a reporter for many years that no one wants the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to be peaceably resolved more than Israelis do.
But Israelis are also very aware of the dangers of naively handing over territory to terrorists, as was done during the presidency of Secretary of State Clinton's husband in the 1990s.
The writer is former Jerusalem correspondent of the London Sunday Telegraph.
See also Kinneret Boosany Interview - Kevin Sites (Hot Zone-Yahoo News); Video: Kinneret - A Suicide Bombing Survivor
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
View this page at www.dailyalert.org
Subscribe RSS-XML
DAILY ALERT Tuesday,
March 3, 2009
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daily Alert Needs Your Support
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In-Depth Issues:
Clinton Offers Handshake of Friendship to Syria - James Hider (Times-UK)
At the Gaza donor's conference in Egypt, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shook hands and exchanged a few words Monday with Walid Mouallem, her Syrian counterpart.
The brief encounter was seen as a sign that Washington was prepared to mend fences with Syria, whose leader, Bashar Assad, was treated as a pariah by the Bush administration.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iran Seeks Arrest of 15 Israeli Leaders for Gaza Operation (AP/Washington Post)
Iran's judiciary has asked Interpol to issue arrest warrants for 15 Israelis in connection with the Gaza offensive, Iranian state TV reported Monday. Interpol denied receiving such a request.
Prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi was quoted as saying Prime Minister Olmert, Foreign Minister Livni, Defense Minister Barak and top military officers were all on the list.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Puzzled in Gaza - Yvonne Green (Jerusalem Post)
Deeply disturbed by the reports of wanton slaughter and destruction during Israel's Gaza operation, I felt I had to see for myself and crossed into Gaza on Jan. 28.
What I saw was that there had been precision attacks made on all of Hamas' infrastructure.
Gazans contradicted allegations that Israel had murderously attacked civilians. They told me again and again that both civilians and Hamas fighters had evacuated safely from areas of Hamas activity in response to Israeli telephone calls, leaflets and megaphone warnings.
The UNRWA school in Al-Fakhora was visibly intact, making it impossible to understand how UN and press reports could ever have alleged that it had been hit by Israeli shells.
I was shown where Hamas had been firing from nearby the school, and when I met Mona al-Ashkor, one of the people injured running toward Al-Fakhora, I was told that Israel had warned people not to take shelter in the school because Hamas was operating in the area.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Report: Russia to Send 50 Armored Vehicles to PA (AP/International Herald Tribune)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that Russia would provide the Palestinian Authority with 50 armored vehicles "in the very near future," the Interfax news agency reported.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of the Turkish-Israeli Honeymoon? - Haymi Behar (Ynet News)
Following Turkey's harsh criticism of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, angry Israelis canceled more than 70% of travel bookings to Turkey.
In any case, they wouldn't feel so welcomed in many Turkish shops, which displayed signs expressing anti-Israeli sentiments.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Search
Key Links
Media Contacts
Back Issues
Fair Use
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
Obama Seeks Russian Help to Stop Iranian Weapons Development - Peter Baker
President Obama sent a secret letter to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev last month suggesting that he would back off deploying a new missile defense system in Eastern Europe if Moscow would help stop Iran from developing long-range weapons, American officials said Monday. The letter, hand-delivered in Moscow by top administration officials three weeks ago, said the U.S. would not need to proceed with the interceptor system if Iran halted any efforts to build nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles. U.S. officials said that while the letter did not offer a direct quid pro quo, it was intended to give Moscow an incentive to join the U.S. in a common front against Iran. (New York Times)
Clinton "Troubled" by Continued Rocket Attacks on Israel
After the Gaza donors conference in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, on Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters: "I am troubled by the continuing rocket attacks coming out of Gaza, 15 to 18 rockets in the last several days. We call upon all parties to move toward a durable ceasefire, but it is very difficult for any country to just sit and take rockets falling on its people. That is the crux of the Israeli problem. How are they supposed to respond when they continue to have that kind of attack?"
Q: Will the U.S. Administration consider engaging with Hamas, the same way you're reaching out to Iran?
Clinton: "Hamas is not a country. It is an entity that has to understand what the principles for any engagement are, not just from the United States. The Quartet...as well as the Arab League are in agreement that there are certain principles that Hamas would have to adopt in order for any of us to engage with Hamas: recognize Israel, renounce violence, and agree to abide by the prior PLO agreements....Everyone knows what Hamas must do, and it is up to Hamas." (State Department)
See also Clinton Reiterates Need for Two-State Solution - Roni Sofer (Ynet News)
See also Clinton Says U.S. Diplomacy Unlikely to End Iran Nuclear Program - Paul Richter
The Obama administration has already concluded that a diplomatic overture to Iran is unlikely to persuade Tehran to give up its nuclear ambitions. Secretary of State Clinton told the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheik Abdullah ibn Zayed al Nuhayyan, in a private meeting Monday that it is "very doubtful" a U.S. approach will persuade Iran to relent, said a senior State Department official. But Clinton said an Iranian rebuff could strengthen America's diplomatic position. She said that Iran's "worst nightmare is an international community that is united and an American government willing to engage Iran." (Los Angeles Times)
Donors Pledge $4.5B for Palestinians - Heba Saleh
International donors at a conference in Egypt pledged $4.48 billion over two years to support the Palestinian economy and rebuild Gaza, but made clear none of the funds should end up in the hands of Hamas. (Financial Times-UK)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
Israel Files UN Complaint Over Gaza Rockets - Yitzhak Benhorin
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gabriela Shalev, filed an official complaint with the UN Security Council Monday regarding the rocket fire from Gaza on Israeli towns. "Since Israel declared a unilateral cease-fire on 18 January 2009, there have been nearly 100 rocket and mortar attacks from the Gaza Strip," Shalev wrote. "These ongoing attacks not only hinder efforts to reach a stable and durable cease-fire, but they represent an ongoing threat to the peace and security of Israel, as well as the people of Gaza." "In response to these ongoing attacks, Israel has the inherent duty to exercise its right to self-defense enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter." (Ynet News)
See also Palestinian Rocket Fire Continues - Shmulik Hadad
Palestinians in Gaza fired a Kassam rocket that landed south of Ashkelon late Monday evening. (Ynet News)
Illegal Palestinian Construction in David's Garden - Nadav Shragai
For hundreds of years floodwaters drained into the garden of the kings of Judea, east of the Shiloah Pool in Jerusalem, which is described in the Books of Nechemiah and Ecclesiastes. The Turks and the British took care to preserve the open green area for hundreds of years as a public area, intended for preservation and development of parks and tourism. About 20 years ago, the Jerusalem municipality shored up the water runoff there, and an illegal Palestinian outpost arose. Within 18 years 88 buildings went up, causing significant and irreversible damage to antiquities, according to the director general of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Shuka Dorfman.
Construction was finally halted after the Jerusalem municipality confiscated tractors and heavy machinery from the lawbreakers, and the existing buildings are being dealt with legally by means of demolition orders and indictments. After a plan for laundering the construction was initiated by the inhabitants and human rights organizations, the planning commission rejected the plan. In response, the Palestinian Authority and the Islamic Movement in Israel have begun demonstrations and initiated an outcry to protest "the intention to carry out the demolition orders in the King's Garden."
While carrying out the demolition orders as written, nearly 20 years after the violation was committed, may be just, it is not wise. A more fair solution, suggested by municipal council member Yakir Segev, is to evacuate the lawbreakers and to give them compensation and land elsewhere. (Ha'aretz)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
The Need to Reconstruct Gaza Is Gaza's Own Doing - Editorial
The need to reconstruct Gaza is Gaza's own doing - the direct consequence of the penchant for terror displayed by the governing Hamas and other like-minded groups, of their insistent practice of targeting Israeli civilians for over eight years with assorted rocketry. Misguided efforts at assistance will prop up the very regime that is the root cause of Gaza's woes. Hamas will benefit from resources bestowed even on ostensibly non-belligerent organizations. Those funds will free Hamas from responsibility for public welfare and free up money for rearmament.
Gaza would have faced far less hardship had it not invested its energies in gun-running, rocket-manufacture and bunker and tunnel construction. Israel cannot, and will not, allow materials into Gaza that are likely to be misused. The transfer of funds must be made contingent on a proven commitment to cease rocket attacks, demonstrated by several months of uninterrupted calm. Without this, reconstruction contributions will wind up boosting Hamas' war-chest.
As long as Israelis are fired upon, no Gazan reconstruction can last. Sooner or later Israel will again have to protect its citizens - as would every donor nation were its people similarly threatened. The prerequisite for sustainable reconstruction is an end to the abuse of Gaza as a base for attacking Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
Urge Damascus to Come Clean on Nuclear Activity - Michael Singh
The International Atomic Energy Agency's recent report on its investigation into Syria's nuclear activities reinforces concerns that the Assad regime was secretly building a nuclear reactor until it was destroyed in late 2007. According to the U.S. intelligence community's publicly released 2009 threat assessment, the Assad regime, despite its professed desire for better relations with Washington, has maintained its interference in Lebanon, support for Palestinian terrorist groups, and close ties with Iran; further, it has "increased substantially" its military support for Hizbullah.
The extent to which the U.S. can persuade Syria to change its attitude toward the IAEA investigation from one of recalcitrance to one of voluntary cooperation will serve as a concrete test of Damascus' willingness to change its ways and mend fences with the international community. The writer, an associate fellow of The Washington Institute, is former senior director for Middle East affairs on the National Security Council. (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)
Observations:
Don't Push Israel to Give Territory to Terrorists - Tom Gross (Wall Street Journal Europe)
A small miracle occurred in Israel on Nov. 5. Kinneret Chaya Boosany gave birth to her first child. Six years earlier, Kinneret, then 23, was blown up as she worked as a waitress in a coffee shop in Tel Aviv. She suffered burns over 85% of her body, her doctors gave her a 2% chance of survival, and she remained in a coma for 88 days.
She is just one of the thousands of Israelis - both Jews and Arabs - injured by Palestinian suicide bombers sent on their deadly missions by either the Islamist Hamas movement or the Fatah faction headed by "moderate" Mahmoud Abbas and his predecessor Yasser Arafat. The number of Israelis killed in terror attacks has been greatly reduced in recent years after the government built a security fence to make it harder for bombers to get through.
Her story is worth reflecting on as Hillary Clinton arrives in Israel. Barely a day goes by way without Jimmy Carter and assorted European politicians calling on Mr. Obama to coerce Israel into hastily withdrawing from more land no matter the security risks.
Like most Israelis, Kinneret Chaya desperately wants peace with the Palestinians. It is my experience of covering the region as a reporter for many years that no one wants the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to be peaceably resolved more than Israelis do.
But Israelis are also very aware of the dangers of naively handing over territory to terrorists, as was done during the presidency of Secretary of State Clinton's husband in the 1990s.
The writer is former Jerusalem correspondent of the London Sunday Telegraph.
See also Kinneret Boosany Interview - Kevin Sites (Hot Zone-Yahoo News); Video: Kinneret - A Suicide Bombing Survivor
Sunday, March 1, 2009
From the Israel consulate
Elections in Israel Livni says won't join Netanyahu-led government
(YnetNews)
A week after Netanyahu was nominated to form the government, Livni has decided not to join the coalition. Kadima chairwoman ends meeting with prime minister-designate after Likud leader refuses to commit to two-state solution. 'This is a matter of principle,' Livni says, vowing to act as 'a responsible opposition'.
Iran
Iran is the Real Issue for Israel and America in Middle East
Mortimer Zuckerman (Ynet News)
The Middle East conflict is no longer one just between Israelies and Palestinians. Iran is at the core of a wider, unfolding struggle between radical Islamists and moderate national entities. Today, most Sunni Arab governments, including those of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and even Fatah-although not Syria and Qatar-are far more worried about Iranian regional dominance than they are about Israel. They know that Israel is not going to undermine or overthrow them, while radical, Iranian-sponsored Islamists just might. Given the threat from Hamas, which has stated and restated that the Palestinians will continue their jihad until the face of the Zionist state disappears, who can think that Israel would get peace in return for yielding land? Israel's abandonment of Gaza was wholly voluntary, a gesture for peace, but Hamas and many Palestinians chose to see it as a sign of weakness. Withdrawal from the West Bank, once negotiable, now seems to many Israelis to make Israel more vulnerable to yet another generation of Palestinians promising to push the Jews into the sea.
Iran's Clenched Fist Chicago Tribune More recently Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, stowed the bombast and responded to President Barack Obama's oft-repeated desire for direct talks between Washington and Tehran. Ahmadinejad promised that if the U.S. is serious about changing the icy relations between the countries, Iran would respond. "It is clear that change should be fundamental, not tactical, and our people welcome real changes," he said. "Our nation is ready to hold talks based on mutual respect and in a fair atmosphere." Is Iran unclenching its fist, responding to Obama's inaugural address? Or just posturing to buy more time for its nuclear ambitions? We'd bet on the latter.
Palestinians Economic Recovery in the West Bank Meron Benvenisti (Ha'aretz)The West Bank is undergoing a period of economic recovery. There has been an increase in more than a third in commercial activity, and the rise in the standard of living is continuing. The West Bank remained calm during the Fighting in Gaza and was not dragged into reactions of protest.In view of this improvement, it is perhaps possible that Benjamin Netanyahu is correct in claiming that we should concentrate on "economic peace" and that in view of the lack of a chance for a permanent solution, attempts must be made to continue the economic development in the territories. Read the full story at this link. "Re-education" for West Bank Mosque Preachers Ali Waked (ynet news)Ever since Hamas took control of Gaza, PA officials in the West Bank have been waging an all-out war against anyone suspected of belonging to Hamas, taking action against Hamas' control of orphanages, community centers, health clinics, and groups for religious learning, among others. In the mosques, sermons are now given by moderate imams assosiated with Fatah.Read the full story at this link.
Israeli Skaters Win Gold Medal in China for Ice Skating The Siblings Alexandra Zaretski and Roman Zaretski - Photo: AFP
Xinhua - China
Israeli skaters Alexandra Zaretski and Roman Zaretski were crowned ice dance title at the Harbin Winter Universiade figure skating. "We did everything we can for the competition, and we are very satisfied with the gold medal," said the brother Zaretski.
"We performed to our personal best in the three events of the ice dance," he added. "It is not easy to fly to China. We really appreciate the great efforts of the organization committee and appreciate all the athletes for competing with us."
From Art to Heart - A photo exhibit comes to Detroit (March 7-March 31)
A photo exhibition illustrating the images of children from all over the world, whose lives have been saved by Israeli doctors, nurses and staff, is on its way to Beuamont Hospital in Michigan after being displayed at the University of Chicago Medical School. The exhibit has been brought to the United States by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Save a Child's Heart (SACH).
The photographs show how healing, humanity and cooperation can save lives. More than 2,000 children from over 30 developing countries have been treated by SACH, an Israeli-based international humanitarian project providing life-saving heart surgeries and follow-up care for children .
SACH patients, whose ages range from infants to teenagers, have come from Ecuador, China, Vietnam, Russia, Ethiopia, Jordan, Iraq and the Palestinian Authority. Frequently, some inspired photographers have joined these missions. All of the photographers have been touched by the children they have met and the faces that have greeted them. The photographs in this exhibition are their impressions.
Employment OpportunityIntern Wanted The Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest seeks creative, ambitious and responsible undergraduate and graduate students, including those studying law, business, international affairs, public policy and journalism. We evaluate candidates' knowledge of the Middle East, their professional, academic and extra-curricular history, writing and computer skills, and enthusiasm for international affairs and interpersonal skills. Click here for more details.
Get Involved
To get involved become a fan of the Midwest Consulate General of Israel on Facebook.
Go to www.twitter.com/israelconsulate for more updates. Visit Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for a list of facts and talking points at www.mfa.gov.il. Visit the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest at www.chicago.mfa.gov.il.
Check out the blog www.IsraelPolitik.org. ******************************** Please forward this publication to anyone who shares your interest in Israel. The articles in this newsletter (with the exception of Israeli Government statements) reflect the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest. Ministry of Foreign Affairs website - Click for the latest news, official statements, videos, and presentations.
Israeli Blog Don't forget to check out the Israeli Blog:www
(YnetNews)
A week after Netanyahu was nominated to form the government, Livni has decided not to join the coalition. Kadima chairwoman ends meeting with prime minister-designate after Likud leader refuses to commit to two-state solution. 'This is a matter of principle,' Livni says, vowing to act as 'a responsible opposition'.
Iran
Iran is the Real Issue for Israel and America in Middle East
Mortimer Zuckerman (Ynet News)
The Middle East conflict is no longer one just between Israelies and Palestinians. Iran is at the core of a wider, unfolding struggle between radical Islamists and moderate national entities. Today, most Sunni Arab governments, including those of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and even Fatah-although not Syria and Qatar-are far more worried about Iranian regional dominance than they are about Israel. They know that Israel is not going to undermine or overthrow them, while radical, Iranian-sponsored Islamists just might. Given the threat from Hamas, which has stated and restated that the Palestinians will continue their jihad until the face of the Zionist state disappears, who can think that Israel would get peace in return for yielding land? Israel's abandonment of Gaza was wholly voluntary, a gesture for peace, but Hamas and many Palestinians chose to see it as a sign of weakness. Withdrawal from the West Bank, once negotiable, now seems to many Israelis to make Israel more vulnerable to yet another generation of Palestinians promising to push the Jews into the sea.
Iran's Clenched Fist Chicago Tribune More recently Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, stowed the bombast and responded to President Barack Obama's oft-repeated desire for direct talks between Washington and Tehran. Ahmadinejad promised that if the U.S. is serious about changing the icy relations between the countries, Iran would respond. "It is clear that change should be fundamental, not tactical, and our people welcome real changes," he said. "Our nation is ready to hold talks based on mutual respect and in a fair atmosphere." Is Iran unclenching its fist, responding to Obama's inaugural address? Or just posturing to buy more time for its nuclear ambitions? We'd bet on the latter.
Palestinians Economic Recovery in the West Bank Meron Benvenisti (Ha'aretz)The West Bank is undergoing a period of economic recovery. There has been an increase in more than a third in commercial activity, and the rise in the standard of living is continuing. The West Bank remained calm during the Fighting in Gaza and was not dragged into reactions of protest.In view of this improvement, it is perhaps possible that Benjamin Netanyahu is correct in claiming that we should concentrate on "economic peace" and that in view of the lack of a chance for a permanent solution, attempts must be made to continue the economic development in the territories. Read the full story at this link. "Re-education" for West Bank Mosque Preachers Ali Waked (ynet news)Ever since Hamas took control of Gaza, PA officials in the West Bank have been waging an all-out war against anyone suspected of belonging to Hamas, taking action against Hamas' control of orphanages, community centers, health clinics, and groups for religious learning, among others. In the mosques, sermons are now given by moderate imams assosiated with Fatah.Read the full story at this link.
Israeli Skaters Win Gold Medal in China for Ice Skating The Siblings Alexandra Zaretski and Roman Zaretski - Photo: AFP
Xinhua - China
Israeli skaters Alexandra Zaretski and Roman Zaretski were crowned ice dance title at the Harbin Winter Universiade figure skating. "We did everything we can for the competition, and we are very satisfied with the gold medal," said the brother Zaretski.
"We performed to our personal best in the three events of the ice dance," he added. "It is not easy to fly to China. We really appreciate the great efforts of the organization committee and appreciate all the athletes for competing with us."
From Art to Heart - A photo exhibit comes to Detroit (March 7-March 31)
A photo exhibition illustrating the images of children from all over the world, whose lives have been saved by Israeli doctors, nurses and staff, is on its way to Beuamont Hospital in Michigan after being displayed at the University of Chicago Medical School. The exhibit has been brought to the United States by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Save a Child's Heart (SACH).
The photographs show how healing, humanity and cooperation can save lives. More than 2,000 children from over 30 developing countries have been treated by SACH, an Israeli-based international humanitarian project providing life-saving heart surgeries and follow-up care for children .
SACH patients, whose ages range from infants to teenagers, have come from Ecuador, China, Vietnam, Russia, Ethiopia, Jordan, Iraq and the Palestinian Authority. Frequently, some inspired photographers have joined these missions. All of the photographers have been touched by the children they have met and the faces that have greeted them. The photographs in this exhibition are their impressions.
Employment OpportunityIntern Wanted The Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest seeks creative, ambitious and responsible undergraduate and graduate students, including those studying law, business, international affairs, public policy and journalism. We evaluate candidates' knowledge of the Middle East, their professional, academic and extra-curricular history, writing and computer skills, and enthusiasm for international affairs and interpersonal skills. Click here for more details.
Get Involved
To get involved become a fan of the Midwest Consulate General of Israel on Facebook.
Go to www.twitter.com/israelconsulate for more updates. Visit Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for a list of facts and talking points at www.mfa.gov.il. Visit the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest at www.chicago.mfa.gov.il.
Check out the blog www.IsraelPolitik.org. ******************************** Please forward this publication to anyone who shares your interest in Israel. The articles in this newsletter (with the exception of Israeli Government statements) reflect the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest. Ministry of Foreign Affairs website - Click for the latest news, official statements, videos, and presentations.
Israeli Blog Don't forget to check out the Israeli Blog:www
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
question about inculcating Judaism in children
Hi, My name is Brian and I saw one of your videos on youtube. I just had a question for you about your religions historical background.
In Judaism, when the family raised there Children and trained them to know about God, was there a particular method that was used?
Did they say, "ok, from 5 - 10 we will go over and over again about the 10 commandments, then 10 - 15 we will dive into the deeper meaning on the depth of those commandments, 15 - 20 etc etc"
Was there stages of thought or of training that a child would go threw? Wasn't there some kind of age requirements that a person had to meet in order to do certain things in a synagogue?
Thank you Rabbi for your time.
A:We have a whole system of education-I went to parochial school, most send their children to afternoon and weekend supplementary schools. And the most important is to live full Jewish lives in home. Yes, bar mitzvah age 13 allows certain new activities
see these videos
Raising Children to be Jewish JewU 92
Raising Children to be Jewish -2 JewU 115
In Judaism, when the family raised there Children and trained them to know about God, was there a particular method that was used?
Did they say, "ok, from 5 - 10 we will go over and over again about the 10 commandments, then 10 - 15 we will dive into the deeper meaning on the depth of those commandments, 15 - 20 etc etc"
Was there stages of thought or of training that a child would go threw? Wasn't there some kind of age requirements that a person had to meet in order to do certain things in a synagogue?
Thank you Rabbi for your time.
A:We have a whole system of education-I went to parochial school, most send their children to afternoon and weekend supplementary schools. And the most important is to live full Jewish lives in home. Yes, bar mitzvah age 13 allows certain new activities
see these videos
Raising Children to be Jewish JewU 92
Raising Children to be Jewish -2 JewU 115
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