Mondoweiss - Maybe you remember the Israeli thinktank that came up with a semi-deluded battleplan to counter the "delegitimizers" of Israel? In a sign that the boycott movement is having a real effect, and catching on among people of conscience in the...
Mondoweiss - Jerry Slater has a wonderful analysis here of how the "moral collapse " of Israel and the failure of the peace process have been aided by American peace groups, Americans for Peace Now and J Street, because they are not...
Mondoweiss - Did you see the NYT article on the EEOC decision that Debbie Almontaser was the victim of bias when she was forced to resign as head of a Arabic-language high school? It is a classic case of the Times refusing...
Mondoweiss - Tony Karon in the National : Conventional wisdom in Israeli politics once held that no Israeli government would survive a clash with the United States; today, Mr Netanyahu is confident that if it came to a showdown, he could make an...
Mondoweiss - The establishment consensus is cracking. A new report by Mark Perry has it that David Petraeus has gotten religion on the Israel/Palestine conflict– as any thinking person with responsibility for American lives in the Middle East does– and is now...
US Campaign to End the Occupation - Our supporters have been urging Credo Mobile to stop selling Motorola phones and now they have! Read more about this effort and send Credo a thank you email.
US Campaign to End the Occupation - Read about how the Washington Post is slandering anti-apartheid activists and what you can do to set the record straight.
US Campaign to End the Occupation - Read about how the Washington Post is slandering anti-apartheid activists and what you can do to set the record straight.
US Campaign to End the Occupation - Read about how the Washington Post is slandering anti-apartheid activists and what you can do to set the record straight.
FAIR - This week on CounterSpin : A new law in Utah says some women who miscarry should go to jail. You may have seen some coverage, but are journalists asking the right questions about the law's implications, and is there a bigger...
AIPAC - Today's Briefing - Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday said, "President Barack Obama [and I know] that the United States has no better friend in the community of nations than Israel." The vice president was speaking at Tel Aviv University at the conclusion...
FAIR - The Los Angeles Times reports ( 3/12/10 ) on a new study of local news from the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism's Norman Lear Center. The findings are hardly surprising: There is almost no local political coverage on TV news. As...
Foreign Policy in Focus - For a country in which ultra-nationalism was for so long a problem, the weakness of nationalism in contemporary Japan is puzzling.
Secretary
of State Clinton will give the keynote address at AIPAC's 2010
annual convention.
Declassified files detailing an FBI investigation
targeting the American Israel Public Affairs Committee are now available
on the Internet. AIPAC was investigated after it acquired and circulated
classified government information provided in strict confidence
by US industry and worker groups opposed to AIPAC sponsored economic
legislation. The 50 pages now available as portable document files
(PDF) include:
FBI reports of Israelis circulating classified documents
in the US Congress, "compromising" the authority of the
U.S. President. PDF
US Trade Representative concerns that AIPAC was
tactically "divulging" classified information supplied
by US industries opposed to AIPAC lobbying initiatives. PDF
Reports from the International Trade Commission
that AIPAC and Israeli operatives "usurped" US government
authority and that an Israeli intelligence service operative was
working undercover on AIPAC's staff: PDF
Internal Department of Justice prosecutorial opinions
that "theft of government property" had occurred: PDF
An FBI director order that the Washington
Field office give the AIPAC investigation top priority after Israeli
spy Jonathan Pollard was caught on video surveillance stealing classified
US national defense information: PDF
FBI special agent interviews of Israeli minister
of economics Dan Halpern who claimed diplomatic immunity. Halpern
admitted passing classified US documents to AIPAC but refused to
name his source: PDF
FBI special agent interviews of AIPAC's former director
of legislative affairs detailing how he made copies of the classified
documents for AIPAC's lobbying use after being ordered to return
them to the US government. PDF
FBI interviews of key AIPAC employees involved in
handling the classified US government information (full document
listing): Link
According to research director Grant F. Smith, the
newly released files present startling new insights into AIPAC's
activities in the United States.
more..
The
Israel Lobby
By John Mearsheimer
and Stephen Walt, London Review of Books, March 23, 2006
Secretary
of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld (left), escorts Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon into the Pentagon at the conclusion of
a full honor arrival ceremony for Sharon at the Pentagon, 19
March 2001. (Photo: Do/R. D. Ward)
For the past several decades, and especially
since the Six-Day War in 1967, the centrepiece of US Middle Eastern
policy has been its relationship with Israel. The combination of
unwavering support for Israel and the related effort to spread ‘democracy’
throughout the region has inflamed Arab and Islamic opinion and
jeopardised not only US security but that of much of the rest of
the world. This situation has no equal in American political history.
Why has the US been willing to set aside its own security and that
of many of its allies in order to advance the interests of another
state? One might assume that the bond between the two countries
was based on shared strategic interests or compelling moral imperatives,
but neither explanation can account for the remarkable level of
material and diplomatic support that the US provides.
Instead, the thrust of US policy in the region
derives almost entirely from domestic politics, and especially the
activities of the ‘Israel Lobby’. Other special-interest
groups have managed to skew foreign policy, but no lobby has managed
to divert it as far from what the national interest would suggest,
while simultaneously convincing Americans that US interests and
those of the other country – in this case, Israel –
are essentially identical.
Bush
Restrains Sharon (Arabia.com)
Since the October War in 1973, Washington has provided
Israel with a level of support dwarfing that given to any other
state. It has been the largest annual recipient of direct economic
and military assistance since 1976, and is the largest recipient
in total since World War Two, to the tune of well over $140 billion
(in 2004 dollars). Israel receives about $3 billion in direct assistance
each year, roughly one-fifth of the foreign aid budget, and worth
about $500 a year for every Israeli. This largesse is especially
striking since Israel is now a wealthy industrial state with a per
capita income roughly equal to that of South Korea or Spain. more..
USA ups UNRWA General Fund contribution 3/13/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - America will donate an additional 55 million US dollars to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), over and above its planned contribution for the year, a statement from the US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration said. Eric P Schwartz made the announcement after he welcomedrecently appointed UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi to Washington on Thursday. Thirty million US dollars of the donation was designated for the UNRWA General Fund, which Canada recently announced it would no longer support, in favor of emergency food aid and an independent project to construct courthouses. The General Fund provides core services to Palestinian refugees across the region, including health, education, sanitation, job creation programs and humanitarian services to 4. 7 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza. US diplomats: Israel stabbed Obama in the back 13 Mar 2010 - Jerusalem, March 13, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Daily Maariv newspaper reported that the issue of Israel announcing ratification of the construction of housing units in Jerusalem was serious, and that it caused dissatisfaction among members of Congress in Washington, noting that the term used by American officials was that "Israel has stabbed Obama in the back." American diplomatic sources maintained: "After... Israel’s Lobby Imposes Crippling Sanctions on America — Again Grant Smith, Antiwar.com 3/12/2010 The Israel lobby’s campaign against US and international corporations doing business with Iran is gearing up this week. The tip of the spear is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee sponsored expansion of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996. If signed into law by president Obama, the legislation would institute onerous new monitoring to ensure exports never enter Iran, along with mandatory divestment from and penalties for any corporations discovered doing business in Iran. A new type of "office of special plans" at the Treasury Department that AIPAC and its think tank lobbied to create by executive order in 2004 is also on the warpath. Stuart Levey, the head of the office of "Terrorism and Financial Intelligence" is traveling to Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman "pointing out that they face dramatic risks by doing business with Iran." Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon finished a long set of meetings urging the US National Security Council to impose harsh sanctions on Iran. The New York Times started the week with a list of corporations doing business in Iran and their US government procurement revenues. Most companies on this list long ago appeared on hit lists compiled by AIPAC for quiet divestment campaigns in state legislatures across the country. The New York Times ominously highlights in red any company that may be a "possible violator of the Iran Sanctions Act." National Public Radio’s Scott Simon, after reading it, was apoplectic. He fretted aloud on the air whether US companies and subsidiaries on the target list were "betraying their country’s national security interests." What should Americans make of this drive to label all companies doing business with Iran unpatriotic smugglers? First, they should consider the source of the multi-tiered Iran sanctions drive. Then, they should start getting angry.more..e-mail Saudis deny discussing pressure on China over Iran with US 3/12/2010 - Yahoo! News - RIYADH (AFP) – Saudi Arabia denied on Friday that its officials had discussed with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates putting pressure on China to back a new round of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear ambitions. An "official source" quoted by the official SPA news agency said reports that Riyadh said it was willing to use its influence to get Beijing to support UN sanctions aimed at convincing Iran to halt its atomic programme were false. "This issue is not true, it was not discussed during the visit of the secretary of defence who was in the kingdom recently," the source was cited as saying. The Saudi government often expresses its official view on sensitive topics as unidentified "official sources" speaking to SPA. A Saudi official aware of the SPA statement told AFP the government did not wish to elaborate. Gates visited Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and Abu Dhabi on Thursday to discuss Washington's push for new sanctions on Iran. Dear Congress: What the Purim video reveals about the racism embedded in the Israeli state structure Mondoweiss - 12 Mar 2010 - If granted one simple wish to raise awareness in the US Congress about where America’s annual Israel subsidy goes, it would be this: before the next pro-Israel vote, members of Congress would sit down and watch YNET’s ninety second video of Israeli settlers holding a Purim... Israeli Court Begins Hearing Testimonies in the Unlawful Killing of 23 year old American Activist Rachel Corrie 3/11/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Rachel Corrie Foundation, 10 March - The Haifa District Court began hearing eyewitness testimonies today, March 10, 2010, in a civil lawsuit filed by Rachel Corrie's family against the State of Israel for her unlawful killing in Rafah, Gaza. Rachel Corrie, an American human rights defender from Olympia, Washington, was crushed to death on March 16, 2003 by a Caterpillar D9R bulldozer. She had been nonviolently demonstrating against Palestinian home demolitions with fellow members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land using nonviolent, direct action methods and principles. The court heard the testimonies of two ISM witnesses, British citizens Richard Purssell and Tom Dale. Their testimonies were frequently interrupted due to poor court-provided translation, which the presiding judge, Oded Gershon, acknowledged to be flawed. A new court translator was requested by the judge for the coming hearings. Possibilities of war: Iran Azmi Bishara, Al-Ahram Weekly 3/4/2010 Despite how alarming the prospect of a nuclear Iran might be to Washington, enhancing sanctions or authorising pre-emptive strikes could lead to an all-out war the US might lose. The Obama administration’s reappointment of the Bush administration’s secretary of defence, Robert Gates, reflects the growing involvement of the US military establishment in decision-making processes on matters of war and peace, and hence in US foreign policy in general. The primary catalyst in this development has been the dismal results of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan leading to attempts to reform the military establishment’s modus operandi, which isn’t directly affected by elections, a couple of years before the end of Bush’s tenure. The new programming was scripted to a considerable extent in the Baker- Hamilton Report, submitted to Bush in December 2006. The most important recommendations of this report were, first, its call for a dialogue with countries neighbouring Iraq, including Syria and Iran, in order to persuade them to help promote stability in order to extricate the US from the Iraqi quagmire it created after having invaded that country and demolished its existing governing infrastructures, and second its call to renew efforts towards a political solution to the Palestinian cause, which is to say to revive the so-called "peace process". Against this backdrop, the appointment of Gates as secretary of defence, instead of Rumsfeld, was a manifestation of the military establishment’s rejection of the latter and of the neoconservatives’ adventurism. Gates is now the military establishment’s man in the White House and his influence has increased under Obama. He epitomises that conjunction between the refusal to allow Iran to arm itself with nuclear weapons and the desire to avert an all-out war with Iran. This is the current position of the establishment in the West, regardless of the Tony Blair-like histrionics that only a handful of Arab officials buy.more..e-mail ‘Life changed’ by Gaza, Congressman Baird seeks to testify in Corrie lawsuit in Israel Mondoweiss - 10 Mar 2010 - Astonishing interview of the Corrie family, mom Cindy, dad Craig, and sister Sarah Corrie Simpson, by Amy Goodman , just before they left for the civil suit trial that’s taking place in Israel this week. Baird portion is halfway down. Also Craig’s meeting with Obama in Iowa.... BDS is tied to… 9/11! Mondoweiss - 10 Mar 2010 - People are talking excitedly about a big new paper on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign, coming out of the "Global Forum on Anti-Semitism," a conference organized by the Israeli government . The paper is evidently authored by Israel lobbyists Mitchell Bard and Gil Troy, here it... Analysis: Veep shows Israel some love Jeruslalem Post 9 Mar 2010 - In Jerusalem, Biden reiterates Washington's "absolute, total unvarnished commitment to Israel's security." Joe Biden offers Israel full US support The Guardian 9 Mar 2010 - In talks with Binyamin Netanyahu, US vice-president stresses need to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear weapons The US vice-president, Joe Biden, promised the Israeli government today that it had the strong support of Washington and said the... Letter on Muslim radical roils GOP Senate race LA Times 9 Mar 2010 - Website posts text contradicting Tom Campbell's claim of writing on behalf of donor Sami Al-Arian before 9/11. Terrorism and the Middle East are continuing to roil the Republican Senate contest after a letter written by former congressman Tom Campbell emerged that appeared to contradict statements Campbell and his aides had made about his dealings with a radical Muslim professor. Lobby’s purchase of Republican Campbell recalls its purchase of Obama Mondoweiss - 9 Mar 2010 - Alison Weir of If Americans Knew has published a piece on Tom Campbell’s back pages –the former California congressman who is now running for Senate. Note that Campbell obviously had realist bona fides back in the day, but has utterly abandoned his pro-Palestinian position. Campbell’s collapse... ‘No one in Washington supports more settlements’ Why then? Mondoweiss - 9 Mar 2010 - Bit by bit, now in a piece on the "pro-Israel lobby," Andrew Sullivan works his way toward the crucial understanding of the Israel lobby’s role in nullifying American policy in Israel/Palestine. There is simply no way to explain the policy nullification, with respect to settlements, over... U.S. not expected to make 'peace process' top priority 7 Mar 2010 - Jerusalem, March 7, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - 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... We are building a state while under occupation to end the occupation Palestine Note 6 Mar 2010 - WASHINGTON, DC - Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad forthrightly brought his case for building a Palestinian state to Israeli political and military leaders, and they applauded. The new Palestinian attitude towards how to end the occupation... The language of leaders: Lincoln as a model Palestine Note 6 Mar 2010 - WASHINGTON, DC - Angry rhetoric now characterises the relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The Tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem and the Cave of the Patriarchs/Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron,... 'Jewish lobby behind U.S. Armenia genocide vote' Ha'aretz 6 Mar 2010 - Pro-Israel activists manipulated Congress to damage Turkey, says London daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi. Western support grows for restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations Daily Star 6 Mar 2010 PARIS: Western countries have welcomed a decision by Arab foreign ministers to back indirect Israeli-Palestinian talks aimed at putting the long-stalled Middle East peace process back on track. Washington has been struggling for months to coax the Israelis and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table after talks were suspended in the wake of Israel's Israel lobby switch on Armenian genocide Palestine Note 5 Mar 2010 - Ha'aretz reports that Israel's ultra-right foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, believes the US embargo on Cuba is a good model for dealing with Iran. Lieberman said Thursday that he doubted the United Nations would follow through with... Israel lobby gets congress to stick it to Turkey Palestine Note 5 Mar 2010 - Yesterday the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the Armenian genocide resolution. That is the bill, kicking around for years, that recognizes the Armenian genocide as precisely that - genocide. The Turkish government has always strongly opposed... Washington rewards Israeli occupation for its crimes PIC 5 Mar 2010 - DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and Israeli Transport and Road Safety Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday announced a new agreement to enhance information sharing about civil aviation.. Tail wags the Turkey Mondoweiss - 5 Mar 2010 - MJ Rosenberg on the Armenian genocide-Turkey flap in House Foreign Affairs: That battle is now being carried to Washington. The Israelis are trying to teach the Turks a lesson. If the Armenian resolution passes both houses and goes into effect, it will not be out of... A Wrench in the Israeli Gears Alison Weir, CounterPunch 3/5/2010 My "Relationship" With Tom Campbell It’s interesting to find myself a small factor in the California race for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. But before I get to that, it’s necessary to take a look at the campaigns themselves, and the system in which they’re running. An outside observer might be forgiven for being confused about which nation these candidates are seeking to serve. Rather than competing over who is the most loyal Californian and patriotic American, these would-be Senators seem often to be competing over who is the most supportive of a foreign regime. Odder still, the regime being fervently endorsed has a record of taking actions that are deeply contrary to principles most Americans hold dear, and on top of that, has a track record of undertaking activities that are extremely damaging to the US, including: Spying on our government and industry and stealing American technology; Passing on American secrets to others, including to nations perceived as our most dangerous political and economic competitors; Killing American servicemen and citizens; even while receiving more US tax money than any other nation on earth; and Ignoring demands and pleas by virtually every U.S. president over the past few decades to end diverse illegal actions that have caused incalculable tragedy, destabilized the region and world, demonstrated ruthless cruelty against entire victim populations, and created escalating enmity toward the United States, whose lobby-promulgated assistance (at least $7 million per day) enables its actions.more..e-mail ‘JPost’ and ‘BBC’ say the lobby worked against Armenian genocide resolution before Mondoweiss - 5 Mar 2010 - The Jerusalem Post says that the Turks didn’t ask Israel for help to block the Armenian genocide resolution in the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee – as they did on a similar measure in 2007 : In years past Ankara had looked to Israel, and Jewish groups... Opposing Israel Lobby is Not Same as Supporting Palestinian Rights Uruknet March 4, 2010 - ...A political program based on the premise that the Lobby determines U.S. foreign policy "against our vital national interests" starts off badly and gets worse. It is misguided not only in the assertion that Israel’s interests have undermined U.S. interests, but in the realist manner in which "national interests" are understood from the perspective of economic... Turkey to recall US envoy following 'genocide' bill YNet News
4 Mar 2010 - Despite Clinton's efforts, congressional panel votes to label as 'genocide' World War One-era massacre of Armenians by Turkish forces. Erdogan: Turkey blamed for crime it didn't commit Israelis, Palestinians set for indirect negotiations Daily Star 4 Mar 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday Israel hoped to begin indirect talks with the Palestinians next week during a visit by Washington’s Middle East envoy.Palestinian officials said they wanted the US-mediated talks to focus initially on defining the borders of a state they hope to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Dredging up the Israel/apartheid question Glenn Greenwald, Salon.com 3/2/2010 In addition to everything else they are, the scribblings on The Washington Post Op-Ed Page are often wildly out of touch. They often have the feel of having been written a decade ago, stuffed under a mattress somewhere, and then arbitrarily hauled out and dusted off for publication. With seemingly no trigger, Richard Cohen woke up today and decided to write about a long-standing though not particularly relevant (and largely semantic) controversy: whether the word "apartheid" is properly applied to Israel due to its control of the West Bank and Gaza, whose non-Jewish residents have no democratic rights in the country that rules over their land. Cohen, for whatever reasons, focuses on Jimmy Carter’s use of the word in his book from four years ago, and takes the standard, predictable position: the term is false, deliberately inflammatory, and often the by-product of anti-semitism, etc. etc. But in dredging up this debate, Cohen completely omits a very recent, highly significant event: the use of the term by Israel’s own hawkish Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, just four weeks ago: Israel’s defense minister warned Tuesday that if Israel does not achieve a peace deal with the Palestinians, it will be either a binational state or an undemocratic apartheid state. . . . "The simple truth is, if there is one state" including Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, "it will have to be either binational or undemocratic. . . . if this bloc of millions of Palestinians cannot vote, that will be an apartheid state." Writing about the Israel/apartheid controversy without mentioning Barak’s recent statement would be like writing a column about the Senate reconciliation process without mentioning health care, or writing about the U.S. military’s counter-insurgency doctrine without mentioning Afghanistan. But Cohen’s glaring omission is understandable: there has been an intense campaign to demonize those who analogize Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians to demonize those who analogize Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians to apartheid (as Carter did, in the same way as Barak).more..e-mail Opposing Israel Lobby is Not Same as Supporting Palestinian Rights Palestine Chronicle: 4 Mar 2010 - By David Green Of the several Jewish-oriented pro-Palestinian websites and blogs to achieve some notoriety over the past several years, that of journalist Philip Weiss seems to have found a secure niche and a loyal following. I commend Weiss for providing a news service that covers the suffering and heroism of the Palestinians, and a forum for many serious voices and views. Nevertheless, I find profoundly disturbing the conventional and often condescending perspectives that seem to dominate this blog: The Lobby, according to Mearsheimer/Walt and Jeffrey Blankfort; the “dual loyalty” of prominent Jewish-American supporters of Israel, according to Weiss; and one-state and boycott, divestment, sanctions as strategy and tactics for the Palestinian rights movement. This analysis marginalizes leftist principles and, more important, pragmatic political action. I’m not referring to leftist doctrine, but rather a cogent leftist analysis that is dismissed by those who profess to a doctrinaire “realism.” A political...more J Street - Two Years after its Formation Palestine Chronicle: 4 Mar 2010 - By Dan Lieberman - Washington D.C. Two years ago, J Street, a newly registered pro-Israel lobby, hit the American Streets with optimism, vitality and promise. Its thrust: To replace or diminish the punch of the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC). J Street intends to subdue AIPAC’s charge and steer United States Middle East policy to bring peace to the Middle East - a worthy objective reinforced with strong rhetoric – two state solution, achieve regional comprehensive peace, broaden debate on issues, diplomatic solutions favored over military solutions, an immediate and total freeze of settlement construction, Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem to be under Israeli sovereignty and Arab neighborhoods to be under Palestinian sovereignty. Nevertheless, long time critics of Israel’s policies suspect J Street could have unintended consequences; will not achieve objectives and might sidetrack activists from properly engaging Israel. J Street’s challengers accuse it of couching objectives in dubious language...more Mossad Comes to America: Death Squads by Invitation Palestine Chronicle: 4 Mar 2010 - By James Petras The principle propaganda mouthpiece of the Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (PMAJO), the Daily Alert (DA), has come out in full support for Israel’s practice of extra-judicial, extra-territorial assassination. In the face of world-wide governmental condemnation (except from the White House and US Congress), the PMAJO slavishly backs any brutal murder committed by the Israeli secret police anywhere in the world and at anytime. The recent assassination of Hamas leader, Mahmoud Mabhouh, in Dubai is a case in point. The PMAJO has defended all of Mossad’s criminal actions leading up to the murder, including extensive identity theft and the stealing or falsification of passports and official documents from several European countries, presumably allied to the Zionist state. Among the Mossad agents who entered Dubai to kill Mabhouh, twelve agents used stolen or forged British passports, three Australian, three French, one German and six Irish. These agents...more U.S.-Israeli Arms Cooperation Quietly Growing 12/25/2009 - Forward - Washington — Leaders in Washington and Jerusalem have publicly locked horns over the issue of West Bank settlements. And Israeli public opinion has largely viewed America’s new administration as unfriendly. But behind the scenes, strategic security relations between the two countries are flourishing. Joint Exercise: Israeli soldiers train near the coastal city of Ashdod in October, part of the largest missile defense dry run ever held. Some 1,400 American soldiers were also involved. Israeli officials have been singing the praises of President Obama for his willingness to address their defense concerns and for actions taken by his administration to bolster Israel’s qualitative military edge — an edge eroded, according to Israel, during the final year of the George W. Bush presidency. Among the new initiatives taken by the administration, the Forward has learned, are adjustments in a massive. . . . U.S. calls Israeli expansion in E. Jerusalem 'counter-productive' (again) 3 Mar 2010 - Washington, March 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The United States criticized Israel on Monday for authorizing more Jewish settlements in annexed Arab east Jerusalem, describing the move as "counter-productive." "We've relayed our strong concerns to the government of Israel, that this kind of activity, particularly as we try to relaunch meaningful negotiations is counter-productive and undermines trust between the parties,"... Palestine and Israel: It's about land, not religion Palestine Note 3 Mar 2010 - Journalist and Middle East expert Nir Rosen debunks the myth that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is grudge pitting Islam against Judaism in the Washington Note . Rosen speaking at the Center for American Progress Rosen responds to Efraim... How would Washington Post respond if soldiers came for a columnist at 2 in the morning because of his writings? Mondoweiss - 2 Mar 2010 - Today in the Washington Post Richard Cohen says that Jimmy Carter "waved the bloody shirt of racism" when he said that Israel was practicing apartheid in the Occupied Territories. Cohen is blinding himself and his readers to the harsh conditions of the occupation. Consider Mazin Qumsiyeh... The Assassins in Dubai Palestine Chronicle: 2 Mar 2010 - By Ali Younes – Washington D.C. The assassination of Hamas commander, Mahmoud Al Mabhouh in Dubai on January 19th underscored the ruthlessness of Israeli politics in the region and how it intends to project its un-checked power onto the Arab states. At the beginning, Dubai was taken aback by this brazen assassination which took advantage of the open-door policy with which Dubai treats European and American citizens. Arab and Israeli press reported that the governments of Dubai and the UAE did not wish to have this issue blown out of control so as not to tarnish the image of this economic powerhouse emirate. President Hosni Mubarak was reported to have tried to “mediate” between UAE/Dubai and Israel to end this issue in exchange of a “quiet” Israeli apology to Dubai which does not appear to be an option for Israel at this point. It is worth noticing; however, that it is rather unusual for the Mossad to send a 27- member hit team to Dubai to assassinate Al Mabhouh who is relatively low-key figure within Hamas leadership. Moreover, Al Mabhouh who had no security detail to protect him had been arrested by Israel in the past and therefore his appearance was known to the Mossad. In addition, it was obvious to the Mossad that Dubai is ringed with cameras and surveillance systems that can photograph and record everything that takes place in the city. This suggests that the Israeli decision to assassinate Al Mabhouh in this very public way was... Funding Israeli Militarism and Occupation Palestine Chronicle: 2 Mar 2010 - By Stephen Lendman From birth, Israel was a regional menace until America became its benefactor in the late 1960s. Now it's a global one, powerful with a large standing army and the latest weapons and technology, nuclear armed and ready to use them. It's belligerent on the slightest pretext or none at all, and a threat to world peace and security because US administrations since Lyndon Johnson supported a nation of 5.6 millions in an area the size of New Jersey, partnering in its worst crimes and abuses. It's due largely to the Israeli Lobby's influence, or as John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt wrote in their book, "The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy," America's Middle East policy is driven "almost entirely (by) US domestic politics, and especially (because of) the (Lobby's) activities....This situation has no equal in American political history." In his book, "The Power of Israel in the United States," James Petras documented its enormous influence, explaining its roots throughout government, the business community, the dominant media, academia, the clergy, and powerful wealthy Jewish families. Broad support comes from thousands of dedicated activists, including doctors, lawyers, accountants, other professionals, philanthropists, and journalists given special prominence and benefits for their unwavering pro-Israeli reporting, suppressing decades of its militarism, belligerence, and illegal occupation while vilifying Israel's enemies. As a result, Israel receives enormous benefits, including billions in annual aid, the latest weapons and technology, unrestricted US market access, and free entry of its immigrants. Its imperial wars, illegal occupation, and... US Senator John Kerry presses Israel on Gaza access 3/2/2010 - Chicago - Ma'an - US Senator John Kerry raised the issue of Israel's closure of the Gaza Strip during his meetings this week with Israeli and Palestinian officials in the Middle East, his spokesman said on Monday. The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman "did raise Gaza access issues in all of his meetings," said spokesman Frederick Jones on the phone from Washington. "Senator Kerry has long called for heightened access for humanitarian goods and foodstuffs," he added. After his visit Kerry reportedly demanded that Israel allow pasta into Gaza, after learning that spaghetti was one of dozens of items Israel bans from the besieged enclave. Since Hamas took full control of Gaza in June 2007, Israel closed its borders with the Strip, effectively trapping the territory's 1. 5 million inhabitants inside and curtailing imports and exports. US ’concerned’ at settlement expansion 3/2/2010 - Chicago - Ma'an - The US State Department voiced concern on Monday over a reported Israeli plan to expand a settlement on Palestinian land in the West Bank. "We've relayed our strong concerns to the government of Israel, that this kind of activity, particularly as we try to relaunch meaningful negotiations is counter-productive and undermines trust between the parties," said State Department spokesman Philip Crowley, as quoted by AFP. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Friday that the government approved 600 new units of housing in Pisgat Ze'ev, a settlement near Ramallah in what Israel regards as East Jerusalem. "We have seen reports that plans for 600 housing units in Pisgat Ze'ev in east Jerusalem, originally deposited in 2008, have advanced in the approval process, although we understand that the total number of units has been reduced from the original plan," Crowley told reporters in Washington. American Jewish apathy threatens Israel lobby Mondoweiss - 1 Mar 2010 - New York Jewish Week’s James Besser on the Gallup poll showing only 53 percent of US Democrats have a favorable view of Israel: Talk to a a random sample of Jewish leaders, and in private, at least, most will lament what they say is a growing... US pushes peace agenda during talks with Barak in Washington 2/28/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli Minister of Defense Ehud Barak and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Friday for brief talks in Washington where Clinton was expected to push conditions for a resumption of talks with Palestinian negotiators. The American administration remains committed to a two-state solution, Clinton said, as Palestinians of all political stripes become increasingly disenchanted with the possibility of peace with the current Israeli government. On Thursday the PLO executive committee warned Israel following a governmental move to claim West Bank religious sites as Israeli, that Israel 'can't have the sites if they want peace. ' In remarks preceding the meeting, Clinton said she hoped to convince Barak to relax the siege on Gaza, noting the "people of Gaza deserve hope for a better future, and making sure that they have that hope is in both the interests of the Israelis and the Palestinians. " Clinton tells Barak to lift Gaza blockade 28 Feb 2010 - Washington, Feb. 28, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The United States pressed Israel on Friday to ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip, an issue Arab officials have urged Washington to address as it tries to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters she had an extended discussion with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak about... Juan Cole on Israel and its Lobby: Ideological Blinders or Hidden Meaning Stephen Sniegoski, America Hijacked 2/25/2010 Friends, In this article I am going to critique some fundamental views expressed by a staunch opponent of the US wars in the Middle East, Juan Cole, who has performed extremely valuable and courageous service in opposing US war policy in the Middle East. I should add, and will discuss at greater length at the end of this piece, that I am not absolutely certain whether Cole actually believes all of what I criticize or whether some of it merely serves as PC cover, and the better-informed are expected to read between the lines. Cole, who is a college professor, dares to do what few of his peers are willing to do: present his views (most frequently on his weblog, “Informed Comment”) on current Middle East issues which necessarily touch the taboo topic of Israel and contradict the position of the Israel lobby. As a Middle East specialist, Cole is capable of writing very informative pieces on that region, which go into far greater depth than I have the expertise to do. It is certainly not in his view of the Middle East per se where I find flaws in his interpretation, but in his assessment of the United States policy, especially the role of the neoconservatives and the broader Israel Lobby, an area in which I have done considerable research (e.g. my book, “The Transparent Cabal: The Neoconservative Agenda, War in the Middle East, and the National Interest of Israel”), and where my Ph.D. background in US diplomatic history would be of some relevance. Although mentioning the role of some American Jews in regard to shaping American Middle East policy, Cole still tends to downplay it. The flawed elements in his thinking on this crucial area are especially encapsulated in his recent article, “The Decline of the Israeli Right and the Increasing Desperation of the ‘Anti-Semitism’ Charge.”more..e-mail US-Israel Relations Sail into Icy Waters Palestine Chronicle: 28 Feb 2010 - By James Gundun - Washington D.C. It would be foolish conclude that America and Israel's special relationship is charted for divorce. Any long-lasting marriage hits a few cold spells, and tough times often unite. But a storm has chilled the waters. Now, will America and Israel hit an iceberg? President Barack Obama lost his battle with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the moment it began. Not the ideological or pragmatic battle necessarily, for Obama’s principles, were they sincere and he stuck to them, stand a better chance of creating a Palestine than whatever Netanyahu has in mind. The political battle is over though. Never a match for the veteran Netanyahu, US policy with Israel was burned by one of Obama's core weaknesses - inexperience. The Gaza war struck a month after his election. Obama went silent and would never say much afterward. Another month later Netanyahu had returned to power, already smelling blood from Washington, and proceeded to bite Obama repeatedly in action, word, and tone. Obama barely reacted to the peace process over 2009 and into 2010, Netanyahu even less, and famously refused to place any blame on either of them. Obama's approach must change if he expects any progress towards a sovereign Palestine and a secure Israel, if he truly desires the potential healing benefits to the region. He must actively engage the process not just during negotiations but before, or run the risk of conflict between all parties involved. US envoy George Mitchell can't move all the weight... 'Iran not just a challenge for Israel' Jeruslalem Post 26 Feb 2010 - In Washington, Barak calls for "significant sanctions" with time limits. Barak, UN chief hold talks 2/25/2010 - Chicago - Ma'an - Israeli Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon discussed efforts to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and other issues during a meeting on Wednesday afternoon. According to The Associated Press, Barak did not speak to reporters after the hour-long meeting, but UN spokesman Farhan Haq said on behalf of Ban, that "they discussed ongoing efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. " Haq said Ban expressed regret over Israeli actions that could hinder those efforts, including new orders to demolish Palestinian buildings in East Jerusalem and the inclusion of West Bank holy sites on an Israeli "heritage" list. The meeting was Barak's first on a brief trip to New York and Washington. He is also scheduled to meet US peace envoy George Mitchell, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Adm. So far, PM alone in calling for Iran sanctions Jeruslalem Post 25 Feb 2010 - After China, Israeli delegation scheduled to visit Africa to lobby for sanctions. 90 in Congress back Israel ahead of UN discussing Goldstone Jeruslalem Post 25 Feb 2010 - “We must ensure that our allies help us to prevent the referral of the Goldstone Report to the International Court of Justice," Congressmen write. Clinton: Goldstone problematic for other countries YNet News
26 Feb 2010 - US secretary of state tells House of Representatives that report accusing Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza could cause problems for United States, other states fighting terror. Congress members urged Obama administration to keep report from advancing to International Court of Justice US professor meets Haniyeh in Gaza 2/23/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - De facto government Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh hosted former national security adviser for Latin America Bob Pastor in Gaza City on Monday, officials reported. Pastor, who worked under the administration of former US President Jimmy Carter, teaches at the American University in Washington, DC in the International Service School. He is also co-director of the Center for North American Studies and the Center for Democracy and Election Management at the university. Government spokesman Tahir An-Nunu said Haniyeh and Pastor discussed political developments in the region and Palestinian reconciliation efforts. Haniyeh also addressed the effect of the Israeli-led siege on the region. . . . . Harvard Fellow calls for genocidal measure to curb Palestinian births Uruknet February 22, 2010 - A fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Martin Kramer, has called for "the West" to take measures to curb the births of Palestinians, a proposal that appears to meet the international legal definition of a call for genocide. Kramer, who is also a fellow at the influential Washington Institute for Near East Policy (... Yediot’s Gvirtz: ‘Ayalon has outdone even Lieberman in recklessness, no mean feat’ Palestine Note 23 Feb 2010 - As reported here yesterday (February 21 2010) condemnation of Deputy FM Danny Ayalon's snubbing of the J Street sponsored US congressional delegation has been nearly universal. The only exception was a Kahanist MK . Now joined only... US professor meets with Hamas leader Palestine Note 23 Feb 2010 - De facto Gaza PM Ismail Haniyeh has held a meeting with Dr. Robert Pastor, professor of international relations at American University in Washington, DC, Ma'an News Agency reports. Pastor met with Haniyeh in Gaza City Monday.... Israel, US tighten relations as part of Iran sanctions effort YNet News
23 Feb 2010 - Defense minister to meet US administration officials for talks that will focus on efforts to intensify punitive measures against Islamic Republic. Jerusalem to renew strategic dialogue with Washington, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon Israeli Environmental Terrorism in the Holy Land Palestine Chronicle: 23 Feb 2010 - By Tammy Obeidallah Israelis have duped much of the Jewish and Christian religious communities into accepting their claim to Palestine is based on a belief that the land is holy—that their spiritual and emotional connection to this land reaches across millennia. Yet through the willful decimation of natural resources along with its native inhabitants, the Zionist establishment has proven that in the Holy Land, nothing is sacred. With respect to the nearly 800,000 Palestinians that were forced to flee their homes upon the establishment of Israel in 1948, the Jewish State’s wanton destruction of the environment in their absence merits condemnation as well. The land once known as Palestine began suffering detrimental and irrevocable changes in the early 1950s when Israel’s fledgling government drained the wetlands surrounding Lake Huleh, north of the Sea of Galilee, for a housing project. Once the lake was dry, the Palestinian Painted Frog that inhabited the wetlands became extinct. The last reported sighting of the small amphibian was in 1955. Today, many other species are facing extinction due to Israel’s gross disregard for the environment. Israeli fish farming is killing off coral reefs in the Red Sea, threatening unique species of fish and other marine life. According to coral ecologist Dr. Yossi Loya, five million fish are bred in cages each year without permits, a $20 million per year industry protected by the Israeli agriculture lobby. Coral reefs in Aqaba and along the Sinai Peninsula continue to thrive, as Jordan and Egypt do not permit... Human rights groups in Israel face crackdown 2/22/2010 - Nazareth - The Israeli government and its right-wing supporters have been waging a "McCarthyite" campaign against human-rights groups by blaming them for the barrage of international criticism that has followed Israel's attack on Gaza a year ago, critics say. In a sign of the growing backlash against the human-rights community, the cabinet backed a bill last week that, if passed, will jail senior officials from the country's peace-related organisations should they fail to meet tough new registration conditions. The measure is a response to claims by right-wing lobbyists that Israel's human-rights advocates supplied much of the damaging evidence of war crimes cited by Judge Richard Goldstone in his UN-commissioned report into Israel's Operation Cast Lead. Human-rights groups funded by foreign donors, such as the European Union, would be required to register as political bodies and meet other demands for "transparency. " VIDEO - Interview with Grant F. Smith, Author of Spy Trade 2/20/2010 - Dissident Voice - Press TV - Iranian satellite television channel Press TV broadcast of a 25 minute interview with Institute for Research Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep) director Grant F. Smith about the Israel lobby’s history of challenges to rule of law and governance in the United States. [end] Clinton criticized for dodging question on Israel nukes 2/21/2010 - Press TV - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is criticized for dodging a question on Israel's nuclear arsenal during a "town hall" meeting at a Jeddah college. Mariyam Alavi, a Saudi student, asked Clinton last Tuesday about Washington's stance on the existence of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. " I did not get a straight answer," Alavi said in a letter published in Arab News, AFP reported. " My question was simple and direct enough," she wrote, but Clinton's response "was very unsatisfying. " The 12th grader at the International Indian School in Jeddah, who attended the meeting at the elite Dar al-Hekma College, noted that the US top diplomat only detailed Iran's nuclear program, without mentioning Israel. If the Americans "so vehemently oppose Iran's nuclear program," she had asked, "then why isn't the US asking Israel to give up their nuclear weapons? "The student has questioned Washington's. . . . Dubious in Dubai Palestine Chronicle: 22 Feb 2010 - By Uri Avnery From time to time I ask myself: what would happen if the world’s governments decided to abolish all their spy agencies simultaneously? True, it would be a great blow to the authors and movie producers who make their living from secret service stories. Their products would lose their appeal. But what would be the real damage if Washington stopped spying on Moscow and Moscow stopped spying on Washington, and both on Beijing? The result would be a draw. Immense sums of money would be saved, since a large part of the efforts of every spy agency is devoted to obstructing the intrigues of the competition. How many diseases could be overcome? How many hungry people fed, how many illiterates taught to read and write? The popular books and movies celebrate the imaginary successes of the intelligence agencies. Reality is much more prosaic, and it is replete with real failures. The two classic intelligence disasters occurred during World War II. In both, the intelligence agencies either provided their political bosses with faulty assessments, or the leaders ignored their accurate assessments. As far as the results are concerned, both amount to the same. Comrade Stalin was totally surprised by the German invasion of the Soviet Union, even though the Germans needed months to assemble their huge invasion force. President Roosevelt was totally surprised by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, even though the bulk of the Japanese Navy took part in it. The failures were so fantastic, that spy... U.S. places Iran nuclear issue on pressure track 2/21/2010 - Ha'aretz - The United States is placing its efforts to thwart the Iranian nuclear program on a "pressure track," head of U. S. Central Command general David Petraeus said in an interview to a U. S. network on Sunday. Speaking to NBC's "Meet the Press," Petraeus said that he thought "that no one at the end of this time can say that the United States and the rest of the world have not given Iran every opportunity to resolve the issues diplomatically. " "That puts us in a solid foundation now to go on what is termed the pressure track," the U. S. general said, adding that "that's the course on which we are embarked now. " The United States is leading a push for a fourth round of United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran because of suspicions it is secretly developing a nuclear arsenal. Washington has been supported from fellow Security Council members Britain and France, while Russia, which. . . . Congressman calls for US to circumvent Israeli Gaza blockade 2/21/2010 - Jerusalem Post - Rep. Brian Baird compares Strip to Berlin Blockade after third visit to Gaza since Hamas took over. - Foreign Ministry spokesman tells CNN he wonders whether Baird’s support for a Berlin-like breaking of the blockade would have extended to a Berlin under Nazi Germany. - Rep. Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington state, called on the Obama administration on Friday to “circumvent” Israel’s blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Baird spoke in Jerusalem after a two-day visit to Gaza, his third since Hamas took over the territory in 2007. The US should circumvent Israel’s blockade, “much like we did when we circumvented the Berlin Blockade,” he said. “We would accomplish this using roll-on/off ships supplying the needed material for Palestinians to rebuild their society. ” Baird criticized Israel for being too stringent in its blockade, which he said “was established so that contraband. . . . Washington to pursue 'pressure track' on Iran: Petraeus Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 The United States is raising the stakes in its bid to halt Iran's nuclear program, putting the issue on a "pressure track," top US General David Petraeus said on Sunday. "I think that no one at the end of this time can say that the United States and the rest of the world have not given Iran every opportunity to resolve the issues diplomatically," he said. "That puts us in a solid foundation now to go on what is termed the pressure track. A Second American Speaking Tour: What a Difference Three Years Makes Mohammed Omer, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs 2/1/2010 MY SECOND North American speaking tour in three years focused on the aftermath of Israel’s murderous “Operation Cast Lead” and the effects of the then-46-month siege strangling the men, women and children of the Gaza Strip. In the course of the three-and-a-half-week Israeli assault—which commenced two days after Christmas 2008 and ended two days before Barack Obama’s January 2009 presidential inauguration—more than 1,400 Palestinians were killed, thousands more injured, and tens of thousands lost their homes. Also destroyed were businesses and community buildings, including mosques, schools and public meeting places, along with Gaza’s already overburdened infrastructure. Thirteen Israelis, including three civilians, also lost their lives. This carnage catapulted the international community to action, despite U.S. objections. As I traveled the East Coast in early November 2009, however, it became clear to me that things are changing in the United States, albeit slowly. One woman, for example, so incensed by the lack of depth in U.S. media coverage, approached me in frustration. “This is a genocide!” she exclaimed. “If those children who were killed were my children, it would have been on the front page of many newspapers—but only because we are Americans,” she added, ashamed. Because it is American money, political protection and policy that sustain the occupation, and American weapons deployed in the skies above Gaza, as well as on the ground and on the sea, education is the key to a peaceful resolution, and this remained the focus of my latest tour. Harvard, Columbia and Rutgers Universities had invited me to speak, and several congressional and NGO staff members and other influential policymakers had invited me to meet with them.more..e-mail Report: Dubai assassin used real German passport 2/21/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - German officials investigating the murder of Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai have found that one of the suspected assassins carried a genuine German passport, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Saturday. One German passport was used in the 20 January assassination, which has been attributed to the Israeli spy agency Mossad, although Israel has not confirmed any involvement. Six British, three Irish, and one French passport were also used, according to Dubai police. Der Spiegel said German intelligence agents found that in June 2009 an Israeli man identifying himself as Michael Bodenheimer - a name listed by police as a member of the hit squad - approached immigration officials in Cologne with the pre-World War II address of his grandparents. Bodenheimer acquired German citizenship on the basis of this information. US State Department lifts travel warning for Syria 2/20/2010 - Yahoo! News - AP - DAMASCUS, Syria – The U. S. has lifted an advisory warning American travelers of security concerns in Syria, officials said Saturday, as Washington tries to boost ties with a country seen as key to peace in the region. However, Syria remains on a U. S. list of countries supporting terrorism, a designation made in 1979 because of suspicions that Syria collaborates with Iran in supplying munitions to radical Islamist groups for use against Israel. The country also remains under U. S. sanctions, which President Barack Obama renewed in May. First imposed by former President George W. Bush, the sanctions cite Syrian support for terrorism, its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and other activities including efforts to undermine U. S. operations in Iraq. Earlier this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that uranium particles found at a Syrian desert facility bombed three years. . . . J Street: Criticism of Israel does not make us the enemy 2/19/2010 - Ha'aretz - Comments come in wake of Foreign Ministry snubbing of congressional visit back by the dovish lobby. - The attitude of Israeli politicians and U. S. right-wing Jews toward anyone critical of Israel has to change, director of the left-leaning U. S. lobby J Street, Jeremy Ben-Ami, told Haaretz in an interview on Thursday. According to Ben-Ami, "A part of the Jewish community in the United States and some people here are intolerant of people who disagree with them or criticize them. "And that intolerance immediately flips to 'you are anti-Israel - you're a Muslim lover or you're Muslim,'" he told Haaretz in an interview. "These are things that they call me, and this is what some of them call the president. It has to change both in the politics here and in the right wing of the American Jewish community. "Ben-Ami's comment came as the Foreign Ministry apparently came to regret its snubbing of a U. " Activist’s case will test U.S. anti-terrorism law 2/18/2010 - Los Angeles Times - USC professor Ralph Fertig says he's protected under the 1st Amendment for advocating for the Kurdish minority in Turkey, whose political party has been designated a terrorist group by the U. S. - Ralph Fertig hardly resembles a terrorist, but the soft-spoken 79-year-old pacifist and human rights activist from Los Angeles might well qualify as one under the government's strong anti-terrorism law. He is the lead plaintiff in a Supreme Court case to be heard next week that will test whether speaking out on behalf of an oppressed foreign minority -- represented by a group that's been deemed a terrorist organization by the U. S. -- can result in a long prison term. In 1996, Congress expanded the anti-terrorism law, imposing a prison term of up to 15 years for providing "training" or "expert advice or assistance" to a designated international terrorist group. Netanyahu to bring Heritage Plan to cabinet Jeruslalem Post 20 Feb 2010 - Knesset Lobby for Greater Israel to visit Cave of the Patriarchs to protest the site’s exclusion from PM's plan. Hard Mideast Truths Roger Cohen, Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development 2/11/2010 For over a century now, Zionism and Arab nationalism have failed to find an accommodation in the Holy Land. Both movements attempted to fill the space left by collapsed empire, and it has been left to the quasi-empire, the United States, to try to coax them to peaceful coexistence. The attempt has failed. President Barack Obama came to office more than a year ago promising new thinking, outreach to the Muslim world, and relentless focus on Israel-Palestine. But nice speeches have given way to sullen stalemate. I am told Obama and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have a zero-chemistry relationship. Domestic U.S. politics constrain innovative thought — even open debate — on the process without end that is the peace search. As Aaron David Miller, who long labored in the trenches of that process, once observed, the United States ends up as “Israel’s lawyer” rather than an honest broker. The upside for an American congressman in speaking out for Palestine is nonexistent. I don’t see these constraints shifting much, but the need for Obama to honor his election promise grows. The conflict gnaws at U.S. security, eats away at whatever remote possibility of a two-state solution is left, clouds Israel’s future, scatters Palestinians and devours every attempt to bridge the West and Islam. Here’s what I believe. Centuries of persecution culminating in the Holocaust created a moral imperative for a Jewish homeland, Israel, and demand of America that it safeguard that nation in the breach. But past persecution of the Jews cannot be a license to subjugate another people, the Palestinians. Nor can the solemn U.S. promise to stand by Israel be a blank check to the Jewish state when its policies undermine stated American aims.more..e-mail Blockade should be circumvented by the US Congressman Brian Baird, Ma’an News Agency 2/20/2010 The following is a statement from the office of US Congressman Brian Baird, a Democrat elected in Washington State. In the past year I have been to Gaza three times. I was the first US Government official to visit Gaza after the Israeli Cast Lead operation. My recent two-day visit was to assess aid shipments and humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Here are the facts: There is an Israeli blockade around Gaza, on land and along the coast. This blockade was established so that contraband weapons and equipment used for rockets to shell Israel will not enter Gaza. While there are foodstuffs entering Gaza, the shipments are tightly controlled and items such as tomato paste and pasta are sometimes restricted by the Israelis. Palestinians cannot rebuild their homes, their schools, their hospitals because they cannot import the cement needed to complete the projects. They cannot build sewage systems and prevent 55 million metric meters of sewage flow into the Mediterranean because the Israelis limit the amount of construction materials into Gaza. A tunnel system has developed in South Gaza which circumvents the Israeli blockade. This system is creating a new power base in the society which is based on criminal activity vice the rule of law. And Hamas reaps the benefits and is becoming more powerful.more..e-mail Campus claws: beating Israel lobbyists through debate Paul J. Balles, Redress 2/19/2010 Paul J. Balles cautions pro-Palestinian activists against simply shouting down speakers who represent their enemy, arguing that, to win hearts and minds, they should instead “learn to express themselves well enough to challenge their adversaries” and they should prepare for and encourage debates. We claim to be just and upright. No wrath from us will come stealthily to the one who holds out clean hands, and he will go through life unharmed; but whoever sins and hides his bloodstained hands, as avengers of bloodshed we appear against him to the end, presenting ourselves as upright witnesses for the dead. (Aeschylus, Eumenides 470 BC) Israel keeps selling disinformation to the public. Channelling it through the media they own and control, the one institution that’s difficult to control happens to be the university. Zionists have spent a great deal of money distributing their propaganda and circulating their image management. On university campuses with significant numbers of Muslim students, the pro-Israel groups don’t have quite the freedom to run rampant with their campaigns. Despite the beatings Muslims have endured in Palestine, their youth who have joined universities have been able to voice their protests, much to the dismay of the Zionists. Others who have sympathized with the plight of the Palestinians have joined them. Pro-Palestinian students have disrupted speeches by prominent Israeli speakers at Oxford University, in England, at the University of Chicago, the University of California, Los Angeles, Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania, Western Michigan University and, most recently, the University of California at Irvine.more..e-mail J St and AIPAC teamed up on Iran sanctions Mondoweiss - 20 Feb 2010 - MJ Rosenberg called them "Dumb Sanctions." But J Street pushed them way over the top. Ron Kampeas at JTA : "J Street has a dependable cadre of 40-50 members of the U.S. House of Representatives ready to heed its voting recommendations. Congressional insiders say J Street’s green... Top UN official: Abbas must negotiate 2/20/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - A senior UN official placed onus on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to enter US-brokered negotiations with Israel on Thursday. "We remain deeply concerned at the current stalemate," said B. Lynn Pascoe, the UN's undersecretary-general for political affairs, in a briefing to the Security Council on Thursday morning. "The secretary-general hopes that President Abbas will move forward on the basis of that practical proposal so that serious talks can begin," Pascoe said. Pascoe also said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "notes [Israeli] Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu's stated commitment to a two-state solution, although confusion as to the government's intentions arises from statements by various government officials. "Peace negotiations were broken off in December 2008 when Israel launched a three-week military offensive. . . Assad: Europe must push Israel toward peace 2/20/2010 - Washington - Ma'an/Agencies - Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad told the visiting French prime minister on Friday that European states should compel Israel to comply with what he termed the "requirements of peace. " According to state news agency SANA, Al-Assad told Prime Minister Francois Fillon that in his view Israel currently lacks the "genuine will" to achieve peace. The same report said the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and regional issues including the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. Syria wants Israel to commit to a full withdrawal from the Golan Heights, an area Israel occupied during the June 1967 war. Israel considers the land an annexed territory, but the international community does not recognize Israeli control there, and has repeatedly called for an Israeli pullout. Fillon is the first French Prime Minister to visit Syria in 33 years, AFP reported earlier on Friday. Top US official visits Israel, West Bank 2/19/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - US Deputy Secretary of State Jacob J. Lew arrived on Wednesday for a four-day visit to Israel and the West Bank that will include talks on trade, technology, and humanitarian aid, the State Department said. While in the West Bank, the State Department said Lew, who served as budget director under former President Bill Clinton, plans to "focus on how U. S. assistance can best support the efforts of President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad to build the institutions of a future state, to develop the Palestinian economy and civil society institutions, and other elements integral to US efforts to help achieve a two-state solution and comprehensive peace in the region. "Also on Thursday President Mahmoud Abbas met with a senior aide to Middle East envoy George Mitchell, Reuters news agency reported. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat confirmed the scheduled meeting with aide David Hale had taken place in Ramallah. Neither the PA nor the US had any comment on the subject of the meeting. U.S. Lawmakers Blast Boycott of J Street Delegation in Israel 2/18/2010 - Common Dreams - Ha'aretz - Five U. S. Congressmen on a visit here, which the left-wing American advocacy group J Street initiated, yesterday held a news conference in Tel Aviv to demand an official explanation for an apparent snub by Danny Ayalon, deputy foreign minister. Tension between the Foreign Ministry and J Street was believed to be behind the unprecedented diplomatic rift between Israel and the U. S. Congress. " It was with real surprise and disappointment that we read a headline in this morning's newspaper saying 'Foreign Ministry boycotts members of Congress,'" said Rep. William Delahunt (D-Massachusetts), who heads the delegation. J Street director Jeremy Ben-Ami said at the news conference that he was confused by Ayalon's calling the lobby anti-Israel. "Our relations with Israel's embassy in Washington are on the mend. . . I hope this is no more than his personal opinion," he said. U.S. Congressman Calls for Breaking Gaza Blockade 2/19/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - WASHINGTON, February 19, 2010 (WAFA)- U. S. Congressman Brian Baird (D-WA) called for the United States to break the Gaza blockade, provide immediate humanitarian aid and urged Special Envoy Mitchell to visit Gaza. Baird statement reads as follows: In the past year I have been to Gaza three times. I was the first US Government official to visit Gaza after the Israeli Cast Lead operation. My recent two-day visit was to assess aid shipments and humanitarian conditions in Gaza. These are the facts: There is an Israeli blockade around Gaza, on land and along the coast. This blockade was established so that contraband weapons and equipment used for rockets to shell Israel will not enter Gaza. While there are foodstuffs entering Gaza, the shipments are tightly controlled and items such as tomato paste and pasta are sometimes restricted by the Israelis. Britain’s explanation is riddled with inconsistencies. It’s time to come clean Robert Fisk, The Independent 2/18/2010 How could the Arabs pick up on a Mossad killing, if that is what it was? Well, we shall see Collusion. That’s what it’s all about. The United Arab Emirates suspect – only suspect, mark you – that Europe’s "security collaboration" with Israel has crossed a line into illegality, where British passports (and those of other other EU nations) can now be used to send Israeli agents into the Gulf to kill Israel’s enemies. At 3.49pm yesterday afternoon (Beirut time, 1.49pm in London), my Lebanese phone rang. It was a source – impeccable, I know him, he spoke with the authority I know he has in Abu Dhabi – to say that "the British passports are real. They are hologram pictures with the biometric stamp. They are not forged or fake. The names were really there. If you can fake a hologram or biometric stamp, what does this mean?" The voice – I know the man and his origins well – wants to talk. "There are 18 people involved in the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. Besides the 11 already named, there are two Palestinians who are being interrogated and five others, including a woman. She was part of the team that staked out the hotel lobby." Two hours later, an SMS arrives on my Beirut phone from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It is the same source. "ONE MORE THING," it says in capital letters, then continues in lower case. "The command room of the operation was in Austria (sic, in fact, all things are "sic" in this report)... meaning the suspects when here did not talk to each other but thru the command room on separate lines to avoid detection or linking themselves to one another... but it was detected and identified OK??" OK? I ask myself. My source is both angry and insistent. "We have sent out details of the 11 named people to Interpol. Interpol has circulated them to 188 countries – but why hasn’t Britain warned foreign nations that these people are using passports in these names?" There was more to come.more..e-mail First Al Gore invented the internet, then Israel invented the tomato Mondoweiss - 19 Feb 2010 - Angry Arab slams the New York Times for publishing the stupendous claim that Israelis developed the cherry tomato. I realize that Shmuel and other commenters on this site were on to this story first! Related posts: I heard all this at AIPAC ‘In Iran, We’re Taking... A History Lesson for Obama Palestine Chronicle: 17 Feb 2010 - By Henry Norr With President Obama's Middle East peace plans so completely -- and humiliatingly -- shipwrecked on the rocks of Israeli intransigence, it's time for him to consider a new approach, at least if he's serious about his announced objectives. In the spirit of bipartisanship that he's so dedicated to, I suggest he look to the way Dwight D. Eisenhower handled a similar predicament a half-century ago. First, a quick review of the goals Obama staked out last year and how much progress his efforts have produced. In his speech in Cairo last June, he noted that the Palestinian people have "for more than 60 years ... endured the pain of dislocation" and "the daily humiliations -- large and small -- that come with occupation." "Let there be no doubt," he proclaimed, "the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. And America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own." Israel, he went on, "must live up to its obligation to ensure that Palestinians can live and work and develop their society." Specifically, on the key issue of Israeli colonization of East Jerusalem and the West Bank, he reaffirmed the policy Washington has subscribed to, at least on paper, since 1967: "The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop." As to the devastated Gaza Strip, Obama... Livni: This is not the time to boycott Israel's allies Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Opposition leader says after meeting with U.S. congressmen that differences of opinion can be overcome. dual loyalty again… Mondoweiss - 18 Feb 2010 - Greenwald on Gary Ackerman : whatever else is true, once one listens to this, it’s simply impossible to deny that this highly influential American Congressman, devoted to pushing the U.S. to war with Iran, is driven, at least in substantial part, by his fervent devotion to Israel.... Steve (Nightflower) Rosen gives AIPAC seal to Obama Mondoweiss - 18 Feb 2010 - When Steve Rosen is comfortable writing a long posting at Foreign Policy in praise of Barack Obama’s Israeli and Mideast policies ("Is Barack Obama More AIPAC than J Street?" [Yes]) it’s time to admit that banking on this Administration is counter-productive. (I hate to say I... Hubris: Israeli gov’t flips off 6 congresspeople visiting with J Street Mondoweiss - 18 Feb 2010 - MJ Rosenberg picks up an inciden t I’ve failed to note: the Israeli gov’t refusing to meet six congresspeople who visited Israel at the behest of J Street, and calling J Street "anti-Israel." Anyway, at about the same time [deputy Foreign Minister Danny] Ayalon attacked J... US once threatened sanctions/tax deductions when Israel occupied land by force Mondoweiss - 18 Feb 2010 - Henry Norr urges Obama to study the Suez war , when an American President and Sec’y of State actually used the UN General Assembly as a bully pulpit, and threatened sanctions, and took on the lobby too, to force Israel out of Gaza. At the end of... A History Lesson for Obama Palestine Chronicle: 17 Feb 2010 - By Henry Norr With President Obama's Middle East peace plans so completely -- and humiliatingly -- shipwrecked on the rocks of Israeli intransigence, it's time for him to consider a new approach, at least if he's serious about his announced objectives. In the spirit of bipartisanship that he's so dedicated to, I suggest he look to the way Dwight D. Eisenhower handled a similar predicament a half-century ago. First, a quick review of the goals Obama staked out last year and how much progress his efforts have produced. In his speech in Cairo last June, he noted that the Palestinian people have "for more than 60 years ... endured the pain of dislocation" and "the daily humiliations -- large and small -- that come with occupation." "Let there be no doubt," he proclaimed, "the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. And America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own." Israel, he went on, "must live up to its obligation to ensure that Palestinians can live and work and develop their society." Specifically, on the key issue of Israeli colonization of East Jerusalem and the West Bank, he reaffirmed the policy Washington has subscribed to, at least on paper, since 1967: "The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop." As to the devastated Gaza Strip, Obama... Israel army seizes 11 Palestinians in night raids 2/17/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - Israeli military forces detained 11 Palestinians during nightly raids on West Bank communities, army sources reported on Wednesday. The men were all allegedly detained as "wanted," and were taken for questioning, an Israeli media report said. They were not immediately identified. Witnesses said three men were taken from their homes in Sa'ir village northeast of Hebron overnight. A neighbor of one of the detained men said Israeli forces invaded the town before sunrise and entered the home of Ya'qub Jaradat, where the detained his two sons: Majdi, 26,and Fuad, 22. A second witness said the home of Shleish Jaradat was also invaded, and its contents ransacked. Jaradat's son Sa'd, 22, was taken to an unknown location, he said. . . . . Two Palestinians held in Dubai over Hamas killing 2/17/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - Police in Dubai questioned two Palestinians in connection with the recent assassination of a Hamas official, the French news agency AFP reported on Tuesday. The revelation came a day after the Dubai police chief named an 11-member hit squad who traveled to the Emirate on what appeared to be forged European passports. Dubai police released the names and passport photos of the alleged assassins. The two Palestinians, both residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), "fled to Jordan" after Hamas member Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh was found dead in a Dubai hotel room last month, police chief Dahi Khalfan told AFP. The pair were arrested in Jordan and then extradited back to the UAE, he said. In a dramatic announcement on Monday, Khalfan said police planned to issue arrest warrants for six British passport holders, three with Irish passports, including a woman, and the. . . Fayyad: No plans for cabinet reshuffle 2/17/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - Palestinian caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad was quoted on Wednesday denying reports that [he] was planning a reshuffle of his cabinet in the wake of corruption scandals. Fayyad told the US-based website Palestine Note that he is not planning any changes to the Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet in Ramallah. On Tuesday PA officials told Ma'an that President Mahmoud Abbas had already approved a plan to replace "more than one" cabinet member. The sources said Fayyad offered. Interior Minister Said Abu Ali the position of chief of staff. Abu Ali, however, has since denied knowledge of the offer. The sources had also originally said Justice Minister Ali Khashan, Education Minister Lamis Al-Alami, and Agriculture Minister Ismail Deiq would likely be replaced. The PA has been shaken by scandals in recent weeks. U.S. lawmakers in Israel 'puzzled' by Ayalon boycott Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Deputy Foreign Min. snubs U.S. congressional delegation touring Israel with members of J Street group. Lobby for Gaza in US congress PIC 17 Feb 2010 - American congressmen have formed a lobby called power 54 for Gaza in reference to the number of congressmen forming that lobby, Hebrew press reported. I don’t mean to say I told you so, but... Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy, Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development 2/8/2010 Probably the most controversial claim in my work with John Mearsheimer on the Israel lobby is our argument that it played a key role in the decision to invade Iraq in 2003. Even some readers who were generally sympathetic to our overall position found that claim hard to accept, and some left-wing critics accused us of letting Bush and Cheney off the hook or of ignoring the importance of other interests, especially oil. Of course, Israel’s defenders in the lobby took issue even more strenuously, usually by mischaracterizing our arguments and ignoring most (if not all) of the evidence we presented. So I hope readers will forgive me if I indulge today in a bit of self-promotion, or more precisely, self-defense. This week, yet another piece of evidence surfaced that suggests we were right all along (HT to Mehdi Hasan at the New Statesman and J. Glatzer at Mondoweiss). In his testimony to the Iraq war commission in the U.K., former Prime Minister Tony Blair offered the following account of his discussions with Bush in Crawford, Texas in April 2002. Blair reveals that concerns about Israel were part of the equation and that Israel officials were involved in those discussions. Take it away, Tony: As I recall that discussion, it was less to do with specifics about what we were going to do on Iraq or, indeed, the Middle East, because the Israel issue was a big, big issue at the time. I think, in fact, I remember, actually, there may have been conversations that we had even with Israelis, the two of us, whilst we were there. So that was a major part of all this." Notice that Blair is not saying that Israel dreamed up the idea of attacking Iraq or that Bush was bent on war solely to benefit Israel or even to appease the Israel lobby here at home. But Blair is acknowledging that concerns about Israel were part of the equation, and that the Israeli government was being actively consulted in the planning for the war.more..e-mail In Saudi Arabia, Clinton gives nod to settlements 2/17/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - A day after she acknowledged frustration with the US role in the stalled Mideast peace process, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reaffirmed US calls on Monday for an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders with the exception of some settlements. "The parties can mutually agree on an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements," she said during a news conference in Riyadh alongside Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal. The reference to "subsequent developments" was a an acknowledgement of Israeli intentions to maintain control of many settlements built on land taken from Palestinians after the 1967 occupation of the West Bank. Jordan king to J Street: Peace efforts at critical phase 2/17/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - Jordan's King Abdullah II told supporters of a US pro-Israeli group on Monday that efforts to achieve peace between Israel and Palestinians have reached a "critical phase" that demands renewed international attention. The kingdom's state news agency Petra that Abdullah made this pronouncement in a meeting with in Amman a visiting delegation representing the J Street, the US' self-styled pro-peace, pro-Israeli organization. According to the group's website the delegation includes five members of the US House of Representatives Lois Capps (D-California), Bill Delahunt (D-Massachusetts), Bob Filner (D-California), Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio), and Donald Payne (D-New Jersey). J street also said the group is planning to visit Israel and the West Bank city of Ramallah, a stop which will include a meeting with caretaker Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad. Nasrallah: Armed opposition deters Israel 2/17/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah argued on Tuesday that armed resistance, not diplomacy, is the most effective means to keep Arab nations safe from potential Israeli attack. Since Israel's 2006 war with Hizbullah in Lebanon, Nasrallah asserted, "The Israelis have acknowledged failure and admitted that the resistance has grown stronger. " "When Israel wants to go to war, it has to be conditional. They [must] be able to achieve a clear, decisive, and guaranteed victory, not just victory as a possibility," he added in a speech delivered in a south Beirut suburb commemorating the deaths of Hizbullah members. "In Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria, we are so strong that Israel cannot wage war on us whenever it wants to. It is not enough for Israel to have a strong possibility of victory because this entity cannot tolerate another defeat," he said, as quoted by Hizbullah's official broadcaster Al-Manar. Partners against Iran Jeruslalem Post 16 Feb 2010 - Mullen's visit underlined Washington’s intensifying effort to keep closely coordinated with Israel. Israeli soldiers seize 12 in night raids 2/15/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - The Israeli military said on Monday it seized 12 Palestinians during raids in the West Bank overnightAccording to the military spokesperson's unit, seven were detained in the Nablus area, two in Hebron, and three in the Ramallah area. A gun was found in the home of one of the detainees, who were all taken on account of their "wanted" status. Palestinian security sources identified those detained in Nablus as Thaer Walid Najim, 28, his brothers Mujahid, 19, and Imad, as well asMuhammad Minni, 20, Mahdi Salim, 25, Raji Salim, 20, and Mujahid Qutub, 23. The Israeli military also reported that three Palestinians carrying three pipe bombs and a knife were detained at an army checkpoint in the Nablus area on Sunday. It was unclear if these three were included in the total of 12 detentions reported by Israel. On Mash’al’s heels, Netanyahu arrives in Moscow 2/15/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Moscow early on Monday morning for a three-day visit that follows by less than a week a trip by Hamas leader Khalid Mash'al. Russia is an ally of Israel, but is also the only member of the diplomatic Quartet that has open relations with Hamas. The other members of the peace negotiations-sponsoring Quartet - the US, EU, and UN - boycott the Islamic group. Russia's relations with key opponents of Israel - Iran, Syria, and Hamas among them - will top the agenda for Netanyahu's meetings with Russian officials. "I view Russia as in important power and an important friend of the State of Israel. We will discuss a range of issues, but first and foremost Iran," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday. "Israel believes that strong pressure must be applied to Iran, especially. . . " Clinton: US can’t force Israel, PA into peace talks 2/15/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday made an unusual acknowledgement of frustrations with the long-frozen Palestinian-Israeli negotiation process. Speaking at the US-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar, on the first day of a trip to the Middle East, Clinton said,know people are disappointed that we have not yet achieved a breakthrough. " "The President, Senator Mitchell, and I are also disappointed. But we must remember that neither the United States nor any country can force a solution. The parties themselves must resolve their differences through negotiations," she added, according to a transcript. "The United States stands ready to play an active and sustained role, and to support the parties as they work to resolve all permanent status issues including security for Israelis and Palestinians, borders, refugees, and Jerusalem," she also said. " Congressman: U.S. should break Gaza siege 15 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 15, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The United States should break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver badly needed supplies by sea, a U.S. congressman told Gaza students yesterday. Rep. Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington state, also urged U.S. President Barack Obama's Middle East ambassador, George Mitchell, to visit Gaza to get a firsthand look at the destruction... U.S. congressman: U.S. should break Israel`s blockade of Gaza Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - Rep. Baird: U.S. Mideast envoy should visit Gaza to look at destruction caused by Israel's offensive. Clinton: Iran moving toward military dictatorship Daily Star 15 Feb 2010 RIYADH: The United States believes that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are driving the country toward military dictatorship and should be targeted in any new UN sanctions, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday. Speaking in Qatar before flying to Riyadh, Clinton denied the United States planned to attack Iran and said Washington wanted dialogue with Tehran. (Goodbye to Congress) Brian Baird says US should break Gaza blockade by ‘our version of the Berlin airlift’! Mondoweiss - 15 Feb 2010 - Two U.S. Congress members entered the Gaza Strip yesterday, the Palestinian news agency Ma’an and the Associated Press reported. Representative Brian Baird , a Democrat from Washington State who is retiring from the House of Representatives, is one of the lawmakers who entered. It’s not clear who... Two US lawmakers visit Gaza Strip 2/14/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Two members of the US House of Representatives arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday afternoon, authorities said. The de facto crossings authority reported that the Democrats entered via Rafah and were received by a UN delegation. One of the two lawmakers, Brian Baird of Washington, said it was his third visit to the besieged coastal enclave. It was not immediately clear who was accompanying Baird. According to the crossings authority, in a statement, the visit was coordinated with the UN, and will include field visits to schools, hospitals, and areas destroyed in the most recent conflict that began in late 2008 "to learn firsthand about the suffering in Gaza. "[end] Two American congressmen arrive in Gaza PIC 14 Feb 2010 - Two American congressmen Brian Bird and Nick Bilono, both Democrats, arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the crossings and border authority said in a statement. That Which Can Not be Spoken William Blum, CounterPunch 2/12/2010 Why Do Terrorists Keeping Picking on the United States? "The purpose of terrorism is to provoke an overreaction," writes Fareed Zakaria, a leading American foreign-policy pundit, editor of Newsweek magazine’s international edition, and Washington Post columnist, referring to the "underwear bomber", Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, and his failed attempt to blow up a US airliner on Christmas day. "Its real aim is not to kill the hundreds of people directly targeted but to sow fear in the rest of the population. Terrorism is an unusual military tactic in that it depends on the response of the onlookers. If we are not terrorized, then the attack didn’t work. Alas, this one worked very well." (Newsweek, January 18, 2010.) Is that not odd? That an individual would try to take the lives of hundreds of people, including his own, primarily to "provoke an overreaction", or to "sow fear"? Was there not any kind of deep-seated grievance or resentment with anything or anyone American being expressed? No perceived wrong he wished to make right? Nothing he sought to obtain revenge for? Why is the United States the most common target of terrorists? Such questions were not even hinted at in Zakaria’s article. At a White House press briefing concerning the same failed terrorist attack, conducted by Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security John Brennan, veteran reporter Helen Thomas raised a question: Thomas: "What is really lacking always for us is you don’t give the motivation of why they want to do us harm. ... What is the motivation?...."more..e-mail DC: Blair-Mitchell cooperation to join economic, political threads 2/14/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Assistant White House Secretary Philip Crowley gave details around the announced increased cooperation between US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell and Quartet Envoy Tony Blair at a Washington briefing on Friday. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton announced the two would be working closely in a statement Thursday, noting a focus on support for the Palestinian economy over an earlier push to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization under President Mahmoud Abbas. Reporters in DC asked for clarification around the revised roles of the two envoys, and were told that cooperation was an effort to "put every thread into a tapestry that is able to support and advance Middle East peace. The new program will apparently see increased cooperation between Blair, whose portfolio consists mostly of economic support for Palestine and ensuring. . . . Clinton: Blair to ‘intensify’ work on Middle East peace Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 WASHINGTON: Middle East envoy Tony Blair will “intensify” his work with US negotiator George Mitchell to broker peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday. The former British premier represents the “Quartet” of Middle East negotiators made up of the US, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia. Israel tracks the ‘delegitimizers’ Mondoweiss - 13 Feb 2010 - The Reut institute, a Tel Aviv thinktank, has presented a report on the delegitimizers of Israel to the Israeli cabinet. Some of the language recalls the "loose coalition" language of Walt and Mearsheimer, accurately describing the Israel lobby. The Reut Institute was praised by Arianna Huffington... The High Cost of Israeli Demolitions of Palestinian Homes Palestine Chronicle: 13 Feb 2010 - By Heidi Schramm - Washington On February 4, Nir Barakat, the mayor of Jerusalem, announced that he would accept a 2007 ruling issued by an Israeli High Court ordering the Jerusalem municipality to evacuate and seal an illegally constructed Israeli settlement building in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Barakat then insisted that complying with this ruling would compel him to demolish 200 Palestinian homes that were built without Israeli permits in the same neighborhood. He argued that such steps were necessary in order to assure that the law was not being applied in a way that could be considered “discriminatory” against the settlers. But, as Jeff Halper of the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions (ICAHD) pointed out, “In the past fifteen years, there have been more than a thousand Palestinian homes demolished in East Jerusalem versus absolutely no settler homes.” This imbalance has enormous human and political consequences, and seriously undermines the credibility of ostensible U.S. efforts to advance peace between Palestinians and Israelis. The negative human consequences of home demolitions are significant. According to ICAHD, over 24,000 Palestinian homes have been demolished since 1967. And according to the Applied Research Institute, in 2009 alone, the Jerusalem municipality issued over 900 new demolition orders to buildings under its jurisdiction. Israel’s government claims that many of these homes were or will be destroyed because they were “built without the proper permits.” But the necessary permits are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain. In fact, a 2008 report released by the... As talks remain stalled, US pushes Palestinian economy 2/13/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Middle East Quartet Envoy Tony Blair and US Middle East Peace envoy George Mitchell will work closely together in the coming phase of the American peace plan push, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said Thursday. At a Washington news briefing, Clinton said the policy of the administration under US President Barack Obama would shift to the first of three long-term goals; "to help build the economy and capacity to govern of a Palestinian state. " The renewal of political negotiations appears to have been sidelined, following failed efforts by Mitchell to entice sides back to the table in several rounds of scuttle diplomacy. According to Clinton, the new effort is "Consistent with Prime Minister Fayyad's plan for a future Palestinian state," and will be backed by Blair and Mitchell as "in support of the political negotiations". Diplomatic corps calls on President Obama to pressure Israel 11 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Obama, We would like to express our deep thanks for your tireless and ongoing efforts to resolve Palestinian suffering from the Israeli occupation and for your commitment to spread a breath of fresh air in the Middle East... ‘Special relationship’ is now the acceptable euphemism for– Mondoweiss - 12 Feb 2010 - The Israel lobby. Cause if you say the word "lobby," then your dear friend Leon Wieseltier will deem you an anti-Semite. Roger Cohen in the New York Times today: Domestic U.S. politics constrain innovative thought — even open debate — on the process without end that... Open Letter to President Obama from the Diplomatic Corps in Gaza 11 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Obama, We would like to express our deep thanks for your tireless and ongoing efforts to resolve the Palestinian suffering from the Israeli Occupation and for your commitment to spread a breath of fresh air in the Middle... Analysis / Iran revolution failed, sanctions are West's only hope Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Israel worried over possible gap between its aims to end Iran's nuclear program and Washington's bid for dialogue. Rights group targeted over Goldstone report Electronic Intifada: 11 Feb 2010 - WASHINGTON (IPS) - A campaign of attacks against the New Israel Fund (NIF), a US-based progressive organization that supports human rights groups in Israel, has gained attention in both the Israeli and US media, raising questions about the role played by foreign non-profits and nongovernmental organizations in influencing Israeli government policy. Is Abbas in a Corner? Palestine Chronicle: 11 Feb 2010 - By George S. Hishmeh – Washington Inch by inch, the Palestinian president has apparently once again succumbed to American pressure. He is about to allow his junior officials to start so-called “proximity talks” with their Israeli counterparts to pave the ground for the resumption of peace negotiations, which broke down after Israel’s invasion of Gaza in December 2008. On the other hand, Israel, which has stubbornly refused an earlier Israeli commitment to freeze all illegal settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories during peace talks, has meanwhile managed to escape scot free, thanks to its new protector, Barack Obama, who keeps “heap(ing) sticky-sweet praise on Israel.” Israeli columnist Gideon Levy of Haaretz did not hold back his feelings about U.S. policy in the Middle East, a position that is undoubtedly shared by many, particularly in the Arab world, when he wrote that the American president and his key aides should “stop sucking up to Israel.” He underlined: “Now is the time to say to the United States: Enough flattery. If you don’t change the tone, nothing will change. As long as Israel feels the United States is in its pocket, and that America’s automatic veto will save it from condemnation and sanctions, that it will receive massive aid unconditionally, and that it can continue waging punitive, lethal campaign without a word from Washington, killing, destroying and imprisoning without the world’s policeman making a sound, it will continue in its way.” Interestingly, Levy’s column was written last December, weeks before Israeli... MIDEAST: U.S. Non-Profit Targeted Rights Group over Goldstone IPS WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (IPS) - A campaign of attacks against the New Israel Fund (NIF), a U.S.-based progressive organisation that supports human rights groups in Israel, has gained attention in both the Israeli and U.S. media, raising questions about the role played by foreign non-profits and non-governmental organisations in influencing... Ex-Congressman and 'friend of Israel' Charlie Wilson dies at 76 Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Former Congress liaison at the Israeli embassy: His support for Israel was based on the belief that we are a brave people. Mishaal: Washington strives to abort Palestinian reconciliation PIC 10 Feb 2010 - Khaled Mishaal has accused the United States of trying to foil Palestinian efforts to achieve the national reconciliation by pressuring Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas not to go ahead with it. Palestinians want peace talks to focus on borders Daily Star 8 Feb 2010 Palestinian officials demanded on Monday that any US-backed peace talks with Israel focus on border issues and be given a deadline of up to four months. Washington has proposed circumventing a dispute preventing the resumption of talks, stalled for more than a year since a war in Gaza, by reconvening in the form of "proximity talks" on an indirect basis, under closer US mediation How to run for President: whatever the ‘people of Israel decide is in their interest’ Mondoweiss - 7 Feb 2010 - Pretty amazing interview with Indiana congressman Mike Pence ( posted by Matt Duss ). This guy wants to run for president in ‘12 (the reason he decided not to run against Bayh this year — even though polls showed him ahead): I think President George W. Bush got... Is One Iraqi's Self-Hatred Newsworthy? Palestine Chronicle: 7 Feb 2010 - By M. Shahid Alam An Arab-American of Lebanese descent, fluent in Arabic, Anthony Shadid was one of a handful of unembedded Western journalists reporting from Iraq during the US invasion in 2003. At the time, he was The Washington Post's correspondent for Islamic Affairs in the Middle East. His dispatches from Iraq were about Iraqis, about the destruction visited upon them by a war whose architects claimed that they were bringing democracy to that country. He reported the destruction and mayhem caused by this war by letting the Iraqis speak for themselves: and they spoke of their pain, their anguish, their perplexity and their anger. For his honest reporting, for a job well done, Anthony Shadid received some of the highest accolades of his profession. In 2004 he received the Michael Kelly Award and the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting. Other honors followed, all well-deserved. He had won his spurs for reporting, not cheerleading, neither praising nor denouncing the United States. He was reporting for The Washington Post, a neoconservative newspaper. On Jan 29, I noticed for the first time a report in The New York Times that carried Anthony Shadid’s byline. It was written from Halaichiya, a remote village in the southern tip of Iraq, untouched by the war. The village had not seen any Americans since the invasion, neither troops nor diplomats. Hlaichiya has no electricity. Among its rare signs of modernity, we are told, are a few cell phones, charged by a single generator that “villagers run... there I go, counting Jewish names again Mondoweiss - 7 Feb 2010 - It is impossible to discuss the action of the Israel lobby in our foreign policy without acknowledging a sociological reality: Jews are big winners of the meritocracy, we are the richest group by religion in the U.S. I have to keep hitting this point because a,... Could Rahm Emanuel Help Barak Unseat Netanyahu? Palestine Chronicle: 7 Feb 2010 - By Ira Glunts Is it possible that Rahm Emanuel will lead a team of high octane Democratic party pro-Israel political operatives to run the campaign for the former Prime Minister and current Defense Minister Ehud Barak in the next Israeli election? This scenario may not be as far-fetched as many may assume. Consider that Bill Clinton, after many acrimonious encounters with the intransigent then Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sent his own crack political operatives to assist Netanyahu’s opponent in 1999. Strategist James Carville, pollster Stanley Greenberg and TV advertising man Robert Shrum helped run Ehud Barak’s campaign for Prime Minister. Clinton thought Barak would be able to deliver a peace settlement with the Palestinians. Barak became the Israeli head of state, although he did nothing to promote peace in the region. However, Barak did provide a more congenial ally for the American president. It has been reported that he charmed Clinton who found it difficult to even refuse the Israeli’s most eccentric whim. Other than Barak’s stellar personality, the pro-Israel lobby may have been a contributing factor to Clinton’s unusual solicitousness. President Barack Obama has a marked penchant for following the failed initiatives of previous American presidents, including appointing former Clinton officials to high profile positions. Think of the military build-up in Afghanistan and the bank bailouts. As for returning officials, you can start with Robert Rubin, Hillary Clinton, Dennis Ross and, of course, Rahm Emanuel. When Ehud Barak, in a recent major speech to a large audience in Herzylia,... Putting peace front and centre James Zogby, Al-Ahram Weekly 2/4/2010 To get Middle East peace back on the agenda, the Arabs need to seize the initiative As we mark one year into the Obama era, several realities have become painfully clear. First, there are limits to what a US president is willing or able to do. Obama began his term in a rush to advance Israeli- Palestinian peace, which he claimed was in "America’s national security interests". One year later he appears no longer in a rush. In recent interviews he has analysed the reasons for the failure to make progress and he pointedly ignored any mentioning of the issue in his State of the Union speech. What, of course, is distressing is that in addressing other unrealised priorities he set for his first year (healthcare reform, reform of the banking industry, and energy/climate change), the president has made clear his determination to fight "the lobbyists and special interests" standing in the way of change. There are no indications he’ll extend this same fighting spirit to Middle East peace. His team, headed by George Mitchell, will continue to work in the field, but for now, with a sluggish economy, still staggeringly high unemployment, and congressional elections in November, unless an unlikely "breakthrough" is in the offing, Obama will direct his personal energies to issues uppermost in the minds of voters. Second, both the Israeli and Palestinian political situations have become seriously dysfunctional. Obama alluded to this in recent interviews and at a town hall session in Florida last week. This problem is even more significant than the president suggested. Israeli hardliners and religiously fanatical settlers pose a serious threat not only to Palestinians, but also to any Israeli government that tries to uproot West Bank settlements. They are a "civil war in the making" and the danger they pose must be recognised and confronted....more..e-mail BU student recounts forced deportation to Carnegie Endowment in DC 2/5/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Bethlehem University student Berlanty Azzam, forcibly removed from the West Bank in October, was hosted via video-link in Washington on Wednesday by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she spoke about the right to education in Palestine. The event, titled "The Right of Palestinians to Study and Travel: A Discussion" had Berlanty recount her abrupt seizure, where she was blindfolded and handcuffed on the road from Ramallah to Bethlehem, held four hours then ejected into Gaza, where her family lives. Israeli military personnel said she was living illegally in the West Bank and 'deported' her to Gaza. Berlanty's story, as one of the narratives of dozens of BU students from Gaza, was put in context of the larger Israeli ban on Gaza residents seeking education at Palestinian universities in the West Bank by Vice President for Development at BU Brother Jack Curran. Cracks in Israel's Armor Palestine Chronicle: 5 Feb 2010 - By James Gundun – Washington America and Israel are fond of comparing similarities. Religious persecution, the desire to found new worlds, democracy, high technology - they seem to share all their strengths. They share a few critical weaknesses too. Stubbornness is one of them. The Israeli press claims a fierce internal debate remains undecided on outside examination into Operation Lead Cast, but this may not be relevant. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly favors independent investigations from the military as recommended by the Justice and Foreign ministries. Except he’s is trying to clear Israel’s name in the West, hardly to understand and rectify its failings during the Gaza War. Netanyahu’s inner position likely corresponds with Defense Secretary Ehud Barak, who by the nature of his position must resist vetting from civilians or foreigners. Israel’s recent 52-page update to the UN came with Barak’s personal opinion that, “All of the soldiers and officers whom we sent to battle need to know that the state of Israel stands behind them even on the day after. The Goldstone Report is a distorted, false, and irresponsible report." This latest reply perpetuates a creeping reality that Israel’s strategic foresight doesn’t reach its lofty tactical ability. Consciously or not, Israel has mimicked the American style of warfare. A premium is placed on military technology while the international community is leveraged for every penny - then cast away at the slightest inconvenience. American thinking, evolving but still dominated by the military battlefield, often fails to grasp the totality... US peace groups to Obama: Ask Israel to lift Gaza closure 2/4/2010 - Six US-based Middle East peace organizations sent a letter to President Barack Obama on Thursday, urging him to ask Israel to lift its Gaza closure in order to remove a "serious obstacle to restoring hope and making peace" in the region. Following is the full text of the letter: February 4, 2010, President Barack Obama, The White House, Washington, DC - Dear Mr. President, We are seven organizations that strongly support your commitment to a two-state peace between Israel and Palestine that will ensure Israel's security, win Palestinian self-determination, and protect U. S. national security. As your administration works to launch a political process to achieve this, we echo the recent call of the fifty-four Members of Congress who signed the McDermott-Ellison letter urging that the U. S. also address now, urgently, the grave humanitarian crisis affecting. . . . Pro-Israel Lobbies Work on Europe Uruknet February 3, 2010 - Defenders of Israel’s aggressive stance have for many years been recognised as a powerful force shaping United States foreign policy. A less well-known fact is that the pro-Israel lobby has been making a concerted effort to strengthen its presence in Europe. The lobby’s determination to make an impression on European Union policy-makers was exemplified by a... Amid media blackout Congressional hearing reveals US intelligence agencies shielded Flight 253 bomber Uruknet February 3, 2010 - A January 27 hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security established that US intelligence agencies stopped the State Department from revoking the US visa of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. The Nigerian student, whom US officials suspected of being affiliated with the Yemeni terrorist group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, attempted to set off a bomb... Iran and US moving in circles? Daily Star 3 Feb 2010 The recent expansion of US missile-defense systems in the Gulf just days after President Barack Obama warned Iran of "growing consequences" if it did not accept the West's conditions over its nuclear program signals a possible change of approach by Washington even as uncertainty still prevails how it will deal with Iran eventually ‘J Street’ blasts Dershowitz and home evictions in E. J’lem Mondoweiss - 3 Feb 2010 - I’ve failed to cover an important new battle inside the pro-Israel lobby, the battle over the New Israel Fund’s support for Breaking the Silence. New Israel Fund is dedicated to promoting democracy in Israel for its Jewish and Palestinian citizens. It is a progressive Zionist group.... JORDAN: Palestinians Unfairly Stripped of Citizenship - Report IPS WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (IPS) - The Jordanian government should halt the arbitrary revocation of nationality from its citizens of Palestinian origin, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released Monday. Palestinians unfairly stripped of citizenship in Jordan Electronic Intifada: 2 Feb 2010 - WASHINGTON, (IPS) - The Jordanian government should halt the arbitrary revocation of nationality from its citizens of Palestinian origin, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released Monday. The report, "Stateless Again: Palestinian-Origin Jordanians Deprived of their Nationality," details the Jordanian government's efforts to strip more than 2,700 Jordanians of their citizenship between 2004 and 2008. Peace Now condemns attacks on New Israel Fund 2/2/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - Israel's Peace Now movement and Americans for Peace Now on Monday condemned attacks on the New Israel Fund, which has come under fire for funding human rights organizations whose reports appeared in South African jurist Richard Goldstone's UN report on Gaza. In recent days, a right-wing Israeli organization, Im Tirzu, launched a campaign to discredit the fund, its chair, Naomi Chazan, and some of its grantee organizations, including attacks against Chazan in newspaper ads that show the former Knesset Member with a horn on her forehead. The controversy apparently began after the Hebrew-language daily Maariv ran an article over the weekend accusing the US-based progressive fund of supporting human rights groups whose findings appeared in the final report of Goldstone's fact-finding mission. Peace Now and Americans for Peace Now said in a joint statement that. . . Related: Pro-Israel group J Street defends New Israel Fund He made it through the year Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - The annual State of the Union address, delivered by the president to both houses of Congress, is a ceremonial occasion and the speech is prepared at least one month in advance. And as we saw and heard last week, President Barack Obama recorded no remarkable achievements during his first year in office. Not all his promises were kept fully, not everything that he wanted came to be. But the most important thing is that he gave hope for the future. ... Obama Must Choose Between Peace and The 'Special Relationship' Rachelle Marshall, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs 2/1/2010 Our posture with Israel has weakened, our hope to strengthen the Palestinians has fallen back, and our credibility in the Arab world has been damaged. We are the victims of events rather than masters of events.—Robert Malley, Clinton administration peace negotiator, The New York Times, Nov. 6, 2009. What we are doing here is evil.—Rachel Corrie in a letter from Gaza to her mother shortly before she was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in March 2003. WHAT RACHEL CORRIE referred to as “evil” was America’s support for Israel despite its crimes against the Palestinians, crimes she was witnessing at first hand in Gaza. The “special relationship” with Israel that guarantees such support has been a constant of U.S. foreign policy since 1967 and is a relationship in which Israel is the sole beneficiary and often the stronger partner. Watching to make sure this policy remains in place is a powerful pro-Israel lobby that most elected officials dare not oppose. President Barack Obama’s pre-election vow to abide by the “special relationship” virtually assured Israeli leaders they could rely on Washington’s full diplomatic, military, and financial support even if they openly defy its wishes. President Richard Nixon once predicted that if America abandoned its war in Indochina we would look to the rest of the world like a “pitiful, helpless giant.” He was wrong at the time, but his words come close to describing the image of America projected by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this fall at her meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. The Israeli leader flatly rejected the administration’s demand that he freeze settlement construction. He offered instead only to consider a temporary and partial slowdown. Clinton’s response was to praise Netanyahu for his “reasonable compromise” and “unprecedented” concessions.more..e-mail Abbas: We don’t want guarantees 1/31/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas told reporters in London on Friday that his government was not interested in US guarantees and denied reports that Arab ministers exerted pressure on him in Washington to resume negotiations with Israel. "The US continued to contact us and the Israelis, and they intended to give what they call 'guarantees,' but we said frankly that we didn't want guarantees," Abbas added. Abbas said US President Barack Obama proposed a freeze to settlement construction, yet failed to convince Israel to halt settlement activity completely. Obama's suggestion, he said, was a moratorium which is unacceptable, being only a partial standstill for 10 months, excluding Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank. The PA, according to Abbas, gave to suggestions on how to restart negotiations with Israel. U.S. Speeding Up Missile Defenses in Persian Gulf 1/30/2010 - New York Times - WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is accelerating the deployment of new defenses against possible Iranian missile attacks in the Persian Gulf, placing special ships off the Iranian coast and antimissile systems in at least four Arab countries, according to administration and military officials. The deployments come at a critical turning point in President Obama’s dealings with Iran. After months of unsuccessful diplomatic outreach, the administration is trying to win broad international consensus for sanctions against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, which Western nations say control a covert nuclear arms program. Mr. Obama spoke of the shift in his State of the Union address, warning of “consequences” if Iran continued to defy United Nations demands to stop manufacturing nuclear fuel. And Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton publicly warned China on Friday that its opposition to sanctions was shortsighted. CIA chief holds secret talks with Egypt, Israel 2/1/2010 - Global Research - The Director of the CIA, Leon Panetta, has held secret talks with Egyptian and Israeli officials over expanded US intervention in Yemen. According to Debkafile, the CIA chief paid secret visits to the Egyptian capital Cairo and Jerusalem Al-Quds on Thursday. Panetta met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Defense Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, and intelligence minister, Gen. Omar Suleiman to ask them to dispatch forces to Yemen to help the US troops. Meanwhile, Washington has asked the Egyptian government to let the US use Egyptian airports for ferrying military equipment and launching air raids. Panetta also met with Israeli officials in Jerusalem Al-Quds on the same day to talk about the latest developments in Yemen. A large US base is under construction near the Yemeni Red Sea port of Hodeira, according to the report. U.S. steps up arms sales to Persian Gulf allies 1/31/2010 - Washington Post - DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- The Obama administration is quietly working with Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf allies to speed up arms sales and rapidly upgrade defenses for oil terminals and other key infrastructure in a bid to thwart future military attacks by Iran, according to former and current U. S. and Middle Eastern government officials. The initiatives, including a U. S. -backed plan to triple the size of a 10,000-man protection force in Saudi Arabia, are part of a broader push that includes unprecedented coordination of air defenses and expanded joint exercises between the U. S. and Arab militaries, the officials said. All appear to be aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran. The efforts build on commitments by the George W. Bush administration to sell warplanes and antimissile systems to friendly Arab states to counter Iran's growing conventional arsenal. I’m sorry, you can say anything you please but Walt & Mearsheimer nailed it, this is about the Israel lobby Mondoweiss - 30 Jan 2010 - Robert Fisk, in the Independent : When Obama’s elderly envoy George Mitchell headed home in humiliation this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated his departure by planting trees in two of the three largest Israeli colonies around Jerusalem. With these trees at Gush Etzion and Ma’aleh... Dr. Howard Zinn, Advocate for Palestinians, Dies at 87 PNN 29 Jan 2010 - PNN/ Bethlehem. The January 29th online edition of the Washington Post has reported the death of Boston University Professor Dr. Howard Zinn, a noted author and a founding advisory board member of Jewish Voices For Peace, an American-based organization that works with Palestinians involved in the nonviolence movement. Dr. Zinn had suffered an apparent attack while on a speaking tour in the... Obama: US backs Israel, sympathizes with Palestinians 1/29/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - US President Barack Obama said on Thursday that the United States would always ensure Israel's security but that Washington must also pay attention to the plight of the Palestinians. The president, speaking at a town-hall meeting on various issues, was responding to a question about why, if the US truly supports human rights, it has not called out Israel and Egypt for abuses against Palestinians, apparently in reference to the blockade of Gaza. "Last night in your State of the Union address, you spoke of America's support for human rights," said a university student, who added that she worked on Obama's campaign last year. "Then why have we not condemned Israel and Egypt's human rights violations against the occupied Palestinian people? We continue to support [Israel and Egypt] financially, with billions of dollars coming from our tax dollars. " Flying Washington Kabul Just Got Easier The Media Line 27 Jan 2010 - Afghani airline Safi Airways signs interline deal with United Airlines for single fare tickets. A cooperation contract between a number of international operators and the Afghani airline has been signed to allow passengers to buy single... Obama backs Israel but sympathetic to Palestinians Daily Star 28 Jan 2010 US President Barack Obama said on Thursday he would never waver from support for Israel's security but added that Washington must also pay attention to the plight of the Palestinian people. "We are working to try to strengthen the ability of both parties to have to sit down across the table," Obama said at a townhall-style meeting in Tampa. US lawmakers urge Obama: Press Israel to ease Gaza siege 1/27/2010 - By Wednesday, 27 January 2010, 54 members of the American Congress had signed the following letter to US President Barack Obama: Dear President Obama, Thank you for your ongoing work to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for your commitment of $300 million in U. S. aid to rebuild the Gaza Strip. We write to you with great concern about the ongoing crisis in Gaza. The people of Gaza have suffered enormously since the blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt following Hamas' coup, and particularly following Operation Cast Lead. We also sympathize deeply with the people of southern Israel who have suffered from abhorrent rocket and mortar attacks. We recognize that the Israeli government has imposed restrictions on Gaza out of a legitimate and keenly felt fear of continued terrorist action by Hamas and other militant groups. " Ease the Siege of Gaza " - Evaluation of US Congress Letter to President Barack Obama Uruknet January 27, 2010 - Thanks to you all for signing a letter urging President Barack Obama, to ease Gaza siege. Never theless, the statements make your objectives questionable. You urge Obama to make improvement in Gaza, NOT to cease the siege. And you all have undersigned an open letter in which you accuse Hamas movement of terrorism. While others are... Congressmen press Obama on Gaza blockade YNet News
27 Jan 2010 - Fifty-four members of Congress send letter to US president urging him to pressure Israel into ending 'collective punishment of Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip' Lift the blockade of Washington Mondoweiss - 27 Jan 2010 - I know I’m optimistic, and out of touch with reality, and clutch at straws… but these two items suggest that the Birnam Woods are marching on Dunsinane, to echo the famous prophecy the witches gave to Macbeth. First, a letter signed by 54 congressmen urging Obama... U.S. congressman: Netanyahu wants to be a peacemaker Ha'aretz 26 Jan 2010 - Howard Berman said Israeli premier 'deserves credit for difficult decisions' he has made so far., U.S. lawmakers to Obama: Press Israel to ease Gaza siege Ha'aretz 26 Jan 2010 - Fifty-four members of Congress co-sign letter initiated by two Democratic representatives., Khudari, gov't committee appreciate congressmen's letter to Obama PIC 26 Jan 2010 - MP Jamal Al-Khudari and the government committee against the siege issued two separate statements appreciating the letter sent by 54 American congressmen to Obama regarding the Gaza siege. American congressmen asks Obama to pressure Israel into lifting siege on Gaza PIC 26 Jan 2010 - Members of the American Congress have asked president Barack Obama to pressure Israel to lift the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip for almost four years. Palestinian official denies new U.S. plan for resuming talks 26 Jan 2010 - West Bank, January 26, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - A Palestinian official on Tuesday denied reports that Washington presented a new offer to resume peace talks with Israel. "We haven't heard about a new U.S. offer so far and I don't know the source of these reports," said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the executive committee of Palestine Liberation Organization (... U.S. to store $800m in military gear in Israel 1/11/2010 - Ha'aretz - The U. S. Army will double the value of emergency military equipment it stockpiles on Israeli soil, and Israel will be allowed to use the U. S. ordnance in the event of a military emergency, according to a report in Monday's issue of the U. S. weekly Defense News. The report, written by Barbara Opall-Rome, the magazine's Israel correspondent, said that an agreement reached between Washington and Jerusalem last month will bring the value of the military gear to $800 million. This is the final phase of a process that began over a year ago to determine the type and amount of U. S. weapons and ammunition to be stored in Israel, part of an overarching American effort to stockpile weapons in areas in which its army may need to operate while allowing American allies to make use of the ordnance in emergencies. Related: US to store more weapons, ammunition in Israel: official Nearly Half of Americans Admit to Anti-Muslim Bias 1/21/2010 - Beliefnet.com - Religion News Service - Close to half of Americans admit to harboring prejudice against Muslims and negative feelings about Islam, a new study from the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies shows. The level of anti-Muslim prejudice -- 43 percent of Americans admitted feeling at least "a little" -- is more than twice as high as Americans' reported feelings toward Buddhists, Christians and Jews. Fifty-three percent of respondents said their view of Islam was "not too favorable" or "not favorable at all," according to a 32-page "Religious Perceptions in America" report that was released Thursday (Jan. 21). " It was interesting to note that Americans admit no more prejudice against Buddhists and Jews than they do against Christians," said Dalia Mogahed, director of the Washington-based center. "So this isn't just simply a problem against minority religions. There is a somewhat unique issue with Muslims in particular. " Focus on Haiti: Washington's Militarized Takeover Uruknet January 25, 2010 - Haiti is no stranger to adversity and anguish - over 500 years of severe oppression, slavery, despotism, colonization, reparations, embargoes, sanctions, deep poverty, starvation, unrepayable debt, and natural calamities from destructive hurricanes to a dozen magnitude 7.0 or greater Caribbean region earthquakes in the past 500 years. The last major one was in 1946 at 8.1... US legislator praises Netanyahu Jeruslalem Post 25 Jan 2010 - Congressman Berman says the Palestinian Authority must come forward to restart peace negotiations. MIDEAST: U.S. Policy in Gaza Remains Unchanged IPS WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (IPS) - One year ago Thursday, the last Israeli tanks were lumbering out of the Gaza Strip, ending the 22-day Gaza War and leaving in their wake a decimated landscape and population. Bin Laden takes credit for airline bombing plot; officials express skepticism LA Times 25 Jan 2010 - The Al Qaeda leader vows to continue targeting the U.S. as long as Washington backs Israel. But U.S. intelligence officials doubt he played a meaningful role in the failed Christmas Day attack. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the Christmas Day attempt to blow up an American commercial jet in an audiotape broadcast Sunday on Arab television. Will SCOTUS decision re campaign funding weaken lobby? Mondoweiss - 25 Jan 2010 - My off the cuff reaction is that this Supreme Court ruling on corporate campaign giving is bad for the lobby. It might bring much money into the system from sources that have nothing to do with Israel. And it may even encourage the oil companies to... Israelis, Palestinians point fingers after Mitchell failure 1/23/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Finger pointing over which side sets more preconditions for peace talks continues after US special envoy for the Middle East George Mitchell returns to Washington. Following a series of meetings in the region, President Mahmoud Abbas refused Mitchell's request to return to peace talks without the guarantee of a meaningful settlement construction halt, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Abbas for a failure to move forward. "The Palestinian Authority are the ones that are preventing the re-launch of the peace process with their preconditions that they have never asked before from any previous Israeli government," a statement from Netanyahu's office said, adding, "The Prime Minister calls on the Palestinian Authority to sit at the negotiating table and discuss ways to promote security, peace, and prosperity for the two people. " Why all Israel lobbyists should be forced to go thru the Qalandia checkpoint
Mondoweiss - 23 Jan 2010 - Qalandiya Checkpoint When I went through the Qalandia checkpoint in Palestine a week or two back, I kept thinking, Anyone who lobbies for Israel in the U.S. should be forced through this checkpoint. All the congressmen should come here too. What upset me was the banality... Abbas heads to Europe after stalemate with Mitchell 1/22/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an/Agencies - US Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell sat with President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday afternoon, asking that he return to the peace talks with Israel, RTT news reported. Mitchell told Abbas that the only way Washington could help Palestinians create a state was at direct talks, the agency reported, while Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, noted that the US official brought none of the "letters of assurances" some expected as an incentive. The meeting came on the tail of talks between Mitchell and Israeli officials, in which he also stressed a return to peace talks. Earlier in the week Mitchell met with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman, who he assured of American commitment to a comprehensive Middle East Peace that took Lebanese independence into full account. J Street to bring Congressmen to Israel Jeruslalem Post
21 Jan 2010 - Group's PAC to increase contributions to US Congressional candidates by at least 50% in 2010. J Street plans Congressmen Israel trip Jeruslalem Post
21 Jan 2010 - Group's PAC to increase contributions to US Congressional candidates by at least 50% in 2010. US, partners 'will not back down' on Iran nuclear program Daily Star
21 Jan 2010 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday the United States and its partners will "not back down" in the face of Iran's defiance on its disputed nuclear program. "Let me be clear, we will not be waited out and we will not back down," Clinton said. Speaking at a news conference in Washington, Clinton said major powers were united on working toward putting more pressure on Iran over its nuclear program. Clinton: World should condemn cyber attackers Daily Star
21 Jan 2010 WASHINGTON/BEIJING: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday called for global condemnation for those who carry out cyber attacks as China sought to contain tension with the United States over online censorship and hacking. In a speech expected which addressed Google Inc.'s concerns about China as well as global internet freedom. Livni: I Am Ready To Face Arrest Over UK Warrant 19 Jan 2010 - Washington , January 19, 2009, ( Pal Telegraph) - Tzipi Livni, Israeli opposition leader and former foreign minister, expressed on Monday during an interview on CNN that she is ready to face UK arrest warrant for investigation in the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip last winter. It is worth noting that the British court issued arrest warrant against Tzipi Livni last... MIDEAST: Turkey Going Its Own Way IPS WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (IPS) - The recent diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Israel has raised questions about the future of relations between the two closest allies of the United States in the region and the direction of the markedly independent foreign policy agenda that Turkey has pursued in recent years. Disaster Capitalism Headed to Haiti Uruknet January 18, 2010 - Since the 19th century, America dominated Haiti. Before the quake, a proxy paramilitary Blue Helmet force occupied the country, dispatched not for peacekeeping but iron-grip control. Worse still, it was the first time ever that UN forces supported a coup d'etat government, the one Washington installed after US Marines kidnapped President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, forcibly exiled him... MIDEAST: Turkey Going Its Own Way IPS WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (IPS) - The recent diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Israel has raised questions about the future of relations between the two closest allies of the United States in the region and the direction of the markedly independent foreign policy agenda that Turkey has pursued in recent years. The Perpetual Process for Impossible Peace Uruknet January 16, 2010 - ...But if Washington thinks that they can placate public opinion in the Arab and Muslim world by being semi-engaged in a never ending on-again off-again process, while providing the weapons to Israel that ultimately kill Palestinian civilians, they are tragically mistaken. Very few people have faith left in this process and many never did. The Arab... Abbas urges 'endgame' or settlement halt Daily Star
17 Jan 2010 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged Washington on Sunday to declare an "endgame" to resolve the decades-old Middle East conflict if Israel does not agree to halt settlement growth. Abbas said in a statement carried by the official Wafa wire service that Arab states and the Palestinians would present a unified position to the United States offering two options. Chomsky/Abunimah (the left and Zionism)
Mondoweiss - 16 Jan 2010 - Here is an exchange at KPFA in California between Noam Chomsky and Ali Abunimah and Jeff Blankfort touching on BDS and the Israel lobby. Actually, Chomsky declined to engage with Abunimah and Blankfort, so host Khalil Bendidb interviewed Chomsky on an earlier show, then on this... Ahmadinejad sees 'Zionist style' in bomb Daily Star
14 Jan 2010 This week's assassination of an Iranian scientist was carried out in a "Zionist style," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday, in his first direct comment on the bombing attack in Tehran. Iranian officials and media have blamed both Israel, which Tehran calls "the Zionist regime," and the US for Tuesday's killing of professor Massoud Ali-Mohammadi. Washington has dismissed the charge of US involvement as absurd. US announces support for Egypt’s wall 1/13/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The US administration in Washington announced on Tuesday its support for the construction of an underground steel wall on the Egyptian borders with Gaza, to prevent the smuggling of weapons. Spokesman for the US Foreign Ministry Gordon Duguid said "We have seen that Egypt is carrying out activities which will help stop weapons smuggling into Gaza. We believe that weapons smuggling should stop, and that measures taken to stop that weapons smuggling should be - could be carried out. "A substantial amount of humanitarian aid is transferred through the smuggling tunnels and Duguid noted that "We also support greater access for humanitarian supplies to get into Gaza. There are established channels for that, and those established channels should not be hindered by Hamas or any party in Gaza. " The spokesman reiterated that the US wishes to see Hamas "stop using the border crossings as methods of smuggling weapons. " Abu Al-Gheit: Either 2 states or 1 state for 2 peoples 1/13/2010 - Cairo - Ma'an - Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu Al-Gheit asserted on Tuesday evening that Egypt insists on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the territories occupied in 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital, Egyptian media reported. Abu Al-Gheit explained that his recent visit to Washington with Chief of Intelligence Omar Suleiman was undertaken to compel the US administration to exert pressure on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides to agree on Egypt's call for renewed peace talks, he said speaking in an interview with Egypt's Channel 2. "Egypt has one of two solutions: Either two states living side by side, or one state for two peoples," Abu Al-Gheit explained, additionally warning of a third solution which he believes Israel to be planning - the displacement of the Palestinians into Jordan's borders. Larijani says Iran knew Israel, US planned 'terrorist acts' Daily Star
13 Jan 2010 TEHRAN: Iran received information days ago that Israeli and US intelligence intended to carry out "terrorist acts" in Tehran, its Parliament speaker said on Wednesday, after the killing of a university scientist. Washington has rejected Iran's allegations of US involvement in Tuesday's bombing that killed professor Massoud Ali-Mohammadi near his home in the Iranian capital as absurd. Assassinated Iranian scientist worked on regional project with Israelis Uruknet January 12, 2010 - The Iranian nuclear physicist killed by a remote controlled bomb device in North Tehran today had been the Iranian representative to regional scientific project in which Israelis also participate, the Washington Post reports: Iranian news media and officials described Ali-Mohammadi as a nuclear physicist, but academics in Iran and abroad said he specialized in particle and... I divine the powerful lobby in an anonymous letter. I’m wrong
Mondoweiss - 12 Jan 2010 - A week or so back, I wrote that Andrew Sullivan was getting pushback from the Israel lobby, witness a letter he had run anonymously on his site. Said I: take it from me, kid, this is from a powerful friend of his, otherwise he would not... MIDEAST: Israel Cool to New U.S. Pressure IPS JERUSALEM, Jan 11 (IPS) - In the past, whenever there was even a semblance of pressure from Washington on Israel, nerves in Jerusalem went all a-jangle. Fatah leaders review peace prospects 1/12/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Fatah's Central Committee began discussions with party leader and President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday concerning the latest developments on the resumption of negotiations with Israel. The meetings, according to sources within the committee, are due to end Monday evening, before discussing the Egyptian and Jordanian delegations' visit to Washington, calling for further efforts on the Middle East peace process. Committee members will remain by their stance of calling for a halt to settlements before returning to the negotiating table and are committed to signed agreements with the objective of establishing a sovereign Palestinian state, the party sources added. Members further discussed recent Israeli comments, accusing the Palestinian Authority and Abbas of incitement. It is anticipated that the committee will issue a statement on Monday evening. One-state solution is debated in California congressional race
Mondoweiss - 11 Jan 2010 - Here’s a fine piece by Linda Milazzo in the LA Progressive , showing how viciously the lobby responds to talk of a one-state solution. LA Congressman Henry Waxman, chairman of Energy and Commerce and a big liberal, goes haywire against Marcy Winograd, the challenger to Congresswoman Jane... YEMEN: U.S. Poised to Increase Aid IPS WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (IPS) - In the wake of a botched Christmas Day airliner bombing claimed by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the direction of what used to be called the "global war on terror" settled on Yemen this week, with the United States slated to escalate economic... Key U.S. senators slam threat to withhold Israel loan guarantees Ha'aretz
10 Jan 2010 - Two key U.S. senators on Sunday dismissed Mideast envoy George Mitchell's suggestion that Washington withhold loan guarantees to pressure Israel. ... Senators McCain, Lieberman downplay Mitchell's threat YNet News
10 Jan 2010 - During Jerusalem press conference, senator who lost to Obama expresses objection to use of aid freeze as threat. Lieberman: Attempt of this kind won't pass in Congress Mitchell: US free to decide how to deal with negotiations 1/10/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - US Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell said on Saturday that America will use motivation as well as punishment to restart stalled negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, which were brought to an abrupt halt in December 2008 as Israel launched a three-week assault on Gaza. During an interview with PBS, Mitchell stated that the US is at liberty to decide the methods its uses the tackle the issue of stalled negotiations and called on both sides to thoroughly consider its options. Washington will continue to undertake efforts to ensure the progress of negotiations, Mitchell added. The special envoy's comments came on the eve of his Middle East tour, which he anticipates could lead to the conclusion of peace talks within two years of its commencement, or possibly less, Mitchell added. Abbas rallies Arab support for position on peace, unity 1/9/2010 - Amman - Ma'an - A strong Arab position on the furtherance of the peace process is essential, President Mahmud Abbas told leaders in Amman, the last stop on his regional tour following visits to Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait and Turkey on Thursday. The announcement came as Egyptian and Jordanian officials met their counterparts in Washington, the cap of a week of furious state visits by several regional leaders. In Washington, Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman join Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh who is set to attend meetings with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell. The visit followed Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal's travels to meet with Egypt's and Syria's presidents, after Jordan's King Abdullah II visited the Saudi monarch in Riyadh. Clinton: Negotiate borders first 1/9/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Obama administration's peace plan urges negotiations on borders ahead of settlements and refugees, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters on Friday in Washington. At a news conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, Clinton said "resolving borders resolves settlements; resolving Jerusalem resolves settlements. "She said both sides should return to negotiations immediately. "Our goal is to persuade the two parties to get into this very in-depth negotiations on all of these issues as soon as possible. " The secretary of state also said the US and Jordan were "concerned about recent activities in Jerusalem. "Clinton said special US envoy George Mitchell would depart on Sunday for Europe, where he plans to meet with members of the International Quartet, made up of the United States, European Union, United Nations, and Russia, in Brussels. Henry Siegman: Israel is ‘the only apartheid regime in the Western world’
Mondoweiss - 8 Jan 2010 - This is from Henry Siegman in The Nation . Just a reminder, Siegman was Executive Director of the American Jewish Congress from 1978 to 1994, and is now connected to the Council on Foreign Relations. If there’s ever been a sign the times are changing. Siegman: Israel’s... Assad urges US to play stronger ME role Jeruslalem Post
7 Jan 2010 - Syrian leader appeals to visiting US congressman Hastings, says that Israel is not ready for peace. Mitchell may shepherd Israel-PA 'proximity talks' Ha'aretz
7 Jan 2010 - Washington is now considering the possibility of launching "proximity ... PLO’s Washington office boosts online presence 1/6/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Palestine Liberation Organization's Mission to the United States announced on Wednesday that its new website and Facebook page were up and running. "Both are part of our larger effort to improve our communications and relations with the American Palestinian community and the American public at large," said Christopher Hazou, the PLO's communications officer in Washington. In a statement, Hazou said that in addition to providing information about the mission and the services that it provides, the website will feature news articles, press releases, fact sheets, maps and other resources. Likewise, the Facebook page will offer access to resources such as maps, press releases, and newspaper articles of particular interest, he added. According to its new page, the PLO office in Washington's primary objective is to protect and promote the interests of the Palestinian. . . -- Link: PLO Mission to the United States EU lawmakers call off Iran trip Jeruslalem Post
4 Jan 2010 - Visit canceled after US Congressmen say it wouldbe "counterproductive and potentially damaging." No Holds Barred: The American air farce Jeruslalem Post
4 Jan 2010 - Israel might as well send a team to Washington to advise an increasingly hapless Homeland Security Administration? Italy-based group accuses Israel of poisoning Gaza land Ha'aretz
4 Jan 2010 - The Italian New Weapons Committee accuses Israel of contaminating Gaza land through bombing, and the president of the European Jewish Congress termed the claims "unfounded blood libels reminiscent of tales of Jews poisoning wells." ... Saudi foreign minister says world lets Israel act like 'spoiled child' Daily Star
3 Jan 2010 The Saudi foreign minister on Saturday criticized Israel's settlement construction and said the country acts like a "spoiled child" because the international community is not tough enough in pressuring it to make concessions. Prince Saud al-Faisal said Washington and other players in Mideast peace efforts should take a "firm and serious" stand to put an end to Israeli construction on land Palestinians want for a future state. [uruknet.info] Is Congress planning to destroy every Middle East TV Channel that criticizes Israel? Uruknet January 1, 2010 - ... Having inherited the Bush administrations rising stack of terrorism lists, President Obama's team had expressed interest in culling them "so they are more accurate and manageable and Americans experience less stress", according to Homeland Security director Janet Napolitano. These lists, plus the reported existence of others that have not been made public, are supposed to reduce... U.S. Intelligence Found Iran Nuke Document Was Forged 12/28/2009 - Inter Press Service - Gareth Porter - WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (IPS) - U. S. intelligence has concluded that the document published recently by the Times of London, which purportedly describes an Iranian plan to do experiments on what the newspaper described as a "neutron initiator" for an atomic weapon, is a fabrication, according to a former Central Intelligence Agency official. Philip Giraldi, who was a CIA counterterrorism official from 1976 to 1992, told IPS that intelligence sources say that the United States had nothing to do with forging the document, and that Israel is the primary suspect. The sources do not rule out a British role in the fabrication, however. The Times of London story published Dec. 14 did not identify the source of the document. But it quoted "an Asian intelligence source" - a term some news media have used for Israeli intelligence officials - as confirming that his government believes Iran was working on a neutron initiator as recently as 2007. VIDEO - Rep. Brian Baird to call for cutting US aid to Israel unless the blockade on Gaza is lifted 12/30/2009 - Mondoweiss - See also: Congressman Baird Announces He Will Not Seek Reelection (9 December 2009) and Brian Baird: Israel and Gaza [end] Humans without borders: One woman's quest to overcome the divides of Occupation
Palestine Monitor - 30 Dec 2009 - Shaare Zedek Medical Centre is in a suburb of Jerusalem and one of three Israeli hospitals where Palestinians are permitted to go for treatment. The lobby is filled with a presentation on the history of Israeli medicine, the cafes full of visitors and patients. On the... Washington, not J'lem, needs to issue clarifications Jeruslalem Post
28 Dec 2009 - The US-trained PA security forces have either refused or been unable to uproot terror. Living in rubble, Gaza unchanged one year on 12/27/2009 - Gaza - Ma'an - The war might as well have ended yesterday for all the rubble, desolation and uncertainty. With the onset of winter, survivors living in makeshift shelters are still searching for more permanent living quarters. Finding a way to make a living is not much easier, families say, and there is little support from the government, which says it can do nothing until Israel lifts its blockade. The Gaza government's Ministry of Public Works Undersecretary Ibrahim Radwan said all reconstruction efforts came to naught because of the ongoing siege. Struggling with both issues, the Al-Athamneh family recently moved into one of the mud-brick homes constructed by the UN Relief and Works Agency, when lobbying efforts to bring in cement failed. The family is grateful for the home, but the location of the building kilometers from their demolished community meant uprooting social ties. US Asks Israel for Clarification about Nablus Massacre 27 Dec 2009 - Jerusalem, December 27, 2009 (Pal Telegraph) - The Israeli National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of the occupation, "Uzi Arad," said tonight that, the White House in Washington asked for some clarification about the assassination that took place at dawn in the city of Nablus, and led to the death of three Palestinians from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.... [uruknet.info] Awaiting a miracle from Washington The Palestinian Authority may be seeking renewed talks with Israel even in the absence of an Israeli freeze on settlements, Uruknet December 25, 2009 - The Palestinian Authority (PA) is apparently seeking an opportunity to resume peace talks with Israel without losing face due to the continuing expansion of Israeli settlements and US failure to get the Jewish state to stop stealing Palestinian land. The PA is still clinging to its erstwhile position, namely that it won't return to the negotiating... Rush Limbaugh seems to be doing the lobby’s work
Mondoweiss - 19 Dec 2009 - Rush Limbaugh calls for "massive bombing raids," and "war" with Iran. Recall the flattering RL profile by Israeli-American Zev Chafets in the New York Times Magazine . Limbaugh is marching ahead of the AIPAC congressional resolutions on Iran, and query: what accounts for his timing? The congressional... Boycott Apartheid Israel: Open Letter from US Trade Unionists
Palestine Monitor - 17 Dec 2009 - We publish an open letter from Labor of Palestine to AFL-CIO (The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) President Richard Trumka on 4 December 2009. In the letter US trade unionists reaffirm their support for BDS. Boycott Apartheid Israel: Open Letter from US... ‘Forward’ reports: Rightwing Israeli maumau’d gormless Ford Foundation to drop I/P grants
Mondoweiss - 18 Dec 2009 - How does the Israel lobby work? Let me count the ways… Liberal Israeli Yossi Alpher has an interesting piece in the Forward taking on Gerald Steinberg of NGO Monitor. Below the piece says that the august Ford Foundation has been maumau’d out of doing work on... Israel arrests Palestinian barrier protest leader 12/11/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Washington Post - RAMALLAH, West Bank - A leader of the most persistent Palestinian protest movement against Israel's West Bank separation barrier was asleep in his home when troops broke down his door and arrested him. Supporters of Abdullah Abu Rahmeh, a 38-year-old teacher, say his pre-dawn arrest on Thursday by dozens of troops is part of a recent, heavy-handed campaign by Israel to shut down a five-year-old movement that is the last source of unrest in the West Bank. Since 2005, demonstrators led by Abu Rahmeh have marched every Friday from the West Bank village of Bilin to the nearby separation barrier that slices off 60 percent of the village land. Their acts of protest, which have also included chaining themselves to trees, have won praise from Jimmy Carter and Desmond Tutu and support among Israeli peace activists. Obama advisor: US to push for Iran sanctions in January YNet News
11 Dec 2009 - National security advisor says Washington working to impose new punitive measures on Islamic republic at UN Security Council within a month. Door to diplomacy will stay open till 'the end of this calendar year, which is rapidly approaching,' he clarifies House chairman Brad Sherman calls on UC Irvine to throw out Muslim Student Union for raising money for Gaza
Mondoweiss - 11 Dec 2009 - Your Israel lobby at work. Brad Sherman is a liberal Democratic congressman from California and populist on Wall Street issues. He is also chairman of a House subcommittee on terrorism. With the applause (and likely the urging) of the Zionist Organization of America , he has sent... US-IRAN: Moving Again Toward Confrontation IPS WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (IPS) - Iran's announced intention to build 10 new nuclear enrichment plants has been deemed "unacceptable" by the administration of President Barack Obama, which warned Monday of increased pressure on Tehran if it does not soon accept Western proposals to curb its nuclear programme. What will Brian Baird do next?
Mondoweiss - 9 Dec 2009 - Brian Baird, the crusading Washington congressman, announced his retirement today , after six terms in the House. "Tough loss," says my tipster, Felson. But I don’t think this is the last we’ve seen of Baird, 53, who was changed by Gaza, and understands the key foreign-policy issue... Did US group raise funds for Hamas? Jeruslalem Post
8 Dec 2009 - Congressman Brad Sherman urges probe into NGO he suspects raised terror group funds on campuses. US-IRAN: Moving Again Toward Confrontation IPS WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (IPS) - Iran's announced intention to build 10 new nuclear enrichment plants has been deemed "unacceptable" by the administration of President Barack Obama, which warned Monday of increased pressure on Tehran if it does not soon accept Western proposals to curb its nuclear programme. US on EU: J'lem to be negotiated in final-status agreement YNet News
8 Dec 2009 - Noses are wrinkled in Washington to European foreign minister's communiqu? calling on Jerusalem to be divided between Israel and Palestinian state. Assistant Secretary of State PJ Crowley: Our position on Jerusalem is clear, and we believe it's final-status issue AUDIO - The Information Underground Interviews Cynthia Mckinney, Blows The Lid Off Of The Israel Lobby 12/8/2009 - The Information Underground - Listen to one of the few courageous people in Congress, former Rep. Cynthia McKinney, talk about the hidden and very powerful impact of the Israeli lobby on this country's Middle East policy. [end] Light in the Israel-Palestine darkness | Seth Freedman The Guardian
7 Dec 2009 - Initiatives such as the Jerusalem Interest-Free Microfinance Fund bridge a cultural gulf as well as helping economically Sitting in a hotel lobby in East Jerusalem, Jafar Sabbah is strident in his assertion that both Israeli and... PRC Changes Venue of Conference on Refugees 12/5/2009 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - LONDON, December 5, 2009 (WAFA) Due to the growing number of participants and many distinguished guests taking part in the international event, the Palestinian Return Center (PRC) has decided to change the venue of the conference from Friends house in London Euston to the Congress Center, 28 Great Russell Street, London WC1B3LS near Totenham Court Road station. The conference is still scheduled for Wednesday, December 16, 2009. The key aim of the event is to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency UNRWA. It will provide a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the terrible situation facing the Palestinian Refugees and UNRWA within a regional and international context. Prominent personalities will open the conference which will include four sessions. Academics from USA, UK and the Middle East plus Politicians from Asia and other Arab countries will participate in the event. International Conference on Palestinian Refugees: Change of Event Venue 5 Dec 2009 - Gaza, December 5, 2009 ( Pal Telegraph ) -Due to the growing number of participants and many distinguished guests taking part in the International event. The Palestinian Return Center (PRC) has decided to change the venue of the conference from Friends house in London Euston to the Congress Centre, 28 Great Russell Street, London WC1B3LS near Totenham Court Road station. PM makes final push to foil Swedish initiative to divide Jerusalem Ha'aretz
5 Dec 2009 - Israel and the Palestinian Authority are each lobbying European Union foreign ministers to adopt its respective position on Sweden's initiative to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of both Israel and Palestine. The proposal is to be discussed tomorrow in Brussels at the meeting of foreign ministers of EU member states. ... Abbas to lobby Arab states for UN recognition 12/4/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas will depart this week on a tour of Arab countries seeking support for efforts to establish a state unliterary, sources said on Friday. The president's tour is expected to include Lebanon, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt. Palestinians have vowed to seek recognition from the UN Security Council for a Palestinian state on the current border with Israel and the territories it occupied in 1967. Meanwhile, Israeli sources reported on Friday that the US administration and other Arab countries were putting pressure on Abbas not to quit his post at the end of his term. The Israeli daily Haaretz quoted senior Israeli security sources as saying Abbas should not leave the region "a piece of cake for Hamas. "The source was unsure, however, if Abbas would ultimately step down. According to another security source, "the decision concerning Abbas. . . " Obama delays US Embassy move to Jerusalem 12/4/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - US President Barack Obama delayed moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem for six more months, The Associated Press reported Friday. The US Congress ratified a law in October 1995 that states Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of Israel. The act affirms that each country has the right to designate a capital of its choice, and Israel chose Jerusalem. The act also states that the US must move its embassy to Jerusalem no later than 31 May 1999. However, over the past decade, the decision has been delayed every six months due to the sensitivity of the issue. Israeli forces captured East Jerusalem from Jordanian control in 1967, annexing it and declaring the city the "undivided, eternal capital of Israel," although the move was never recognized by the international community. [Uruknet 60763 04-dec-2009 17:28 ECT] Will Congress Criminalize Anti-Semitism and Israeli Criticism? Uruknet December 4, 2009 - In the current climate, perhaps given: -- America's police state laws; -- no due process or judicial fairness for any state target; -- mass illegal surveillance; -- targeting dissent; and -- the power of the Israeli Lobby over Congress, the media, academia, the clergy, and most anyone confronting them. During Israel's war on Gaza, only 5... I told my congressman, ‘keep the child’s picture in your desk and look at it the next time there’s a vote on Gaza’
Mondoweiss - 4 Dec 2009 - Susan Johnson blogs under the name above. She visited Gaza last May-June and was finally able to get a meeting with her congressman, a PA Democrat who was not present for the recent vote condemning the Goldstone Report. Johnson wishes to keep his name out of... Donna Edwards might face AIPAC-backed challenger
Mondoweiss - 4 Dec 2009 - Donna Edwards, the star congresswoman from the Maryland suburbs of D.C. who took a brave stand on the Gaza slaughter, is being primaried by another black politician, this one likely to earn the backing of the traditional Israel lobby. So reports JTA/Washington Post : Glenn F. Ivey,... [Uruknet 60744 04-dec-2009 03:11 ECT] The Israel Lobby Celebrates Espionage in New York Uruknet December 3, 2009 - The recent sting operation against former NASA scientist Stewart Nozette involved an undercover FBI employee posing as Mossad agent. Meeting in the posh Mayflower hotel in Washington, the agent set up clandestine payments in exchange for highly classified information. Nozette began delivering requested classified national defense information believing it to be destined for Israel while confidentially... Congress plans Iran sanctions YNet News
3 Dec 2009 - American sanctions against Iran go into high gear; Congress expected to pass harsh legislation within next two weeks that would impose sanctions on firms that do business with Iran, including energy companies U.S. falls short in bid to gain support for Israel's settlement freeze Ha'aretz
3 Dec 2009 - The United States fell short in its efforts to gain a declaration of international support for Israel's temporary settlement construction freeze. The Americans were hoping that its partners in the Quartet - Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - would agree to such a declaration, but Moscow expressed a series of reservations and foiled Washington's effort. ... Grayson’s hypocrisy (and Nadler and Weiner’s too)
Mondoweiss - 3 Dec 2009 - Yesterday the Jewish Telegraphic Agency picked up on a post by Max Blumenthal here the other day, blasting Alan Grayson, the populist hero congressman from Florida, for being neanderthal on the Israel/Palestine issue– bragging about his Jewishness as he makes himself at home in AIPAC’s pocket.... [uruknet.info] Israel lobby: the blog edition Uruknet December 2, 2009 - At the risk of stepping into Stephen Walt's territory, I'd like to highlight one of the most remarkable developments in the Israeli blogosphere: the Second International Jewish Blogger Convention that took place in Jerusalem on Sept 13th and brought together 300 bloggers from Israel and the diaspora. The Israeli government and civil society alike have recently... Obama to welcome Lebanon’s president 12/2/2009 - Yahoo! News - WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama will welcome Lebanon's President Michel Sleiman to Washington later this month, the White House has said. Sleiman will visit the White House on Monday, December 14, as the Obama administration tries to reignite its Middle East peace push and back Lebanon's fragile democracy and territorial integrity. Obama wants to bring up "a broad range of issues of mutual concern, including efforts to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the United States and Lebanon, achieve a comprehensive regional peace, and implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions," the White House said on Wednesday. Washington has been a strong supporter of western-backed Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri who formed a new unity government last month after more than four months of difficult negotiations with the Hezbollah-led opposition. BOOKS-US: Hawkish "Israel Lobby" More Bark Than Bite? IPS WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (IPS) - The Nov. 25 announcement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a "moratorium" on settlement construction brought very different responses from the Jewish American "pro-Israel" groups J-Street and the heavyweight American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), calling attention to the increasing divide within the American... US-IRAN: Moving Again Toward Confrontation IPS WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (IPS) - Iran's announced intention to build 10 new nuclear enrichment plants has been deemed "unacceptable" by the administration of President Barack Obama, which warned Monday of increased pressure on Tehran if it does not soon accept Western proposals to curb its nuclear programme. David Makovsky / Obama and Netanyahu: Lessons of 2009 Ha'aretz
30 Nov 2009 - WASHINGTON - The announcement of a moratorium on building in the settlements ends the first chapter of U.S.-Israel relations during the Obama era. There are lessons for all. ... China’s backing on Iran followed dire predictions 11/26/2009 - Washington Post - Before Obama's visit, NSC warned leaders that Israel might attack Iran - Two weeks before President Obama visited China, two senior White House officials traveled to Beijing on a "special mission" to try to persuade China to pressure Iran to give up its alleged nuclear weapons program. If Beijing did not help the United States on this issue, the consequences could be severe, the visitors, Dennis Ross and Jeffrey Bader, both senior officials in the National Security Council, informed the Chinese. The Chinese were told that Israel regards Iran's nuclear program as an "existential issue and that countries that have an existential issue don't listen to other countries," according to a senior administration official. The implication was clear: Israel could bomb Iran, leading to a crisis in the Persian Gulf region and almost inevitably problems over the very oil China needs to fuel its economic. . . . Israeli radio: Ramallah and Washington hinder the Shalit deal PIC
30 Nov 2009 - Israeli radio revealed on Saturday that the Palestinian Authority and Washington are hindering a prisoner exchange deal fearing that such a deal would raise Hamas's popularity amongst Palestinians. [uruknet.info] Lebanon accepts' Hezbollah's weapons and Congress prepares its reply Uruknet November 27, 2009 - "It is the right of the Lebanese people, Army and the (Hezbollah led-) Resistance to liberate the Shebaa Farms, the Kfar Shuba Hills and the northern part of the village of Ghajar as well as to defend Lebanon and its territorial waters in the face of any enemy by all available and legal means." So reads... Erekat: Palestinian leadership rejects 'dangerous' Israeli proposal 11/26/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinian leaders reject Wednesday's unilateral decision by the Israeli Security Cabinet to delay some new construction in West Bank settlements excluding East Jerusalem for ten months, PLO leader Saeb Erekat announced Thursday. Saeb Erekat, the PLO head negotiator, called on Washington to compel Israel to freeze construction completely so it will be possible to renew peace talks. Late Wednesday night officials in Erekat's office called the Israeli plan a diversion, "What Israel is talking about is a slowdown - not a freeze," one PLO official said. The official noted that Netanyahu's definition of a settlement freeze, in which synagogues, schools, and public facilities expand unabated in the West Bank, was not even being offered in East Jerusalem. Earlier Wednesday, the Israeli prime minister told his political-security cabinet that East Jerusalem would. . . Abbas in Argentina: Obama doing nothing to advance peace 11/25/2009 - Buenos Aires - Ma'an/Agencies - The US president Barak Obama is currently doing nothing to revive the peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians, said President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday during a visit to Argentina. "For now he is doing nothing, but he has invited us to revive the peace process. I hope that in the future he can play a more important role," Abbas said in an interview with the Argentine daily Clarin. "The Palestinians expect the US to exert pressure on Israel to get it to show respect for international law and implement the Road Map plan," he also said. "They can exert pressure on Israel so as to do two things; halting settlement activities, and withdrawal from the Palestinian territories they occupied in 1967," Abbas explained. For her part, president of Argentina Cristina Fernandez on Tuesday criticized Washington for doing too little to. . . Libya wants UN debate on settlements 11/25/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Libya will ask the UN Security Council to demand an end to Israel's expansion of illegal settlements on land taken from Palestinians, Tuesday news reports said. "We are discussing it with the Palestinians and other members of the Security Council. We are going to do that, yes," Libya's UN Ambassador Mohamed Shalgham told reporters about the plans, according to Agence France-Presse. Arab states could prepare a draft resolution by Friday, the Libyan official said. Text of a similar resolution was prepared in July 2008. At the time Libya, the only Arab country on the15-member council, was dissuaded from introducing the measure on account of the certainty of a US veto. According to AFP, the US deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Alejandro Wolff, indicated that Washington would again oppose any such resolution. MIDEAST: Settlements "Moratorium" Still Short of Freeze IPS WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (IPS) - U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed an announcement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday that Israel will impose a 10-month "moratorium" on settlements, but warned that the move falls short of a freeze on... Obama mourns Washington Wizards owner and AIPAC leader Abe Pollin Ha'aretz
25 Nov 2009 - U.S. President Barak Obama on Wednesday spoke of his sadness at the death of Abe Pollin, the Washington Wizards owner and leader of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, who died Tuesday at 85. ... Catholics face questions over abortion that Jewish neocons never got for Iraq mess
Mondoweiss - 25 Nov 2009 - The other night Chris Matthews provided riveting television in an interview with Providence, R.I., Catholic bishop Thomas Tobin, who has said that Congressman Patrick Kennedy can no longer take communion at mass because he has supported legislation for abortion. Matthews is Catholic, and said that he... Fatah forms elections commissariat 11/24/2009 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Palestine's Fatah party established an elections commissariat for the first time in the movement's history, according to Fatah Central Committee member Muhammad Al-Madani on Tuesday. The newly formed elections commissariat began a three-day tour of the West Bank, starting in Hebron, where they will prepare Palestinians for the upcoming legislative and presidential elections, Al-Madani said. The elections, initially called for 24 January, were postponed indefinitely by the Central Elections Committee in October. By preparing the population for elections, the official said, Fatah is showing its support for the democratic process. Al-Madani compared the party's commitment to Palestinian elections to the recent election of new members to Fatah's ruling bodies during the party's Sixth Congress in Bethlehem in August. German government to give Israel warships for free: PROTEST DEMO 11/24/2009 - Palestine Think Tank - Jonas Feller for Campo Anti-Imperialista - Israel, which has recently been condemned by the UN Human Rights Council because of their war crimes (1), asks Germany to build them two new warships – for free. (2) After the German chancellor Merkel argued in front of the US congress that “whoever threatens Israel, threatens us” (3), it seems as if Israel will get what it wants. This wouldn’t, however, be anything new: At the turn of the millennium, Germany financed three submarines spending 560 Million Euros on them. In 2012, there will two additional submarines, this time German tax payers will have to pay 333 Million Euros. (4) If the German government is going to deliver weapons to Israel, they are therefore directly responsible for taking part in the Zionist terror against the Palestinians, the Lebanese and maybe against Syrians, Iranians next… While they are talking about peace and human. . . . Palestinians looking to U.S.-style suburban housing, financing 11/23/2009 - Washington Post - The hills around this city have seen plenty of construction, often the distinctive red-roofed homes favored by Israeli settlers. But the bulldozers and laborers active here recently are laying foundations and building roads for a different type of development -- planned communities targeted to middle-income Palestinians, including one billed as the first "new city" for Palestinians in modern memory. These communities are patterned after American suburban development -- the new city, Rawabi, is specifically designed for upwardly mobile families of a sort that in the United States might gravitate to places such as Reston, Va. The developments are also relying on another American import, the home mortgage, including creation of a Fannie Mae-style institution for the West Bank. Though Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have stalled, Palestinian officials have put a focus on building the institutions of a future state. . . . Obama must deal with important questions of the Mideast conflict Ha'aretz 21 Nov 2009 - For 41 years, Washington turned a blind eye. It protested a bit, scolded a bit, and mostly made do with periodically stating that its policy has not changed - it still opposes settlements in the territories and does not recognize the annexation of East Jerusalem or the Golan Heights. Suddenly, it gave us a resounding slap, but one of the frustrating kind that misses the cheek and flies through empty air. Because the American demand that we freeze construction in the settlements, that "strong message" containing a threat, has become a personal duel between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama, in place of a clear policy presented by the latter. ... Iran: We'll hit Tel Aviv if attacked YNet News
21 Nov 2009 - Iranian cleric says ballistic missiles would be fired at heart of Tel Aviv should Israel strike Islamic republic; Iran army official charges Russian delay in supplying advanced missile system to Tehran result of pressure by 'Zionist lobby' Obama says Israeli settlement building "dangerous" PNN
18 Nov 2009 - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama (http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/barackobama) put fresh pressure on Israel on Wednesday to curb its settlement projects, saying continued building could lead to a dangerous situation with embittered Palestinians. I think that additional settlement building does not contribute to Israel's security, I think it makes it harder for them to make peace with their neighbors, Obama told Fox News.... Letters: Feedback on Israel lobby inquiry The Guardian
19 Nov 2009 - David Cesarani ( A frisson of conspiracy , 18 November), is absolutely right that our investigation for Channel 4, Inside Britain's Israel Lobby , was followed by a deluge of pretty horrible antisemitic comment on a range of websites.... Antisemitism and the reported world | Jonathan Boyd The Guardian
18 Nov 2009 - C4's Dispatches on Britain's Israel lobby perpetuated the same old antisemitic myth and that has effects in the real world Apparently, according to Channel 4's Dispatches programme on Monday night , there are some wealthy Jews out... Obama says Israeli settlement building "dangerous" PNN
18 Nov 2009 - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama (http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/barackobama) put fresh pressure on Israel on Wednesday to curb its settlement projects, saying continued building could lead to a dangerous situation with embittered Palestinians. I think that additional settlement building does not contribute to Israel's security, I think it makes it harder for them to make peace with their neighbors, Obama told Fox News.... Comment / Is the Israel lobby doing more harm than good? Ha'aretz
19 Nov 2009 - Three years ago I was invited, along with 30 other guests - mainly politicians and journalists - to a private dinner party given by one of Britain's richest Jews at a Jerusalem hotel. After a mediocre steak and some fantastic wine, we were addressed by our host. The British media were a disgrace, he told us, "real Goebbels-style." Their coverage of the Second Lebanon War had totally ruined his summer holiday. And the British politicians, many of whom he had donated to in the past, were with few exceptions "all pusillanimous hypocrites" who had criticized Israel's "disproportionate" response to Hezbollah's attacks. ... Letters: Feedback on Israel lobby inquiry The Guardian
19 Nov 2009 - David Cesarani ( A frisson of conspiracy , 18 November), is absolutely right that our investigation for Channel 4, Inside Britain's Israel Lobby , was followed by a deluge of pretty horrible antisemitic comment on a range of websites.... Antisemitism and the reported world | Jonathan Boyd The Guardian
18 Nov 2009 - C4's Dispatches on Britain's Israel lobby perpetuated the same old antisemitic myth and that has effects in the real world Apparently, according to Channel 4's Dispatches programme on Monday night , there are some wealthy Jews out... VIDEO - The Israel Lobby 4/2/2007 - Tegenlicht/YouTube - An episode of the Dutch documentary program "Tegenlicht" about the Israel lobby in the USA. - For many years now the American foreign policy has been characterized by the strong tie between the United States and Israel. Does the United States in fact keep Israel on its feet? And how long will it continue to do so? Is one allowed to question that reality, or is the pro-Israel lobby so strong, financially and politically, that the relationship with Israel is taboo and therefore unmentionable? And what happens to those who dare expose the unmentionable? In March 2006 the American political scientists John Mearsheimer (University of Chicago) and Steve Walt (Harvard) published the controversial article 'The Israel Lobby and US foreign policy'. In it they state that it is not, or no longer, expedient for the US to support and protect present-day Israel. -- Links: Tegenlicht New documentary says Israel lobby is UK’s most powerful 11/18/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A new documentary on the UK's Channel 4 television looks into the reach and influence of what the filmmakers say is Britain's most powerful political interest: the Israel lobby. Documentarians Peter Osborne and James Jones uncovered obscure funding patterns of British members of parliament by members of pro-Israel groups and also revealed the pressure the lobby exerts on the media. The show first aired on Monday evening. In a pamphlet published on the website OpenDemocracy Osborne explained that the concept was born out of a marked silence in the British media when exploring the extent of Israel's influence on Westminster, noting that, oftentimes, those who broche the subject or criticize Israel are accused of anti-Semitism. "Whether as a result of these pressures or for some other reason, mainstream political publishing. . . " [uruknet.info] AIPAC Received Classified US Trade Docs from Israeli Embassy -- IRmep Uruknet November 18, 2009 - A FBI file reveals the Israeli embassy passed stolen classified US government information to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). In 1984 Israel and AIPAC jointly lobbied Congress to secure preferential Israeli access to the US market against widespread American industry opposition. The FBI file, kept secret for 25 years, was recently released to the... Obama says Israeli settlement building "dangerous" PNN
18 Nov 2009 - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama (http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/barackobama) put fresh pressure on Israel on Wednesday to curb its settlement projects, saying continued building could lead to a dangerous situation with embittered Palestinians. I think that additional settlement building does not contribute to Israel's security, I think it makes it harder for them to make peace with their neighbors, Obama told Fox News.... Antisemitism and the reported world | Jonathan Boyd The Guardian
18 Nov 2009 - C4's Dispatches on Britain's Israel lobby perpetuated the same old antisemitic myth and that has effects in the real world Apparently, according to Channel 4's Dispatches programme on Monday night , there are some wealthy Jews out... ’White House baffled by Clinton’s gaffes’ 11/18/2009 - YNetNews - Sources close to US President Obama tell New Republic magazine secretary of state veered away from White House’s message on Middle East peace process in two different occasions - WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's zigzagging and slips of the tongue, mainly on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, have been causing anger in the Middle East and complicating the peace process, sources in the White House told the New Republic magazine on Tuesday. In May, Clinton revealed at a press conference that US President Barack Obama’s call for an Israeli settlement freeze included any “natural growth” within existing settlements. Two sources with detailed knowledge of the US-Israeli relationship told New Republic that the Obama team was not yet prepared to make public this departure from Bush-era policy. Rather than leave his secretary of state twisting in the wind, one of the sources said, AIPAC Received Classified US Trade Docs from Israeli Embassy -- IRmep 11/16/2009 - CNBC.com - WASHINGTON, Nov 16, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- A FBI file reveals the Israeli embassy passed stolen classified US government information to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). In 1984 Israel and AIPAC jointly lobbied Congress to secure preferential Israeli access to the US market against widespread American industry opposition. The declassified FBI report may be downloaded from the Israel Lobby Archive at: http://www. irmep. org/ila/economy/03071986INTERVIEW. pdf The FBI file, kept secret for 25 years, was recently released to the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep) through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. The declassified files, their historical context, and long term impact on jobs and exports are detailed in the new book "Spy Trade: How Israel's Lobby Undermines America's Economy. " Britain’s pro-Israel lobby under the microscope 11/19/2009 - Redress - In a pamphlet accompanying British Channel 4 TV Dispatches team's ground-breaking programme "Inside Britain's Israel Lobby", first broadcast on 16 November 2009, James Jones and Peter Oborne investigate Britain's Israel lobby, which is working in support of the interests of the State of Israel and aims to shape the debate about Britain's relationship with Israel and future foreign policies relating to it. The pamphlet looks into how accountable, transparent and open to scrutiny the lobby is, particularly in regard to its funding and financial support of MPs. It also examines how the lobby operates from within parliament and the tactics it employs behind the scenes when engaging with print and broadcast media. -- Links: Read the pamphlet in full (PDF) US envoy demands halt to settlement growth in E. Jerusalem 11/17/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - US Special Envoy George Mitchell called on Israel to stop construction in the Israeli settlement of Gilo, in east Jerusalem, according to Israeli media on Tuesday. The demand was made during a meeting on Monday between George Mitchell and Yitzhak Molcho, an Israeli official with the country's envoy to Washington, concerning plans to build a new residential complex in Gilo that are currently awaiting authorization from Jerusalem municipality officials, according to the Israeli daily Ynet. The article further reported that Molcho refused Mitchell's request which elicited a response from the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Bureau stating that, "the neighborhood of Gilo is an integral part of Jerusalem, just as the neighborhoods Ramat Eshkol, Rehavia, French Hill and Pisgat Zeev are part of the united city, and there is no difference between construction. . . [uruknet.info] Video - Dispatches: Inside Britain's Israel Lobby Uruknet November 17, 2009 - Dispatches investigates one of the most powerful and influential political lobbies in Britain, which is working in support of the interests of the State of Israel. Despite wielding great influence among the highest realms of British politics and media, little is known about the individuals and groups which collectively are known as the pro-Israel lobby. Political... [uruknet.info] Exposing Britain's pro-Israel lobby: Channel 4 TV makes a bold start Uruknet November 17, 2009 - Last night Channel 4's 'Dispatches' programme set out to investigate the pro-Israel lobby in Britain, and to boldly go where no TV team had gone before. On the Dispatches website we were told that the lobby "aims to shape the debate about Britain's relationship with Israel and future foreign policies relating to it". So the programme... [uruknet.info] Britain must de-Zionise Itself Immediately Uruknet November 17, 2009 - On Monday the British TV broadcaster, Channel 4 screened Inside Britain's Israel Lobby, a devastating expose of the Jewish lobby in the UK*. 'We couldn't find a conspiracy' affirmed Peter Oborne the Daily Mail's political commentator behind the film. He was right. After running the show for so many years, the Jewish lobby's purchasing of British... Comment / Why Netanyahu really does want to advance peace Ha'aretz
17 Nov 2009 - I could hear the prime minister's familiar voice on the telephone. "I want to advance a peace agreement with the Palestinians. I am capable of achieving an agreement. I have the political will inside me," Benjamin Netanyahu told me. He repeated this message during his speeches at the conference of Jewish communities in Washington and at the Saban Forum in Jerusalem: great concessions, generosity of spirit, territorial compromise, let's start negotiations and surprise the world, he said. ... US Politician Wants American Jews to Buy West Bank Homes 11/17/2009 - Political Theatrics - An influential Jewish community leader and Democratic State Assemblyman from New York is currently heading a mission of about 50 Americans through the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem to promote home purchases in the area and to protest U. S. President Barack Obama’s Middle East policy. “Our goal is to send a clear message to Washington and President Obama that Jews will continue to live in Judea and Samaria and the ultimate commitment American Jews can make is to actually come and buy property in these areas as this will ensure these communities” security and growth,” said Dov Hikind, 59, who has been representing Brooklyn’s 48th district since 1983. “People buy properties in different places, and I can’t think of any reason why people dedicated to the land of Israel shouldn’t own something here, whether they will use it or use it as an opportunity for young families to live in that New Yorkers For Military Aid Cuts To Israel 11/17/2009 - Desert Peace - Commentary by Chippy Dee - The Brooklyn Law School Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, Brooklyn for Peace, and Students for Public Interest sponsored a program at the Brooklyn Law School entitled, U. S. Military Aid to Israel…is it legal? Moral? Political? In 2007 the U. S. agreed to increase military aid to Israel to $30 billion over the next 10 years. Is this a worthwhile use of taxpayer dollars? The speaker was Josh Ruebner, the National Advocacy Director of the U. S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, a national coalition of more than 300 organizations working to change U. S. policy toward Israel/Palestine to support human rights, international law, and equality. He is a former Analyst in Middle East Affairs at Congressional Research Service, a federal government agency providing Members of Congress with policy research and analysis. Jordan’s king rejects pro-Israeli’s anti-Iran plans 11/17/2009 - Press TV - Jordan's King Abdullah II has expressed his country's “rejection” of any anti-Iran measure, speaking to a visiting group of a major pro-Israeli lobby group in the US. The rare pro-Iran expression by the King of Jordan, which has formal diplomatic relations with Israel, unlike Iran which considers the entity as illegitimate, came during a meeting Monday with a delegation representing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a powerful pro-Israeli pressure group in the US that widely influences American foreign policy in the Middle East. In the meeting, King Abdullah called for "dialogue" as the only channel for resolving the dispute over Iran's nuclear case. His comment came after Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon rejected speculations that the warnings of any military attack on Iran are just a bluff, insisting that they are very real. Israel angers U.S. by approving new WBank homes 11/17/2009 - Reuters - JERUSALEM, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Israel triggered a fresh rift with Washington over settlement building on Tuesday by approving the building of 900 homes for Jews on West Bank land it occupied in a 1967 war and annexed to its Jerusalem municipality. The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said U. S. President Barack Obama's envoy, George Mitchell, had asked an aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at a meeting in London on Monday, to block the proposed construction at the settlement of Gilo. But a government planning commission approved the addition of 900 housing units at Gilo, where 40,000 Israelis already live. The Israeli decision drew an unusually sharply worded rebuke from the White House, which said it was "dismayed" and accused Israel of undermining Obama's efforts to resume peace talks with Palestinians stalled since December. Jordan’s king urges US Jewish leaders to back two-state solution 11/16/2009 - Monsters and Critics - Amman - Jordan's King Abdullah II on Monday appealed to the Jewish community in the United States to support the two-state vision, saying Israel should choose between peace and continuing to live with the 'fortress mentality. 'The monarch made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation representing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), currently on a visit to Jordan, according to a royal court statement. 'The king underscored the importance of support by all parties, including the US Jewish organizations, for current efforts aimed at accomplishing the two-state solution which represents the cornerstone for peace and guarantees the rights of all parties in the region,' the statement said. 'Israel should choose between peace that ensures its security and recognition in accordance with the Arab peace initiative and sticking to the fortress mentality in a region that faces Thousands Protest Peres In Argentina
IMEMC
16 Nov 2009 - Tuesday November 17, 2009 - 01:16, Thousands protested in front of the Argentinean Congress building in Buenos Aires against the visit of Israel's President, Shimon Peres. [uruknet.info] Channel 4 Dispatches investigates The pro-Israel lobby in Britain: FULL TEXT Uruknet November 16, 2009 - ... The Conservative Friends of Israel is beyond doubt the best connected, and probably the best funded, of all Westminster lobbying groups. Eighty percent of Conservative MPs are members. The leader of the Conservative Party is often expected to appear at their events, while the shadow foreign secretary and his team are subjected to persistent pressure by... Friends in high places | Peter Oborne The Guardian
16 Nov 2009 - Britain's pro-Israel lobby needs to be far more open about how it is funded and what it does Every year a very grand lunch is given by the Conservative Friends of Israel at a central London... [uruknet.info] Delusional Self Defense, Delusional Congressional Vote Uruknet November 14, 2009 - ...Thus, neither the facts nor the law support an Israeli self-defense claim. Rather than condemn Israel's act of aggression and its ongoing occupation and blockade of the Gaza Strip, Congress added its name to a pungent piece of manipulative delusion: that Israel's onslaught of Gaza constituted an act of self-defense. The House is now on record... Bill Clinton: Don't be negative towards Obama YNet News 15 Nov 2009 - Former US President Bill Clinton reiterates that Washington is committed to Israel's security, says not to be negative towards Obama administration. He says US is far from accepting nuclear Iran, expresses concern for potential arms race in Middle East The U.S. Jew whose Iran views rile Israel intelligence officials 11/14/2009 - Ha'aretz - WASHINGTON, D. C. - Hillary Mann Leverett and her partner and husband, Flynt Leverett, make the Iran desk staffers in the Israeli intelligence community see red. For the past two years the Leveretts, both of whom are former U. S. National Security Council and State Department officials, have preached relentlessly against using sanctions and threats against Iran. In late September, a harsh op-ed they wrote condemning the Obama administration appeared in The New York Times. In it they argued that the lofty talk of "openness" and the promise of "dialogue" with the Iranians are just empty rhetoric. On their Internet site, in lectures, in interviews and in their journal articles, they present assessments and proposals for action that are different from, and sometimes nearly the opposite of, those that politicians and experts in the West and in Israel present the public.
Netanyahu to visit Egypt’s Sharm Ash-Sheikh on Monday
Ma’an News Agency
5/10/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma’an - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to head to Sharm Ash-Sheikh on Monday where he will meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. This will be Netanyahu’s first international visit since he formed his new government. Israeli Minister of Infrastructure Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, and the head of Israel’s National Security Council, Uzi Arad, will join Netanyahu in his visit with Mubarak. Netanyahu will meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres on Sunday evening before he goes to Sharm, and the latter will update him on the results of his visit to the US. Both will prepare to receive Pope Benedict XVI, who is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Monday. The Israeli daily newspaper Maariv reported that Netanyahu’s bureau was exerting efforts to arrange a meeting between Netanyahu and Jordanian King Abdullah II, hoping the meeting will be held by this weekend, prior to Netanyahu’s visit to Washington. more..e-mailUS aid to Israel to continue despite crisis
YNetNews
10 May 2009 - American administration asks Congress to approve security aid to Jewish state as part of 2010 budget. ’This is an expression of the ongoing US commitment to Israel’s security,’ says outgoing Ambassador Meridor more..e-mailANALYSIS / Netanyahu is beginning to look worried
Ha’aretz
7 May 2009 - This week, for the first time since he took office, Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu has been looking worried. People who have spoken with him found him short-tempered, almost testy. The problems piling up on his desk are burying the sweet victory of his return to the Prime Minister’s Bureau: His approaching visit with U.S. President Barack Obama is looking less and less like cause for rejoicing amid the ill winds emanating from Washington. Before that he has Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to deal with, and in between, a budget that skimps on education, welfare and health, and is cruel to children at risk, the unemployed, demobilized soldiers, widows and new mothers. ... more..e-mailMousa: Netanyahu’s peace conditions unacceptable
Palestinian Information Center
8 May 2009 - Amr Mousa, the Arab League Secretary General, has lashed out at Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s conditions for peace during an AIPAC speech, describing them as "unacceptable". more..e-mailIsrael prevents Palestinian official from travelling to South Africa
Ma’an News Agency
5/7/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma’an - Israel blocked a top Palestinian official from travelling to South Africa on Thursday where he intended to join celebrations for the election of African National Congress (ANC) leader Jacob Zuma’s election as president. Abdul Rahim Mallouh was turned back at the Israeli-controlled Allenby Bridge border crossing, which is the only means for Palestinians from the West bank to leave the country. Mallouh, a member of the executive committee of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), had been designated by President Mahmoud Abbas to represent Palestine at the celebration on Saturday. Israel has stopped Mallouh at the border in the past. The PFLP issued a statement condemning this. "This systematic policy will not stop the struggle of the Palestinians to gain their rights and will not harm relations between Palestine and South Africa. more..e-mailBlair promotes peace process in Bethlehem
Ma’an News Agency
5/7/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma’an - Quartet Envoy to the Middle East Tony Blair visited the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Thursday to promote his view that the peace process may be renewed soon. Blair reiterated remarks he made on Tuesday that the next few weeks will be critical as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak all meet with US President Barack Obama. After the three Washington meetings, Blair said on Tuesday, the Quartet (a grouping of the EU, UN, US and Russia that Blair represents) is likely to meet to agree on a new framework for peacemaking based on the two state solution. He also noted that the new Israeli government is still formulating its policy vis-Ã -vis the peace process. Blair was speaking after meeting Bethlehem Governor Salah Ta’mari and local security chief A’mran Abu Hadeed. more..e-mailNetanyahu to meet Mubarak in Egypt on Monday
Ma’an News Agency
5/7/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma’an - Israel’s right wing new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Egypt on Monday in his first trip abroad in his current term as head of government. Netanyahu will hold talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm Ash-Sheikh. Observers say the trip signals the importance Israel places on its relations with Egypt, one of only two Arab states with which it has full relations. Egypt is also strategically critical since it is the broker in indirect negotiation between Israel and the Hamas-run government in Gaza. The visit also precedes by a week Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, where US President Barack Obama is expected to ask him to renew peace talks with the Palestinian Authority based on a two-state resolution to the Middle East impasse. more..e-mailIsrael says security vital to peace
Al Jazeera
5 May 2009 - Government wants peace but will not compromise security, PM tells US Israeli lobby. more..e-mailSteve Bell on pro-Israeli group’s bid to halt policy shift
The Guardian
6 May 2009 - Aipac urges Congress members to sign letter to Barack Obama calling for Israel to set pace of negotiations with Palestinians more..e-mailMousa: Netanyahu’s peace conditions unacceptable
Palestinian Information Center
7 May 2009 - Amr Mousa, the Arab League Secretary General, has lashed out at Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s conditions for peace during an AIPAC speech, describing them as "unacceptable". more..e-mailDeputy FM: Annapolis conference caused damage
Yitzhak Benhorin, YNetNews 4/2/2009
Day after Lieberman said Israel not obligated by Annapolis conference, Danny Ayalon tells Washington Times Netanyahu government supports two-state solution; Saban Center: Tensions between Obama administration, new Israeli regime are already brewing - WASHINGTON - Amid the uproar over Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s aggressive
speech, in which he stated thatIsrael
was no longer obligated by the Annapolis conference, his deputy stressed that Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government supports a two-state solution within the context of the US-backed Road Map for peace.
In an interview with The Washington Times, published Thursday, Danny Ayalon said Lieberman objects to the final-status talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
that emerged from the 2007 Annapolis conference and supports a more gradual process. more..e-mailDeputy FM: Annapolis conference caused damage
Yitzhak Benhorin, YNetNews 4/2/2009
Day after Lieberman said Israel not obligated by Annapolis conference, Danny Ayalon tells Washington Times Netanyahu government supports two-state solution; Saban Center: Tensions between Obama administration, new Israeli regime are already brewing - WASHINGTON - Amid the uproar over Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s aggressive
speech, in which he stated thatIsrael
was no longer obligated by the Annapolis conference, his deputy stressed that Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government supports a two-state solution within the context of the US-backed Road Map for peace.
In an interview with The Washington Times, published Thursday, Danny Ayalon said Lieberman objects to the final-status talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
that emerged from the 2007 Annapolis conference and supports a more gradual process. more..e-mailDeputy FM: Annapolis conference caused damage
Yitzhak Benhorin, YNetNews 4/2/2009
Day after Lieberman said Israel not obligated by Annapolis conference, Danny Ayalon tells Washington Times Netanyahu government supports two-state solution; Saban Center: Tensions between Obama administration, new Israeli regime are already brewing - WASHINGTON - Amid the uproar over Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s aggressive
speech, in which he stated thatIsrael
was no longer obligated by the Annapolis conference, his deputy stressed that Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government supports a two-state solution within the context of the US-backed Road Map for peace.
In an interview with The Washington Times, published Thursday, Danny Ayalon said Lieberman objects to the final-status talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
that emerged from the 2007 Annapolis conference and supports a more gradual process. more..e-mailLieberman discards Annapolis declaration
The Daily Star, Daily Star 4/2/2009
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel’s new foreign minister angered Palestinians and raised the prospect of tensions with Washington by saying Wednesday that Israel was not bound by a deal to start negotiations on establishing a Palestinian state. On his first day at the Foreign Ministry, right-winger Avigdor Lieberman said the US-sponsored Annapolis declaration of 2007 "has no validity," confirming a shift in stance toward the Palestinians under new Premier Benjamin Netanyahu. But Lieberman, a Soviet immigrant denounced as a racist by many Arabs, did stress that Israel was obliged to follow the course charted by a US-backed peace "road map" of 2003. That obliges Palestinian leaders to curb attacks on Israel before any negotiations on the final shape of a state deal take place. Lieberman was effectively confirming that Netanyahu’s new administration has withdrawn from its predecessors’. . . more..e-mailU.S. Jews offer cautious support for Netanyahu government
Natasha Mozgovaya, Ha’aretz 4/2/2009
WASHINGTON - The American Jewish community, whose leaders had kept silent about the results of the Israeli elections, has begun to speak out, cautiously. The picture that emerged from talks with community leaders in Washington this week is that not everyone is thrilled with the new Israeli government, but most believe that support for Israel is more critical now than ever in the face of the current threats, chief among them Iran. The head of one of the most influential local Jewish Federation branches in the United States, who declined to be named, admitted that the appointment of Avigdor Lieberman is "not good" in terms of public relations. He quickly added, however, that the American Jewish community must nevertheless express support for Israel’s government.
"I know Lieberman, he’s not an outsider. more..e-mailThink tank urges US to adopt more pragmatic approach toward Hamas
Daily Star 3/31/2009
Analysis WASHINGTON: A new report from a New York-based think tank and delivered to US President Barack Obama by a signatory who is also an adviser recommends that Washington forcefully reinsert itself into the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, calling for "a more pragmatic approach to Hamas. "Even by its title, the report from the US/Middle East Project (USMEP) alludes to the urgency of US involvement: "A Last Chance for a Two-State Israel-Palestine Agreement. " "[T]he next six to 12 months may well represent the last chance for a fair, viable and lasting solution," said the paper. "[I]t is essential that the incoming administration make Arab-Israeli peace a high national-security priority from the beginning. "Taking on the frank realism of several of the group’s signatories, the statement lays out specific policy recommendations, debunks arguments against robust engagement, and. . . more..e-mailU.S. and Iran diplomats meet briefly in rare sign of thaw
Ha’aretz 4/1/2009
A senior U. S. diplomat met Iran’s delegate at an international conference in the Hague on Tuesday, in a sign of tentatively improving ties after decades of hostility between Washington and Tehran. In a rare diplomatic exchange, the United States directly gave a letter to Tehran over the case of three Americans. U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said U. S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, met briefly with Iranian deputy foreign minister Mohammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh on the sidelines of the meeting.
"It did not focus on anything substantive. It was cordial, it was unplanned and they agreed to stay in touch," Clinton said. While unscripted, Holbrooke’s encounter reflected a strong wish by the Obama administration to engage Iran on issues of mutual concern such as Afghanistan and help kickstart what the new U. more..e-mailUK: Not the time to rush for more Iran sanctions
Reuters, YNetNews 3/31/2009
Foreign Secretary Miliband says world powers should refrain from imposing new sanctions due to ’Tehran’s chance to normalize ties with US’ -Big powers should not rush to impose new sanctions on Iran
at a time when Tehran has a good chance to move to normal ties with Washington, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Tuesday. In a sharp change in US policy, President Barack Obama has offered a new start in relations with Iran after decades of deep mistrust between the two countries which are also locked in a dispute over Iran’s nuclear program. Britain, a close US ally and one of the six powers that have been trying to persuade Iran to abandon uranium enrichment, has backed the new US approach. Miliband told Britain’s parliament the US offer "represents the best chance Iran will ever have to normalize its relations with the rest of. . . more..e-mailMessengers from Washington
Ayman El-Amir, Al-Ahram Weekly 3/12/2009
While Turkey and Iran are at the heart of any prospects for forward movement on the Middle East, Israel is the new US president’s primary challenge. A slew of senior US officials swept the Middle East recently to prepare the ground for President Barack Obama’s new strategy of engagement and dialogue to address the challenging problems of the region. Led by new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the diplomatic pageantry included George Mitchell, the US special envoy to the Middle East, the State Department’s top Middle East expert Jeffrey Feltman, and senior National Security Council official Daniel Shapiro, both of whom were assigned to open up the Syrian track -- a member of the Bush administration’s trilateral "axis of evil". Dennis Ross, the administration’s special adviser to the Gulf, and Iran, is being kept in the wings for the right moment... more..e-mailObama aide: Talk to Hamas
Yitzhak Benhorin, YNetNews 3/14/2009
Economic Advisor Volcker, nine former senior American officials urge Obama Administration to change stance on Hamas, engage in talks with organization, Boston Globe reports - WASHINGTON- Economic Recovery Adviser Paul A. Volcker and nine former senior American officials have urged President Barack Obama to engage in dialogue with Hamas leaders, the Boston Globe reported Saturday. According to the report, the group of former US officials includes former National Security Advisers Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brzezinski. In a letter handed to Obama before he took office, the officials called on the president to look into the possibility of convincing Hamas to disarm and join a peaceful Palestinian government. "I see no reason not to talk to Hamas," Scowcroft, who was national security adviser to President George H. more..e-mail’Israel lobby’ blamed as Obama’s choice for intelligence chief quits
Rupert Cornwell in Washington, The Independent 3/13/2009
Veteran diplomat attacks wilful distortions that ’plumb the depths of dishonour’ - Fears over the Jewish lobby’s excess influence on US foreign policy flared anew yesterday after a former diplomat and strong critic of Israel backed out of a key national intelligence post, saying his appointment by President Barack Obama had been torpedoed by a campaign of lies against him. Charles Freeman, a veteran diplomat hugely experienced in Middle Eastern affairs, had been chosen to head the National Intelligence Council, the body that delivers to the White House influential and highly sensitive reports synthesising the views of the country’s 16 intelligence agencies. But, on Wednesday, he withdrew his name from consideration, declaring he had fallen victim to what he called the "Israel lobby". Its campaign, he charged, had "plumbed the depths of dishonour and indecency," including "wilful distortion of the record, the fabrication of falsehoods, and an utter disregard for the truth. " -- See also: Freeman's post-withdrawal statementmore..e-mailFreeman Affair Puts Israel Lobby in Spotlight
Daniel Luban and Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service 3/13/2009
WASHINGTON, Mar 13(IPS) - Although the successful campaign to keep Amb. Charles "Chas" Freeman out of a top intelligence post marked a surface victory for the pro-Israel hardliners who opposed him, the long-term political implications of the Freeman affair appear far more ambiguous. Freeman’s withdrawal has provoked growing - if belated - media scrutiny of the operations of the so-called "Israel Lobby", and aroused protests from a number of prominent mainstream political commentators who allege that he was the target of a dishonest and underhanded smear campaign that, among other things, accused him of shilling for the governments of Saudi Arabia and China.
For the neo-conservatives who led the charge against Freeman’s appointment, his withdrawal may therefore prove to be both a tactical victory and a strategic defeat. At the same time, the Freeman affair has highlighted the yawning disconnect between the career professionals in the intelligence and diplomatic communities, from whom... -- See also: Freeman's post-withdrawal statement and 'Israel lobby' blamed as Obama's choice for intelligence chief quitsmore..e-mailCharles Freeman’s Victory
Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com 3/13/2009
Forced to withdraw, he took the Israel lobby down with him. The nixing of Charles "Chas" Freeman from a post as head of the National Intelligence Council is not, as is commonly averred, a victory for the Israel lobby. It is, instead, a Pyrrhic victory – that is, a victory so costly that it really amounts to a defeat for them. Sure, they managed to keep out a trenchant critic of their Israel-centric and grossly distorted view of a proper American foreign policy, and, yes, they managed to smear him and put others on notice that someone with his views is radioactive, as far as a high-level job in the foreign policy establishment is concerned. And yet – and yet …. They – the Lobby – have now been forced out in the open. "A lobby," says Steve Rosen, the ringleader of the "get Freeman" lynch mob, "is like a night flower: it thrives in... more..e-mailAnti-apartheid activists in Los Angeles set up mock checkpoint
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 3/13/2009
Dozens of Los Angeles-area Jews, Palestinians and other activists erected a mock checkpoint at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) annual Valley Fundraiser. They said the checkpoint was meant to protest AIPAC’s attempt to steer US policy makers to ignore recent Israeli war crimes in Gaza and the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Cars were confronted by people dressed as Israeli soldiers and those attending the event were "allowed to pass through" after receiving a new program for the event that activists say exposes AIPAC support for Israeli policies which contravene international law. A boisterous crowd also chanted "Angelenos choose a side, human rights or Apartheid!" at AIPAC donors as they approached the hotel entrance. "At a time when President Obama’s administration seeks to restart peace talks with Palestinians and Israelis, AIPAC advocates. . . more..e-mailActivists set up checkpoint at AIPAC fundraiser
Stop The Wall 3/13/2009
Dozens of Los Angeles-area Jews, Palestinians and other allies erected a mock checkpoint at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) annual Valley Fundraiser in protest of AIPAC’s attempt to steer US policy makers to ignore recent war crimes in Gaza and the occupation of Palestinian land. Cars were confronted by people dressed as Occupation soldiers and those attending the event were "allowed to pass through" after receiving a new program for the event that exposes AIPAC support for the Occupation. A boisterous crowd also chanted "Angelenos choose a side, human rights or Apartheid!" at AIPAC donors as they approached the hotel entrance.
AIPAC is self-described as "America’s leading pro-Israel lobby," and as such has supported the land theft and settlement expansion while whitewashing the apartheid system that exists across historic Palestine. more..e-mailUS discontent over British Hezbollah contact
Middle East Online 3/13/2009
WASHINGTON - A senior US official said Thursday he was unhappy with a British decision to open low-level contact with Hezbollah and suggested London only indirectly informed the new administration ahead of time.
The remarks contrasted with those last week from the State Department which said US officials had been informed about the move in advance and gave no sign of displeasure -- even if Washington was not ready to follow London’s lead.
The senior US government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to a group of journalists in Washington, clearly expressed discomfort with the British decision.
He said he would like the British to explain to him "the difference between the political, military and social wings of Hezbollah because we don’t see a difference between the integrated leadership that they see. more..e-mailUS-MIDEAST: Even Mixed Signals Mark a Policy Shift
Analysis by Helena Cobban, Inter Press Service 3/13/2009
WASHINGTON, Mar 13(IPS) - The British government has announced it will hold talks with the political wing of Lebanon’s Hizbullah. The Barack Obama administration sent two envoys to Syria to discuss steps to improve relations. U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has invited Iran to take part in a conference on the future of Afghanistan. It looks as though the United States and Britain are trying to end the policy of exclusion and - where possible - regime change that the Bush administration and its allies once vigorously pursued against Iran and its regional allies. But how far-reaching have these changes actually been, and what do they mean for the Middle East in the months ahead?
The picture is still mixed. There are many signs that the Obama administration has not yet taken any clear decisions on Middle Eastern issues other than the important decision, announced Feb. more..e-mailClinton: U.S. Gaza aid tied to recognition of Israel
Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 3/12/2009
Some $900 million pledged by the United States to the Palestinians will be withdrawn if the expected Palestinian Authority coalition government between Fatah and Hamas does not recognize Israel’s right to exist, Western and Israeli diplomats said Wednesday. During her visit to the region last week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas against forming a coalition with Hamas that will not meet the expectations of the Quartet. Clinton told Abbas that Congress will not approve funding of a Palestinian government that does not recognize Israel’s right to exist and renounce violence. She added that if those requirements are not met the U. S. -funded program under the supervision of General Keith Dayton training PA security forces would be the first to be axed.
Fatah and Hamas are currently engaged in talks intended to reestablish. . . more..e-mailWashington’s Middle East War
Nadia Hijab, Middle East Online 3/12/2009
From euphoria to the depths of despair: that was how the progressive blogosphere greeted first the appointment of Chas Freeman as head of the National Intelligence Council and then his decision to withdraw his acceptance. It looked like the Israel lobby in the United States, which had mobilized its considerable forces against the former ambassador, had won not only a battle but the war.
Yet the war to shape Washington’s Middle East policy is not over. The stakes are high: They extend beyond the Israel-Palestine conflict to world peace, with Iran’s nuclear weapons program as a key driver. ...Just this week US Director of Intelligence Dennis C. Blair told Congress that Iran has not produced highly enriched uranium, contradicting what the Israeli military intelligence chief told the Israeli cabinet a few days earlier. Freeman’s appointment tipped the balance further against Israel’s ambitions to take out Iran. Does his withdrawal mean... more..e-mailWithdrawal of Obama’s top intel pick marks victory for pro-Israel lobby
Daniel Luban and Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service, Daily Star 3/12/2009
WASHINGTON: Ambassador Chas Freeman withdrew from consideration for a top intelligence post in the Obama administration on Tuesday, following a vitriolic battle that pitted Republican lawmakers and pro-Israel hardliners opposed to his appointment against liberals and members of the intelligence and diplomatic communities who had come to his defense. Freeman’s withdrawal came as a surprise to many in Washington, particularly since it came only hours after Adm. Dennis Blair, the administration’s director of national intelligence (DNI) who made the appointment, issued a strong defense of Freeman during his testimony before the US Senate. His withdrawal is likely to be viewed as a significant victory for hardliners within the so-called ’Israel lobby,’ who led the movement to scuttle his appointment, and a blow to hopes for a new approach to Israel-Palestine issues under the Obama administration. -- See also: Freeman's post-withdrawal statementmore..e-mailU.S Secretary of State: A Palestinian government should recognize Israel
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 3/12/2009
U. S Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, stated during a recent meeting in the region with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, that Washington would only fund a Palestinian government that recognizes Israel, Haaretz Israeli Daily newspaper reported. According to the paper, Clinton warned President Abbas that Washington would withdraw a financial pledge of $900 million USD if the Palestinians formed a coalition government that does not recognize ’Israel’s right to exist’. The paper added that President Abbas assured his guest that the new government will include independent politicians and representatives of other factions, and that such a government’s mission will be preparing for general elections in Palestine. According to the new American administration, led by President Barak Obama, the United States would continue boycotting the Islamist Hamas party. more..e-mailJustice campaigners say US urged Lebanon not to join International Criminal Court
Daily Star 3/12/2009
BEIRUT: The US government has demonstrated "intense opposition" to Lebanon joining the International Criminal Court (ICC) because the move could leave Israel liable to face war crimes accusations dating from the summer 2006 war, justice campaigners said on Wednesday. A week after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for his role in the Darfur conflict, a conference in Beirut heard that Washington was opposed to Lebanon signing an international treaty that would give the court powers to investigate war crimes committed in the country since 2002. Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar told The Daily Star on Wednesday that there were no plans to sign the treaty in the near future. "Lebanon has not decided to join the ICC now," he said. When asked whether this was a result of US pressure, he replied: "Not at all. more..e-mailHistadrut: Israel’s racist 'trade union'
Tony Greenstein, Electronic Intifada 3/10/2009
Histadrut has always been a strange creature. In most countries one joins a trade union which is affiliated to a national trade union federation. In Israel one first joins Histadrut and then one is allocated to a union. It is only outside Israel that Histadrut is seen as a normal trade union, the Israeli equivalent of the British Trade Union Congress or the American union movement AFL/CIO.
Less well known is the fact that Histadrut, an organization of the settler Jewish working class, was the key Zionist organization responsible for the formation of the Israeli state. As former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir remarked: "Then [1928] I was put on the Histadrut Executive Committee at a time when this big labor union wasn’t just a trade union organization. It was a great colonizing agency." [1] Pinhas Lavon, as secretary-general of Histadrut, went so far as to describe... more..e-mailHezbollah: War with Israel unlikely in short term
Barak Ravid and Reuters, Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
Hezbollah Deputy leader Sheikh Naim Kassem said yesterday that there was little prospect of another conflict with Israel in the short term. But "in the distant future all things are possible," he warned. Hezbollah and Israel fought a 34-day war in 2006, after Hezbollah abducted two Israeli soldiers. The Hezbollah official also welcomed a review of British policy toward Hezbollah. Britain has said it is willing to talk to the political wing of the movement, which is listed as a terrorist group by Washington. "There is no request for a meeting but we expect this to happen soon," Kassem said, adding that Hezbollah already had "wide contacts" with other European governments. The group’s military arm is on Britain’s list of banned organizations, but Hezbollah itself makes no distinction between its political and military functions. more..e-mailWorld takes dim view of Lieberman in FM post
Assaf Uni and Yoav Stern, Ha’aretz 3/9/2009
American and European officials have thus far declined to comment publicly on the expected appointment of Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister. Behind the scenes, however, many officials are asking whether this appointment is really necessary - and newspapers on both continents are criticizing the move openly. The official position in Washington is that Barack Obama’s administration will work with whatever Israeli government is ultimately established. Beyond that, American officials are keeping mum. But the "Lieberman question" continually arises in State Department briefings for journalists and in other forums. And opinion columns in the American press have presented Lieberman in an extremely negative light, with comparisons to Austria’s Joerg Haider and even Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, (both use "ultranationalist rhetoric of hate," one paper charged). more..e-mailAssad: Alleged nuclear site hit by IAF has been built over
Yoav Stern , and Agencies, Ha’aretz 3/9/2009
Syrian president Bashar Assad denounced U. S. claims that a Syrian site bombed by Israel two years ago was a nearly finished nuclear reactor, and said in comments published Monday that the location has been built over. Assad’s remarks in the Emirates’ Al Khaleej daily confirmed statements made last month by two Western diplomats with the Vienna-based United Nations nuclear watchdog. The diplomats quoted Syrian nuclear chief Ibrahim Othman as telling the International Atomic Energy Agency that Syria built a new missile facility on the bombed site in a remote desert area. However, Assad didn’t elaborate what the new construction was at Al Kibar. The autocratic Syrian leader’s comments appeared to be an effort to close the chapter on the issue of the bombed site amid a recent drive by Damascus for better relations with Washington and the new Obama administration. more..e-mailHezbollah: War with Israel unlikely in near future
Barak Ravid , Haaretz Service and Reuters, Ha’aretz 3/9/2009
Hezbollah Deputy leader Sheikh Naim Kassem said on Monday that there was little prospect of another conflict with Israel in the near term. But he warned that, "In the distant future all things are possible. "Israel fought a 34-day war with Hezbollah in 2006, which it launched after the Lebanese militant organization abducted two Israeli soldiers. The Hezbollah official also welcomed a review of policy towards Hezbollah by Britain, which says it is willing to talk to the political wing of a movement listed as a terrorist group by Washington. "We welcome this British revision and perhaps there will be meetings in the coming days," Kassem told Reuters in an interview. "There is no request for a meeting but we expect this to happen soon," he said, adding that Hezbollah already had "wide contacts" with other European governments. more..e-mailHebron municipal council leader speaks of city’s plight to EU congress of organizations
Ma’an News Agency 3/8/2009
Hebron – Ma’an – During a visit to France head of the Hebron municipal council Khalid Al-U’seili requested support for the city from the European Congress of Local and Regional Organizations, and pressure on Israel to halt settlement building in the West Bank. Al-U’seili delivered a speech to the sixteenth conference of the congress in Strasburg, France on 3 March. He described for the congress members the difficulties Hebron residents face in conducting daily life and business. “The Old City of Hebron has turned into a city of ghosts after being surrounded by the Israeli army, more than 112 of checkpoints, electronic gates, dirt mounds and 1,500 soldiers,” he told the congress. “There have been 1,819 shops closed and thousands of residents have left their homes” because of the dire situation. more..e-mailFrench diplomat: Bush and Rice spoiled Sana’a agreement between Hamas and Fatah
Palestinian Information Center 3/8/2009
PARIS, (PIC)-- Noted French diplomat Yves Misoziyr revealed Thursday that ex-US president George Bush and his secretary of state Condoleezza Rice intervened to abort the reconciliation agreement reached in Sana’a between Hamas and Fatah in March last year. Misoziyr, who is also a researcher in the Paris institute for political studies, told a news conference held in the Arab press club in Paris that on the eve of the Sana’a agreement and before signing it, the former US president phoned ex-PA chief Mahmoud Abbas and told him that Washington would cancel the Annapolis conference if he reconciled with Hamas. The French diplomat added that Rice made similar phones calls on the same evening in order to dissuade Abbas from reaching a reconciliation agreement with Hamas. The diplomat underlined that the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip rehabilitated the Palestinian cause and made it an. . . more..e-mailHaaretz: Fayyad’s resignation is a tactical move by the US
Palestinian Information Center 3/8/2009
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli Haaretz newspaper stated Sunday that the resignation of Salam Fayyad as premier of the Ramallah government was a deliberate tactical move by the US to portray him as a "yeanling" seeking the success of the Cairo reconciliation dialog between Hamas and Fatah and as the best independent person who could lead the next formed unity government. The newspaper noted that this resignation is aimed to pressure Hamas into softening its opposition to Fayyad serving as a premier in the future government. It added that the US relayed a message to Hamas by the Norwegian government that it would not recognize any Palestinian unity government unless Fayyad was reappointed as a premier. According to the newspaper, western diplomats confirmed that Washington relayed messages to Hamas through a European country stressing that any future unity government in. . . more..e-mailMI chief: Iran capable of creating bomb
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 3/8/2009
Following US army declaration that Tehran has enough nuclear material to make bomb, Major-General Amos Yadlin tells cabinet ministers Iranians have crossed technological threshold but have yet to change their strategy - Military Intelligence chief Major-General Amos Yadlin told the cabinet meeting on Sunday that "Iran
has crossed the technological threshold, so that reaching a military nuclear ability is only a matter of matching the strategy to the goal of creating a nuclear bomb. " According to Yadlin, "Iran continues to accumulate hundreds of kilograms of enriched uranium of poor quality, and hopes to take advantage of its dialogue with the West and the government in Washington in order to advance towards creating a nuclear bomb. "
The Military Intelligence chief went on to say that "the Middle East is viewing the plan for Iran’s nuclearization and the dialogue with the new administration in Washington cautiously. more..e-mailTop US intelligence pick under fire for Saudi, China ties
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 3/7/2009
WASHINGTON: A veteran US diplomat and vocal Israel critic named to a top intelligence post faced a probe into his financial ties Thursday, as lawmakers raised concerns about links to China and Saudi Arabia. But US Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair has served notice that he stands by Charles Freeman, a former ambassador to Riyadh and senior diplomat in Beijing, as his pick for chairman of the National Intelligence Council. Blair "looks forward to Ambassador Freeman assuming his new role" once his vetting is complete, the director’s spokeswoman, Wendy Morigi, said in a statement that flatly disputed some of the toughest charges. Freeman would coordinate "national intelligence estimates," sensitive assessments for US presidents and other decision-makers that reflect the view of all 16 US spy agencies on potential threats like Iran. more..e-mailIsraeli envoy to U.S. announces resignation after Netanyahu snub
Natasha Mozgovaya and Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 3/6/2009
Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Sallai Meridor, announced his resignation yesterday, ending a two-and-a-half-year term on a tense note with the political leadership in Israel. Sources said Meridor wanted to be a politician, not a diplomat. The tensions came to the fore in two embarrassing incidents: In mid-August, during Defense Minister Ehud Olmert’s visit to Washington, Meridor was not invited to Barak’s meeting with the U. S. national security adviser. In a sharply worded letter to Barak, copies of which were sent to Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Meridor said the defense minister’s conduct had "greatly impaired Israel’s ability to impact processes in the U. S. capital. "This week, during U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Israel, Meridor was asked to leave the room where Clinton was meeting with prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu. more..e-mailMeridor: Israel-US ties will remain firm
Yitzhak Benhorin, YNetNews 3/6/2009
In Ynet interview, resigning envoy to Washington estimates relations with US will stay stable during Netanyahu era. ’It’s in the State’s best interest that the new government appoints its own person for this job,’ he says of his decision to quit - WASHINGTON - Israeli Ambassador to the United States Sallai Meridor on Thursday evening explained his decision to quit
following theelection results.
"I have a contract until the end of October, but Israel’s
ambassador to Washington must have the trust of the government and the prime minister-designate and serve three years, not eight months, so I thought I had to end my term of office," Meridor told Ynet. Israeli Official:’Rightist government may hurt US-Israel relations’/ Roni Sofer
’If Clinton did not realize that the process launched at Annapolis was dead before her current trip to the Middle. . . more..e-mailProposal in U.S. Congress: No Gilad Shalit, no Gaza aid
Natasha Mozgovaya, Ha’aretz 3/6/2009
WASHINGTON - U. S. congressmen are seeking to condition $900 million in aid for the Palestinians on ending Gazan rocket fire on Israel and the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged the $900 million during a conference in Egypt this week, which sought to raise money for rebuilding Gaza after Israel’s three-week Operation Cast Lead. The offensive was aimed at halting rocket fire on southern communities. Shalit has been held captive in Gaza since a cross-border raid in June 2006. The proposal followed a meeting on Capitol Hill between Noam Badin, the director of the communications center in Qassam-battered Sderot and several congressmen and their advisors. After the meeting, Rep. Shelley Berkley of Nevada drafted a petition to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which demanded that the aid be delayed as long as the rocket fire continues and Shalit remains captive. more..e-mailUS Affairs: Losing the lobby on the Hill?
Hilary Leila Krieger, Jerusalem Post 3/5/2009
Last month, three members of Congress made an usual trip, visiting Gaza for the first time since both the 2003 killing of three American security personnel by Palestinian militants, and the 2007 takeover of the coastal strip by Hamas, that prompted Israel and the United States to stay away.
That the visit by Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) and, separately, Congressmen Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) and Brian Baird (D-Washington) took place at all might have been its most newsworthy aspect. But it was not its only atypical one. Ellison and Baird both made comments conspicuously critical of Israel, and then organized a briefing for members of Congress to share what they saw, in an effort to push for change in American policies. They would like to see the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip opened, and well as a rethinking of the ways America supports Israel. more..e-mailUS envoys seek to reassure Lebanon
Middle East Online 3/6/2009
BEIRUT - Two senior US diplomatic envoys were meeting Lebanese leaders on Friday in a bid to reassure them of Washington’s continued support despite its recent rapprochement with former powerbroker Syria.
Jeffrey Feltman and Daniel Shapiro are in Beirut ahead of a visit to neighbouring Syria on Saturday following the pledge by President Barack Obama’s administration to engage US foes.
On their arrival on Thursday, the pair met parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri, the son and political heir of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri who was killed in a massive Beirut car bombing in 2005.
The attack paved the way for the pullout of Syrian troops from Lebanon after a 29-year presence but Damascus has consistently denied accusations it was behind the bombing.
Feltman, the former US ambassador to Lebanon, said it was appropriate to meet first with Hariri as an international tribunal. . . more..e-mailObama’s spy ruffles hawks’ feathers
Daniel Luban and Jim Lobe, Asia Times 3/6/2009
WASHINGTON - The appointment of a top-ranking retired diplomat and vocal critic of Israel to a key intelligence post has triggered an intense backlash from hawkish Israel supporters in Congress and the media who are pressing the administration of President Barack Obama to reconsider. Critics have seized on retired ambassador Charles "Chas" Freeman’s ties to Saudi Arabia and views on human rights in China to argue against his appointment as chairman of the National Intelligence Council (NIC), but Freeman’s defenders charge that their real aim is to impose an ideological litmus test on top government officials and ensure a continued policy of reflexive US support for Israel. Observers are watching the campaign against Freeman, who enjoys strong support among intelligence professionals and realists in the national-security bureaucracy, as an early test of how much influence the so-called "Israel lobby" will be able to exert on the new... more..e-mailAmerican initiative: 'Rebuilding Gaza in exchange for releasing Shalit'
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 3/5/2009
Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported on Thursday that a new initiative by the US Congress aims at conditioning the US financial support to rebuild the Gaza Strip with the release of the Israeli Soldier, Gilad Shalit, captured by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza in June 26, 2006. The initiative was considered as an American attempt to achieve what Israel failed to achieve in its repeated wars against the Gaza Strip since Shalit was captured. The initiative states that the Palestinian resistance should stop the firing of homemade shells and release Shalit, and in return the United States would transfer 900 Million Dollars to the Palestinian Authority. It is worth mentioning that the United States vowed this amount during the Sharm Al Sheikh Summit in Egypt without placing these conditions. The proposal came out after a meeting between Noam Badin, head of the Media Office in Sderot, and some members of Congress this week. more..e-mailProposal in Congress: No Gilad Shalit, no Gaza aid
Natasha Mozgovaya Haaretz U.S. Correspondent, Ha’aretz 3/5/2009
WASHINGTON - A new initiative by members of the United States Congress seeks to condition the transfer of the $900 million for the Palestinians on an end to rocket fire on Israel from Gaza, and the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged the $900 million during a conference in Egypt this week to raise money for Gaza reconstruction, in the wake of Israel’s three-week offensive aimed at halting rocket fire on its southern communities. Shalit has been held captive in Gaza since June 2006, when he was snatched from his army base in a cross-border raid from Gaza.
The proposal followed a meeting on Capitol Hill between Noam Badin, the director of the communications center in Qassam-battered Sderot and several members of Congress and their advisors. more..e-mailIsrael’s ambassador to U.S. says stepping down from post
Natasha Mozgovaya, Ha’aretz 3/5/2009
WASHINGTON - Israel’s ambassador to the United States Sallai Meridor announced this week his intention to step down from the top diplomatic post in the near future, it emerged Thursday. Meridor informed outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu of his decision. "I wish to thank the prime minister, the foreign minister and the outgoing government for granting me the privilege to serve Israel in a most vital and central position during a challenging and sensitive period," the envoy said in a statement. Meridor, who was appointed by Olmert, said he would return to Israel after leaving the position. News of the announcement came after Haaretz reported Thursday that Netanyahu sidelined Meridor Wednesday, asking him to leave the room during a meeting with U. more..e-mailAmbassador to US quits
Yitzhak Benhorin, YNetNews 3/5/2009
Unexpected departure: Sallai Meridor announces that he will be leaving post soon - WASHINGTON - Surprising departure: Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Sallai Meridor, announced Thursday that he intends to quit his post soon and return to Israel. Meridor informed Prime Minister Olmert, Foreign Minister Livni, and PM-designate Netanyahu of his decision on Monday, before joining US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on her Israel visit. Meridor, who was appointed to the post in October 2006, said that "In light of the sensitive nature of the position of Ambassador to the most important country in the world and Israel’s strongest ally in the international community, it is fitting and proper that the new Government will have the opportunity to appoint, immediately upon its formation, the man or woman of its choosing as Ambassador to Washington. more..e-mailItaly pulls out of Durban II over ’anti-Semitic’ draft
Barak Ravid , and The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 3/5/2009
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini announced Thursday that his country was pulling out of the Durban II United Nations conference on racism due to "aggressive and anti-Semitic statements" in the draft of the event’s final document. The move by Italy was the latest blow to a meeting seen by many Western governments as marred by Muslim attempts to attack Israel and shield Islam from criticism. Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini has canceled a planned visit to Iran following pressure from both Jerusalem and Washington. This would have been the first visit to Iran by a European Union foreign minister in nearly four years. Senior Israeli officials asked senior White House officials to become involved and convince the Italians to change their plans. more..e-mailReport: Israel won’t wait for diplomatic solution to Iran nukes impasse
Natasha Mozgovaya, Ha’aretz 3/5/2009
Iran is likely to obtain a nuclear weapon within a year as it already has access to enough fissionable material to manufacture 50 warheads, according to a report commissioned by a key U. S. [right-wing Zionist] think-tank. The report by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, which is entitled Preventing a Cascade of Instability: U. S. Engagement to Check Iranian Nuclear Progress, notes that Israeli leaders still cling to the belief that a military option is available to stop the regime’s nuclear program. "However, Israelis see the option fading over the next one to two years, not only because of Iran’s nuclear progress and dispersion of its program but also because improved Iranian air defenses, especially the expected delivery of the S-300 surface-to-air missile system from Russia, are seen by Israel seriously limiting its military options. more..e-mailNew Iran report reeks of stale ideas
Kaveh L Afrasiabi, Asia Times 3/6/2009
United States President Barack Obama may be puzzled as to how to initiate dialogue with Iran, but there are a wealth of pro-Israel pundits advising him in Washingtonwho are crystal clear on the method, purpose and goals of such an approach. These advisors are now attempting to win Obama’s approval over certain competing perspectives. This much is clear from a report by a new "bipartisan" group tailored to assist the Obama administration’s formation of a new Iran policy. The new paper fails to present any fresh or innovative ideas with respect to Iran’s nuclear standoff, a shortfall that inevitably casts further doubts on one of its signatories, Dennis Ross, who is Washington’s point man on Iran. Although it was not commissioned by the past or present White House, the report, titled "Preventing a cascade of instability: US engagement to check Iranian nuclear progress," carries a badge of legitimacy under the "Presidential Task Force". more..e-mailWhat Bibi faces in liberated Washington
Gershom Gorenberg, Ha’aretz 3/4/2009
Washington at the beginning of the Obama era has the feel of a city that has just been liberated from foreign occupation, or of a person who just snapped out of an inexplicable psychotic episode. The paranoia of the Bush days has passed. The world is no longer divided into children of light and children of darkness. The standard assessment says that after his return to power, Benjamin Netanyahu will have a tense time when he visits Washington - just as he did during his first term when he faced a president who demanded that he advance a peace process. That assessment isn’t quite right - because this time, Netanyahu is likely to have an even more tension-fraught time than he did in the 90s. In his new term, he won’t be able to count on Congress as a counterweight to the administration in his relations with America... more..e-mailBritain’s PM calls on Iran to halt nuclear program
Ha’aretz 3/4/2009
In a formal address to Congress on Wednesday, Brown says the U. S. and Britain are ready for Iran to rejoin the world community after it stops threatening peace. He says the nations’ leaders will work tirelessley with the international community to reduce the threat of nuclear proliferation. Iran denies it wants to build a bomb. It asserts its program is intended to provide the country with the ability to generate electricity from nuclear reactors. A top Iranian military commander on Wednesday said the Islamic Republic’s missilescan reach Israeli nuclear sites, amid persistent speculation that Israel could target facilities involved in Iran’s atomic work.
"All the nuclear facilities in different parts of the land under the occupation of the Zionist regime are in the reach of Iran’s missile defenses," the commander-in-chief. . . more..e-mailAlter Info Communiqué - Never will the police have spies comparable to those who serve hate
French Jewish Union for Peace (UJFP, Palestine Think Tank 3/2/2009
Since its first days, Palestine Think Tank has been supported by a wonderful site and by the truly dedicated activists there. Alter Info has been under a lot of pressure from the usual Israeli Lobby organisations, this time in France. We wish to express our support of Alter Info, to hope that they are able to win this case, and that some benefactors are able to help them with the growing legal costs. Please read their press communiqué and, if you are able to, show your support of those who provide information so that the lies and propaganda will not win, and that peace and justice will prevail. Dear friends, Alter Info readers, Since the beginning of our legal issues, many have supported us and showed their solidarity. Thanks to you, we managed to face adversity with dignity and honour. Therefore it is natural that I keep you informed of... more..e-mailClinton voices support for Israel
Al Jazeera 3/3/2009
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has said that Washington is committed to Israel’s security and demanded an end to Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. The former first lady made the remarks as she met Israeli leaders on Tuesday as part of her first visit to the Middle East since joining the US administration. "It is important that the United States always underscores our unshakeable, durable and fundamental support for the state of Israel," she said after holding talks with Shimon Peres, the Israeli president, on Tuesday. However, she also set Washington on course for a possible disagreement with Benyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister-designate, who has spoken of Palestinian self-government but avoided conceding a two-state solution. Clinton, who arrived in Jerusalem after attending a donors’ conference aimed at addressing the needs of the Gaza more..e-mailWorld Jewish leaders urge boycott of Durban conference
Ynetnews, YNetNews 3/3/2009
World Jewish Congress president lauds US’ decision to withdraw from anti-racism conference, which he says ignores ’plight of victims of true racism. ’ Head of European Jewish Congress calls on EU to boycott event as well - The president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), Ronald S. Lauder, warmly welcomed Monday the US government’s decision to withdraw from the upcoming UN Durban Review Conference ("Durban II"), scheduled to take place in Geneva in April.
"Every day it becomes clearer that the Durban Review Conference is not about combating racism, but about promoting anti-Israel and anti-Semitic propaganda within the framework of the United Nations. The Obama administration and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton deserve praise for sending a strong warning signal to the UN. Unfortunately, the efforts by the US administration to ameliorate this process have not succeeded," Lauder said. more..e-mailClinton says missile shield to protect from Iran
Reuters, YNetNews 3/3/2009
At press conference in Jerusalem US secretary of state reiterates America’s intentions to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, says Washington shares Israel’s concerns on Iranian nuclear program. Israeli FM Tzipi Livni says Clinton good friend to State, but time is tight on Iranian threat - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated the United States’ intention to prevent Iran
from acquiring nuclear weapons on Tuesday but declined comment on a report Washington offered Russia a deal to help achieve that. She was asked at a news conference with Israel’s Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Jerusalem about a New York Times report that President Barack Obama wrote to Russia’s president offering to hold off deploying a US missile defense system in Europe in return for Russian help on obstructing Iran’s nuclear program. more..e-mailObama: Restraining Iran will decrease need for missile shield
Yitzhak Benhorin, YNetNews 3/3/2009
While denying reported ’quid pro quo’ nature of letter sent to Russia’s Medvedev, US President Obama confirms his administration’s stance that need for much-contested missile defense array in Europe would decrease in proportion to Iranian threat - WASHINGTON -US President Barak Obama said on Tuesday that if the world can prevent Iran from developing nuclear arms, the need for placing a missile defense system on European soil would greatly decrease. Obama further said the US and Russia, which greatly contests the American shield array, should work to improve their relationship, making clear he believed Washington needs to "reset or reboot" its ties to Moscow. The US president dismissed as ’inaccurate’ the New York Times’ report on the nature of a letter he sent to Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev. more..e-mailThe grand bargain with Tehran
Meir Javedanfar, The Guardian 3/3/2009
Peaceful resolution of Iran’s nuclear programme through negotiations would be the best outcome for Israel - On 4 May 2003, the Iranian government sent a proposal to Washington, in which Tehran offered the Bush administration direct talks over a wide range of issues. This proposal, which later became known as the Iranian "grand bargain", offered negotiations over Iran’s support for groups such as Hamas and Hizbullah, stabilising Iraq, and Iran’s nuclear programme. Feeling emboldened by its recent victory in Iraq, the Bush administration ignored the offer. "We don’t talk to evil," was the reply from vice-president Cheney who, according to some reports, had Iran in its sights as the next target for regime change. The election of Barack Obama, who has openly stated that he is willing to negotiate directly with Iran, and failure of president Bush’s unilateral policies have led to renewed interest more..e-mailThe pasta, paper and hearing aids that could threaten Israeli security
Anne Penketh, The Independent 3/2/2009
Members of the highest-ranking American delegation to tour Gaza were shocked to discover that the Israeli blockade against the Hamas-ruled territory included such food staples as lentils, macaroni and tomato paste. "When have lentil bombs been going off lately? Is someone going to kill you with a piece of macaroni?" asked Congressman Brian Laird. It was only after Senator John Kerry, the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, raised the issue with Defence Minister Ehud Barak after their trip last month that Israel allowed the pasta in. Macaroni was considered a luxury item, not a humanitarian necessity, they were told. The total number of products blacklisted by Israel remains a mystery for UN officials and the relief agencies which face long delays in bringing in supplies. For security reasons such items as cement and steel rods are banned as they could be used by Hamas to build bunkers or... more..e-mailU.S. Attorney General: Protecting our friends from terror is top priority
Natasha Mozgovaya, Ha’aretz 3/2/2009
The new administration of U. S. President Barack Obama continued its close relations with the local Jewish community with U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder addressing the 2009 Jewish Council for Public Affairs Plenum in Washington, D. C. , on Monday. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs is an American Jewish non-profit organization that addresses community relations. Holder complimented his audience, saying "this is definitely my kind of audience. I just walked in and you all gave me a standing ovation. The question will be what will happen as I’m leaving. "
"It’s really good to be here among so many friends, people who I’ve worked with on a good number of projects over the years. And it’s a pleasure to be among people who I hope will become new friends and colleagues as we face the many issues that this administration will have to confront over the years," said Holder. more..e-mailIsrael tells UN it will respond to rockets
Yitzhak Benhorin, YNetNews 3/2/2009
Official complaint letter says ’attacks hinder efforts to reach stable cease-fire, threaten Israel’s security’ - WASHINGTON -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.
The recipient of Shalev’s official letter was Ibrahim Dabbashi, Libya’s ambassador to the UN and the Security Council’s rotating president. The Arab nations have permanent representation in the UN’s Security Council. Libya, the current president, has been using its status to promote anti-Israeli resolutions, most significantly during its offensive in Gaza. Shalev’s letter followed a barrage of rocket attacks on the south, including two advanced Grad rockets fired from Gaza at Ashkelon Saturday. more..e-mailSources: Hariri murder tribunal could derail Israel-Syria talks
Shlomo Shamir, Ha’aretz 3/2/2009
Peace talks between Israel and Syria and the thawing of U. S. -Syria relations could be derailed if a landmark international tribunal calls senior Syrian officials suspected in the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, sources in Washington and New York told TIME magazine on Sunday. Hariri was assassinated along with 22 others in a suicide bombing in February 2005.
According to TIME, Syria, which politically controlled Lebanon at the time of Hariri’s death, remains the chief suspect in the murder. Syria denies any involvement in Hariri’s death and says it supports an independent investigation. The international tribunal opened Sunday with a moment’s silence and a pledge to impartially investigate the politically charged case. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Special Court for Lebanon, prosecutor. . . more..e-mailOlmert to U.S. Jewish leaders: No reason to fear Netanyahu
Ha’aretz 2/27/2009
Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tried this week to allay the concerns of the American Jewish community regarding Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu. Whereas Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni explained her rejection of Netanyahu’s offers to join his cabinet by citing his alleged unwillingness to genuinely engage in peace talks, Olmert told Jewish leaders and Jewish Agency bosses that they and Washington had no reason to fear Netanyahu. In a meeting with prominent Jewish American leaders and the Jewish Agency Board of Governors, Olmert said: "Netanyahu is an Israeli patriot and not an extreme individual. He knows what it right, and I believe he will promote the peace process. "
Olmert’s statements came after some guests said they feared Netanyahu’s rise to power would result in a deterioration in U. more..e-mailLieberman: I back creation of Palestinian state
Yitzhak Benhorin, YNetNews 2/26/2009
In a toned-down message directed mainly at US administration, Yisrael Beiteinu leader rejects labeling of his ideas as ’far-right’: ’I want the State of Israel to remain a Zionist, Jewish and democratic state’ he writes in article published on Jewish Week - WASHINGTON - Yisrael Beiteinu
Chairman Avigdor Lieberman issued a calming message to the US administration this week, ahead of his potential appointment as Israel’s next foreign minister in a Likud-led government.
In an article published on the US-based Jewish Weekly online newspaper Wednesday, Lieberman
- who is perceived as a right-wing hardliner that could stifle negotiations with the Palestinians, stated that he advocates the creation of a viable Palestinian state. Lieberman also attempted to explain his party’s "no loyalty - no citizenship" campaign, which earned him the title of "racist" and "fascist" by his political opponents. more..e-mailSyrian ambassador to Washington meets with Feltman in another sign of thaw in ties
Agence France Presse - AFP and The Daily Star, Daily Star 2/27/2009
WASHINGTON: Syria’s ambassador to the US met Thursday with a senior US diplomat in the highest level contact between the two states since President Barack Obama took office, the State Department said. Ambassador Imad Mustafa and Jeffrey Feltman, the acting assistant secretary of state for the Mideast, were to discuss US concerns over alleged Syrian links to terrorism and other issues, the department said in a statement. "There remain key differences between our two governments, including our concerns about Syria’s support to terrorist groups and networks, Syria’s acquisition of nuclear and non-conventional weaponry, interference in Lebanon and worsening human-rights situation," the statement added. "This meeting is an opportunity to use dialogue to discuss these concerns. "Earlier Wednesday, Mustafa told Syria’s official Ath-Thawra newspaper that he had been invited by the State Department to the talks with Feltman. more..e-mailUS and Syrian envoys hold talks
Al Jazeera 2/27/2009
US and Syrian diplomats have held talks in Washington in a bid to improve the strained ties between the two nations. Imad Moustapha, Syria’s ambassador to the US, met Jeffrey Feltman, the US state department’s top diplomat for the Middle East, in the first high-level discussions between the two countries since Barack Obama became US president in January. Moustapha said the talks were "very constructive" and expected many more between US and Syrian officials. However, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said it was too early to say whether relations would improve. "It is too soon to say what the future holds," she said. Ahmed Salkini, a spokesman for the Syrian embassy in Washington, told Al Jazeera Syria had raised concerns over US support for Israel. more..e-mailHope springs eternal
Bassel Oudat, Al-Ahram Weekly 2/26/2009
Syrian officials were thrilled to hear that a US ambassador to Damascus will be coming. But Washington is not really rushing it, says Syrian officials believe that Obama’s administration will lift the sanctions on Syria soon, and may even rescind the Syria Accountability Act. The government-run media claims that Obama will name Frederic Hof from the Middle East Policy Council as his future ambassador to Damascus. But Hof says this was only a "rumour". Washington hasn’t had an ambassador in Damascus since 2005, when it recalled Ambassador Margaret Scobey to signal its suspicion that Syria had a hand in the assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri. Since then, US officials promised to isolate Damascus unless the latter stops backing Hizbullah and hardline Palestinian factions, pulls out of Lebanon, and quits making things hard for the Americans in Iraq. more..e-mailClinton Warns Israel Over Delays in Gaza Aid
Barak Ravid, MIFTAH 2/26/2009
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has relayed messages to Israel in the past week expressing anger at obstacles Israel is placing to the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. A leading political source in Jerusalem noted that senior Clinton aides have made it clear that the matter will be central to Clinton’s planned visit to Israel next Tuesday. Ahead of Clinton’s visit, special U. S. envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell is expected to issue a sharply worded protest on the same matter when he arrives here Thursday. " Israel is not making enough effort to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza," senior U. S. officials told Israeli counterparts last week, and reiterated Washington’s view by saying that "the U. S. expects Israel to meet its commitments on this matter. " Two weeks ago, four senior European Union officials sent a letter to the prime minister, foreign minister, more..e-mailBibi against talks with a Hamas-PA gov’t
Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post 2/26/2009
Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to lobby Secretary of State Hillary Clinton next week against US recognition of a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas, top advisers to Netanyahu said Wednesday.
Zalman Shoval, one of Netanyahu’s five primary foreign policy advisers, said the Netanyahu diplomatic team was "trying to persuade whomever" that a Palestinian Authority unity government is a bad idea.
"We shall try to convince our American friends that this is not something that would help the peace process, and that it would only make it easier for all sorts of other players - the Europeans and the Russians - to deal with Hamas," he said. "To return Hamas as a partner is not what America is interested in. "Shoval said history had shown that when there was an amalgamation between a moderate and an extremist party, it was only a matter of time before the extremists called the shots. more..e-mailU.S. Middle East Envoy Takes Second Trip to Region
Reuters, MIFTAH 2/26/2009
U. S. special Middle East envoy George Mitchell has embarked on his second trip to the region to further President Barack Obama’s pledge to work for Arab-Israeli peace, the State Department said on Tuesday. Mitchell was in London on Tuesday for talks with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and would also visit the Turkish capital Ankara, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Israel and the West Bank before returning to Washington on March 4. Miliband, who was to travel to Cairo later on Tuesday, told parliament in London he had met Mitchell "to discuss prospects for renewed talks on the future of the Middle East. " State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Mitchell would join U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on March 2 for a donors’ conference to rebuild Gaza after Israel’s invasion last December. more..e-mailQuartet Planning to Meet in Sharm Ahead of Gaza Donors’ Conference
Haaretz, MIFTAH 2/26/2009
Foreign ministers from the four powers heading a Middle East peace process may meet in the Egyptian town of Sharm el-Sheikh on March 1, RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russia’s foreign ministry as saying on Wednesday. The Quartet is composed of Russia, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union. The State Department on Tuesday reaffirmed its support for Israel, tellingthat the U. S. viewed its relations with Jerusalem as "special" and lasting. Meanwhile, U. S. special Middle East envoy George Mitchell has embarked on his second trip to the region to further President Barack Obama’s pledge to work for Arab-Israeli peace, the State Department said on Tuesday. Mitchell was in London on Tuesday for talks with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and would also visit the Turkish capital Ankara, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Israel and the West Bank before returning to Washington on March 4. more..e-mailClinton warns Israel over delays in Gaza aid
Barak Ravid and Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 2/25/2009
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has relayed messages to Israel in the past week expressing anger at obstacles Israel is placing to the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. A leading political source in Jerusalem noted that senior Clinton aides have made it clear that the matter will be central to Clinton’s planned visit to Israel next Tuesday. Ahead of Clinton’s visit, special U. S. envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell is expected to issue a sharply worded protest on the same matter when he arrives here Thursday. "Israel is not making enough effort to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza," senior U. S. officials told Israeli counterparts last week, and reiterated Washington’s view by saying that "the U. S. expects Israel to meet its commitments on this matter. more..e-mailSyria denies significant amount of uranium found at bombed site
Reuters, Ha’aretz 2/25/2009
VIENNA - Syria said on Tuesday United Nations inspectors’ discovery of uranium traces at an alleged secret nuclear site was not "significant" as the UN maintains, suggesting the International Atomic Energy Agency’s analysis was faulty. Damascus also denied UN officials’ account that IAEA sleuths had found graphite at the place where Washington says the Syrians had almost built a graphite-core reactor meant to yield weapons-grade plutonium, before Israel bombed it in 2007. And Syrian atomic energy agency director Ibrahim Othman repeated that Damascus would allow no more investigative IAEA visits to the country, on the grounds this would involve military sites beyond the writ of the UN nuclear watchdog. Othman further dismissed the IAEA’s finding that the uranium particles’ chemical composition showed they did not come from munitions Israel used against the target known as Al-Kibar. more..e-mailErdogan: Iran asked Turkey to help mend US ties
Middle East Online 2/25/2009
LONDON - Iran has asked Ankara to help improve ties between Washington and Tehran, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview published Wednesday.
Speaking to The Guardian newspaper aboard his prime ministerial plane, Erdogan said the Iranian request had been made when former president George W. Bush was in office, and added that he had passed along the details of Tehran’s request to Washington.
He also challenged Israeli prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu to recognise Palestinians’ right to their own state.
"Iran does want Turkey to play such a role," Erdogan told the daily on a trip to Mardin, in the southeast of the country, during a local election campaign.
"And if the United States also wants and asks us to play this role, we are ready to do this. They (Iran) said to us that if something like this (an opportunity to better ties) would happen, they want Turkey to play a role. more..e-mailHamas: Welcoming the Americans
Tariq Alhomayed, MIFTAH 2/24/2009
Hamas considered the visit of a US delegation to Gaza a step in the right direction and it asked the delegation to convey a true image of Israel’s crimes in the Gaza Strip to the US administration. There is no problem with that at all; however, the question is why did Hamas and the Iranian alliance in the region kick up a fuss when an Arab delegation visited New York to embark upon a difficult battle in the United Nations for the sake of reaching a resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire, which Hamas, just like Israel, rejected, in spite of the horror of Israeli atrocities carried out against innocent, defenseless people in Gaza? During that period, people argued that an Arab summit should have been held before heading to New York and the efforts of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal were met with suspicion and criticism... more..e-mailNew Orleans intifada
Jordan Flaherty, Electronic Intifada 2/24/2009
In neighborhoods around New Orleans, there’s a buzz of excitement gathering among this city’s Arab population. A new wave of organizing has brought energy and inspiration to a community that is usually content to stay in the background. The movement is youth-led, with student groups rising up on college campuses across the city, but also broad-based, with mass protests that have included more than a thousand persons marching through downtown’s French Quarter. Activists say that their goal is to fight against what they see as a combination of silence and bias from local media, and -- more broadly -- for a change in US policy towards the Middle East. They take inspiration from other movements in the city -- joining in the struggle against the continued displacement of much of the city as well as the slow pace of recovery -- while also following activism across the US... more..e-mailUS picks Ross as Gulf envoy in move some say aims to soothe Israeli fears
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 2/25/2009
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has named Dennis Ross to the post of special adviser to the Gulf and southwest Asia, effectively making him Washington’s pointman on Iran. Clinton "is pleased to announce the appointment" of Ross, spokesman Robert Wood said in a statement quietly released late Monday. Although the announcement did not mention Iran, the appointment, which had been expected for several weeks, is set to impact US efforts to contain Tehran’s influence. "This is a region in which America is fighting two wars and facing challenges of ongoing conflict, terror, proliferation, access to energy, economic development and strengthening democracy and the rule of law," said Wood. "In this area, we must strive to build support for US goals and policies," he added. "To be successful, we will need to be able to integrate our policy development and implementation. . . more..e-mail’Hamas letter’ not yet delivered to Obama
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 2/25/2009
WASHINGTON: A letter to President Barack Obama, reportedly from a top member of Hamas, is yet to be brought to the United States and is in the hands of US diplomats in Occupied Jerusalem, the White House said Monday. The letter was passed to Democratic Senator John Kerry by a United Nations official in Gaza who did not tell him it was from Hamas, the veteran lawmaker’s office said last week. Kerry in turn, passed the letter, which the New York Times reported was from Hamas deputy Foreign Minister Ahmad Yousef, to the US consulate in Occupied Jerusalem, where it remains. "As I understand it, some letter was passed - conflicting reports from whom - to Senator Kerry, and that letter is with the consulate in Jerusalem," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs. "That’s the only update I have on that," Gibbs said, declining to say whether Obama, who labels Hamas as a terrorist group, would read such a letter if it reached his desk. more..e-mailAhmad Yousef’s letter to President Obama not yet delivered
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 2/24/2009
Spokesperson of the White House in Washington stated yesterday that a letter sent by a former Hamas advisor, Ahmad Yousef, from Gaza to President Barak Obama, has not been delivered yet. The spokesperson confirmed that such a letter is still at the American Consulate in Jerusalem and that it is uncertain whether President Obama would read it, even if it were delivered. Last week,Mr. Ahmad Yousef, deputy-foreign minister of the Hamas government in Gaza, delivered a letter to the UN headquarters in Gaza. The letter was handed by UN officials to John Kerry, a U. S senator who visited Gaza concurrently. Hamas commented that such a report has nothing to do with Kerry’s surprise visit, but welcomed any additional visits by U. S officials to the coastal territory, which lies under Hamas control. Kerry visited Gaza very briefly, and did not meet with any Hamas officials. more..e-mailUS to give ’$900m in Gaza aid’
Al Jazeera 2/24/2009
The US is set to offer more than $900m to help rebuild Gaza following Israel’s military assault on the Palestinian territory, officials say. Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, is to formally announce the funding at a donor conference in Egypt next week, one US official told the Reuters news agency on Monday. The money, which would need to be approved by the US congress, is to be distributed through the UN and other bodies and not via Hamas, the Palestinian group which governs Gaza, said one of the officials, who asked to remain anonymous. The same official said the pledge was a mix of money already earmarked for the Palestinians and some new funding. Rob Reynolds, Al Jazeera’s senior Washington correspondent, said the administration of Barack Obama, the US president, had not moved towards engaging directly with Hamas but had modified some of its language towards dealing with Palestinians in Gaza. more..e-mailBaird wants US to reassess aid to Israel
Hilary Leila Krieger, Jerusalem Post Correspondent, Jerusalem Post 2/23/2009
A US congressman plans to brief fellow members of Congress and the Obama administration about his recent trip to Gaza, saying the US should pressure Israel regarding border closures and reassess its military support for the Jewish state.
Rep. Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington state, visited Gaza last week with fellow Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota and was struck by "the level of destruction, the scope of it, specifically the civilian targets - schools, hospitals, industry. "
Baird also said Israel had "apparently willfully destroyed any capacity of the Palestinians to rebuild their own infrastructure. "The trip to Gaza by Baird and Ellison coincided with a separate visit there by John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations. Their presence marked the first time members of Congress had visited Gaza since US personnel were killed in a roadside bomb in 2003. more..e-mailTurkish PM: Israel must recognize Palestine
Ynet, YNetNews 2/24/2009
Recep Tayyip Erdogan reveals to the Guardian newspaper that Tehran asked Ankara to help it out of the diplomatic mud with America; compares Netanyahu’s rejection of two-state solution as similar to Hamas’ refusal to recognize Israel - Turkish Prime Minsiter Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tehran has sought Anakara’s help in finding a solution for its diplomatic crisis with the United States, the Guardian newspaper reported. Erdogan told the paper that Iran requested Turkey’s help while George W. Bush was still in office, and the message was relayed to Washington at that time. He added that he is considering whether to broach the matter with President Barak Obama, who has said he hopes to hold talks with Iran at the G20 summit, scheduled to be held in London this April. Responding to a question on Turkey’s future role in any Washington-Tehran talks, Erdogan said: "Iran does want Turkey to play such a role. more..e-mailUS to donate $900 million in aid to Gaza
Reuters, YNetNews 2/23/2009
State Department official says money for reconstruction of Strip will be transferred via UN; money meant to help strengthen Palestinian Authority, will not go to Hamas, official says -US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to announce a $900 million pledge of US aid for Gaza and the Palestinian Authority at a donors’ meeting in Egypt next week, a State Department official said on Monday. The money, which needs US congressional approval, will be distributed through UN and other bodies and not via Hamas, which rules Gaza, said one official.
"This money is for Gaza and to help strengthen the Palestinian Authority. It is not going to go to Hamas," said the official, who asked not to be named. The March 2 donors conference in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh resort aims to raise humanitarian and rebuilding funds for Gaza after Israel’s offensive at the end of last year. more..e-mailMousa: We do not trust any Israeli government
Palestinian Information Center 2/23/2009
GAZA, (PIC)-- Amr Mousa, the secretary-general of the Arab League, said he does not trust any Israeli government, urging the international community to pressure Israel to respect the peace process. Before his departure for Washington on Sunday to participate in the opening of the first Arab arts festival to be held in the US, Mousa underlined that the current Israeli government did not work for peace and showed no seriousness proving its credibility to reach a political settlement, adding that there is no difference between left or right-wing Israeli government. He also reiterated the Arab position taken in the economic summit held in Kuwait that the Arab peace initiative would not last forever. In another context, Palestinian sources said that the Arab League’s legal committee which is composed of international law experts and lawyers arrived Sunday evening in the Gaza Strip. . . more..e-mail’Israel must change 'counterproductive' Gaza policies’
Tovah Lazaroff, Jerusalem Post 2/22/2009
Banning lentils and pasta from Gaza does not help the cause of peace, two visiting congressmen told The Jerusalem Post on Friday morning, after making a rare visit to Gaza the previous day.
"When have lentil bombs been going off lately? Is someone going to kill you with a piece of macaroni? "asked Rep. Brian Baird (D-Washington).
He and Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) called on Israel to end the economic isolation of Gaza and to open the crossings into the area, which have been closed since Hamas’s coup there in June 2007.
Their call came two days after the cabinet agreed to link the full opening of the crossings to the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit, who has been held in Gaza since June 2006.
Ellison said he had taken the efforts to free Schalit to heart and had a copy of his dog tags in his office. more..e-mailUS lawmakers refuse to meet de facto officials on rare Gaza visit
Ma’an News Agency 2/19/2009
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Three US members of Congress made a rare visit to the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the first of its kind to Gaza in at least four years. Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry arrived in the coastal enclave shortly after members of Congress Brian Baird of Washington and Keith Ellison. Speaking at the rubble of the American International School in Gaza, which was leveled by and Israeli airstrike in January, Kerry said, “We have no meetings with anyone from Hamas and we will not change our political program. We are here to take the first hand the facts on the ground. ”The three visited the Izbet Abed Rabo area, which was devastated by shelling during Israel’s three-week offensive on the Gaza Strip in December and January. They also held a meeting with UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen Abu Zayed. more..e-mailUS lawmakers hear ’heart wrenching’ tales during visit to Gaza
Daily Star 2/20/2009
GAZA CITY: US Democratic representatives Brian Baird and Keith Ellison expressed shock at the plight of the war-shattered Gaza Strip during a rare visit to the Palestinian enclave on Thursday. "The amount of physical destruction and the depth of human suffering here is staggering" Baird said in a statement issued jointly with Ellison during their visit which coincided with a similar trip by US Senator John Kerry. The visits were the first by US lawmakers since Hamas, an Islamist movement Washington labels a terrorist outfit, took power in Gaza by force after having won legislative elections in 2006. Ellison, a representative from Minnesota, harshly criticized restrictions on the delivery of desperately needed goods into the coastal strip that has been under a crippling Israeli blockade imposed after the Hamas electoral victory. more..e-mailTwo US congressmen visiting Gaza
Middle East Online 2/19/2009
GAZA CITY - US congressmen Brian Baird and Keith Ellison, both Democrats, were in Gaza on Thursday, the first such visit since democratically elected Hamas seized power in the Palestinian territory in June 2007.
The two visited Izzbet Abed Rabbo, a community in northern Gaza devastated during the deadly 22-day Israeli offensive that ended on January 18.
They also planned to visit a factory and a hospital damaged during the war, Palestinian officials said.
An estimated 14,000 to 20,000 homes and other buildings were damaged or destroyed during the military offensive in which more than 1,300 Palestinians (mainly civilians) were killed.
Their trip coincided with a visit to Israel by US Senator John Kerry, chairman of the foreign relations committee, as part of a regional tour.
Baird is a representative from Washington state and Ellison, the first Muslim elected to the US Congress, is from Minnesota. more..e-mailMitchell: Palestinians’ financial buildup cannot replace diplomatic route
Yitzhak Benhorin, YNetNews 2/19/2009
US special envoy to Mideast reiterates Obama administration’s commitment to Israel’s safety, two-state solution - WASHINGTON- George Mitchell, the US special envoy to Mideast said Thursday that while the development of the West Bank’s economy remains important, it cannot take precedent to the diplomatic route. Mitchell, who held a conference call with the heads of various Jewish groups in the United States, refrained from answering questions regarding the political situation in
Israel,
saying he would not address the subject before President Shimon Peres’ tasked
one of the parties’ leaders with forming the
government. Although leading candidate Benjamin Netanyahu was no mentioned by name, Mitchell’s response was interpreted by those in attendance as hinting towards previous statements made by Netanyahu regarding the crucial role economic development would play in Palestinian society. more..e-mailUS-ISRAEL: Storm Clouds Ahead?
Analysis by Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service 2/19/2009
WASHINGTON, Feb 19(IPS) - After eight years of the closest possible relations, the United States and Israel may be headed for a period of increasing strain, particularly given the likelihood that whatever Israeli government emerges from last week’s election will be more hawkish than its predecessor. While Iran, with which Barack Obama has pledged to engage in a "constructive dialogue", and the future of its nuclear programme will no doubt serve as the greatest source of tension between the two allies, the new president’s commitment to achieving real progress on a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict may also provoke serious friction, particularly if a re-unified Arab League launches a major new push for its 2002 peace plan.
Last week’s election produced a clear majority for right-wing parties led by the Likud Party of former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who. . . more..e-mailIndyk: Netanyahu may seek Syria deal to deflect U.S. pressure
Natasha Mozgovaya, Ha’aretz 2/20/2009
Former U. S. ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk said Thursday that he believes that should Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu become Israel’s next prime minister, he "will try to deflect American pressure by seeking a deal with Syrians" Indyk, who was born to a Jewish family in England but grew up primarily in Australia, has made a career of Middle East diplomacy and support for Israel. Among other entries on an impressive resume, he has worked at AIPAC, founded the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and served two stints as U. S. envoy to Israel. His terms as U. S. ambassador to Israel coincided with Netanyahu’s truncated term as prime minister between 1996 and 1999. According to Indyk, Netanyahu will not seek peace with Syria "because he wants to avoid the concessions in the West Bank, but because there is a strategic rationale in backing a deal with Syria. more..e-mailKurtzer: Netanyahu-Lieberman is ’bad combination’ for U.S.
Natasha Mozgovaya, Ha’aretz 2/19/2009
WASHINGTON - Daniel Kurtzer, the former U. S. ambassador to Israel, said Tuesday that a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu that also included Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman would be a "bad combination for American interests. " "It would be much more difficult for the right wing, even with determined American leadership, to advance the peace process," Kurtzer said. "Not impossible, but very difficult. "The official U. S. position is that it looks forward to "working with any government," but in back-channel messages the Obama administration has made it clear it would like to see a Likud-Kadima unity government in Jerusalem over a narrow right-wing government, which would in all likelihood result in a freeze in peace talks with the Palestinians. The former envoy added that the Obama administration would find it politically risky to embrace. . . more..e-mailLittle Hope From New US Mediation
Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani, Inter Press Service 2/19/2009
CAIRO, Feb 19(IPS) - Egyptians seem at best only cautiously optimistic over the appointment of Senator George Mitchell as U. S. envoy to the Middle East. Mitchell is mandated chiefly with settling the Arab-Israeli dispute. "Mitchell’s prospects for achieving an acceptable settlement are grim," Ahmed Thabet, political science professor at Cairo University told IPS. "The previous U. S. administration created several facts on the ground which will be very difficult to undo. "
The new U. S. administration of President Barack Obama announced Mitchell’s appointment late January as Washington’s special envoy to the Middle East. A former senate majority leader, Mitchell replaces Dennis Ross.
"What I told (Mitchell) is to start by listening," Obama said in an interview with Arabic language satellite news channel Al-Arabiya shortly after the appointment. more..e-mailTerror victims sue U.S. oil companies for funding terror
Yossi Melman, Ha’aretz 2/19/2009
American and Israeli victims of terrorism have filed a precedent-setting suit against three U. S. oil companies and their directors, charging them that they indirectly assisted the funding of terrorist organizations. This is the first time that Israeli victims of terrorism have filed a suit of this kind against American firms. The suit was filed in January at the U. S. District Court in the capital, Washington D. C. , by attorneys Michael Miller and Gavriel Mairone against NuCoastal Corporation, El Paso Energy Corporation, Bayoil (USA) Inc. , and directors Oscar Wyatt Jr. and David B. Chalmers Jr. To date, most suits by terror victims were filed against Arab or Iranian individuals, terrorist groups, Iran and various Arab states. The suit argues that the companies and their directors traded with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. . . more..e-mailAnalysis: Amman Caught Between Hamas and Fatah
Brenda Gazzar, MIFTAH 2/19/2009
An expected move by Jordanian parliamentarians to file a petition with the International Criminal Court at The Hague accusing senior Israeli figures of war crimes during Operation Cast Lead does not reflect the kingdom’s official position, experts say. The petition is expected to be filed this week by the head of Jordan’s Parliamentary Legal Committee, Mubarak Abu Yamin, against several Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, Arab media reported this week. " Jordan is an absolute monarchy, not a constitutional monarchy, which means the king has the power of authority over the government and the parliament," said Samer Libdeh, an Amman-based senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for Liberty in the Middle East, a think tank that promotes democracy in the region. more..e-mailUS senator urges Syria to break with Iran
Middle East Online 2/19/2009
DAMASCUS - US Senator Benjamin Cardin called on Syria on Wednesday to end its three-decade alliance with Iran as Washington reviews its policies towards the Middle East.
After talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Cardin urged the Damascus government to seize the opportunity of a new US administration to end the support for Lebanese and Palestinian resistance groups.
"Syria has isolated itself by its. . . relations with Hamas and (Islamic) Jihad, and a troubled relationship with Iran," Cardin said.
"The question we came try to answer here is about whether Syria is ready to make important and significant decisions that will bring us closer together and move forward.
"It is an opportunity with the new president, Obama. . . Dialogue is important but actions speaks wider than words. We will be watching Syria’s actions very carefully over the next weeks and months. more..e-mailUS Congressional delegation holds talks with Assad
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 2/18/2009
DAMASCUS: A delegation of US senators led by Benjamin Cardin, a member of the foreign relations committee, arrived in Damascus Tuesday for talks with President Bashar Assad. Cardin’s talks with the president on Wednesday will focus on bilateral relations, the peace process and regional questions, the US Embassy said. It is the second US Congressional delegation to visit Syria in less than a month and John Kerry, foreign relations committee chairman, is expected to make the country one of his stops on a current Middle East tour. Cardin’s group plan to go to the office of the UN High Commission for Refugees to find out about the situation of the some 1. 5 million Iraqi refugees in Syria, the embassy said. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went to Damascus in April 2007 to meet President Assad, to the annoyance of President George W. more..e-mailMuch at stake for Lebanon in US opening to Syria
Ali Gharib, Inter Press Service, Daily Star 2/18/2009
WASHINGTON: This week, two high-level US Congressional delegations are setting out for Syria to meet with President Bashar Assad. The trips are seen as a precursor for engagement with Syria, but the extent of possible diplomatic deal-making is still in question. Foreign Relations Committee chairman Senator John Kerry is spending this week touring the Middle East and is scheduled to stop in Damascus for talks with Assad, his third such visit. House Foreign Relations chairman Representative Howard Berman is expected to travel there later this month. If, indeed, the congressional trips are a harbinger of President Barack Obama’s desire to restore diplomacy with Syria, that would represent a sharp break with former President George W. Bush’s policy of isolating Damascus. Obama campaigned on and has, since his inauguration, declared his intention to talk to US adversaries to try to resolve differences. more..e-mailOfficials: Israel may authorize terms for Shalit deal on Wednesday
Avi Issacharof Jack Khoury and Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 2/16/2009
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s security cabinet could approve as early as Wednesday a deal for the release of Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, senior Israeli officials said on Monday. Olmert told a visiting U. S. congressional delegation on Monday that he intended to bring before the cabinet by midweek a proposal for a deal with the Islamist Hamas group. The proposal is intended to expedite an agreement on Shalit’s release, curbing the smuggling of arms and ammunition into the Gaza Strip and bringing quiet and security to residents of the south, he said. A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the security cabinet would possibly "authorize the parameters of a deal" during the Wednesday discussion. more..e-mailIsrael worried about U.S. delay in forging stance on Iran nukes
Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 2/15/2009
Israeli officials are putting together a position paper on talks between the United States and Iran for the new administration in Washington, Israeli officials say. The paper will include a list of reservations about the state of international efforts against Iran’s nuclear program. One worry is that negotiations will go on for too long. The paper states that talks between the United States and Iran should be limited to a short period of time. It also recommends that harsh sanctions be imposed against the Islamic Republic if negotiations fail. U. S. President Barack Obama, who appointed envoys to the Middle East and Afghanistan within days of his inauguration, has not done so with Iran. An Israeli official in Jerusalem told Haaretz that "this procrastination is very disconcerting. Israel and several leading countries in the European Union are concerned about the delay in formulating a U. S. policy on Iran’s nuclear program. more..e-mailUS Congress hears urgent appeal for aid to Gaza
Daily Star 2/14/2009
WASHINGTON: While urgent humanitarian aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is immediately required, the long-term consequences of the recent Gaza war depend on advancements in the peace process and a settlement freeze, Ziad J. Asali, president of the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) told a congressional hearing on Thursday. Asali spoke at a hearing of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia, on the aftermath of the Gaza war, along with fellow panelists David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Michele Dunne of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute. The hearing was attended by the House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Howard Berman, a California democrat. The 22-day Israeli onslaught killed over 1,300 Palestinians, most of them civilians and including over 400 children. more..e-mailKey US lawmaker to visit Damascus
Middle East Online 2/13/2009
WASHINGTON - Democratic Senator John Kerry, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations committee, will visit Damascus next week as part of a five-stop trip to the Middle East, a spokesman said Thursday.
In Damascus, Kerry was to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as well as Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and other officials, said committee communications director Frederick Jones.
The trip came as the Obama administration worked to convince the Arab world that it will ramp up US involvement in the Middle East peace process and sought to pile pressure on Syria ally Iran -- while opening new channels of communications.
The new president, who took office just three weeks ago, said at his first press conference this week that he envisioned a day when the United States and Iran "can start sitting across the table face to face, with diplomatic overtures that will allow us to move our policy in a new direction. more..e-mailIsrael, Iran liable to clash in 2009 over nukes, U.S. intel chief said
Amir Oren, Ha’aretz 2/13/2009
Israel and Iran are liable to enter into a confrontation or a crisis sometime this year due to Tehran’s progress in its nuclear weapons program and Jerusalem’s determination to thwart it, the head of U. S. intelligence told lawmakers on Thursday. In a report to the Senate Intelligence Committee on the potential threats as foreseen by the 16 intelligence arms of the United States, Dennis Blair said that Hezbollah, the Lebanese-based Shi’ite group which is backed by Iran, has beefed up its weapons arsenal in preparation for another round of fighting with Israel. Blair said Hezbollah presents a formidable threat to U. S. interests, particularly if the organization feels Washington directly threatens Iran or acts against the group’s targets, infrastructure, and leadership. According to the intelligence assessment, Fatah has been weakened and is likely to enter Palestinian Authority elections mired in disunity and factionalism. more..e-mailAnti-Hamas Policies Stymie Gaza Recovery
Ali Gharib, Inter Press Service 2/9/2009
WASHINGTON, Feb 9(IPS) - Despite a desperate need to rebuild the Gaza Strip, viewed by many as a key ingredient to reuniting the Palestinian territories and building a two-state peace deal with Israel, it appears that the U. S. and the international community are poised to continue old, politically-charged policies that will impede progress. Even before Israel’s three-week war on the Gaza Strip, some 80 percent of the besieged territory’s 1. 5 million Palestinian residents reportedly depended on aid to meet their basic needs.
After the massive air, land and sea assaults of late December and January, those status quo demands have been exacerbated by the urgency of more humanitarian aid coupled with a need to rebuild the devastated Strip.
But it is not clear how much help - especially help from the U. S. - will be able to make its way into the tightly sealed, 360-square-kilometre. . . more..e-mailChange the Israel Lobby
Ramzy Baroud, Middle East Online 2/7/2009
One cannot emphasize enough the stranglehold Israel’s lobbying infrastructure has on US foreign policy. The events of recent weeks undoubtedly attest to this. “The special relationship” that has been historically fostered between the US and Israel in fact, is often a relationship of leverage, manipulation and intimidation, and often leads to the US supporting actions or resolutions that stand at complete odds with the interests of the American people.
The promise of change echoed the world over as people from all corners anticipated the magic moment Obama could actually change the devastating reality in which we live today. But just weeks before his inauguration, Israel unleashed the most barbaric attacks on defenseless Palestinian civilians since 1948. Civil societies expressed outrage and called for Israeli leaders to be tried for war crimes and genocide... more..e-mailN.Y. rabbi aims to ease Jewish-Muslim tensions in Europe stoked by Gaza op
Shlomo Shamir and Reuters, Ha’aretz 2/9/2009
Rabbi Marc Schneier, a New York Jewish leader who has helped to build bridges with American Muslims, is planning to bring his campaign to Europe to help ease the anger fed by bloodshed in Gaza. "In the light of the recent conflict in Gaza, Jewish-Muslim tensions have been exacerbated," Schneier, vice-president of the World Jewish Congress, told Reuters during a recent visit to London. "We have seen a rise, I would say an exponential growth, in anti-Semitic attacks, rhetoric coming from the Muslim world. We cannot allow for Islamic fundamentalism to grow. " Schneier helped to bring together thousands of Jews and Muslims across America last November in an initiative in which 50 mosques were twinned with 50 synagogues over a weekend. Jews and Muslims worked together in community projects, formed study groups and got a better understanding of each other’s faith. more..e-mailA Truce Too Big to Fail?
Analysis by Helena Cobban, Inter Press Service 2/8/2009
WASHINGTON, Feb 6(IPS) - The tandem un-negotiated ceasefires that Israel and Hamas announced Jan. 18 across the Gaza-Israel front line remain fragile. Local and international efforts to consolidate the truce have stalled, and officials and analysts around the world warn of a high risk of further escalation. Further complicating the truce stabilisation effort, Israelis go to the polls Feb. 10 in a general election that Binyamin Netanyahu’s rightwing Likud Party, now in opposition, and allies further to his right may well end up winning.
Israel has meanwhile refused to allow even basic construction materials into the Gaza Strip. With thousands of homes and much basic infrastructure in ruins, the situation of the Strip’s 1. 5 million people remains dire.
Since Jan. 18, both Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have sent emissaries to Egypt, where intelligence chief Omar. . . more..e-mailPro-Palestinian lobby on facebook stimulates Australian Government to support Palestine
George Rishmawi, International Middle East Media Center News 2/7/2009
The Australian senate has approved $10 million USD aid to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. The senate’s decision was stimulated by a group of activists on Facebook who called themsleves "The Pro-Palestinian Lobby on Facebook. " The group, which was formed shortly after the war on Gaza started, consists of a number of networks that together amount to nearly one million people, including Palestinians, and internationals from different parts of the world. In a letter sent to the Australian Senate, through affiliated members of the Green Party in Australia, the group has requested the Senate to express concern and regret in relation to the deaths of 437 Palestinian children. They have also requested the Australian Government to commit to further financial aid in the sum of $15 Million to UNRWA for the purpose of delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, and to facilitate. . . more..e-mailWorld Jewish Congress asks Venezuela to protect Jewish community
The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 2/7/2009
An international Jewish group is urging Venezuela to protect its Jewish community after a recent attack on a synagogue and amid reports of increasing incidents of anti-Semitism. The Washington-based World Jewish Congress is also asking the government to refrain from calling on Venezuelan Jews to oppose Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip. A delegation from the group met Friday with Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro. The group said in a statement Saturday he assured them authorities will find and prosecute those responsible for vandalizing the synagogue. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has forcefully condemned the offensive, calling the Israeli government genocidal. Local Jewish leaders fear such rhetoric has encouraged hate crimes. more..e-mailUS Congress introduces bill to punish UNRWA
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 2/6/2009
A bill has been introduced in Congress criticizing the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza. The bill accuses the Agency of providing support to so-called ’terrorists’ in the Gaza Strip. Laila al Quttami, of the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, says that this bill is actually an attempt to punish the Agency for speaking out against the Israeli invasion of Gaza last month. The committee has called on Congress to vote against Congressional Resolution 29, and vote instead for HR 66, which would provide much-needed humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people. Some US groups have even called on President Obama to dispatch the Navy’s Hospital ship, the USNS Mercy, to help provide medical care to the besieged population of Gaza. -- See also: URGENT: Act Now To Defend UNRWA In Gazamore..e-mailNo Israeli Goods: Victory for Worker Solidarity
Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and Palestine Solidarity, Palestine Chronicle 2/6/2009 ’COSATU decided to intensify its efforts in support of the Palestinian people.’ The Congress of South African Trade Union is pleased to announce that its members, dock workers belonging to the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) achieved a victory last night when they stood firm by their decision not to offload the Johanna Russ, a ship that was carrying Israeli goods to South Africa. This, despite threats to COSATU members from sections of the pro-Israeli lobby, and despite severe provocation. The Johanna Russ, flying an Antigua flag, is owned by M. Dizengoff and Co., an established "pioneer of the modern era of shipping business in the Middle East" and shipping agent for the ironically named Zim Israel Navigation Company. (Ironic because, last year, the same SATAWU members refused to offload the Chinese ship An Yue Jiang, which was carrying arms and ammunition destined... more..e-mailTop Iranian official: Iran won’t talk to ’Zionist’ Obama
News Agencies, Ha’aretz 2/5/2009
A representative of Iran’s supreme leader said the installation of U. S. President Barack Obama did not mean Tehran’s ties with Washington would change, the Fars news agency reported Wednesday. "The Zionists brought Obama to power to help America pass through its current challenges," said the representative to the Revolutionary Guards in northwestern Zanjan province, cleric Hojjatoleslam Ali Maboudi. "Any government has ’red lines’ and our ’red lines’ are rejecting the arrogant policies of America and the Zionist regime. " Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ultimate authority over policy in the Islamic Republic, has yet to comment on Obama’s presidency or his offer to extend a hand of peace if the Islamic Republic would only "unclench its fist". more..
