15 feb 2015
|
|
Channel 2 reports says US has stopped updating Israel about developments in nuclear negotiations with Iran in response to Netanyahu's planned congress speech, after Boehner admits he failed to tell administration he had invited PM.
A report claims the US administration has stopped updating Israel about developments in nuclear negotiations between world power and Iran, allegedly in response to Prime Minister Netanyahu's decision to accept an invitation by Republicans to address Congress on the issue. According to the report by Israel's Channel 2, US Undersecretary of State, Wendy Sherman, who is involved in the talks has announced she will no |
longer be updating Israelis about the talks. Susan Rice, US President Obama's National Security Advisor, has also reportedly announced she is cutting ties with her Israeli counterpart, Yossi Cohen, who serves as Netanyahu's National Security Advisor.
US House Speaker John Boehner says the White House might have tried to quash his plan to have Israeli's prime minister speak to Congress if it had gotten wind of the invitation. That helps explain why Boehner made the offer to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu without letting the White House know in advance. Netanyahu's speech is set for March 3.
Some Democrats plan to skip it because they consider it a divisive stunt and a breach of protocol that suggests the US is taking sides in coming Israeli elections.
Boehner was asked by "Fox News Sunday" why he told Israel's ambassador to the United States not to mention the invitation to the White House in advance. Boehner says he "wanted to make sure that there was no interference." “There’s a serious threat facing the world," he told Fox News. "And I believe Prime Minister Netanyahu is the perfect person to deliver the message of how serious this threat is.” The statement makes clear that Boehner made the invitation without telling the Obama administration that he was in contact with Israeli ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer.
"There's no secret here in Washington about the animosity that this White House has for Prime Minister Netanyahu. I frankly didn't want them getting in the way and quashing what I thought was a real opportunity," he said.
The majority of Americans think Obama should meet with Netanyahu when the Israeli premier visits Washington next month to speak in front of joint session of Congress, according to a poll conducted by international internet-based market research firm YouGov and the Huffington Post.
In a survey of 1000 US adults interviewed from February 4-8, 2015, 49 percent said it was inappropriate for a member of Congress to invite a foreign leader to speak in the US without first consulting with the White House – 26 percent found that such an invite would be appropriate while 25 percent said they were unsure.
When the question specifically addressed the case of House Speaker Boehner inviting Netanyahu to address Congress without approval, and mention the White House calling the invitation a breach of protocol, 47 percent found the invitation inappropriate, 30 percent found it appropriate and 23 percent were unsure.
US House Speaker John Boehner says the White House might have tried to quash his plan to have Israeli's prime minister speak to Congress if it had gotten wind of the invitation. That helps explain why Boehner made the offer to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu without letting the White House know in advance. Netanyahu's speech is set for March 3.
Some Democrats plan to skip it because they consider it a divisive stunt and a breach of protocol that suggests the US is taking sides in coming Israeli elections.
Boehner was asked by "Fox News Sunday" why he told Israel's ambassador to the United States not to mention the invitation to the White House in advance. Boehner says he "wanted to make sure that there was no interference." “There’s a serious threat facing the world," he told Fox News. "And I believe Prime Minister Netanyahu is the perfect person to deliver the message of how serious this threat is.” The statement makes clear that Boehner made the invitation without telling the Obama administration that he was in contact with Israeli ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer.
"There's no secret here in Washington about the animosity that this White House has for Prime Minister Netanyahu. I frankly didn't want them getting in the way and quashing what I thought was a real opportunity," he said.
The majority of Americans think Obama should meet with Netanyahu when the Israeli premier visits Washington next month to speak in front of joint session of Congress, according to a poll conducted by international internet-based market research firm YouGov and the Huffington Post.
In a survey of 1000 US adults interviewed from February 4-8, 2015, 49 percent said it was inappropriate for a member of Congress to invite a foreign leader to speak in the US without first consulting with the White House – 26 percent found that such an invite would be appropriate while 25 percent said they were unsure.
When the question specifically addressed the case of House Speaker Boehner inviting Netanyahu to address Congress without approval, and mention the White House calling the invitation a breach of protocol, 47 percent found the invitation inappropriate, 30 percent found it appropriate and 23 percent were unsure.
After two shootings in Copenhagen, PM says cabinet to discuss $46 million plan to encourage Jewish immigration from Ukraine, France and Belgium; Bennett: European Jews should know Israel is their home.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Sunday morning for the "massive immigration" of European Jews to Israel following the shooting attack outside a Copenhagen synagogue that killed a Danish Jew.
Netanyahu says the government on Sunday will discuss a $46 million plan to encourage Jewish immigration from France, Belgium and Ukraine.
"This wave of attacks is expected to continue," Netanyahu said at the start of a Cabinet meeting. "Jews deserve security in every country, but we say to our Jewish brothers and sisters, Israel is your home."
In an interview with Ynet on Sunday morning, Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said European Jews should view Israel as their home.
"Israel is always waiting for them. This will never change. Jews can and should have the right to live anywhere, but if there are Jews who are concerned about their future, we are certainly waiting for them," Bennett said.
Some European countries are becoming dangerous for Jews, he said, and his party, Bayit Yehudi, was "profoundly concerned" about a rise of radical Islamic terror and anti-Semitism in the continent. "I spoke today with the leader of the community in Denmark, and they are very worried about what's going on," he added.
He argued that the fight aganist Islamic terror in Europe is not a lost cause, "but first and foremost, they have to wake up. They have to identify the threat. They have to realize that these aren't sporadic attacks. There's a very clear and intentional attack on the free world from radical Islam.
"We've got to fight it in Iran, fight it in Iraq, fight it in Gaza, Lebanon, and in Europe and America. The world should help Israel fight radical Islam instead of twisting our arm to give in to radical Islam."
Jair Melchior, Denmark's chief rabbi, said he was "disappointed" by Netanyahu's call for immigration following the attack.
"Terror is not a reason to move to Israel," he said.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman the two shootings at a synagogue and another at a free speech event, "prove what we have said over the years – that Israel and the Jews are affected by this terrorism before anyone else because they are on the frontline in the war terror is waging against the West and the entire free world."
Lieberman called on the international community "to ask for more than declarations and demonstrations against this terrorism, but also shake off the rules of political correctness and fight a real all-out war against Islamic terror and its roots."
Minister Lieberman said the Foreign Ministry is in close contact with the Israeli Embassy in Denmark and was following events as they unfolded.
President of the Conference of European Rabbis, Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, condemned the attacks, dubbing it “both sickening and a sign of the worsening extremism spreading across Europe."
"The Jewish community in Denmark is a microcosm of what is happening to Jewish communities across the continent. On the one hand they are under attack from extremist Muslims who see every Jew as a legitimate target, on the other hand, freedom of religion is curtailed by the government, religious slaughter has been forbidden and the parliament is in discussions about the future of religious circumcision," he said.
"I truly hope that this latest attack will lead the people of Denmark to rally behind the Jewish community just as they did in 1943, securing the future of the community.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Sunday morning for the "massive immigration" of European Jews to Israel following the shooting attack outside a Copenhagen synagogue that killed a Danish Jew.
Netanyahu says the government on Sunday will discuss a $46 million plan to encourage Jewish immigration from France, Belgium and Ukraine.
"This wave of attacks is expected to continue," Netanyahu said at the start of a Cabinet meeting. "Jews deserve security in every country, but we say to our Jewish brothers and sisters, Israel is your home."
In an interview with Ynet on Sunday morning, Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said European Jews should view Israel as their home.
"Israel is always waiting for them. This will never change. Jews can and should have the right to live anywhere, but if there are Jews who are concerned about their future, we are certainly waiting for them," Bennett said.
Some European countries are becoming dangerous for Jews, he said, and his party, Bayit Yehudi, was "profoundly concerned" about a rise of radical Islamic terror and anti-Semitism in the continent. "I spoke today with the leader of the community in Denmark, and they are very worried about what's going on," he added.
He argued that the fight aganist Islamic terror in Europe is not a lost cause, "but first and foremost, they have to wake up. They have to identify the threat. They have to realize that these aren't sporadic attacks. There's a very clear and intentional attack on the free world from radical Islam.
"We've got to fight it in Iran, fight it in Iraq, fight it in Gaza, Lebanon, and in Europe and America. The world should help Israel fight radical Islam instead of twisting our arm to give in to radical Islam."
Jair Melchior, Denmark's chief rabbi, said he was "disappointed" by Netanyahu's call for immigration following the attack.
"Terror is not a reason to move to Israel," he said.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman the two shootings at a synagogue and another at a free speech event, "prove what we have said over the years – that Israel and the Jews are affected by this terrorism before anyone else because they are on the frontline in the war terror is waging against the West and the entire free world."
Lieberman called on the international community "to ask for more than declarations and demonstrations against this terrorism, but also shake off the rules of political correctness and fight a real all-out war against Islamic terror and its roots."
Minister Lieberman said the Foreign Ministry is in close contact with the Israeli Embassy in Denmark and was following events as they unfolded.
President of the Conference of European Rabbis, Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, condemned the attacks, dubbing it “both sickening and a sign of the worsening extremism spreading across Europe."
"The Jewish community in Denmark is a microcosm of what is happening to Jewish communities across the continent. On the one hand they are under attack from extremist Muslims who see every Jew as a legitimate target, on the other hand, freedom of religion is curtailed by the government, religious slaughter has been forbidden and the parliament is in discussions about the future of religious circumcision," he said.
"I truly hope that this latest attack will lead the people of Denmark to rally behind the Jewish community just as they did in 1943, securing the future of the community.”
MK Ahmed Tibi
A coalition of political parties in Israel that includes the two Arab parties and a left-wing Jewish party launched a campaign Saturday to call for unity and demand an end to the racist attacks against Palestinians that have plagued Israel for the past year.
The three parties involved in the effort are Hadash (a Jewish party), and the two Palestinian parties in the Israeli Knesset: Balad and Ta'al (United Arab List).
Some of the incidents of racism over the past year include the burning to death of a Palestinian teenager by right-wing Israeli extremists, multiple beatings, shootings and stonings of Palestinian youth by Israeli settlers, and demonstrations by right-wing Israelis calling for the expulsion of both Palestinians in Israel and Africans who came to Israel seeking refuge from the wars in their countries.
At the event to launch the campaign, Jewish Israeli Knesset Member Dov Khenin stated, " Jews and Arabs must stand together against the ugly wave of hatred and racism. Anyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to feel what happened here last summer should stand by us".
He continued, “Every person with a conscience in this country should ask himself at this time: Does he stand with the forces of war and hatred and death, or with the forces of justice and equality and peace and life. There will be no peace here and no life here until we free ourselves of the occupation, because a nation that subjugates another nation cannot be free. Peace will only come with a solution of independence and justice for both nations in this land."
Khenin also called for equality for all Israeli citizens. Currently, there are more than 50 laws on the books in Israel that discriminate against non-Jews, and hundreds of policies and procedures that are discriminatory as well.
Also speaking at the event was MK Ahmed Tibi, a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship and longtime member of the Israeli parliament. He said, "Lieberman said that the aim of the list is to destroy Israel and we say to him: We are not involved in that because you are doing it very well. We are involved in building the individual, and destroying the occupation and racism.
Tibi added, "You [Lieberman] gambled that we would not unite, but we overcame competitiveness in order to send a message of a united, strong minority. When we will be 15 MKs in a large faction and opposite us will sit representatives of the right they will be embarrassed … their blood pressure will rise and the Knesset doctor will work overtime."
In his address, Tibi also urged Arab youth to stand strong against the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, known by its Arabic acronym Da'esh, saying that the group warps Islam, and is doing more harm to Islam than Western Islamophobia does.
A coalition of political parties in Israel that includes the two Arab parties and a left-wing Jewish party launched a campaign Saturday to call for unity and demand an end to the racist attacks against Palestinians that have plagued Israel for the past year.
The three parties involved in the effort are Hadash (a Jewish party), and the two Palestinian parties in the Israeli Knesset: Balad and Ta'al (United Arab List).
Some of the incidents of racism over the past year include the burning to death of a Palestinian teenager by right-wing Israeli extremists, multiple beatings, shootings and stonings of Palestinian youth by Israeli settlers, and demonstrations by right-wing Israelis calling for the expulsion of both Palestinians in Israel and Africans who came to Israel seeking refuge from the wars in their countries.
At the event to launch the campaign, Jewish Israeli Knesset Member Dov Khenin stated, " Jews and Arabs must stand together against the ugly wave of hatred and racism. Anyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to feel what happened here last summer should stand by us".
He continued, “Every person with a conscience in this country should ask himself at this time: Does he stand with the forces of war and hatred and death, or with the forces of justice and equality and peace and life. There will be no peace here and no life here until we free ourselves of the occupation, because a nation that subjugates another nation cannot be free. Peace will only come with a solution of independence and justice for both nations in this land."
Khenin also called for equality for all Israeli citizens. Currently, there are more than 50 laws on the books in Israel that discriminate against non-Jews, and hundreds of policies and procedures that are discriminatory as well.
Also speaking at the event was MK Ahmed Tibi, a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship and longtime member of the Israeli parliament. He said, "Lieberman said that the aim of the list is to destroy Israel and we say to him: We are not involved in that because you are doing it very well. We are involved in building the individual, and destroying the occupation and racism.
Tibi added, "You [Lieberman] gambled that we would not unite, but we overcame competitiveness in order to send a message of a united, strong minority. When we will be 15 MKs in a large faction and opposite us will sit representatives of the right they will be embarrassed … their blood pressure will rise and the Knesset doctor will work overtime."
In his address, Tibi also urged Arab youth to stand strong against the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, known by its Arabic acronym Da'esh, saying that the group warps Islam, and is doing more harm to Islam than Western Islamophobia does.
Senior banker says tax evasion assistance ended years ago, hints that some Israelis now using Hong Kong as alternative location for unreported accounts.
The huge tax fraud scandal at the Geneva branch of the world's second-largest bank, HSBC, is making waves around the world, and its juicy details continue to make headlines.
We have learned recently that bankers from the Geneva branch held hundreds of secret meetings with clients and potential clients in 25 different countries, including Israel, and that the meetings were part of efforts to convince the clients to open accounts at HSBC's Swiss branch, apparently without reporting the accounts to the authorities.
These work methods are no longer in practice, a senior Swiss banker told Yedioth Ahronoth this past week. "These procedures of holding secret meetings and offering help with tax evasion have disappeared almost entirely," he said.
"Things started changing between 2009 and 2011, and the banks in Switzerland began sending letters to all their clients in which they explicitly instructed them to report their intentions to open a Swiss bank account to their tax authorities. Without producing confirmation of such a report, it would be impossible to open accounts for them in Switzerland. To the best of my knowledge, this procedure was put into effect at HSBC too.
"When Israeli clients were informed of this change," he continued, "many of them moved their accounts to Hong Kong. If the tax authorities wish to check where Israelis are hiding unreported accounts, they should look in Hong Kong."
According to French newspaper Le Monde, the HSBC bank had a special department called MEDIS (Méditerranée-Israël) that handled Israeli clients. The department ceased to exist, however, in 2013.
Reports published in the Swiss press last week indicate that between 2004 and 2005, HSBC bankers held meetings with at least 1,645 clients and potential clients in 25 different countries. The meetings took place at various locations, including the lobbies of the luxury hotels in Paris and Tel Aviv, a piano bar in Antwerp, an airport in the Congo, and a vacation home in Copenhagen.
According to the reports, HSBC bankers conducted dozens of meetings with existing and potential Israeli clients at the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv under the radar of the Israeli tax authorities.
Are such meetings legal? If they were held merely for the purpose of getting acquainted and exchanging small talk, then there is nothing illegal about them; but if they were held for the purpose of setting up accounts without reporting to the tax authorities, their legality is questionable. Authorities in only five of the 25 countries in which the meetings took place – the United States, France, Argentina, Spain and Belgium – have initiated legal proceedings against HSBC and its employees.
According to the Swiss newspapers, the bankers also used these meetings to offer clients various creative ways to avoid paying a standard European tax on their accounts in Switzerland. The European tax went into effect in 2005, but because it applies to individuals only, the bank advised clients to set up front companies abroad and deposit the funds through them. The clients would also sometimes go in person to Switzerland and meet with HSBC bankers at its branches in Zurich, Lugano and Geneva. The customers were scattered across 150 countries and the HSBC bankers managed their travel plans in keeping with the clients' locations.
"The bankers who worked beyond the Swiss borders operated like secret agents," Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger reported, quoting a former employee at the bank. According to the employee, the bankers were sent on their missions to the target countries equipped with untraceable cellphones with which they could place calls to the office in Switzerland.
Take for example the work procedures with respect to one of the bank's clients, a share trader from Belgium, as laid out in a January 4, 2005, memo from an HSBC representative to his managers: "The client must not be called. He is the one who always calls us. He mentions the names of soccer players Zidane and Cruyff so they know it's him, and he asks about the price of caviar. The question means that the client wants to know the balance of the capital in his account."
In the case of the Belgian share trader, the price of "caviar" was at its peak in 2007, when his account showed a balance of $1.249 billion.
The huge tax fraud scandal at the Geneva branch of the world's second-largest bank, HSBC, is making waves around the world, and its juicy details continue to make headlines.
We have learned recently that bankers from the Geneva branch held hundreds of secret meetings with clients and potential clients in 25 different countries, including Israel, and that the meetings were part of efforts to convince the clients to open accounts at HSBC's Swiss branch, apparently without reporting the accounts to the authorities.
These work methods are no longer in practice, a senior Swiss banker told Yedioth Ahronoth this past week. "These procedures of holding secret meetings and offering help with tax evasion have disappeared almost entirely," he said.
"Things started changing between 2009 and 2011, and the banks in Switzerland began sending letters to all their clients in which they explicitly instructed them to report their intentions to open a Swiss bank account to their tax authorities. Without producing confirmation of such a report, it would be impossible to open accounts for them in Switzerland. To the best of my knowledge, this procedure was put into effect at HSBC too.
"When Israeli clients were informed of this change," he continued, "many of them moved their accounts to Hong Kong. If the tax authorities wish to check where Israelis are hiding unreported accounts, they should look in Hong Kong."
According to French newspaper Le Monde, the HSBC bank had a special department called MEDIS (Méditerranée-Israël) that handled Israeli clients. The department ceased to exist, however, in 2013.
Reports published in the Swiss press last week indicate that between 2004 and 2005, HSBC bankers held meetings with at least 1,645 clients and potential clients in 25 different countries. The meetings took place at various locations, including the lobbies of the luxury hotels in Paris and Tel Aviv, a piano bar in Antwerp, an airport in the Congo, and a vacation home in Copenhagen.
According to the reports, HSBC bankers conducted dozens of meetings with existing and potential Israeli clients at the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv under the radar of the Israeli tax authorities.
Are such meetings legal? If they were held merely for the purpose of getting acquainted and exchanging small talk, then there is nothing illegal about them; but if they were held for the purpose of setting up accounts without reporting to the tax authorities, their legality is questionable. Authorities in only five of the 25 countries in which the meetings took place – the United States, France, Argentina, Spain and Belgium – have initiated legal proceedings against HSBC and its employees.
According to the Swiss newspapers, the bankers also used these meetings to offer clients various creative ways to avoid paying a standard European tax on their accounts in Switzerland. The European tax went into effect in 2005, but because it applies to individuals only, the bank advised clients to set up front companies abroad and deposit the funds through them. The clients would also sometimes go in person to Switzerland and meet with HSBC bankers at its branches in Zurich, Lugano and Geneva. The customers were scattered across 150 countries and the HSBC bankers managed their travel plans in keeping with the clients' locations.
"The bankers who worked beyond the Swiss borders operated like secret agents," Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger reported, quoting a former employee at the bank. According to the employee, the bankers were sent on their missions to the target countries equipped with untraceable cellphones with which they could place calls to the office in Switzerland.
Take for example the work procedures with respect to one of the bank's clients, a share trader from Belgium, as laid out in a January 4, 2005, memo from an HSBC representative to his managers: "The client must not be called. He is the one who always calls us. He mentions the names of soccer players Zidane and Cruyff so they know it's him, and he asks about the price of caviar. The question means that the client wants to know the balance of the capital in his account."
In the case of the Belgian share trader, the price of "caviar" was at its peak in 2007, when his account showed a balance of $1.249 billion.
14 feb 2015
Yisrael Beiteinu chairman says Likud came to power twice thanks to his party, says there was option of forming alternative government without Netanyahu. 'The Likud forgot about this quickly'.
Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman bashed Netanyahu's conduct during Operation Protective Edge, saying that the fighting in Gaza ended with no results: "We fought and were inside shelters for 50 days. What's the result? Hamas continues to fire at us. My position was clear during the operation and after it. If it was up to me, we wouldn't have left the bunker after 50 days, but rather remained underground."
Speaking at a cultural event in Be'er Sheva on Saturday, Lieberman said: "It cannot be that we counted 70 dead and dozens wounded, and the country is refraining from doing anything. My opinion on the matter was clear, and I voiced it and also voted for it in the cabinet. Just like we can't launch a military operation every two years, we can't hold elections every two years. It's impossible to live like this."
The Yisrael Bieteinu chairman continued on to say that there was an option of forming a government without Netanyahu in the past two elections. "The Likud came to power twice thanks to Yisrael Beiteinu," Lieberman said. "Our capability of establishing an alternative government was clear. The Likud party forgot about this very quickly."
Lieberman also clarified at the event that he was not afraid of any electoral damage to his party following the major corruption probe involving members of Yisrael Beiteinu, Deputy Interior Minister Faina Kirschenbaum.
"There is no corruption case, but there is a scandal involving sexual perverts in the Israel Police. If you want to cover up failures, you have to invent something. This is the sixth time in a row since the beginning of elections campaigns that a new case was opened involving Yisrael Beiteinu. It's an interesting coincidence."
In the recent scandal centering on Deputy Foreign Minister MK Faina Kirschenbaum, suspicions arose that coaltion funds were used by political officials to transfer financial subsidies that essentially functioned as part of a system of bribery.
Kirschenbaum, who is also the general secretary of Yisrael Beiteinu, is suspected of accepting money, which was not deposited into her personal accounts, but rather as salaries for associates and relatives (apart from the appointment of her daughter to the Beef Cattle Growers Association, which is under investigation).
Kirschenbaum is suspected of receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels in kickbacks. In contrast to the other suspects, her conversations were not secretly recorded because of her official government position, but there was surveillance of her activities. Kirschenbaum is a high-profile member of Yisrael Beiteinu and a close associate of Chairman Avigdor Lieberman. The bulk of the party's activities go through her, and she is involved in all its parliamentary and political moves.
Former minister of tourism Stas Misezhnikov is also suspected of accepting bribes, facilitating bribes, and cronyism.
Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman bashed Netanyahu's conduct during Operation Protective Edge, saying that the fighting in Gaza ended with no results: "We fought and were inside shelters for 50 days. What's the result? Hamas continues to fire at us. My position was clear during the operation and after it. If it was up to me, we wouldn't have left the bunker after 50 days, but rather remained underground."
Speaking at a cultural event in Be'er Sheva on Saturday, Lieberman said: "It cannot be that we counted 70 dead and dozens wounded, and the country is refraining from doing anything. My opinion on the matter was clear, and I voiced it and also voted for it in the cabinet. Just like we can't launch a military operation every two years, we can't hold elections every two years. It's impossible to live like this."
The Yisrael Bieteinu chairman continued on to say that there was an option of forming a government without Netanyahu in the past two elections. "The Likud came to power twice thanks to Yisrael Beiteinu," Lieberman said. "Our capability of establishing an alternative government was clear. The Likud party forgot about this very quickly."
Lieberman also clarified at the event that he was not afraid of any electoral damage to his party following the major corruption probe involving members of Yisrael Beiteinu, Deputy Interior Minister Faina Kirschenbaum.
"There is no corruption case, but there is a scandal involving sexual perverts in the Israel Police. If you want to cover up failures, you have to invent something. This is the sixth time in a row since the beginning of elections campaigns that a new case was opened involving Yisrael Beiteinu. It's an interesting coincidence."
In the recent scandal centering on Deputy Foreign Minister MK Faina Kirschenbaum, suspicions arose that coaltion funds were used by political officials to transfer financial subsidies that essentially functioned as part of a system of bribery.
Kirschenbaum, who is also the general secretary of Yisrael Beiteinu, is suspected of accepting money, which was not deposited into her personal accounts, but rather as salaries for associates and relatives (apart from the appointment of her daughter to the Beef Cattle Growers Association, which is under investigation).
Kirschenbaum is suspected of receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels in kickbacks. In contrast to the other suspects, her conversations were not secretly recorded because of her official government position, but there was surveillance of her activities. Kirschenbaum is a high-profile member of Yisrael Beiteinu and a close associate of Chairman Avigdor Lieberman. The bulk of the party's activities go through her, and she is involved in all its parliamentary and political moves.
Former minister of tourism Stas Misezhnikov is also suspected of accepting bribes, facilitating bribes, and cronyism.
Netanyahu and Diskin
After Likud releases new election video warning Israelis that a vote for the left would bring ISIS to their doorstep, former Shin Bet chief says PM released Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, leading to the rehabilitation of Hamas.
A new video released by the Likud on Saturday, warning Israelis that voting for leftwing parties will allow the Islamic State militants to make their way to Jerusalem, was badly received among some security figures, including former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin.
"The left will invite Daesh to Israel, said Netanyahu, the man who released Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 1997 and allowed him to rebuild Hamas; the man who released more than a thousand terrorists, some of whom have already returned to committing attacks during his term as prime minister," he said, in a brief attack on the controversial video.
"The man who released terrorists instead of freezing the settlements in a deal with Bayit Yehudi, who was dragged into the longest war since the War of Independence – against a terror group – who threatened Iran but cannot defeat a terror organization in Gaza. Securi-Bibi? More like lack of security. He has lost all shame, that is certain," wrote Diskin.
The video shows actors dressed as Islamic State militants asking another driver, "how do we get to Jerusalem, my brother?" An Israeli replies, "Take a left."
As the pretend-terrorists drive away, a sticker is shown on their pick-ups rear: "Anyone but Bibi."
After Likud releases new election video warning Israelis that a vote for the left would bring ISIS to their doorstep, former Shin Bet chief says PM released Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, leading to the rehabilitation of Hamas.
A new video released by the Likud on Saturday, warning Israelis that voting for leftwing parties will allow the Islamic State militants to make their way to Jerusalem, was badly received among some security figures, including former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin.
"The left will invite Daesh to Israel, said Netanyahu, the man who released Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 1997 and allowed him to rebuild Hamas; the man who released more than a thousand terrorists, some of whom have already returned to committing attacks during his term as prime minister," he said, in a brief attack on the controversial video.
"The man who released terrorists instead of freezing the settlements in a deal with Bayit Yehudi, who was dragged into the longest war since the War of Independence – against a terror group – who threatened Iran but cannot defeat a terror organization in Gaza. Securi-Bibi? More like lack of security. He has lost all shame, that is certain," wrote Diskin.
The video shows actors dressed as Islamic State militants asking another driver, "how do we get to Jerusalem, my brother?" An Israeli replies, "Take a left."
As the pretend-terrorists drive away, a sticker is shown on their pick-ups rear: "Anyone but Bibi."
The Islamic Movement in the 1948-occupied Palestinian lands, the northern branch, renewed Friday its rejection to the participation in the upcoming Israeli Knesset election, considering the Israeli Knesset (parliament) as part of the Zionist project.
In a statement it issued in this regard, the Movement stressed that the Arab presence in the Israeli Knesset was exploited to beautify the Israeli institution.
It aims at blocking the Arab citizens’ protests to within the Knesset walls, the statement said.
The statement explained that the Israeli Knesset didn’t bring justice or push away any threat to the Palestinian people, and that it was instead working against the presence of the Palestinian people on their homeland.
“Since our Nakba, we have and still been subjected to an Israeli systematic discrimination and religious persecution as the Israeli institution considers our presence temporary.”
“The Israeli institution considers our presence on our homeland as temporary, and that it was waiting the proper time to transfer us according to its plans, and thus, our existence in our homeland would depend on how much we adhere to this land and remain insistent on our legal rights”, the Movement underlined.
Moreover, the Movement, which is headed by the prominent Palestinian leader Raed Salah, stressed that the Arab presence in the Israeli Knesset was badly exploited by the Zionist institution with the aim to beautify itself, and to cover for the Israeli brutal measures against the Palestinian people and the Arab and Muslim world.
“We call on every Palestinian citizen in the 1948-occupied Palestinian lands to take those facts into consideration before participating in the Israeli elections”.
The Movement made it clear that it would remain firm and steadfast on the legal rights of the Palestinian people all over Palestine till the independent Palestinian state is established with Jerusalem as its capital.
Early elections for the twentieth Knesset will be held in Israel on 17 March 2015 with the participation of one Arab joint electoral list, while the Israeli Central Elections Committee decided at noon Thursday to disqualify the Arab MK Hanin Zoabi from running for the parliamentary elections.
In a statement it issued in this regard, the Movement stressed that the Arab presence in the Israeli Knesset was exploited to beautify the Israeli institution.
It aims at blocking the Arab citizens’ protests to within the Knesset walls, the statement said.
The statement explained that the Israeli Knesset didn’t bring justice or push away any threat to the Palestinian people, and that it was instead working against the presence of the Palestinian people on their homeland.
“Since our Nakba, we have and still been subjected to an Israeli systematic discrimination and religious persecution as the Israeli institution considers our presence temporary.”
“The Israeli institution considers our presence on our homeland as temporary, and that it was waiting the proper time to transfer us according to its plans, and thus, our existence in our homeland would depend on how much we adhere to this land and remain insistent on our legal rights”, the Movement underlined.
Moreover, the Movement, which is headed by the prominent Palestinian leader Raed Salah, stressed that the Arab presence in the Israeli Knesset was badly exploited by the Zionist institution with the aim to beautify itself, and to cover for the Israeli brutal measures against the Palestinian people and the Arab and Muslim world.
“We call on every Palestinian citizen in the 1948-occupied Palestinian lands to take those facts into consideration before participating in the Israeli elections”.
The Movement made it clear that it would remain firm and steadfast on the legal rights of the Palestinian people all over Palestine till the independent Palestinian state is established with Jerusalem as its capital.
Early elections for the twentieth Knesset will be held in Israel on 17 March 2015 with the participation of one Arab joint electoral list, while the Israeli Central Elections Committee decided at noon Thursday to disqualify the Arab MK Hanin Zoabi from running for the parliamentary elections.
13 feb 2015
Battle for rightwing voters heats up as Netanyahu and Bayit Yehudi lock horns; Bennett: Netanyahu posturing in hopes of stealing votes from US; top party source says PM working to destroy Bennett.
The rightwing Bayit Yehudi party blasted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with a top insider saying that Netanyahu "is trying to destroy the party and lay the groundwork for a coalition with the Zionist Camp" – a center-left political bloc currently hoping to oust Netanyahu from government.
The Bayit Yehudi is considered to occupy a niche to the right of Netanyahu's Likud party. However, the upcoming elections have seen the party shift slightly to the center in an attempt to rebrand themselves as a potential alternative to the Likud.
Nonetheless, Naftali Bennett, the party's chairman, has said he would support the prime minister in forming the next government. Now the party is claiming Netanyahu does not really want their support, and hopes to form a leftwing government with rival Zionist Camp instead. "Netanyahu wants a leftwing government," the top party official said, despite opposing claims by Netanyahu, who slammed this report as "false," saying there is no such rift between the two parties. However, recent days have shown that the two parties' non-aggression pact has come to an end as each try to steal the other's base ahead the March 17 elections.
In Israel's political system, governing coalitions are formed from political blocs comprised of different parties, leading many voters to contemplate whether they want to vote a large party to better its odds at forming the next government, or vote for a smaller party and increase its relative strength. Bennett hopes to benefit from the assumption that Netanyahu will form the next government by enticing voters to help enlarge his party's size and force Netanyahu to form a coalition with them.
Yedioth Ahronoth learned that Bayit Yehdi is disappointed by Netanyahu's recent actions: "He's hurting the chances of a rightwing government," a top source said, while a close confidant of Bennett said "Netanyahu is firing inside a tank." Bennett even told party officials that Netanyahu's recent attempt to intervene in the Israel Prize committee, allegedly in a bit to "diversify" the committee in what the attorney general has already decried as political interference, was also an election ploy. "Even his attack on Israel Prize was born out of an attempt to steal votes from us," Bennett reportedly said.
Party officials say that Netanyahu has taken aim at the predominantly religious Zionist party's voter base – the settlement movement. This week the prime minister visited a prominent West Bank seminary and the week before he volunteered at a semi-religious event, also in the West Bank. He also sent religious party members to lead a small campaign with rightwing settlers, urging them to "step outside the sector" and vote for Netanyahu.
The rightwing Bayit Yehudi party blasted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with a top insider saying that Netanyahu "is trying to destroy the party and lay the groundwork for a coalition with the Zionist Camp" – a center-left political bloc currently hoping to oust Netanyahu from government.
The Bayit Yehudi is considered to occupy a niche to the right of Netanyahu's Likud party. However, the upcoming elections have seen the party shift slightly to the center in an attempt to rebrand themselves as a potential alternative to the Likud.
Nonetheless, Naftali Bennett, the party's chairman, has said he would support the prime minister in forming the next government. Now the party is claiming Netanyahu does not really want their support, and hopes to form a leftwing government with rival Zionist Camp instead. "Netanyahu wants a leftwing government," the top party official said, despite opposing claims by Netanyahu, who slammed this report as "false," saying there is no such rift between the two parties. However, recent days have shown that the two parties' non-aggression pact has come to an end as each try to steal the other's base ahead the March 17 elections.
In Israel's political system, governing coalitions are formed from political blocs comprised of different parties, leading many voters to contemplate whether they want to vote a large party to better its odds at forming the next government, or vote for a smaller party and increase its relative strength. Bennett hopes to benefit from the assumption that Netanyahu will form the next government by enticing voters to help enlarge his party's size and force Netanyahu to form a coalition with them.
Yedioth Ahronoth learned that Bayit Yehdi is disappointed by Netanyahu's recent actions: "He's hurting the chances of a rightwing government," a top source said, while a close confidant of Bennett said "Netanyahu is firing inside a tank." Bennett even told party officials that Netanyahu's recent attempt to intervene in the Israel Prize committee, allegedly in a bit to "diversify" the committee in what the attorney general has already decried as political interference, was also an election ploy. "Even his attack on Israel Prize was born out of an attempt to steal votes from us," Bennett reportedly said.
Party officials say that Netanyahu has taken aim at the predominantly religious Zionist party's voter base – the settlement movement. This week the prime minister visited a prominent West Bank seminary and the week before he volunteered at a semi-religious event, also in the West Bank. He also sent religious party members to lead a small campaign with rightwing settlers, urging them to "step outside the sector" and vote for Netanyahu.
12 feb 2015
Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, condemned on Thursday the Israeli decision to disqualify Arab MK Hanin Zoabi from running in the next parliamentary elections.
The Israeli Central Elections Committee decided at noon Thursday to disqualify the Arab MK Hanin Zoabi from running for the Israeli parliamentary elections to be held on March 17.
Twenty seven members of the election committee supported the disqualification of Zoabi against only six against the decision.
The majority of the Israeli parties supported the committee’s decision which is considered as political persecution. Zoabi has the right to appeal the decision at the Israeli Supreme Court.
Hamas described, in a statement, the move as racial, saying it refutes the Israeli claims of democracy.
Hamas affirmed that such a decision is an honor to MK Zoabi for her courageous patriotic stands.
The Israeli Central Elections Committee decided at noon Thursday to disqualify the Arab MK Hanin Zoabi from running for the Israeli parliamentary elections to be held on March 17.
Twenty seven members of the election committee supported the disqualification of Zoabi against only six against the decision.
The majority of the Israeli parties supported the committee’s decision which is considered as political persecution. Zoabi has the right to appeal the decision at the Israeli Supreme Court.
Hamas described, in a statement, the move as racial, saying it refutes the Israeli claims of democracy.
Hamas affirmed that such a decision is an honor to MK Zoabi for her courageous patriotic stands.
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini Wednesday called on Israel to resume the transfer of Palestinian Authority revenues in light of the PA critical financial situation.
In the immediate term it is absolutely vital to address the critical financial situation of the Palestinian Authority. In this regard, Israel should resume the transfer of Palestinian Authority revenues in line with its obligations, Mogherini said in a statement issued following her meeting with PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
She said that the meeting was also an opportunity to follow-up on the issues discussed during her visit to the region in early November which was her first trip outside Europe after taking up office.
Mogherini has met Abbas Wednesday after his arrival to Brussels on a two-day visit.
Israel has earlier halted transfers of the tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority in retaliation for its move to join the international criminal court in The Hague.
In the immediate term it is absolutely vital to address the critical financial situation of the Palestinian Authority. In this regard, Israel should resume the transfer of Palestinian Authority revenues in line with its obligations, Mogherini said in a statement issued following her meeting with PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
She said that the meeting was also an opportunity to follow-up on the issues discussed during her visit to the region in early November which was her first trip outside Europe after taking up office.
Mogherini has met Abbas Wednesday after his arrival to Brussels on a two-day visit.
Israel has earlier halted transfers of the tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority in retaliation for its move to join the international criminal court in The Hague.
The Israeli central election committee will convene on Thursday to discuss a request submitted by right-wing Knesset members to disqualify Arab lawmaker Hanin Zoabi from running for the parliamentary elections to be held on March 17.
Zoabi had already been banned by the Knesset from doing its parliamentary duties for six months as a punishment for expressing in previous remarks her rejection of labeling the Palestinian resistance as terrorist.
For her part, MK Zoabi said in a statement addressed to Israel's attorney general and the central election committee that she rejects the claims about her approval of the armed struggle against Israel, asserting her exposure to what she described as "political harassment."
"[Avigdor] Lieberman and [Yariv] Levin use partial quotes to say that I support armed struggle, but they have never been able to use any quotes from me to show that I support armed struggle. I have been quoted as supporting popular struggle, which I do. Popular struggle as well as international pressure are legitimate methods," Zoabi said.
"I connect violence to occupation. The occupation is the source of the cycle of blood," she added.
The Israeli newspaper Yisrael Hayom said that 16 out of 35 members of the election committee support the disqualification of Zoabi.
Zoabi had already been banned by the Knesset from doing its parliamentary duties for six months as a punishment for expressing in previous remarks her rejection of labeling the Palestinian resistance as terrorist.
For her part, MK Zoabi said in a statement addressed to Israel's attorney general and the central election committee that she rejects the claims about her approval of the armed struggle against Israel, asserting her exposure to what she described as "political harassment."
"[Avigdor] Lieberman and [Yariv] Levin use partial quotes to say that I support armed struggle, but they have never been able to use any quotes from me to show that I support armed struggle. I have been quoted as supporting popular struggle, which I do. Popular struggle as well as international pressure are legitimate methods," Zoabi said.
"I connect violence to occupation. The occupation is the source of the cycle of blood," she added.
The Israeli newspaper Yisrael Hayom said that 16 out of 35 members of the election committee support the disqualification of Zoabi.
By Alon Ben-Meir
It is hard to imagine how a devious, delusionary and destructive individual like Naftali Bennett, the leader of the Jewish Home party, can rise to prominence while openly advocating a racist political agenda.
His "solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a recipe for obliterating Israel as both Jewish and democratic, and converting it into an apartheid state, reviled by the international community and condemned to live in isolation and disgrace.
No, this is not what Israel was created for, and the fate of the country cannot be entrusted to the hands of a conniving hypocrite like Bennett. He is an imposter whose rainbow political agenda is nothing but a cover for an insidious plan to deprive the Palestinians of a state their own, but little does he realize that it will bring Israel ever closer to self-destruction.
In an arrogant and unflinching manner, he declares that since the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is stuck, it is time for new thinking. Israel should focus, he argues, on improving the lives of the Palestinians by "upgrading Palestinian autonomy in areas A and B," and goes on to say that the Palestinians will have "political independence" and can run their internal affairs as they see fit.
He is also generous to offer the Palestinians a "massive upgrade of roads and infrastructure, as well as the removal of roadblocks and checkpoints," and to "build economic bridges... between Israelis and Palestinians."
But, here is the caveat: "The Palestinian entity will be short of a state. It will not control its own borders." And the worst is yet to come—his plan is to annex Area C, which represents 60 percent of the West Bank.
From his perspective, the Israeli settlements should continue to expand, starting with the annexation of the main three blocs by "applying Israeli law and asserting national sovereignty in those blocs."
What this means is that the Palestinians will be allowed to live in cantons in places like Ramallah, Jenin, Bethlehem, and other small cities and villages—provided, of course, they behave themselves and dare not threaten or commit any violent act against Israel.
To be sure, Bennett is offering the Palestinians improved conditions in the same prison where they currently reside. Their "new" prison will now be renovated and better furnished, with open air and even clean, running water.
Bennett does not accept the premise that the Palestinians are entitled to a state of their own, but rather they must settle for the crumbs that Israel tosses them.
After all, he maintains that "we are not occupiers in our land," and out of compassion the Israelis are prepared to give up a big share of their homeland – a land which is historically theirs. What is more, this is the "Land of Israel," which has been bequeathed to them in perpetuity by the Almighty.
As a hard core religious, revisionist Zionist, Bennett finds great comfort in resorting to his Savior. He justifies his twisted political agenda by putting the onus on God: "Public opinion isn't my compass, the Torah is my compass." How convenient!
Religious conservatives often like to claim that "If there is no God, everything is permitted." But as the philosopher Slavoj Žižek has observed, it is precisely the reverse that is the case: "If there is a God, then anything is permitted... it is for those who refer to 'god' in a brutally direct way, perceiving themselves as instruments of his will, that everything is permitted" [emphasis added].
Although he admits that the proposal is not perfect, as "it seems to go against everything Israel, the Palestinians and the international community have worked toward over the last 20 years," it should be the government's policy, he says, "because there is a new reality in the Middle East."
Bennett should know that his plan is not only imperfect, it is an illusion, as if the Palestinians have no say and will simply bow to his whims. Under what circumstances will any Palestinian accept the continuing occupation under the guise of self-rule?
Bennett is mired in illusions, as illusions are based on wishes and not reality and one of the predictable psychological consequences of holding onto them is denial; that is, denial of the stubborn reality which refuses to accommodate itself to one's pipedreams.
The Palestinians want to live in their own independent state—in their homeland as well—and this is the bitter, unshakable reality that Bennett must face. The Palestinians have resisted the existence of Israel for decades and now they have come to accept the two-state solution, precisely "because there is a new reality in the Middle East"—Israel's unshakable reality.
There is nothing that Bennett or any of his schemers can do to change that, just as much as there is absolutely nothing the Palestinians can do to dislodge Israel.
All that any Israeli leader can justifiably demand is a permanent cessation of all hostilities, which the Palestinians must ensure if they wish to be independent. Any peace agreement ought to be structured in such a way to meet this unqualified Israeli requirement.
For Bennett to invoke the withdrawal from Gaza and the violence that erupted as a case in point, which must not be repeated in the West Bank, is disingenuous and misleading. No one in their right mind should evacuate the West Bank overnight, the way Prime Minister Sharon withdrew from Gaza.
Any negotiated peace agreement with the Palestinians will have to be implemented in stages over a period of at least ten years, with security arrangements fully coordinated with the Palestinians that leaves nothing to chance. This must be coupled with economic developments and cooperation on every level to foster trust and mutually-vested interests.
Only a suicidal Israeli government would follow Bennett's nightmarish political treachery. For Bennett to become a Prime Minister, or even Defense Minister under another dangerously misguided Netanyahu government, is nothing but a kiss of death to the peace process and foretells the assured destruction of the Jews' dream to live in a free, secure, and peaceful sanctuary.
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center forGlobal Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.
It is hard to imagine how a devious, delusionary and destructive individual like Naftali Bennett, the leader of the Jewish Home party, can rise to prominence while openly advocating a racist political agenda.
His "solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a recipe for obliterating Israel as both Jewish and democratic, and converting it into an apartheid state, reviled by the international community and condemned to live in isolation and disgrace.
No, this is not what Israel was created for, and the fate of the country cannot be entrusted to the hands of a conniving hypocrite like Bennett. He is an imposter whose rainbow political agenda is nothing but a cover for an insidious plan to deprive the Palestinians of a state their own, but little does he realize that it will bring Israel ever closer to self-destruction.
In an arrogant and unflinching manner, he declares that since the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is stuck, it is time for new thinking. Israel should focus, he argues, on improving the lives of the Palestinians by "upgrading Palestinian autonomy in areas A and B," and goes on to say that the Palestinians will have "political independence" and can run their internal affairs as they see fit.
He is also generous to offer the Palestinians a "massive upgrade of roads and infrastructure, as well as the removal of roadblocks and checkpoints," and to "build economic bridges... between Israelis and Palestinians."
But, here is the caveat: "The Palestinian entity will be short of a state. It will not control its own borders." And the worst is yet to come—his plan is to annex Area C, which represents 60 percent of the West Bank.
From his perspective, the Israeli settlements should continue to expand, starting with the annexation of the main three blocs by "applying Israeli law and asserting national sovereignty in those blocs."
What this means is that the Palestinians will be allowed to live in cantons in places like Ramallah, Jenin, Bethlehem, and other small cities and villages—provided, of course, they behave themselves and dare not threaten or commit any violent act against Israel.
To be sure, Bennett is offering the Palestinians improved conditions in the same prison where they currently reside. Their "new" prison will now be renovated and better furnished, with open air and even clean, running water.
Bennett does not accept the premise that the Palestinians are entitled to a state of their own, but rather they must settle for the crumbs that Israel tosses them.
After all, he maintains that "we are not occupiers in our land," and out of compassion the Israelis are prepared to give up a big share of their homeland – a land which is historically theirs. What is more, this is the "Land of Israel," which has been bequeathed to them in perpetuity by the Almighty.
As a hard core religious, revisionist Zionist, Bennett finds great comfort in resorting to his Savior. He justifies his twisted political agenda by putting the onus on God: "Public opinion isn't my compass, the Torah is my compass." How convenient!
Religious conservatives often like to claim that "If there is no God, everything is permitted." But as the philosopher Slavoj Žižek has observed, it is precisely the reverse that is the case: "If there is a God, then anything is permitted... it is for those who refer to 'god' in a brutally direct way, perceiving themselves as instruments of his will, that everything is permitted" [emphasis added].
Although he admits that the proposal is not perfect, as "it seems to go against everything Israel, the Palestinians and the international community have worked toward over the last 20 years," it should be the government's policy, he says, "because there is a new reality in the Middle East."
Bennett should know that his plan is not only imperfect, it is an illusion, as if the Palestinians have no say and will simply bow to his whims. Under what circumstances will any Palestinian accept the continuing occupation under the guise of self-rule?
Bennett is mired in illusions, as illusions are based on wishes and not reality and one of the predictable psychological consequences of holding onto them is denial; that is, denial of the stubborn reality which refuses to accommodate itself to one's pipedreams.
The Palestinians want to live in their own independent state—in their homeland as well—and this is the bitter, unshakable reality that Bennett must face. The Palestinians have resisted the existence of Israel for decades and now they have come to accept the two-state solution, precisely "because there is a new reality in the Middle East"—Israel's unshakable reality.
There is nothing that Bennett or any of his schemers can do to change that, just as much as there is absolutely nothing the Palestinians can do to dislodge Israel.
All that any Israeli leader can justifiably demand is a permanent cessation of all hostilities, which the Palestinians must ensure if they wish to be independent. Any peace agreement ought to be structured in such a way to meet this unqualified Israeli requirement.
For Bennett to invoke the withdrawal from Gaza and the violence that erupted as a case in point, which must not be repeated in the West Bank, is disingenuous and misleading. No one in their right mind should evacuate the West Bank overnight, the way Prime Minister Sharon withdrew from Gaza.
Any negotiated peace agreement with the Palestinians will have to be implemented in stages over a period of at least ten years, with security arrangements fully coordinated with the Palestinians that leaves nothing to chance. This must be coupled with economic developments and cooperation on every level to foster trust and mutually-vested interests.
Only a suicidal Israeli government would follow Bennett's nightmarish political treachery. For Bennett to become a Prime Minister, or even Defense Minister under another dangerously misguided Netanyahu government, is nothing but a kiss of death to the peace process and foretells the assured destruction of the Jews' dream to live in a free, secure, and peaceful sanctuary.
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center forGlobal Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.
11 feb 2015
Hanan Ashrawi says PLO, Arafat worked with US, Israel to combat terrorism in early 2000s; Palestinians claim PA cannot be held responsible for actions of individuals acting on their own.
Top Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi took the witness stand in New York on Tuesday as the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Organization fight a lawsuit that would force them to pay up to $3 billion to victims of attacks in Israel.
Victims and their families have sued the authority and the PLO over six shootings and bombings in the Jerusalem area from 2002 to 2004 that killed 33 and wounded more than 450, claiming the defendants provided support to the terrorists who carried out the attacks. Lawyers for the Palestinians have argued in US Federal court that their government should not be held responsible for the actions of a few individuals who acted on their own or at the behest of outside terror groups such as Hamas.
Ashrawi, a member of the PLO's executive committee, said she and other leaders, including the late Yasser Arafat, worked with US and Israeli officials to combat terrorism during those years. "It didn't serve the cause of the Palestinian Authority or the PLO, nor the cause of freedom," she said of the attacks. Her testimony, which lasted about two hours, followed that of Majid Faraj, the authority's head of intelligence.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs have accused the Palestinians of making payments to militants convicted of terrorism as a means of supporting their actions. Faraj told the jurors the payments were intended to help the convicted men's families and remove economic reasons for them to engage in further attacks. During cross-examination, Kent Yalowitz, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, asked Faraj about Abdullah Barghouti, accused of being one of Hamas' chief bomb-makers in the early 2000s.
Faraj had testified earlier that Barghouti escaped from Palestinian custody in 2002. Yalowitz, however, showed Faraj an Israeli police report in which Barghouti said the Palestinian security forces allowed him to go free, despite his alleged role in several attacks. Faraj said he did not know the source of the police report.
Barghouti was later arrested by Israel and eventually sentenced to life in prison.
Top Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi took the witness stand in New York on Tuesday as the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Organization fight a lawsuit that would force them to pay up to $3 billion to victims of attacks in Israel.
Victims and their families have sued the authority and the PLO over six shootings and bombings in the Jerusalem area from 2002 to 2004 that killed 33 and wounded more than 450, claiming the defendants provided support to the terrorists who carried out the attacks. Lawyers for the Palestinians have argued in US Federal court that their government should not be held responsible for the actions of a few individuals who acted on their own or at the behest of outside terror groups such as Hamas.
Ashrawi, a member of the PLO's executive committee, said she and other leaders, including the late Yasser Arafat, worked with US and Israeli officials to combat terrorism during those years. "It didn't serve the cause of the Palestinian Authority or the PLO, nor the cause of freedom," she said of the attacks. Her testimony, which lasted about two hours, followed that of Majid Faraj, the authority's head of intelligence.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs have accused the Palestinians of making payments to militants convicted of terrorism as a means of supporting their actions. Faraj told the jurors the payments were intended to help the convicted men's families and remove economic reasons for them to engage in further attacks. During cross-examination, Kent Yalowitz, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, asked Faraj about Abdullah Barghouti, accused of being one of Hamas' chief bomb-makers in the early 2000s.
Faraj had testified earlier that Barghouti escaped from Palestinian custody in 2002. Yalowitz, however, showed Faraj an Israeli police report in which Barghouti said the Palestinian security forces allowed him to go free, despite his alleged role in several attacks. Faraj said he did not know the source of the police report.
Barghouti was later arrested by Israel and eventually sentenced to life in prison.
