http://www.liveleak.com/browse?channel_token=88f_1302945579 Items in channel 'dperezweichert' Mon, 20 May 2013 07:54:58 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?channel_token=88f_1302945579 Tue, 18 May 2010 12:17:06 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e11_1274199346 dperezweichert Elvis Costello has canceled two concerts he was planning to perform in Israel this summer, citing the complexeties of the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Agence France-Presse reported. Mr. Costello was scheduled to appear at the Caesarea Amphitheater on June 30 and July 1. But in a statement on his official Web site, he wrote, "It is after considerable contemplation that I have lately arrived at the decision that I must withdraw from the two performances." Mr. Costello went on to write that "there are occasions when merely having your name added to a concert schedule may be interpreted as a political act that resonates more than anything that might be sung," adding: I must believe that the audience for the coming concerts would have contained many people who question the policies of their government on settlement and deplore conditions that visit intimidation, humiliation or much worse on Palestinian civilians in the name of national security. I am also keenly aware of the sensitivity of these themes in the wake of so many despicable acts of violence perpetrated in the name of liberation. Mr. Costello wrote that his decision was "a matter of instinct and conscience." In a statement reported by Agence France-Presse, Limor Livnat, the Israeli sport and culture minister, criticized Mr. Costello for canceling his shows. "An artist who boycotts his fans in Israel is not worthy of performing in front of them," Ms. Livnat wrote. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/elvis-costello-cancels-concerts-in-israel/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e11_1274199346 dperezweichert Elvis Costello Cancels Concerts in Israel israel, gaza, zionist, obama, idf Tue, 18 May 2010 01:36:31 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2d7_1274160755 dperezweichert ISRAEL'S INTERIOR Ministry made a bad mistake Sunday in denying Noam Chomsky, the MIT linguist and longtime critic of Israel, entry into the occupied West Bank. The decision undercuts Israel's reputation as a rare haven for free speech in the Middle East. Discuss COMMENTS () Chomsky was headed to the occupied territories to deliver a speech at a Palestinian university. If Israel felt his presence in the West Bank was somehow dangerous, its decision to keep him out should have been made by the Defense Ministry, not the Interior Ministry, and only on the grounds of a threat to security. But the world-renowned linguistics professor, who is 81, presents no danger to Israel's security. He has been visiting Israel for more than a half century. Israel should acknowledge its mistake and let the speech go forward. But even if the original error is corrected, the damage to Israel's reputation will linger. This is not simply because a young border guard on the Allenby bridge was instructed to tell the elderly academic that "Israel does not like what you say.'' (Chomsky responded: "Find one government in the world which does.'') Rather, it is because the dispute with Chomsky comes just as Israel is trying to escape a boycott of its academic institutions by American and European universities. The theory underpinning that campaign holds that Israel denies academic freedom to Palestinian universities in the West Bank. Chomsky, ironically, has been outspoken in opposing the boycott of Israeli higher education. Chomsky is a freelance provocateur; a certain rhetorical excess goes with the turf. But Israel only hurt itself in suggesting that it no longer respects the basic democratic right to free speech. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2010/05/18/by_blocking_chomsky_speech_israel_hurt_its_own_cause/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2d7_1274160755 dperezweichert By blocking Chomsky speech, Israel hurt its own cause israel, gaza, zionist, obama, idf Fri, 07 May 2010 02:56:07 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d73_1273214897 dperezweichert The Security Council's permanent members this week reiterated an old call to establish a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East. The Arab states have no nuclear weapons - and when Iraq and Syria started developing them, the Israel Defense Forces attacked them. Therefore, this call is clearly directed at Israel, which is believed to possess such weapons, though its official position is that it only has a "nuclear option." The call was issued at a five-year Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, on the 40th anniversary of the treaty's inauguration. It's a sad celebration. North Korea has been making a mockery of the treaty for a decade and a half. Another member of the club, Iran, is developing nuclear weapons and challenging the council. Three states - India, Pakistan and Israel - are still refusing to join the NPT, which affords few privileges (such as using foreign nuclear material for domestic needs ) and numerous obligations (refraining from nuclear weapons, agreeing to supervision ). India and Pakistan have even conducted nuclear tests and make no secret of possessing nuclear weapons. It may be for mutual deterrence, but there is no guarantee that the safety catch will remain on forever. Egypt, which has always spearheaded demands for the region's total nuclear disarmament, decided in the 1970s that it was incapable of taking Israel on in the nuclear arena. Anwar Sadat, who indicated when he came to Jerusalem that he chose peace with Israel in part because of the nuclear issue, took the "if we don't have it, neither shall you" approach. The peace agreement with Israel has not stopped Egypt from consistently demanding, for more than 30 years now, that Israel be disarmed of its alleged nuclear weapons. This demand is raised every autumn at the International Atomic Energy Agency's annual conference in Vienna, and frequently in other international forums. The Arab demand, and the world's support for it, are nothing new. Nor is Israel's response. Ever since the days of foreign minister Yigal Allon's appearances at the UN General Assembly on behalf of Yitzhak Rabin's first government, Israel has preferred saying "yes, but" to outright rejection. Yes, certainly, Israel would be pleased if a nuclear-free zone were established, but on condition that the region's borders be defined so that it includes Iran (and Libya, and what about the nuclear weapons that may creep in from Pakistan? ), and that the region no longer be hostile. In brief, if the Egyptians say that without disarmament there will be no peace, Israel says peace now, disarmament later. What Israel is prepared to give for peace is already a different issue. However, the periodic demand for regional disarmament is different this time, on two counts: Israel describes the nuclear weapons Iran is expected to acquire as a threat to its survival, and U.S. President Barack Obama is passionately striving for a nuclear-free world, not merely region. In this situation, Israel must adopt a new policy - one that does not go as far as total and immediate disarmament, but does agree to freeze new nuclear activities. The expanse between excessive weaponry and disarmament is not a slippery slope. Israel should enter it. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israel-needs-a-new-nuclear-policy-1.288851 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d73_1273214897 dperezweichert Israel needs a new nuclear policy Israel, Zionist, Gaza, Palestinians, Obama Fri, 07 May 2010 02:48:12 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=828_1273214826 dperezweichert Israeli soldiers have detained 33 Palestinian civilians during several overnight raids on West Bank cities and towns as well as a raid on a refugee camp. The Israeli military raided the cities of Beit Lahm (Bethlehem) in the southern West Bank, the nearby town of Taqua, the northern city of Tubass, the nearby town of Qabatiya and the al-Far'a refugee camp late on Thursday. In another incident in the northern West Bank settlement of Hashmonaim, 100 illegal settlers clashed with Israeli police forces when officers tried to demolish their illegally-built settlement units. Police forces managed to demolish two units before settlers stopped them from leveling a third, Israeli media reported. About 500,000 settlers live in the West Bank. All the settlements there are considered illegal by the international community. http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125682&sectionid=351020202 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=828_1273214826 dperezweichert Israel detains 33 Palestinian civilians in raids Israel, Zionist, Gaza, Palestinians, Obama Fri, 07 May 2010 02:45:23 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c79_1273214585 dperezweichert Tel Aviv, Israel (TML) - Emerging from a briefing earlier this week with top Israeli intelligence officers, one Israeli lawmaker quipped, "If you have a bomb shelter, clean it out now." This warning came amid reports of the potential for summer war breaking out between Israel and Lebanon, spilling over into Syria. Leaders on all sides have tried to calm these fears, but they persist. This could be because intelligence is being leaked that Hizbullah in Lebanon has obtained larger and more precise rockets from Syria and Iran that put most of the Israeli population in its reach. In addition, the redistribution to all Israeli citizens of kits to protect them against chemical and biological attacks by Israeli army Home Front Command has done little to calm fears that a conflagration is nigh. Col. Yossi Sagiv, who is responsible for the Home Front Command's protective kits distribution program, said the timing was coincidental. "We had originally planned to start this in January 2009, but it was delayed until now due to budgetary reasons, that's all," Sagiv told The Media Line. Under the new plan Israelis are now ordering their newly designed gas masks from the post office and an employee will deliver them straight to their door. For decades Israel has equipped its citizens with kits to protect them from gas and germ warfare. But it collected the old ones in 2007. Since it started redistribution four weeks ago, about 4 percent of the population has already renewed their kits, Sagiv said. "We expect about 60 percent of the population to replace their kits within two years, with the remaining 40 percent being apathetic and waiting for an emergency," he said. "Still, if there is an emergency situation then we are capable of implementing our plans that involve reserve units that can quickly distribute the protective kits where they are needed," Sagiv added. Sagiv spoke to The Media Line amid revelations that the Home Front has been quietly and steadily revamping its civil defense preparations to give the Israeli rear better protection than it did when it came under Hamas rocket attacks last year and Hizbullah strikes in 2006. "For the last 62 years we couldn't sleep even one night with both eyes shut," said Zeev Bielski, a legislator from the centrist Kadima Party, as he emerged from the intelligence briefing with a long face. "Since the last war Hizbullah has received four times amount of weapons they had then thanks to its cooperation with Syria. Iran, Syria and the Hizbullah have brought about a situation where a terror organization like the Hizbullah can ignite the whole Middle East," Bielski told The Media Line. Briefing the legislators was Brig. Gen. Yossi Baidatz, the Israeli army's chief intelligence assessment officer. He told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee this week that Syria had transferred larger and more sophisticated surface-to-surface missiles, including about 200 M600 rockets that can carry a half-ton warhead, much more powerful than the Katyushas Hizbullah fired in 2006. Israeli intelligence claims Hizbullah now has more than 40,000 rockets and missiles of various calibers. Baidatz said the arms transfers were the "tip of the iceberg." In this volatile region, summer has historically been a season for wars, particularly if initiated by Israel, such as the 1967 Six Days War, and the First and Second Lebanon Wars. While dry ground favored Israel because it gave its strong tank forces better maneuverability and clear skies for the air forces, conflicts were often sparked by a strategic miscalculation. "There is a process by which Hizbullah and Syria have been rearming in a serious way and there is a potential, regardless of the weather, of Hizbullah making a miscalculation. If they did, Israel would use the opportunity to redress the stockpiles in a very serious way," said Hirsh Goodman, a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies. "Israel is not going to take drop-by-drop torture anymore. The possibility of a real classical war is zero, but there is a slight potential for a major flare up based on a miscalculation by some side," Goodman told The Media Line. Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, a former member of the IDF general staff and military attach'e to defense ministers, told The Media Line that the top echelon of the army today was itching for a fight with Hizbullah. "Some Israelis believe we did not settle accounts with Hizbullah. I know some people who are personally waiting for this opportunity," Amidror said. Read more: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7018615756#ixzz0nDvG6f8S http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c79_1273214585 dperezweichert Israel Prepares for Possibility of Summer War with Lebanon Israel, Zionist, Gaza, Palestinians, Obama Tue, 04 May 2010 02:02:33 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=95e_1272952899 dperezweichert A group of over 3,000 European Jews, known as JCall, have signed a petition, speaking out against Israel, that was presented to the European Parliament in Brussels. "We are speaking as friends of Israel and we are saying: You are going to make a mistake. You have to decide how to behave, not us," David Chemla, head of the group, told the Haaretz newspaper on Monday. "But as friends, as Jews, we want to tell you that you are going down a wrong path," said Chemla, who moved to France after living in Israel for 10 years and serving in the IDF. The petition, entitled "Call for Reason", considers the Israeli occupation and settlements "morally and politically wrong," noting that they "feed the unacceptable delegitimisation process that Israel currently faces abroad." "It comes from the European Jewish communities who are profoundly attached to Israel and who want to say that current Israeli policies are both a source of anxiety for us and a source of insecurity in the long term for Israel as well as a source of injustice for the Palestinians," Patrick Krugman, a French lawyer and spokesman for the group, said. The document calls on the EU and the US to pressure both parties "and help them achieve a reasonable and rapid solution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict." It says that systematic support of Israeli government policy is dangerous. JCall criticised The petition's signatories include Bernard-Henri Levy and Alain Finkielkraut, French philosophers, as well as Daniel Cohn-Bendit, leader of the student protests in the 1960s and a politician in the European parliament. IN DEPTH Videos: Biden peace push frustrated Biden explains Israel rebuke Biden still believes in two-state solution Focus: Biden: America's Middle East fixer? Q&A: Settlements "These are people who seize every opportunity to defend Israel publicly and remain faithful to it," Yossi Sarid, an ex-Knesset member, said of the key figures of JCall. "Even during Operation Cast Lead and after the Goldstone report they were on Israel's side. The State of Israel is the apple of their eye in good times, and especially in bad." Yael Kahn, an Israeli Jew, told Al Jazeera, that as someone campaigning against the Israeli abuse of Palestinian human rights, she was pleased to hear that JCall was openly criticising Israeli policies. "However, I find the "Call for reason" wholly inappropriate, due to its failure to mention the fact that these settlements are illegal," Kahn, chair of a UK-based activist group, Islington Friends of Yibna, said. "I am utterly appalled by the failure of the petition to mention Gaza and the barbaric siege Israel imposes on the 1.5 million Palestinians living there," she said. "It is outrageous to not speak out against the Israeli restrictions on the amount of food Palestinians in Gaza are allowed to have." She said that she was in regular contact with the victims of the Israeli policy of deprivation and called "on every person of conscience to take action to lift the siege imposed by Israel". Similar to JStreet JCall hope to build a European movement that is both "committed to the state of Israel and critical of the current choices of its government." This initiative comes amidst increasing criticism of Israeli policies from Jewish groups both within Israel and in the US and Europe. JCall say that they are based on the same principles as JStreet, a group of American Jews which recently came together in the US. Israel's Foreign Ministry declined to comment because the initiative is not government sponsored. Many signatories are from France, where the petition has received much press coverage. However, the president of CRIF, France's leading Jewish association, declined to sign, saying he objected to some of its language and its tone. "I think our initiative is actually helping Israel's image in Europe," Chemla said, responding to a claim that putting pressure on Israel was irresponsible. "It is a pretty low image over here these days, because of what happened in Gaza, mainly, and it is commonly believed in Europe that Israel is the provocative, negative side of the conflict - the one that is blocking the peace process." http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/05/201053185915716997.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=95e_1272952899 dperezweichert European Jews decry Israel policies Israel, Zionist, Gaza, Palestinians, Obama Sun, 02 May 2010 14:48:05 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=21e_1272825974 dperezweichert But the administration retains substantial overall support among American Jewish voters, and that appears to be giving him political running room to ply his approach to the issue. Obama has criticized Israel for continuing to build Jewish housing in disputed territory, which the president says threatens efforts to restart peace talks, contributes to instability in the region and jeopardizes U.S. interests. Receive breaking news alerts on your mobile device. Register >> Pro-Israel groups in the U.S. have been alarmed by Obama's efforts to wring concessions from the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But the larger American Jewish community is more open to Obama's arguments, analysts said. "The Jews who join pro-Israel organizations are quite upset by Obama's actions, and the damage there is going to be hard to repair," said Steven Rosen, a former foreign policy director for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the influential pro-Israel lobby. "But there's a vast group of Jews who don't think that much about Israel, and are just involved in liberal causes." Polls reflect some erosion in Obama's support from American Jews. Yet, most continue to show that a majority back his overall foreign policy and his approach to the Middle East. "Overall, I don't think this is going to have great consequences for his domestic support," said Rosen, who has been a critic of Obama's approach. Pro-Israeli groups in the U.S. have watched uneasily for nearly a year as Obama sought to halt Jewish construction in the West Bank and in Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. They were jolted to hear Obama say on April 13 that problems like the Arab-Israeli conflict cost Americans "blood and treasure," a remark seen as a signal that the president will continue to press Israel for concessions. Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel took out a newspaper advertisement to register his unhappiness. The upshot of Obama's comment was that "it's Israel to blame for the lack of progress on peace, and it's endangering American lives," said Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League. "That's disturbing." The administration "is willing to throw Israel under the bus in order to please Muslim nations," former New York Mayor Ed Koch, who campaigned for Obama's election, griped to FOX News. Nonetheless, a recent poll of U.S. Jews by the American Jewish Committee in March found that 55% approved of the Obama administration's handling of U.S.-Israel relations, while 37% disapproved. The annual survey was conducted in March, at the height of the latest U.S.-Israeli tiff, and released in April. While the survey found that Jewish voters' overall support for Obama had fallen to 57% from a high last year of 79%, they still support him more strongly than Americans as a whole. Many prominent Jewish Democratic leaders have been supportive of the administration, or at least have refrained from criticism, including Rep. Howard L. Berman of Valley Village, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Rep. Gary L. Ackerman of New York, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Mideast subcommittee; and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California. The divide between American pro-Israeli activists and other U.S. Jews is not particularly new. Many pro-Israel groups, as well as the Israeli government, supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq. But American Jews as a whole opposed the war by a 3-1 margin, Gallup found in 2007 - making them more strongly anti-war than any other U.S. religious group. American Jews represent only about 2% of U.S. voters, but their activism and political donations give them a disproportionate importance to Democrats. After the 2004 election, Democratic operatives estimated that roughly half the party's large-sum donors - those giving more than $25,000 - were Jewish. Some Republican fund-raisers say they have seen signs that Obama's clash with Israel has brought a surge in donations to Republicans. Morris J. Amitay, a former AIPAC official and treasurer of a pro-Israel political action committee, said contributions are up. Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, said the fallout "could eventually, theoretically," have an impact. "But we're far from it having an impact now," Forman said. "And given where the administration is going, I'm confident that the party will do very well with Jewish donors." After an internal review that found tensions had grown too high, the administration embarked on a campaign to improve ties with Israel and its American supporters, say people close to the discussions. In a series of public appearances and private meetings, senior administration officials have assured Jewish groups that U.S. commitments to Israel's safety remain ironclad. Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, and Dennis Ross, White House Mideast advisor, were among those pushing for a new approach, say people familiar with the discussions. Even so, Obama has not backed off from his view that Mideast peace is an American security issue, and that the U.S. government needs to play an active role in seeking a peace deal. "We've definitely seen a change in the public statements. The question is now, is this change cosmetics or substance?" asked Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League. "We'll find out in the next crisis." http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-0502-obama-jews-20100502,0,1263514.story http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=21e_1272825974 dperezweichert For Obama, room to maneuver on Israel Israel, Zionist, Gaza, Palestinians, Obama Sun, 02 May 2010 05:12:59 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=042_1272791351 dperezweichert JERUSALEM - Israel's prime minister on Sunday welcomed the Arab nations' endorsement of indirect, U.S.-brokered peace talks with the Palestinians. Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the prime minister still awaited a formal Palestinian statement on the resumption of peace talks, but renewed his willingness to restart peace talks "at any time and at any place" while insisting the talks begin "without preconditions." The Palestinians' executive committee was expected to meet next week to officially announce a resumption of talks. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said the talks will start this week, and U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell was expected back in the region soon. The last round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down in late 2008, reportedly while on the verge of an agreement. The Palestinians have since refused to sit down with Israel until it agrees to freeze all construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem - two areas that the Palestinians want for an independent state along with the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu has imposed a 10-month slowdown in settlement building that the Palestinians have rejected as insufficient. The indirect talks, with Mitchell shuttling between the two sides, are seen as a compromise. A first attempt to get indirect talks going collapsed in March when Israel announced plans for building new Jewish housing units in an east Jerusalem neighborhood. The decision drew fierce criticism from the United States and led to the worst rift between the two allies in decades. The Arab League's endorsement of talks on Saturday sticks to a four-month window voted on in March. An Israeli government official said he hoped the talks would lead to direct peace negotiations that ultimately touch on all the contested issues between the parties - such as final borders, refugees and the status of Jerusalem. "Israel believes that the core issues to the conflict can only be resolved in the framework of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians," he said. "Having said that, we have agreed that in the framework of the proximity talks there can be preliminary discussions on the core issues. We see the proximity talks as a corridor into the direct talks." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the future talks. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat insisted that talks were still pending on a final decision, but said the outline was clear. "We have agreed that the final status negotiations will last 24 months and we hope that in the four months of proximity talks we can achieve results that enable us to go for direct talks," he said. "Israel needs to choose between peace and settlements." http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioi_0jtO9RjMwPNRoXNCndRPRq3gD9FEICTG0 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=042_1272791351 dperezweichert Israel's PM welcomes progress toward peace talks Israel, Zionist, Gaza, Palestinians, Obama Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:28:55 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c85_1270502689 dperezweichert Jordan's King Abdullah is scheduled to leave for Washington Saturday to attend President Obama's Nuclear Security Summit. He spoke with The Wall Street Journal's Jay Solomon on a wide range of issues. The following are excerpts from that interview. WSJ: When you meet with the president, what is your message as far how to get the peace process going? Do you want the U.S. to come in and say: These are the parameters; let's get going; we're wasting too much time? HM: I think wasting too much time is something that we all have to be very concerned about because there is tremendous tension (in the region). Over the Israeli-Lebanese border; if you spoke (to some Lebanese) today they feel there is going to be a war any second. (It) Looks like there is an attempt by certain groups to promote a third intifada, which would be disastrous. Jerusalem as you are well aware is a tinderbox that could go off at any time, and then there is the overriding concern about military action between Israel and Iran. So with all these things in the background, the status quo is not acceptable; what will happen is that we will continue to go around in circles until the conflict erupts, and there will be suffering by peoples because there will be a war. On the U.S. side, obviously, American domestic politics has been a priority for the administration and I think that's very well understood. The economic challenges have also not helped in prioritizing the peace process. having said that I know very well that Obama and his administration are extremely committed to the two-state solution and moving the process forward. But they've had other things to deal with on their shoulders. The problem is what happens over the next couple of months. ... The job of Jordan and the other countries in the international community is to keep common sense and keep hope alive until America can bring its full weight on the Israelis and the Palestinians to get their act together and move the process forward. We're sort of the power brigade ... us and other countries, trying to see where issues of contention between Israelis and Palestinians and make the atmosphere more amiable. With the background that evil does not sleep. There are those out there on all sides unfortunately, rejectionists, I think that's maybe a good term to use these days, who will do everything they can to spoil the future of Israelis and the Palestinians. WSJ: Considering the history between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and you and your father, do you think he can deliver in the peace process? HM: I think the overlap that happened between me and Prime Minister Netanyahu 10 or 11 years ago was not very pleasant. It was actually the three most unpleasant months in the relationship between Jordan and Israel. I met Benjamin Netanyahu; he was sitting here this time last year. I was extremely optimistic by the vision he had for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians and the Israelis and the Arabs. However, I have to say that over the past 12 months, everything I've seen on the ground has made me extremely skeptical, and I'm probably one of the more optimistic people you will meet in this part of the world. And therefore, there's been a lot of words, but the actions on the ground have made me extremely concerned about how straightforward Israeli policy is. And at the same time we have continued provocations in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Jerusalem specifically engages Jordan because we are the custodians of the Muslim and Christian holy places and this is a flashpoint that goes beyond Jordanian-Israeli relations. This is something that could ignite Muslim frustration and anger, which we do not need today. So there are elements that are playing with fire and so, this has been an uphill struggle for the past couple of months. And unfortunately, for the first time since my father made peace with Israel, our relationship with Israel is at an all bottom low. It hasn't been as bad as it is today and as tense as it is today. WSJ: What is your message when you meet with the Israelis? HM: I think the long-term future of Israel is in jeopardy unless we solve our problems. Fifty-seven countries in the world, a third of the United Nations, do not recognize Israel. In a way, I think North Korea has better international relations than Israel. So when you look at the Arab-Islamic peace proposal what you are talking about is 57 nations reaching out to Israel for a long-term future. In America specifically, you hear, well, why doesn't Jordan take the Palestinians into our country? ... That would create tremendous instability. So if the Israelis want to push the Palestinians into Jordan, I don't see how that makes sense and how the international community will accept that because that would be an exodus of 1.8 million Palestinians from their homes into Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. And that would bring even more instability on their borders. But it still does not solve their long-term problem ... because the Arab-Israeli population in Israel proper, in eight to ten years, will be 50% of Israel. The Israelis have a major challenge on the future of their existence. Wouldn't it be better today when you're in a stronger position to make peace not only with your neighbors but with the whole Arab-Islamic world than kicking this problem down the road two or three years where your options become reduced? And there are Israelis out there that understand this and are reaching out. They are very concerned. And friends of Israel around the world, of whatever religious background, that also see this calamity being created and are very concerned. America has a saying it's been using; it's time for a bit of tough love for all of us to get this problem solved. WSJ: How different does the language from the Obama administration look from here? Some Arab and Palestinian leaders I talked to are describing the conflict as a national security threat to the U.S., which seems to be a shift that is driving this tough love. HM: It's not a shift. If you look at military and intelligence positions from the 1950s, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has always been against American national interests. What has happened is that President Bush finally came out and said that the future has to be a two-state solution. And President Obama took it one step forward and said what has been known by all of us for decades: Unless you solve this problem, the continuation of the Israeli-Palestinian problem and therefore the Israeli-Arab Muslim problem affects the direct national interest of the United States. I don't think that's gone down to the think tanks and politicians; they don't see it that way. But the generals and the intelligence officers and senior political leaders do realize that unless you solve this problem ... I mean, you are involved in two wars in our region. The Israeli-Palestinian issue is the core issue and this is the problem we have with American decision-makers. It's always been a challenge of connecting the dots. The Israeli Palestinian issue is used by everyone who has an axe to grind against the West. So resolving this problem does not mean that this evil will evaporate, but definitely, it will take a big chunk out of the challenges that we have in this region. WSJ: This kind of division between the U.S. and Israel, does it make you nervous at all in the sense that Israel could take actions on its own that would really prove destabilizing? HM: I personally think that Israel has a tendency to take action on its own anyway. But obviously when there is tension between any countries, the atmosphere is never conducive to moving people forward, so I look forward to the Israelis and Americans improving their relations but based on the national security interests of both the Israelis and Americans, which is solving this problem. WSJ: When you talk about Jordanian-Israeli relations at a low, it's just because there has not been that trust on this issue? HM: The political trust is gone, there is no real economic relationship between Jordan and Israel, for Israeli businessmen to get into Jordan he takes a visa that day; it is almost impossible for a Jordanian businessmen to enter Israel. So economically we were better off in trade and in movement before my father signed the peace treaty. I mean, obviously there was the golden period of the wonderful relationship between my father and Prime Minister Rabin, and after the death of PM Rabin, again there was a resurgence with PM Barak, but it's just been a decline since then. WSJ: President Obama came with such high hopes and such affection for him globally. How do you think he's doing? The standoff with Netanyahu could be either a sign of strength or weakness depending how you look at it. HM: We all knew that whatever the policies of President Obama would be, whether Middle East, health care, economy, there was such an over-expectation of the president that it has been unfairly challenging for him to deal with these issues. ... The challenge now, and the challenge I have in discussions with Arab and Muslim leaders, is the question of U.S. credibility. (The credibility of the whole peace process) is at an all-time low because expectations were so high, maybe unfairly high. Obama is being tough on the issue of settlements, but again the American public (needs to see that) it's not just Obama; you've got to realize the Europeans, the Russians, the Chinese and the international community are very frustrated with Israel politics. So again when I talk to the American public, you can't just hold President Obama in isolation because he is showing displeasure ... Remember you don't do anything in isolation. The extremists around are saying, hey look, nothing is happening, dialogue does not work, communicating with the Israelis is not the way to go forward, the idea of resistance, the spread of fear and hatred is the message they put forward, is the way to go. Even in the Arab Summit in Libya, you had to be careful where some countries were hinting, how long are we going to give you moderates a chance to peruse peace. Because really, look everybody, their way of doing it is not right. WSJ: Are you really worried that a third intifada or more violence in Jerusalem might break out? HM: There are elements that are actively pushing for a third intifada. There are heightened tensions. Gaza, as you've been seeing, is not all that stable. Jerusalem is a time bomb that I fear is just waiting to go off. Those are the things we see on the ground and then there's the overriding problem in the background of what happens if Israel hits Iran, and then action, reaction. It's a Pandora's box. WSJ: What do you think when you look at Iran and international policy. There's a lot of talk now about how active Iran is in Iraq as far as trying to push their political clients. Do you see it active in Hezbollah/Lebanon? In the Palestinian territories? Is the engagement track working? HM: Again, I look at it from a different angle. If there are those that are saying that Iran is playing mischief, then I say it is being allowed to play mischief. The platform they use is the injustice of the Palestinians and Jerusalem. So if you start taking those cards off the table, then Iranian influence on the Mediterranean through Hezbollah and Hamas in Gaza diminishes or becomes non existent. My view is that I am really against any military action in Iran, that is Pandora's box. But by dealing with the core issue, that's when you start taking cards away from the Iranian regime. WSJ: Do you think that President Obama gets that? HM: Absolutely. I am very, very comfortable with the understanding of the intricacies that Obama showed me in my meeting with him last year. Obviously, Secretary of State Clinton and General Jones and Senator Mitchell (also understand that). WSJ: Are you optimistic about Iraq, seeing how things are going there? HM: I am optimistic about Iraq because I believe in the Iraqi people and the vision of their nation to move forward. Now whether that happens in one year, 10 years or 15 years depends on a lot of influences we see. But I've described Iraq as a slow, steady pace towards the light. I believe that we as Arab countries have been negligent in not standing with the Iraqis more. I understand that Arab countries sometimes don't know how to deal with Iraq. But I think this is a new phase in their lives with this new election and we should be there for them. I'm optimistic and I believe in the national spirit of the Iraqis. WSJ: Can you give a sense of what else you are hoping to achieve in the U.S.? You will have business meetings? HM: In the old days I used to go and we used to arrange a breakfast or lunch and say Jordan's a great country, come visit. And we've been much more effective recently by targeting major corporations and saying here's your opportunities in Jordan, here's what we are willing to provide and here's the market. WSJ: Do you think the fact that you also have this kind of this bigger vision to address the bigger challenges to Jordan, i.e. water, power. HM: I think the mega-projects make a big difference because a lot of countries want to get involved in the mega projects, but from my limited economic experience, the mega projects, you don't actually see the railroad being done, the nuclear power plant, the Red-Dead Canal, although these are going to be tremendous in infrastructure and in positioning Jordan. It's sort of the IT companies, big business coming in where the private sector sees and gets energized and excited. So the buzz of the country is those companies setting up in Jordan, more than the mega projects although the mega projects (are major and essential for the future of Jordan). I am saying the mega projects have tremendous interest from companies and corporations because these are huge billion-dollar deals. But we don't see them in the newspaper the way you do when Yahoo sets up or when Google sets up. WSJ: Are there any other things in the US-Jordanian bilateral relationship that you are focusing on? In counterterrorism there has been a lot of cooperation? HM: In Afghanistan we've been asked to send more medical and combat engineers to help rebuild the country and this is something we are trying to negotiate with the Afghan government: How do we support the Afghans in transforming their lives. There has been interest from the European Union and the US to bring Afghan police and soldiers to be trained here. We have excellent facilities and we've had tremendous experience doing it with Palestinians and Iraqis. So Jordan is playing a more vital role in stability building in Afghanistan as a Muslim nation reaching out to help the development of another Muslim nation. I'm very excited and proud of that. WSJ: How many soldiers are in Afghanistan? HM: We've got a couple of hundred at the moment. It's a field hospital and support elements and a combat engineers. Maybe transportation assets. Maybe a couple of hundred more (will be sent)? ... I am actually going to Washington to discuss what is our commitment. WSJ: One factor in all of this, and no one can really see where we are headed, is Syria...How is Jordan's relationship with Syria and how do you see that? HM: Jordan's relationship with Syria is better than it has been in a long time; probably the best it's ever been. ... So the engagement now between the Syrian and Jordanian government on economic cooperation are at an all-time high. The Israeli-Syrian issue is obviously high on their priority list. WSJ: The message you get from Syria is they're ready to talk? HM: Yes, they are ready to talk but again I think everyone is still trying to decide what this Israeli government is all about. The rhetoric is positive, but actions on the ground show us something completely different, so there is frustration from Syria towards Israel. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304017404575165993793337612.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLETopStories http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c85_1270502689 dperezweichert Interview With Jordan's King Abdullah II(Israel, U.S, Iran). israel, middle east, gaza, zionist Sat, 03 Apr 2010 06:32:50 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=016_1270290701 dperezweichert Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned against a reported Israeli plan to launch a second military offensive against Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli deputy prime minister Silvan Shalom said Friday that a military operation will soon be launched in response to rocket attacks from Gaza, which involve home-made rockets that usually carry little or no explosive warhead. On Thursday, a single Qassam rocket landed near the Israeli town of Ashkelon on Thursday and caused some minor damages but no casualties. Although the Palestinian Resistance movement of Hamas did not claim responsibility for the attack, Israel nevertheless responded to the incident by carrying out six waves of air raids overnight. "If this rocket fire against Israel does not stop ... it will force us to launch another military operation," Shalom told public radio. Hamas has emphasized that it is looking to calm the situation. In an April 1 phone conversation with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the Chairman of Hamas Political Bureau Khaled Mashaal said: "Hamas is not interested in the escalation of tensions and is taking corresponding measures to prevent missile strikes from the Gaza," reported ITAR-Tass News Agency. President Ahmadinejad, in a formal speech at the inauguration of the Middle East's biggest iron ore pellet factory in the southern city of Sirjan, warned Israel against making plans for a new offensive against Gazans, who are still reeling from the devastating attack by Tel Aviv two years ago. Ahmadinejad condemned Israel's continued crimes in Palestine and Lebanon, stressing that the Tel Aviv regime is the sole obstacle to the establishment of peace and security in the region. Referring to Israel's use of foreign passports to assassinate senior Hamas military commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai, Ahmadinejad said Israel has "clearly been given carte blanche by Western powers "to commit whatever crime it pleases and violate whatever law it deems necessary." On a different note, Ahmadinejad said the rising tide of terrorism in the Middle East is a direct result of US military presence in the region over the past decade. "The ever-increasing presence of US coalition forces in region has contributed to the growing rate of terrorism and violence," he noted. The Iranian President said he found the US campaign to isolate Tehran in the region and in the world "most amusing" because he seriously believes that Washington, due to decades of hegemony and political missteps, has grown to become one of the most isolated countries to date. "We think that those are isolated that cannot talk to nations directly, those who are afraid of nations." President Ahmadinejad said it was the US not Iran which was isolated, reasoning that American officials only paid unannounced visits to the regional countries. "They want to visit their military base in a country where they have deployed 160,000 military troops and they go there without announcing in advance. Who is isolated?" He dismissed US accusations regarding an "Iranian intention to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels," adding such claims are highly ironic coming from countries which possess and continue to develop vast nuclear arsenals that have been tested and even used in military confrontations. Under international law, Ahmadinejad said, Western countries are obliged to provide Iran - without out preconditions - with the specified amount of fuel it requires for the Tehran research reactor, which plays the vital role of producing medical isotopes. Due to their refusal, Ahmadinejad continued, Iran reserves the right to domestically-enrich uranium up to 20 percent in order to meet the demands of thousands of Iranian patients, who desperately need post-surgery drug treatment with nuclear medicine. With regards to US efforts to rally worldwide support for gasoline embargoes against Iran, Ahmadinejad said such a move would fail to bring Washington's desired results because the country will soon reach the refining capacity to produce its own gasoline. Iran is the world's fourth-largest oil exporter but, according to US estimates, the country relies on gasoline imports to meet 40 percent of its domestic demand. http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122339&sectionid=351020101 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=016_1270290701 dperezweichert Ahmadinejad warns Israel against second Gaza war israel, middle east, gaza, zionist Fri, 02 Apr 2010 04:09:35 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6ec_1270195591 dperezweichert An Israeli journalist is in hiding in Britain, The Independent can reveal, over fears that he may face charges in the Jewish state in connection with his investigation into the killing of a Palestinian in the West Bank. Uri Blau, a reporter at Israel's liberal newspaper, Haaretz, left town three months ago for Asia and is now in London. Haaretz is understood to be negotiating the terms of his return to Israel with prosecutors, according to an Israeli source, who declined to be identified, because of the sensitivity of the situation. The news of Mr Blau's extended absence comes just days after it emerged that another Israeli journalist, Anat Kam, has been held under house arrest for the last three months on charges that she leaked classified documents to the press while completing her military service. Although no media outlet or journalist has been specifically named as the recipient of the classified information, there is speculation on Israeli blogs that Ms Kam gave documents to Mr Blau that formed the basis of a story he wrote in November 2008. In his article for Haaretz, Mr Blau reported that one of two Islamic Jihad militants killed in Jenin in June 2007 had been targeted for assassination in apparent violation of a ruling issued six months earlier by Israel's supreme court. While not outlawing assassinations in the West Bank altogether, the ruling heavily restricted the circumstances in which they were permissible, effectively saying that they should not take place if arrest was possible. In an unusual move, Israel has placed a gagging order on national media, preventing them from reporting any aspect of the Kam case. Israel's Channel Ten and Haaretz are expected to challenge this order on 12 April. According to the court order, Ms Kam, 23, is being held on "espionage" charges. It alleges that she passed classified documents to a male journalist while working as a clerk in the Israel Defence Forces Central Command during her military service. She was arrested more than a year after Mr Blau's report, which was cleared by military censors at the time of publication, when she was working for the news service Walla, until recently owned by Haaretz. Ms Kam denies all the charges. Her trial has reportedly been set for 14 April and she could face a lengthy prison sentence if convicted. Mr Blau did not respond to requests for comment; his friends and colleagues refused to discuss the case in detail. Dov Alfon, Haaretz's editor-in-chief, said in an emailed statement: "Haaretz has a 90-year-long tradition of protecting its reporters from government pressures, and Uri Blau is getting all the help we can provide him with." The move to gag Israel-based media has sparked fevered debate on Jewish blogs, which have freely reported the story. Bloggers have railed against the blackout, saying it represents a critical challenge to the freedom of the press. "I do not believe that a citizen can be arrested and tried for suspected security offences right under our noses without anyone knowing anything about it," wrote former Haaretz editor Hanoch Marmari in an eloquent cri de coeur on the Seventh Eye website. "Trials do not take place here in darkened dungeons, nor do we have show trials behind glass or chicken wire. I have no doubt that such a strange, terrible and baseless scenario cannot take place in such a sophisticated democracy as our own." http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/journalist-on-the-run-from-israel-is-hiding-in-britain-1934015.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6ec_1270195591 dperezweichert Journalist on the run from Israel is hiding in Britain israel, middle east, gaza, zionist Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:24:38 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6da_1269984196 dperezweichert Aipac has persuaded more than three-quarters of the members of the US House of Representatives to sign a letter calling for an end to public criticism of Israel. Photograph: Pete Souza/AP America's main pro-Israel lobby group is mobilising members of Congress to pressure the White House over its bitter public confrontation with Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister. The move, by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), appears aimed at exploiting differences in the Obama administration as it decides how to use the crisis around settlement building in Jerusalem to press Israel toward concessions to kickstart peace negotiations. Aipac has persuaded more than three-quarters of the members of the US House of Representatives to sign a letter calling for an end to public criticism of Israel and urging the US to "reinforce" its relationship with the Jewish state. The open letter, which has been circulating among members of Congress for the last week, says that while it is recognised that there will be differences between the two countries, they should be kept behind closed doors. "Our view is that such differences are best resolved quietly, in trust and confidence," it says. The public differences, and revelations of Obama's private snubs of Netanyahu at the White House last week, have proved embarrassing to the Israeli leader at home, where he has been accused of undermining Israel's most important relationship. Signatories to Aipac's letter include Steny Hoyer, the Democrat majority leader, and Eric Cantor, the Republican whip. The wording is similar to an email Aipac sent out during Netanyahu's visit, describing Obama's criticisms of the Israeli government as "a matter of serious concern" and calling on the US administration "to take immediate steps to defuse the tension with the Jewish state". But while Aipac has for years influenced US policy on Israel, by targeting members of Congress who criticise the Jewish state, it may no longer have the same impact. Robert Malley, a former special assistant to President Bill Clinton for Arab-Israeli affairs, said the administration's decision to take a once routine disagreement over settlement construction in East Jerusalem and turn it in to a confrontation is a reflection of the determination in the White House. "This episode tells us more about the past and the future than the present. It's a reflection of the accumulated frustration and mistrust of the Netanyahu government by the White House. For the future, they're headed for a collision on the pace and nature of peace negotiations," he said. "We're seeing determination." A source, who is consulted by administration officials on Israel policy but did not wish to be named, said that having chosen to take Netanyahu on, Obama cannot afford to back away. "The administration's credibility is at stake - in Israel and the Arab world. Netanyahu thought he had the better of it last year after he humiliated the president by rejecting his demand for a settlement freeze. If the administration does not follow through on this, or reaches some compromise that takes the heat off the Israelis, I suspect it will be almost impossible for us to get anything off the ground," he said. Netanyahu appears to have been caught off guard by Obama's stand, perhaps because he was overconfident of being able to bypass the administration by relying on strong support for Israel in Congress. But while Aipac has been able to mobilise support for its letter, Congressional leaders have remained largely silent on the substance of the dispute. That is, in part, because there is little enthusiasm for Jewish settlements. In addition, the White House has played an unusual card in suggesting that Netanyahu's intransigence is endangering US interests in the Middle East, and the lives of US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. "So far, I've been surprised by how muted congressional reaction has been," said Malley. "It may come, but if the administration manages to portray this as an issue of US national interest, it may be able to sustain a level of criticism." However, there are reports of divisions within the administration on how to proceed. The US special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, and the national security adviser, James Jones, believe Israeli governments respond to pressure. Last year, an Israeli diplomatic memorandum described Jones as having told European officials that the US administration would take a hard line with the government in Jerusalem. Some officials favour mapping out a blueprint for peace and pressing both sides to adopt it. But other officials argue against forcing Netanyahu to make compromises that will bring down his rightwing coalition. There has been criticism from Dennis Ross, who served as Bill Clinton's Middle East envoy. Now a Middle East strategist for the Obama administration, he is reported to be arguing for the White House to ease up on Netanyahu. However, Ross is regarded by some sceptics as too close to Israel. He has publicly argued that Jerusalem must remain undivided and is regarded with suspicion by the Palestinians, who saw him as effectively negotiating on Israel's behalf, rather than as a neutral mediator. Malley says that whatever the Obama administration does it is almost certain to lead to further confrontation with the Israeli government. "The next crisis is more or less inevitable, given the diverging views of the Israeli and US governments on the pace and direction of the emerging talks," he said. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/30/us-israel-lobby-pressure-obama http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6da_1269984196 dperezweichert Israel lobby presses Congress to soften Obama's tough stance on Netanyahu israel, middle east, gaza, zionist