To:
rabbi@ehnt.org
www.aipac.org December 9, 2008
Obama: Iranian Nuclear Weapons Are 'Unacceptable'
Bush Calls Israel America's 'Closest Ally' in the Mideast
Treasury Targets Iranian Oil Company
European Union Upgrades Ties with Israel
Government of Israel Evicts Hebron Squatters
Israel Prepares for Electric Cars
take action!
Affect Israel's future and promote U.S. interests in the Middle East by urging your members of Congress to support critical legislation.
Obama: Iranian Nuclear Weapons Are 'Unacceptable'
Emphasizing the danger of Iran's nuclear program, President-elect Barack Obama said on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday that Tehran's threats against Israel and sponsorship of Hamas and Hizballah are "contrary to everything" that the United States believes in. "I think we need to ratchet up tough but direct diplomacy with Iran, making very clear to them that their development of nuclear weapons would be unacceptable," Obama said, adding that in order to change Iran's behavior, international sanctions would need to be tightened. Obama emphasized that he is willing to talk to Iranian leaders directly "and let them make a determination in terms of whether they want to do this the hard way or the easy way." Click here to learn about the importance of stringent sanctions against Iran.
Bush Calls Israel America's 'Closest Ally' in the Mideast
President Bush on Friday recalled his administration's work to bring peace to the Middle East and reiterated his personal commitment to the safety and security of Israel. "I was the first American president to call for a Palestinian state, and building support for the two-state solution has been a top priority of my administration," Bush told the Saban Forum. "To earn the trust of Israeli leaders, we made it clear that no Palestinian state would be born of terror... I believe that the day will come when the map of the Middle East shows a peaceful, secure Israel beside a peaceful and democratic Palestine." Bush also stated that Israel was America's "closest ally in the Middle East."
Treasury Targets Iranian Oil Company
The Treasury Department identified the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), as well as two of its Swiss-based international financial and commercial subsidiaries, the Naftiran Intertrade Co. (NICO) and Naftiran Intertrade Company Sarl, "as entities owned or controlled by the government of Iran." The targeted companies play a significant role in financing Iran's energy sector, and Treasury's step may result in Iran's further isolation from the international financial system. The United States has played a leading role in sanctioning Iran for its ongoing failure to comply with international penalties over its illicit nuclear program.
European Union Upgrades Ties with Israel
In a historic move, the European Union on Monday unanimously approved a plan to upgrade relations with Israel, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported. The improved ties will begin with a first-of-its kind meeting between Israel's prime minister and the leaders of all 27 E.U. member states in Brussels this April. As a result of the decision, Israel's foreign minister will start meeting three times a year with all 27 E.U. foreign ministers, and Israel and the E.U. will hold a strategic dialogue on issues such as the peace process, the Iranian threat, counterterrorism and organized crime. The E.U. also pledged to help Israel integrate into various U.N. agencies and to include Israeli experts in E.U. peacekeeping forces.
Government of Israel Evicts Hebron Squatters
Enforcing a decision by the Israeli government and supported by a Supreme Court ruling, Israeli troops removed some 250 fringe activists from a building in Hebron on Thursday, The New York Times reported. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak dispatched 600 soldiers and policemen to carry out the evacuation, adding that "what was tested today was the ability of the state to enforce its laws and its essence upon its citizens." The United Nations welcomed the Israeli move, which demonstrated the country's ability to confront radical fringe elements in Israeli society. It was also a show of Israel's willingness to take significant steps toward resolving the conflict with the Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority must match Israel's commitment to peace by isolating Hamas, fighting terrorism and laying the groundwork for historic political compromise.
Israel Prepares for Electric Cars
Instead of filling up at the pump, Israeli motorists may soon be able to fill their cars up at the plug, the Associated Press reported. That's the idea behind Monday's demonstration of the parking lot of the future, equipped with stations to charge the battery-powered cars scheduled to ply Israel's streets in 2011. Israel's government has endorsed the project, which aims to blanket the country with electric cars and plugs. The California-based company, Project Better Place, is building the infrastructure to switch Israeli drivers over to battery power. The group has built 400 wired parking spots, mainly in and around Tel Aviv, since it launched the initiative in June.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Daily Alert
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
View this page at www.dailyalert.org
Subscribe
RSS-XML
DAILY ALERT
Tuesday,
December 9, 2008
Support the Daily Alert
In-Depth Issues:
Iran Rocket Arsenal Tripled in 2008 (Jerusalem Post)
Iran has tripled the number of long-range rockets in its arsenal, Israel TV Channel 10 reported on Monday.
According to the report, Iran has over 100 Shihab-3 long-range missiles capable of hitting Israel, up from 30 missiles at the beginning of 2008.
While Iran's ability to strike Israel has long been known, this latest build-up points to an Iranian intent to launch a protracted counter-strike against those who seek to destroy its nuclear program.
Germany Increasing Exports to Iran, Despite Sanctions - Assaf Uni (Ha'aretz)
German exports to Iran are up 10% according to data from the Federal Statistical Office for the first three quarters of 2008.
During the first seven months of 2008, the German government approved 1,926 transactions with Iran, a 63% increase over last year, further cementing Germany's position as Iran's largest trade partner.
Haj Pilgrims Denounce Israel - Ali Akbar Dareini (AP)
Thousands of haj pilgrims to Mecca - mostly Iranians, Lebanese, Iraqis and Bahrainis - held a rally Sunday to denounce the U.S. and Israel.
Called the "disavowal of pagans ceremony," the Iranian-sponsored, anti-U.S. protest is held annually at the haj.
Pakistan Militant Group Builds Web of Western Recruits - Sebastian Rotella (Los Angeles Times)
For years, Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistani extremist group suspected in the Mumbai rampage, has actively recruited Westerners, especially Britons and Americans, serving as a kind of farm team for Islamic militants who have gone on to execute attacks for al-Qaeda, a close ally.
The Pakistani network makes its training camps accessible to English speakers, providing crucial skills to an increasingly young and Western-born generation of extremists.
PA Accuses Al-Jazeera of Favoring Hamas - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
The PA has banned Al-Jazeera from Mahmoud Abbas' compound in Ramallah after the TV station failed to carry a live broadcast of a speech by Abbas to the PLO Central Council. Instead, the station broadcast live from Damascus, where Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal was addressing a conference of radical groups.
PA officials accused Al-Jazeera of being biased in favor of Hamas, noting that this was not the first time that the station had served as a platform for Hamas and other radical Islamic groups.
Seven Palestinian reporters have been arrested by Abbas' security forces in the past few months for allegedly expressing sympathy with Hamas.
Search
Key Links
Media Contacts
Back Issues
Fair Use News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
* Iran Rejects Obama's "Carrot-and-Stick" Proposal - Nasser Karimi
Iran on Monday rejected a proposal by President-elect Barack Obama that a combination of economic incentives and tighter sanctions might persuade the Iranian government to change its behavior. Obama told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that the international community could develop a set of incentives that would persuade Iran to alter its nuclear program.
But Iran has rejected past offers of economic incentives by the international community in exchange for scaling back its nuclear activities, a sentiment echoed Monday by Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hasan Qashqavi. "The carrot-and-stick policy has no benefit," Qashqavi said. "It is unacceptable and failed." He reiterated Iran's refusal to suspend enrichment and said the U.S. must recognize Iran's "nuclear right" before the country would dispel concerns about its program. (AP/Washington Post)
* U.S. Oil Firm Sidesteps Sanctions on Iran - Farah Stockman
In the oil fields of Iran, a 2,000-pound drilling tool, called the azimuthal density neutron tool, probes deep under the earth for fresh supplies of crude, the lifeblood of one of the most formidable foes of the U.S. While helping to enrich Iran's economy, the drilling tool also presents a potential risk to American security, were it to fall into the wrong hands. It is powered by a radioactive chemical that scientists say could fuel a so-called "dirty bomb," capable of spreading radiation across many city blocks.
The tool is the type of sophisticated technology that the U.S. has sought for 13 years to prevent from reaching Iran, a country the U.S. government says is financing terrorism with its oil profits. But the device - developed by the oil-services firm Schlumberger in labs in Connecticut and Texas - was brought to Iran through a legal loophole that allows multinational corporations to use foreign subsidiaries to sidestep U.S. sanctions, according to a Boston Globe investigation. Scientists say that if the five curies of americium-241 used in Schlumberger's tool were to be lost or stolen, the material could be combined with TNT to create a crude nuclear device known as a "dirty bomb" that could contaminate an area of many city blocks. (Boston Globe)
* Nuclear Watchdog Head Calls Efforts Against Iran "a Failure" - Borzou Daragahi
The chief of the world's nuclear weapons watchdog organization considers five years of U.S. and international efforts to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions a failure, as Tehran moves ever closer to obtaining the means to develop weapons of mass destruction. "We haven't really moved one inch toward addressing the issues," said Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. "I think so far the policy has been a failure." (Los Angeles Times)
* After Israel Objects, Qatar Gives Up Plan for Aid Shipment to Gaza - Dion Nissenbaum
Israel has prodded Qatar, a friendly Persian Gulf nation, into calling off a delegation preparing to transport aid from Cyprus to Gaza. Israel urged Qatar officials to send any Gaza-bound aid via Israel, Israeli government officials said. "The message was delivered, not only to them, but to anybody else that wanted to transfer aid to Gaza, that there is a mechanism on how to do it," said Andy David, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry. Israeli officials say they will allow supplies to enter Gaza if and when Hamas prevents Palestinian militants from firing rockets and mortars into southern Israel. (McClatchy)
See also Police Seize Israeli Arab Boat Ahead of Gaza Sail
A boat scheduled to leave Jaffa port on Sunday with several Arab Knesset members and sail to Gaza was seized by the Israel Police early Sunday. (Ynet News)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
* EU Votes to Upgrade Israel Relations - Barak Ravid
The EU's 27 foreign ministers unanimously approved upgrading relations with Israel on Monday, despite vigorous efforts by the PA and Egypt to thwart the move. The first expression of this decision will be a meeting between Israel's prime minister and all the leaders of the EU member states in Brussels this April. In addition, Israel's foreign minister will start meeting three times a year with all 27 EU foreign ministers.
Israel and the EU will also conduct a strategic dialogue on issues such as the peace process, the Iranian threat, counterterrorism and organized crime. Separately, the ministers decided to shelve a proposed action plan for the peace process in 2009, in response to an Israeli request. In addition, the EU pledged to help Israel integrate into UN agencies and to include Israeli experts in EU peacekeeping forces. (Ha'aretz)
* Israel Pardons 45 More Fatah Terrorists - Ali Waked
Israel granted full pardon on Sunday to another group of 45 men belonging to Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. The gesture, made in the framework of last year's amnesty agreement between Israel and the PA, was finalized at a meeting of Israeli and Palestinian officials. (Ynet News)
* Abbas: Israel Never Prevented Palestinians from Making Haj Pilgrimage Like Hamas Does
PA leader Mahmoud Abbas accused Hamas of preventing thousands of Palestinians from making the annual haj pilgrimage to Mecca, Israel Radio reported Saturday. Abbas told reporters in Mecca that Israel had never once prevented Palestinians from making the holy visit. Palestinians wishing to travel to Saudi Arabia through Egypt were not given permits. (Jerusalem Post)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
* Israel's New UN Envoy Sees Cracks in Arab Animosity
Gabriela Shalev, Israel's first woman ambassador to the UN, sees cracks in the longstanding Arab cold shoulder and animosity directed at the Jewish state. When the U.S. and British ambassadors gave lunches in her honor and asked who to invite, Shalev said, "I always asked for the Palestinian observer (Riyad Mansour) - he's very nice and we're friends, more than colleagues - the Jordanian ambassador and the ambassador from Oman." "It's easier for me to connect to them than some of the other ambassadors," she added. "We have a lot in common. I can approach them in Arabic."
At a dinner for new ambassadors, Shalev said Turkey's UN envoy deliberately sat her next to the ambassador from one of the "not so moderate Arab countries," which she refused to identify. "We had a wonderful talk all through the evening," she said. "We talked about peace and the Middle East. We found a lot of things in common." Two days later, Shalev said she saw the ambassador at the UN. "He nodded his head, and he was not as nice and friendly as the evening, and I understand it. Maybe people are watching."
Shalev had some advice for President-elect Obama: Leave the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to the parties themselves. "We have to deal with our own problems without any pressure - not of the UN, not of the U.S., but it should be bilateral between the parties." (AP/International Herald Tribune)
* Media Ignore Militants' Muslim Identity - Mark Steyn
In the assault on Bombay, much of the media abandoned offending formulations - "Islamic terrorists," "Muslim extremists" - and found it easier to call the perpetrators "militants" or "gunmen" or "teenage gunmen." The veteran British TV anchor Jon Snow opted for the more cryptic "practitioners." At the Habad House, the murdered Jews were described in almost all the Western media as "ultra-Orthodox," "ultra" in this instance being less a term of theological precision than a generalized code for "strange, weird people, nothing against them personally, but they probably shouldn't have been over there in the first place." Are they stranger or weirder than their killers?
The New York Times was being silly in suggesting this was just an "accidental" hostage opportunity - and not just because, when Muslim terrorists capture Jews it's not a hostage situation, it's a mass murder-in-waiting. The sole surviving "militant" revealed that the Jewish center had been targeted a year in advance. (Washington Times)
Observations:
Arab Peace Initiative Can Be a Starting Point, Not a Diktat - Ron Prosor (Guardian-UK)
* It is important to realize that the Arab peace initiative cannot be seen as a "take it or leave it" offer. It cannot serve as a diktat, or replace the need for bilateral negotiations, on both the Palestinian and Syrian tracks. The plan is an interesting starting point for negotiations, but the international community should be under no illusions. Elements of the text are a cause for grave concern as regards the survivability of the State of Israel.
* The demand that Palestinians should be able to relocate to areas inside the borders of the State of Israel jeopardizes Israel's very existence. It is difficult to understand why Palestinians, having created a state of their own, would subsequently insist on sending their own people to the Jewish state.
* Israel's concern over the future of Jerusalem should also not be underestimated. From time immemorial, Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish people, and will always remain so. The 1967 borders might provide a reference point for negotiations, but the demographic realities and security concerns of Israel's population must be taken into account.
* The Saudis, Kuwaitis and other Gulf states could do more to encourage the Palestinians towards compromise. Instead of perpetuating unattainable fantasies that have long held back the Palestinian cause, they should help their Palestinian brethren set realistic, attainable goals.
* Three realities must be acknowledged: Israel exists, Israel belongs, and recognizing Israel would be to the benefit of every Arab society. Everyone in the region with the ability to promote this understanding must be urged to do so.
The writer is the Israeli ambassador in Londo
by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
View this page at www.dailyalert.org
Subscribe
RSS-XML
DAILY ALERT
Tuesday,
December 9, 2008
Support the Daily Alert
In-Depth Issues:
Iran Rocket Arsenal Tripled in 2008 (Jerusalem Post)
Iran has tripled the number of long-range rockets in its arsenal, Israel TV Channel 10 reported on Monday.
According to the report, Iran has over 100 Shihab-3 long-range missiles capable of hitting Israel, up from 30 missiles at the beginning of 2008.
While Iran's ability to strike Israel has long been known, this latest build-up points to an Iranian intent to launch a protracted counter-strike against those who seek to destroy its nuclear program.
Germany Increasing Exports to Iran, Despite Sanctions - Assaf Uni (Ha'aretz)
German exports to Iran are up 10% according to data from the Federal Statistical Office for the first three quarters of 2008.
During the first seven months of 2008, the German government approved 1,926 transactions with Iran, a 63% increase over last year, further cementing Germany's position as Iran's largest trade partner.
Haj Pilgrims Denounce Israel - Ali Akbar Dareini (AP)
Thousands of haj pilgrims to Mecca - mostly Iranians, Lebanese, Iraqis and Bahrainis - held a rally Sunday to denounce the U.S. and Israel.
Called the "disavowal of pagans ceremony," the Iranian-sponsored, anti-U.S. protest is held annually at the haj.
Pakistan Militant Group Builds Web of Western Recruits - Sebastian Rotella (Los Angeles Times)
For years, Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistani extremist group suspected in the Mumbai rampage, has actively recruited Westerners, especially Britons and Americans, serving as a kind of farm team for Islamic militants who have gone on to execute attacks for al-Qaeda, a close ally.
The Pakistani network makes its training camps accessible to English speakers, providing crucial skills to an increasingly young and Western-born generation of extremists.
PA Accuses Al-Jazeera of Favoring Hamas - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
The PA has banned Al-Jazeera from Mahmoud Abbas' compound in Ramallah after the TV station failed to carry a live broadcast of a speech by Abbas to the PLO Central Council. Instead, the station broadcast live from Damascus, where Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal was addressing a conference of radical groups.
PA officials accused Al-Jazeera of being biased in favor of Hamas, noting that this was not the first time that the station had served as a platform for Hamas and other radical Islamic groups.
Seven Palestinian reporters have been arrested by Abbas' security forces in the past few months for allegedly expressing sympathy with Hamas.
Search
Key Links
Media Contacts
Back Issues
Fair Use News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
* Iran Rejects Obama's "Carrot-and-Stick" Proposal - Nasser Karimi
Iran on Monday rejected a proposal by President-elect Barack Obama that a combination of economic incentives and tighter sanctions might persuade the Iranian government to change its behavior. Obama told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that the international community could develop a set of incentives that would persuade Iran to alter its nuclear program.
But Iran has rejected past offers of economic incentives by the international community in exchange for scaling back its nuclear activities, a sentiment echoed Monday by Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hasan Qashqavi. "The carrot-and-stick policy has no benefit," Qashqavi said. "It is unacceptable and failed." He reiterated Iran's refusal to suspend enrichment and said the U.S. must recognize Iran's "nuclear right" before the country would dispel concerns about its program. (AP/Washington Post)
* U.S. Oil Firm Sidesteps Sanctions on Iran - Farah Stockman
In the oil fields of Iran, a 2,000-pound drilling tool, called the azimuthal density neutron tool, probes deep under the earth for fresh supplies of crude, the lifeblood of one of the most formidable foes of the U.S. While helping to enrich Iran's economy, the drilling tool also presents a potential risk to American security, were it to fall into the wrong hands. It is powered by a radioactive chemical that scientists say could fuel a so-called "dirty bomb," capable of spreading radiation across many city blocks.
The tool is the type of sophisticated technology that the U.S. has sought for 13 years to prevent from reaching Iran, a country the U.S. government says is financing terrorism with its oil profits. But the device - developed by the oil-services firm Schlumberger in labs in Connecticut and Texas - was brought to Iran through a legal loophole that allows multinational corporations to use foreign subsidiaries to sidestep U.S. sanctions, according to a Boston Globe investigation. Scientists say that if the five curies of americium-241 used in Schlumberger's tool were to be lost or stolen, the material could be combined with TNT to create a crude nuclear device known as a "dirty bomb" that could contaminate an area of many city blocks. (Boston Globe)
* Nuclear Watchdog Head Calls Efforts Against Iran "a Failure" - Borzou Daragahi
The chief of the world's nuclear weapons watchdog organization considers five years of U.S. and international efforts to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions a failure, as Tehran moves ever closer to obtaining the means to develop weapons of mass destruction. "We haven't really moved one inch toward addressing the issues," said Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. "I think so far the policy has been a failure." (Los Angeles Times)
* After Israel Objects, Qatar Gives Up Plan for Aid Shipment to Gaza - Dion Nissenbaum
Israel has prodded Qatar, a friendly Persian Gulf nation, into calling off a delegation preparing to transport aid from Cyprus to Gaza. Israel urged Qatar officials to send any Gaza-bound aid via Israel, Israeli government officials said. "The message was delivered, not only to them, but to anybody else that wanted to transfer aid to Gaza, that there is a mechanism on how to do it," said Andy David, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry. Israeli officials say they will allow supplies to enter Gaza if and when Hamas prevents Palestinian militants from firing rockets and mortars into southern Israel. (McClatchy)
See also Police Seize Israeli Arab Boat Ahead of Gaza Sail
A boat scheduled to leave Jaffa port on Sunday with several Arab Knesset members and sail to Gaza was seized by the Israel Police early Sunday. (Ynet News)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
* EU Votes to Upgrade Israel Relations - Barak Ravid
The EU's 27 foreign ministers unanimously approved upgrading relations with Israel on Monday, despite vigorous efforts by the PA and Egypt to thwart the move. The first expression of this decision will be a meeting between Israel's prime minister and all the leaders of the EU member states in Brussels this April. In addition, Israel's foreign minister will start meeting three times a year with all 27 EU foreign ministers.
Israel and the EU will also conduct a strategic dialogue on issues such as the peace process, the Iranian threat, counterterrorism and organized crime. Separately, the ministers decided to shelve a proposed action plan for the peace process in 2009, in response to an Israeli request. In addition, the EU pledged to help Israel integrate into UN agencies and to include Israeli experts in EU peacekeeping forces. (Ha'aretz)
* Israel Pardons 45 More Fatah Terrorists - Ali Waked
Israel granted full pardon on Sunday to another group of 45 men belonging to Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. The gesture, made in the framework of last year's amnesty agreement between Israel and the PA, was finalized at a meeting of Israeli and Palestinian officials. (Ynet News)
* Abbas: Israel Never Prevented Palestinians from Making Haj Pilgrimage Like Hamas Does
PA leader Mahmoud Abbas accused Hamas of preventing thousands of Palestinians from making the annual haj pilgrimage to Mecca, Israel Radio reported Saturday. Abbas told reporters in Mecca that Israel had never once prevented Palestinians from making the holy visit. Palestinians wishing to travel to Saudi Arabia through Egypt were not given permits. (Jerusalem Post)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
* Israel's New UN Envoy Sees Cracks in Arab Animosity
Gabriela Shalev, Israel's first woman ambassador to the UN, sees cracks in the longstanding Arab cold shoulder and animosity directed at the Jewish state. When the U.S. and British ambassadors gave lunches in her honor and asked who to invite, Shalev said, "I always asked for the Palestinian observer (Riyad Mansour) - he's very nice and we're friends, more than colleagues - the Jordanian ambassador and the ambassador from Oman." "It's easier for me to connect to them than some of the other ambassadors," she added. "We have a lot in common. I can approach them in Arabic."
At a dinner for new ambassadors, Shalev said Turkey's UN envoy deliberately sat her next to the ambassador from one of the "not so moderate Arab countries," which she refused to identify. "We had a wonderful talk all through the evening," she said. "We talked about peace and the Middle East. We found a lot of things in common." Two days later, Shalev said she saw the ambassador at the UN. "He nodded his head, and he was not as nice and friendly as the evening, and I understand it. Maybe people are watching."
Shalev had some advice for President-elect Obama: Leave the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to the parties themselves. "We have to deal with our own problems without any pressure - not of the UN, not of the U.S., but it should be bilateral between the parties." (AP/International Herald Tribune)
* Media Ignore Militants' Muslim Identity - Mark Steyn
In the assault on Bombay, much of the media abandoned offending formulations - "Islamic terrorists," "Muslim extremists" - and found it easier to call the perpetrators "militants" or "gunmen" or "teenage gunmen." The veteran British TV anchor Jon Snow opted for the more cryptic "practitioners." At the Habad House, the murdered Jews were described in almost all the Western media as "ultra-Orthodox," "ultra" in this instance being less a term of theological precision than a generalized code for "strange, weird people, nothing against them personally, but they probably shouldn't have been over there in the first place." Are they stranger or weirder than their killers?
The New York Times was being silly in suggesting this was just an "accidental" hostage opportunity - and not just because, when Muslim terrorists capture Jews it's not a hostage situation, it's a mass murder-in-waiting. The sole surviving "militant" revealed that the Jewish center had been targeted a year in advance. (Washington Times)
Observations:
Arab Peace Initiative Can Be a Starting Point, Not a Diktat - Ron Prosor (Guardian-UK)
* It is important to realize that the Arab peace initiative cannot be seen as a "take it or leave it" offer. It cannot serve as a diktat, or replace the need for bilateral negotiations, on both the Palestinian and Syrian tracks. The plan is an interesting starting point for negotiations, but the international community should be under no illusions. Elements of the text are a cause for grave concern as regards the survivability of the State of Israel.
* The demand that Palestinians should be able to relocate to areas inside the borders of the State of Israel jeopardizes Israel's very existence. It is difficult to understand why Palestinians, having created a state of their own, would subsequently insist on sending their own people to the Jewish state.
* Israel's concern over the future of Jerusalem should also not be underestimated. From time immemorial, Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish people, and will always remain so. The 1967 borders might provide a reference point for negotiations, but the demographic realities and security concerns of Israel's population must be taken into account.
* The Saudis, Kuwaitis and other Gulf states could do more to encourage the Palestinians towards compromise. Instead of perpetuating unattainable fantasies that have long held back the Palestinian cause, they should help their Palestinian brethren set realistic, attainable goals.
* Three realities must be acknowledged: Israel exists, Israel belongs, and recognizing Israel would be to the benefit of every Arab society. Everyone in the region with the ability to promote this understanding must be urged to do so.
The writer is the Israeli ambassador in Londo
Sunday, December 7, 2008
From the Consulate
Israel Update
Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest
Join Our Mailing List
In This Issue:
Lunch & Learn
Chanukah Party presented by Club 1948 - Featuring J.Viewz
Israeli Study Improves Doctors' Reports
Stiller, Rock, Braff enjoy Israel
Israeli Blog
Quick Links
Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Sign Up for Mailings From:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Israel21c
Got a Facebook Account?
If so, become a fan of the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest to get up-to-the-minute information on upcoming Israeli events in your area!
David Ben Gurion's Vision & Reality: 60 Years Later
"Lunch & Learn"
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Great Lakes Region
invites you to
hear Prof. Natan Aridan
Tuesday, December 16 11:45 am
Offices of Veritext
1 N. LaSalle, Suite 400
Chicago, Illinois
Kosher lunch provided. Reservations required.
R.S.V.P. by December 12 to Judy Rosen at jrosen@aabgu.org or 847-325-5009
With special thanks to the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest.
Prof. Aridan's teaching and research focus on the relationship between Israeli diplomatic missions and overseas Jewish communities. He has
authored three books and numerous articles
Upcoming Events Israel Homecoming Conference
IsraelEconomy12.09.08
Chanukah party
Chanukah Party
**********
The Biggest Party of the Year
Wednesday, December 24
Religion Club
Chicago
Featuring J.Viewz. Click here to listen to tracks, watch videos and register for the party
Mumbai Victims Remembered at Memorial Service in Skokie
Mumbai memorialMumbai memorial
More than 1,000 people gathered at the Holiday Inn in Skokie Wednesday night, December 4, to pay tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India last week.
Speakers included Rabbi Gedaliah Dov Schwartz, head of the Beit Din (Rabbinical Court) of the Chicago Rabbinical Council (CRC); Rabbi Daniel Moscowitz, regional director of Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois; Dr. Steven B. Nasatir, president of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and Deputy Consul General of the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest, Gershon Kedar.
The following are excerpts from the speech of Gershon Kedar:
"Israel has shown that the most decisive and effective response to terrorism is not deterrence, for how can terrorists willing to commit suicide be deterred? But rather through a pro active synergy of both defensive and pre-emptive activities with intelligence gathering at its heart. And Israel is, of course, ready to share her expertise with all other countries facing scourge of terror.
But it is also poignant to ponder how each and every one of us can meaningfully respond to terrorism. And the appropriate response comes from the very values cherished by the victims themselves--- Life, respect for every human being, love for every fellow Jew and above all Jewish unity. This is what the terrorists wanted to snuff out, but the deaths of the victims command us to promote these values even more. The terrorists want to destroy- we will answer through "tikkun olam."
Terrorists want us to live in continual fear, but we refuse...And we will all carry on celebrating life, and later this month on Chanukah, we will, with the help of Chabad, publicize the victory of light over darkness all around the world."
Read the full text of the speech by clicking here.
******************************
Got a Facebook account? If so, become a fan of the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest to get up-to-the-minute information on upcoming Israeli events in your area!
********************************
Please forward this publication to anyone who shares your interest in Israel.
The articles in this newsletter (with the exception of Israeli Government statements) reflect the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs website - Click for the latest news, official statements, videos, and presentations relating to the current conflict as well as views of the Israel behind the headlines.
Israel and the Palestinian Authority
Economic Surge for Palestinians in West Bank - Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)
There has been an economic surge in the West Bank in the past year, according to an internal Israel Defense Ministry Civil Administration report obtained on Monday. Palestinian unemployment has dropped 3% since the beginning of the year, while average daily wages are up 24%. In addition, since the beginning of the year, the IDF has removed 113 roadblocks and dirt mounds throughout the West Bank, enabling easier travel between Palestinian cities.
The value of the olive harvest jumped from NIS 200 million in 2007 to NIS 517.5 million in 2008. There was also a 10% increase in the number of workers employed in settlements, as well as a 10% increase in permits issued for Palestinians working in Israel.
Intriguing Israeli Study Shows Photos Help Improve Doctors' Reports
Patient Photos Aid Docs Reading Faceless CT Scans (AP)
Imagine sitting in a dark room all day, evaluating CT scans and other medical images on a computer screen but never actually seeing real patients. That's life for many radiologists.
But an intriguing Israeli study found adding photos of patients' faces to the file made these doctors more meticulous when looking at the X-rays. They reported more details and said they felt more empathy for patients who were otherwise strangers.
Adding patients' photos is a simple, low-tech way to reap rewards for both doctors and their patients, the researchers concluded.
The study involved 15 radiologists at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and 318 patients who agreed to be photographed before undergoing CT scans. The color photos appeared automatically when the doctors opened the patients' computer files.
Entertainment
Hollywood Actors Say They Love Israel
Zach Braff
'Scrubs' star Zach Braff falls in love with Tel Aviv
Ruta Kupfer (Haaretz)
Braff says that when you come here (Israel), "you just feel this amazing sense of community. We hear so much about Israel and politics with the Palestinians and you feel so separate from it. So I really wanted to see for myself." He says he was "lucky" to be able to come and see things firsthand and to talk to Israelis. "As a Jew I think it's really important to come to this place. There is such a tremendous sense of community, tremendous bond for obvious reasons. I don't know if Israelis have a sense of it because they live here, but I love it."
Chris Rock and Ben Stiller Enjoy visit to Israel
BenStiller,ChrisRock
U.S. film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, left, U.S. actor Ben Stiller, second from left, U.S. actress Jada Pinkett Smith, second from right, and U.S. actor Chris Rock, right, in Israel to attend the Israeli Premier of "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa". (AP Photo)
Actor Chris Rock says Israel is better than Hollywood. Ben Stiller agrees.The two Hollywood stars were in Israel for the premiere of their latest movie, "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa." The premiere was in the coastal Israeli city of Netanya on Saturday. Stiller says it's a good place to roll out a new movie. He said, "This is better than any premiere we have had so far."
Rock expanded on that. He said, "It's much better than Hollywood. They don't like us in Hollywood, but here they love us."
Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest
Join Our Mailing List
In This Issue:
Lunch & Learn
Chanukah Party presented by Club 1948 - Featuring J.Viewz
Israeli Study Improves Doctors' Reports
Stiller, Rock, Braff enjoy Israel
Israeli Blog
Quick Links
Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Sign Up for Mailings From:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Israel21c
Got a Facebook Account?
If so, become a fan of the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest to get up-to-the-minute information on upcoming Israeli events in your area!
David Ben Gurion's Vision & Reality: 60 Years Later
"Lunch & Learn"
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Great Lakes Region
invites you to
hear Prof. Natan Aridan
Tuesday, December 16 11:45 am
Offices of Veritext
1 N. LaSalle, Suite 400
Chicago, Illinois
Kosher lunch provided. Reservations required.
R.S.V.P. by December 12 to Judy Rosen at jrosen@aabgu.org or 847-325-5009
With special thanks to the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest.
Prof. Aridan's teaching and research focus on the relationship between Israeli diplomatic missions and overseas Jewish communities. He has
authored three books and numerous articles
Upcoming Events Israel Homecoming Conference
IsraelEconomy12.09.08
Chanukah party
Chanukah Party
**********
The Biggest Party of the Year
Wednesday, December 24
Religion Club
Chicago
Featuring J.Viewz. Click here to listen to tracks, watch videos and register for the party
Mumbai Victims Remembered at Memorial Service in Skokie
Mumbai memorialMumbai memorial
More than 1,000 people gathered at the Holiday Inn in Skokie Wednesday night, December 4, to pay tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India last week.
Speakers included Rabbi Gedaliah Dov Schwartz, head of the Beit Din (Rabbinical Court) of the Chicago Rabbinical Council (CRC); Rabbi Daniel Moscowitz, regional director of Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois; Dr. Steven B. Nasatir, president of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and Deputy Consul General of the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest, Gershon Kedar.
The following are excerpts from the speech of Gershon Kedar:
"Israel has shown that the most decisive and effective response to terrorism is not deterrence, for how can terrorists willing to commit suicide be deterred? But rather through a pro active synergy of both defensive and pre-emptive activities with intelligence gathering at its heart. And Israel is, of course, ready to share her expertise with all other countries facing scourge of terror.
But it is also poignant to ponder how each and every one of us can meaningfully respond to terrorism. And the appropriate response comes from the very values cherished by the victims themselves--- Life, respect for every human being, love for every fellow Jew and above all Jewish unity. This is what the terrorists wanted to snuff out, but the deaths of the victims command us to promote these values even more. The terrorists want to destroy- we will answer through "tikkun olam."
Terrorists want us to live in continual fear, but we refuse...And we will all carry on celebrating life, and later this month on Chanukah, we will, with the help of Chabad, publicize the victory of light over darkness all around the world."
Read the full text of the speech by clicking here.
******************************
Got a Facebook account? If so, become a fan of the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest to get up-to-the-minute information on upcoming Israeli events in your area!
********************************
Please forward this publication to anyone who shares your interest in Israel.
The articles in this newsletter (with the exception of Israeli Government statements) reflect the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs website - Click for the latest news, official statements, videos, and presentations relating to the current conflict as well as views of the Israel behind the headlines.
Israel and the Palestinian Authority
Economic Surge for Palestinians in West Bank - Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)
There has been an economic surge in the West Bank in the past year, according to an internal Israel Defense Ministry Civil Administration report obtained on Monday. Palestinian unemployment has dropped 3% since the beginning of the year, while average daily wages are up 24%. In addition, since the beginning of the year, the IDF has removed 113 roadblocks and dirt mounds throughout the West Bank, enabling easier travel between Palestinian cities.
The value of the olive harvest jumped from NIS 200 million in 2007 to NIS 517.5 million in 2008. There was also a 10% increase in the number of workers employed in settlements, as well as a 10% increase in permits issued for Palestinians working in Israel.
Intriguing Israeli Study Shows Photos Help Improve Doctors' Reports
Patient Photos Aid Docs Reading Faceless CT Scans (AP)
Imagine sitting in a dark room all day, evaluating CT scans and other medical images on a computer screen but never actually seeing real patients. That's life for many radiologists.
But an intriguing Israeli study found adding photos of patients' faces to the file made these doctors more meticulous when looking at the X-rays. They reported more details and said they felt more empathy for patients who were otherwise strangers.
Adding patients' photos is a simple, low-tech way to reap rewards for both doctors and their patients, the researchers concluded.
The study involved 15 radiologists at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and 318 patients who agreed to be photographed before undergoing CT scans. The color photos appeared automatically when the doctors opened the patients' computer files.
Entertainment
Hollywood Actors Say They Love Israel
Zach Braff
'Scrubs' star Zach Braff falls in love with Tel Aviv
Ruta Kupfer (Haaretz)
Braff says that when you come here (Israel), "you just feel this amazing sense of community. We hear so much about Israel and politics with the Palestinians and you feel so separate from it. So I really wanted to see for myself." He says he was "lucky" to be able to come and see things firsthand and to talk to Israelis. "As a Jew I think it's really important to come to this place. There is such a tremendous sense of community, tremendous bond for obvious reasons. I don't know if Israelis have a sense of it because they live here, but I love it."
Chris Rock and Ben Stiller Enjoy visit to Israel
BenStiller,ChrisRock
U.S. film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, left, U.S. actor Ben Stiller, second from left, U.S. actress Jada Pinkett Smith, second from right, and U.S. actor Chris Rock, right, in Israel to attend the Israeli Premier of "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa". (AP Photo)
Actor Chris Rock says Israel is better than Hollywood. Ben Stiller agrees.The two Hollywood stars were in Israel for the premiere of their latest movie, "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa." The premiere was in the coastal Israeli city of Netanya on Saturday. Stiller says it's a good place to roll out a new movie. He said, "This is better than any premiere we have had so far."
Rock expanded on that. He said, "It's much better than Hollywood. They don't like us in Hollywood, but here they love us."
Friday, December 5, 2008
Why Israelis mourn Mumbai
http://www.tnr.com/images/single_line.gif
Jerusalem, Israel
Gavriel and Rivkie Holtzberg, the young Israeli couple who ran the Chabad
House in Mumbai and were murdered there by jihadists, died bound and
helpless, like those Jewish martyrs disparaged for their quietism by the
Zionist ethos. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, the Holtzbergs never served in the
Israeli army--yet when they were buried on Tuesday, Israeli society mourned
as though they were fallen soldiers. When their coffins arrived at
Ben-Gurion Airport, they were draped in the national flag. Israeli leaders,
including President Shimon Peres, who doesn't usually attend the funerals of
terror victims, came to the Holtzbergs' funeral. When I came into work that
morning, I found the young woman in the room beside mine weeping.
The devastating scene of the Holtzbergs' surviving two-year-old son, Moishe,
calling out for his mother during a memorial service, was repeatedly shown
on TV. But Israelis weren't only mourning the destruction of the Holtzberg
family; they were mourning the loss of national heroes. Newspaper accounts
recalled how Gavriel bribed prison guards in India to smuggle in wine for
Shabbat to an Israeli inmate held on drug charges. Even after they lost a
child to Tay-Sachs disease, the Holtzbergs insisted on remaining at their
post--to continue, as Gavriel explained, "to do mitzvas," fulfill the
commandment to help their fellow Jews.
In embracing the Holtzbergs, Israelis were restoring to the national ethos
the old concept of kiddush hashem, religious martrydom--confirming a process
that began with the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The iconic image of that war was a
photograph of a religious soldier being led into Egyptian activity as he
carried a Torah scroll. That image was so jarring precisely because it cast
an Israeli soldier in the role of a pre-Zionist model of heroism. Since
then, all our wars have ended inconclusively, expressions of the limitations
of power. The more nuanced Israeli attitudes toward heroism are reflected in
Jerusalem's renovated Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, which now not only extols
the secular heroes, like partisans and ghetto fighters, but also those who
responded to dehumanization by maintaining their religious dignity, running
underground schools and prayer groups.
Since the Mumbai massacre, there have been calls here for the Israeli
government to subsidize security at Chabad houses across the globe, seen by
Israelis as extensions of home. "Our Chabad," summed up one headline on an
Israeli news web site. The warmth with which so many Israelis have responded
to Chabad proves--along with the growing popularity of prayer lyrics in
Israeli rock music and of informal "secular" prayer groups spreading in Tel
Aviv and elsewhere--that large parts of Israeli society may be entering a
post-secular phase.
Still, it is doubtful the country would have reacted with the same emotional
intensity had the Holtzbergs been ordinary ultra-Orthodox Jews rather than
Chabadniks. Mainstream Israelis resent ultra-Orthodox Jews for separating
from the state and its obligations even as they demand that it subsidize
their separatism. Chabad neither separates nor demands, but gives. Israelis
encounter Chabad's embrace most often abroad. When our young people just out
of the army travel the most remote corners of the world (because military
service doesn't provide enough dangers and thrills), they invariably
encounter a Chabad house.
Israelis also love Chabadniks for their courage: Rivkie and Gavriel weren't
yet buried when Rivkie's father announced his intention of taking over their
work in the Mumbai Chabad house. Though few Chabadniks are drafted into the
army, they don't avoid danger zones: Chabad activists rush to the front
lines during war, providing religious services and dancing with soldiers to
raise morale. One friend told me about her sister who was serving in a
border post so sensitive that a visitor required special permission from the
general in command of the front: "And then who shows up on Hanukah with
jelly donuts? Chabadniks."
Contrast Chabad's embrace of the Israeli ethos with ultra-Orthodox
anti-Zionists--one of whom, Leibish Teitelbaum, a member of the Satmar
hasidic sect, was killed in Mumbai. Teitelbaum's family demanded that his
coffin not be draped in the Israeli flag, even though his body had been
retrieved and flown home by the Israeli government--a reminder that Jewish
anti-Zionism is less an ideology than a character flaw, a lack of capacity
for gratitude. Chabad defines itself by its love for every Jew; the
anti-Zionists define themselves by the Jews they despise.
Israeli society reciprocated the Teitelbaums' contempt, barely noting that
other funeral. Watching the mutual estrangement that even a common Jewish
death couldn't heal, it felt like one of those moments in Jewish history
when schismatic sects evolve into separate faiths.
Israelis know Chabad's flaws--the cars mounted with the late Rebbe's
photograph and the words "Welcome King Messiah," the replicas built around
Israel of the Rebbe's house in Brooklyn, complete with red bricks chipped in
all the original places. And also Chabad's hardline politics: There was no
territorial compromise, including Israel's withdrawal from Sinai in 1982,
that Chabad didn't vehemently oppose. But many Israelis overlook the
messianic looniness and the political rigidity because they crave a
connection with a form of traditional Judaism that loves them
unconditionally. And though it's rare in Israel's grudging public discourse
to express gratitude, this week at least, Israelis offered Chabad that same
unconditional love in return.
Yossi Klein Halevi is a contributing editor at The New Republic and a senior
fellow at the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies of the Shalem Center
in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, Israel
Gavriel and Rivkie Holtzberg, the young Israeli couple who ran the Chabad
House in Mumbai and were murdered there by jihadists, died bound and
helpless, like those Jewish martyrs disparaged for their quietism by the
Zionist ethos. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, the Holtzbergs never served in the
Israeli army--yet when they were buried on Tuesday, Israeli society mourned
as though they were fallen soldiers. When their coffins arrived at
Ben-Gurion Airport, they were draped in the national flag. Israeli leaders,
including President Shimon Peres, who doesn't usually attend the funerals of
terror victims, came to the Holtzbergs' funeral. When I came into work that
morning, I found the young woman in the room beside mine weeping.
The devastating scene of the Holtzbergs' surviving two-year-old son, Moishe,
calling out for his mother during a memorial service, was repeatedly shown
on TV. But Israelis weren't only mourning the destruction of the Holtzberg
family; they were mourning the loss of national heroes. Newspaper accounts
recalled how Gavriel bribed prison guards in India to smuggle in wine for
Shabbat to an Israeli inmate held on drug charges. Even after they lost a
child to Tay-Sachs disease, the Holtzbergs insisted on remaining at their
post--to continue, as Gavriel explained, "to do mitzvas," fulfill the
commandment to help their fellow Jews.
In embracing the Holtzbergs, Israelis were restoring to the national ethos
the old concept of kiddush hashem, religious martrydom--confirming a process
that began with the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The iconic image of that war was a
photograph of a religious soldier being led into Egyptian activity as he
carried a Torah scroll. That image was so jarring precisely because it cast
an Israeli soldier in the role of a pre-Zionist model of heroism. Since
then, all our wars have ended inconclusively, expressions of the limitations
of power. The more nuanced Israeli attitudes toward heroism are reflected in
Jerusalem's renovated Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, which now not only extols
the secular heroes, like partisans and ghetto fighters, but also those who
responded to dehumanization by maintaining their religious dignity, running
underground schools and prayer groups.
Since the Mumbai massacre, there have been calls here for the Israeli
government to subsidize security at Chabad houses across the globe, seen by
Israelis as extensions of home. "Our Chabad," summed up one headline on an
Israeli news web site. The warmth with which so many Israelis have responded
to Chabad proves--along with the growing popularity of prayer lyrics in
Israeli rock music and of informal "secular" prayer groups spreading in Tel
Aviv and elsewhere--that large parts of Israeli society may be entering a
post-secular phase.
Still, it is doubtful the country would have reacted with the same emotional
intensity had the Holtzbergs been ordinary ultra-Orthodox Jews rather than
Chabadniks. Mainstream Israelis resent ultra-Orthodox Jews for separating
from the state and its obligations even as they demand that it subsidize
their separatism. Chabad neither separates nor demands, but gives. Israelis
encounter Chabad's embrace most often abroad. When our young people just out
of the army travel the most remote corners of the world (because military
service doesn't provide enough dangers and thrills), they invariably
encounter a Chabad house.
Israelis also love Chabadniks for their courage: Rivkie and Gavriel weren't
yet buried when Rivkie's father announced his intention of taking over their
work in the Mumbai Chabad house. Though few Chabadniks are drafted into the
army, they don't avoid danger zones: Chabad activists rush to the front
lines during war, providing religious services and dancing with soldiers to
raise morale. One friend told me about her sister who was serving in a
border post so sensitive that a visitor required special permission from the
general in command of the front: "And then who shows up on Hanukah with
jelly donuts? Chabadniks."
Contrast Chabad's embrace of the Israeli ethos with ultra-Orthodox
anti-Zionists--one of whom, Leibish Teitelbaum, a member of the Satmar
hasidic sect, was killed in Mumbai. Teitelbaum's family demanded that his
coffin not be draped in the Israeli flag, even though his body had been
retrieved and flown home by the Israeli government--a reminder that Jewish
anti-Zionism is less an ideology than a character flaw, a lack of capacity
for gratitude. Chabad defines itself by its love for every Jew; the
anti-Zionists define themselves by the Jews they despise.
Israeli society reciprocated the Teitelbaums' contempt, barely noting that
other funeral. Watching the mutual estrangement that even a common Jewish
death couldn't heal, it felt like one of those moments in Jewish history
when schismatic sects evolve into separate faiths.
Israelis know Chabad's flaws--the cars mounted with the late Rebbe's
photograph and the words "Welcome King Messiah," the replicas built around
Israel of the Rebbe's house in Brooklyn, complete with red bricks chipped in
all the original places. And also Chabad's hardline politics: There was no
territorial compromise, including Israel's withdrawal from Sinai in 1982,
that Chabad didn't vehemently oppose. But many Israelis overlook the
messianic looniness and the political rigidity because they crave a
connection with a form of traditional Judaism that loves them
unconditionally. And though it's rare in Israel's grudging public discourse
to express gratitude, this week at least, Israelis offered Chabad that same
unconditional love in return.
Yossi Klein Halevi is a contributing editor at The New Republic and a senior
fellow at the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies of the Shalem Center
in Jerusalem.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Aipac update
www.aipac.org December 3, 2008
Hamas Rockets Strike Gaza Energy Source
Report: Palestinian Economy Improving
Israel Mourns Victims of Mumbai Massacre, Offers Aid
Lawmaker Supports Obama's Call for Ban on Sale of Gas to Iran
Palestinian Authority Considers West Bank State
Israelis Pioneer Laser Treatment for Sealing Wounds
take action!
Affect Israel's future and promote U.S. interests in the Middle East by urging your members of Congress to support critical legislation.
Click here to encourage your elected officials to sign a letter in support of a robust international affairs budget.
Learn more
Click here for AIPAC analysis of issues affecting the U.S.-Israel alliance.
Photo
Hamas Rockets Strike Gaza Energy Source
Hamas rockets slammed into southern Israel on Wednesday, damaging a power cable transferring electricity to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported. Wednesday's barrage was the latest in a string of more than 200 rocket and mortar attacks fired from Gaza. Israeli military sources also noted an upsurge in Hamas activity along the Gaza-Israel border, where terrorist cells have planted explosive devices. Though a fragile calm had taken hold along the Gaza border in recent months, Hamas terrorists in the coastal strip have overseen a massive arms buildup and are again using the territory as a base for launching attacks at the Jewish state. Click here to learn about Hamas' terrorist activity in Gaza.
Report: Palestinian Economy Improving
According to a new report by Israel's Ministry of Defense, the Palestinian economy in the West Bank has improved dramatically over the past year, The Jerusalem Post reported. Ministry statistics show a three percent drop in Palestinian unemployment, a 24 percent increase in daily wages, olive harvest revenue jumping more than 150 percent, a 10 percent increase in Palestinians working in Israeli settlements and a 10 percent increase in work permits for Palestinians in Israel. The report, which incorporated data from the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations, attributes much of the improvements to recent concerted efforts by Israel to improve conditions in the West Bank. The report also credits increased cooperation between the Israel and Palestinian Authority to fight terrorist elements such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Israel Mourns Victims of Mumbai Massacre, Offers Aid
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert thanked his Indian counterparts on Sunday for their cooperation and care for Jewish and Israeli hostages during last week's deadly Mumbai terrorist attacks, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported. Olmert said Israel had provided intelligence assistance and offered aid to Indian authorities in the aftermath of the attacks. "Last week marked one of the worse acts of terror ever to take place in India," Olmert said. "The images of the Jewish victims and the horrific sight of the Chabad house managers wrapped in prayer shawls are shocking and take us back to images from history that we hoped wouldn't repeat themselves. But it seems that the hatred of Jews and Israelis is what spurs these horrible deeds." Some 180 people were massacred in the Mumbai rampage. Seven people, Americans and Israelis among them, were killed at the city's Chabad House, a Jewish center targeted by the assailants.
Lawmaker Supports Obama's Call for Ban on Sale of Gas to Iran
Echoing President-elect Barack Obama, a leading Republican senator has called on the United States to press for an international ban on the sale of gasoline to Iran, a move that would affect Iran's economy immediately. "Iran has vulnerabilities susceptible to pressure from the United States and its allies and we must exploit them before it is too late," Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) wrote in an op-ed. "As an example, despite Iran's tremendous crude oil reserves, it relies on huge volumes of imported gasoline to meet its domestic demand. The Iranian government then subsidizes this gasoline for the Iranian people." Kyl noted that sanctioning Iran in this manner has received the endorsement of President-elect Obama, and would constitute "a possibly game changing dislocation to Iran's economy. Learn more about Iran's dangerous behavior.
Palestinian Authority Considers West Bank State
Top Palestinian negotiator Maen Areikat has indicated that the Palestinian Authority would be willing to establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank alone until the terrorist group Hamas gives up control of the Gaza Strip, The Washington Times reported. "We would prefer to see a situation where there is national unity," Areikat said. "But if we don't agree, the PLO is mandated to continue negotiations." Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in a violent coup in June 2007, faces international isolation until it recognizes Israel, renounces terrorism and accepts previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements.
Israelis Pioneer Laser Treatment for Sealing Wounds
A team of Israeli researchers has developed a new technique to allow surgeons to seal incisions by laser, with less scarring and less exposure to infection, the Web site Israel 21c reported. The new technique, developed by Prof. Abraham Katzir and a team from Tel Aviv University's Applied Physics Group, is called laser-welding. When the laser begins to overheat and risks burning the tissue, the device reduces laser power, and if the temperature is too low to complete a closure, laser power is increased appropriately. "Sutures or stitches are not water tight, and blood or urine can pass through cuts, causing severe infection," Katzir said. Israel has long been at the forefront of developing new and innovative medical techniques.
Hamas Rockets Strike Gaza Energy Source
Report: Palestinian Economy Improving
Israel Mourns Victims of Mumbai Massacre, Offers Aid
Lawmaker Supports Obama's Call for Ban on Sale of Gas to Iran
Palestinian Authority Considers West Bank State
Israelis Pioneer Laser Treatment for Sealing Wounds
take action!
Affect Israel's future and promote U.S. interests in the Middle East by urging your members of Congress to support critical legislation.
Click here to encourage your elected officials to sign a letter in support of a robust international affairs budget.
Learn more
Click here for AIPAC analysis of issues affecting the U.S.-Israel alliance.
Photo
Hamas Rockets Strike Gaza Energy Source
Hamas rockets slammed into southern Israel on Wednesday, damaging a power cable transferring electricity to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported. Wednesday's barrage was the latest in a string of more than 200 rocket and mortar attacks fired from Gaza. Israeli military sources also noted an upsurge in Hamas activity along the Gaza-Israel border, where terrorist cells have planted explosive devices. Though a fragile calm had taken hold along the Gaza border in recent months, Hamas terrorists in the coastal strip have overseen a massive arms buildup and are again using the territory as a base for launching attacks at the Jewish state. Click here to learn about Hamas' terrorist activity in Gaza.
Report: Palestinian Economy Improving
According to a new report by Israel's Ministry of Defense, the Palestinian economy in the West Bank has improved dramatically over the past year, The Jerusalem Post reported. Ministry statistics show a three percent drop in Palestinian unemployment, a 24 percent increase in daily wages, olive harvest revenue jumping more than 150 percent, a 10 percent increase in Palestinians working in Israeli settlements and a 10 percent increase in work permits for Palestinians in Israel. The report, which incorporated data from the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations, attributes much of the improvements to recent concerted efforts by Israel to improve conditions in the West Bank. The report also credits increased cooperation between the Israel and Palestinian Authority to fight terrorist elements such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Israel Mourns Victims of Mumbai Massacre, Offers Aid
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert thanked his Indian counterparts on Sunday for their cooperation and care for Jewish and Israeli hostages during last week's deadly Mumbai terrorist attacks, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported. Olmert said Israel had provided intelligence assistance and offered aid to Indian authorities in the aftermath of the attacks. "Last week marked one of the worse acts of terror ever to take place in India," Olmert said. "The images of the Jewish victims and the horrific sight of the Chabad house managers wrapped in prayer shawls are shocking and take us back to images from history that we hoped wouldn't repeat themselves. But it seems that the hatred of Jews and Israelis is what spurs these horrible deeds." Some 180 people were massacred in the Mumbai rampage. Seven people, Americans and Israelis among them, were killed at the city's Chabad House, a Jewish center targeted by the assailants.
Lawmaker Supports Obama's Call for Ban on Sale of Gas to Iran
Echoing President-elect Barack Obama, a leading Republican senator has called on the United States to press for an international ban on the sale of gasoline to Iran, a move that would affect Iran's economy immediately. "Iran has vulnerabilities susceptible to pressure from the United States and its allies and we must exploit them before it is too late," Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) wrote in an op-ed. "As an example, despite Iran's tremendous crude oil reserves, it relies on huge volumes of imported gasoline to meet its domestic demand. The Iranian government then subsidizes this gasoline for the Iranian people." Kyl noted that sanctioning Iran in this manner has received the endorsement of President-elect Obama, and would constitute "a possibly game changing dislocation to Iran's economy. Learn more about Iran's dangerous behavior.
Palestinian Authority Considers West Bank State
Top Palestinian negotiator Maen Areikat has indicated that the Palestinian Authority would be willing to establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank alone until the terrorist group Hamas gives up control of the Gaza Strip, The Washington Times reported. "We would prefer to see a situation where there is national unity," Areikat said. "But if we don't agree, the PLO is mandated to continue negotiations." Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in a violent coup in June 2007, faces international isolation until it recognizes Israel, renounces terrorism and accepts previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements.
Israelis Pioneer Laser Treatment for Sealing Wounds
A team of Israeli researchers has developed a new technique to allow surgeons to seal incisions by laser, with less scarring and less exposure to infection, the Web site Israel 21c reported. The new technique, developed by Prof. Abraham Katzir and a team from Tel Aviv University's Applied Physics Group, is called laser-welding. When the laser begins to overheat and risks burning the tissue, the device reduces laser power, and if the temperature is too low to complete a closure, laser power is increased appropriately. "Sutures or stitches are not water tight, and blood or urine can pass through cuts, causing severe infection," Katzir said. Israel has long been at the forefront of developing new and innovative medical techniques.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Iran Inflitrates USA
A series of talks on a serious subject: radical Islam's infiltration of American culture, finance, education and life.
http://tinyurl.com/6ojnbk
http://tinyurl.com/6ojnbk
From Richard Baehr
Daniel Kurtzer is now rumored to be in line to be the Middle East envoy in the Obama administration . Bad choice I think. Kurtzer is an Orthodox Jew but that does not mean he is not wrong about almost everything when it comes to this conflict. Ed Lasky, in his usual thorough manner, examined Kurtzer's latest book on the subject.
http://tinyurl.com/6rxgpu
6. What recession? With tighter security controls in place (the IDF), the economy is growing rapidly in the West Bank. The picture is different in Gaza.
http://tinyurl.com/6pxsyb
http://tinyurl.com/6m382u
http://tinyurl.com/6rxgpu
6. What recession? With tighter security controls in place (the IDF), the economy is growing rapidly in the West Bank. The picture is different in Gaza.
http://tinyurl.com/6pxsyb
http://tinyurl.com/6m382u
Friday, November 28, 2008
Daily Alert Nov. 28 2008
Prepared for the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
View this page at www.dailyalert.org
Subscribe
RSS-XML
DAILY ALERT
Friday,
November 28, 2008
To contact the Presidents Conference:
click here
In-Depth Issues:
Behind Mumbai's Terrorist Attacks - Fareed Zakaria (Newsweek)
One misconception is the assumption that these attacks were aimed primarily at foreigners. Look at their targets.
The two hotels they attacked - the Taj and the Oberoi - are old, iconic Indian hotels. It used to be true that these places were affordable only by Westerners, but today they are filled with Indian businessmen.
If the aim was to hit Americans or other Westerners, the big American chains all have hotels there, and there are many more distinctly American targets.
One of the untold stories of India is that the Muslim population has not shared in the boom the country has enjoyed over the last ten years. There's enough alienation out there that there are locals who can be drawn in to plots.
That tends to be a pattern, from Madrid to Casablanca to Bali - some hard-core jihadis who indoctrinate alienated locals they can seduce.
The writer, a Mumbai native, is editor of Newsweek International.
Syria and the Nuclear Cops - Editorial (Wall Street Journal)
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed last week that it had discovered a "significant number" of chemically processed uranium particles at a suspected Syrian nuclear site destroyed last year by Israel.
The IAEA also reported that satellite images of the site taken prior to its destruction had the markings of a nuclear reactor.
So what did IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei do with this information? Why, urge the approval of a Syrian request for a $350,000 feasibility study for a new reactor.
See also IAEA Chief: Will Confront Syria with Imagery of Suspect Site (AFP)
The UN atomic watchdog hopes to confront Syria soon with satellite imagery of a suspect nuclear site bombed by Israeli planes last year, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Thursday.
The UN says the remote desert site, Al-Kibar, had been a covert nuclear reactor close to completion.
See also Nuclear Chief "Baffled" as Syria Site Photos Disappear (Irish Examiner)
Israeli Surgeons Weld Wounds Shut with Surgical Laser - Judy Siegel (Jerusalem Post)
A team of applied physicists at Tel Aviv University led by Prof. Abraham Katzir have developed an efficient and safe way to close incisions.
Katzir and his team use a technique called "laser welding" in which biological glue is smeared on the two sides of the incision.
Then a laser warms it at the correct temperature to create a hard "shell" that protects the wound and allows it to heal.
They use a temperature-controlled carbon dioxide laser and special silver halide optical fibers to prevent overheating and burns.
Introducing Israel Studies in U.S. Universities - Interview with Mitchell Bard by Manfred Gerstenfeld (Institute for Global Jewish Affairs)
The anti-Israeli activism on college campuses during the Second Intifada created the incentive among the American Jewish philanthropic community to promote education and scholarship on Israel at universities.
The first two centers for Israel Studies were established in 1998, their initiators driven by the concept that it was important to teach American students about modern Israel.
Israel Studies remained largely neglected, however, until 2004. Since then it has rapidly grown.
There are at present nine Israel Studies centers throughout the U.S. By the end of 2008 about 15 chairs in Israel Studies will have been endowed.
The program for visiting professors from Israel started in 2004-2005 and, in the current academic year, has 27 such scholars teaching on 26 campuses.
See also U. of California to Reopen Study-Abroad Program in Israel - Josh Keller (Chronicle of Higher Education)
The University of California announced on Tuesday that it would end its six-year suspension of study-abroad programs in Israel, and would reopen a program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem next year.
For Researchers: Search the Daily Alert Archive
All back issues of Daily Alert since May 2002 are available online and are searchable.
This invaluable Internet resource documents the recent history of Israel and the Middle East.
See also israelresearch.org
Insider information on Israel's national security issues - filtered, sifted, and stored for easy retrieval - from the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
Add the Daily Alert Israel News Ticker to Your Website
Send the Daily Alert to a Friend
If you are viewing the email version of the Daily Alert - and want to share it with friends - please click "Forward" in your email program and enter their address.
Search
Key Links
Media Contacts
Back Issues
Fair Use News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
* Indian Commandos Storm Jewish Center in Mumbai - Keith Bradsher and Somini Sengupta
Indian commandos Friday morning stormed the Habad Jewish center that had been seized by terrorists during a coordinated series of attacks on Mumbai. While many of the targets seemed to indicate a focus on tourists and Westerners, most of the victims were Indians. The gunmen appear to have come ashore at the Sassoon Docks, not far from the Leopold Cafe, one of the first places struck Wednesday night. They moved on to the train station, then opened fire on Cama and Albless Hospital. At one point, the gunmen hijacked a police vehicle and opened fire near the Metro Cinema. (New York Times)
See also Cool and Composed, They Killed and Killed - Randeep Ramesh, Duncan Campbell and Paul Lewis (Guardian-UK)
* 10-20 Israelis Among Mumbai Hostages
"There are between 10 to 20 Israeli nationals being held hostage, but it could be more," said Eli Belotsercovsky, deputy chief of mission at the Israeli embassy in New Delhi. (AFP)
See also Brooklyn Rabbi and Israeli Wife Caught in Attacks - Fernanda Santos
In 2003, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, moved from Brooklyn to Mumbai, India, to manage a mix of educational center, synagogue and social hall known as a Habad house, one of about 3,500 outposts around the world run by the Lubavitch Hasidic movement. The place soon became a year-round magnet for Israeli backpackers, Jewish businessmen and tourists, as well as for the Iraqi and Indian Jews who live there. Mrs. Holtzberg served visitors coffee and homemade kosher delicacies. Rabbi Holtzberg always offered a helping hand to someone who was sick or stranded. On Wednesday, the Holtzbergs' Habad house became the target of terrorist gunmen. Firing grenades and automatic weapons, the men took the Holtzbergs and at least six other people hostage. (New York Times)
See also India: Holtzberg Toddler Reunites with Grandparents - Hagai Einav
Shimon and Yehudit Rosenberg, the parents of Rivka Holtzberg, who with her husband Gavriel run the Habad center in Mumbai, arrived in India from Israel on Friday morning and were reunited with their two-year-old grandson, Moshe Tzvi, who was rescued from the house the day before by Sandra Samuel, an Indian cook at Habad house. (Ynet News)
* Canada Leads in Pushing UN Censure of Iran - Paul Lungen
A resolution that Canada spearheaded censuring Iran for violations of human rights passed in a UN General Assembly committee last week. The resolution accuses Iran of "torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations." It criticizes Iran for executing juveniles, killing people by stoning, and discriminating against women and girls. It also calls on Iran to end human rights violations affecting religious and ethnic minorities, among them Jews, Christians, Kurds, Arabs, Sunni Muslims and, in particular, Baha'is. The resolution was co-sponsored by 42 mostly European and North American democracies, plus Israel, Fiji and Micronesia. Seventy members of the General Assembly's Third Committee voted in favor of the motion. (Canadian Jewish News)
See also Iran Furious at Peace Plan Advert Bearing Its Flag and Israel's - Ian Black
Iran has angrily dissociated itself from Arab and Islamic attempts to publicize an offer to make peace with and recognize Israel. Officials in Tehran are furious that the Iranian flag appeared on an advertisement, published in the Guardian and other papers, promoting the Saudi-brokered initiative. The Iranian embassy in London protested that the Islamic Republic objects "to any move taken by some Arab countries to push the recognition of the occupying Zionist regime in any manner." (Guardian-UK)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
* Palestinian Rocket Hits House on Kibbutz - Shmulik Hadad
Palestinians in Gaza fired a Kassam rocket Thursday evening that damaged a house in a kibbutz in southern Israel. Tami Tuchman, 61, whose home was damaged, said she had fled with her dog to their family's bomb shelter when the Color Red rocket alert system sounded at the kibbutz. (Ynet News)
* Hamas Weakening in West Bank - Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel
The achievements of Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayyad over the past year and a half, in making the West Bank a much more bearable place to live, cannot be ignored. In Jenin, Nablus and Hebron, armed militants are no longer on the streets, and the general atmosphere of anarchy has faded. And while the economic situation isn't great, it's immeasurably better than in Gaza, under Hamas. Israeli defense sources confirm that PA security forces are close to crushing Hamas' military infrastructure in the West Bank. Hamas has also drastically reduced its money transfers to its charity organizations in the West Bank, fearing the PA will get its hands on the money. (Ha'aretz)
* Jerusalem Symposium Discusses Scandinavian Anti-Semitism - Cnaan Liphshiz
"Norway is the most anti-Semitic country in Scandinavia," Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld, a scholar of Western European anti-Semitism, told a discussion on Scandinavian anti-Semitism and Israel-hatred hosted on Tuesday by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Gerstenfeld presented cartoons from the Norwegian mainstream press and noted, "There is something wrong with a society which is willing to accept these Nazi cartoons. With a Jewish population of only 1,300, Norway has led the pack in anti-Semitism before, during and after WWII." Zvi Mazel, a former ambassador to Sweden, spoke of a "deep-rooted" anti-Semitism in Sweden, while Dr. Efraim Zuroff, director of the Wiesenthal Center in Israel - which co-sponsored the event - addressed Norway and Sweden's failure to prosecute Nazi war criminals. (Ha'aretz)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
Terror Attacks in India
* Mumbai Attacks Suggest Outside Help - Craig Whitlock and Karen DeYoung
Counterterrorism officials and experts said the scale, sophistication and targets involved in the Mumbai attacks were markedly different from previous terrorist plots in India and suggested the gunmen had received training from outside the country. "This is a new, horrific milestone in the global jihad," said Bruce Riedel, a former analyst for the CIA and National Security Council. "No indigenous Indian group has this level of capability." Several analysts and officials said the attacks bore the hallmarks of Lashkar-i-Taiba and Jaish-i-Muhammad, two networks of Muslim extremists from Pakistan that have targeted India before. The Hindu newspaper reported Friday that at least three of the suspects held by police were members of Lashkar-i-Taiba. (Washington Post)
* India: Homegrown Terror or International Jihad? - Benedetta Berti
India is reeling from the worst series of terrorist attacks in its history. The Deccan Mujahideen, which claimed responsibility, is apparently linked with the Indian Mujahideen (IM), a splinter group of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). In the past six months, four IM attacks in major Indian cities claimed the lives of over 140 people. IM's previous attacks consisted of a series of coordinated, simultaneous blasts aimed at causing the highest number of casualties. A senior officer of the Indian Police Service, briefing parliament on the group's September 2008 attack in Delhi, stated: "This group...doesn't attack parliament or police stations. They go directly for maximum chaos and maximum financial damage." Following the Delhi blasts, the IM threatened to hit Mumbai in its next operation.
The highly coordinated and planned nature of the attacks, as well as the terrorists' modus operandi, also suggest the existence of a strong international connection between IM and international as well as regional terrorist groups. The Mumbai operation was qualitatively more sophisticated and deadly and shared several characteristics of al-Qaeda's operational strategy: the choice of targets, the deliberate decision to kill the maximum number of Western citizens, the simultaneous use of suicide missions, as well as hostage-taking. Thus, it is clear that the terrorist organization has received assistance and backing from al-Qaeda-affiliated organizations and has adopted an international jihadist agenda. The writer is a Neubauer Doctoral Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University. (Jerusalem Post)
* How Not to Deal with Militant Islam - Sadanand Dhume
Over the past four years, Islamist groups have struck in New Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad, among other places. The death toll from terrorism - not counting those killed in Mumbai - stands at over 4,000. India's failure to protect Mumbai offers a textbook example for fellow democracies on how not to deal with militant Islam. The country's antiterrorism effort is reactive and episodic rather than proactive and sustained. Its public discourse on Islam oscillates between crude, anti-Muslim bigotry and mindless sympathy for largely unjustified Muslim grievance-mongering. Finally, India's inability to modernize its 150-million strong Muslim population has spawned a community susceptible to militant Islam's faith-based appeal. (Wall Street Journal)
Other Issues
* Sanctions? What Sanctions? German-Iranian Trade Booms - Matthias Kuntzel
While the U.S. reacts to reports that Iran had enriched enough uranium for a nuclear weapon with concern and calls for tighter sanctions, in Germany it is business as usual. On Thursday, many of the leading lights of German-Iranian trade gathered at a conference in Hamburg on "Iran Sanctions: Practical Consequence for German Firms" to discuss how further to promote German business with Iran. "Even in these difficult times" the conference announcement states, the Chamber of Commerce wants to "support" German firms "developing markets in Iran." "We would be delighted if we could thus contribute to the success of your business with Iran."
One speaker was Norbert Eisenmenger, managing director of the European-Iranian Commerce Bank. As its latest report notes, the bank closed out 2007 "with record earnings yet again." "Net profit doubled...the volume of transactions increased by 35%." The topic "Financing Iranian Business Deals" was covered by Sabine Hummerich, representing Bank Melli Iran, which is fully-owned by the Iranian regime. The 2007-2008 report of Bank Melli's German subsidiary in Hamburg notes that net income increased by 33% over the previous year. In June 2008, the EU placed sanctions on Bank Melli. (Pajamas Media)
See also Berlin Loves Iran - Editorial
As Europe's largest exporter to Iran, Germany has unique leverage over that regime. But Berlin refuses to use it, unwilling to go beyond the relatively soft UN trade restrictions. German exports to Iran are up 14% in the first seven months of this year, according to Germany's Federal Statistical Office. (Wall Street Journal)
* Terrorists Feel Exempt from International Law - David Altman
At the end of the Vietnam War, visiting PLO representatives congratulated the commander of the North Vietnamese army, General Vo Nguyen Giap, on his victory over the American superpower and asked him when he predicted terror organizations would be victorious over Israel. Gen. Giap answered: "Never! You will never be victorious due to lack of determination." Some believe this meeting represented a turning point in the development of Islamic terrorism, which began to educate its society in the sanctity of suicide and initiated the era of suicide terrorism, believing that the more people willing to prove their readiness to die for a cause, the greater the determination and the closer the victory.
Today, a new, different terror army is being developed, one that enjoys the advantages of feeling exempt from any international law or accountability. In addition, they handicap the power of their opponent through exploitation of the claims of internationally accepted values of human rights, correct treatment of prisoners of war, and prevention of harm to civilian populations - though none of these values apply to them, but only to their opponent. The writer is the senior vice president of Netanya Academic College and the deputy chair of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Strategic Dialogue. (Jerusalem Post)
* Security Fence Makes Vast Difference to Life in Israel - Licia Corbella
Since the security fence was built, there have been no more suicide murders and no more sniping at children walking to and from school in Jerusalem. Khaled Abu Toameh, an Arab Muslim journalist who lives in Israel and writes for the Jerusalem Post, says life was unbearable and extremely dangerous before the fence was erected.
"It's very simple," explains the reporter who once worked for a PLO newspaper. "I live in Jerusalem. I have three children and I can tell you that for three years I was afraid to take my children to the shopping malls here in Jerusalem. For three years if you asked me to meet you in downtown Jerusalem, I would have refused and for three years I was afraid to stop my car at a red traffic light next to a bus because I didn't want to die in a suicide bombing. The suicide bombers killed both Jews and Arabs."
Today, Abu Toameh says he feels much safer and Jerusalem is a bustling city again, instead of the veritable ghost town it became for three years until the barrier was built. "Look, the wall is bad. I don't like walls....But let's be honest, what other choice did the Israelis have?" he asks. "If I were the Israeli authorities, I would write on the wall that this wall was made by Yasser Arafat and Hamas," said Abu Toameh. (Calgary Herald-Canada)
Observations:
The Starting Point for Peace - Lior Ben Dor (Guardian-UK)
* I read with great interest the Guardian's suggestion that president-elect Obama should "tear up" the 2004 letter from President Bush to Ariel Sharon regarding Israel's major settlement blocs within the West Bank (Editorial, Nov. 24). The future borders of the state of Israel will not be determined on the pages of this newspaper. Instead, they will be determined by negotiations between Israel and the legitimate leadership of the Palestinians.
* In 2005 Israel took the initiative as regards peace with the Palestinians by evacuating nearly 30 settlements, including every Jewish settlement in Gaza and more in the northern part of the West Bank. This process cost the Israeli taxpayer $2.5 billion and risked heightening tensions within Israeli society. However, Gaza became a launch pad for rocket attacks against Israeli citizens and terrorist action at our borders. This reality worsened still further after Hamas seized total control of Gaza in a bloody coup in 2007.
* The Israeli public overwhelmingly supports the concept of land for peace, if it brings the reward of greater security with a pragmatic, peaceful neighbor. Evacuation of settlements would be less popular, however, if the consequences are likely to be increased violence against Israel's citizens and the creation of a vacuum to be filled with extremist terror. The precedent of Gaza has increased the skepticism of the Israeli public towards similar arrangements in the West Bank.
* Thus while the 1967 borders are the natural starting point for negotiations, the demographic realities of Israel's population, and the understandable security concerns of the Israeli public, will need to be taken into account. These issues are on the agenda for any negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
View this page at www.dailyalert.org
Subscribe
RSS-XML
DAILY ALERT
Friday,
November 28, 2008
To contact the Presidents Conference:
click here
In-Depth Issues:
Behind Mumbai's Terrorist Attacks - Fareed Zakaria (Newsweek)
One misconception is the assumption that these attacks were aimed primarily at foreigners. Look at their targets.
The two hotels they attacked - the Taj and the Oberoi - are old, iconic Indian hotels. It used to be true that these places were affordable only by Westerners, but today they are filled with Indian businessmen.
If the aim was to hit Americans or other Westerners, the big American chains all have hotels there, and there are many more distinctly American targets.
One of the untold stories of India is that the Muslim population has not shared in the boom the country has enjoyed over the last ten years. There's enough alienation out there that there are locals who can be drawn in to plots.
That tends to be a pattern, from Madrid to Casablanca to Bali - some hard-core jihadis who indoctrinate alienated locals they can seduce.
The writer, a Mumbai native, is editor of Newsweek International.
Syria and the Nuclear Cops - Editorial (Wall Street Journal)
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed last week that it had discovered a "significant number" of chemically processed uranium particles at a suspected Syrian nuclear site destroyed last year by Israel.
The IAEA also reported that satellite images of the site taken prior to its destruction had the markings of a nuclear reactor.
So what did IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei do with this information? Why, urge the approval of a Syrian request for a $350,000 feasibility study for a new reactor.
See also IAEA Chief: Will Confront Syria with Imagery of Suspect Site (AFP)
The UN atomic watchdog hopes to confront Syria soon with satellite imagery of a suspect nuclear site bombed by Israeli planes last year, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Thursday.
The UN says the remote desert site, Al-Kibar, had been a covert nuclear reactor close to completion.
See also Nuclear Chief "Baffled" as Syria Site Photos Disappear (Irish Examiner)
Israeli Surgeons Weld Wounds Shut with Surgical Laser - Judy Siegel (Jerusalem Post)
A team of applied physicists at Tel Aviv University led by Prof. Abraham Katzir have developed an efficient and safe way to close incisions.
Katzir and his team use a technique called "laser welding" in which biological glue is smeared on the two sides of the incision.
Then a laser warms it at the correct temperature to create a hard "shell" that protects the wound and allows it to heal.
They use a temperature-controlled carbon dioxide laser and special silver halide optical fibers to prevent overheating and burns.
Introducing Israel Studies in U.S. Universities - Interview with Mitchell Bard by Manfred Gerstenfeld (Institute for Global Jewish Affairs)
The anti-Israeli activism on college campuses during the Second Intifada created the incentive among the American Jewish philanthropic community to promote education and scholarship on Israel at universities.
The first two centers for Israel Studies were established in 1998, their initiators driven by the concept that it was important to teach American students about modern Israel.
Israel Studies remained largely neglected, however, until 2004. Since then it has rapidly grown.
There are at present nine Israel Studies centers throughout the U.S. By the end of 2008 about 15 chairs in Israel Studies will have been endowed.
The program for visiting professors from Israel started in 2004-2005 and, in the current academic year, has 27 such scholars teaching on 26 campuses.
See also U. of California to Reopen Study-Abroad Program in Israel - Josh Keller (Chronicle of Higher Education)
The University of California announced on Tuesday that it would end its six-year suspension of study-abroad programs in Israel, and would reopen a program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem next year.
For Researchers: Search the Daily Alert Archive
All back issues of Daily Alert since May 2002 are available online and are searchable.
This invaluable Internet resource documents the recent history of Israel and the Middle East.
See also israelresearch.org
Insider information on Israel's national security issues - filtered, sifted, and stored for easy retrieval - from the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
Add the Daily Alert Israel News Ticker to Your Website
Send the Daily Alert to a Friend
If you are viewing the email version of the Daily Alert - and want to share it with friends - please click "Forward" in your email program and enter their address.
Search
Key Links
Media Contacts
Back Issues
Fair Use News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
* Indian Commandos Storm Jewish Center in Mumbai - Keith Bradsher and Somini Sengupta
Indian commandos Friday morning stormed the Habad Jewish center that had been seized by terrorists during a coordinated series of attacks on Mumbai. While many of the targets seemed to indicate a focus on tourists and Westerners, most of the victims were Indians. The gunmen appear to have come ashore at the Sassoon Docks, not far from the Leopold Cafe, one of the first places struck Wednesday night. They moved on to the train station, then opened fire on Cama and Albless Hospital. At one point, the gunmen hijacked a police vehicle and opened fire near the Metro Cinema. (New York Times)
See also Cool and Composed, They Killed and Killed - Randeep Ramesh, Duncan Campbell and Paul Lewis (Guardian-UK)
* 10-20 Israelis Among Mumbai Hostages
"There are between 10 to 20 Israeli nationals being held hostage, but it could be more," said Eli Belotsercovsky, deputy chief of mission at the Israeli embassy in New Delhi. (AFP)
See also Brooklyn Rabbi and Israeli Wife Caught in Attacks - Fernanda Santos
In 2003, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, moved from Brooklyn to Mumbai, India, to manage a mix of educational center, synagogue and social hall known as a Habad house, one of about 3,500 outposts around the world run by the Lubavitch Hasidic movement. The place soon became a year-round magnet for Israeli backpackers, Jewish businessmen and tourists, as well as for the Iraqi and Indian Jews who live there. Mrs. Holtzberg served visitors coffee and homemade kosher delicacies. Rabbi Holtzberg always offered a helping hand to someone who was sick or stranded. On Wednesday, the Holtzbergs' Habad house became the target of terrorist gunmen. Firing grenades and automatic weapons, the men took the Holtzbergs and at least six other people hostage. (New York Times)
See also India: Holtzberg Toddler Reunites with Grandparents - Hagai Einav
Shimon and Yehudit Rosenberg, the parents of Rivka Holtzberg, who with her husband Gavriel run the Habad center in Mumbai, arrived in India from Israel on Friday morning and were reunited with their two-year-old grandson, Moshe Tzvi, who was rescued from the house the day before by Sandra Samuel, an Indian cook at Habad house. (Ynet News)
* Canada Leads in Pushing UN Censure of Iran - Paul Lungen
A resolution that Canada spearheaded censuring Iran for violations of human rights passed in a UN General Assembly committee last week. The resolution accuses Iran of "torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations." It criticizes Iran for executing juveniles, killing people by stoning, and discriminating against women and girls. It also calls on Iran to end human rights violations affecting religious and ethnic minorities, among them Jews, Christians, Kurds, Arabs, Sunni Muslims and, in particular, Baha'is. The resolution was co-sponsored by 42 mostly European and North American democracies, plus Israel, Fiji and Micronesia. Seventy members of the General Assembly's Third Committee voted in favor of the motion. (Canadian Jewish News)
See also Iran Furious at Peace Plan Advert Bearing Its Flag and Israel's - Ian Black
Iran has angrily dissociated itself from Arab and Islamic attempts to publicize an offer to make peace with and recognize Israel. Officials in Tehran are furious that the Iranian flag appeared on an advertisement, published in the Guardian and other papers, promoting the Saudi-brokered initiative. The Iranian embassy in London protested that the Islamic Republic objects "to any move taken by some Arab countries to push the recognition of the occupying Zionist regime in any manner." (Guardian-UK)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
* Palestinian Rocket Hits House on Kibbutz - Shmulik Hadad
Palestinians in Gaza fired a Kassam rocket Thursday evening that damaged a house in a kibbutz in southern Israel. Tami Tuchman, 61, whose home was damaged, said she had fled with her dog to their family's bomb shelter when the Color Red rocket alert system sounded at the kibbutz. (Ynet News)
* Hamas Weakening in West Bank - Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel
The achievements of Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayyad over the past year and a half, in making the West Bank a much more bearable place to live, cannot be ignored. In Jenin, Nablus and Hebron, armed militants are no longer on the streets, and the general atmosphere of anarchy has faded. And while the economic situation isn't great, it's immeasurably better than in Gaza, under Hamas. Israeli defense sources confirm that PA security forces are close to crushing Hamas' military infrastructure in the West Bank. Hamas has also drastically reduced its money transfers to its charity organizations in the West Bank, fearing the PA will get its hands on the money. (Ha'aretz)
* Jerusalem Symposium Discusses Scandinavian Anti-Semitism - Cnaan Liphshiz
"Norway is the most anti-Semitic country in Scandinavia," Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld, a scholar of Western European anti-Semitism, told a discussion on Scandinavian anti-Semitism and Israel-hatred hosted on Tuesday by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Gerstenfeld presented cartoons from the Norwegian mainstream press and noted, "There is something wrong with a society which is willing to accept these Nazi cartoons. With a Jewish population of only 1,300, Norway has led the pack in anti-Semitism before, during and after WWII." Zvi Mazel, a former ambassador to Sweden, spoke of a "deep-rooted" anti-Semitism in Sweden, while Dr. Efraim Zuroff, director of the Wiesenthal Center in Israel - which co-sponsored the event - addressed Norway and Sweden's failure to prosecute Nazi war criminals. (Ha'aretz)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
Terror Attacks in India
* Mumbai Attacks Suggest Outside Help - Craig Whitlock and Karen DeYoung
Counterterrorism officials and experts said the scale, sophistication and targets involved in the Mumbai attacks were markedly different from previous terrorist plots in India and suggested the gunmen had received training from outside the country. "This is a new, horrific milestone in the global jihad," said Bruce Riedel, a former analyst for the CIA and National Security Council. "No indigenous Indian group has this level of capability." Several analysts and officials said the attacks bore the hallmarks of Lashkar-i-Taiba and Jaish-i-Muhammad, two networks of Muslim extremists from Pakistan that have targeted India before. The Hindu newspaper reported Friday that at least three of the suspects held by police were members of Lashkar-i-Taiba. (Washington Post)
* India: Homegrown Terror or International Jihad? - Benedetta Berti
India is reeling from the worst series of terrorist attacks in its history. The Deccan Mujahideen, which claimed responsibility, is apparently linked with the Indian Mujahideen (IM), a splinter group of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). In the past six months, four IM attacks in major Indian cities claimed the lives of over 140 people. IM's previous attacks consisted of a series of coordinated, simultaneous blasts aimed at causing the highest number of casualties. A senior officer of the Indian Police Service, briefing parliament on the group's September 2008 attack in Delhi, stated: "This group...doesn't attack parliament or police stations. They go directly for maximum chaos and maximum financial damage." Following the Delhi blasts, the IM threatened to hit Mumbai in its next operation.
The highly coordinated and planned nature of the attacks, as well as the terrorists' modus operandi, also suggest the existence of a strong international connection between IM and international as well as regional terrorist groups. The Mumbai operation was qualitatively more sophisticated and deadly and shared several characteristics of al-Qaeda's operational strategy: the choice of targets, the deliberate decision to kill the maximum number of Western citizens, the simultaneous use of suicide missions, as well as hostage-taking. Thus, it is clear that the terrorist organization has received assistance and backing from al-Qaeda-affiliated organizations and has adopted an international jihadist agenda. The writer is a Neubauer Doctoral Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University. (Jerusalem Post)
* How Not to Deal with Militant Islam - Sadanand Dhume
Over the past four years, Islamist groups have struck in New Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad, among other places. The death toll from terrorism - not counting those killed in Mumbai - stands at over 4,000. India's failure to protect Mumbai offers a textbook example for fellow democracies on how not to deal with militant Islam. The country's antiterrorism effort is reactive and episodic rather than proactive and sustained. Its public discourse on Islam oscillates between crude, anti-Muslim bigotry and mindless sympathy for largely unjustified Muslim grievance-mongering. Finally, India's inability to modernize its 150-million strong Muslim population has spawned a community susceptible to militant Islam's faith-based appeal. (Wall Street Journal)
Other Issues
* Sanctions? What Sanctions? German-Iranian Trade Booms - Matthias Kuntzel
While the U.S. reacts to reports that Iran had enriched enough uranium for a nuclear weapon with concern and calls for tighter sanctions, in Germany it is business as usual. On Thursday, many of the leading lights of German-Iranian trade gathered at a conference in Hamburg on "Iran Sanctions: Practical Consequence for German Firms" to discuss how further to promote German business with Iran. "Even in these difficult times" the conference announcement states, the Chamber of Commerce wants to "support" German firms "developing markets in Iran." "We would be delighted if we could thus contribute to the success of your business with Iran."
One speaker was Norbert Eisenmenger, managing director of the European-Iranian Commerce Bank. As its latest report notes, the bank closed out 2007 "with record earnings yet again." "Net profit doubled...the volume of transactions increased by 35%." The topic "Financing Iranian Business Deals" was covered by Sabine Hummerich, representing Bank Melli Iran, which is fully-owned by the Iranian regime. The 2007-2008 report of Bank Melli's German subsidiary in Hamburg notes that net income increased by 33% over the previous year. In June 2008, the EU placed sanctions on Bank Melli. (Pajamas Media)
See also Berlin Loves Iran - Editorial
As Europe's largest exporter to Iran, Germany has unique leverage over that regime. But Berlin refuses to use it, unwilling to go beyond the relatively soft UN trade restrictions. German exports to Iran are up 14% in the first seven months of this year, according to Germany's Federal Statistical Office. (Wall Street Journal)
* Terrorists Feel Exempt from International Law - David Altman
At the end of the Vietnam War, visiting PLO representatives congratulated the commander of the North Vietnamese army, General Vo Nguyen Giap, on his victory over the American superpower and asked him when he predicted terror organizations would be victorious over Israel. Gen. Giap answered: "Never! You will never be victorious due to lack of determination." Some believe this meeting represented a turning point in the development of Islamic terrorism, which began to educate its society in the sanctity of suicide and initiated the era of suicide terrorism, believing that the more people willing to prove their readiness to die for a cause, the greater the determination and the closer the victory.
Today, a new, different terror army is being developed, one that enjoys the advantages of feeling exempt from any international law or accountability. In addition, they handicap the power of their opponent through exploitation of the claims of internationally accepted values of human rights, correct treatment of prisoners of war, and prevention of harm to civilian populations - though none of these values apply to them, but only to their opponent. The writer is the senior vice president of Netanya Academic College and the deputy chair of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Strategic Dialogue. (Jerusalem Post)
* Security Fence Makes Vast Difference to Life in Israel - Licia Corbella
Since the security fence was built, there have been no more suicide murders and no more sniping at children walking to and from school in Jerusalem. Khaled Abu Toameh, an Arab Muslim journalist who lives in Israel and writes for the Jerusalem Post, says life was unbearable and extremely dangerous before the fence was erected.
"It's very simple," explains the reporter who once worked for a PLO newspaper. "I live in Jerusalem. I have three children and I can tell you that for three years I was afraid to take my children to the shopping malls here in Jerusalem. For three years if you asked me to meet you in downtown Jerusalem, I would have refused and for three years I was afraid to stop my car at a red traffic light next to a bus because I didn't want to die in a suicide bombing. The suicide bombers killed both Jews and Arabs."
Today, Abu Toameh says he feels much safer and Jerusalem is a bustling city again, instead of the veritable ghost town it became for three years until the barrier was built. "Look, the wall is bad. I don't like walls....But let's be honest, what other choice did the Israelis have?" he asks. "If I were the Israeli authorities, I would write on the wall that this wall was made by Yasser Arafat and Hamas," said Abu Toameh. (Calgary Herald-Canada)
Observations:
The Starting Point for Peace - Lior Ben Dor (Guardian-UK)
* I read with great interest the Guardian's suggestion that president-elect Obama should "tear up" the 2004 letter from President Bush to Ariel Sharon regarding Israel's major settlement blocs within the West Bank (Editorial, Nov. 24). The future borders of the state of Israel will not be determined on the pages of this newspaper. Instead, they will be determined by negotiations between Israel and the legitimate leadership of the Palestinians.
* In 2005 Israel took the initiative as regards peace with the Palestinians by evacuating nearly 30 settlements, including every Jewish settlement in Gaza and more in the northern part of the West Bank. This process cost the Israeli taxpayer $2.5 billion and risked heightening tensions within Israeli society. However, Gaza became a launch pad for rocket attacks against Israeli citizens and terrorist action at our borders. This reality worsened still further after Hamas seized total control of Gaza in a bloody coup in 2007.
* The Israeli public overwhelmingly supports the concept of land for peace, if it brings the reward of greater security with a pragmatic, peaceful neighbor. Evacuation of settlements would be less popular, however, if the consequences are likely to be increased violence against Israel's citizens and the creation of a vacuum to be filled with extremist terror. The precedent of Gaza has increased the skepticism of the Israeli public towards similar arrangements in the West Bank.
* Thus while the 1967 borders are the natural starting point for negotiations, the demographic realities of Israel's population, and the understandable security concerns of the Israeli public, will need to be taken into account. These issues are on the agenda for any negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
