Theodore Herzl (in 1900) and David Ben Gurion (in 1947) did not subordinate
their vision and long-term strategy to tenuous demographic constraints: A
Jewish minority of 8% and 33% respectively between the Jordan River and the
Mediterranean. Their defiance of odds was responsible for the 1948
establishment of the Jewish State.
In 2010, there is a solid 67% Jewish majority in the combined area of
pre-1967 Israel and Judea and Samaria. However, some Israeli politicians
employ toxic demographic assets. They inflate the number of Arabs in Judea
and Samaria in order to scare the Jewish State into a retreat from a most
critical area, historically and security-wise.
The following OpEd, by Haim Rozenberg, former Head of Long-Term Planning at
RAFAEL (Israel Defense Ministry's Armament Development Authority), addresses
the issue of toxic demographic assets.
Shabbat Shalom,
Yoram Ettinger
Toxic Demographic Assets
News First Class, February 8, 2010
Haim Rozenberg, former Head Long-Term Planning, RAFAEL (Israel Defense
Ministry's Armament Development Authority)
Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, said on February 4, 2010 that there are 12
million persons between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean: 6 million
Jews and 6 million Arabs. Therefore, he concluded, a two state solution
would spare Israel the wrath of Apartheid. Really?!
Barak's conclusion is based on a dramatic error of a two million person gap.
In fact, the total population west of the Jordan River is 10 million.
According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics (ICBS), Israel's
population includes 6 million Jews and 1.5 million Arabs. The ICBS has not
dealt with Judea, Samaria and Gaza Arabs since 1997.
Recent studies, which were published by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic
Studies ( http://www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/MSPS65.pdf ) and by the Institute
for Zionist Strategies ( http://izsvideo.org/papers/faitelson2009.pdf ) have
documented about 4 million - and not 6 million - Arabs between the Jordan
River and the Mediterranean: 1.5 million in pre-1967 Israel, 1.5 in Judea
and Samaria and 1.2 in Gaza.
Barak has been off by two million Arabs!
A solid 67% Jewish majority - without Gaza - has existed west of the Jordan
River since 1967. The 10 million persons west of the Jordan River consist of
some 6 million Jews, 3 million Arabs in the combined area of "pre-1967
Israel" and Judea and Samaria and 1.2 million Arabs in Gaza.
Current demographic bode well for the Jewish majority, which is expected to
grow during the next 20 years due to a substantial rise in fertility since
1995, while Arab/Muslim fertility throughout the Middle East has declined
sharply. In addition, the Arab minority has experienced an accelerated
net-emigration from Judea and Samaria: 580,000 since 1967.
Barak's position that demography is "more threatening than Iran" is detached
from reality. Apparently, scrutinizing facts is not a Barak trait, as was
also evident during his May 2000 disorderly withdrawal from Lebanon and his
July 2000 Camp David negotiation with Arafat and Clinton.
Demographic trends are not deterministic. The current Jewish demographic
tailwind can be bolstered and leveraged, provided that Israeli leaders study
the facts and implement a sound demographic policy.
The options available to Jerusalem are not limited to the establishment of a
Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria on one hand or an Apartheid state on
the other hand. Au contraire, a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria would
severely destabilize the Middle East and deteriorate the region toward
chaos.
Demography is a serious subject. It cannot be handled through off-the-cuff
statements and must be presented accurately, avoiding toxic demographic
assets.
View this article at Israel Behind the News
Showing posts with label Judea and Samaria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judea and Samaria. Show all posts
Friday, February 12, 2010
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The Philadelphia Bulletin: Shocking Conclusions From Inquiry Over Gaza Expulsions
by David Bedein
An Israeli soldier keeps watch at a machine gun post atop a guard tower overlooking the Jewish settlement of Netzarim and surrounding Palestinian lands inside a small army base contiguous with the settlement, several kilometers inside the Gaza Strip on Oct. 26, 2003. An Israeli government commission has released a report criticizing the government for its handling of the last pullout of settlements from Gaza. (Brennan Linsley/Associated Press)
JERUSALEM - Four years and two months have passed since Israel expelled Jews from their homes in the Katif district of Gaza and from Jewish communities in Northern Samaria, after which the government bulldozed their homes and property, an official Israel state commission of investigation nto the Israeli government's handing of these deported Jews has issued its interim report.
The Israeli government investigation commission has concluded that the Israeli prime minister must take all practical steps for immediate and decisive action. “The state’s handling of the evacuees was tainted with failures. The obligation and stated purposes of the Israeli government was not implemented, and not enough was done for the majority of the evacuees,” states the interim report, that was filed so to allow the government to meet its obligations. According to the commission, headed by retired Israeli justice Eliyahu Matza, the treatment of the evacuees ought to have been made a national undertaking. “The treatment of the evacuees ought to be again placed at the top our national priorities, in action and not merely in declarations. This is the duty of the state, that in an effort to advance political and defensive aims has harmed a wide public. The state must hasten, it is a matter of human rights, of common human decency, of Jewish ethics.”
According to the summary report, only 250 families have begun building their permanent home, of the 926 plots that were allocated to the expelled families. The report states that some of the evacuees cannot begin building “because they lack the ability to fund the construction, since their money has been spend on their daily outlays, due to having failed to find employment. This problem concerns between 100 and 250 families that are undergoing severe economic difficulties, and it is worsening as long as they continue to reside in transient housing facilities.”
The commission also noted the worsening employment levels: whereas before the evacuation unemployment was nearly nonexistent, unemployment today stands at 16.2 percent - twice the national level. “The evacuation has directly brought about the high unemployment levels. The state must intensify its efforts to solve the employment problem, and if need be also resort to unconventional solutions,” the commission stated. Former judge Matza added that the interim report does not note those responsible for the failure and that this would be undertaken in the final report: “the report concerns an ongoing event, not merely something of the past, and it is therefore very compact and pragmatic.”
Israeli Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said at the event of the report’s release that “beyond all disputes, those who have been paying the price so far are those who have been removed from their homes, and most of them have not yet found permanent housing.”
The context of this report is that the government of Israel did everything in its power in the initial stage of the expulsion process to reassure public opinion that the Jews who were expelled from their homes were being taken care of - despite the petition to the Israel High Court of Justice by a bipartisan group of sociologists who brought overwhelming date to the court that the government of Israel had no real plan for resettlement of people from 26 communities that were being decimated.
The Israeli government at the time, under the leadership of then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, hired a top flight PR agency that blared a commercial, every hour on the hour, that "there is a solution for everyone being relocated."
On August 20, 2005, in the midst of the expulsions. Sharon's top advisor, Dov Weisglass and then Housing Minister Yitzhak Hertzog made presentations to the Conference of Major American Jewish organizations, in which these Israeli officials assured that the people being expelled would all have homes waiting for them, with ample funds to support them. Following these reassurances, a number of American Jewish groups spread the word that every family expelled from Katif was going to receive a grant of $400,000. In addition, Israeli government minister Shimon Peres assured Israeli public opinion that the American government was granting $2 billion to cover the expulsion and resettlement costs.
The investigation has put to rest any notions spread by Weisglass and Hertzog that people expelled by Israel were taken care of, while Peres's assurance of $2 billion coming from the U.S. government never came to fruition.
View the original article in the Philadelphia Bulletin
An Israeli soldier keeps watch at a machine gun post atop a guard tower overlooking the Jewish settlement of Netzarim and surrounding Palestinian lands inside a small army base contiguous with the settlement, several kilometers inside the Gaza Strip on Oct. 26, 2003. An Israeli government commission has released a report criticizing the government for its handling of the last pullout of settlements from Gaza. (Brennan Linsley/Associated Press)
JERUSALEM - Four years and two months have passed since Israel expelled Jews from their homes in the Katif district of Gaza and from Jewish communities in Northern Samaria, after which the government bulldozed their homes and property, an official Israel state commission of investigation nto the Israeli government's handing of these deported Jews has issued its interim report.
The Israeli government investigation commission has concluded that the Israeli prime minister must take all practical steps for immediate and decisive action. “The state’s handling of the evacuees was tainted with failures. The obligation and stated purposes of the Israeli government was not implemented, and not enough was done for the majority of the evacuees,” states the interim report, that was filed so to allow the government to meet its obligations. According to the commission, headed by retired Israeli justice Eliyahu Matza, the treatment of the evacuees ought to have been made a national undertaking. “The treatment of the evacuees ought to be again placed at the top our national priorities, in action and not merely in declarations. This is the duty of the state, that in an effort to advance political and defensive aims has harmed a wide public. The state must hasten, it is a matter of human rights, of common human decency, of Jewish ethics.”
According to the summary report, only 250 families have begun building their permanent home, of the 926 plots that were allocated to the expelled families. The report states that some of the evacuees cannot begin building “because they lack the ability to fund the construction, since their money has been spend on their daily outlays, due to having failed to find employment. This problem concerns between 100 and 250 families that are undergoing severe economic difficulties, and it is worsening as long as they continue to reside in transient housing facilities.”
The commission also noted the worsening employment levels: whereas before the evacuation unemployment was nearly nonexistent, unemployment today stands at 16.2 percent - twice the national level. “The evacuation has directly brought about the high unemployment levels. The state must intensify its efforts to solve the employment problem, and if need be also resort to unconventional solutions,” the commission stated. Former judge Matza added that the interim report does not note those responsible for the failure and that this would be undertaken in the final report: “the report concerns an ongoing event, not merely something of the past, and it is therefore very compact and pragmatic.”
Israeli Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said at the event of the report’s release that “beyond all disputes, those who have been paying the price so far are those who have been removed from their homes, and most of them have not yet found permanent housing.”
The context of this report is that the government of Israel did everything in its power in the initial stage of the expulsion process to reassure public opinion that the Jews who were expelled from their homes were being taken care of - despite the petition to the Israel High Court of Justice by a bipartisan group of sociologists who brought overwhelming date to the court that the government of Israel had no real plan for resettlement of people from 26 communities that were being decimated.
The Israeli government at the time, under the leadership of then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, hired a top flight PR agency that blared a commercial, every hour on the hour, that "there is a solution for everyone being relocated."
On August 20, 2005, in the midst of the expulsions. Sharon's top advisor, Dov Weisglass and then Housing Minister Yitzhak Hertzog made presentations to the Conference of Major American Jewish organizations, in which these Israeli officials assured that the people being expelled would all have homes waiting for them, with ample funds to support them. Following these reassurances, a number of American Jewish groups spread the word that every family expelled from Katif was going to receive a grant of $400,000. In addition, Israeli government minister Shimon Peres assured Israeli public opinion that the American government was granting $2 billion to cover the expulsion and resettlement costs.
The investigation has put to rest any notions spread by Weisglass and Hertzog that people expelled by Israel were taken care of, while Peres's assurance of $2 billion coming from the U.S. government never came to fruition.
View the original article in the Philadelphia Bulletin
Sunday, August 30, 2009
The Philadelphia Bulletin: Israeli Minister Of Education: Unfreeze School Construction
by David Bedein
Jerusalem, Israel - Current discussions about a freeze on expansion of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria have direct bearing on the future of the school system in these communities.
Overcrowding in Judea and Samaria school classes is particularly problematic, and pupils often study in classes with leaking roofs. The Israel Education Ministry has granted permission to construct additional education facilities there, but due to the Israel Defense Ministry's building freeze, construction has been prevented.
Israel Education Minister Gidon Saar recently demanded of Defense Minister Ehud Barak that he unfreeze the construction of those kindergartens and classrooms that are recognized by the Education Ministry in Samaria. Residents in Samaria are threatening to put the schools on strike next week. In a letter sent by Samaria Regional Council Chairman Gershon Mesika to the Knesset Education and Culture Committee, Mr. Mesika argues that the children are being used "as hostages of the policy of drying out the Jewish settlements in Samaria."
The director of education in the council, Yohai Damari, said that the freeze was a political act harmful to the children.
"Thousands of students are learning in trailers, detached from their pedagogical environment," Mr. Damari said.
According to Mr. Damari, the Israel Education Ministry has granted approval for 24 construction projects of school and kindergarten classes and even allocated funds for these after deeming them essential.
"Defense Minister Ehud Barak is discriminating against the children of Samaria because of a political agenda," said Knesset Parliament Education and Culture Committee Chairman Zvulun Orlev. "As a result, many children are not being provided with a decent learning environment."
According to Mr. Orlev, the children study in crowded classrooms that do not meet regulations, and often, due to scarcity of schools near their homes, are forced to take transportation that puts their lives in danger to study.
"There are in Samaria certain education facilities where conditions are worse than in refugee camps," added Mr. Orlev. "This is an intolerable situation that cannot be allowed to continue."
The Israel Defense Ministry issued a response saying that Mr. Saar's complaint is "being examined by the professional officials in the Defense Ministry."
View this story in the Philadelphia Bulletin
View this story at Israel Behind the News
Jerusalem, Israel - Current discussions about a freeze on expansion of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria have direct bearing on the future of the school system in these communities.
Overcrowding in Judea and Samaria school classes is particularly problematic, and pupils often study in classes with leaking roofs. The Israel Education Ministry has granted permission to construct additional education facilities there, but due to the Israel Defense Ministry's building freeze, construction has been prevented.
Israel Education Minister Gidon Saar recently demanded of Defense Minister Ehud Barak that he unfreeze the construction of those kindergartens and classrooms that are recognized by the Education Ministry in Samaria. Residents in Samaria are threatening to put the schools on strike next week. In a letter sent by Samaria Regional Council Chairman Gershon Mesika to the Knesset Education and Culture Committee, Mr. Mesika argues that the children are being used "as hostages of the policy of drying out the Jewish settlements in Samaria."
The director of education in the council, Yohai Damari, said that the freeze was a political act harmful to the children.
"Thousands of students are learning in trailers, detached from their pedagogical environment," Mr. Damari said.
According to Mr. Damari, the Israel Education Ministry has granted approval for 24 construction projects of school and kindergarten classes and even allocated funds for these after deeming them essential.
"Defense Minister Ehud Barak is discriminating against the children of Samaria because of a political agenda," said Knesset Parliament Education and Culture Committee Chairman Zvulun Orlev. "As a result, many children are not being provided with a decent learning environment."
According to Mr. Orlev, the children study in crowded classrooms that do not meet regulations, and often, due to scarcity of schools near their homes, are forced to take transportation that puts their lives in danger to study.
"There are in Samaria certain education facilities where conditions are worse than in refugee camps," added Mr. Orlev. "This is an intolerable situation that cannot be allowed to continue."
The Israel Defense Ministry issued a response saying that Mr. Saar's complaint is "being examined by the professional officials in the Defense Ministry."
View this story in the Philadelphia Bulletin
View this story at Israel Behind the News
The Philadelphia Bulletin: Israeli and Palestinian Leaders Meet
by David Bedein
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last week welcomed the statement made by Palestinian Authority Chairman Machmud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, who called for a resumption of negotiations with Israel. "If Abu Mazen stands behind that offer, then that is a positive thing and we're talking about progress," Netanyahu said in a meeting with Israeli journalists in Berlin following his meeting with German President Horst Koehler during his visit to Germany.
"We have thought for a long time that there is reason to hold a meeting without reconditions and to begin taking steps that will bring about the promotion of the political process," Netanyahu added.
Netanyahu underscored, however, that without Palestinian recognition of Israel's Jewish character, it would be impossible to resolve the conflict.
"The root of the conflict isn't the settlements, the borders or one area or another," he said. "All of those issues will be raised for discussion and we are going to have to find solutions to them. The problem is the refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state."
However, judging by Abu Mazen's statements yesterday before the Palestinian parliament, the differences between the two parties are larger than the mere question of whether Israel is recognized as a Jewish state. While Abu Mazen voiced his willingness to renew negotiations, he underscored that the condition for renewal was a suspension of all construction in the settlements. Moreover, Abu Mazen said that the negotiations needed to be resumed from the point at which they broke off during Ehud Olmert's term in office.
"In talks with the Olmert government it was agreed that the borders of the Palestinian state would include the Gaza Strip in its entirety and the West Bank in its entirety, including Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and the River Jordan," claimed Abu Mazen in his speech. "When we return to negotiations we will begin them from those points and not from zero."
An official in Abu Mazen's office added his own statements.
"We want negotiations in order to reach a solution of two states, but we want to discuss a final status arrangement and not waste time as occurred in the past," he said.
Senior sources in Ramallah said that an agreement in principle has been reached for Abu Mazen to meet with Netanyahu in New York.
"Abu Mazen will meet with Netanyahu not in order to negotiate, but in order to establish the rules of the negotiations," said one Palestinian official.
Sources in Prime Minister Netanyahu's entourage said that no agreements have been reached on that matter yet. If Netanyahu and Abu Mazen do meet, in fact, that will be their fist meeting since Netanyahu assumed office as prime minister.
Prior to his departure for Germany, Netanyahu met in London with special US envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell. American officials said after the meeting that Israel had, in practice, agreed to a temporary construction freeze in Judea and Samaria, but that the parties remained divided over the duration of that construction moratorium. The United States has demanded that the freeze last for one year, whereas Israel has agreed to a freeze that will last a number of months. Another issue in contention pertains to Jerusalem. The Americans have demanded that Israel not build inside Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Israel has refused to make any such commitment.
Following the meeting, Netanyahu said that certain progress had been made in that meeting towards a renewal of the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
"The discussions advanced us in the process, though a number of issues remain unresolved," the Prime Minister said upon his arrival in Berlin from London. "The intention is to advance while striking a balance between maintaining the settlers' basic needs of life and maintaining the basic conditions for launching the political process."
Netanyahu vehemently denied reports in the Arab and British media yesterday as if Israel were prepared to accept a six-month-long settlement construction freeze in exchange for an American commitment to intensify the sanctions against Iran.
Netanyahu met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday. At the center of their meeting will be the Iranian nuclear program and the German mediation efforts to bring about Gilad Shalit's release from captivity. Prior to Netanyahu's arrival in Berlin, Merkel said that she supported stiffening the sanctions against Iran, mainly in the realm of energy, in the event that Iran should refuse to meet the international community's demand that it suspend its uranium enrichment activities.
"The German political position on Iran is a firm and consistent position," said Netanyahu on the eve of his meeting with Merkel. "The volume of Germany's trade with Iran has dropped by approximately one-quarter, and we will welcome another significant cutback."
Despite optimism from Netanyahu and reports about a possible meeting with Abu Mazen, his party, Likud, is expressing displeasure over recent developments and plans to hold a meeting.
"The Americans are trying to create an imaginary partner for negotiations that does not want and is not capable of making peace with Israel," said MK Danny Danon yesterday and added: "The Middle East is not a Hollywood movie." He said, "Netanyahu's capitulation to American pressure on the subject of construction in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria will lead to further demands to make concessions, without our receiving anything in return from the Palestinian side."
MK Ophir Akunis, a former Netanyahu adviser, also said that he would oppose any agreement from the meeting on a construction freeze.
"There will be no construction freeze in Judea and Samaria and we won't stop the lives of the Israelis who live in the settlements," he said.
Along with the talk, preparations began yesterday to oppose a settlement construction freeze. MK Tzippi Hotovely convened the top leaders of Judea and Samaria for a meeting described as "initial preparation to counter the messages emerging from the prime minister's trip to Europe."
View this story in the Philadelphia Bulletin
View this story at Israel Behind the News
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last week welcomed the statement made by Palestinian Authority Chairman Machmud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, who called for a resumption of negotiations with Israel. "If Abu Mazen stands behind that offer, then that is a positive thing and we're talking about progress," Netanyahu said in a meeting with Israeli journalists in Berlin following his meeting with German President Horst Koehler during his visit to Germany.
"We have thought for a long time that there is reason to hold a meeting without reconditions and to begin taking steps that will bring about the promotion of the political process," Netanyahu added.
Netanyahu underscored, however, that without Palestinian recognition of Israel's Jewish character, it would be impossible to resolve the conflict.
"The root of the conflict isn't the settlements, the borders or one area or another," he said. "All of those issues will be raised for discussion and we are going to have to find solutions to them. The problem is the refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state."
However, judging by Abu Mazen's statements yesterday before the Palestinian parliament, the differences between the two parties are larger than the mere question of whether Israel is recognized as a Jewish state. While Abu Mazen voiced his willingness to renew negotiations, he underscored that the condition for renewal was a suspension of all construction in the settlements. Moreover, Abu Mazen said that the negotiations needed to be resumed from the point at which they broke off during Ehud Olmert's term in office.
"In talks with the Olmert government it was agreed that the borders of the Palestinian state would include the Gaza Strip in its entirety and the West Bank in its entirety, including Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and the River Jordan," claimed Abu Mazen in his speech. "When we return to negotiations we will begin them from those points and not from zero."
An official in Abu Mazen's office added his own statements.
"We want negotiations in order to reach a solution of two states, but we want to discuss a final status arrangement and not waste time as occurred in the past," he said.
Senior sources in Ramallah said that an agreement in principle has been reached for Abu Mazen to meet with Netanyahu in New York.
"Abu Mazen will meet with Netanyahu not in order to negotiate, but in order to establish the rules of the negotiations," said one Palestinian official.
Sources in Prime Minister Netanyahu's entourage said that no agreements have been reached on that matter yet. If Netanyahu and Abu Mazen do meet, in fact, that will be their fist meeting since Netanyahu assumed office as prime minister.
Prior to his departure for Germany, Netanyahu met in London with special US envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell. American officials said after the meeting that Israel had, in practice, agreed to a temporary construction freeze in Judea and Samaria, but that the parties remained divided over the duration of that construction moratorium. The United States has demanded that the freeze last for one year, whereas Israel has agreed to a freeze that will last a number of months. Another issue in contention pertains to Jerusalem. The Americans have demanded that Israel not build inside Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Israel has refused to make any such commitment.
Following the meeting, Netanyahu said that certain progress had been made in that meeting towards a renewal of the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
"The discussions advanced us in the process, though a number of issues remain unresolved," the Prime Minister said upon his arrival in Berlin from London. "The intention is to advance while striking a balance between maintaining the settlers' basic needs of life and maintaining the basic conditions for launching the political process."
Netanyahu vehemently denied reports in the Arab and British media yesterday as if Israel were prepared to accept a six-month-long settlement construction freeze in exchange for an American commitment to intensify the sanctions against Iran.
Netanyahu met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday. At the center of their meeting will be the Iranian nuclear program and the German mediation efforts to bring about Gilad Shalit's release from captivity. Prior to Netanyahu's arrival in Berlin, Merkel said that she supported stiffening the sanctions against Iran, mainly in the realm of energy, in the event that Iran should refuse to meet the international community's demand that it suspend its uranium enrichment activities.
"The German political position on Iran is a firm and consistent position," said Netanyahu on the eve of his meeting with Merkel. "The volume of Germany's trade with Iran has dropped by approximately one-quarter, and we will welcome another significant cutback."
Despite optimism from Netanyahu and reports about a possible meeting with Abu Mazen, his party, Likud, is expressing displeasure over recent developments and plans to hold a meeting.
"The Americans are trying to create an imaginary partner for negotiations that does not want and is not capable of making peace with Israel," said MK Danny Danon yesterday and added: "The Middle East is not a Hollywood movie." He said, "Netanyahu's capitulation to American pressure on the subject of construction in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria will lead to further demands to make concessions, without our receiving anything in return from the Palestinian side."
MK Ophir Akunis, a former Netanyahu adviser, also said that he would oppose any agreement from the meeting on a construction freeze.
"There will be no construction freeze in Judea and Samaria and we won't stop the lives of the Israelis who live in the settlements," he said.
Along with the talk, preparations began yesterday to oppose a settlement construction freeze. MK Tzippi Hotovely convened the top leaders of Judea and Samaria for a meeting described as "initial preparation to counter the messages emerging from the prime minister's trip to Europe."
View this story in the Philadelphia Bulletin
View this story at Israel Behind the News
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Philadelphia Bulletin: Hezbollah Victory Will Give Israel Sway
by David Bedein
Should Hezbollah prevail in Lebanon’s upcoming parliamentary elections next month, it could place Lebanon in Israel’s crosshairs.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel TV a Hezbollah election victory would render the terror group more vulnerable than in the past to the Israel Defense Force (IDF) because Israel would have freer rein in the event of a conflagration.
If the Iranian-financed terror organization were to become significantly stronger and were to hold a majority in the Lebanese government, Israeli security sources say Israel would directly retaliate against Lebanon in the event of a war along its northern border.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said if Hezbollah were to win the Lebanese parliamentary elections: “[T]hat would be a troubling development, and our deployment will be in kind.”
Israel Defense Minister Barak also remarked on that issue, saying: “At present, Hezbollah already holds a third of the ministerial posts in the Lebanese cabinet. If Hezbollah receives a bigger chunk in the upcoming elections, that will expose it more than it was in the past to the IDF’s might, and will allow us freedom of action that we didn’t fully have in July 2006, during the Second Lebanon War.”
The Strategic Affairs Minister said he did not see any chance an independent Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, or in the Gaza Strip, would be able to maintain an independent economy or be able to maintain its internal security.
Mr. Yaalon referred to the experience gained from Israel’s total withdrawal from Gaza in August 2005, which occurred two months after former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon removed him as IDF chief.
“It could be presumed with certainty that any territory that Israel would evacuate in Judea and Samaria would immediately turn into a second Hamastan,” Mr. Yaalon said.
Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai told the seminar attendees Israel should stop trying to seek favor in the eyes of the world and work to get them to see the truth.
“The Palestinians are not even willing to recognize the state of the Jewish people, because they want to eliminate the Jewish people,” Mr. Yishai said.
Former Israel National Security Council director Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland said, commenting on the seminar, that an independent Palestinian state would not be an ideal solution for the Palestinians.
“Many senior Palestinian figures would support the idea of establishing a Palestinian confederation under Jordanian rule. They realize that a Palestinian state would be controlled by Hamas and would prefer to be under Jordanian rule,” Maj. Gen. (res.) Eilan said.
Following the seminar, some members of Israel’s Knesset suggested turning Jordan into a Palestinian state, which Israeli President Shimon Peres called “ridiculous,” even though he is not supposed to express himself politically in his non-partisan position.
After Mr. Peres’ comment, Jordan’s ambassador to Israel filed an official complaint against the government of Israel for allowing a member of Israel’s Knesset to suggest replacing the Jordanian kingdom with a Palestinian state.
View this story in the Philadelphia Bulletin
View this story at Israel Behind the News
Should Hezbollah prevail in Lebanon’s upcoming parliamentary elections next month, it could place Lebanon in Israel’s crosshairs.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel TV a Hezbollah election victory would render the terror group more vulnerable than in the past to the Israel Defense Force (IDF) because Israel would have freer rein in the event of a conflagration.
If the Iranian-financed terror organization were to become significantly stronger and were to hold a majority in the Lebanese government, Israeli security sources say Israel would directly retaliate against Lebanon in the event of a war along its northern border.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said if Hezbollah were to win the Lebanese parliamentary elections: “[T]hat would be a troubling development, and our deployment will be in kind.”
Israel Defense Minister Barak also remarked on that issue, saying: “At present, Hezbollah already holds a third of the ministerial posts in the Lebanese cabinet. If Hezbollah receives a bigger chunk in the upcoming elections, that will expose it more than it was in the past to the IDF’s might, and will allow us freedom of action that we didn’t fully have in July 2006, during the Second Lebanon War.”
The Strategic Affairs Minister said he did not see any chance an independent Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, or in the Gaza Strip, would be able to maintain an independent economy or be able to maintain its internal security.
Mr. Yaalon referred to the experience gained from Israel’s total withdrawal from Gaza in August 2005, which occurred two months after former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon removed him as IDF chief.
“It could be presumed with certainty that any territory that Israel would evacuate in Judea and Samaria would immediately turn into a second Hamastan,” Mr. Yaalon said.
Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai told the seminar attendees Israel should stop trying to seek favor in the eyes of the world and work to get them to see the truth.
“The Palestinians are not even willing to recognize the state of the Jewish people, because they want to eliminate the Jewish people,” Mr. Yishai said.
Former Israel National Security Council director Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland said, commenting on the seminar, that an independent Palestinian state would not be an ideal solution for the Palestinians.
“Many senior Palestinian figures would support the idea of establishing a Palestinian confederation under Jordanian rule. They realize that a Palestinian state would be controlled by Hamas and would prefer to be under Jordanian rule,” Maj. Gen. (res.) Eilan said.
Following the seminar, some members of Israel’s Knesset suggested turning Jordan into a Palestinian state, which Israeli President Shimon Peres called “ridiculous,” even though he is not supposed to express himself politically in his non-partisan position.
After Mr. Peres’ comment, Jordan’s ambassador to Israel filed an official complaint against the government of Israel for allowing a member of Israel’s Knesset to suggest replacing the Jordanian kingdom with a Palestinian state.
View this story in the Philadelphia Bulletin
View this story at Israel Behind the News
Friday, May 8, 2009
The Philadelphia Bulletin: Israeli Soldier Killed In Arab Village Near Ramallah
by David Bedein
An Israeli soldier, identified as Sgt. Noam Adin Rechter Levi, 20, was killed on Wednesday night.
The soldier was shot during a patrol in the village of Birzeit, near Ramallah.
Since April 2002, the Israeli army has resumed patrols in all Arab villages in the West Bank.
These daily Israeli army patrols have succeeded in stopping almost all potential terror attacks from the West Bank over the past two years - more than Israel’s security fence has.
During the operation, the Duhifa Battalion of the Kfir Brigade was engaged in a confrontation between Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and armed Palestinians. During the confrontation, Sgt. Levi was killed by a gunshot.
The security forces arrested several Palestinians, and the incident is being investigated.
See this story in the Philadelphia Bulletin
See this story at Israel Behind the News
An Israeli soldier, identified as Sgt. Noam Adin Rechter Levi, 20, was killed on Wednesday night.
The soldier was shot during a patrol in the village of Birzeit, near Ramallah.
Since April 2002, the Israeli army has resumed patrols in all Arab villages in the West Bank.
These daily Israeli army patrols have succeeded in stopping almost all potential terror attacks from the West Bank over the past two years - more than Israel’s security fence has.
During the operation, the Duhifa Battalion of the Kfir Brigade was engaged in a confrontation between Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and armed Palestinians. During the confrontation, Sgt. Levi was killed by a gunshot.
The security forces arrested several Palestinians, and the incident is being investigated.
See this story in the Philadelphia Bulletin
See this story at Israel Behind the News
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Special Report: January 2008 - Fatah as “Moderate” A Hard Look Post-Annapolis (The Center for Near East Policy Research)
Fatah as “Moderate” A Hard Look Post-Annapolis
Can Mahmoud Abbas and his party serve as legitimate peace negotiation partners?
by Arlene Kushner
Executive Summary
The documented report following explores the question of whether Fatah, headed by
Mahmoud Abbas, is moderate and a viable peace partner for Israel.
1) Are they able to do it?
The over-riding assessment of Israeli intelligence over the past four months is that
from a security perspective Fatah is exceedingly weak within Judea and Samaria.
· Hamas is as strong as Fatah in Judea and Samaria, and represents a real threat.
· The 19 UNRWA refugee camps in Judea and Samaria, which are hotbeds of terrorist activity, are controlled exclusively by armed militias and security forces are not permitted entry.
· A PA Security Services officer admits: “We still have many officers who are involved in various crimes and corruption. We are still far from talking about real reforms in the security establishment.”
The consensus is that Fatah is a party of corruption.
· This state of affairs reduces both popular support for Fatah and its ability to
manage affairs of government.
· Hamas captured evidence of Fatah corruption when it seized Gaza, further
compromising Fatah.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, has a reputation within his
party and on the Palestinian street as a weak and ineffectual leader, unable to
deliver.
· He himself is seen as among the most corrupt of party members.
· He is so weak that he is afraid to leave Ramallah: he hasn’t been to Jenin or
Nablus since 2005. “In private conversations, [Abbas’s] associates…call him 'a pensioner still going to the office.’ ”
· Inside his party, he faces opposition from the young turks because he hasn’t reformed the party, and from the old guard (notably Farouk Kaddoumi, who heads the Central Committee) that is opposed to conciliation with Israel. The question must be asked: Whom does Abbas speak for?
· Outside his party, he faces the pressure of Hamas, which makes Palestinian discourse more radical: Hamas represents moderation as “weakness” and accuses Abbas of “selling out to the enemy.” Fatah isn’t a moderate foil against Hamas – its ability to moderate is weakened by Hamas.
See the Full Report: Fatah as “Moderate” A Hard Look Post-Annapolis
Can Mahmoud Abbas and his party serve as legitimate peace negotiation partners?
by Arlene Kushner
Executive Summary
The documented report following explores the question of whether Fatah, headed by
Mahmoud Abbas, is moderate and a viable peace partner for Israel.
1) Are they able to do it?
The over-riding assessment of Israeli intelligence over the past four months is that
from a security perspective Fatah is exceedingly weak within Judea and Samaria.
· Hamas is as strong as Fatah in Judea and Samaria, and represents a real threat.
· The 19 UNRWA refugee camps in Judea and Samaria, which are hotbeds of terrorist activity, are controlled exclusively by armed militias and security forces are not permitted entry.
· A PA Security Services officer admits: “We still have many officers who are involved in various crimes and corruption. We are still far from talking about real reforms in the security establishment.”
The consensus is that Fatah is a party of corruption.
· This state of affairs reduces both popular support for Fatah and its ability to
manage affairs of government.
· Hamas captured evidence of Fatah corruption when it seized Gaza, further
compromising Fatah.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, has a reputation within his
party and on the Palestinian street as a weak and ineffectual leader, unable to
deliver.
· He himself is seen as among the most corrupt of party members.
· He is so weak that he is afraid to leave Ramallah: he hasn’t been to Jenin or
Nablus since 2005. “In private conversations, [Abbas’s] associates…call him 'a pensioner still going to the office.’ ”
· Inside his party, he faces opposition from the young turks because he hasn’t reformed the party, and from the old guard (notably Farouk Kaddoumi, who heads the Central Committee) that is opposed to conciliation with Israel. The question must be asked: Whom does Abbas speak for?
· Outside his party, he faces the pressure of Hamas, which makes Palestinian discourse more radical: Hamas represents moderation as “weakness” and accuses Abbas of “selling out to the enemy.” Fatah isn’t a moderate foil against Hamas – its ability to moderate is weakened by Hamas.
See the Full Report: Fatah as “Moderate” A Hard Look Post-Annapolis
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