Title: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: akfools on February 17, 2011, 01:24:57 pm In sharp reversal, U.S. agrees to rebuke Israel in Security Council
Posted By Colum Lynch Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - 6:00 PM The U.S. informed Arab governments Tuesday that it will support a U.N. Security Council statement reaffirming that the 15-nation body "does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity," a move aimed at avoiding the prospect of having to veto a stronger Palestinian resolution calling the settlements illegal. But the Palestinians rejected the American offer following a meeting late Wednesday of Arab representatives and said it is planning to press for a vote on its resolution on Friday, according to officials familar with the issue. The decision to reject the American offer raised the prospect that the Obama adminstration will cast its first ever veto in the U.N. Security Council. Still, the U.S. offer signaled a renewed willingness to seek a way out of the current impasse, even if it requires breaking with Israel and joining others in the council in sending a strong message to its key ally to stop its construction of new settlements. U.S. officials were not available for comment, but two Security Council diplomats confirmed the proposal. The Palestinian delegation, along with Lebanon, the Security Council's only Arab member state, asked the council's president late Wednesday to schedule a meeting for Friday. But it remained unclear whether the Palestinian move today to reject the U.S. offer is simply a negotiating tactic aimed at extracting a better deal from Washington. Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, outlined the new U.S. offer in a closed door meeting on Tuesday with the Arab Group, a bloc of Arab countries from North Africa and the Middle East. In exchange for scuttling the Palestinian resolution, the United States would support the council statement, consider supporting a U.N. Security Council visit to the Middle East, the first since 1979, and commit to supporting strong language criticizing Israel's settlement policies in a future statement by the Middle East Quartet. The U.S.-backed draft statement -- which was first reported by Al Hurra -- was obtained by Turtle Bay. In it, the Security Council "expresses its strong opposition to any unilateral actions by any party, which cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations and will not be recognized by the international community, and reaffirms, that it does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity, which is a serious obstacle to the peace process." The statement also condemns "all forms of violence, including rocket fire from Gaza, and stresses the need for calm and security for both peoples." U.S. officials argue that the only way to resolve the Middle East conflict is through direct negotiations involving Israel and the Palestinians. For weeks, the Obama administration has refused to negotiate with the Palestinians on a resolution condemning the settlements as illegal, signaling that they would likely veto it if it were put to a vote. The Palestinians were planning to put the resolution to a vote later this week. But Security Council statements of the sort currently under consideration are voted on the bases of consensus in the 15-nation council. The United States has, however, been isolated in the 15-nation council. Virtually all 14 other member states are prepared to support the Palestinian resolution, according to council diplomats. A U.N. Security Council resolution generally carries greater political and legal force than a statement from the council's president. The U.S. concession comes as the Middle East is facing a massive wave of popular demonstrations that have brought down the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt and are posing a challenge to governments in Algeria, Bahrain, and Iran. http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/02/16/in_major_reversal_us_to_rebuke_israel_in_security_council Title: Re: In sharp reversal, U.S. agrees to rebuke Israel in Security Council Post by: Mark on February 18, 2011, 07:48:24 am TEN MAJOR EVENTS
(Relating to Israel’s Covenant Land) 1. October 30, 1991: The Perfect Storm—As President George H. W. Bush is opening the Madrid (Spain) Conference to consider “land for peace” in Israel’s Middle East role, the “perfect storm” develops in the North Atlantic, creating the largest waves ever recorded in that region. The storm travels 1000 miles from “east to west” instead of the normal “west to east” pattern and crashes into the New England Coast. Thirty-five foot waves crash into the Kennebunkport home of President Bush. 2. August 23, 1992: Hurricane Andrew—When the Madrid Conference moves to Washington DC and the peace talks resume, Hurricane Andrew, the worst natural disaster ever to hit America, comes ashore and produces an estimated $30 billion in damage and leaving 180,000 homeless in Florida. 3. January 16, 1994: Northridge Earthquake—President Bill Clinton meets with Syria's President Hafez el-Assad in Geneva. They talk about a peace agreement with Israel that includes giving up the Golan Heights. Within 24 hours, a powerful 6.9 earthquake rocks Southern California, This quake, centered in Northridge, becomes the second most destructive natural disaster to hit the United States, behind Hurricane Andrew, 4. January 21, 1998: Lewinsky Scandal—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with President Clinton at the White House and is coldly received. Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright refuse to have lunch with him. Shortly afterwards on that day, the Monica Lewinsky scandal breaks into the mass media and begins to occupy a major portion of Clinton's time. 5. September 28, 1998: Hurricane George—As Secretary of State Albright works on the final details of an agreement in which Israel would give up 13 percent of Yesha (Judah and Samaria), Hurricane George slams into the United States Gulf Coast with 110 mph winds and gusts up to 175 mph. The hurricane hits the coast and stalled. On September 28, Clinton meets with Yasser Arafat and Netanyahu at the White House to finalize this land deal. Later, Arafat addresses the United Nations about declaring an independent Palestinian state by May 1999, as Hurricane George pounds the Gulf Coast, causing $1 billion in damage. At the exact time that Arafat departs the country, the storm begins to dissipate. 6. October 15-22, 1998: Texas Flooded—On October 15, 1998, Arafat and Netanyahu meet at the Wye River Plantation in Maryland. The talks are scheduled to last five days with the focus on Israel giving up 13 percent of Yesha. The talks are extended and conclude on October 23. On October 17, awesome rains and tornadoes hit southern Texas. The San Antonio area is deluged with rain. The rain and flooding in Texas continue until October 22 and then subside. The floods ravage 25 percent of Texas and leave over one billion dollars in damage. On October 21, Clinton declares this section of Texas a major disaster area. 7. November 30, 1998: Market Capitalization Evaporates—Arafat comes to Washington again to meet with President Clinton to raise money for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital. A total of 42 other nations were represented in Washington. All the nations agreed to give Arafat $3 billion in aid. Clinton promised $400 million, and the European nations $1.7 billion. On the same day, the Dow Jones average drops 216 points, and on December 1, the European Market had its third worst day in history. Hundreds of billions of market capitalization were wiped out in the U.S. and Europe. 8. December 12, 1998: Clinton is Impeached—As Clinton lands in the Palestinian-controlled section of Israel to discuss the “land for peace” process, the House of Representatives votes four articles of impeachment against him. 9. May 3, 1999: The Powerful Super Tornado—On the day that Yasser Arafat is scheduled to declare a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital, the most powerful tornado storm system ever to hit the United States sweeps across Oklahoma and Kansas. The winds are clocked at 316 mph the fastest wind speed ever recorded. The declaration is postponed to December 1999 at the request of President Clinton, whose letter to Arafat encourages him in his "aspirations for his own land." He also writes that the Palestinians have a right to "determine their own future on their own land" and that they deserve to "live free, today, tomorrow and forever." 10. Week of October 11: Hurricane, Earthquake and Dow Collapse—As Jewish settlers in 15 West Bank (Israel) settlements are evicted from the covenant land in Israel, the Dow-Jones financial averages lose 5.7 percent in the worst week since October 1989. On October 15 the Dow lost 266 points, and a hurricane slams into North Carolina. On the next morning, October 16, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocks the southwest in the fifth most powerful earthquake in 20th Century. The earthquake was centered in the California desert and did little damage but was felt in three states. Title: Re: In sharp reversal, U.S. agrees to rebuke Israel in Security Council Post by: Mark on February 18, 2011, 07:49:22 am America's anti Israel stance linked to natural disasters!
John McTernan, an expert in Biblical prophecy and the author of the book "As America Has Done to Israel". McTernan links the timing of economic disasters and natural disasters to moments in time when America has strongly promoted abortion, homosexuality, and the division of the land of Israel. In fact, nine of the ten "top ten natural disasters ranked by relief costs" found on FEMA's webpage occurred at a time when the U.S. went against Israel. "Some of these judgments occurred within 24 hours of an American push against Israel. God warns us in His Word to not interfere in His covenant with the nation of Israel. Four examples of judgment on the U.S. are given (the rest are in his book and DVD). In the first, McTernan cites that six business days after a huge pro-homosexual rally occurred on October 11, 1987, in the nation’s capital, the stock market experienced a big crash. The second occurs during the Bush 41 Administration when President Bush is at the Madrid Peace Conference pressuring Israel to give up land. During the meeting, a hurricane traveling in an unusual northeast-to-southwest direction destroyed Bush’s home in Kennebunkport, Maine. The third example occurred a year later in 1992, interestingly enough during a second Madrid Peace Conference in the U.S., when the dividing of Israel was again under discussion. Category 5 Hurricane Andrew ravaged Florida and Louisiana. The last example takes place during the Clinton Administration when Clinton was pressuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to divide Israel. The Israelis thought that Netanyahu would be forced out politically if he went along with Clinton’s plans. Both Netanyahu and Yasser Arafat were in the U.S. to meet with Clinton. All of this was taking place when the Monica Lewinsky scandal came to light. It turned out that Clinton was the one impeached, even though he was not removed from office. More examples of disasters occurring at the same time or soon after putting pressure on Israel. McTernan states, “God is trying to warn America. We are in a collision course with Him.” Key verses in the Bible to read are Genesis 12:3, Joel 3:2, and most importantly Obadiah 1:15 which says, “The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done (to Israel), it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.” He states that Israel is the key to receiving either God’s blessing or His cursing, and this principle applies to both nations and individuals in their treatment of Israel. This past May President Obama met with Netanyahu and made the link between establishing a Palestinian state and dealing with Iran’s nuclear weapons. Within days of their meeting, North Korea began testing a nuclear weapon and then threatened the U.S. with a nuclear strike on Hawaii. Interesting timing. Regarding our current economic crisis, it began in November, 2007, at about the same time that the Annapolis Conference convened, in which President Bush was pressuring Israel to accept the Roadmap to Peace. Under this plan, Israel was being pressured to give up land in exchange for peace. And to think that I have been blaming our economic crisis on liberals because they forced banks to lend money to individuals who lacked the ability to pay back their loans. Of course, that ticking time bomb was ready to go off. In spite of that, how much did the Roadmap to Peace play in the crisis for which we are still trying to recover? Comparisons are made between President Bush (43) and President Obama in their treatment of Israel. McTernan states, “President Bush was more soft-gloved, with no direct arm twisting of Israel. President Obama has come out with an iron fist, treating Israel as an adversary; it’s extremely dangerous. The integrity of the United States is at stake.” Today, President Obama once again spoke out against Israel before his adoring audience at the United Nations, where hating Israel has become a sport. John Bolten called Obama's speech at the UN "the most radical anti-Israel speech he's ever heard. Obama referred to the land won in the Six-Day War as "occupied" land. "Two states living side by side in peace and security -- a Jewish state of Israel, with true security for all Israelis; and a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967, and realizes the potential of the Palestinian people." Based on what we have just heard, should we be anticipating yet another disaster in view of Obama's actions? John McTernan shares much more about the meanings in the book of Obadiah. In verse 18, a “flame of fire” is described between the houses of Jacob and Joseph, which are Israel, and the house of Esau, which is the Palestinians. The Palestinians have made the mistake of trying to destroy Israel. Therefore, the promise in verse 15 will come true. What the Palestinians meant for evil toward Israel will fall back on them, and they will be totally destroyed as it says in verse 18: “the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will set it on fire and consume it. There will be no survivors from the house of Esau." Today’s Gaza was the land of the Philistines, Ephraim and Samaria are now the West Bank, and Gilead is Jordan. According to the Bible which is infallible, these areas will all be united with Israel. It’s only a matter of time. But, back to Obama and his harsh treatment of Israel. If he forces Israel to be divided, God may just fulfill his promise in Obadiah 1:15. America could be divided, perhaps politically, in such a way as we have never seen before. With all that is taking place in Washington, D.C., that would not be too surprising. Or even worse, McTernan mentions a massive fault running down the center of our country. Interestingly, it is called the New Madrid fault (remember the Madrid Conferences), and the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes were the greatest earthquakes in America. President Obama’s foreign policy regarding Israel is literally a recipe for disaster. He may just encounter the wrath of God, and unlike gullible Americans, the Creator of the world sees right through that charismatic personality and fine rhetoric, and He is not in the least impressed. America, beware, our president is playing with fire. He needs to learn that if you mess with Israel, you will regret it." http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/americas-anti-israel-stance-linked-to-natural-disasters/blog-158617/ Title: Re: In sharp reversal, U.S. agrees to rebuke Israel in Security Council Post by: Mark on February 19, 2011, 10:57:49 am Hillary Clinton: Israeli Settlements 'Illegitimate'
>:( Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Israeli settlements "illegitimate" shortly before the United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning continued Israeli settlement expansion as illegal. rest: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hillary-clinton-israeli-settlements-illegitimate/story?id=12952834 Title: Re: In sharp reversal, U.S. agrees to rebuke Israel in Security Council Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 19, 2011, 11:34:24 am I'm confused here - wasn't this veto a good thing, b/c the resolution the UN was pulling for condemned Israel over its continuing settlement expansion?
Just needed to clear this up. Thanks! Title: Re: In sharp reversal, U.S. agrees to rebuke Israel in Security Council Post by: Mark on February 19, 2011, 11:50:27 am I'm confused here - wasn't this veto a good thing, b/c the resolution the UN was pulling for condemned Israel over its continuing settlement expansion? Just needed to clear this up. Thanks! Ya, the Veto is a good thing, but its what was said that is the problem. Title: Re: In sharp reversal, U.S. agrees to rebuke Israel in Security Council Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 19, 2011, 12:25:32 pm I'm confused here - wasn't this veto a good thing, b/c the resolution the UN was pulling for condemned Israel over its continuing settlement expansion? Just needed to clear this up. Thanks! Ya, the Veto is a good thing, but its what was said that is the problem. OK, I see what was going on at the same time - what was SAID(at the same time, who knows why Hilary said one thing, but had that UN ambassador vote another). BUt nonetheless, not good on Hilary's part. Title: Re: In sharp reversal, U.S. agrees to rebuke Israel in Security Council Post by: Mark on March 07, 2011, 06:06:09 am As Islamists gain, Obama pushes Israel into concessions
U.S. envoys reportedly seek creation of Palestinian state, division of Jerusalem TEL AVIV – As Islamist parties gain momentum throughout the region, President Obama has asked Israel to immediately give the Palestinian Authority more control over cities in the strategic West Bank, according to informed Middle East officials. The officials said Obama's envoys to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict met in recent days with officials from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office to express the request. The officials said the U.S. has made a strategic decision to renew a push now for Israel's immediate return to the negotiating table to discuss the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and eastern sections of Jerusalem. Just yesterday, Netanyahu announced he is interested in jump-starting talks with the Palestinians. He also accused the PA of using the recent unrest in the Middle East as an excuse to avoid talking to Israel. Sources in Netanyahu's office told WND the prime minister's announcement came under intense U.S. and international pressure. The announcement was also made in the wake of a recent debate at the United Nations in which Israel's Jewish communities in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem were slammed as "illegitimate." (Story continues below) http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=271817 Title: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on March 31, 2011, 07:14:51 am UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem
In message delivered by his assistant at Uruguay conference Ban Ki-moon says occupation is morally and politically unsustainable and must therefore end. 'A way must be found for Jerusalem to emerge as a capital of two States,' he adds United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon slammed Israel's policy and called for the division of Jerusalem on Tuesday. In a message delivered by his assistant at a UN regional meeting in Uruguay, Ban said: "The target date for completing the Palestinian Authority’s two-year State-building program is fast-approaching." "The occupation that started in 1967 is morally and politically unsustainable, and must end," he told the UN Latin American and Caribbean Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace. "The Palestinians have a legitimate right to the establishment of an independent and viable State of their own. Israel has the right to live in peace and security within internationally recognized and secure borders." The UN chief said that "a way must be found for Jerusalem to emerge as a capital of two States, Israel and Palestine, with arrangements for holy sites acceptable for all." He added that "there must be a just and agreed solution to the prolonged plight of the Palestinian refugees." Ban harshly criticized Israel's actions including settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, demolition of Palestinian homes and forced transfer of Palestinian residents. He added that all expressions of violence and the incitement or glorification of violent acts must stop. He lauded the PA's efforts to establish viable State institutions and commended security forces' efforts to maintain security in areas under their control. He called on Israel to take further steps to improve economic and security conditions by reducing obstacles to movement, halting military operations, and enabling PA to more West Bank areas. http://www.worthynews.com/top/ynetnews-com-Ext-Comp-ArticleLayout-CdaArticlePrintPreview-1,2506,L-4049602,00-html/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on April 12, 2011, 09:56:23 am Palestinian institutions ready for statehood: U.N
The Palestinian Authority is ready to run an independent state but will struggle to make further institutional progress due to the restrictions of the Israeli occupation, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The U.N. report followed equally upbeat assessments of the PA's nation-building achievements released over the past week by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The positive statements comes before a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday of aid donor countries which will review Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's drive to construct the framework of a state by mid-2011. "In six areas where the U.N. is most engaged, governmental functions are now sufficient for a functioning government of a state," said the report, entitled "Palestinian State-building: A Decisive Period." It listed the six areas as rule of law and human rights; livelihoods; education and culture; health; social protection; and infrastructure and water. However, it said the PA could not make significant further advances given the continued Israeli occupation of much of the West Bank and a breakdown in Middle East peace talks. "Measures of occupation which stifle Palestinian life need to be fundamentally rolled back by more far reaching Israeli actions to match the progress of the state-building program," the report said. Direct negotiations aimed at ending the decades-old conflict broke down last September following a dispute over continued Jewish settlement building on the West Bank. (http://endtimescurrentevents.freeforums.org/images/smilies/MoreInfo.png) (http://ca.news.yahoo.com/palestinian-institutions-ready-statehood-u-n-20110412-070929-139.html) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on April 16, 2011, 06:10:59 pm Israel: P.A. Statehood a 'Diplomatic Tsunami'
The Palestinian Authority is now ready to function as a state, a new United Nations report concluded. The main obstacle to such a goal, the U.N. noted, is "Israeli occupation." Palestinian leaders plan to ask the U.N. General Assembly in September for statehood recognition on all the territory Israel occupied in 1967, including Gaza. If the P.A. is successful, Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak predicts a "diplomatic tsunami." "They are now refusing to sit to the table because they think -- and maybe rightly so -- that the support of almost two thirds of the countries that are represented at the General Assembly and they can get some kind of recognition of a state at the General Assembly," Gabriella Shalev, who served as Israel's U.N. ambassador for two years, told CBN News. Shalev is sounding the alarm that international recognition of a Palestinian state poses a grave threat to her country. "Come September we are there - if nothing will happen in between - and there are still a few months that we can do many things, we are in for big trouble," she warned. Shalev says the Palestinians may well use an obscure U.N. resolution to bypass the Security Council where the U.S. holds veto power. "According to this resolution 377, if there is not a consensus within the Security Council, then it goes to the General Assembly which can take collective measures," she explained. CBN News Political Editor John Waage, who has worked for several years in Jersulem, explains the political implications for Israel and more. rest + Video: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2011/April/Israel-PA-Statehood-Bid-a-Diplomatic-Tsunami/ Title: Obama promises Arabs Jerusalem will be theirs Post by: Christian40 on April 17, 2011, 03:47:01 am JERUSALEM – President Obama and his administration told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting last week the U.S. foresees the creation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, according to a top PA official speaking to WND.
"The American administration was very friendly to the position of the PA," said Nimer Hamad, Abbas' senior political adviser. "Abu Mazen (Abbas) heard from Obama and his administration in a very categorical way that a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital is in the American national and security interest," Hamad said. Another PA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told WND today that Obama informed Abbas he would not let Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "get in the way" of normalizing U.S. relations with the Arab and greater Muslim world. "We were told from this new administration they will not allow a Netanyahu government to hurt their efforts of rehabilitating U.S. relations with the Arab and Islamic world, which is a high priority of Obama," the official said, speaking during a visit to Cairo. Also in Cairo today, Abbas met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, where the Palestinian leader briefed Egypt's president on his recent trip to Washington, saying the U.S. was committed to bringing about an end to Israeli construction in the West Bank. Hamad's comments about Jerusalem today come as controversy abounded regarding the U.S. position on Israel's capital city. Last week, the State Department refuted a speech in which Netanyahu said Jerusalem never will be divided. "Jerusalem is Israel's capital," Netanyahu said at an event marking Jerusalem's reunification. "Jerusalem was always ours and will always be ours. It will never again be partitioned and divided." In response, the State Department released a statement that Jerusalem "is a final status issue." "Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to resolve its status during negotiations. We will support their efforts to reach agreements on all final status issues," the statement said. Also last week, a top Palestinian Authority official claimed in a WND interview that the Obama administration told the PA that Jerusalem will never be united under Israeli sovereignty. "Americans said an open Jerusalem – yes. But a united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty – no," Hatem Abdel Khader, the PA's minister for Jerusalem affairs, said in comments to both WND and Israel's Ynetnews website. "(The Obama administration) has made clear that Jerusalem must be accessible to everyone – but not united under Israel's rule," Khader said. Khader claimed the U.S. is cooperating with the PA to "thwart Israel's plans in Jerusalem." "When they collaborate with us in Israeli courts against home demolitions or the confiscation of land we see their attitude," he said. Khader told WND, "The Americans are very present on the ground, and they are making pressure over Israeli authorities and even municipalities." "They are acting according to the concept that the failure to establish a Palestinian state would jeopardize U.S. national security interests – and without Jerusalem there is no Palestinian state," he said. U.S. helps Palestinians live illegally near Temple Mount Khader's claim the U.S. is helping the Palestinians gain a foothold in Jerusalem is accurate. In April, WND reported that under intense American pressure and following a nearly unprecedented behind-the-scenes U.S. campaign, the Netanyahu government has decided not to bulldoze Palestinian homes built illegally on Jewish-owned property in Jerusalem. The issue is critical since the 80 homes in question are located in Silwan, an eastern Jerusalem neighborhood close to the Temple Mount and Jerusalem's Old City that the Palestinians claim as a future capital. Jewish groups have been working to fortify the community's Jewish presence. Silwan is adjacent to the City of David, a massive archeological dig just outside the Temple Mount that is constantly turning up Temple artifacts. Like tens of thousands of other Arab housing projects throughout eastern Jerusalem, the Palestinian homes in Silwan were illegally constructed on property long ago purchased by Jews. The Israeli government ordered the structures' legal demolition. But during a visit here in early March, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strongly protested the planned bulldozing. "Clearly this kind of activity is unhelpful and not in keeping with the obligations entered into under the Road Map," she said. "It is an issue that we intend to raise with the government of Israel and the government at the municipal level in Jerusalem." The Road Map calls for Israel to freeze Jewish settlement expansion in the West Bank but does not bar Israel from dismantling illegally constructed Palestinian homes in Jerusalem. WND learned that in the weeks since Clinton's visit here, the U.S. mounted an intensive campaign lobbying the Israeli government against tearing down the illegal Palestinian homes in Silwan. The campaign included letters from the Middle East section of the State Department addressed to various Jerusalem municipalities, with copies of the letters sent to the offices of Israel's prime minister and foreign minister. The letters called on Israel to allow the illegal Palestinian homes in Silwan to remain and stated any demolitions would not foster an atmosphere of peace. Also, in a follow-up visit here, State Department officials made it clear to their Israeli counterparts the U.S. opposes the Silwan bulldozing. According to sources in the Israeli government, including in Netanyahu's administration, a decision has been made not to bulldoze the illegal Palestinian homes. The sources said the issue of the homes may be raised again in the future, but for the time being the houses will remain intact. The sources attributed the decision against the bulldozing – which has not yet been announced – to the intense American campaign against the house demolitions. Said one source in Netanyahu's administration, "This was very frustrating to us. Can you imagine if a foreign government came in and told a city office in the U.S. not to tear down a house that was illegally constructed on someone else's property?" While Clinton opposed the Palestinian house demolitions, informed Israeli officials said the Obama administration is carefully monitoring Jewish construction in eastern Jerusalem and has already protested to the highest levels of Israeli government about evidence of housing expansion in those areas. The officials, who spoke on condition that their names be withheld, said that last month Obama's Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, oversaw the establishment of an apparatus based in the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem that closely monitors eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods, incorporating regular tours on a daily basis. The officials said that in recent meetings Mitchell strongly protested Jewish construction in eastern Jerusalem. Mitchell also condemned the work of nationalist Jewish groups to purchase property in Jerusalem's Old City, including in areas intimately tied to Judaism. Israel recaptured eastern Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – during the 1967 Six Day War. The Palestinians, however, have claimed eastern Jerusalem as a future capital. About 244,000 Arabs live in Jerusalem, mostly in eastern neighborhoods, out of a total population of 724,000, the majority Jewish. From: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=99664 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on April 19, 2011, 12:50:45 pm Obama about to bring the Wrath of God down on America!!!!
Obama preps for declaration of Palestinian state Land grab would give Arabs historically Jewish territories The Obama administration has asked the Palestinian Authority to halt talks on a unity government with Hamas, according to a senior PA official. The official said the White House fears a unity government with the Islamist group would make it difficult for the U.S. and European Union to support the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state in the United Nations. The information is the latest indicator Obama will not veto the controversial U.N. resolution, which would recognize a Palestinian state in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem, purportedly including the Temple Mount. Like Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Judea and Samaria, is the site of biblical, historically Jewish communities. According to the PA official, the Obama administration is concerned that support for a U.N. declaration of Palestinian statehood could have a negative impact on the president's 2012 re-election bid. The official said the White House has asked the PA to take their U.N. state request directly to the international body's General Assembly, the only U.N. organ in which all member nations have equal representation, instead of to the Security Council, where the U.S. holds veto power. Previously, PA officials stated the Obama administration would not veto a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a Palestinian state. In 2009, Ahmed Qurei, former PA prime minister and member of the Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee, told WND in an interview that the PA "reached an understanding with important elements within the administration" to possibly bring to the U.N. Security Council a resolution to unilaterally create a Palestinian state. Asked to which "elements" he was referring, Qurei would only say they were from the Obama administration. In a clear attempt to pave the way for a U.N. vote on the matter, the international body announced last week the PA possesses the capacity to function as a state. "In six areas where the U.N. is most engaged, government functions are now sufficient for a functioning government of a state," stated a U.N. report released last Tuesday. The six areas were: "governance, rule of law and human rights; livelihoods; education and culture; health; social protection; and infrastructure and water." Still, the report cautioned, "The key constraints to the existence and successful functioning of the institutions of a potential state of Palestine arise primarily from the persistence of occupation and the unresolved issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." The reference to "occupation" is controversial, since the territories were never part of any previous Palestinian state and Israel is historically tied to the West Bank. http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=288749 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on April 21, 2011, 05:56:09 pm American And European Diplomats To Israel: Surrender To Palestinian Demands Or We Will Give Them 1967 Borders With East Jerusalem As Capital
American and European diplomats warned that if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fails to present a new peace initiative soon, the Quartet may be compelled to recognize a Palestinian State in the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday. According to the report, Netanyahu is under mounting pressure to unveil a new plan that would jump-start the deadlocked negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. If the prime minister does not deliver, the Quartet members – which include the United State, Russia, The European Union and the United Nations – may opt to resume the peace process by officially endorsing a Palestinian state. "The Israelis are facing a bit of pressure with the way things are proceeding," a western diplomat stationed in Israel told the newspaper. "People are starting to look to the US for some kind of action," he added. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4058472,00.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: nuclearnuttery on April 21, 2011, 06:49:37 pm Yikes!
Was this the reason behind the Billary ambassador recall? "guys, we're uh, no longer officially supporting israel." Uhoh! They surely could not say that one over the cables, eh? :( Omg. Wonder if the Israelis would rather pay for a tsunami than cede half the city. Dome of the Very Clean Rock... 8( big sadface Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on April 22, 2011, 03:22:58 am Being forced to hand over the Temple Mount to the Arabs just shows how secular and indifferent to God the ruling elite are in Israel. Brings back memories of the evil kings like Jeroboam.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on April 22, 2011, 09:34:00 am Europe considering recognition of Palestine
France says European states considering recognizing Palestine; Britain echoes sentiment, says 'nothing is off table with regard to recognition in September.' Israel's UN envoy: Peace cannot be imposed from outside France said Thursday that European nations are considering recognizing a Palestinian state, heightening pressure on the United States and Israel to re-launch the Middle East peace process. "Recognition of the state of Palestine is one of the options which France is considering, with its European partners, in a bid to re-launch the peace process," French ambassador Gerard Araud told a Security Council debate on the Middle East. Britain also indicated that state recognition could be considered. "Nothing is off the table with regard to recognition in September," said a British spokesman. "But nor are we specifying what conditions would be necessary, or sufficient, to recognize, or indeed not to recognize - we'll have to look at all relevant factors at the time." Pressure has mounted on US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to break the deadlock in the peace process. Obama will soon make a speech on the Middle East conflict, diplomats said. "We expect that in a couple of weeks the president will have an opportunity to talk in more depth about the Middle East and North Africa," a senior US official said ahead of Thursday's UN Security Council debate. rest: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4059643,00.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on April 22, 2011, 09:36:55 am Obama's plan: Palestinian state, without right of return
White House works out peace deal that focuses on Israel accepting Palestinian state, Palestinians giving up right of return. PM plans to present own peace plan before Kensset, US Congress The White House has been working on a new peace initiative for the past three months, one that revolves around a few key principles: A Palestinian state without the right of return, Jerusalem as the capital of both states, and an emphasis on Israel's security needs. According to an article published in the New York Times Thursday, the details of the proposal are yet to be hashed out. Officials at the Prime Minister's Office did not rush to respond to the NY Times report. Thursday evening, sources in Jerusalem said that Israel was not surprised by the American plan currently being worked out. "Everyone knew something is being formulated in Washington," one official said. At this time it's unclear whether Prime Minister Netanyahu was aware of the initiative and gave it his blessing. Some officials estimated that the Obama plan is meant to affect the PM's upcoming speech, which is expected to feature Israel's new peace initiative. Though US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced last week that President Barack Obama will be “speaking in greater detail about America’s policy in the Middle East and North Africa in the coming weeks,” it is still unclear whether Obama will use the occasion to present a new peace plan. An unnamed official told the Times that both Obama and Clinton are in favor of such move, while the president’s senior adviser on the Middle East, Dennis Ross, is against it. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4059562,00.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on April 22, 2011, 09:39:31 am Israel official: Annex West Bank if U.N. declares PA statehood
Minister of nat'l infrastructure: I'll call for annexation if Palestinians get unilateral state in UN; "We have to take care of our interests." Dr. Uzi Landau, Israel's Minister of National Infrastructure, warns that in the event of a unilateral United Nations declaration of a Palestinian state, he will call upon Israel to annex the Jordan Valley and large, Jewish populated blocs in the West Bank: “We'll have to take care of our interests,” Landau told Inside Israel's Mordechai I. Twersky in a wide-ranging interview April 21. “We'll have to take protect ourselves. If such a thing happens, I'm going to suggest to my government to extend out sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and over the highly-populated blocs we have in Judea and Samaria, just to start with.” The former chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee invoked the Bush Road Map and a letter of commitment issued by the former president committing to Israel's retention of major Jewish population centers in the West Bank in any negotiated settlement with the Palestinians. If that signed agreement can't be honored, he said, all bets are off. “If we don't see negotiations, and if we do a policy which basically makes the entire Road Map agreement a hoax, Israel should take care of its own interests,” said Minister Landau. Landau said the Arab Spring has brought chaos to the Middle east, and could well spread to the important western allies of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. He questioned the logic of Israel signing a peace deal with a Palestinian leader, whose own future and that of his government, remains tenuous at best. REST: http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?id=217476 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on April 26, 2011, 12:20:58 pm Palestinian statehood = Israeli suicide
A Messianic Jewish leader is shocked that nearly four-dozen Israeli intellectuals would support a plan that leaves the Jewish state indefensible. The prominent Israeli intellectuals and artists are in favor of creating a Palestinian state based on the 1967 line that marks the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. 47 signatories, including 16 recipients of the country's highest civilian honor, the Israel Prize, support the Palestinian drive for U.N. recognition. But progress in peace talks with Israel has come to a halt, as the Israeli government opposes the unilateral initiative that also calls for Israel to pull out from the West Bank because "the complete end of occupation is a fundamental condition for the freedom of both peoples." "They're being told to go back to borders that are completely indefensible," laments Olive Tree Ministries founder Jan Markell. "I would like to ask some of these critics and some of these so-called 'artists and intellectuals' if they are in favor of Israel committing suicide. Not that God would allow that to happen, because he wouldn't, but nonetheless, the point is here are Israelis themselves wishing such an evil deed to come upon this little nation." But unfortunately, she says the Israeli leftists have the same attitude as the Jewish left in the United States, which has no concern for the state of Israel. http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=1336248 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on April 26, 2011, 12:23:38 pm Obama about to bring the Wrath of God down on America!!!! Obama preps for declaration of Palestinian state Land grab would give Arabs historically Jewish territories The Obama administration has asked the Palestinian Authority to halt talks on a unity government with Hamas, according to a senior PA official. The official said the White House fears a unity government with the Islamist group would make it difficult for the U.S. and European Union to support the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state in the United Nations. The information is the latest indicator Obama will not veto the controversial U.N. resolution, which would recognize a Palestinian state in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem, purportedly including the Temple Mount. Like Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Judea and Samaria, is the site of biblical, historically Jewish communities. According to the PA official, the Obama administration is concerned that support for a U.N. declaration of Palestinian statehood could have a negative impact on the president's 2012 re-election bid. The official said the White House has asked the PA to take their U.N. state request directly to the international body's General Assembly, the only U.N. organ in which all member nations have equal representation, instead of to the Security Council, where the U.S. holds veto power. Previously, PA officials stated the Obama administration would not veto a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a Palestinian state. In 2009, Ahmed Qurei, former PA prime minister and member of the Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee, told WND in an interview that the PA "reached an understanding with important elements within the administration" to possibly bring to the U.N. Security Council a resolution to unilaterally create a Palestinian state. Asked to which "elements" he was referring, Qurei would only say they were from the Obama administration. In a clear attempt to pave the way for a U.N. vote on the matter, the international body announced last week the PA possesses the capacity to function as a state. "In six areas where the U.N. is most engaged, government functions are now sufficient for a functioning government of a state," stated a U.N. report released last Tuesday. The six areas were: "governance, rule of law and human rights; livelihoods; education and culture; health; social protection; and infrastructure and water." Still, the report cautioned, "The key constraints to the existence and successful functioning of the institutions of a potential state of Palestine arise primarily from the persistence of occupation and the unresolved issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." The reference to "occupation" is controversial, since the territories were never part of any previous Palestinian state and Israel is historically tied to the West Bank. http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=288749 NOTICE ALL THOSE TORNADOS LATLEY ? Quote TEN MAJOR EVENTS (Relating to Israel’s Covenant Land) 1. October 30, 1991: The Perfect Storm—As President George H. W. Bush is opening the Madrid (Spain) Conference to consider “land for peace” in Israel’s Middle East role, the “perfect storm” develops in the North Atlantic, creating the largest waves ever recorded in that region. The storm travels 1000 miles from “east to west” instead of the normal “west to east” pattern and crashes into the New England Coast. Thirty-five foot waves crash into the Kennebunkport home of President Bush. 2. August 23, 1992: Hurricane Andrew—When the Madrid Conference moves to Washington DC and the peace talks resume, Hurricane Andrew, the worst natural disaster ever to hit America, comes ashore and produces an estimated $30 billion in damage and leaving 180,000 homeless in Florida. 3. January 16, 1994: Northridge Earthquake—President Bill Clinton meets with Syria's President Hafez el-Assad in Geneva. They talk about a peace agreement with Israel that includes giving up the Golan Heights. Within 24 hours, a powerful 6.9 earthquake rocks Southern California, This quake, centered in Northridge, becomes the second most destructive natural disaster to hit the United States, behind Hurricane Andrew, 4. January 21, 1998: Lewinsky Scandal—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with President Clinton at the White House and is coldly received. Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright refuse to have lunch with him. Shortly afterwards on that day, the Monica Lewinsky scandal breaks into the mass media and begins to occupy a major portion of Clinton's time. 5. September 28, 1998: Hurricane George—As Secretary of State Albright works on the final details of an agreement in which Israel would give up 13 percent of Yesha (Judah and Samaria), Hurricane George slams into the United States Gulf Coast with 110 mph winds and gusts up to 175 mph. The hurricane hits the coast and stalled. On September 28, Clinton meets with Yasser Arafat and Netanyahu at the White House to finalize this land deal. Later, Arafat addresses the United Nations about declaring an independent Palestinian state by May 1999, as Hurricane George pounds the Gulf Coast, causing $1 billion in damage. At the exact time that Arafat departs the country, the storm begins to dissipate. 6. October 15-22, 1998: Texas Flooded—On October 15, 1998, Arafat and Netanyahu meet at the Wye River Plantation in Maryland. The talks are scheduled to last five days with the focus on Israel giving up 13 percent of Yesha. The talks are extended and conclude on October 23. On October 17, awesome rains and tornadoes hit southern Texas. The San Antonio area is deluged with rain. The rain and flooding in Texas continue until October 22 and then subside. The floods ravage 25 percent of Texas and leave over one billion dollars in damage. On October 21, Clinton declares this section of Texas a major disaster area. 7. November 30, 1998: Market Capitalization Evaporates—Arafat comes to Washington again to meet with President Clinton to raise money for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital. A total of 42 other nations were represented in Washington. All the nations agreed to give Arafat $3 billion in aid. Clinton promised $400 million, and the European nations $1.7 billion. On the same day, the Dow Jones average drops 216 points, and on December 1, the European Market had its third worst day in history. Hundreds of billions of market capitalization were wiped out in the U.S. and Europe. 8. December 12, 1998: Clinton is Impeached—As Clinton lands in the Palestinian-controlled section of Israel to discuss the “land for peace” process, the House of Representatives votes four articles of impeachment against him. 9. May 3, 1999: The Powerful Super Tornado—On the day that Yasser Arafat is scheduled to declare a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital, the most powerful tornado storm system ever to hit the United States sweeps across Oklahoma and Kansas. The winds are clocked at 316 mph the fastest wind speed ever recorded. The declaration is postponed to December 1999 at the request of President Clinton, whose letter to Arafat encourages him in his "aspirations for his own land." He also writes that the Palestinians have a right to "determine their own future on their own land" and that they deserve to "live free, today, tomorrow and forever." 10. Week of October 11: Hurricane, Earthquake and Dow Collapse—As Jewish settlers in 15 West Bank (Israel) settlements are evicted from the covenant land in Israel, the Dow-Jones financial averages lose 5.7 percent in the worst week since October 1989. On October 15 the Dow lost 266 points, and a hurricane slams into North Carolina. On the next morning, October 16, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocks the southwest in the fifth most powerful earthquake in 20th Century. The earthquake was centered in the California desert and did little damage but was felt in three states. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: nuclearnuttery on April 26, 2011, 01:40:10 pm Dok, you wanna know something?
When I used google earth for the first time, I searched "obama" and found his house in Chicago, lol. You know he had Palestinians over all the time for dinner parties in the back yard celebrating the plans we are seeing unfold today? The house is directly across the street from a Jewish Synagogue. I am not kidding, it's what was in the picture of the street view at that time. Was a couple years back. There was also a Jewish settlement in Palestine which was named after someone affiliated with him, but I can't remember what they called it. Eek >.< Very disrespectful, strange choice of where to place the home. Unless there is more than meets the eye. Please also be cognizant of weather warfare. Is america being hit by another country? remember BAE controls haarp now and the british/israelis seem rather.. close... Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 26, 2011, 01:44:11 pm FWIW - I think I'm getting a clearer picture of this so-called "Zionism" - pretty much, it has an OUTWARD APPEARANCE of building a Jewish state, but their REAL intentions are to war against the Jewish people in Israel by starting a conflict b/w them and the Palestineans, hoping to eradicate the Jewish people.
I believe John Todd even clarified what Zionism really is(ie-he made it clear that it's NOT a Jewish conspiracy). So yes, we're at the tip of the iceberg now where we have a Muslim in the White House(a puppet to boot as well). You get the rest of the story. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 27, 2011, 01:48:58 pm http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110426/sc_livescience/arkansastornadoesaddtopossibleaprilrecord
Arkansas Tornadoes Add to Possible April Record Tue Apr 26, 7:20 pm ET Deadly storms, including reported tornadoes, pounded Arkansas yesterday (April 26), adding to what is likely to be a record tornado count for the month of April. Four deaths in Arkansas were reported from the severe storms yesterday. If those deaths are attributed to tornadoes, the first four months of 2011 will have matched the tornado death toll for all of last year. These intense storms are not letting up today; they're reloading and sweeping across the Midwest and Southeast. [In Images: The Tornado Damage Scale] Tornado reports have been pouring into the nation's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., and by the time the month comes to an end, it is likely to have set a new April maximum, said the SPC’s Greg Carbin. [Infographic: Tornado! An Inside Look at Tornado Season] The Weather Channel has reported the confirmation of 292 tornadoes in the United States so far this month, besting the previous April record of 267 in 1974. Storm survey teams continue to assess the damage from this month's storms and could change the number of confirmed tornadoes. The average for April is only 116, according to the SPC. Remember '74 Counts of tornadoes and tornado damage today are higher than ever due to more people reporting tornadoes, and more buildings being hit as the country's population grows and its cities and towns expand. Storm chaser videos of funnel clouds are posted daily to YouTube, and rarely does a small tornado go unnoticed anymore. Carbin said that if April 1974 were adjusted to account for unreported tornadoes, an extra hundred or so could be added to its total. Even so, this current April could be a record-breaker. "It's a big month, there's no question about it," Carbin told OurAmazingPlanet. Along with amazing videos of twin and even triplet tornadoes have come new tornado records in several states. In North Carolina, 28 tornadoes have been confirmed for April 16, a record outbreak for any single day there. In Wisconsin, 14 tornadoes struck on April 10, the biggest outbreak for any April day in the state's history. Yet none of these outbreaks comes close to matching the "granddaddy of them all," as Carbin called it — the "Super Outbreak" of April 3-4, 1974, when more than 148 tornadoes were confirmed and 330 people were killed. Deadly spring Tornadoes have killed 41 people this year, most of them in mobile homes. The Arkansas deaths could push the total to 45, matching the death toll for all of last year. North Carolina has suffered the most this year, with 26 deaths, all from a single April outbreak. That was the deadliest outbreak in the state since the "Super Tuesday" storms of February 2008, when 57 people died in Dixie Alley, the southeastern extension of Tornado Alley. In 2008, during a season among the all-time highest for number of tornadoes, 126 people were killed. As staggering as these death tolls are, they've been dramatically reduced in recent years due to better forecasting and warnings. Mike Smith, chief executive officer of Weather Data Services, a part of AccuWeather, believes that at least 100 lives were saved by the warnings before a massive EF-4 tornado — the strongest of the year so far — struck near St. Louis on Good Friday (April 22). Severe weather reloading This spring's severe weather seems to be rapidly reloading between storms. That could be due to a lingering La Niña — the opposite phase of El Niño — when the equatorial waters of the Pacific Ocean are abnormally cool, said Grady Dixon, a climatologist and meteorologist at Mississippi State University in Starkville. Along with creating dry weather in the Southwest, contributing to the historic wildfires in Texas, La Niña tends to guide the jet stream north through the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes, trapping cold air on the northern side and the warm, humid air needed for thunderstorms on the southern side. "This setup means that the southern U.S. experiences ample moisture without many cold fronts sweeping through to dry out the atmosphere." Dixon said. "This allows rapid recharge in between severe events." Not all La Niña events are associated with highly active severe weather seasons, Dixon said, but some years with similar La Niña characteristics are also historic tornado years, including 1974, 1999 ? which saw an EF-5 tornado devastate Moore, Okla. ? and 2008. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: nuclearnuttery on April 28, 2011, 01:55:29 am FWIW - I think I'm getting a clearer picture of this so-called "Zionism" - pretty much, it has an OUTWARD APPEARANCE of building a Jewish state, but their REAL intentions are to war against the Jewish people in Israel by starting a conflict b/w them and the Palestineans, hoping to eradicate the Jewish people. i think you hit the nail on the head, it's one of the things in my horrific blog article today anyhow @@I believe John Todd even clarified what Zionism really is(ie-he made it clear that it's NOT a Jewish conspiracy). So yes, we're at the tip of the iceberg now where we have a Muslim in the White House(a puppet to boot as well). You get the rest of the story. the people behind the israeli-palestinian conflict, can you guess? B R I T A I N since before WWI? Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Christian40 on April 28, 2011, 06:09:38 am Back in 1947/48 When the UN decided to say to countries to vote yes or no should Israel be a nation, the Russians shocked everyone by voting that Israel should be a new country. Everything before that suggested that Russia was against Israel. The reason the Russians said they supported Israel is because they thought that the Arab armies surrounding Israel would easily defeat Israel and then the Arabs would expel any Jews and the Arabs could have the land. Guess what happened, Israel is still around to day and as strong as ever. I wonder what the Russians today think about dividing Israel and Jerusalem? ???
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on April 28, 2011, 06:36:23 am Palestinian Officials: Unity Agreement Reached
Rival Palestinian groups said they reached an agreement Wednesday on reuniting their governments in the West Bank and Gaza after years of bitter infighting that weakened them politically and caused the deaths of hundreds in violent clashes and crackdowns since. Even as the tentative agreement revived hopes among Palestinians that they might be able to form a unified front, unity between the rival groups Fatah and Hamas appeared unlikely to jump start negotiations with Israel for an independent Palestinian state. Israel swiftly rejected the prospect of a Palestinian government including Hamas, citing the militant group's stated goal of destroying the Jewish state. The U.S. expressed similar concerns. The plan, brokered by Egypt, calls for the formation of a single caretaker government in the coming days. The government would administer day-to-day business until new presidential and legislative elections are to be held in a year's time. rest: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/04/27/palestinian-officials-unity-agreement-reached/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+delicious%2Fgqlf+%28Christian+Headlines+Top+Headlines%29 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on April 28, 2011, 06:45:24 am i think you hit the nail on the head, it's one of the things in my horrific blog article today anyhow @@ the people behind the israeli-palestinian conflict, can you guess? B R I T A I N since before WWI? The conflict goes back thousands of years ago, and the rebirth of Israel is from God. SPIRITUAL ROOTS OF THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT http://www.lightomega.org/worldwatch/Spiritual-Roots-Arab-Israeli-Conflict.html see Ezekiel 36 for God bringing Israel back for himself. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: nuclearnuttery on April 28, 2011, 09:56:43 am I agree, but britain is definitely one of the enormous powers directly involved; their troops were literally in the area for years.
=( I think they want to hold Jerusalem eventually because then as a "SPIRITUAL/theocratic/absolute" world power they would be able to go toe to toe with ROme; it would be a nasty fight between the church of england and rome, or else they will simply unify the two powers (as we are seeing) and have the two world capitols. that could be naive thinking, but most empires desire "legitimacy" and "manifest destiny", as they understand it, "proves" to them that they are carrying out "God's will" (kind of sick thinking?). I never was a fan of divine right. We will all push up daisies when we die (if there is anything to bury), so I have trouble comprehending the enormous investments of the "elite" and "royals". Russia probably wants to put the whole Israel thing to rest, from the atheist perspective; however, England probably sees Jerusalem as a big golden apple -- they want a city that is not theirs to have. They empower the enemies of Israel while pretending to support her. wtf =( edit: i cannot imagine the difficulty of having been raised the way that some of those rulers were, and being expected to show any empathy at all. they were raised to despise those they rule. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 19, 2011, 04:22:09 am NYT: WHITE HOUSE DEBATE OVER MIDEAST SPEECH... DEVELOPING...
Against the backdrop of Middle East uprisings that have intensified animus toward Israel and growing momentum for global recognition of a Palestinian state, American and Israeli officials are struggling to balance national security interests against the need to adapt to a transformative movement in the Arab world. The White House unveiled a $2 billion multiyear economic aid package for Egypt, which officials say would largely shift existing funds. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel prepared to arrive in Washington with a package that he hoped would shift the burden of restarting the peace process to the Palestinians. Mr. Obama, who is set to address Americans — and, more significantly, Muslims around the world — from the State Department on Thursday morning, may yet have something surprising up his sleeve. One administration official said that there remained debate about whether Mr. Obama would formally endorse Israel’s pre-1967 borders as the starting point for negotiations over a Palestinian state, a move that would send an oratorical signal that the United States expected Israel to make concessions. But Mr. Obama did not plan to present an American blueprint for peace, White House officials said, and it remained unclear if he would even endorse a Palestinian state on pre-1967 lines, a move opposed, administration officials said, by his chief Middle East adviser, Dennis Ross. Mr. Obama did seek to increase pressure on Syria by imposing largely symbolic sanctions on its leader, President Bashar al-Assad, in the wake of the bloody crackdown there. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/world/middleeast/19diplo.html?_r=2&hp Something is going on for today..... Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on May 19, 2011, 04:32:28 am Yeah, I'm thinking this little speech is some kind of transition thing, like an intro to the next phase, whatever that is. It seems this speech about the "Arab Spring" is out of nowhere, yet they are presenting it as some kind of important speech.
It does look like they may be taking aim at Syria now that they got Egypt and Libya boiling. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 19, 2011, 08:46:32 am Thank you for posting this, please keep updated throughout the day.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 19, 2011, 12:03:28 pm Obama says Palestine must be based in 1967 borders
President Barack Obama is endorsing the Palestinians' demand for their future state to be based on the borders that existed before the 1967 Middle East war, in a move that will likely infuriate Israel. Israel says the borders of a Palestinian state have to be determined through negotiations. In a speech outlining U.S. policy in the Middle East and North Africa, Obama on Thursday sided with the Palestinians' opening position a day ahead of a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu is vehemently opposed to referring to the 1967 borders. Until Thursday, the U.S. position had been that the Palestinian goal of a state based on the 1967 borders, with agreed land swaps, should be reconciled with Israel's desire for a secure Jewish state through negotiations. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110519/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_mideast_palestinians_1 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 19, 2011, 12:23:36 pm From Obama's own mouth!
Quote So while the core issues of the conflict must be negotiated, the basis of those negotiations is clear: a viable Palestine, and a secure Israel. The United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine. The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states. The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their potential, in a sovereign and contiguous state. full text of speach: http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/05/19/full_text_of_obamas_middle_east_speech Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 19, 2011, 01:52:02 pm Israeli leader rejects calls for withdrawal to 1967 lines ahead of major White House meeting
Israel's prime minister has rejected a key aspect of President Barack Obama's policy speech, saying that a return to his country's 1967 borders would spell disaster for the Jewish state. In a statement released late Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu called the 1967 lines "indefensible." The tough stand could set the stage for a tense meeting Friday when Netanyahu goes to the White House. In his speech, Obama said a future Palestinian state must be based in territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, with minor adjustments reached through negotiations. Netanyahu said such a withdrawal would jeopardize Israel's security and leave major West Bank settlements outside Israeli borders. http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/8482df9bda5848849c3ee45c1bdc1784/ML--Israel-Obama-Speech/ Right wing MKs: Obama is the new Arafat Danon, Ben-Ari outraged by US president's call for creation of Palestinian state on '67 lines; Livni says plan in Israel's interests. Knesset members on the Right expressed outrage on Thursday night at US President Barack Obama's call for the creation of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps in an exchange of territory for security. They called upon Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to reject Obama's plan when he meets with him on Friday in Washington. http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=221383 Abbas calls emergency meeting over Obama address PA president seeks urgent consultations with Arab leaders over address; Hamas spokesmen accuses Obama of "deception," favoritism to Israel. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday called an emergency meeting of the PA leadership to discuss US President Barack Obama’s speech on peace in the Middle East, a PA official in Ramallah said. Abbas has also decided to hold urgent consultations with a number of Arab leaders on the speech, the official said. http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=221390 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 19, 2011, 03:19:16 pm Obama dumps on Israel
Reaction is pouring in from conservatives to President Obama's Middle East comments earlier today -- and they have little to say that's positive. In his speech, Barack Obama referred to Israel's legitimate West Bank settlements as an "occupation" and called for a return to the 1967 borders -- which critics point out is effectively a call for a divided Jerusalem. The president also continued to press Israel to negotiate with Palestinian Authority and the "unity government" the PA has formed with Hamas. His comments come a day before his scheduled visit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is vehemently opposed to returning to the 1967 borders. In fact, in a statement released late Thursday, the Israeli leader called the 1967 lines "indefensible." Mitt Romney, who has formed a presidential exploratory committee for 2012, issued the following statement: "President Obama has thrown Israel under the bus. He has disrespected Israel and undermined its ability to negotiate peace." Romney, who sought the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, did not stop there. "He has also violated a first principle of American foreign policy, which is to stand firm by our friends." The American Center for Law & Justice calls Obama's comments "extremely troubling [and] damaging." "For decades, Israel has been our most important ally in the region," notes ACLJ chief counsel Jay Sekulow. "Sadly, with the president's remarks -- and decision to side with the Palestinian Authority -- it appears he no longer believes that is the case." And by endorsing the "unity government," says Sekulow, President Obama has "rewarded" the terrorist group Hamas, which calls for the elimination of the Jews. ACLJ senior counsel David French adds: "It's astounding, really. Here you have, just weeks after the Palestinian Authority enters into a unity government with a known, designated terrorist organization, the president of the United States pulls an unprecedented move by calling on Israel to retreat to its 1967 borders -- borders that are virtually impossible to effectively defend -- and a move that really damages the security of our closest ally in the region." French says he expects the Israeli leader will not compromise on his nation's security when he meets with Obama Friday at the White House, in what could prove to be a tense meeting. Jan Markell, founder and director of Olive Tree Ministries, says Obama is clearly not a friend of Israel. "In his heart this man is so pro-Muslim that whatever the Islamic community wants, he's in favor of [it]. Whatever is in favor of Israel, he is going to oppose." She says it a sure thing that there is a war on the horizon. "It's going to be a Middle East war that's not going to be pretty. And its going to be this year or next year, it's a guarantee." Markell is encouraging Christians to pray for Prime Minister Netanyahu as he prepares to meet with Obama Friday. http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=1350496 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 19, 2011, 03:23:16 pm Well, it's made the front page of Yahoo, so something's going on.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 19, 2011, 03:29:33 pm Well, it's made the front page of Yahoo, so something's going on. well just historically speaking, this is a huge development. Obama has just turned around nearly 70 years of policy. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on May 19, 2011, 04:31:47 pm The '67 border policy change is big.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 19, 2011, 05:47:11 pm Israel Expects Obama to Take Back ‘1967 Lines’ Demand
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was quick on the draw Thursday in voicing clear displeasure with President Barack Obama’s mideast policy speech. “Israel appreciates President Obama’s commitment to peace,” the response began, curtly. “Israel believes that for peace to endure between Israelis and Palestinians, the viability of a Palestinian state cannot come at the expense of the viability of the one and only Jewish state.” “That is why Prime Minister Netanyahu expects to hear a reaffirmation from President Obama of U.S. commitments made to Israel in 2004, which were overwhelmingly supported by both Houses of Congress.” “Among other things,” Netanyahu reminded Obama, “those commitments relate to Israel not having to withdraw to the 1967 lines which are both indefensible and which would leave major Israeli population centers in Judea and Samaria beyond those lines.” “Those commitments also ensure Israel’s well-being as a Jewish state by making clear that Palestinian refugees will settle in a future Palestinian state rather than in Israel.” “Without a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem outside the borders of Israel, no territorial concession will bring peace.” “Equally, the Palestinians, and not just the United States, must recognize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people, and any peace agreement with them must end all claims against Israel.” “Prime Minister Netanyahu will make clear that the defense of Israel requires an Israeli military presence along the Jordan River.” “Prime Minister Netanyahu will also express his disappointment over the Palestinian Authority’s decision to embrace Hamas, a terror organization committed to Israel’s destruction, as well as over Mahmoud Abbas’s recently expressed views which grossly distort history and make clear that Abbas seeks a Palestinian state in order to continue the conflict with Israel rather than end it.” rest: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/144338 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 19, 2011, 06:02:43 pm Completely forgot that today is the day God returned Israel to the land. And Obama picked today to do this. :o
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 20, 2011, 09:09:55 am Quote German Chancellor Angela Merkel backs Obama's speech on Mideast and describes 1967 borders proposal as 'good' path - Reuters is any one really surprised? Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on May 20, 2011, 01:48:47 pm Nope.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 24, 2011, 03:17:58 pm Nope. Well-something DID happen over the supposedly "rapture" weekend...no, we weren't wisked away, but Joplin, MO got hit with a dangerous tornado and the residents there were NOT given even a few seconds of warning in advance. It just came...suddenly... Anyone else thinking what I'm thinking? Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on May 24, 2011, 05:15:34 pm Maybe. Depends on what you're thinking! ;)
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 24, 2011, 05:25:35 pm Maybe. Depends on what you're thinking! ;) My mom was informed not too long ago that her pastor is stuck on San Jose, CA with 20K other people - the weather has really been rotten all of a sudden in the heart of America the last couple of days(which explains alot of these flight delays et al). Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 24, 2011, 05:31:12 pm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_mideast_usa_netanyahu By Jeffrey Heller Jeffrey Heller – 1 hr 57 mins ago WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Israel is prepared to make "painful compromises" for peace with the Palestinians, including the handover of land they seek for a state, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Congress on Tuesday. Palestinians swiftly dismissed the Israeli leader's terms for a deal as placing more obstacles in diplomacy's way, casting doubt as to whether frozen peace talks would resume anytime soon. Netanyahu received frequent standing ovations in addressing the joint meeting of Congress, a bastion of support for Israel. The speech came after a testy exchange last week with President Barack Obama over the contours of a future Palestine and Netanyahu used it to reiterate his expectations ahead of any talks. They included Palestinian recognition of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people and the scrapping of Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' unity accord with the Islamist movement Hamas. "Tear up your pact with Hamas. Sit down and negotiate. Make peace with the Jewish state," Netanyahu said. [ For complete coverage of politics and policy, go to Yahoo! Politics ] "I am willing to make painful compromises to achieve this historical peace. As the leader of Israel, it is my responsibility," the right-wing leader said, echoing a pledge in a speech to Israel's parliament on May 15. "Now this is not easy for me. It's not easy because I recognize that in a genuine peace we will be required to give up parts of the ancestral Jewish homeland," he said, referring to the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu explicitly suggested for the first time that Israel would cede some Jewish settlements in the West Bank, although others would be annexed under any future agreement. "In any peace agreement that ends the conflict, some settlements will end up beyond Israel's borders. The precise delineation of those borders must be negotiated," Netanyahu said. 'COMPROMISE MUST REFLECT DRAMATIC CHANGES' Netanyahu said any "compromise must reflect the dramatic demographic changes that have occurred," referring to Israel's construction of hundreds of settlements on land Palestinians want for a state. Repeating a message he has delivered consistently during a five-day visit to Washington, Netanyahu said "Israel will not return to the indefensible boundaries of 1967," narrow lines from before Israel captured the West Bank in a war 44 years ago. Obama drew Israeli anger when he said on Thursday a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip should largely be drawn along the pre-1967 frontiers. A frosty meeting with Netanyahu followed at the White House on Friday when the Israeli leader, with Obama sitting at his side, rejected those borders. On Sunday, Obama seemed to ease Israeli anger by making clear Israel would likely be able to negotiate keeping some settlements as part of a land swap in any deal with the Palestinians. The White House offered a low-key response to Netanyahu's speech. Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser, said in London that the Israeli leader had "reaffirmed the strength of the U.S.-Israeli relationship" and had "pointed to the importance of peace." Obama is visiting London. Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Abbas, said Netanyahu's vision for ending the conflict put "more obstacles" in front of the Middle East peace process. "What came in Netanyahu's speech will not lead to peace," Rdainah said in the West Bank city of Ramallah, rejecting Netanyahu's call to hold onto swathes of West Bank land including East Jerusalem, where Palestinians want their capital. Hani Masry, a Palestinian analyst said Netanyahu "wants the Palestinians to give up everything and get a state of leftovers." On the other side, settler leaders and members from Netanyahu's own Likud party also voiced their objections, but with no diplomatic breakthrough in sight, his ruling coalition did not seem to be in jeopardy. Netanyahu's address was greeted warmly by congressional leaders. Some Israelis pointed to that reception as a success while others thought he had not offered enough to break the diplomatic deadlock. "What he's offering I don't think you would find even the most moderate Palestinians would buy into," David Newman, an Israeli political scientist, said. "He's offering a truncated West Bank. He wants to leave as many settlements as possible." Netanyahu called on Palestinians to see their future "homeland," rather than Israel, as the place to resolve the issue of Palestinian refugees. He again voiced opposition to a planned bid by the Palestinians to seek U.N. recognition of statehood in September in the absence of peace talks. "Peace cannot be imposed," he said. "It must be negotiated." (Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell and John McGowan; Editing by Bill Trott) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on May 24, 2011, 05:34:33 pm I kind of look at it this way; if I question whether or not recent events in nature are increasing as part of the end times, then it isn't the end times events. I believe when those events take place, there will be no question whatsoever what's happening. What I think we are experiencing is the growing pangs, "the beginning of sorrows". It may seem like it's getting bad, but I think it will get MUCH worse.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 27, 2011, 07:48:38 am Jerusalem could become 'new Berlin'
A senior Army strategist and Pentagon advisor says Jerusalem would be like Berlin of the Cold War if the Jewish state is forced to cede East Jerusalem to the Palestinians. In a speech Tuesday before a joint session of Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated what he told President Barack Obama: that Israel would not return to the narrow borders it held in mid-1967 before capturing the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, as those lines are "indefensible." Obama wants the old frontier to serve as the foundation for drawing the future boundaries of the Jewish and Palestinian states. Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis (USA-Ret.), a West Point graduate who is now senior fellow for national security at the Family Research Council (FRC), is troubled by the prospect of a divided Jerusalem. "If you want to turn over East Jerusalem, which includes all the holy sites of the Christians, then you need to understand what the Palestinians have done to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ," Maginnis points out. "They've essentially turned it into a no man's land because it's very dangerous for Christian pilgrims to go down into Bethlehem, which is only five miles from the old city of Jerusalem. And also, by the way, Jerusalem itself ends up being cut in half. It becomes the new Berlin, like the wall that would separate the East Berliners from the West Berliners." He concludes that similar problems would occur at other Christian holy sites if Israel is forced once again to give up the sovereignty of its territory. http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=1354688 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Christian40 on May 28, 2011, 01:01:10 am May they NEVER take any land from Israel.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 28, 2011, 09:56:47 am G8 backs Obama over 1967 borders
The leaders of the world's richest countries were to give "strong support" on Friday to President Barack Obama's insistence that a Mideast peace deal be based on pre-1967 borders. In a draft statement at the G8 summit in Deauville, northern France, the leaders urge the Israelis and Palestinians "to return to substantive talks with a view to concluding a framework agreement on all final status issues." "To that effect, we express our strong support for the vision of Israeli-Palestinian peace outlined by President Obama on May 19, 2011." The draft was still being discussed on the summit's final day, but the section on Israel-Palestine was not expected to change. In a keynote policy speech on May 19, Obama included a clear call for Israel and the Palestinians to use the borders before the 1967 Six Day War as the basis for talks to achieve a negotiated solution to the conflict. That was sharply rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Israel would be "indefensible" if it returned to the borders which existed in 1967, which would not include dozens of settlements. The G8 final declaration, seen by AFP, said "negotiations are the only way toward a comprehensive and lasting resolution to the conflict. The framework for these negotiations is well known." rest: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/G8_backs_Obama_over_1967_borders_999.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 28, 2011, 09:40:13 pm http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110528/ap_on_re_eu/eu_obama
By NANCY BENAC, Associated Press Nancy Benac, Associated Press – Sat May 28, 2:08 pm ET WARSAW, Poland – Holding out Poland's transformation to democracy as a model for the world, President Barack Obama on Saturday exhorted Western allies and the American public alike to extend their support, energy and vision to those now reaching for democracy in the Middle East and North Africa. Obama wound up his six-day trip to Europe with a message aimed squarely at the people of the United States, saying that in a time of tight budgets, "I want the American people to understand we've got to leave room for us to continue our tradition of providing leadership when it comes to freedom, democracy, human rights." Obama, in a brief news conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, assured Americans that he spends the bulk of each day worrying about the U.S. economy and how to strengthen it and create jobs. But he coupled that with the message that it is a U.S. obligation to support democracy around the globe, one that pays dividends in the form of a safer and more prosperous world. Speaking with urgency in his voice, Obama said that while no outside country can "impose change" on another, "We can really help. We can facilitate. We can make a difference." His message was a tacit answer to simmering sentiment that America should cut back on foreign assistance at a time when it is grappling with deficit troubles at home. In fact, foreign aid makes up less than 1 percent of the federal budget. Earlier in the day, Obama met with Poland's president, Bronislaw Komorowski, and with a team of Poles, including veterans of the Solidarity movement, who recently visited Tunisia to share their advice on how to build a democracy. A popular uprising in Tunisia led to the overthrow of a longtime autocrat and sparked the protest movements that still sweep through the region. Poland, Obama said, "has gone through what many countries want to now go through, and has done so successfully." The president also offered reassurances to the Poles that his efforts to "reset" relations with Russia would not come at the expense of the security of Poland or other nations in Central and Eastern Europe. He said improved U.S. contacts with Russia "has benefited the region ... because it's reduced tensions and has facilitated genuine dialogue about how each country can move forward." Citing struggles for democracy in Poland's own neighborhood, Obama had tough words for Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. He praised Poland's assistance to Belarusian people and its efforts to encourage changes in Belarus. "President Lukashenko has shown a total disregard for democratic values, the rule of law, and the human rights of his own people," Obama said. Timed to coincide with Obama's visit, the United States and Poland completed an agreement that will place a U.S. Air Force detachment in Poland beginning in 2013. The presence of U.S. warplanes on Polish soil is designed to improve the ability of U.S. and Polish armed forces to cooperate as members of the NATO alliance. "The order of magnitude is not really large, but the gesture is very significant," Tusk said. Obama did not, however, bring with him a solution to a longstanding irritant to the Poles: their exclusion from a visa waiver program for those traveling to the United States. Many Poles feel that their strong support for the U.S. and their contributions to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan should have won them the privilege of visa-free travel to the United States. Obama said Poland doesn't qualify for the waiver based on current law but promised that he was working to change that. Obama's four-nation tour of Europe was aimed at strengthening the U.S. alliance with its Western allies, and encouraging them to shoulder greater responsibility in world affairs. He made stops in Ireland, England, France and Poland, at the final stop joining a summit of Central and Eastern European leaders. In Ireland, Obama explored his Irish ancestry on his mother's side and spoke to throngs in Dublin about Ireland's contributions to the world. In England, he and his wife, Michelle, were honored with all the pomp and ceremony of a state visit by Queen Elizabeth II, and he consulted with Prime Minister David Cameron about a range of foreign policy matters, including the war in Afghanistan and the so-called Arab spring movement. Both men then headed to France for a two-day summit for leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations, which devoted considerable focus to how rich nations can help stabilize and foster democracy in Arab countries. The president, who began his trip by exploring his Irish ancestry, at the end managed to find a Polish link as well, by virtue of his connections to Chicago's large Polish population. "If you come from Chicago and you haven't become a little bit Polish, something's wrong with you," he joked. Tusk, for his part, told Obama, "We feel in Poland that you are one of us." Tom Mann, a scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said Obama's trip may have incrementally boosted his image with Americans as a leader on foreign policy but was "more of a boost for him among European leaders, which may help in pursuing U.S. interests in the Middle East and elsewhere." Obama had first planned to come to Poland last year for the funeral of President Lech Kaczynski, who was killed in a plane crash along with other Polish leaders. But Obama's visit was scrapped six hours before his departure because of a volcanic ash cloud over Europe that disrupted air travel. The president visited a memorial to the 96 who died in the crash on his way out of town on Saturday. After a long week with a crowded agenda, Obama seemed more than ready to head home. The tired-looking president paused midway through his answer to a Polish reporter to ask the man to repeat parts of his question. The president had been counting down the days until his return to Washington. "One more day," he told reporters traveling with him Friday in France. ___ Associated Press writers Julie Pace, Vanessa Gera and Monika Scislowska contributed to this report. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Christian40 on May 28, 2011, 11:37:48 pm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOionBHtRdM
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on June 06, 2011, 07:55:30 am Time for Christians to take stand for Israel
A Tennessee-based pro-Israel group says it's time for Christians to mobilize against Barack Obama and the United Nations' effort to carve a Palestinian state out of God's covenant land. Proclaiming Justice to the Nations (PJTN) says it only has three months to mobilize its 13,000-plus supporters to take a stand for the nation of Israel. PJTN president Laurie Cardoza-Moore reports Palestinians are trying to muster U.N. support for a unilateral declaration of statehood, which could be approved by the General Assembly in September. It remains to be seen, however, whether a Palestinian state can be carved out of Israeli territory without unanimous approval from the U.N. Security Council, where the U.S. has a veto. But Cardoza-Moore is convinced that Obama is not a friend of Israel, particularly considering his call for the nation to retreat to its 1967 borders in order to appease the Palestinians. "We have seen him clearly push their back against the wall and continue to protect and defend the Muslim world, including the Palestinians," she laments. "And this is unacceptable." So the PJTN president says it is time for Christians to draw a line in the sand. "The Lord has drawn a line in the sand. The prophet Joel said in the latter days, God was going to pour out his wrath on the nations because they were dividing up his land," she cites. "And who's leading the charge? The United States of America." And even though the Bible says all nations are going to turn their backs on Israel, Cardoza-Moore contends that does not mean Christians should just sit back and do nothing. http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=1361156 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on June 06, 2011, 10:15:45 am Is The Vatican Joining Palestinians And President Obama Against Israel And God's Covenant? Says Palestinian State Must “Soon” Live Side By Side With Israel
During the meetings, the two sides discussed the need to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and recognize the “legitimate” rights of Palestinians to a homeland. The Vatican said “that soon the state of Israel and the Palestinian state must live in security, at peace with their neighbors and within internationally recognized borders.” The Vatican has long supported a Palestinian state. The Vatican said it had to be done “soon” as the Palestinians mobilize support for recognition as an independent state in September. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/vatican-says-palestinian-state-should-soon-live-alongside-israel-after-pope-meets-abbas/2011/06/03/AGOAp1HH_story.html Also Prophetic: Palestinians To Be Forced To Israel's Borders? All the men in your confederacy Shall force you to the border; The men at peace with you Shall deceive you and prevail against you. Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap for you. No one is aware of it. (Obadiah 1:7, NKJV) The Arab Spring is rapidly morphing into the liberate Palestine Summer. Nakba, Naksa, Nic-nac-patty-wac, whatever the Arab name given in association with a day of Palestinian protests, it’s incubating into a potentially dangerous summer scenario for Israel that could soon prove disastrous for the Middle East... http://isralestine-blog.blogspot.com/2011/06/prophecy-palestinians-to-be-forced-to.html Title: Obama Signs Document That Tells Israel Jerusalem Is Not Your Capital Post by: Christian40 on June 09, 2011, 01:25:47 am (http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/obama-signs-jerusalem-embassy-act.jpg)
(http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/obama-lusts-to-divide-israel1.jpg) SUBJECT: Suspension of Limitations Under the Jerusalem Embassy Act Obama signed this on June 3, 2011 - Pursuant to the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 7(a) of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-45) (the “Act”), I hereby determine that it is necessary, in order to protect the national security interests of the United States, to suspend for a period of 6 months the limitations set forth in sections 3(b) and 7(b) of the Act. You are hereby authorized and directed to transmit this determination to the Congress, accompanied by a report in accordance with section 7(a) of the Act, and to publish the determination in the Federal Register. This suspension shall take effect after transmission of this determination and report to the Congress. BARACK OBAMA The Jerusalem Embassy Act Explained Congress in 1995 passed a law recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and stating that “the United States Embassy in Israel should be established in Jerusalem no later than May 31, 1999.” An inbuilt waiver authority allowed the president to postpone the move, in the interests of “national security,” for consecutive six-monthly periods. Reflecting the strong level of support in the U.S. for Israel and for Israel’s claim to Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Embassy Act passed 374-37 in the House and 93-5 in the Senate. President Clinton was not enthusiastic about the legislation, which he warned “could hinder the peace process.” He allowed it to become law, but without his signature. Should the Jerusalem embassy not be opened by May 31, 1999, the law stated, the State Department would be barred from spending 50 percent of the funds allocated to buy and maintain official properties abroad during that fiscal year. The due date came and went, and then on June 17 Clinton issued the first “Suspension of Limitations Under the Jerusalem Embassy Act” notice. President Bush continued the policy every six months, to the continuing frustration of pro-Israel lawmakers who argued that the intent of Congress was for the waiver would only be justified in the case of a genuine security threat. A striking difference between Obama’s waiver notifications and those of President Bush is that in Bush’s case, he inserted into the legal jargon a sentence stating, “My Administration remains committed to beginning the process of moving our embassy to Jerusalem.” The phrase appeared in all 16 Bush waiver notifications. Obama’s stance was proof that neither the U.S. nor the world recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Rudeineh told the agency. “The world has made it clear that East Jerusalem has been occupied since 1967 and that it is the capital of the State of Palestine in the framework of the two-state solution.” Israel insists that Jerusalem is its “eternal, indivisible” capital, a claim it says dates back some 3,000 years, to the reign of the biblical King David from the city. Historians note that while Jerusalem was fallen under the control of many empires and powers, no nation other than the Jews ever declared it its capital. The Palestinians want Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. “Jerusalem is the crux of the question of Palestine and the key to war and peace in the region,” the Palestine Liberation Organization’s mission to the United Nations declares on its Web site.” From: http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on June 11, 2011, 05:39:05 am Zechariah 12:3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on June 11, 2011, 01:19:09 pm 8 How do ye say, We [are] wise, and the law of the LORD [is] with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he [it]; the pen of the scribes [is] in vain.
9 The wise [men] are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom [is] in them? 10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others, [and] their fields to them that shall inherit [them]: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. 11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when [there is] no peace. 12 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. Jeremiah 8:8-12 (KJB) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: jackie on June 13, 2011, 06:33:01 am US gives Netanyahu ultimatum on resuming talks
The United States gave Netanyahu an ultimatum on renewing negotiations with the Palestinians, according to reports cited by Israel Radio Sunday morning. According to the ultimatum, Netanyahu has to decide within a month whether he agrees to accept US President Barack Obama's platform and resume talks based on 1967 lines. Meanwhile, Netanyahu was expected to travel to Italy on Sunday where he will meet his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi. time is short, we have a lot of work to do!! http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=224618 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on June 13, 2011, 07:10:16 am well, get ready for more "natural" disasters.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 13, 2011, 08:26:37 am well, get ready for more "natural" disasters. Thought I would throw this in- On Tues I believe, there's a FULL solar eclipse. And then on July 1st, there's another partial solar eclipse(the previous one was around June 1). And then the planetary/sun, etc alignments this Fall. Jesus said there would be signs in the heavens in the last days... Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: jackie on June 13, 2011, 04:25:27 pm Obama has taken away God's hand of protection from America, ( not His children) by toying with Jerusalem and saying it will not be Israel's capital.
King David purchased that land, the temple mount, from Ornan the Jebusite, the title deed is in the Bible, the land belongs to Israel, Jerusalem is God's capital. It is where Abraham gave tithes to Melchezidek, where he offered his son on Mount Moriah and much more. Barry has poked the apple of God's eye. I believe the response from the Lord will be quick and just. I know when someone pokes my eye, my reaction is immediate. Let us keep our eues on Jerusalem and the middle east. 1 Chron 21: 18-26 18Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the LORD. 20And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. 21And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground. 22Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people. 23And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all. 24And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost. 25So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. 26And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering. 2 Chronicles 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite There you have it, settled in heaven, Jerusalem is the captial of Israel. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Christian40 on June 14, 2011, 03:42:10 am Thanks for pointing out them Bible verses, Jerusalem has certainly had an interesting past. It is just as important today.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on June 21, 2011, 06:47:46 am Obama warns of new US tactical spats with Israel
President Barack Obama warned that new "tactical" disagreements loomed between Israel and Washington, but vowed to leverage his administration's "creative powers" in the cause of peace. Obama, who has had a testy relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke at length on the stalled peace process at a fundraiser for his 2012 reelection campaign grouping Democratic friends of Israel. He said that as a difficult, challenging time loomed in the Middle East over the next few years, one inviolable principle was that the bond between the United States and Israel "isn't breakable." "What is also going to be true is that both the United States and Israel are going to have to look at this new landscape with fresh eyes," Obama said, arguing the Arab Spring had changed the context of regional diplomacy. "It's not going to be sufficient for us just to keep on doing the same things we've been doing and expect somehow that things are going to work themselves out. "We're going to have to be creative and we're going to have to be engaged. We're going to have to look for opportunities where the best impulses in the Middle East come to the fore and the worst impulses are weakened." "There are going to be moments over the course of the next six months or the next 12 months or the next 24 months in which there may be tactical disagreements in terms of how we approach these difficult problems," Obama said, vowing to bring to bear his administration's "creative powers" for peace. The president said that Israel and the United States were united on a broader vision for a secure Jewish state able to live in peace with its neighbors "where kids can get on the bus or go to bed at night and not have to worry about missiles landing on them." Obama ignited the latest US row with Netanyahu last month when he said in public what had been private US policy, that 1967 territorial lines, with agreed land swaps should be used to demarcate Israel from a future Palestinian state. His statement provoked a public scolding from Netanyahu during a subsequent White House visit. The Israeli leader also stressed the "indefensible" nature of the 1967 lines. Israel and the Palestinians have been at loggerheads over negotiations, which halted shortly after they were relaunched in Washington in September 2010 when a partial freeze on Israeli settlement construction expired. Israel refused to renew the freeze, and the Palestinians insist they will not hold talks while settlements are being built on land they want for their future state. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.77758f3d4ee843583f49a03846cd5894.441&show_article=1 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: jackie on June 21, 2011, 08:40:13 am the POTUS speaks lies, his tatics for now seem to be stall but he has made it clear that his real plan is to go back to the 67 boarders.......... and what about Jerusalem, does he plan on giving the temple mount to the Arabs.
It is crazy to understand this fighting has been a long drama since the birth of Jacob and Esau, Then again, I guess it's not a long time for God at all. One thing is certain, His word will be fulfilled and the Lord Jesus will one day rule and reign from Jerusalem. So ultimately we know how the story ends and who wins, the drama is watching how it plays out. All the Arab / Islam nations are against Israel just at the same time we have a Muslim POTUS. Now, how can that be? Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on June 21, 2011, 12:39:09 pm Quote does he plan on giving the temple mount to the Arabs. The Temple Mount is already under the control of the "Arabs". It's run by the Waqf, which is under the control of Jordan. For years now Jordan has been the authority over the mount, yet the media doesn't talk about that. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: jackie on June 22, 2011, 04:56:38 pm It is illegal for the Jews to pray on the temple mount and they also have a limited time they can actually visit the mount as far as I know. That is why they are still praying at the Western wall (the Wailing Wall).
This is all going to turn around, I think Netanyahu has taken a hard stance concerning Mt Moriah and Israel is known as a nation that does not sit back and wait for the ball to drop. A preemptive strike would not surprise me. The Arab nations are putting him in the position where he will have no other choice. He has made it known that Israel will not just give up the temple mount. Title: Klavan's One-State Solution Post by: Christian40 on June 23, 2011, 05:26:23 am http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIEeiDjdUuU
In an effort to bring peace to the Middle East, President Barack Obama has proposed that Israel should return to its 1967 borders in exchange for being annihilated by its enemies. PJTV's Andrew Klavan has a better idea... Give the Middle East to the Jews!! Watch more Klavan: http://www.pjtv.com/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Believer on June 23, 2011, 08:12:57 am LOL @ "If the Jews ran America they wouldn't be 14 trillion dollars in debt, knuckle-heads"! :D
If anti-semites want to stereotype the Jews, they might as well get it right, eh? Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: jackie on June 23, 2011, 06:41:08 pm Christian40, I think that is very close to God's plan! :)
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 23, 2011, 11:09:07 pm LOL @ "If the Jews ran America they wouldn't be 14 trillion dollars in debt, knuckle-heads"! :D Can't tell you how many times I've heard this lie on the "truther" MBs. These are the same MBs that deny how the Vatican/Jesuits/RCC have nothing to do with the NWO, and will label anyone "Zionists" if they say they do. Also, the whole Protocols of Zion is a HOAX - but en yet, the "alternative media" and these "truther" MBs are taking it at face value to fearmonger the public. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: jackie on June 27, 2011, 06:29:42 pm with elenin, the catastrophic flooding we are expecting and the wild fires I think God's response has been quick to America pressuring Israel .
Also this just came to my attention:UPDATE 2-Wildfire reaches US Los Alamos nuclear facility Los Alamos ensures reliability of US nuclear arms * Officials say facility is "very well protected" (Updates throughout) By Zelie Pollon SANTA FE, N.M., June 27 (Reuters) - A raging wildfire on Monday briefly entered the property of the preeminent U.S. nuclear facility, Los Alamos National Laboratory, a vast complex that houses research laboratories and a plutonium facility. A mandatory evacuation was ordered for the town of Los Alamos, which has a population of about 12,000. The speed at which the fire has grown surprised fire officials. The laboratory, which ensures the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, is a national security research facility located in the Jemez mountains of northern New Mexico. It was set up in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project to create the first atomic bomb and still maintains the nation's largest nuclear weapons arsenal. Firefighters were able to douse flames on a one-acre (0.4 hectare) "spot fire" just inside the southwestern boundary of the lab site, about 25 miles (40 km) outside Santa Fe, authorities said. Buildings still have not been touched by flames, and authorities said there was little threat to sensitive areas of the 28,000-acre complex (11,000 hectare). The laboratory's plutonium facility is on the northeast side of the complex, while the fire seems to be moving south and east, said lab spokesman Kevin Roark. "The facility is very well protected from any kind of wild land fire threat," said Roark. He said the facility survived a May 2000 wildfire that claimed some lab buildings and did more than $1 billion in damage. Explosive materials on the laboratory's grounds are stored safely in underground bunkers made of concrete and steel, as well as earthen berms, Roark said. "This fire is going to be with us for a while. It has the potential to double and triple in size," Los Alamos Fire Chief Doug Tucker said. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/27/usa-wildfire-nuclear-idUSN1E75Q1NV20110627 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Christian40 on June 28, 2011, 04:07:46 am I just read Dr Johnson's latest PDF www.contendingfortruth.com about what could well happen this year to the US. :o
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: jackie on June 28, 2011, 08:34:40 am I listened to his newsest update! the world has gone mad, we are int he midst of the birthpangs and time is short. Keep on praying for Israel and Jerusalem. He who keeps Israel does not slumber or sleep!
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 28, 2011, 09:16:15 am I listened to his newsest update! the world has gone mad, we are int he midst of the birthpangs and time is short. Keep on praying for Israel and Jerusalem. He who keeps Israel does not slumber or sleep! This is another major error with the so-called "truth" movement - they are constantly ranting how the so-called "evil Zionists" are leading the NWO, and how they are persecuting Palestineans in Israel. Yes, there are evil Zionists at the head of the Illuminati - but people seem to forget that these same "evil Zionists" were also the same ones who persecuted Jews in Nazi Germany. IOW, this conspiracy we're seeing is not just one group(whether it's just the Vatican, or just the sun worshippers, or just the masons, or just the Zionists, etc)...think Ephesians 6:12...obviously, SATAN is at the very head. And another thing - they seem to forget how Islam has infiltrated the PA in Israel. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: jackie on June 28, 2011, 10:49:31 am 2 Cor 6:14-15for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Believer on June 28, 2011, 11:30:38 am Can't tell you how many times I've heard this lie on the "truther" MBs. These are the same MBs that deny how the Vatican/Jesuits/RCC have nothing to do with the NWO, and will label anyone "Zionists" if they say they do. Also, the whole Protocols of Zion is a HOAX - but en yet, the "alternative media" and these "truther" MBs are taking it at face value to fearmonger the public. Agreed 100% Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: jackie on June 28, 2011, 02:55:36 pm sounding stupid , what what is a truther MB ?
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Believer on June 28, 2011, 03:17:19 pm sounding stupid , what what is a truther MB ? I think he means 'message boards'. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: jackie on June 28, 2011, 07:35:05 pm the natural disasters are coming at us fast and furious and more serious that ever.... even the MSM is reporting on it. (well the parts they are allowed too) and if they say it isn't going to be too bad, beware, they lie!
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on June 30, 2011, 08:09:03 am U.S. Designates Israel as Country That Tends ‘To Promote, Produce, or Protect’ Terrorists; Also Calls Israel Anti-Terror Partner
In an implicit admission that Israel is so threatened by terrorism that it is not only surrounded by countries and territories that produce terrorists but also unwillingly harbors terrorists within its own territory in a way that most other nations in the world do not, the Obama administration is currently listing Israel among 36 “specially designated countries” it believes “have shown a tendency to promote, produce, or protect terrorist organizations or their members.” Also included on the list--separately from Israel--are the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza, as well as Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, the four nations bordering Israel. All but five of the nations included on the administration’s “specially designated country” list have majority Muslim populations (see the list below). The five countries on the list that do not have majority Muslim populations--Kazakhstan (47 percent Muslim), Eritrea (36.5 percent Muslim), Israel (16.9 percent Muslim), the Philippines (5 percent Muslim) and Thailand (4.6 percent)--have had internal problems with radical Muslim terrorists, as reported by the State Department. The State Department has designated Eritrea as a country that is “not cooperating fully” with U.S. anti-terrorism efforts. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General published the list of "specially designated countries" as an appendix to an unclassified May 11 report--"Supervision of Aliens Commensurate With Risk"--that was publicly posted on the Internet. (The appendix is on page 18 of the document.) rest: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/us-designates-israel-country-tends-promo Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Believer on June 30, 2011, 10:29:42 am U.S. Designates Israel as Country That Tends ‘To Promote, Produce, or Protect’ Terrorists; Also Calls Israel Anti-Terror Partner In an implicit admission that Israel is so threatened by terrorism that it is not only surrounded by countries and territories that produce terrorists but also unwillingly harbors terrorists within its own territory in a way that most other nations in the world do not, the Obama administration is currently listing Israel among 36 “specially designated countries” it believes “have shown a tendency to promote, produce, or protect terrorist organizations or their members.” Also included on the list--separately from Israel--are the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza, as well as Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, the four nations bordering Israel. All but five of the nations included on the administration’s “specially designated country” list have majority Muslim populations (see the list below). The five countries on the list that do not have majority Muslim populations--Kazakhstan (47 percent Muslim), Eritrea (36.5 percent Muslim), Israel (16.9 percent Muslim), the Philippines (5 percent Muslim) and Thailand (4.6 percent)--have had internal problems with radical Muslim terrorists, as reported by the State Department. The State Department has designated Eritrea as a country that is “not cooperating fully” with U.S. anti-terrorism efforts. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General published the list of "specially designated countries" as an appendix to an unclassified May 11 report--"Supervision of Aliens Commensurate With Risk"--that was publicly posted on the Internet. (The appendix is on page 18 of the document.) rest: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/us-designates-israel-country-tends-promo What about the U.S.? Don't they reveal, by their legislation, accusations and propaganda, that the U.S. is full of terrorists as well? ::) This move is meant for something that is for sure. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on June 30, 2011, 03:58:13 pm Quote the Obama administration is currently listing Israel among 36 “specially designated countries” it believes “have shown a tendency to promote, produce, or protect terrorist organizations or their members.” Is there any question left as to where Obama stands on Israel? Well, eventually we know all countries will turn their hatred directly towards Jerusalem. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 30, 2011, 04:14:53 pm Is there any question left as to where Obama stands on Israel? Well, eventually we know all countries will turn their hatred directly towards Jerusalem. Don't be surprised if the so-called "truth" movement starts aligning themselves with Obama on Israel, eventually - yes, after calling him out for being a non-natural born citizen, for tearing the Constitution to shreds even more so than any other Prez, after intensifying the wars in the ME Bush started, after giving himself to the banksters, etc, etc...oh yeah...it's ALL the "Zionists" doings, right? Seriously - I've read on "truther" MBs how they're praising LOUIS FARAKHAN for slamming Israel. Pretty scary, eh? :o Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on July 01, 2011, 03:40:55 am Scary? Nah, there is no fear in love. A head-scratcher? Yeah, I'll give you that. But then what do you expect from a bunch of unbelieving loons?
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: jackie on July 01, 2011, 10:53:35 pm Home grown terrorist, Muslim of America
This is happening in New York and I am sure other places in our country. I can not transfer this video but I will give you the link.... Please listen. They are calling us the terrorist! http://shoebat.com/videos/jihadInUSA.php This video is just mind blowing Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: jackie on July 01, 2011, 10:55:51 pm I think he means 'message boards'. Thanks Believer , learning more everyday! :) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 11, 2011, 09:17:45 am http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/netanyahu-fears-surprise-for-israel-in-quartet-s-latest-peace-push-1.372574
7/11/11 Netanyahu fears 'surprise' for Israel in Quartet's latest peace push Foursome of Mideast peacemakers expected to include Obama's 1967 formula in statement set for release Monday afternoon. The foreign ministers of the Middle East Quartet will be meeting Monday in Washington and are expected to release a statement endorsing U.S. President Barack Obama's May 19 speech on the Middle East, which called for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians on the borders of a future state based on pre-1967 lines with agreed-upon land swaps. According to sources in Jerusalem, the Quartet, which consists of the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, will not invite the parties to a summit meeting but will instead send a delegation to the region to determine if the will exists and the time is ripe for renewed negotiations. On Sunday the group of eight senior Israeli cabinet members convened to discuss the anticipated announcement by the Quartet following a similar meeting on Friday. A source in Jerusalem said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet colleagues have concerns that the Quartet announcement could provide a surprise for Israel similar to Obama's May speech, the contents of which were revised less than 24 hours before it was delivered. Monday's meeting of Quartet foreign ministers and the UN secretary general comes after the European Union exerted intense pressure for the presentation of an international peace plan on the conflict. The EU's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, has argued such a peace proposal would constitute an alternative to the Palestinian push for recognition of an independent Palestinian state at the UN in September, and that it might convince the Palestinians to refrain from going forward with their plans. In the past two weeks, France has put heavy pressure on Ashton and the other Quartet members for the group's statement to include an invitation to Israel and the Palestinians to resume negotiations based on Obama's remarks on the 1967 borders and on recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. The U.S. is proposing a Quartet statement that mentions the Obama address in relatively general terms and announces that a Quartet delegation would visit the region for additional talks. Israeli sources have said Netanyahu has been somewhat more flexible in his stance regarding the principles expressed in Obama's address, saying that he would agree to base talks on the 1967 borders with land swaps. In exchange, he is seeking Obama administration ratification of President George W. Bush's letter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon regarding Jewish West Bank settlement blocs coming under Israeli sovereignty and for Palestinian refugees to be resettled in a future Palestinian state. Title: Israel agrees to negotiate over pre-'67 lines Post by: Believer on August 02, 2011, 01:28:29 am Israel agrees to negotiate over pre-'67 lines
http://www.centurylink.net/news/read.php?id=18573939&ps=1010&srce=news_class&action=4&lang=en&_LT=UNLC_NKNWU00L4_UNEWS Quote JERUSALEM (AP) — In a dramatic policy shift, Israel's prime minister has agreed to negotiate the borders of a Palestinian state based on the cease-fire line that marks off the West Bank, a TV station reported Monday. Up to now, Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to spell out his plan for negotiating the border. A senior Israeli official would not confirm outright that the prime minister was now willing to adopt the cease-fire line as a starting point, but said Israel was willing to try new formulas to restart peace talks based on a proposal made by President Barack Obama. In a speech about the Middle East in May, Obama proposed negotiations based on the pre-1967 line with agreed swaps of territory between Israel and a Palestinian state. Netanyahu reacted angrily, insisting that Israel would not withdraw from all of the West Bank, though that was not what Obama proposed. Now Netanyahu is basically accepting that framework, according to Channel 2 TV, offering to trade Israeli territory on its side of the line for West Bank land where its main settlements are located. The official, who has been briefed on the talks, spoke on condition of anonymity because the contacts are still in progress. He said he would not deny the TV report, while refusing to confirm the specifics. He emphasized that Israel would not withdraw from all of the West Bank. "We are willing in a framework of restarting the peace talks to accept a proposal that would contain elements that would be difficult for Israel and we would find very difficult to endorse," he said, answering a question about the Obama proposal. Part of the reason, he said, was that Israel is seeking to persuade the Palestinians to drop their initiative to win U.N. recognition of their state next month, something the Palestinians are doing out of frustration with stalled peace efforts. Palestinian officials said they had not received such a proposal from Israel. Palestinians have demanded that Israel stop construction in its West Bank settlements and east Jerusalem before peace talks resume. Netanyahu wants talks with no preconditions where issues like settlements and borders would be discussed, along with his insistence that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state. continues... Title: Re: Israel agrees to negotiate over pre-'67 lines Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 02, 2011, 08:20:13 am You give the devil a couple of inches, he'll take a few more miles from you.
Title: Re: Israel agrees to negotiate over pre-'67 lines Post by: Mark on August 02, 2011, 08:50:56 am Evacuate West Bank settlers without delay: Israeli court
Israel's supreme court ordered the evacuation of a hilltop outpost where some 250 Jewish settlers live without further delay Tuesday, upholding a petition made by Palestinians and an anti-settler group over five years ago. The court said the hilltop outpost of Migron in the occupied West Bank had to be removed by March 31, and the state could not "drag its feet" over the removal of the outpost "which even it admits is illegal." rest: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/02/us-palestinians-israel-outpost-idUSTRE7712YY20110802?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&dlvrit=59363 Title: Re: Israel agrees to negotiate over pre-'67 lines Post by: Believer on August 02, 2011, 01:03:46 pm Israel plays down report of border deal
http://www.centurylink.net/news/read.php?id=18574825&ps=929&cat=&cps=0&lang=en&page=2 Quote JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli official is distancing the government from a report that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to negotiate the borders of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines with the West Bank. Both Israeli and Palestinian officials acknowledged Tuesday they remain far from a breakthrough in efforts to revive peace talks, despite a frantic U.S. push. An Israeli TV station said Monday that Netanyahu had accepted President Barack Obama's proposal to commit to a near-total withdrawal from the West Bank. The official says Netanyahu is willing to "show some flexibility" on the border issue, but won't elaborate. He also says Netanyahu expects Palestinian flexibility on other issues. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a sensitive diplomatic matter. Title: Re: Israel agrees to negotiate over pre-'67 lines Post by: Believer on August 02, 2011, 01:06:24 pm Netanyahu Concedes to Obama – if Abbas Drops UN Ploy
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/146316 Quote The Netanyahu government has confirmed it will accept renewed talks with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, based on the 1949-1967 borders, if the PA scraps its initiative to ask the United Nations for recognition. Renewed talks also are conditioned on Abbas' recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, a statement he has said he never will make. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told President Barack Obama at a White House meeting last May that returning to the temporary 1949 Armistice Lines, which were in effect until the Six-Day War in 1967, would force “indefensible borders” on Israel. The president has since emphasized that talks “based on 1967 borders” means that there is room for negotiations on what land should be retained under Israeli sovereignty. In an seeming concession to President Obama, the Prime Minister now is willing to meet with Abbas on condition that the Palestinian Authority withdraw his plan to go the United Nations. However, in response to the report, the office of the Prime Minister stated, "There has been no change in government policy. The proposal for renewed talks is conditioned on Israel's being defined as a Jewish state." The Arab League already has submitted a request to the United Nations for recognizing the Palestinian Authority, but there is deep division within the PA over the possibility that the tactic may leave them empty-handed. The “peace process” has been dead for two years, if not longer, and is buried underground in the view of most analysts. The attempt to dig it up and resurrect it may be at the behest of United States, which has suffered a sharp decrease in its influence in the Arab world since President Obama’s failure to follow up with results on the ground after his “reaching out to Muslims” speech in Cairo two years ago. An official United Nations discussion on recognizing the Palestinian Authority as an independent country would relegate the ”peace process” to an obituary in history books. It is not clear if Abbas would prefer that. "Over the last few weeks there has been an ongoing attempt to restart the peace process to allow for the resumption of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians," a government official told the French news agency AFP. "The assumption is that if this process succeeds, the Palestinians will withdraw their proposal for unilateral action at the UN." He added that President Obama’s statements on the old borders of Israel not being written in stone “is the sort of language that we can live with.” The United States has indicated, without a total commitment, that it will cast a veto in the United Nations Security Council, whose recommendation for recognizing a new state is needed before the General Assembly can vote on it. That would leave the PA with having to settle for a non-binding resolution, based on its own political and territorial demands for all of Judea and Samaria as well eastern, northern and southern Jerusalem, commonly referred to East Jerusalem by mainstream media. The government’s change of attitude towards the expression Obama used, confirmed by an unnamed official in foreign media, effectively forces Abbas to make the move in what has become a long and drawn-out diplomatic chess game. Abbas has not responded to Netanyahu’s latest proposal to resume talks and formerly has stated that he would be willing to “negotiate” with Israel only after the Jewish state accepts all of its demands, which he said are non-negotiable. The ball is back in his court. Title: Re: Israel agrees to negotiate over pre-'67 lines Post by: Mark on August 03, 2011, 06:10:12 pm Arab League finalizing PA statehood application for UN
Representatives of the Arab League were scheduled to meet in Doha, Qatar on Wednesday night to lay the final touches on the Palestinian Authority’s application to the UN for recognition of a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines. The meeting comes as the PA leadership in Ramallah continues to face pressure from the US and EU to abandon its statehood plan and return to the negotiating table with Israel. The meeting in Doha was being attended by several Arab legal experts who were invited by the PA to help in the wording of the application to the UN in September. Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat and Arab League Secretary- General Nabil Elaraby, who is considered an expert on international law, are also participating in the discussions. When the application is completed, it will be handed over to the UN secretarygeneral so he could bring it before the General Assembly in September, a PA official said. Representatives of Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, in addition to the PA, were taking part in the discussions on the statehood bid, the official said. rest: http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=232361 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: William on August 09, 2011, 05:24:19 pm Transportation Minister visits Rothschild, praises protest
By HERB KEINON AND JPOST.COM STAFF 08/09/2011 22:33 After first Trajtenberg C'tee meeting, Katz calls protest opportunity for change; Yesha Council chair warns against "petty political gain." Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, who is a member of the Trajtenberg Committee created to examine the demands of the social-movement protesters, visited the Rothschild Boulevard tent protest on Tuesday evening where activists explained to him their discontent with the government, and particularly the minister's, inefficiency. In response to a demonstrator's inquiry about so-called tycoons' lack of responsibility to the general public, Katz said that the situation was "serious" and that "we need to deal with it." The minister commended the protest and said that "this is how the opportunity for change is created during a government's reign, and not only in elections." Yesha Council chairman Dani Dayan also visited the encampment on Tuesday in order to show his support, saying that if "we search for petty political gain" instead of solutions will will all lose. "The claim that the settlements are the root of the cost of living issue is heard only by the media and politicians," Dayan said. The first meeting of the so-called "Rothschild Team" - a committee formed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to pinpoint and propose solutions to socioeconomic problems highlighted by growing protests - was held Tuesday afternoon, led by Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg, who said there is a real "opportunity for change." The Trajtenberg Committee, according to the road map outlined by Netanyahu in the cabinet, will hold intensive discussion with “different groups and sectors within the public.” The committee will then make proposals to the government’s 16-minister socioeconomic cabinet, headed by Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz. (Although this has to do with the London Riots going on it talks about Benjamin Netanyahu while also the Rothschild. Get ready, because things are coming down the line. The Rothschild almost always are never mentioned in the newspaper, or are otherwise never in the spotlight. This is very interesting, and I imagine they will be a big part, and a tool used to try, and cut Israel's land.) FROM: http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?ID=233126&R=R1#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab (http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?ID=233126&R=R1#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: William on August 10, 2011, 09:27:51 pm The White House Cleanses Israel from Its Website
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLe_p_OwjpE&feature=player_detailpage Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on August 11, 2011, 09:28:54 am related to the meeting in the vid above, :D what are the odds..
Israel okays 1,600 settler homes for East Jerusalem Israel's interior minister has given final approval for a plan to build 1,600 settler homes in East Jerusalem, a project whose announcement last year during a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden caused a diplomatic rift with Washington. The official announcement Thursday of the go-ahead from Interior Minister Eli Yishai could weigh on U.S.-led efforts to dissuade the Palestinians from seeking United Nations endorsement of statehood in the absence of peace talks they suspended over Israeli settlement construction. Nabil Abu Rdainah, spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, called on the United States, the European Union and other sponsors of the Middle East peace process to pressure the Israeli government to halt the settlement plans. Initial approval for the 1,600 housing units in Ramat Shlomo, a religious Jewish settlement in an area of the West Bank annexed to Jerusalem by Israel, was given in March 2010, casting a shadow on Biden's visit while highlighting U.S.-Israeli differences over such construction. Biden condemned the Israeli plan at the time and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in unusually blunt remarks, called it an insult. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced regret for the timing of that announcement but rejected any curbs on settlement in and around Jerusalem. rest: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-okays-1-600-settler-homes-east-jerusalem-101053601.html Title: Re: Israel agrees to negotiate over pre-'67 lines Post by: William on August 11, 2011, 01:14:53 pm From: http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?ID=233466&R=R1#_tab#_tab (http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?ID=233466&R=R1#_tab#_tab)
Abbas to Haniyeh: Don't give up on Palestinian unity By KHALED ABU TOAMEH 08/11/2011 17:55 PA president calls Hamas PM, urging him to implement agreements reached between factions; Haniyeh: "There will be no return backward." Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday phoned Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and urged him to preserve the climate of reconciliation between the two sides, according to a statement released by Hamas. Abbas stressed during the phone conversation the importance of activating the agreements that were reached in Cairo recently between Fatah and Hamas, the statement said. RELATED: 'Abbas's insistence on Fayyad derailing Palestinian unity' Hamas, Fatah deflect blame for failed Palestinian unity Earlier this week, Hamas and Fatah representatives who met in the Egyptian capital announced that they had reached an agreement on a number of sticking points, including the release of prisoners from their prisons and granting Palestinian passports to residents of the Gaza Strip. Abbas pointed out that the Cairo discussions were held in a positive atmosphere and stressed his keenness to move forward with the reconciliation pact between Hamas and Fatah, the Hamas statement said. It added that Abbas also offered his greetings to the Hamas leader on the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. With regards to the reconciliation accord, Abbas was quoted as saying: “We want to work together on this issue.” Haniyeh, for his part, was quoted as telling Abbas that he too was keen on preserving the positive climate of reconciliation between the two parties. “There will be no return backward,” Haniyeh said. “We support accelerating the process of implementing the reconciliation.” Samira Halaika, a Hamas legislator, said on Thursday that Palestinians in the West Bank were frustrated with the failure of Hamas and Fatah to implement the reconciliation accord that was announced in Cairo in early May. Halaika said that Palestinians in the West Bank were facing instability and insecurity because of the continued arrest campaign by the PA security forces against Hamas supporters. “Residents of the West Bank don’t see any difference between the period that preceded the reconciliation and the period afterwards,” she said. She also noted that PA security forces earlier this week arrested a number of young men who went to pray in a mosque in Hebron. In another case, PA security forces summoned for interrogation several Palestinians who came to greet a Hamas activist who was released from Israeli prison. PA security officers also raided the home of the released prisoner, Ashraf Daraghmeh, in the Jenin area, and confiscated documents and posters, his relatives said. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: William on August 11, 2011, 01:17:16 pm From: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=233471&R=R1#_tab#_tab (http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=233471&R=R1#_tab#_tab)
PA: Israeli gov't seeking to create facts on the ground By KHALED ABU TOAMEH 08/11/2011 18:17 (http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=144775) Abu Rudaineh, Erekat slam Israel's expected approval of 4,300 housing units in east Jerusalem over next week; Fatah: Israel trying to solve its social and economic problems at the expense of the Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority on Thursday strongly condemned Israel’s decision to build new housing projects in east Jerusalem and accused the Israeli government of seeking to create new facts on the ground. In a nod to the hundreds of tents across the country, Interior Minister Eli Yishai (Shas) approved 1,600 apartment units in the east Jerusalem haredi neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo late on Wednesday night. The Hebrew media reported that the Interior Ministry was working to prepare two additional projects in east Jerusalem, including 2,000 projects in Givat Hamatos and 625 units in Pisgat Zeev. RELATED: Settler leader visits Rothschild tent city in solidarity 42 MKs: Settlement building would solve housing crisis Nabil Abu Rudaineh, spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas, said that the decision was an attempt by the Israeli government to create new facts on the ground ahead of a UN vote next month on recognition of a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 lines. Abu Rudaineh called upon the US and EU to exert pressure on the Israeli government to “stop this unilateral measure” on the part of Israel. Abbas’s Fatah faction accused Israel of waging a “new aggression” on Palestinian territories by approving the new projects in east Jerusalem. It described the decision as a blow to the will of the international community and the UN. “We reject the policy of the Israeli occupation government to solve its social and economic problems at the expense of the Palestinians and their occupied territories,” Fatah added in a statement. “We are determined to defend the rights of our people and resist the occupation’s settler projects through legal means.” Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat condemned the housing projects as a “war crime” and urged US President Barack Obama to change his position against the PA’s statehood bid at the UN. “We condemn this action which is considered a wear crime by the 1949 Geneva Conventions,” Erekat said. He pointed out that the decision was announced the day after Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu talked over the phone. “The only way to preserve the option of the two-state solution – Palestine and Israel – is through the UN and that Palestine be accepted as a member on the 1967 borders,” Erekat said. “Then the policy of settlement construction and imposing dictates on us will become null and void.” Erekat also criticized the US and other countries for putting pressure on the PA to abandon its statehood plan. “This pressure is completely unacceptable and will plunge the region into a cycle of violence, extremism, anarchy and bloodshed,” he cautioned. Melanie Lidman contributed to this report Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Christian40 on August 12, 2011, 03:53:33 am "The consuming debate about our debt and the economy has obscured a major foreign policy event that’s right around the corner: Next month, the United Nations general assembly is likely to approve a resolution recognizing a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Obama administration strongly opposes this move, and is sure to veto any such resolution that might make it to the U.N. Security Council. So this will largely be a symbolic exercise. But that doesn’t make it meaningless. On Sunday, the New York Times warned that “the consequences could be profoundly damaging for all involved” if the general assembly resolution passes. The Times also warned that Palestinians will be left even more frustrated by the empty gesture (and presumably by American and Israeli opposition), which could lead to new violence in the region. And an unnamed Western diplomat told Ha’artez that such a vote would further fray American relations with the Palestinian Authority, making a peace deal an even more distant prospect.
Meanwhile, the upcoming vote is already reintroducing Israel into the Republican presidential primaries. Newt Gingrich has a fiery opinion piece in today’s Human Events arguing that the U.S. should cut off its funding to the U.N. if a statehood resolution passes. "We should be willing to say that if the U.N. is going to circumvent negotiations and declare the territory of one of its own members an independent state, we aren’t going to pay for it. We can keep our $7.6 billion a year. We don’t need to fund a corrupt institution to beat up on our allies." To some degree that’s Newt being his incendiary self. But this could be a real issue for Republicans in the coming weeks. Evangelical Christian voters are closely attuned to U.S. policy towards Israel, for reasons part Biblical and part War on Terror. (See this July Christian Newswire statement demanding that all the GOP candidates deliver a “major speech” denouncing the resolution.) In South Carolina last month, I met a woman at a Michele Bachmann rally who told me that the end of days is near because Obama has, in her view, exposed Israel to such grave danger. (Which raises the question of why she was also so upset about ObamaCare, most of which doesn’t kick in for a couple more years, but never mind.) When candidates like Mitt Romney have claimed that Obama “has thrown Israel under the bus,” those words have particular resonance with Christian conservatives. The Obama administration has been working behind the scenes to head off the statehood vote, possibly by jump-starting the stalled negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. But that likely won’t be enough for the Republican candidates. Watch to see if this issue comes up in Thursday night’s Iowa Republican debate–and watch as the candidates vie to demonstrate their unwavering support for Israel while painting Obama as weak and feckless when it comes to defending the Jewish state." From: http://swampland.time.com/2011/08/10/here-comes-a-campaign-issue-the-u-n-and-palestinian-statehood/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 20, 2011, 09:24:06 pm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkhlUrWdNr8
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: William on August 21, 2011, 12:31:13 am From: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=234679&R=R1#_tab#_tab#_tab (http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=234679&R=R1#_tab#_tab#_tab)
Mofaz: Gov’t lacks strategy to deal with statehood bid By LAHAV HARKOV 08/21/2011 02:47 Submission of Knesset panel report on possible repercussions of Palestinian UN vote is postponed until calm returns to South. (http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=48545) Photo by: Ariel Jerozolimski The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) postponed on Saturday the presentation of findings on the possible repercussions of a Palestinian declaration of statehood at the UN in September. Mofaz said the report will be presented when the situation in the south calms down. The document’s final draft, prepared by committee adviser Barak Ben-Tzur and MK Yohanan Plesner (Kadima) who heads a subcommittee on the topic, was supposed to be presented on Sunday. Earlier this month, the report was presented to committee members and defense officials who had submitted information, so they could make comments and changes. At the time, Ben-Tzur explained to the committee that the findings were inconclusive, with different experts giving different assessments. None of the experts consulted expected a new intifada to break out, but some predicted mass protests near the West Bank security barrier and settlements. Others said a UN declaration of Palestinian statehood could further isolate Israel diplomatically, and even if the Palestinians did not become a UN member state, they could join UN committees and organizations and cause problems for Israel. “It looks like Israel does not have a clear strategy to deal with September’s challenges,” committee chairman Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) said. Mofaz has criticized the government numerous times in recent months, accusing it of being unprepared for the consequences of the expected UN vote. “If the diplomatic process for September had been significant, most of the army’s preparations would not have been necessary,” he said after IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz briefed the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee last month. Gantz said that he did not think the Palestinians were “putting energy into organizing events that will cause a step backward from all of the accomplishments and prosperity they attained in the West Bank. “At the same time, we cannot ignore that the Palestinians are also sensitive to everything that is happening around us in the Middle East. There is potential for a conflict and an expectation that thousands will have a quiet, nonviolent demonstration in areas of friction on the security barrier or near settlements,” Gantz said. “The IDF cannot endanger the settlements in such a situation.” At the same committee meeting, MK Einat Wilf (Independence) suggested that the IDF “has to think about the possibility that it may have no choice but to evacuate settlements facing Palestinian demonstrations.” Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: William on August 22, 2011, 02:56:56 am Netanyahu: We won't carry out large-scale Gaza operation
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND YAAKOV LAPPIN 08/22/2011 09:48 Diplomatic source says Hamas is trying to weaken state's international support: "Israel must do all it possibly can to achieve calm." (http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=172690) Photo by: GPO / Avi Ohayon Diplomatic source says Hamas is trying to weaken state's international support: "Israel must do all it possibly can to achieve calm." Israel will not respond to the attacks from Gaza with a large-scale operation, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his cabinet ministers concluded at a 3 a.m. meeting on Monday to discuss the security situation. Diplomatic sources expressed concern that escalation in the South could upset Egypt and and hurt Israel at the UN vote for Palestinian statehood in September. "Hamas is trying to draw Israel into fighting in the [Gaza] Strip, so as to weaken its power in the international arena in preparation for the Palestinian statehood decree in September," one senior diplomatic source told Army Radio. "This way Hamas will be seen as leading the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state." Despite Hamas's call for a ceasefire, they "are interested in leading to escalation and so Israel must do all it possibly can to achieve calm," he said. Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on southern Israel resumed on Sunday evening and continued into Monday morning despite reports that the Islamist group was seeking an immediate ceasefire. Four Kassam rockets fired from the Gaza Strip after midnight on Sunday landed in Sderot, the Eshkol Regional Council area and on the outskirts of Ashkelon. No injuries or damage were reported in the attacks. An additional rocket damaged a building in the Eshkol Regional Council on Monday morning and the Iron Dome anti-rocket shield intercepted one rocket fired in the direction of Ashkelon. From: http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?ID=234875&R=R1#_tab#_tab#_tab (http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?ID=234875&R=R1#_tab#_tab#_tab) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 28, 2011, 10:33:03 pm UN envoy Prosor: Israel has no chance of stopping recognition of Palestinian state
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, sent a classified cable to the Foreign Ministry last week, stating that Israel stands no chance of rallying a substantial number of states to oppose a resolution at the UN General Assembly recognizing a Palestinian state in September. Sources in the Prime Minister's Office, meanwhile, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering not participating in this year's General Assembly. Instead President Shimon Peres is likely to represent Israel. Under the headline "Report from the frontline at the UN," Prosor - considered one of the most experienced and senior Israeli diplomats - offered a very pessimistic estimate as to Israel's ability to significantly affect the results of the vote. Even though he did not state so explicitly, Prosor implies that Israel will sustain a diplomatic defeat. "The maximum that we can hope to gain [at the UN vote] is for a group of states who will abstain or be absent during the vote," Prosor wrote, adding that his comments are based on more than 60 meetings he held during the past few weeks with his counterparts at the UN. "Only a few countries will vote against the Palestinian initiative," he wrote. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to contact the UN secretary general on September 20 and ask for recognition of Palestine as a full member state of the UN. At the Foreign Ministry, the assessment is that in order to avoid an American veto, the Palestinians will seek a vote at the General Assembly and not at the Security Council, even though the former is less binding. The vote at the General Assembly will probably take place in October. Foreign Ministry sources estimate that 130-140 states will vote in favor of the Palestinians. A major question mark remains over the position of the 27 member states of the European Union. The EU's head of foreign policy, Catherine Ashton, will meet with Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in Jerusalem today, ahead of a meeting of the EU's foreign ministers on September 3. A senior source at the Foreign Ministry, which is busy trying to foil the Palestinian move at the UN, said that so far only five western countries have promised Israel they would vote against recognition of a Palestinian state - the U.S., Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. "Most western countries will not be willing to be in the hall and vote against a Palestinian state," the senior Foreign Ministry source said. However, the stance of the four European countries may change in line with the wording of the resolution that the Palestinians will propose. If the text is moderate and includes the possibility of returning to the negotiating table immediately following the vote at the UN, these four states may alter their opposition and abstain. At the Foreign Ministry they believe the EU's 27 member states will be split between a large group that will support the Palestinians and two smaller groups that will abstain and oppose the resolution. The Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Maliki, said over the weekend that the Palestinian Authority is close to gaining the support of 130 states which will recognize a Palestinian state. This follows the recent recognition of a Palestinian state by Honduras and El Salvador. China also announced it will support the Palestinian resolution at the UN. The Palestinians estimate that Guatemala and several Caribbean island-states will also announce their recognition of a Palestinian state in coming weeks. Israel is continuing its international campaign to avert support for the resolution and a number of ministers are being dispatched to Africa and Asia. Nonetheless, it appears that Benjamin Netanyahu has given up on the effort with his decision to avoid the UN General Assembly next month. "At this time the PM does not believe that his trip to the UN will contribute to a change in the vote on the resolution for Palestinian state recognition," one of Netanyahu's advisers said. President Peres is probably going to take Netanyahu's place. Lieberman, who will also travel to the UN, recommended to the PM that Peres address the General Assembly, so that the Israeli position which will be heard at the UN will be as conciliatory and moderate as possible. Most senior Israeli officials believe that Israel should treat the UN vote as it did the Goldstone Report - as something unavoidable which must be condemned. A smaller group of officials, which includes foreign ministry officials, Shin Bet and IDF planning officers, believe Israel should try to influence the language of the resolution, aiming at a resumption of negotiations after the vote. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on August 29, 2011, 08:43:44 am Palestinians prepare symbolic chair for UN bid
The Palestinians are hoping to secure a seat at the United Nations next month. They already have the chair for it. Palestinian activists said Monday they would take the chair on an international tour to dramatize the Palestinian Authority's quest for U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state. The wooden chair is covered with embroidered blue upholstery featuring a Palestinian flag and the word "Palestine." It will be shown to diplomats in countries with influence at the U.N., including Britain, Russia and Lebanon, this month's rotating Security Council president. The chair's final stop is the U.N. Activist Waled Nazzar says the chair symbolizes the Palestinians' conviction that they deserve U.N. membership. Israel and the United States oppose the Palestinian statehood bid, saying a state must be established through negotiations. http://news.yahoo.com/palestinians-prepare-symbolic-chair-un-bid-122043188.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on August 29, 2011, 10:18:53 am PA set on UN bid unless Israel meets their terms
Ashton in region, hopes to bring PA back to negotiating table; Lieberman: Abbas trying to destroy Jewish state. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday set two conditions for abandoning his plan to ask the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state in September: acceptance of the 1967 lines as the basis for a two-state solution and a cessation of settlement construction. “Without this we will continue going to the UN,” Abbas said. He spoke on the eve of a trip to the region by the European Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, a last-minute bid to bring Palestinians back to the negotiating table. "Following the recent tragic events in Israel and Gaza, it is more important than ever that the parties return to the negotiating table,” Ashton said. “It is only through negotiations – and not violence – that the root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be addressed. “The EU continues to make every effort to make a renewal of negotiations possible. That is why I am traveling to the region this weekend,” she said. On Sunday, Ashton will meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. She also plans to met with Abbas before heading to Jordan for talks on the peace process with King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh. Separately on Sunday, Netanyahu will meet with Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store. Talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been stalled for almost a year. The Palestinians have insisted they will return to the negotiating table only if Israel meets their terms. http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=235649 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 29, 2011, 10:25:47 am The US government may be firm in saying they will veto this - don't bet on it, especially with you-know-who in the White House.
Title: Re: Israel agrees to negotiate over pre-'67 lines Post by: William on September 02, 2011, 03:12:05 pm ‘Acceptance of PA’s UN bid will push back talks for years’
By HERB KEINON 09/01/2011 00:46 Senior official warns that General Assembly resolution recognizing PA as a nonmember state would create “unbridgeable gaps.” A UN General Assembly resolution recognizing the Palestinian Authority as a nonmember state would create “unbridgeable gaps” and push back negotiations for years, a senior Israeli official warned Wednesday. The official said that once such a resolution was passed, the Palestinians would never be willing to negotiate on the basis of anything less, and no Israeli leader would ever be able to agree to what the Palestinians would likely get from the UN. He said that such a move would be a “strategic mistake by the world,” and said this was well understood by the US. At the same time, the official said that Israel had no intention of negotiating with the Palestinians – or anyone else – over the language of the resolution to be brought to the UN, and that Israel was focusing on the “principle,” not the language. He said that on a certain level the resolution would complicate matters for the Palestinians as well, since the PA would replace the PLO at the UN, and this would have ramifications regarding the refugee issue. Once a Palestinian state is recognized, this argument goes, Israel’s case that the refugees be resettled in that state will become stronger. The official also said it was an “illusion” to think that a Palestinian state could “go it alone.” “It can’t stand on its own,” he said, adding that the Palestinians need Israeli assistance in everything from tax collection to combating Hamas. Israel, he said, had no intention of announcing beforehand how it would react if the UN General Assembly passed the resolution, saying the government was compiling a “basket” of options, from “light reactions” such as denying VIP passes to PA officials, to “heavy” ones. Which particular “arrow” to take out of the quiver, he said, would depend on a large number of imponderable developments. Although the official did not spell out which “heavy” reactions were under consideration, National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau told The Jerusalem Post this week that he would recommend declaring the Oslo accords null and void, and annexing the Jordan Valley and large settlement blocks. The official said that the premise in Jerusalem was that there was nothing that Israel could do – such as announcing beforehand what “price” the Palestinians would pay for such a move – that would prevent Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas from going to the UN. From: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=236237&R=R1#_tab#_tab (http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=236237&R=R1#_tab#_tab) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Believer on September 03, 2011, 01:58:37 pm Tension, confusion behind EU facade on Palestine
http://euobserver.com/24/113516 Quote BY ANDREW RETTMAN Hostility toward foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, confusion over what the Palestinians will ask for and how major EU countries will react marked behind-closed-doors talks of EU foreign ministers in Poland. Speaking to press in the Polish town of Sopot on Saturday (3 September) after the talks on Friday, Ashton said there is a "strong EU position" and a "common belief" that the Middle East conflict can only be solved via Arab-Israeli negotiations. She added: "We do not have the resolution before the UN at the moment and therefore this was not the time to discuss the EU's repsonse to such a resolution." The EU meeting comes three weeks before Palestine is to submit a draft text to the UN General Assembly in New York asking the body to upgrade its status. While EU countries agree on basic principles - the importance of Arab-Israeli talks and the need for a two-state solution based on 1967 borders - Europe remains split on whether or not to back Palestine's unilateral bid for statehood. A number of ministers in Sopot put a positive spin on Friday's talks. Sweden's Carl Bildt said they brought the EU "closer" to agreement on the issue. Estonia's Urmas Paet told EUobserver "My feeling is yes, the EU will eventually agree on its position and will not split into 27 or two or three different directions." Other sources said the mood was not so friendly, however. One EU diplomat said Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands called for the EU to oppose Palestinian independence but that Ashton sided with more Palestinian-friendly countries. "She's going her own way, freewheeling a bit. She is struggling to put forward her own opinion without taking into account the opinion of this substantial minority ... If you want to have an EU common position, it will be hard to do it like this." On the pro-Palestinian side, Luxembourgish foreign minister Jean Asselborn broke the terms of an EU gentleman's agreement not to speak out before New York. The EU "cannot give nothing" to the Palestinians and should "give them dignity" he told Agence France Presse. In a third camp, sources indicated that Poland is happy to back any solution that has a realistic chance of broad EU and UN support. For his part, German minister Guido Westerwelle added to the confusion. Contacts said he was "almost silent" at Friday's talks, leaving colleagues uncertain which way Berlin will go. "Maybe it's because of his difficult situation at home," the source added, referring to calls in Germany for him to resign. The main problem in Sopot was lack of knowledge over what the Arabs will ultimately ask the EU for. Variables include Palestine asking the UN Security Council to become a fully-fledged UN member - an option that would see a US veto and a clash between the US and pro-Palestinian EU countries; Palestine asking the UN to become "non-member state" like the Vatican - an option that could see Israel abandon previous peace deals; Palestine attaching supplementary clauses on recogntion of Israel or security issues which are unacceptable even for its EU friends. A sudden split between Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah, a new outbreak of Arab-Israeli violence or Israeli announcments of fresh settlements could also influence EU swing countries in the coming days. "There were lots of 'buts, ifs, maybes and it depends'," Estonia's Paet told this website. "The process is moving so fast that what was true yesterday or today might be inadequate next week. So nobody is rushing to say what their position is." Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on September 04, 2011, 07:14:28 am U.S. APPEALING TO PALESTINIANS TO STALL UN VOTE...
The Obama administration has begun a last-ditch diplomatic campaign to avert a confrontation this month over a Palestinian plan to seek recognition as a state at the United Nations, but it may already be too late, according to senior American officials and foreign diplomats. The administration has circulated a proposal intended to be the basis of renewed peace talks with the Israelis - based on a formula that President Barack Obama outlined in May - in hopes of persuading the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to abandon the bid for recognition at the annual gathering of the U.N. General Assembly beginning Sept. 20. The administration has privately made it clear to Mr. Abbas that it will veto any request that comes before the U.N. Security Council to make a Palestinian state a new member outright. But the United States alone does not have enough support to block a vote by the General Assembly to elevate the current status of the Palestinians' nonvoting observer ''entity'' to that of an nonvoting observer state. FULL STORY: http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=25102&docId=l:1492175491&isRss=true&Em=4 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on September 04, 2011, 07:15:30 am Jewish 'settlers' prepared for Palestinian onslaught
The Israeli army has been busy training local security teams in the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria (Jewish settlements) for a possible onslaught of violent Palestinian demonstrators. Israel fears that following the Palestinian Authority's September 20 bid at the United Nations to secure recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria (the so-called "West Bank"), Palestinian mobs will march on any Jews they see as "invaders" in that new state. In fact, that is precisely what Palestinian leaders are telling the public to do. "The appeal to the UN is a battle for all Palestinians, and in order to succeed, it needs millions to pour into streets," Palestinian official Yasser Abed Rabbo told the Associated Press following a Palestinian Authority vote endorsing a mass protest march on Israel. Rabbo and other Palestinian leaders insist the protests will be peaceful, but Israeli officials noted that more often than not the Palestinians' definition of "peaceful" does not match Israel's. And even if the intention truly was for a peaceful march, the Israelis say that having tens or hundreds of thousands of Palestinians march on Israeli civilian neighborhoods is a situation that can quickly spiral out of control. While Jerusalem is certain to be a primary target of such a march, it is pretty heavily barricaded from the north and east, the directions from which the Palestinian protestors would be coming. But the Jewish settlements make much softer targets. That's why the IDF, which will preoccupied defending the northern neighborhoods of Jerusalem and the portion of the "Green Line" separating the Tel Aviv metropolitan area from the West Bank, is busy preparing the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria to defend themselves. Those preparations include unspecified drills on how to handle various situations, including a large Palestinian mob beseiging the gates of a small Jewish community. Jewish settler leaders stressed that the training exercises do not constitute the formation of a new Jewish militia, noting that these are pre-existing local security teams, the members of which are, like all Israelis, also members of the IDF reserve forces. Even with all the preparations, the situation can still devolve into chaos and violence at a moment's notice. If armed Palestinian elements open fire from among the protestors, or a Palestinian mob manages to break into a Jewish community, Israeli security forces will be obliged to use deadly force in defense of local men, women and children. http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NachrichtenHeute/tabid/178/nid/22934/language/en-US/Default.aspx Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on September 04, 2011, 07:26:04 am Palestine: we want UN vote for statehood
The Palestinian Authority confirms that it will seek recognition as a state at the United Nations, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told the Voice of Palestine radio station on Sunday. Erekat told the station that the Palestinians would initiate peaceful demonstrations this month to draw world's attention to their appeal at the UN and did not intend to enter into any clashes with the Israeli forces at the Palestinian territories. He also asked the U.S. and Europe to support the Palestinians and approve their statehood as most of countries in the world had done, the radio station said. New York Times said on Saturday quoting U.S. senior officials and foreign diplomats that the Obama administration circulated a proposal for renewed peace talks with the Israelis in the hopes of persuading the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to abandon the bid for recognition at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly beginning September 20. The paper also said that the administration made it clear to Abbas that it would veto any request presented to the UN Security Council to make a Palestinian state a new member, but the United States did not have enough support to block a vote. http://en.rian.ru/news/20110904/166411531.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on September 05, 2011, 07:16:05 am U.N. gives Palestinian president royal treatment
Bumps Netanyahu back to speak during Jewish Sabbath An internal United Nations document containing the upcoming General Assembly's speakers list bestows an unwarranted honor upon Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, while also slighting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. With no vote taken or yet expected on the issue of Palestinian statehood, the U.N. has already scheduled Abbas as an official "head of state," an honor given to kings and presidents like Barack Obama, Russian President Dimitri Medvedev, Jordanian King Abdullah II and British Prime Minister David Cameron, to name but a few. The Palestinian is also given a primetime speaking slot, 12:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23. In the past, Palestinian leaders were afforded a "special" position by the U.N., speaking after all heads of recognized nations addressed the world body. Not the case in 2011. Not only has the General Assembly given Abbas a coveted speaking position, but it also turned around and slapped Israel, which has been a full U.N. member since its birth in 1948. A rare G.A. address by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been scheduled on the same Friday as Abbas, but as the last speaker at 9:00 p.m. that evening, a time slot that would not only violate Jewish Sabbath laws, but also assure a minimum amount of publicity, since the U.N. is all but abandoned during that hour. (Story continues below) Read more: U.N. gives Palestinian president royal treatment http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=341593#ixzz1X50AJGDE Title: Why Israel can't withdraw to pre 67 borders line Post by: Christian40 on September 06, 2011, 04:17:28 am http://youtu.be/_rusj4yrV4Y
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Christian40 on September 06, 2011, 04:44:08 am Why Israel can't withdraw to pre 67 borders line.
http://youtu.be/_rusj4yrV4Y Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on September 06, 2011, 06:03:20 am 'At least 140 nations expected to vote for statehood bid'
Senior Fatah official Shaath says Ashton to return to region in coming days to inform Palestinian leadership of EU's final stance on UN bid. At a press conference in Ramallah, Sha’ath, a former PA foreign minister, said that PA President Mahmoud Abbas would soon brief Fatah and PLO leaders on the ongoing efforts to secure the support of as many countries as possible for the statehood plan. He said that Abbas would make it clear that the PA would seek full membership of a Palestinian state in the UN. Sha’ath pointed out that 125 countries have so far promised to back the statehood bid at the UN. “We want Palestine to become the 194th member of the UN,” he added. He also voiced hope that the EU countries would support the PA’s application for full membership in the UN. EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton is scheduled to return to the region in the coming days for additional talks on the Palestinian statehood plan, Sha’ath disclosed. He said that Ashton would inform the Palestinian leadership of the EU’s final stance regarding the statehood bid. Expressing fear that the US would foil the PA’s plan at the UN, Sha’ath said that the PA leadership was determined to go ahead with its initiative. “We won’t succumb to any pressure because our people are determined to achieve freedom and independence,” he stressed. Sha’ath also dismissed claims that the statehood bid would affect the status of the PLO as the “sole legitimate representative of the Palestinians” and deprive the refugees of the “right of return” to their original villages inside Israel. The PLO, he said, would remain the legitimate and sole representative of our people. “Going to the UN won’t affect the status of the PLO,” he said. rest: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=236657&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+delicious%2Fgqlf+%28Christian+Headlines+Top+Headlines%29 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 07, 2011, 11:46:40 am China supports Palestinian UN bid
http://en.rian.ru/world/20110907/166497017.html 13:03 07/09/2011 China on Wednesday announced its support for Palestine's plans to seek full membership in the United Nations next month. China on Wednesday announced its support for Palestine's plans to seek full membership in the United Nations next month. Because Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on the terms of Palestinian statehood have been frozen since 2008, Palestinians have decided to seek UN recognition of an independent "Palestine" in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, the areas Israel captured in the 1967 Six Day War. Should the bid be successful, Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas claimed the Palestinian Authority would discuss the finer details of a future Palestinian state in talks with the Israeli leadership. "China has always supported the just cause of Palestinian people. Having its own state is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people co-existing peacefully with Israel," Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Jiang Yu said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Monday that the Palestinian bid for UN recognition would "set back peace, and might set it back for years." Washington has also opposed UN recognition of a Palestinian state, calling it a unilateral step in a conflict that should be resolved through negotiation. The U.S. administration has made clear that it would veto any Palestinian request to the Security Council for membership as a state. But a majority at the General Assembly is expected to support the promotion of the Palestinians to the status of non-voting observer state. Two senior White House envoys arrived Tuesday for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in a last-ditch effort to head off the Palestinian bid. They are pressing for a resumption of the peace talks. Title: Israels right wing prepares for UN recognition of Palestine Post by: Christian40 on September 08, 2011, 04:08:23 am How internal politics are shaping up in Israel in preparation for September 20th.
Coalition chairman MK Zeev Elkin (Likud) blasts IDF top brass for siding with Palestinians rather than the government. Right-wing activists, settlement leaders and Knesset members convened on Wednesday to discuss how to deal with expected confrontations with Palestinian demonstrators should the United Nations General Assembly recognize a Palestinian state later this month. Yoni Yosef, spokesman for Jewish settlers in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, suggested invoking the "Dromi Law," which permits home owners to kill intruders and could be used to shoot Palestinians attempting to approach Jewish homes in the neighborhood. Coalition chairman MK Zeev Elkin (Likud ) blasted Israel Defense Forces preparations for defending the settlements, saying: "The top brass turned into the main lobbyist for the Palestinian Authority against the political leadership, which is responsible for the senior commanders' adoption of the two-state concept." Elkin criticized what he called the IDF's preference for giving PA security forces responsibility for dealing with incidents affecting the Palestinians. Yaakov Katz (National Union ) called on his colleagues to organize marches of thousands of right-wing activists toward Palestinian cities in response to the marches on Jewish communities being discussed by Palestinians. He said he suspected the IDF will not ready an appropriate response to Palestinian marches but would deploy large forces if it feared countermarches by the right. Katz proposed arranging for marches in a few strategic locations, such as from Kiryat Arba to Hebron, from Beit El to Ramallah and from Elon Moreh, Itamar and Yitzhar to Nablus, and announcing that the moment Palestinians marchers set out from Nablus, for example, a right-wing march would set out in the direction of Nablus. If such an announcement is made, Katz suggested, "then maybe there's a chance the army will prepare, in order to keep the Jews from reaching" Palestinian cities. From: http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-s-right-wing-prepares-for-un-recognition-of-palestinian-state-1.383130 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on September 08, 2011, 06:45:10 am Palestinians Officially Launch Statehood Campaign
The Palestinians on Thursday officially launched their campaign to join the United Nations as a full member state, saying they would stage a series of peaceful events in the run-up to the annual gathering of the U.N. General Assembly later this month. Some 100 Palestinian officials and activists gathered at the U.N. offices in Ramallah for a short ceremony, where they announced their plans in a letter addressed to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The letter urges Ban to add his "moral voice in support of the Palestinian people." "Families of the tens of thousands of victims of Israeli occupation, including those martyred, wounded and imprisoned, and countless others who were expelled from their homes or lost their homes and their property, hope that you will exert all possible efforts toward the achievement of the Palestinian people's just demands," it says. The letter was handed over by Latifa Abu Hmeid, a 70-year-old woman who lost one son in fighting with Israel and has seven other sons in Israeli prisons because of alleged militant activities. Officials said Abu Hmeid was selected to deliver the document because her personal story reflects the plight of the Palestinians. A resident of a West Bank refugee camp, her house has been twice demolished by Israeli authorities as punishment for her sons' activities, they said. The Palestinians have decided to turn to the U.N. to recognize their independence after two decades of unsuccessful peace efforts with Israel. The latest round of talks broke down a year ago. The campaign seeks recognition of an independent Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem -- areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel rejects a return to its 1967 lines. While any U.N. vote will be largely symbolic, the Palestinians believe a strong international endorsement will boost their position and put pressure on Israel should negotiations resume. Israel has been lobbying the international community to oppose the vote, saying peace can only be achieved through negotiations. The letter says the campaign will include a series of peaceful events "in various international cities and capitals" leading up to the Sept. 21 opening of the General Assembly. Two days later, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will address the gathering in New York and ask for admission to the United Nations. It remains unclear whether the Palestinians will turn to the Security Council or the General Assembly. The Council needs nine votes out of 15 and no veto from any of its permanent members to pass a decision. However, the United States, which opposes the Palestinian bid, is expected to veto any request in the Council. The Palestinians could then seek admission as a "nonmember state" of the General Assembly, like the Vatican. Approval in the Assembly, which is dominated by developing nations sympathetic to the Palestinians, is assured. But the vote would not be legally binding. The Palestinians say they will continue their campaign until they gain full U.N. membership. Although the Palestinians say their campaign will be peaceful, Israeli military officials fear that mass demonstrations in the West Bank could turn violent. Security forces have been preparing for the possibility of violence, conducting exercises and stockpiling what they say is "non-lethal" riot-control equipment like tear gas, water cannons and stun grenades. http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/palestinians-officially-launch-statehood Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on September 08, 2011, 10:21:11 am US confirms it will veto Palestinian statehood bid
"If any such resolution were put in front of the Security Council, then we would veto it,” official states; George Mitchell says US probably can't stop PA from becoming non-member state at General Assembly. The US will veto a Palestinian request for state recognition if it is submitted to the UN Security Council later this month, a US official said Thursday. Wendy Sherman, President Barack Obama's nominee for undersecretary of state for policy, the department's third-ranking position, told the Senate during confirmation hearings that “if any such resolution were put in front of the Security Council, then we would veto it.” rest: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=237199 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 08, 2011, 12:29:13 pm US confirms it will veto Palestinian statehood bid "If any such resolution were put in front of the Security Council, then we would veto it,” official states; George Mitchell says US probably can't stop PA from becoming non-member state at General Assembly. The US will veto a Palestinian request for state recognition if it is submitted to the UN Security Council later this month, a US official said Thursday. Wendy Sherman, President Barack Obama's nominee for undersecretary of state for policy, the department's third-ranking position, told the Senate during confirmation hearings that “if any such resolution were put in front of the Security Council, then we would veto it.” rest: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=237199 Either one of 2 things why they are vetoing it... 1) They're lying - Obama HATES Israel, he will likely vote for it. 2) They're playing the Hegelian Dialect - Obama KNOWS the PA state will happen, and will act like merely vetoing it will somehow make him look good.(at least in front of the "truther" movement, that is) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Believer on September 08, 2011, 12:44:13 pm Either one of 2 things why they are vetoing it... 1) They're lying - Obama HATES Israel, he will likely vote for it. 2) They're playing the Hegelian Dialect - Obama KNOWS the PA state will happen, and will act like merely vetoing it will somehow make him look good.(at least in front of the "truther" movement, that is) Number 2, mos def, but in his heart...number 1. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: William on September 11, 2011, 01:02:28 pm PA: Israel's reaction to UN bid is 'hysterical'
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH 09/11/2011 18:27 PLO secretary-general accuses Israel of inciting against Abbas, says Israel alone responsible for deterioration of relations with Turkey, Egypt. The Palestinian Authority on Sunday condemned as “hysterical” Israel’s reaction to its plan to ask the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines. Yasser Abed Rabbo, Secretary-General of the PLO, accused Israel of inciting against PA President Mahmoud Abbas because of his intention to go to the UN later this month. Abed Rabbo held Israel alone responsible for the deterioration in its relations with Egypt and Turkey. He was referring to claims that Abbas’s policies were increasing tensions anti-Israel sentiments in the region. The Palestinians are also opposed to any attack on any diplomatic mission or embassy, Abed Rabbo said, referring to the assault on the Israeli embassy in Cairo over the weekend. He said that the Europeans were not opposed to the PA’s plan to go to the UN. “The Europeans wants us to return to the negotiations and we are not against this,” he explained. “But we want serious negotiations.” Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Sunday that there was a “misunderstanding” regarding the PA’s statehood bid. He said that the PA’s move was not aimed at achieving Palestinian independence, because that’s something that the Palestinians already declared in Algeria in 1988. Erekat said it was also wrong to say that the PA was seeking recognition of a state. “Recognition is not the business of the UN,” he pointed out. “Recognition is something that comes from each country on an individual basis and this is what we are seeking to achieve through a comprehensive and wide diplomatic campaign.” Erekat said that the PA was actually seeking full membership of a Palestinian state in the UN on the basis of the 1967 “borders” with Jerusalem as its capital. He said that Abbas, “in his capacity as head of the PLO, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinians,” will submit the PA application to the UN Secretary-General and the president of the Security Council. “This is just a step on a long road and its goal is not to de-legitimize or isolate anyone,” he said. “Rather, it’s intended to de-legitimize the occupation.” Erekat said that “those who believe in the importance of peace and the two-state solution” should support the PA’s move at the UN. Asked what would change if the UN approved the PA request, Erekat said: “If we win recognition, we don’t believe that the settlements will be automatically removed or that Israeli provocations and crimes would stop. The only difference is that Palestine will become a state that is occupied by another member of the UN. This means that the final-status negotiations would be only over working out a timetable for an Israeli withdrawal.” PA negotiator Nabil Sha’ath announced, meanwhile, that some EU foreign ministers have said that they would support the PA step at the UN “and won’t vote against any Palestinian decision.” He said that Abbas was scheduled to meet in Cairo on Monday with Catherine Ashton, the representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, to hear about the EU’s final position toward the statehood bid. From: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=237542&R=R1#_tab (http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=237542&R=R1#_tab) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Lisa on September 11, 2011, 01:17:56 pm Biblically Jerusalem will i believe be divided and conquered until the rapture/tribulation
Luke 21 24And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 25And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on September 12, 2011, 10:02:27 am US confirms it will veto Palestinian statehood bid "If any such resolution were put in front of the Security Council, then we would veto it,” official states; George Mitchell says US probably can't stop PA from becoming non-member state at General Assembly. The US will veto a Palestinian request for state recognition if it is submitted to the UN Security Council later this month, a US official said Thursday. Wendy Sherman, President Barack Obama's nominee for undersecretary of state for policy, the department's third-ranking position, told the Senate during confirmation hearings that “if any such resolution were put in front of the Security Council, then we would veto it.” rest: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=237199 Susan Rice warns against U.N. vote on Palestinian statehood A vote by the United Nations to approve Palestinian statehood could prove detrimental to the peace process with Israel and to the Palestinian people, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice said Monday. “A showdown in New York could have adverse negative consequences for the Palestinian people and for our partners and allies at a time when things are already fragile,” Rice said at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast in Washington. Rather, she said, Israelis and Palestinians must come together for peace talks If there is a vote, she said, the effect on Palestinian “relations with the United States is for the president and the Congress to decide.” Ultimately, Rice said, “steps to try to circumvent” peace talks, such as a U.N. vote on statehood, “are ultimately counterproductive and self-defeating.” If there is a vote approving Palestinian statehood, “This isn’t one day of hoo-ha and celebration … and then everybody goes home,” Rice said. Countries that would vote for Palestinian statehood would “have a responsibility to own the consequences of their vote,” she said. A U.N. resolution wouldn’t create borders, improve the economy or otherwise set Palestinians on a path to true statehood. Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63244.html#ixzz1XkbgqbqV Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on September 13, 2011, 11:33:08 am PLO to seek full UN recognition
Palestinians will ask Security Council for recognition, despite expected US veto, Fatah official Mohammed Shtayyeh says. The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) will go to the United Nations Security Council and seek full membership in the world body next week, despite the looming threat of a US veto, a Palestinian official said. The announcement was made by Mohammed Shtayyeh, a senior member of Fatah's central committee, at a news conference in Ramallah on Tuesday. Fatah is the largest Palestinian faction in the PLO. His announcement would seem to end months of speculation about the PLO's diplomatic strategy. "We are going to the United Nations, we are going to the Security Council," Shtayyeh said. "We are going to seek full membership based on 1967 borders." rest: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/20119121463224416.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on September 13, 2011, 12:30:32 pm Clinton: Road to Palestine does not run through UN
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that the path to a two-state solution creating a Palestinian state beside Israel runs through Jerusalem and Ramallah, not through New York. Speaking at a news conference, Clinton repeated the US view that the Palestinians should not seek full membership in the United Nations later this month and instead should resume direct talks with the Israelis. She said she is sending two US envoys, David Hale and Dennis Ross, to Israel and the Palestinian territories to try to find a way to revive talks. (Reuters) http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4121895,00.html Title: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Believer on September 14, 2011, 12:05:17 pm Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid
http://www.debka.com/article/21299/ Quote The tempest which Israel had tensely anticipated for September in the wake of a Palestinian bid for unilateral UN recognition of their state looks like fizzling out before it begins as a result of a massive US campaign to avert it, backed by Saudi Arabia, Europe and Egypt. Early Wednesday, Sept. 14, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas decided crucially not to submit his application to the UN Security Council. He also notified Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and European Union foreign executive Catherine Ashton in Cairo that he was considering watering down his application to the UN General Assembly – possibly by dropping the "state within 1967 borders" provision from the text. Abbas said he would make his final decision known in a public address from Ramallah Friday, Sept 16 before flying to New York to join world leaders at the UN General Assembly's 66th session which began Tuesday. But first, he meets Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair in Amman for a conversation which DEBKAfile's exclusive sources term critical, because Blair will hand him a document termed by senior Washington sources "an outline" of a new format designed to oil Palestinian wheels into unlocking the long-stalled Palestinian dialogue with Israel. This outline has been endorsed by Washington, the EU and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. It is now subject to acceptance by Israel and the Palestinians. Moscow has not yet indicated whether it approves the document or wants changes. By Wednesday morning, the Israeli government had not yet received a copy. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has no doubt that he will be called upon for concessions extreme enough to lure the Palestinian leader back to the table. Blair is expected to deliver the document to Netanyahu some time Thursday after Abbas has seen it. To tie up the ends, senior White House envoys, Dennis Ross and David Hale, are due back in Jerusalem and Ramallah Wednesday. During his visit to Cairo, Mahmoud Abbas was sternly warned by Saud al Faisal, Ashton and Egyptian leaders of the grave consequences awaiting the Palestinians if he forced the US to exercise its veto against their statehood at the UN Security Council. US President Barack Obama Tuesday made it crystal clear that he "objects very strongly" to the Palestinian statehood motion as "counterproductive" and "a distraction from solving problems that can only be addressed through negotiations." US sources report that the US President has refused to talk to Abbas for the past eight months owing to his refusal to join Israel for direct peace talks. He was advised by the Europeans, the Saudis and Egyptians this week that the US presidential boycott would almost certainly extend to fellow Palestinian leaders and US financial aid. The Palestinian Authority would thus be placed under American sanctions. However, if he withdrew his statehood bid from the Security Council and accepted the new position paper, Obama would consider restoring communications. Tuesday, Sept. 13, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: "The path to creating an independent Palestinian state lies through direct talks between Ramallah and Jerusalem – not New York," she said. Early Wednesday, the General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of Qatar reported that the Palestinians had not yet submitted their request to the General Assembly. It would therefore not come up for debate before October. DEBKAfile's sources report that while Mahmoud Abbas appears to have been hassled into a partial climb-down from his original plan to bypass talks with Israel by gaining UN approval of Palestinian statehood, he may not have caved in completely. Neither is it clear whether Netanyahu will swallow the new blueprint Tony Blair is about to dish up. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on September 14, 2011, 02:27:14 pm PLO official: Palestinians, Israelis must be totally separated
Commenting on the subject of minority rights in the potential Palestinian state, PLO envoy to the U.S. says past experience shows the two people should be 'totally separated.' The future independent Palestinian state will not include a Jewish minority, a top Palestinian official told USA Today on Wednesday, adding that it was in the best interest of both peoples to "be separated." Maen Areikat, PLO Ambassador to the United States, made the comment just as the Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, was preparing to offer up Palestinian statehood to a vote in the United Nations General Assembly later this month. Answering a question about the legal status of a Jewish minority in the future state, Areikat apprently rejected the issue, saying: "I believe, I still believe that as a first step we need to be totally separated," adding "I think we can contemplate these issues in the future." "After the experience of the last 44 years, of military occupation and all the conflict and friction, I think it will be in the best interest that the two peoples should be separated," Areikat added. Former U.S. National Security Council official Elliot Abrams responded to the Palestinian official's comment, saying to USA Today that the Palestinian demand was "a despicable form of anti-Semitism," adding: "No civilized country would act this way." rest: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/plo-official-palestinians-israelis-must-be-totally-separated-1.384493 Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 15, 2011, 10:40:26 am September 15, 2011
Palestinians to go through with UN Security Council statehood bid Abbas went back on his assurance 24 hours earlier to Saudi, European and Egyptian officials and decided to go through with his application to the UN Security Council on Sept. 23 for the admission of a Palestinian state to the world body. http://debka.com/article/21299 http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011...mbership-sept-23/?test=latestnews Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Mark on September 16, 2011, 11:11:28 am Abbas: Palestinians want full UN membership
Palestinian leader says PA to proceed with UN bid in September because President Obama endorsed Palestinian state; 'I’m going to the UN in order to demand our legitimate rights and secure full membership,' he says The Palestinian Authority will be seeking full United Nations membership in its statehood bid later this month, PA leader Mahmoud Abbas said Friday. "I’m going to the UN in order to demand our legitimate rights and secure full membership for the state of Palestine," the Palestinian president said in Ramallah. "We hope to secure full membership." "We are going to the Security Council," Abbas added, but then made it clear that "all options are open" and that a final decision has not been made yet. Abbas said the Palestinians will be aiming to "secure independence in the 1967 borders and its holy capital, Jerusalem." He also urged his countrymen to avoid violence, saying "we must avoid force." "We are the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and we intend to keep going until we secure full independence," he said. Abbas added that the Palestinians are proceeding with their United Nations statehood bid in September because US President Barack Obama said previously he wanted to see a Palestinian state. rest: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4123199,00.html Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 16, 2011, 11:54:37 am Here's what I don't understand-if Obama is endorsing it, then why does he want to veto the UN vote? Is it b/c he wants a different kind of negotiating without the UN?
Even with Israel's/USA's vetos, the opposition will still have enough to override it? Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Mark on September 16, 2011, 12:39:06 pm Here's what I don't understand-if Obama is endorsing it, then why does he want to veto the UN vote? Is it b/c he wants a different kind of negotiating without the UN? Even with Israel's/USA's vetos, the opposition will still have enough to override it? You cant overide a Security Council veto. Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 16, 2011, 12:46:37 pm You cant overide a Security Council veto. Well, what I was asking is if Obama supports a Palestinean state, then why is he vetoing it? Does he have other agendas up his sleeve? Or does he want to do the negotiating himself without the UN? Some things are confusing here... Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Mark on September 16, 2011, 12:54:02 pm Well, what I was asking is if Obama supports a Palestinean state, then why is he vetoing it? Does he have other agendas up his sleeve? Or does he want to do the negotiating himself without the UN? Some things are confusing here... ohhh, :D dont know. I doubt if the USA will veto. Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 16, 2011, 01:42:42 pm http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/16/abbas-paints-us-into-corner-with-palestinian-statehood-demand-at-un/
Abbas Paints U.S. Into a Corner With Palestinian Statehood Demand at U.N. Published September 16, 2011 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' daring the United States to veto his people's bid for statehood has put the Obama administration and ally Israel in a corner and has left several lawmakers wondering what U.S. policy on the Middle East is trying to achieve. Abbas' declaration on Friday that he would pursue statehood at a U.N. Security Council meeting next week was expected -- despite Arab League efforts to encourage the Palestinians to seek observer status in the General Assembly. The move will set up a potential showdown that has been brewing for months and could leave the U.S. with diminished credibility among the Arab world. It also has the head of the House Intelligence Committee wondering what the U.S. was trying to achieve by not averting the situation in the first place. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said the administration's policy is confused at best since it supports an "Arab Spring," but not a Palestinian awakening while at the same time making Israel even more insecure in a hostile neighborhood that includes former Israeli ally Turkey. "The Israelis don't know if they think we're our friends right now, but they're not sure," he said "Without any U.S. strength in that whole region, we are as close to a disaster as we can possibly get." On Wednesday, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said if the U.S. wants to stop the Palestinian statehood bid in its tracks, it should dangle the threat of no more aid. "Despite decades of assistance totaling billions of dollars, if a Palestinian state were declared today, it would be neither democratic, nor peaceful, nor willing to negotiate with Israel. By providing the Palestinians with $2.5 billion over the last five years, the U.S. has only rewarded and reinforced their bad behavior," she said. Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., the ranking member on the same committee, suggested that even if the U.S. vetoes a Palestinian bid at the Security Council, approval by the General Assembly of limited recognition, which would require a two-thirds vote, would be cataclysmic to the Israelis. "If the General Assembly enhances the Palestinians' current status as a non-state observer to that of a state, the Palestinians would have standing to bring cases against Israel at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, and that is exactly what President Abbas has indicated he will do," Berman said. "Of course, that would merely waste more time and further poison relations with Israel, making statehood and peace further away than ever." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other members of the Obama administration say they support statehood for the Palestinians but through negotiations with Israel, not through a statehood bid. "The Palestinians will not and cannot achieve statehood through a declaration at the United Nations," White House spokesman Jay Carney said. "It is a distraction, and in fact, it's counterproductive. That remains our position." National Security Council spokesman Ben Rhoades on Friday added that the only way for the Palestinians to achieve statehood is through agreements with Israel on issues like recognition, agreed-upon borders and security cooperation. He said President Obama will make clear during his speech at the U.N. next week -- where he also plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- that peace can only be achieved through negotiations. But blurring the message, Rhoades then added that while every situation is different, what is constant is U.S. support for self-determination. Offering a sample of what a Palestinian state would be like, Palestinian Ambassador to the U.S. Maen Rashid Areikat told reporters earlier this week that it would be free of minorities, implying that Jews would not be permitted within the borders of a new Palestine. "After the experience of the last 44 years of military occupation and all the conflict and friction, I think it would be in the best interest of the two people to be separated," he was quoted saying by the Christian Science Monitor. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/16/abbas-paints-us-into-corner-with-palestinian-statehood-demand-at-un/#ixzz1Y8t3IPBf Title: What does Abbas hope to achieve with UN state bid? Post by: Believer on September 16, 2011, 01:45:44 pm What does Abbas hope to achieve with UN state bid?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14955728 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told his people in a televised address on Friday evening that he plans to ask the United Nations Security Council to upgrade his nation's representation at that international body to that of a member state. Quote Mr Abbas hopes the move will gain popular support This represents a strategy of confrontation with the US and involves many risks. When I was writing earlier this week from New York, I reported the views of diplomats at the UN that the Palestinians might seek the easier path of tabling a resolution in the General Assembly (where America does not have a veto), perhaps also taking the "Vatican option" of raising the Palestinian Territories' status to that just below a full ranking membership of the organisation. When talking to former US secretary of state Colin Powell and others last week he certainly made the assumption that this issue would play out in the General Assembly rather than the Security Council. Supporters of Mr Abbas argue that the peace process fostered by the US and other Quartet nations was meant to deliver independence by this month, only the UN Security Council can endorse fully fledged membership, and that two years of stalemate in negotiations with Israel have produced intense frustration among Palestinians. Veto threat All of this is true, but since US President Barack Obama has already said his country will veto any such Security Council resolution it is worth asking whether Mr Abbas more interested in bringing about a diplomatic confrontation with the US than in gaining this goal for his people. The most charitable explanation of his actions is perhaps that he believes the US is bluffing or will have to bow to world opinion in the matter. But since the Palestinian leader has already ignored American pleas not to push ahead, including from two envoys sent at the least minute to meet him, it stands to reason that the White House must now make good its threat to veto or risk losing a great deal of credibility. Opponents of the Palestinian bid argue that it is a unilateral action that will undermine attempts to negotiate a two state solution, and that it could be little more than an empty gesture even if it succeeded, since it will hardly charge the lives of Palestinians. Some have argued that it could touch off a wave of violence across the Middle East, and turn the Arab Spring against the US. 11th hour negotiations No doubt Mr Abbas, who is part of that generation of Arab leaders now feeling the heat of frustration across the region, hopes that he can seize the initiative, gaining popular support in the process. The denunciation this evening of his bid for full UN membership by his political rivals in the Islamist party Hamas suggests that they too may see that the Palestinian president may be tapping into the anger of his people. Of course Middle East watchers will be anxiously waiting for the day after the resolution (either being passed or vetoed). Nobody can predict its exact effects, but it is a fear of the possible consequences that will produce much 11th hour diplomacy on the margins of the UN in New York in an attempt to avoid a clash in the Security Council. Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 16, 2011, 01:55:22 pm Yes, with the USA vetoing it, I really wonder the true agendas of Obama and the US federal government in all this? It's not like Obama is Israel-loving.
Are they trying to start civil wars and more terrorist attacks? Does Obama want to do the negotiating himself without the UN? Again, there has to be some draconian agendas behind this... Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Mark on September 17, 2011, 11:19:19 am PA to US: Statehood veto would 'destroy' two-state solution
Erekat says anyone who supports two-state solution should back Palestinian efforts at UN, says would consider dismantling the PA if statehood bid is thwarted; PLO official says UN bid inspired by Obama speech. The Palestinian Authority on Saturday warned the US against using the veto to thwart its plan to seek membership for a Palestinian state in the UN next week. The PA said that a US veto would "destroy" the two-state solution. The warning came hours after PA President Mahmoud Abbas announced in a speech in Ramallah that he would ask the UN Security Council to accept membership of a Palestinian state. Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat warned that the US Administration's use of a veto to foil the PA move would destroy the two-state solution. "Anyone who supports the two-state solution should back the Palestinian effort [at the UN]," he said. Erekat hinted that the Palestinians would consider dismantling the PA if the US thwarted their statehood bid. REST: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=238310 Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Mark on September 18, 2011, 10:59:12 am Palestinians See U.N. Bid as Their Most Viable Option
The Palestinian decision to apply for full United Nations membership at the Security Council, announced Friday by President Mahmoud Abbas, was the most viable of the only options possible: surrender, return to violence or appeal to the international community, a senior Palestinian official said Saturday. The official, Nabil Shaath, spoke to journalists before leaving for New York as part of the Palestinian delegation heading to the United Nations. He said that the appeal would change the ground rules of the conflict, and that although the Obama administration had vowed to veto the request and Israel had threatened punitive countermeasures, the Arab uprisings should make them reconsider. “If I were President Obama or Israel, I would ask myself what is happening in the region,” he said, adding of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel: “Mr. Netanyahu is a pragmatist. If the odds change, he may change his calculations.” Going to the Security Council instead of to the General Assembly, where there is no veto and where a pro-Palestinian majority is virtually guaranteed, has been considered a riskier and more confrontational approach because it invites an American veto. rest: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/world/middleeast/palestinians-see-united-nations-appeal-as-best-option-available.html?_r=2&ref=world Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Mark on September 19, 2011, 06:44:59 am Obama conflicted over Palestine question
Exactly a year ago this week, President Barack Obama stood at the podium at the UN General Assembly and declared his support for a Palestinian state. “Palestinians will never know the pride and dignity that comes with their own state,” Mr Obama told the general assembly, unless the two parties reached a peace agreement. High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0e21ea0a-dfe2-11e0-a820-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1YOjjeilT So it will be some degree of awkwardness that Mr Obama returns to the UN this week and directs his representatives to vote against a plan that would lead to Palestinians achieving that exact destination, albeit by a different route. Indeed, the US president will be acutely aware how hypocritical he must appear: voicing support for democratic transitions across the Middle East at the same time as scuppering Palestinian aspirations for recognition. Mr Obama hardly wants to be seen as being on the wrong side of the change sweeping through the Arab world. Palestinian leaders this week plan to make a bid for full membership of the UN, a move that would officially make it a state, Palestine, on an equal footing with Israel. But the US has explicitly stated that it will use its veto power through the Security Council to block any such move. Washington has long insisted that the only way to arrive at a Palestinian state is through negotiation and US presidents have long shunned the UN as the vehicle for getting there. rest: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0e21ea0a-dfe2-11e0-a820-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1YOhipjFN Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Mark on September 19, 2011, 06:46:42 am Abbas defiant as "all hell" breaks out over U.N. plan
President Mahmoud Abbas said he is sticking to his plan to seek full United Nations membership for a Palestinian state although "all hell has broken out" over the move opposed by the United States and Israel. Abbas, speaking en route to the U.N. General Assembly in New York, said he had been told by the United States and European governments that "matters will be bad" after a move which reflects his frustration with a moribund peace process. "To what extent, we will know later on," said Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority which depends on international financial aid for its survival in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The United States and Israel wanted to keep the peace process restricted to "a bilateral dialogue" overseen from afar by Washington, he said. But all the while this dialogue had failed, prompting the U.N. membership move. "We decided to take this step and all hell has broken out against us," he told reporters on his flight to New York. Abbas has said he will present the request for full U.N. membership during his speech to the General Assembly on Friday. rest: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/19/us-palestinians-israel-un-idUSTRE78H28J20110919 Title: Wave of terror to compliment U.N. vote Post by: Mark on September 19, 2011, 06:51:36 am Wave of terror to compliment U.N. vote
surprise, surprise.. The Palestinian Authority has information about terrorist attacks being planned to coincide with its bid this week to seek a unilateral declaration of state at the United Nations, WND has learned. Despite knowledge of which cells may be plotting attacks, the PA has made an internal security decision to not disrupt the violent plans or arrest cell members, informed Israeli security officials said. The security officials said the plots are being hatched by both Hamas and by renegade members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the so-called military wing of PA President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party. Hamas is aiming to use the attacks to retake the narrative after its Fatah rivals are expected to garner Palestinian and larger Arab popularity following any U.N. declaration of a Palestinian state, the officials said. The Al Aqsa Brigades members believe violent attacks focused on Israel's Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, commonly referred to as the West Bank, could be used as a pressure tactic against the Jewish state's presence there. (Story continues below) Read more: Wave of terror to compliment U.N. vote? http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=346185#ixzz1YOlRC61W Title: Re: Wave of terror to compliment U.N. vote Post by: Mark on September 19, 2011, 06:55:05 am World plays high-stakes poker over Palestinian statehood
Iran, Israel send top leaders to negotiate controversy at United Nations WND has learned that an extraordinary game of high-stakes political poker is about to get under way in New York City this week. The players in the drama will include President Barack Obama, Russian President Dimitri Medvedev, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the entire senior leadership of Israel, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The visits are officially connected to the 2011 United Nations General Assembly and the annual Clinton Global Initiative, but in reality, the meetings are going to be preoccupied with the Palestinian campaign to set the road for eventual U.N. membership. Currently, the Palestinian Authority only has a non-voting observer status at the U.N. with limits on its participation, but Abbas has publicly vowed to change that. Israel has considered the Abbas campaign so serious, that WND has learned Jerusalem has dispatched most of its senior leadership to NYC. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. The Israeli trio is expected to confer with U.S., French, U.K. and Russian counterparts to see if there is anyway to avoid a confrontation with the Palestinians at the U.N. forum. Abbas has publicly vowed to carry his campaign to the floor of the U.N. General Assembly, where he is expected to hand Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon a formal letter seeking U.N. membership. Ironically, only two-hours later, Netanyahu is scheduled to address the same U.N. body. It is developing into a scene of high drama, say U.N. delegates. While no vote on the Palestinian request is expected for several days, the public relations value of the Abbas move, which is expected be televised worldwide, will be "enormous," say veteran diplomats. Upping the diplomatic stakes is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has pledged all-out support for the Palestinian campaign and is arriving in New York City several days in advance of his U.N. speech to help lobby Abbas' cause. The Iranian efforts have been effective in unofficially lining up more than the 130 General Assembly votes needed to approve an "enhanced" observer status. Such a status would broaden Palestinian participation in several U.N. bodies, where it could intensify pressure on Israel to negotiate any potential peace plan on PA terms. The U.S. is expected to blunt the PA campaign in the U.N. Security Council, where Obama has vowed a veto. Such a veto would temporarily kill any Palestinian U.N. membership, but the PA could then move the matter to the General Assembly, which could then vote to expand its rights, but just fall short of full membership. The U.S. and its allies could do little since no veto exists. So what could the U.S. do? Congress has threatened to cut off all aid to the Palestinians if they follow through on their U.N. campaign, a sum the State Department says exceeds $1 billion annually. Congress has also threatened to suspend all money paid to the U.N. in general if the General Assembly approves the PA campaign. This has put Ban Ki moon in the uncomfortable position of refusing all comment on the tug-of-war. Ban has also invited all the principles to a lunch scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at U.N. headquarters. "It is a fluid situation," explained a senior General Assembly official who requested confidentiality. "This could literally change on a minute's notice." Read more: World plays high-stakes poker over Palestinian statehood http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=346169#ixzz1YOm08HtI Title: Re: Wave of terror to compliment U.N. vote Post by: MrAV1611Truth on September 19, 2011, 04:00:06 pm You ever notice the hypocrisy of certain people where they will slate the UN over things like Libya and say how evil they are, NWO etc. Yet they will then back the UN when it comes to Israel and use quotes from within the UN to try and justify their support for "Palestine". Particularly on the RT videos on Youtube. Just an observation. This will be an interesting month...
Title: Re: Wave of terror to compliment U.N. vote Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 19, 2011, 04:14:13 pm You ever notice the hypocrisy of certain people where they will slate the UN over things like Libya and say how evil they are, NWO etc. Yet they will then back the UN when it comes to Israel and use quotes from within the UN to try and justify their support for "Palestine". Particularly on the RT videos on Youtube. Just an observation. This will be an interesting month... Don't forget the entire so-called "truth movement" as well. Basically, they say how the NWO is runned by Zionist-Jews, Israel, and their respective bankers, and are responsible for every wicked deed on the planet. So they pretty much ignore the entire spiritual battles aspect Christians face daily.(it's as if they believe this Zionism is man-made, and they can defeat them by getting the "truth" out) They don't believe the Vatican, Islam, Mormonism, and other high level wicked entities are involved at all. Obviously, they too heavily support a Paletinean State. Title: Re: Wave of terror to compliment U.N. vote Post by: Mark on September 19, 2011, 04:40:34 pm PA Terrorists Resume Rocket Attacks on Southern Israel
Palestinian Authority Arab terrorists launched rocket attacks on southern Israel, and rioting on the road further north. Palestinian Authority Arab terrorists are ignoring a warning by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas that attacking Israel is counterproductive while he seeks United Nations recognition of the PA as a sovereign nation and full member of the international body. In southern Israel, a short-range Qassam rocket fired by Gaza-based PA Arab terrorists exploded in an open area of the Eshkol Regional Council district. The explosion, which came Monday night at about 9:30 p.m. local time, did not cause any damage or physical injuries. The Color Red air raid siren alerted nearby communities, sending families racing once again for safe rooms and bomb shelters. Those with small children were forced to decide on a split second's notice whether to wake them, or **** on the chance that perhaps the missile would land “elsewhere” this time. Further north, PA Arab rioters blocked the Cross-Binyamin Highway near the Jewish town of Neve Tzuf. The rioters hurled rocks, clashing violently with IDF soldiers who were sent to the scene. No injuries were reported, and after a short time, the soldiers were able to reopen the highway. rest: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/148071#.TnevY9SraSp Title: The Truth About the Peace Process Post by: Christian40 on September 20, 2011, 03:59:42 am http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAuBc_cbXo0&feature=youtu.be
Israel's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon explains the historical facts relating to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. The video explains that the reason there is no successful peace process is because of decades of Palestinian and Arab recalcitrance and the main reason for the conflict is not Israel's presence in the West Bank, but successive Palestinian leaders resistance to Jewish sovereignty. Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Christian40 on September 20, 2011, 04:00:52 am http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAuBc_cbXo0&feature=youtu.be
Israel's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon explains the historical facts relating to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. The video explains that the reason there is no successful peace process is because of decades of Palestinian and Arab recalcitrance and the main reason for the conflict is not Israel's presence in the West Bank, but successive Palestinian leaders resistance to Jewish sovereignty. Title: Re: Wave of terror to compliment U.N. vote Post by: MrAV1611Truth on September 20, 2011, 02:24:24 pm Don't forget the entire so-called "truth movement" as well. Basically, they say how the NWO is runned by Zionist-Jews, Israel, and their respective bankers, and are responsible for every wicked deed on the planet. So they pretty much ignore the entire spiritual battles aspect Christians face daily.(it's as if they believe this Zionism is man-made, and they can defeat them by getting the "truth" out) They don't believe the Vatican, Islam, Mormonism, and other high level wicked entities are involved at all. Obviously, they too heavily support a Paletinean State. Many of those also subscribe to the Zeitgeist lie, without realising they are actually promoting theosophy. They don't seem to care H. Blavatsky is one of the main sources used in it. They are not "truthers". Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: William on September 22, 2011, 01:37:12 pm PM to meet Obama amid effort to avert UN ‘train wreck'
By HERB KEINON 09/21/2011 05:39 Netanyahu set to arrive in US, will work to prevent Palestinian statehood bid from passing in UNSC; Nigeria to abstain in statehood resolution. (http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=165901) Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu departed early Wednesday morning to do battle against recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN, with his first stop being a meeting in New York with US President Barack Obama just a few hours after arrival. Before leaving, Netanyahu told Likud MKs and mayors meeting in the Knesset that “We don’t want peace just on paper, but a lasting peace. For that we need to stand up for our interests. It’s much easier to give in to pressure, not stand up, and get applauded by the world that doesn’t understand what we have been through. We are determined to protect our interests and stand up for our truth.” The Netanyahu-Obama meeting, the eighth between the two leaders since they both took office in early 2009, takes place four months after a meeting in May at the White House during which administration officials reportedly fumed at Netanyahu for what they perceived as his lecturing of the president over Obama’s call for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to begin on the basis of the pre-1967 lines, with mutually-agreed land swaps. Though Netanyahu came out strongly against that proposal at the time, in the intervening months he has rolled back his position and agreed in principle to accept – with reservations – the pre-1967 lines with mutual swaps as part of the formula for renewing talks. That agreement was based on the condition that the Palestinians agree that the parameters would also include recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people. This idea is still serving as the basis for attempts by the Quartet to find a formula to restart the negotiations and thereby take much of the “sting” out of any resolution on statehood that the PA brings to either the Security Council or the UN. Quartet envoys were scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon in New York for the third consecutive day to discuss the matter. Among other ideas that are being bandied about to restart negotiations are for the Palestinians to delay a vote on the matter in the Security Council or General Assembly for six months, and for Israel to declare another settlement construction freeze. Ironically, Netanyahu’s meeting with Obama comes as the US president is being pummeled by Republican presidential candidates over his treatment of Israel, a week after his Middle East positions had a part to play in the loss of a safe Democratic seat in a very Jewish district in New York, but as Netanyahu is saying that coordination with the administration is the best it has been since the beginning of the Obama term. In a sign of the closeness of the cooperation, US Envoy to Israel Dan Shapiro flew on the prime minister’s plane to New York, something US ambassadors have not done since Martin Indyk used to fly on Ehud Barak’s plane when he was prime minister. The Obama-Netanyahu meeting is expected to focus on the Palestinian statehood bid at the UN, with both the US and Israel having the shared interest of trying to keep the Palestinians from getting nine positive votes on the 15-member council, so the US would not have to use its veto to shoot down the measure. That effort received a boost Tuesday when Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan told Defense Minister Ehud Barak during a meeting that his country would abstain if the measure came to a vote in the Security Council. At this point Israel believes the other countries who may be convinced to either vote against or abstain on the measure in the Security Council are, in addition to the US, Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Colombia, and Gabon. The other countries on the council are India, Brazil, South Africa, Lebanon, China and Russia. Netanyahu will meet with the heads of state of a number of these countries before Friday when Abbas is expected to formally request to UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon that the issue be taken up by the Security Council. Netanyahu is expected to meet Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho on Wednesday, as well as French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Netanyahu is also expected to meet Ban on Wednesday. The meeting between Barak and Jonathan was set up about a week ago, and – according to a statement put out by Barak’s office – was coordinated both with Netanyahu and the US. In addition to discussing the Palestinian issue, the statement said the two also discussed the “challenges of international terrorism and ways the two countries can cooperate in this area.” Nigeria, one of Israel’s closest friends in Africa, has been plagued over the last number of years by radical Islamic terrorism. In Netanyahu’s meeting with Obama, the two are also expected to talk about Israeli- Turkish tension, with Obama scheduled to meet Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the margins of the UN General Assembly meeting as well. Previous efforts by the US to calm down the tension between its two allies did not bear fruit. Netanyahu is also expected to discuss Iran with Obama, as well as thank him again for his efforts and intervention with the Egyptians two weeks ago that led to the safe evacuation of the six Israeli security guards holed up in Israel’s embassy in Cairo ransacked by a mob. Netanyahu and Obama are not scheduled to hold a press conference after their meeting, but are expected to issue brief statements at the beginning. Meanwhile, Abbas’s statement broadcast Monday that he would be willing to meet Israeli leaders anywhere – quickly followed by Netanyahu’s proposal to meet in New York – has not led to any concrete steps to set up a meeting between the two. They are, however, expected to be in the same room at a reception hosted by Obama at the UN. Netanyahu told the gathering of Likud MKs and mayors in the Knesset that he has told Abbas many times that “the path to peace comes through negotiations, and not through unilateral acts. The way to get to the end of negotiations is to start them and stick with them. That’s what Israel wanted to do, but the Palestinians refused. There is a growing understanding in the world about what has to be done before a state is created. That’s what I will speak about in the UN.” In a related development, opposition leader Tzipi Livni – who has been withering in her criticism of Netanyahu both inside Israel and abroad – called him ahead of his departure to New York and said the trip was “critical to Israel’s future.” “Any action taken by the UN endangers Israel’s security and national interests,” she said. “But it can be prevented. It’s not too late. Opening real negotiations can prevent the expected action in the UN and will serve the national interests of Israel that are eroding. If you start negotiating with the Palestinians, Kadima will support you.” Gil Hoffman contributed to this report. From: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=238804&R=R1#_tab#_tab#_tab (http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=238804&R=R1#_tab#_tab#_tab) Title: Obama 'peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians will not come through UN' Post by: Lisa on September 23, 2011, 07:02:45 am U.S. President Barack Obama said Wednesday that peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians will not come about through resolutions at the United Nations, issuing a warning to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of his UN Security Council bid on Friday. Addressing world leaders at the opening of a UN General Assembly session, Obama put the onus on the two sides to break a yearlong impasse and get back to the negotiating table. U.S. President Barack Obama addresses the 66th United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, September 21, 2011. Photo by: Reuters http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/obama-un-resolutions-won-t-bring-israel-palestinian-peace-1.385829 "There is no short cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace is hard work. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the United Nations," Obama said. "Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians who must live side by side," Obama continued. "Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians – not us – who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them: on borders and security; on refugees and Jerusalem." Obama stressed that he believed in an independent Palestine, but one that will be achieved through negotiations with the Israelis. "One year ago, I stood at this podium and called for an independent Palestine. I believed then – and I believe now – that the Palestinian people deserve a state of their own. But what I also said is that genuine peace can only be realized between Israelis and Palestinians themselves." "Israel deserves recognition. It deserves normal relations with its neighbors. And friends of the Palestinians do them no favors by ignoring this truth, just as friends of Israel must recognize the need to pursue a two state solution with a secure Israel next to an independent Palestine." Obama will follow up his speech with separate meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as he seeks to coax both parties back to direct peace talks. At the same time, U.S. officials are conceding that they most likely will not be able to prevent Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas from moving forward with a request to the UN Security Council for full Palestinian membership. Recognizing that Abbas seems intent to proceed, Obama is expected to privately ask the Palestinian leader to essentially drop the move for statehood recognition after Abbas delivers a formal letter of intent to the UN on Friday. Title: Re: 'We've been waiting 60 years for these words' Post by: William on September 23, 2011, 09:28:40 pm 100 gather in east Jerusalem to watch PA President Abbas's speech to the UN General Assembly on Palestinian statehood bid.
A crowd of more than 100 people of all ages gathered outside of Damascus Gate in east Jerusalem on Friday evening to watch Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech to the United Nations, as emotions and excitement ran high. “We’ve been waiting for what he’ll say tonight for more than 60 years, we’ve been waiting for these words, this is what Palestinians inside and outside of Palestine are waiting to hear, and it will definitely bring a big effect on the situation,” said Ibrahim, an east Jerusalem resident, ahead of the speech. East Jerusalemites had originally planned to show the speech on a giant screen set up at Damascus Gate, but it was canceled after police said that a showing of the speech would block traffic. At the last minute it was moved to a community center in the A Tur neighborhood, but some people still gathered at a small store across from Damascus Gate which had rigged up a large projection screen. “Everybody, the whole world is listening to Mahmoud Abbas’s speech,” said an ecstatic Fadu Ahwad, also from Jerusalem, immediately after the speech’s conclusion, as firecrackers were shot off from the top of a nearby restaurant and cars passed, honking, with young people hanging out of the windows flashing the victory sign. "Even if we get the American veto, we will [bring it to vote] again and again even tens of times we will bring it, so there will be no more settlements, no more apartheid wall, and we will live in peace together!" For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (I Thessalonians 5:3 AKJV 1611) After the speech, the crowd, joined at the end by Mufti of Jerusalem Muhammed Ahmad Hussein, trooped over to the amphitheater surrounding Damascus Gate and sang traditional songs while chanting “Liberation for Palestine!” “This is not the end of the road for us, this is one battle in the war,” said Ghada Zughayar, the executive director of the Coalition for Accountability and Integrity in Palestine, an NGO that monitors corruption in the Palestinian Authority. “We will continue our struggle, we will not give up, because we are fully aware of our legitimate right… we are only asking for our right to exercise our right as a people, as Abbas said, we are the last nation in the whole world that is still under occupation. "This is the moment the whole world [is watching], and 2/3 of the world is supporting our right… we are not asking for anything that is against international legitimacy. This is the time for us to do fair and justice to the Palestinians,” she said. Others were less enthusiastic about the speech. Osuma Azorba, a 19-year-old photography student, said he was very worried about the issue of refugees and the right of return, since his parents are refugees from the village of Lifta, at the entrance to Jerusalem. “I am pessimistic because of everything that’s happened before, they are still neglecting the Palestinians, and the strongest countries are against [the statehood bid] so nothing can change,” he said. His concern about the right of return was echoed by Rali Bakir, a 71-year-old refugee from the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. “If I don’t have my old house then I have nothing, if I don’t have my house they can forget their speech,” he said on Friday night. Still, the speech infused the crowd with excitement and hope for the future. “It was amazing for us to hear him speaking about the refugees and ending the occupation,” said Amad Zorba, who works in Al Quds University. “We have one red line, Jerusalem is our capital… I hope to see my flags in Jerusalem as soon as possible, because that’s my right,” he said. No one stayed for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s speech to the United Nations. From: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=239253&R=R1#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab (http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=239253&R=R1#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab#_tab) Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Christian40 on September 26, 2011, 04:38:54 am http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebOsg9CCj6c&feature=player_embedded
Full Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu UN address to General Assembly Sept 23 2011 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on September 26, 2011, 11:26:17 am Council takes first step on Palestinian UN bid
The U.N. Security Council is taking its first step to consider the Palestinian request for U.N. membership. The council will meet behind closed doors Monday afternoon for an initial discussion of the application submitted Friday by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to become the 194th member of the United Nations. Israel and the United States oppose the move and consider it a step back for long-stalled peace talks, and the U.S. has said it will veto a resolution recommending membership. Nonetheless, the council is moving ahead and will hold a formal meeting Wednesday to transmit the bid to a committee on admission of new members, which includes all 15 council nations, diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because consultations have been private. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hjamkJUEw8_n-kISUZEAn55DT_kA?docId=a8684f71ee2e4d34a6740b5b89f91745 Title: State of Endless War Post by: akfools on September 29, 2011, 03:32:50 pm State of Endless War
Posted By Daniel Greenfield On September 28, 2011 In his UN speech, Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority used the word “peace” twenty-eight times. “We believe in peace,” he said. But what sort of peace he believes in is another matter. Abbas began his statehood campaign with the “Mother of Martyrs,” a mother of seven imprisoned terrorists, four of them murderers, two of whom were involved in suicide bombings, one of whom was a member of Hamas. One of her sons, Nasser Abu Hmeid, specialized in decapitating fellow Arab-Muslims who were enemies of Fatah. Hmeid had been jailed for murdering nine Arabs, and was released in 1999 as part of a peace deal. He joined the Palestinian police forces as an “interrogator” and then moved on to the notorious Tanzim unit, which was responsible for numerous murders of Israeli civilians. Two years later, Israel finally arrested him and shoved him back into prison. This is the real face of the proposed Palestinian state. A brutal totalitarian regime funded by US money and dedicated to the murder of political opponents and the genocide of the Jewish people. Abbas speaks of peace at the UN — “We extend our hands to the Israeli government and the Israeli people for peace-making” — but to the home crowd, the message is quite different. On Al-Jazeera, Fatah Central Committee Member Abbas Zaki explained the reasoning: When we say that the settlement should be based upon these borders, President Abbas understands, we understand and everyone knows that the greater goal cannot be accomplished in one go. If Israel withdraws from Jerusalem, evacuates the 650,000 settlers, and dismantles the wall — what will become of Israel? It will come to an end. If we say that we want to wipe Israel out… it’s not acceptable policy to say so. Don’t say these things to the world. Keep it to yourself. But many of his compatriots aren’t keeping it to themselves. A recent poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion showed that while Hamas’ popularity isn’t as high as it used to be, the vast majority of Palestinian Arabs agree with its genocidal charter. 80 percent of respondents agreed with the statement: For our struggle against the Jews is extremely wide-ranging and grave… reinforced by successive battalions from the multifarious Arab and Islamic world, until the enemies are defeated and Allah’s victory prevails. 73 percent agreed with the genocidal Hadith quoted in the Hamas charter: “The Day of Judgment will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews, when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Muslims, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.” While a majority was in favor of diplomatic negotiations, it was also against two states for two peoples. The majority favored a one-state solution that would destroy Israel and opposed a two-state solution that would allow them to coexist side by side. And by a factor of two to one, they agreed with the statement that: “The real goal should be to start with two states but then move to it all being one Palestinian state.” When three quarters of the population believes that there is a religious mandate to kill the Jews, it follows that two thirds will believe that negotiations are only a means of achieving the destruction of Israel. Despite all the hype, the majority of Arab-Muslims in the West Bank and Gaza have no strong feelings about the statehood bid at the UN and the majority do not think that it will bring a state into being. A UN vote is not their endgame, the stones and the trees of the Hadith are. It is impossible to understand the conflict without seeing it through the eyes of the Koran. There is no room for a permanent peace agreement with non-Muslims in Islamic theology. Such agreements are temporary measures until the “greater goal” of destroying them and subsuming their lands into the Ummah is achieved. For the Muslim believer, the conflict with Israel is one phase of an apocalyptic struggle that began in 7th century Saudi Arabia and will conclude in the end times. And the vast majority of Muslims in the region are believers in that long struggle that will eventually end when Islam rules over the entire world. While Israel and the West see hope for an agreement, the other side sees only one phase in a prolonged war. It doesn’t really matter what Israel puts on the table– the other side expects to get everything anyway because Allah promised it to them. How do you negotiate peace with members of a genocidal belief system that permits deceit in pursuit of its goals? You make offers to them; they accept your concessions and continue the violence. That is what nearly two decades of negotiations have looked like. Across the administrations of three presidents, five Israeli prime ministers and two Palestinian Authority leaders– the same story has repeated itself again and again. Those numbers hold their own clue. America and Israel change governments, but the PA’s leaders only leave when they die. The same poll cited before showed that Palestinian-Arabs don’t see themselves as part of the Arab Spring. Seventy-four percent agreed that they are not part of the Arab Spring revolutions. Sixty-four percent worry that the revolutions will bring instability to their territory. Fifty-nine percent disagree that the revolutions offer them new opportunities, and 47 percent disagree that they offer strong positive examples for change at home. That brings us back to Hmeid, once imprisoned for beheading Arabs, now imprisoned for murdering Jews– and to the nature of what a Palestinian state really is. It’s not aspirational or democratic; it’s a giant refugee training camp for the next generation of cannon fodder in the genocidal wars of Islam. The Palestinian Muslims have always recognized that there can be no end to the conflict as long as Israel continues to exist. Poll after poll has told the same story, the tale of a permanent war whose blood and charred metal is scattered across the sand and dust. UN statehood is just another phase in a long war which ends in mass murder. The Muslim world howls for genocide and the ranks of the US- and EU-funded militias, the Iranian-funded thugs and the rest of their ilk, are the cunning tools that they have selected for the task. The state of Palestine is a state of war. The state of war will not end at the UN or the negotiating table. It will only end when the Muslim world stops believing that it has a right to kill in the name of its religion. http://frontpagemag.com/2011/09/28/state-of-endless-war/print/ Title: EU says Israel flouting settlement 'obligations' Post by: akfools on October 18, 2011, 03:48:58 am EU says Israel flouting settlement 'obligations'
BRUSSELS — The EU accused Israel of riding roughshod through "obligations" surrounding peace efforts Sunday, by granting legal status to new and existing settlements in Palestinian territories. European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said decisions to proceed with 2,600 new housing units in the settlement of Givat Hamatos and to legalise housing in West Bank outposts were "unacceptable" and "run against roadmap obligations." "Settlements are illegal under international law. These decisions should be reversed," she said in a statement released overnight Saturday. Her condemnation followed that of UN leader Ban Ki-moon, but was issued before Israel published a list of 477 Palestinian prisoners to be released next week as part of the deal to free Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who has been in captivity in Gaza for more than five years. "The proposed constructions in Givat Hamatos are of particular concern as they would cut the geographic contiguity between Jerusalem and Bethlehem," Ashton underlined. Frustrated in her role as negotiator for the Quartet of international powers trying to jumpstart peace talks -- the United States, Russia, the EU and the UN -- she said the Israeli policy on settlement activities ran contrary to "Israel's stated commitment to this process." She added: "Both parties are responsible for the creation of an environment of trust conducive to negotiations." The Quartet launched a new bid to restart peace talks on the day that Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas launched its pending application for Palestinian membership of the United Nations. The Palestinian Authority has rejected direct talks with Israel since a freeze on settlement building was ended in September 2010. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hc1vg0Fw-7LAMqU45NgyMD-UCglw?docId=CNG.47299426ba9bd13a25aab752eb57f4ce.841 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 21, 2011, 05:29:28 pm Shaath: Palestine has 9 votes in Security Council
Published Tuesday 11/10/2011 (updated) 12/10/2011 21:49 http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=428092 BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Fatah central committee member Nabil Shaath said Monday that nine countries in the Security Council were committed to supporting Palestine's bid for membership in the UN. Shaath told Ma'an "the nine states that have confirmed voting to us, and we do not question their stance, are the following: Gabon, Bosnia, Brazil, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, South Africa, China and Russia." Six Security Council members -- Brazil, China, India, Lebanon, Russia and South Africa -- have publicly indicated their backing for the Palestinian bid. "We should not doubt our allies and we should help these countries in facing US and Israeli pressure and to reinforce the stance of these states through constant meetings and to get assistance from the Arab countries who could support these states," Shaath said. President Mahmoud Abbas last month submitted a formal application to the UN Security Council for recognition of statehood, ignoring a US threat to veto the measure if it is put to vote. The UN membership request, which Abbas formally presented to UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on Sept. 23, is being studied by the 15-member Security Council, which is expected to vote on it in the coming weeks. The Security Council has a review period of 35 days for membership application. Responding to the Quartet's call on Sunday to invite Palestinians and Israelis to meet, Shaath said that the PLO would not return to negotiations without a halt in settlement activity. The Quartet has damaged its own credibility in light of a current polarization whereby the US consistently defends Israel, he added. The Quartet -- the European Union, Russia, US and UN -- proposed on Sept. 23 a return to talks within 30 days, proposals on substantive issues in three months and a peace deal by the end of 2012. The proposal did not insist on a halt to settlement building in the occupied West Bank, which Palestinian officials say is necessary for the viability of a Palestinian state. Abbas responded to the most recent Quartet invitation by saying: "We are at any moment willing to return to the negotiating table if Israel is of the same mind." On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told EU policy chief Catherine Ashton that he was "happy to meet Mahmoud Abbas at any time," his office said in a statement. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on October 26, 2011, 07:53:41 am U.S. Funding on the Line As UNESCO Mulls Membership for ‘Palestine’
The United Nations’ cultural agency has begun a high-level conference that will decide on an application for membership for “Palestine” – a move that could lead to a legally-mandated severing of U.S. funding. Unless intensive lobbying results in the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) withdrawing its request, the application is expected to achieve the required two-thirds majority in a vote by the General Conference of the Paris-based U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). http://cnsnews.com/news/article/us-funding-line-unesco-mulls-membership-palestine Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on October 28, 2011, 11:18:22 am Israel must give Palestinians their land back: Baroness Jenny Tonge
Former British Member of Parliament (MP) Baroness Jenny Tonge has said that the Israelis must give Palestinian people’s land back in order to solve the Palestinian issue. “They (the Israelis) really must solve this huge problem that they have made for themselves, entirely their fault, they have made this problem and they have got to solve it by giving the Palestinians their land back and creating a secure and prosperous day to Palestine,” Tonge said on Press TV’s program ‘Remember Palestine’. The program, which also aired the views of Samira Quralshy, a political analyst for Middle East Monitor, was broadcast on Thursday from London. http://tehrantimes.com/index.php/middle-east/3999-israel-must-give-palestinians-their-land-back-baroness-jenny-tonge Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on October 29, 2011, 03:34:57 pm Palestinians press U.N. for statehood vote
U.S. prepared to use veto if Security Council passes resolution The Palestinian drive for United Nations membership may be resolved in the upcoming week, say diplomatic sources. The United States has promised to veto the application, which has been under review in the Security Council for over a month. But Washington hopes to avoid casting such a stop sign. The State Department is counting on the Palestinian Authority move receiving less than the required nine votes for Security Council approval, making a U.S. veto unnecessary. Diplomats say the unofficial head counts put the yes votes between eight and nine. A closed series of consultations is scheduled to consider the issue during the first week of November. Washington will press for more time to consider the application, but the Palestinians are under pressure at home to move the issue to a vote. Last week, the confrontation between the Palestinians, the U.S. and Israel rose to the surface during a brief Security Council meeting on the regional situation in the Middle East. (Story continues below) Read more: Palestinians press U.N. for statehood vote http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=361557#ixzz1cCmC5fsd Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on October 31, 2011, 12:12:17 pm Unesco gives Palestinians full membership
Unesco, the United Nations' cultural agency, has decided to give the Palestinians full membership of the body, in a vote that will boost their bid for recognition as a state at the UN. Unesco is the first UN agency the Palestinians have sought to join as a full member since President Mahmoud Abbas applied for full membership of the United Nations on Sept. 23. The United States, Canada and Germany voted against Palestinian membership. Brazil, Russia, China, India, South Africa and France voted in favour. Britain abstained. Huge cheers went up in Unesco after delegates voted to approve the membership Monday. One shouted "Long Live Palestine!" in French. Israel said that the vote will harm prospects for the resumption of Middle East peace talks. "This is a unilateral Palestinian manoeuver which will bring no change on the ground but further removes the possibility for a peace agreement," Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "This decision will not turn the Palestinian Authority into an actual state yet places unnecessary burdens on the route to renewing negotiations." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/8859839/Unesco-gives-Palestinians-full-membership.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 03, 2011, 05:51:29 am UN Secretary-General: Palestinian efforts to join UN agencies beyond cultural arm 'not beneficial' for Palestine, anybody else - AP
http://www.breakingnews.com/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 03, 2011, 08:40:01 am Israel halts $2 million payments to UNESCO, protesting group's decision to accept Palestine as member - @Jerusalem_Post
Israel halted its $2 million annual payment to UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, on Thursday, in protest over its decision Monday to accept Palestine as its 195th member. Earlier this week, the US and Canada also froze their UNESCO funding. In a statement, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said, "Such steps [the UNESCO vote] distances peace, it doesn't advance it. The only path to peace is through the immediate resumption of negotiations without preconditions." http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=244286 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 09, 2011, 07:04:01 am Decision on Palestine’s statehood bid needed by New Year – ambassador
A vote on Palestine’s statehood bid at the United Nations must be held by the New Year, Palestinian Ambassador to Moscow Fayed Mustafa said on Wednesday. “It is expected that voting in the UN Security Council should finish by the New Year, even despite the fact that its permanent members have various opinions on this issue,” Mustafa said, adding that the situation will become much clearer after the crucial vote of the UN Security Council scheduled for November 11. Earlier on Wednesday, the Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Yasser Abed Rabbo, said that a total of eight out of fifteen members of the UN Security Council, including Russia, China, Brazil, India, South Africa, Lebanon, Nigeria and Gabon support Palestine’s admission to the UN. Security Council decisions require the approval of at least nine of the 15 members, and no vetoes from the five permanent members (Russia, USA, France, Britain or China), in order to pass. The United States, however, has repeatedly stated its intention to block the adoption of Palestine. Mustafa also said that if Palestine fails to be recognized this time, it will make more efforts in the future to get recognition. “We will probably fail [on November 11] since the United States strongly opposes it…This issue will remain on the agenda…and we will continue our efforts to resolve this problem.” http://en.ria.ru/world/20111109/168546060.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on November 09, 2011, 12:13:52 pm Wait! Did I read that date correctly? November 11. They are going to vote on 11/11/11 for Palistinian statehood?
(http://endtimescurrentevents.freeforums.org/download/file.php?icon=indifferent0025.gif) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 09, 2011, 12:26:12 pm Wait! Did I read that date correctly? November 11. They are going to vote on 11/11/11 for Palistinian statehood? (http://endtimescurrentevents.freeforums.org/download/file.php?icon=indifferent0025.gif) thats what it says. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 09, 2011, 12:33:30 pm Even though Obama says he will veto it...from out of the heart comes...in Obama's heart, he's anti-Israel.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 10, 2011, 09:41:27 am http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=244869
11/9/11 McCain: Bill Clinton should run ME peace efforts Former presidential candidate calls on Obama to make Clinton special envoy because he has credibility with both Israelis and Palestinians. Talkbacks (73) WASHINGTON - Republican Senator John McCain has some advice for US President Barack Obama to help energize stalled Middle East peacemaking: put former President Bill Clinton in charge. Democrat Bill Clinton, husband of Obama's Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is always "the smartest guy in the room" and so would he be in a roomful of Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, McCain told the Reuters Washington summit on Tuesday. RELATED: UN panel draft: No consensus on Palestinian UN bid Sarkozy gaffe rekindles talk of US-J'lem tensions 'Bill Clinton’s criticism of PM doesn’t reflect US views' The Republican presidential nominee in 2008 who lost to Obama, McCain said Clinton had credibility with both Israelis and Palestinians and had come the closest of anyone to producing peace. That was an apparent reference to the 2000 Camp David talks between then-prime minister Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat, the late head of the Palestinian Authority. "I believe that the president should call in the one person who has a chance of negotiating, having both sides negotiate with good faith, and that's one Bill Clinton," McCain said. "I would ask him to take on the role of the president's special envoy, mediator, potentate, whatever you want to call it because he's the person that came the closest and he's the person that has the most credibility," McCain told Reuters. McCain's suggestion was rare praise from a Republican for a Democrat in Washington these days and came as Obama was having a not especially stellar day on the Middle East front, at least not so far as US ally Israel was concerned. It emerged on Tuesday that Obama apparently failed to defend Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu when French President Nicolas Sarkozy branded him a "liar" in a private conversation that was overheard by journalists. McCain said that Obama's rejoinder to Sarkozy -- "I have to deal with him even more often than you" -- reflected the "deterioration" in US-Israeli relations since Obama had become president. Quartet envoys to meet sides separately "There has not been one bit of progress" in the Middle East, certainly not on the Israeli-Palestinian front, since Obama was elected, McCain declared. An Obama administration effort to broker direct peace negotiations fell apart after it was launched last year, and the United States has had little success in bringing the two sides back to the table. With both sides at a standoff, Obama's Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, resigned earlier this year. McCain said Obama's best chance to turn the situation around now would be to bring in Clinton. "He (Clinton) has the respect, he has the clout" and the parties would fear upsetting him, McCain said. "And he knows the issue better than anybody." There is already a Middle East envoy for a group known as the Quartet, a body comprising the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations: former British prime minister Tony Blair. "I've watched Tony Blair try to make progress," McCain said. But Blair, in seeking to broker new talks, has run into some of the same problems that bedeviled Mitchell's efforts. Netanyahu says he wants talks now, but the Palestinians say the Israelis must halt all building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank before they return to the table, and that is something Netanyahu's government says it will not do. Quartet envoys will try again to jump start peace moves on Nov. 14, meeting separately with Israeli and Palestinian officials in Jerusalem, the US State Department said on Tuesday. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 11, 2011, 09:53:21 am Well, today's the big day, but I haven't seen any news about it on yahoo et al - anyone know the time they will take this vote at the UN?
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 16, 2011, 11:27:30 am Abbas calls on Palestinians to mount non-violent resistance against Israel
Palestinian president says his people ‘will not succumb to the occupation,’ says will meet Hamas leader next week to discuss implementation of unity agreement. President Mahmoud Abbas called Wednesday on the Palestinians to mount non-violent resistance to Israel's occupation of the West Bank. "We will not succumb to the occupation and we will not give up on our rights," he said at a ceremony in the city of Ramallah to commemorate Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who died seven years ago. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-calls-on-palestinians-to-mount-non-violent-resistance-against-israel-1.395958 non violent my butt Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 16, 2011, 12:01:23 pm Israel strikes Gaza sites after rocket lands near Israeli kindergarten
Jewish Telegraphic Agency - 17 minutes ago JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli airstrikes hit two terrorist targets in Gaza in retaliation for two rockets fired at southern Israel, including one that landed near a kindergarten. http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/11/16/3090319/israel-strikes-gaza-sites-kassam-lands-near-israeli-kindergarten thanx Abbas Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 19, 2011, 06:44:27 am Unesco gives Palestinians full membership Unesco, the United Nations' cultural agency, has decided to give the Palestinians full membership of the body, in a vote that will boost their bid for recognition as a state at the UN. Unesco is the first UN agency the Palestinians have sought to join as a full member since President Mahmoud Abbas applied for full membership of the United Nations on Sept. 23. The United States, Canada and Germany voted against Palestinian membership. Brazil, Russia, China, India, South Africa and France voted in favour. Britain abstained. Huge cheers went up in Unesco after delegates voted to approve the membership Monday. One shouted "Long Live Palestine!" in French. Israel said that the vote will harm prospects for the resumption of Middle East peace talks. "This is a unilateral Palestinian manoeuver which will bring no change on the ground but further removes the possibility for a peace agreement," Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "This decision will not turn the Palestinian Authority into an actual state yet places unnecessary burdens on the route to renewing negotiations." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/8859839/Unesco-gives-Palestinians-full-membership.html Palestinians Trying to 'Wipe Out Jewish History' An Israeli official says that the admission of Palestinians as a member state of UNESCO has emboldened them to claim Judeo-Christian biblical sites as their own. The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization admitted the Palestinians as a member state Nov. 1. One of those sites is the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. Four thousand years ago, the Bible says Abraham bought the cave in Hebron to bury his wife Sarah. Isaac, Jacob and their wives are also buried there. But Palestinians want UNESCO to recognize the Cave of the Patriarchs and other sites as Muslim holy places in "Palestine." Israeli government minister Yuli Edelstein said the Palestinian request is not about peace. "Their demand is not about cooperation. Their demand is a political demand to wipe off all the traces of the Jewish history and Jewish connection to the region," Edelstein said. The cave is currently divided between a mosque and a synagogue so each faith has a place to pray. Israel was highly criticized when it announced plans to improve the site last year and include it as an Israeli heritage site. The head of the Islamic authorities in Hebron said at the time that the site is holy only to Muslims. "It is a pure Muslim holy place and there is no right for non-Muslims to be here or to pray here, and I'm against the presence of the Jews, even in the old city," Haj Zeid al Ja'bari, general director of Islamic Religious Authorities in Hebron, told reporters then. Even before UNESCO admitted what it calls Palestine as a full member this month, it had already called the Cave and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem "Palestinian sites." The Palestinian Authority now also wants the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to be deemed a Palestinian site. The church is built over the site many believe to be the birthplace of Jesus. Palestinians are also threatening to sue Israel for what they say is stealing Palestinian antiquities and attempting to change what they call the Islamic and Arabic character of Jerusalem's Old City. Israelis say Jews and Christians alike should be concerned. Based on past experience, they won't likely be able to visit the site in Hebron if it comes under Muslim Palestinian control. "We know for a fact that when the authorities were not Israeli authorities, Jews were not allowed even to be here," Edelstein said. "The concept of an Islamic holy place is that no one else is allowed to be here," said David Bedein, bureau chief, Israel Resource News Agency. "The concept of a Jewish holy place is exactly the opposite," he said. "When there's a Jewish holy place, everyone can visit." Bedein said that in 1975, Israel's then-ambassador to the U.N. Chaim Herzog answered an Arab challenge to Israel's rights to the Cave by using the Bible to make his case. "He opened up the Bible to Genesis 23 and said, 'This is our right. We purchased it.'" "It's ours and we're going to live here," he continued. "We're going to pray here and we're going to invite all the nations of the world to pray with us here.'" http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2011/November/Palestinians-Trying-to-Wipe-Out-Jewish-History/ Title: The rejection of PA statehood bid at the UN will plunge the region into anarchy. Post by: Lisa on November 23, 2011, 01:06:41 pm PA Threatens 'Violence and Anarchy'
Officials in Ramallah say the rejection of PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas' statehood bid at the UN will plunge the region into chaos. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/149652 By Gavriel Queenann First Publish: 11/11/2011, 11:53 AM Saeb Erikat Israel news photo: Flash 90Palestinian Authority officials warned Thursday the region would descend into "violence and anarchy" because of the failure of PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas' statehood bid at the United Nations. Officials in Ramallah refused to say what they were planning to do now that they have conceded the measure does not have sufficient support in the UN Security Council to be passed on to the General Assembly for a vote. According to a Security Council subcommittee PA officials will not be able to muster the necessary 9 votes for approval. It also noted opposition from the US - who promised to veto the measure if the security council approved it - was insurmountable. But PA officials have pushed forward anyway, demanding a vote hoping a propaganda victory with the necessary backing would demonstrate the US was isolated in its support of Israel. However, diplomatic sources say a Security Council vote on the issue will not occur at that point – if at all. The Security Council, they say, could simply choose to discontinue consultations on the matter. It remains unclear if the PA will now turn to the UN General Assembly and ask for observer status – a move they previously said was unacceptable. Ramallah's frustrated threats come amid reports senior Fatah and PLO officials are debating the administrative body's future, with some saying it was time to shut down the PA and "throw the keys back at Israel." Such a move, observers say, would be intended to pressure Israel into making radical concession in order to avoid taking responsibility for for affairs in enclaves currently administered by the PA. Israel successfully administered those areas from 1967 to 1993 with an across the board increase the standard of living, which has seen a downturn under the PA. A spokesman in Netanyahu's office said, while Israel does not want the PA to shut down, that such an outcome "wouldn't be the end of the world." At the same time, Netanyahu's government reportedly lobbied US lawmakers to unfreeze $200 million in funds to the PA out of a fears its collapse will lead to Hamas replacing it. It has also been reported Israel may reverse a decision to freeze tax revenue payments to the PA for the same reason. Amid the threats of "violence and anarchy" from Ramallah, the Quartet - the US, EU, UN, and Russia - plans to hold separate meetings with Israel and the PA on Monday. However, PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat maintains the PA will not return to negotiations with Israel unless accepts the pre-1967 borders as a basis for a future Palestinian State and halts all construction in Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem. Israel has said it will sit down to talks without preconditions, noting a previous 10-month building freeze by Israel aimed at meeting PA demands and restarting demands was rebuffed by Ramallah. Not only were more preconditions added, officials in Jerusalem say, but the PA chose instead to violate the Oslo Accords and pursue its unilateral track at the United Nations. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on December 02, 2011, 10:12:48 pm 12/2/11
http://news.yahoo.com/panetta-israel-must-address-growing-isolation-232927884.html Panetta: Israel must address its growing isolation WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called on Israel on Friday to take diplomatic steps to address what he described as its growing isolation in the Middle East. Panetta, in prepared remarks that he was due to deliver in Washington on Friday evening, stressed U.S. efforts to bolster regional stability and to safeguard Israel's security. "Israel, too, has a responsibility to pursue these shared goals -- to build regional support for Israeli and United States security objectives," Panetta said, according to portions of the speech released to reporters before delivery. "I believe security is dependent on a strong military but it is also dependent on strong diplomacy. And unfortunately, over the past year, we've seen Israel's isolation from its traditional security partners in the region grow." Panetta lamented the moribund peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, which he said had "effectively been put on hold." read more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on December 29, 2011, 08:40:12 pm Congress frees $40 million in aid to Palestinians
. . WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers have freed up a little more than 20 percent of $187 million in U.S. assistance to the Palestinians that had been frozen over the Palestinian bid for U.N. membership. Members of Congress have made available $40 million in economic and humanitarian funding for the Palestinians, the State Department said Wednesday. The money is administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development and "has been vital to establishing and strengthening the foundations necessary for a future Palestinian state," the department said. The Obama administration had been urging lawmakers, with Israel's backing, to release the money as it contributes to Palestinian stability and Israeli security. "It is in the interest of the Palestinians, Israel and the United States, to ensure these efforts continue," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. "They help to build a more democratic, stable, and secure region." The administration is pressing Congress to release the remaining $147 million that comes from the last budget cycle in which aid to the Palestinians was to total 545.7 million. New funding for the Palestinians will be subject to additional scrutiny and can be blocked if they win full admission to the United Nations before a peace deal with Israel is agreed. The administration has asked Congress for $513.4 million in aid for the Palestinians in fiscal year 2012. http://news.yahoo.com/congress-frees-40-million-aid-palestinians-213327501.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 02, 2012, 12:57:14 am http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-palestinian-envoys-meet-tuesday-official-154812630.html Israel, Palestinians to meet Tuesday; prospects hazy JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will meet this week after more than a year of deadlock in peacemaking, officials said Sunday, but both sides played down prospects of any imminent resumption of talks. Yitzhak Molcho of Israel and Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat will meet Tuesday in Jordan alongside representatives of the Quartet of Middle East mediators - the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations. "This aims at reaching a common ground to resume direct talks between the two sides and to achieve a Palestinian-Israeli peace accord ... by the end of 2012," the official Jordanian news agency Petra quoted Mohammad al-Kayed, spokesman of the Foreign Ministry in Amman, as saying. "It is essential that both sides take advantage of this opportunity," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement released in Washington. read more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 02, 2012, 03:15:22 pm http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/palestinians-plan-diplomatic-steps-to-put-israel-under-international-siege-1.404973
1/2/12 Palestinians plan diplomatic steps to put Israel under 'international siege' Top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat to meet Netanyahu's envoy in Jordan Tuesday for preliminary talks aimed at setting an agenda for peace negotiations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's envoy Isaac Molho will meet with top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in Amman Tuesday for preliminary talks aimed at setting an agenda for peace negotiations, even as the Palestinians are preparing a diplomatic campaign that aims to put Israel under "a real international siege." Among those who have been pushing hard for the meeting Tuesday, the first official meeting between Israeli and Palestinian representatives in several months, are Jordan's King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and the Quartet's Mideast envoy, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Senior Israeli officials said there was very little chance that the meeting would lead to the renewal of negotiations. read more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 02, 2012, 08:46:17 pm Muslim Brotherhood Plans to Cancel Peace Pact with Israel
1/1/12 The Muslim Brotherhood comes up with a neat trick to break the peace treaty with Israel without formally doing so. Egypt’s next likely ruling party says it simply will hold a plebiscite and let the people do it. Rashad Bayoumi, deputy Supreme Leader of the Brotherhood, told the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat on Sunday it respects international treaties and will leave the issue of the peace treaty in the hands of the people. The pact was signed by then-Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, but a "cold peace" has set in over the past several years. “People will express their opinions on it. All parties can reconsider the treaty and Egyptians haven't yet had their say,” he explained. “We won't violate the treaty. We can put it for referendum among people or parliament,” Bayoumi said. The ploy would ostensibly take the onus off the radical Muslim party, which Jeffrey Feltman, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, has said will respect the treaty. read more http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/151278#.TwCLOVbfW2U Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 03, 2012, 09:55:11 am Gaza's Hamas PM warmly welcomed in Turkish parliament
Gaza's Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya received a warm welcome on Tuesday from lawmakers of Turkey's ruling party during a visit to the Turkish parliament. The Palestinian leader received a standing ovation from the ranks of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) for his surprise entry into the room as the prime minister was making his weekly address to his fellow deputies. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was praising intra-Palestinian reconciliation between Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah and the Islamist movement Hamas governing Gaza as Haniya headed into the room. Haniya, who also met with the leaders of Turkey's opposition parties, declined to speak to the press but made a "V" for victory sign to the cameras. An aide told AFP that Haniya would return to Istanbul late on Tuesday and fly on to Tunisia on Wednesday as part of his first trip abroad since Hamas took power in Gaza in 2007. Haniya has already visited Egypt and Sudan on a tour which his office said was aimed primarily at seeking aid to rebuild Gaza City. The Gaza premier arrived in Turkey on Sunday for a meeting with Erdogan in Istanbul. In a symbolic visit, on Monday he toured a Turkish vessel stormed by Israeli troops in a raid that left nine activists dead in May 2010. The incident led a furious Turkey to downgrade relations with Israel, a one-time ally, and Ankara is seeking an apology and compensation for the victims before it restores full ties. Since 2007, the Palestinian territories have been politically divided into two separate territories, with Abbas's Fatah largely ruling the West Bank and Hamas governing Gaza. Turkey has sought to mediate in reconciliation efforts between the Fatah faction and Hamas, despite Israeli ire over its contacts with the Islamist movement. Erdogan's Islamic-rooted government insists that peace cannot be achieved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict if Hamas is excluded from the process. Erdogan has rejected the "terrorist label" for the Islamist group, insisting its members are "resistance fighters struggling to defend their land". http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Jan-03/158702-gazas-hamas-pm-warmly-welcomed-in-turkish-parliament.ashx#axzz1iPXPsK2r Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 03, 2012, 05:40:45 pm No breakthrough on Mideast peace, talks to go on
AMMAN (Reuters) - Israeli and Palestinian negotiators made no breakthrough during their first high-level discussions in more than a year on Tuesday, but agreed to hold further talks in Amman on a confidential basis, Jordan's foreign minister said. Tuesday's talks were aimed at agreeing terms under which the two sides' leaders - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - could resume talks. Negotiations foundered in late 2010 after Israel refused to renew a partial freeze on Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, as demanded by the Palestinians. Nasser Judeh, who hosted the talks, reported no significant progress but added: "The important thing is the two sides have met face to face." read more http://news.yahoo.com/no-breakthrough-mideast-peace-talks-223543160.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 04, 2012, 11:32:50 am http://news.yahoo.com/israel-palestinians-hold-positive-talks-024115258.html;_ylt=AlQBJ4qwsnQrmqRUk2sb01UbANEA;_ylu=X3oDMTRvYTVnajV2BGNjb2RlA2dtcHRvcDEwMDBwb29sd2lraXVwcmVzdARtaXQDTmV3cyBmb3IgeW91BHBrZwM3YTliNmE3NS1kZDQwLTM0MGQtYWQ5Zi04YjFjMmVlOTE4N2IEcG9zAzQEc2VjA25ld3NfZm9yX3lvdQR2ZXIDOGY1OWVkMDAtMzY3ZS0xMWUxLWJmMTktYzFhNmVmYWFlODI4;_ylg=X3oDMTMwcmE5bmQ0BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDYTFkNjYwMTItYzVmOC0zMTlmLTgyYWUtYjJhOTc3NDEzNDJlBHBzdGNhdANzY2llbmNlBHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQR0ZXN0Aw--;_ylv=3
1/3/12 Israel, Palestinians hold 'positive' talks Israeli and Palestinian negotiators held a "positive" first face-to-face meeting in more than 15 months and agreed to meet again on Friday, but cautioned that full-blown talks were still some way off. "The talks and atmosphere were positive," Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told reporters after Tuesday's talks in Amman between Israel's chief negotiator Yitzhak Molcho, his Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erakat and Palestinian negotiator Mohammed Shtayyeh. Washington too welcomed what it described as a "positive development" after months of deadlock in peace talks over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal in 2010 to renew a freeze on most settlement construction in the occupied West Bank. Judeh, who hosted the meeting in the Jordanian capital, voiced cautious optimism. "The two sides expressed their commitment to a two-state solution. We do not want to raise the level of expectations, but at the same time we do not want to minimise the importance of this meeting," he said. read more Title: EU to PA Arabs: We'll Help You 'Grab Land' from Israel Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 12, 2012, 06:33:54 pm http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/151660#.Tw7-xIFfT7g
1/12/12 EU to PA Arabs: We'll Help You 'Grab Land' from Israel The EU plans a "land grab" in Judea and Samaria, seeking to gain PA control of Area C, in violation of the Oslo Accords. The battle for control of Judea and Samaria – and specifically Area C, which, according to the Oslo Accords, is under Israeli military and political control – may come down to a “horse race,” if the European Union decides to act on a policy paper that was published by Hebrew daily Yediot Achronot Thursday. According to the document, "Area C and Palestinian state building," the EU plans to encourage, and fund, Arab building and development in Area C, without bothering to seek Israeli approval for projects, and in violation of laws regarding zoning, security, and the environment. Under the Oslo Accords, Judea and Samaria is divided into three areas: Area A, which is fully administered by the PA, and which Israelis are banned from even entering – both by Israel and the PA; Area B, which is formally under Israeli security control, but is under PA control for all other purposes; and Area C, consisting for the most part of the “settlement blocs,” such as Gush Etzion, Ma'aleh Adumim, and the Jewish towns in Samaria in the vicinity of Ariel. Some 90% of Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria live in Area C, while the PA Arab population of the area is barely 6%. Nevertheless, the EU document makes it clear the Europeans intends to ensure a future Arab state in Judea and Samaria does not “lose” Area C, in order to ensure territorial contiguity between PA-controlled areas. The best way to do that, the document says, is to create “facts on the ground” - projects by and for PA Arabs, building more homes and communities for them, expanding the territories occupied by Arab towns, and attracting more PA Arabs to live in these new neighborhoods. read more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 18, 2012, 10:12:33 pm http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/151864#.Txc3FoFfT7g
Video: Obama Tosses ‘Peace Process’ In Abdullah’s Lap Obama thanked King Abdullah for hosting talks with the PA and Israel, possibly giving the president a scapegoat for expected failure. President Barack Obama warmly praised Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House Tuesday, thanking him for hosting talks with the Palestinian Authority and Israel. “We have very few countries around the world that are better friends and better partners than the Jordanians,” said the president. “And so I want to publicly express my appreciation for His Majesty’s leadership not only in forging a strong bilateral relationship, but also all the multilateral efforts that he is engaged in to encourage peace and prosperity during what has been an extraordinary time.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qvbNrlw3R8&feature=player_embedded Title: Vatican body asks UN to end Israeli occupation Post by: Christian40 on January 19, 2012, 03:01:22 am In final statement of two-week conference, bishops' synod says Biblical concept of 'promised land' cannot be used to justify settlements
Israel cannot use the Biblical concept of a promised land or a chosen people to justify new "settlements" in Jerusalem or territorial claims, a Vatican synod on the Middle East said on Saturday. In its concluding message after two weeks of meetings, the synod of bishops from the Middle East also said it hoped a two-state solution for peace between Israel and the Palestinians could be lifted from dream to reality and called for peaceful conditions that would stop a Christian exodus from the region. "We have meditated on the situation of the holy city of Jerusalem. We are anxious about the unilateral initiatives that threaten its composition and risk to change its demographic balance," the message said. US-brokered peace talks have stalled since Israel rejected appeals to extend a temporary moratorium on settlement construction in the West Bank that expired last month. Since the freeze expired, Israel has announced plans to build another 238 homes in two east Jerusalem neighborhoods, drawing the condemnation of Palestinians and world leaders. In a separate part of the document, a section on cooperation with Jews, the synod fathers also took issue with Jews who use the Bible to justify settlements in the West Bank, which Israel captured in 1967. "Recourse to theological and biblical positions which use the Word of God to wrongly justify injustices is not acceptable," the document said. Many Jewish settlers and right-wing Israelis claim a biblical birthright to the West Bank, which they call Judea and Samaria and regard as a part of historical, ancient Israel given to the Jews by God. Asked about the passage at a news conference, Greek-Melchite Archbishop Cyrille Salim Bustros, said: "We Christians cannot speak about the promised land for the Jewish people. There is no longer a chosen people. All men and women of all countries have become the chosen people. "The concept of the promised land cannot be used as a base for the justification of the return of Jews to Israel and the displacement of Palestinians," he added. "The justification of Israel's occupation of the land of Palestine cannot be based on sacred scriptures." The synod's concluding message repeated a Vatican call for Jerusalem to have a special status "which respects its particular character" as a city sacred to the three great monotheistic religions -- Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Jerusalem remains a key issue of dispute. Palestinians want east Jerusalem for capital of a future state. Israel has annexed the area, a move never recognized internationally, and has declared Jerusalem to be its "united and eternal" capital. Israel did not include east Jerusalem as part of its 10-month building freeze, though most plans there were put on hold in March, when the US protested reports of a new housing project leaked during a visit by Vice President Joe Biden. While recognizing "the suffering and insecurity in which Israelis live" and the need for Israel to enjoy peace within internationally recognized borders, the document was much more expansive and detailed on the situation of Palestinians. It said Palestinians "are suffering the consequences of the Israeli occupation: the lack of freedom of movement, the wall of separation and the military checkpoints, the political prisoners, the demolition of homes, the disturbance of socio-economic life and the thousands of refugees." It urged Christians in the region not to sell their homes and properties. "It is a vital aspect of the lives of those who remain there and for those who one day will return there." It condemned terrorism "from wherever it may proceed" as well as anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and discrimination against Christians. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3973590,00.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on January 19, 2012, 03:00:05 pm Quote Israel cannot use the Biblical concept of a promised land or a chosen people to justify new "settlements" in Jerusalem or territorial claims, a Vatican synod on the Middle East said on Saturday. Uh, what's wrong with that picture? Let me see if I get this... The Vatican, an alleged Christian group...who's beliefs are based on, and came out of Judaism, says that Judaism cannot be used as a reason for Israel wanting to settle their own lands, within their own territorial borders? Did I just step right into the Twilight Zone? (http://endtimescurrentevents.freeforums.org/download/file.php?icon=sFun_ahohno.gif) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 21, 2012, 06:15:36 am Palestinians to renew efforts for bid to U.N.
Talks with Israel delayed attempt Palestinian officials say that they will resume their effort to gain U.N. membership, and that they could launch a nonviolent third intifada because they see no chance of reaching a peace deal with the current Israeli government. The Palestinians had put their U.N. bid on hold to participate in informal Jordanian-sponsored talks with Israel that began at the beginning of the year in Amman. The Middle East “Quartet” — the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia — had urged the parties to submit proposals on borders and security by Jan. 26, with the goal of reaching an agreement by the end of 2012. rest: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/19/palestinians-to-renew-efforts-for-bid-to-un/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 21, 2012, 08:15:01 am Honestly, I don't think any "peace" agreement will be reached until this one world charismatic figure arises out of the ashes. Or maybe a vague blueprint will be agreed to and then ultimately "confirmed" by the AC. I don't know.
Title: Palestinian leader: Talks with Israel over Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 26, 2012, 04:25:31 pm http://news.yahoo.com/palestinian-leader-talks-israel-over-155558536.html
1/25/12 RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — A low-level dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians about a future border has ended without any breakthrough, the Palestinian president said Wednesday, reflecting the impasse plaguing the negotiations for at least three years. President Mahmoud Abbas said he would consult with Arab allies next week to figure out how to proceed now. While frustrated with the lack of progress, Abbas is under pressure to extend the Jordanian-mediated exploratory talks, which the international community hopes will lead to a resumption of long-stalled formal negotiations on establishing a Palestinian state. Israel said Wednesday it's willing to continue the dialogue. Abbas didn't close the door to continued meetings, saying he'll decide after consultations with the Arab League on Feb. 4. A Palestinian walkout could cost Abbas international sympathy at a time when he seeks global recognition of a state of Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, the territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. The gaps between the leaders are vast, and Abbas believes there is no point in returning to formal negotiations without assurances, such as marking the pre-1967 war lines as a basis for border talks and halting Israeli settlement building on occupied lands. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says everything should be discussed in negotiations and insists he is serious about reaching a deal by year's end. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 03, 2012, 06:58:20 pm Memo to Obama...
LEAVE ISRAEL ALONE!!!! http://news.yahoo.com/photos/tornadoes-tear-through-midwest-slideshow/#crsl=%252Fphotos%252Ftornadoes-tear-through-midwest-slideshow%252Fevans-looks-rubble-her-parents-belongings-were-blown-photo-185336013.html%253B_ylt%253DAnvLpsqfZOiso8EImQh0C9htzwcF%253B_ylu%253DX3oDMTNyYmJiNTFzBHBrZwM1YWFjYzQ3Mi1hYmVlLTM1NWQtYTNkZC04OWY5MGIxMmI5OTgEcG9zAzU2BHNlYwNNZWRpYUNhcm91c2VsUGhvdG9HYWxsZXJ5Q0FYSFIEdmVyAzUxNDliZDQwLTYzZDAtMTFlMS04YjY0LWMzMWU2MzdjOTM0NA--%253B_ylv%253D3 Entire Month's Worth of Tornadoes Strike in One Day In what may be the biggest daily tornado outbreak on record for March, an entire month's worth of twisters struck in a single day. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on March 04, 2012, 04:13:53 am Personally, I don't think there can be any tie-in to storms for not supporting Israel. We are WAY beyond that. Prophecy says there will be tribulation just from unbelief alone. Yeah, those who oppopsed Israel would pay in the past before Jesus on earth, but that's not the case with US storms these days. To suggest such sounds like a Pat Robertson style-comment or something.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 04, 2012, 08:37:37 am Personally, I don't think there can be any tie-in to storms for not supporting Israel. We are WAY beyond that. Prophecy says there will be tribulation just from unbelief alone. Yeah, those who oppopsed Israel would pay in the past before Jesus on earth, but that's not the case with US storms these days. To suggest such sounds like a Pat Robertson style-comment or something. Either way, from all reports, it's been said that this is something that noone's seen unlike ever before. The number of these storms that would happen in one month happened in ONE DAY. The birth pangs are really intensifying now. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on March 05, 2012, 01:48:38 am I do agree with the "birth pangs".
Title: President Obama is Israel's worst frenemy Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 07, 2012, 05:45:02 pm Published March 05, 2012
President Obama is Israel's worst frenemy Excerpt: The question deserves an honest answer, though the truth is not likely to cut through the fog of presidential self-pity. A man who compares himself to Lincoln, Gandhi, King, Mandela and FDR isn’t the sort to welcome disagreement. And that is the heart of his problem. Obama is certain he knows what’s good for Israel. Given his record and the Iranian threat, it’s an impossible sell. He came into office thinking Israel was the obstacle to Middle East peace; three years later, his policies are producing more signs of war than peace. The Palestinians won’t negotiate for their own state because the president foolishly urged them to make a ban on Israeli settlements a precondition. He was wrong from the git-go, and still is. But facts don’t stand a chance. As a Democrat who speaks to Obama about the Mideast told me, he has a “stubborn worldview.” How stubborn will be revealed today and tomorrow during crucial meetings with Israeli leaders. The Iranian march to nukes will top the agenda, but Obama’s view on Iran is typical of how he sees the region and his role in it. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/03/05/president-obama-is-israels-worst-frenemy/#ixzz1oTfkuyYf Title: Re: Israel agrees to negotiate over pre-'67 lines Post by: rockmaryam on March 10, 2012, 07:05:15 am Just a fast hello also to thank you for discussing your ideas on this page.
Title: 200 Rockets Hit Israel, 23 Gazans Killed in Return Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 12, 2012, 01:33:27 pm http://news.yahoo.com/200-rockets-hit-israel-23-gazans-killed-return-145000964--abc-news.html
3/12/12 TEL AVIV - The fourth consecutive day of violence between Israel and Palestinian militants in the coastal enclave of Gaza saw the number of rockets landing in southern Israel climb to more than 190 and the death toll of Palestinians - most of them militants - to 23. At least 40 rockets landed in Israel today, the Israeli Defense Forces said, the closest landing around 25 miles from the country's biggest city, Tel Aviv. Another hit the city of Ashdod, which has a population of 200,000. An 80 year-old Israeli woman was reported wounded by shrapnel in Ashdod, there have been no Israeli deaths. It is the worst violence between Israel and Gaza in over a year, which started when the Israeli Air Force targeted the leader of the Popular Resistance Committee, one of the militant groups operating in Gaza, accusing the group of planning on attack on Israel via Egypt. more Title: Rocket Hits Ashdod, 80-Year-Old Woman Injured Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 12, 2012, 05:36:52 pm http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/153673#.T137wIHvx0Q
First Publish: 3/12/2012, 3:24 PM Gaza terrorists hit Ashdod on Monday morning despite the presence of the Iron Dome defense system. A Grad missile slammed into the center of the city, demolishing cars and damaging storefronts An 80-year-old woman was hit by flying glass and injured. She was taken to Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot for treatment. Others in the area suffered shock. A second rocket hit the city of Gadera, causing damage and sending multiple bystanders into shock. The strike was the farthest from Gaza that terrorists have managed to hit. Until the mid-afternoon strike on Ashdod, the city had remained relatively untouched despite near-constant attempted attacks. While terrorists fired many rockets at the area, the Iron Dome system shot nearly all of them down, and there had been no injuries reported. Further rockets were fired Monday following the successful hit on the city. No injuries have been reported. Title: IDF Ground Invasion Option ‘On the Table’ Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 12, 2012, 05:38:21 pm http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/153657#.T1374oHvx0Q
3/12/12 The IDF is trained and prepared for a ground invasion of Gaza, but it won’t happen in the immediate future, says its chief spokesman Yoav Mordechai. Speaking to Voice of Israel government radio on the possibility of a ground incursion, he said, “The IDF is organized for that option. The situation in southern Israel is intolerable, but I can’t say if and when it will happen.” The last major ground maneuver into Gaza was the three-week Operation Cast Lead counterterrorist campaign from the end of December 2008 until the middle of January. The Olmert government, in which Tzipi Livni was Foreign Minister, agreed to a ceasefire after accepting American and European promises they would place monitoring systems to prevent smuggling of weapons from Egypt into Gaza. However, little was done, and European observers declined to be stationed in the area because of the dangers. Mordechai said that the armed forces have killed 20 terrorists in Gaza since the resumption of violence Friday. He contrasted the pinpoint Israeli attacks on terrorists with the more than 140 rockets and missiles fired by Gaza terrorists on Israeli civilian areas. The only Arab civilian casualty who was not a terrorist was a 12-year-old boy who approached a rocket launching site where a terrorist cell was about to be targeted, Mordechai said. “The IDF attacked six targets overnight, one of them an Islamic Jihad weapons storage center in an area where people are living,” he added. “There have been civilian injuries. This is what happens when Islamic Jihad deploys in civilian population areas. “We are defending Israel and we are worried about two million people in southern Israel who are not able to lead routine lives.” He also confirmed that IDF Chief of Benny Gantz has canceled a planned trip to the United States, where he was to speak at an event honoring the IDF. Mordechai said that Lt. Gen. Gantz will decide later in the week whether to fly to Washington for scheduled meetings with government and military officials. Title: Gaza: Chinese Missiles Aimed at Israel Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 12, 2012, 05:42:40 pm http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/153658#.T1372YHvx0Q
3/12/12 Hamas is in possession of missiles made in China, and hopes to get its hands on more, according to the Israel Defense website. Israel has previously intercepted Chinese missiles being smuggled into Gaza. Several C-704 missiles were among the many tons of weapons found hidden aboard the “human aid” ship Victoria last year. Updated versions of the missiles include a warhead with 19 kilograms of explosives surrounded by metal fragments. The fragments increase casualty rates on impact. The three-meter missiles have a range of up to 40 kilometers. Hamas possesses only the missiles themselves, and not the launchers designed to give greater accuracy. Instead, Gaza terrorists use simple ground launchers to send the missiles at Israeli population centers. Several dozen armies worldwide use the rockets Hamas hopes to obtain. The terrorist group has previously been given weapons by Middle East regimes, including Iran and Syria. Title: Quartet to Meet, Discuss Stalled Peace Process Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 12, 2012, 05:51:41 pm http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/153653#.T138AIHvx0Q
3/12/12 Quartet to Meet, Discuss Stalled Peace Process The Quartet for Middle East Peace – the European Union, Russia, United Nations, and United States – will meet on Monday in an attempt to revive the stalled peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. According to a report in the Moscow-based RIA Novosti news agency, the meeting will be held in New York and will be attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The report said that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will also be in attendance. European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and the Quartet’s special envoy to the Middle East, former British premier Tony Blair, will participate via a video link. The last meeting of the Quartet took place in September 2011 in the UN headquarters, RIA Novosti noted. During that meeting, which took place after the PA submitted its unilateral statehood bid to the UN, the Quartet suggested a timetable which will allegedly bring forth a peace agreement by the end of 2012. more Title: Obama presses Abbas on direct talks with Israel Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 19, 2012, 10:27:13 pm http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-presses-abbas-direct-talks-israel-021859684.html
3/19/12 Could there be signs of a thaw in the long-frozen Middle East peace talks? President Barack Obama discussed the stalled process by telephone with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, underlining the importance of "direct discussions" with Israel while avoiding "provocative actions" that damage already-bleak prospects for ending the conflict, White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement. In Ramallah, Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said the Palestinian leader had "informed President Obama about the contents of a message he will send to the Israeli prime minister," but did not elaborate on the contents, AFP reported. Talks between the two sides have been in limbo since late 2010, and most observers doubt that any progress can be made until after the November elections settle whether Obama or one of his Republican rivals will hold the reins of American foreign policy. Carney said that Obama had "reaffirmed America's commitment to Middle East Peace and to the overall objectives outlined by the Quartet" -- the diplomatic grouping of the United States, Europe, Russia, and the United Nations that has worked to find a way to end the conflict. more Title: Iran promises retaliation ‘in kind’ to any attack by the U.S. or Israel Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 20, 2012, 09:20:52 pm http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/iran-promises-retaliation-in-kind-to-any-attack-by-the-u-s-or-israel/
Iran promises retaliation ‘in kind’ to any attack by the U.S. or Israel March 21, 2012 – IRAN - Tehran will retaliate against any attack by Israeli or American forces “on the same level,” Iran’s top leader said on Tuesday in a defiant address just moments after US president Barack Obama appealed directly to the Iranian people with a message of solidarity. The contrasting approaches highlighted the broad range of political posturing and tactics as the standoff deepens over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, speaking on state TV to mark the Iranian new year, repeated his claims that the country does not seek atomic weapons, but said all their conventional firepower was ready to respond to any attack. “We do not have atomic weapons and we will not build one. But against an attack by enemies – to defend ourselves either against the US or the Zionist regime – we will attack them on the same level that they attack us,” he said. Despite the hard-edged tone for most of the speech, there were hints of overtures toward America before a possible resumption of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers. He urged the U.S. to have a “respectful attitude” toward Iran – suggesting it could bring dividends. –Times of India Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 23, 2012, 06:35:29 pm http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-4206949,00.html
'Israel warned neighbors: Don't march to Jerusalem' According to Al-Sharq al-Awsat, Arab countries, Palestinians warned not to approach Israeli borders during 'Universal Jerusalem march' next Friday Roi Kais Following the deadly clashes last year during the Naksa and Nakba marches to its northern border, Israel issued a stern warning to Arab countries and Palestinians to refrain from approaching the border. London based newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat reported Friday that the warning was issued in reference to the "Universal Jerusalem March" planned for next Friday to commemorate "Land Day." more Title: Israeli court rejects 2015 settlement evacuation Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 25, 2012, 04:17:44 pm http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-court-rejects-2015-settlement-evacuation-171013419.html
3/25/12 JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli Supreme Court on Sunday rejected the state's request to postpone dismantling a large, unsanctioned West Bank settler enclave until late 2015, dealing a serious blow to settler hopes to keep dozens of rogue outposts standing. The ruling could ignite a violent showdown with settlers, who have vowed in the past not to abandon their hilltop stronghold, Migron. Settler leader Shimon Riklin, one of the enclave's founders, told Israel's Channel 2 TV that the evacuation of Migron "would not pass quietly." A spokesman for the Palestinians, who claim all of the West Bank as part of a future state, was skeptical that the ruling would be carried out. The state submitted the delay petition earlier this month, seeking to bypass the high court's earlier order to dismantle the Migron outpost by March 31 because it was built on privately held Palestinian land. more Title: Officials: Israel ready for ‘Global March to J'lem’ Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 26, 2012, 11:40:52 am Officials: Israel ready for ‘Global March to J'lem’
By OREN KESSLER, YAAKOV LAPPIN AND HERB KEINON 26/03/2012 Processions planned on Israel's borders to mark 36th anniversary of Land Day; Iran pressuring its Jews to take part. Israel is prepared to handle this week’s “Global March to Jerusalem,” officials said on Sunday, as organizers plan a multi-pronged rush on the country’s borders to mark the 36th anniversary of Land Day on Friday. Organizers of the event – known as “GMJ” – say they are planning peaceful marches on the Israeli border in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt, at checkpoints in the West Bank and at entrances to the Gaza Strip. “Our aim is to end the Zionist policies of apartheid, ethnic cleansing and Judaization, which all harm the people, land and sanctity of Jerusalem,” they wrote on the event’s official homepage. “The GMJ is comprised of a diverse coalition of Palestinian, Arab and international activists who are united in the struggle to liberate the holy city of Jerusalem (the city of peace) from illegal Zionist occupation.” Organizers said processions would also be organized in Arab and Muslim capitals worldwide, and in front of Israeli embassies in a number of unspecified countries. Friday marks 36 years since the first Land Day, when tens of thousands of Israeli Arabs – and Palestinians marching in solidarity in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Lebanon – rallied against government plans to take control of hundreds of hectares of land in the Galilee and the Negev. Six Israeli Arabs were killed and around 100 were wounded in the protests. On Sunday, officials said security forces had been given refresher training on non-lethal crowd dispersal techniques. They said border police have been put on alert in Israel and the West Bank, and additional officers deployed to the northern borders to reinforce IDF units. “We’ve been through this before,” a security source said of Friday’s planned marches. Last May, 13 people were killed while trying to breach the Syrian and Lebanese borders with Israel on “Nakba Day,” the annual date when Palestinians mourn the Jewish state’s creation in 1948. The following month 12 people were injured on the Syrian frontier on “Naksa Day,” marking Arab defeat and territorial losses in the 1967 Six Day War. Another official said all necessary precautions were being taken, and that Jordan and Egypt had an interest in keeping their borders quiet. The situation in Lebanon is less clear. One Israeli official said marchers would likely proceed as far as Beaufort – a Crusader castle several kilometers north of the border – while another warned that Iranian involvement in Lebanon’s south means no scenario could be ruled out. Earlier this week, the Israel-based Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center reported that Iran is the primary force behind the initiative, both directly and through proxies such as Hezbollah. In February, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei described the Global March as an expression of Iran’s policy to strengthen “resistance operations” against Israel. This month, the GMJ website claimed a Jewish-Iranian umbrella group had thrown its support behind the marches. “We the Iranian Jewry alongside the strata of Iranian people, under the guidance of the leadership, announce that we shall fight against imperialism and Zionism until all the lawful rights of the valiant nation of Palestine are met,” the Society of Iranian Jews was quoted as saying. “We the Iranian Jewry would also like to show the disassociation of the anti-humanitarian works committed by the occupying Israeli regime and their usurping army with the commandments of divine laws of Prophet Moses (P.B.U.H). We would like to show our support with all those who desire the lawful rights of the valiant nation of Palestine,” the group said. The statement was signed by Ciamak Mordesadegh – who holds the one Iranian parliamentary seat reserved for Jews – and Rabbi Mashallah Golestaninejad, a Jewish leader in the country. DEBKAfile reported on Friday that Hussein Sheikholeslam – an Iranian parliamentarian it describes as one of the march’s organizers – instructed Jewish leaders to provide 10 men aged 18 to 22 to be given “the honor” of acting as the vanguard in breaking through the Lebanese-Israeli border fence. The report – which could not be independently verified – quoted Iranian sources as saying authorities may have demanded the inclusion of Jewish marchers so Israeli soldiers would be constrained from opening fire. In January, the GMJ’s International Central Committee held its first and only meeting in Beirut. The committee consists of anti-Israel activists from the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and several other Arab, Muslim and Western states. The panel includes one Israeli citizen – Muhammad Zeidan, chairman of the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, a nongovernmental organization representing Israeli Arabs at the national level. Zeidan sailed on the Mavi Marmara in the 2010 Gaza protest flotilla, in which nine people were killed by Israel Navy commandos while trying to run the Israeli blockade. One of the GMJ’s major themes is what it describes as Israel’s “Judaization” of Jerusalem. “Over the last several years Zionist efforts to ‘Judaize’ the city have quickened pace in an attempt to erase Jerusalem’s physical, cultural and spiritual characteristics,” organizers wrote, adding that such efforts have been aimed at changing the city’s demographics “from a Palestinian to a Jewish majority.” The GMJ website refers to all of Israel as occupied land. “Massive marches will be organized in Palestine (the 1948 seizures, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip) towards Jerusalem or to the nearest point to it,” it says. The logo on the homepage features all of Mandatory Palestine, and is set against a banner showing Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock and Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Muslim and Christian holy places are set against the backdrop of the Mount of Olives, but the sprawling 3,000-year-old Jewish cemetery with its 150,000 tombstones is absent, replaced by a barren hillside. Title: Storm clouds of nuclear war gathering on horizon: Iran threatens ‘total annihila Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 26, 2012, 11:55:11 am http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/storm-clouds-of-nuclear-war-gathering-on-horizon-iran-threatens-total-annihilation-of-israel-if-it-attacks/
Storm clouds of nuclear war gathering on horizon: Iran threatens ‘total annihilation’ of Israel if it attacks March 26, 2012 – IRAN - A senior Iranian cleric says the Israeli threats of a military strike on Iran are mere “psychological warfare” as Tel Aviv fully understands any such venture would lead to its “total annihilation.” “There has been some talk in the media for some time of a military move [against Iran] by the Zionist regime [of Israel] in particular; these menacing murmurs are nothing but psychological warfare,” Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami said on Monday. Last year during a period, foreign media created hype about a war [against Tehran] and anyone who paid attention to these media felt the US would attack Iran the following day,” he said. The senior Iranian cleric, who is a member of the presiding board of the Assembly of Experts, said Israeli officials know that a military offensive against Iran would mean the complete annihilation of the Zionist regime. “We are not aggressors but our response to aggressors will be devastatingly crushing.” Ayatollah Khatami further referred to the failed Israeli invasion of Lebanon during the 33-Day war in 2006 as evidence that Tel Aviv stands no chance against a more powerful and better equipped Iran. “They could not even endure resist against Hezbollah weapons, with a maximum range of 70 kilometers, and [were forced to] raise their hands in surrender after 33 days. So how will they ever withstand Iranian missile might?” The US, Israel and some of their allies have accused Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear energy program. Iran has refuted the allegations over its nuclear energy program, arguing that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Tehran is entitled to the peaceful use of nuclear technology. The IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities, but has never found any evidence indicating that its nuclear energy program has been diverted towards nuclear weapons production. –Press TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZHBWA5p87k&feature=player_embedded Title: Palestinians to fan Israeli-Arab Earth Day disorders Friday. Damascus to pitch i Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 27, 2012, 09:59:00 am Palestinians to fan Israeli-Arab Earth Day disorders Friday. Damascus to pitch in
http://debka.com/article/21862/ Israel’s warnings to its Arab neighbors and the Palestinian Authority to curb violent assaults on its borders on the annual Israeli Arab Earth Day Friday, March 30, have fallen on deaf ears. The Palestinian Authority is for the first time making it a joint Palestinian-Israel Arab event, organizing mass anti-Israel disturbances in Jerusalem, Jaffa and other places, while also instigating West Bankers to rally and smash through Israeli border checkpoints and fences. Syria is lining up buses for thousands of Palestinians to storm Israel’s northern border at Quneitra on the Golan. Scattered Palestinian disturbances are already springing up outside the Damascus Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem, at the Jerusalem-Bethlehem checkpoint, Rachel’s tomb and the Kalandia checkpoint north of Jerusalem. They are exercises for splitting Israeli police and troops among several points of disorder. Palestinian websites, social networks and media are whipping up frenzied anticipation for confrontations with Israel forces, the knife-edge atmosphere further inflamed by the impact of the murder in Toulouse of a rabbi, his two small children and a third child by a French Islamist terrorist at the Ozar Hatorah school. Along with a general IDF and police alert for trouble, anti-terror units are on the lookout for terrorists taking advantage of the mayhem. March 15, a Palestinian man stabbed a woman soldier on the light train; March 25, a Palestinian gang beat up an unarmed Israeli soldier on the street. A Palestinian marathon was staged with many children runners - both to compete with the international marathon Israeli staged in Jerusalem last Friday, March 23, and to gridlock East Jerusalem’s roads so as to slow down riot police responses Taking a hand in Israeli Arab protests for the first time, the Palestinian Authority is organizing a march in Jaffa from the port to Ajami Square. The main event of this year’s Earth Day will take place in the Galilee town of Deir Hanna. Expatriate Palestinians were also instructed to stage demonstrations outside Israeli embassies in key cities. The Palestinian Authority aims to make the outbreaks as striking and clamorous as possible in order to reach the ears of Arab rulers attending the 23rd Arab League summit in Baghdad at the same time. The Palestinian delegation was ordered to keep a low profile there because Saudi Arabia and the Gulf emirates each have serious issues with the PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Since those countries have cut off regular financial aid, the Ramallah-based PA has run up an all-time record deficit of $1.4 billon and is too broke to buy medicines, debkafile’s sources report. No Arab or Middle East bank will extend the defaulting PA any more credit. When they saw no hope of getting paid, many contractors have downed tools in the middle of projects. Bashar Assad also has a big stake in getting even with the Arab mainstream which has roundly condemned his brutal crackdown on dissent. He was told his presence at the Arab summit was undesirable and he should send foreign minister Walid Moallem instead. His reply was to send no-one and prepare a convoy of buses to carry thousands of Palestinians to the Israeli Golan border at Quneitra. They are instructed to rush the Israeli border and knock over its Israeli guards Friday in tune with the Palestinian-generated showdown with Israeli forces planned for Israel and the West Bank. The Syrian ruler’s object is to show up his Arab colleagues on widely propagated footage as lounging at ease in the sumptuous halls of Baghdad while leaving the Palestinians to the mercies of Israeli troops. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on March 27, 2012, 02:11:00 pm State Department Won’t Say Jerusalem Is in Israel
An official State Department communication has labeled Jerusalem and Israel as separate entities. In an official press release yesterday, the State Department announced that “Acting Under Secretary Kathleen Stephens Travels to Algeria, Qatar, Jordan, Jerusalem, and Israel.” Keeping up with its longstanding policy, the State Department refuses to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s official capital—despite a U.S. law stating otherwise. Obama faced criticism on the issue last year, when it was revealed that the White House had scrubbed all references to Jerusalem being part of the Jewish state from a collection of photos on its website. Obama has also been lambasted by pro-Israel leaders and some on Capitol Hill for capitulating to pressure from the State Department, which has long opposed U.S. law on the matter. A senior GOP aide condemned the State Department’s recent press release as unsound foreign policy. “Once again, President Obama’s administration reminds Jewish voters why he cannot be trusted when it comes to Israel’s security,” said the source. “He doesn’t think Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Is it its own sovereign nation?” The GOP source also chided Obama for continuing to buck U.S. law on the issue. “Under U.S. law, Jerusalem is recognized as the undivided capital of Israel—period,” said the adviser. “Unlike the U.S. embassy’s move, that fact is not subject to any waiver or exception. So the question really is, why is Barack Obama ignoring U.S. law and refusing to recognize Israel’s capital?” http://freebeacon.com/state-department-wont-say-jerusalem-is-in-israel/print/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on March 27, 2012, 04:57:27 pm Quote “Under U.S. law, Jerusalem is recognized as the undivided capital of Israel—period,” said the adviser. “Unlike the U.S. embassy’s move, that fact is not subject to any waiver or exception. So the question really is, why is Barack Obama ignoring U.S. law and refusing to recognize Israel’s capital?” Uh, because he's Muslim. ::) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 27, 2012, 05:39:50 pm Yep, it's only a matter of time now before EVERYONE gets on the same bandwagon as Obama - no, not just the Muslims, but the New Age Movement, the "truther" movement, the Catholic Church, the pseudo-christian church, etc, etc.
Title: Arabs prepare for 'Jerusalem March' Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 29, 2012, 09:57:41 am http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-4209532,00.html
Hundreds of thousands of people expected to take part in pro-Palestinian protest over weekend; marches to be held across region. Anti-Israel fly-in taking shape Turbulent weekend in cards? International supporters and hundreds of thousands of participants are expected to take part in the Global March on Jerusalem Friday, as Israel braces for potential attempts to breach the Jewish state's borders.. The event, which is expected to include marches and protests across the region, is entering its final preparations, as IDF forces are also deploying in a bid to prevent any disruptions on Israel's borders. The IDF is preparing for the possibility that attempts will be made to breach Israel's borders. The forces have been directed to prevent any beaches of Israeli sovereignty with minimal injuries to the protestors, if they do approach the border. Sources within the defense establishment have conducted talks with Palestinian security officials to coordinate the events and make sure they remain within the jurisdiction of Palestinian towns. Sa'id Yakin, one of the protest organizers in the Palestinian Authority, told Ynet that rallies will be held at three West Bank focal points. "We expect thousands of participants," Yakin said. "We have no interest in confrontation, and this march will not give rise to a third Intifada. We hope this move will affect Israel and its government's policy." (http://www.ynetnews.com/PicServer3/2012/03/26/3823587/REUTERS0RAT28_MOROCCO-_0325_11508901_Wa.jpg) more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on March 29, 2012, 04:03:45 pm Quote "We expect thousands of participants," Yakin said. "We have no interest in confrontation Typical Arabic double-speak. Confrontation is exactly what the march is. They can march, shout, carry signs, then go home, and all would be fine, but it never seems to be that simple. Confrontation is exactly what is building around Jerusalem. "And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." Revelation 11:8 (KJB) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on March 30, 2012, 07:07:45 am The Global March to Jerusalem
by David Solway on FrontPageMag www.olivetreeviews.org March 29, 2012 Once again, Israel is confronted by a major threat to its existence, namely, the so-called Global March to Jerusalem (GMJ) scheduled for March 30. It is organized by the usual suspects--the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, the swelling tribe of Ayatollah lovers, the devil's spawn of radical Leftists--whose intention is to mobilize a million people to breach Israel's borders and converge on Jerusalem. They are convinced that Israel will either find itself helpless before a "peaceful" onslaught of this magnitude or be forced to take action that would lead to a PR disaster. From their perspective, it's a win-win situation. One way or another, Israel would be gravely weakened and, according to an unlettered exchange between some of the event's organizers, "This will undermine the Israeli state...& the Zionist edifice which is unraveling as we speak, will soon fall." A million unarmed zealots determined to challenge the Jewish state are by no means unarmed. They are enemy combatants armed with the sympathy of the international community and the propaganda weapon furnished by a world-wide anti-Zionist media. They know that Israel is bound to lose the propaganda war regardless of how it decides to respond. Islamic states do not suffer from a similar dilemma. After all, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has slaughtered over 9,000 of his own people in attempting to repress a popular uprising. But the GMJ organizers--including such well--known bigots as George Galloway, Reverend Jeremiah Wright and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who sit on the advisory board--have little or nothing to say about this ongoing atrocity. Clearly, they are not eager to Occupy Damascus since they might actually get hurt. But Jerusalem is another matter. They will have the Israeli Left cheering them on and can bank on the reluctance of the IDF to apply lethal force. The GMJ is also armed with a formidable body of outright lies and gross distortions that the radical Left, in concert with Islamofascist dogma, has adopted as doctrinal truth. The so-called Anti-Imperialist Camp, which supports the march, and the official GMF website have listed the standard batch of falsifications as ideological ammunition for its adherents. Among the myths and libels enumerated in these venues, we learn: that Palestinians are being expelled from Jerusalem, a claim refuted even by the Leftwing The Nation which recorded a 3% growth of Arab Jerusalemites compared to a mere 1% growth of the Holy City's Jewish residents. According to the globalpost, the Arab population of Jerusalem has grown 209% since the Jordanian defeat in the 1967 war. that 85% of Palestinian territory has been despoiled by "foreign settlers." Of course, the organizers are referring to Israel proper, oblivious to the fact that it was Israel that was robbed of 78% of its legally mandated territory, which became the artificially constructed Emirate of Transjordan. that only Jewish citizens benefit from Israeli democracy, a lie so brazen that only the terminally brainwashed could believe it. that Israel is in violation of international law--when it is Israel, and only Israel, that is in compliance with the League of Nations Mandate, the dispositions of the San Remo Conference, Article 80 of the UN Charter and UN Resolution 242, as well as the laws of war validating the results of the 1967 and 1973 hostilities. that Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine, a contention that scurrilously negates several historically attested facts, for example, that there is no such country called Palestine, that a significant proportion of the Arab inhabitants of the contested area are not indigenous "Palestinians" but relative latecomers originating in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq and North Africa, and that Jerusalem throughout history was the political and spiritual capital of the Jewish people. Indeed, Jews formed the majority of the city's population for much of the census-taking period, as is evident from such meticulously documented volumes as Mitchell Bard's Myths and Facts and Joan Peters' From Time Immemorial. Buttressed by such fabrications, the GMJ has effectively declared war on Israel and has embarked on what is nothing less than a massive invasion of its sovereign territory. The email previously cited envisions a "human tide" of one million people now, but aims for five million "next time...& it will only grow from there." Obviously, this is war by another name, and Israel is being attacked with a view not only to inflict a humiliating defeat upon it but to eliminate it entirely from the roll-call of the world's nations. In essence, this is only a more "humane" version of the Iranian project to wipe Israel off the map. Judaism is a life-affirming religion; unfortunately, in the world of practical affairs, it is all too often the life of its enemies that is affirmed. The IDF distributes leaflets advising its antagonists of impending operations, so as not to harm civilians. Jewish organizations engage in "dialogue" and "outreach" with those who are sworn to their extirpation. The Jewish Left promotes the boycotting of Israeli goods, agitates on behalf of the Palestinians and condemns the Jewish inhabitants of Judea and Samaria--Israel's ancient heartland--as colonialist "settlers." The Israeli ruling elite is prone to surrendering legitimately acquired land in exchange for illusory promises, exposing its citizens to ambushes, incursions and even short-range missile attacks in ever-contracting territory. And now we have the proposed million-man march on Jerusalem. Of course, it is unlikely that the number is even remotely achievable, but let us assume for the sake of argument that it were. The question then poses itself. How should Israel react to the inundation of its capital by a million people swarming in from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt? With water cannons? With the sonic boom of low-flying F-16s? With conciliatory rhetoric? With civilized debating points? With the keys to the city? Such expedients do not seem especially convincing. Plainly, a workable means of deterrence to what is theoretically a significant menace to the continued existence of the Jewish state will have to be arrived at. In the face of the GMJ, no less than the genocidal policy of Iran, Israel will need to find some way of affirming itself for a change and ensuring the survival of its Jewish citizens. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on March 30, 2012, 07:27:30 am Israeli forces fire tear gas at Palestinians as Land Day turns violent
Israeli security forces fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to break up groups of Palestinian stone-throwers on Friday as annual Land Day rallies turned violent. Palestinian activists have called for a "Global March to Jerusalem" to mark the day when Israeli Arabs protest against government policies that they say has stripped them of land. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arab news channel Al Jazeera reported in a live blog on its website that the Israeli army was "pushing protesters back towards Ramallah with the use of tear gas and water cannons". It also reported that there are close to 1,000 protestors gathered in Ramallah. Israeli forces were put on high alert at frontier crossings with Lebanon and Syria but there were no reports of any protesters nearing the border fences, unlike last year when several demonstrators were killed there in Land Day protests. REST: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/30/10937603-israeli-forces-fire-tear-gas-at-palestinians-as-land-day-turns-violent Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 30, 2012, 12:16:22 pm http://www.thejerusalemconnection.us/blog/2012/03/29/obama-admin-refuses-to-call-jerusalem-israels-capital.html BY RYAN JONES, ISRAEL TODAY— A long-standing point of contention between Israel and the US (one of the few that exists) is the fact that while Congress and the vast majority of American citizens recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state, the White House refuses to do so. The Obama Administration’s position on Jerusalem took center stage this week when a State Department spokeswoman refused during a press briefing to accept that the city, even the non-contested and Jewish dominated western half, is the capital of Israel. Early in the week, the Washington Free Beacon political blog discovered that a State Department communication posted online had identified “Jerusalem” and “Israel” as separate Middle East entities. Following that revelation, the State Department quickly altered the communique to list only cities and not countries. At Wednesday’s weekly press briefing, a reporter asked State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland to comment on the issue, to which she replied, “Our policy with regard to Jerusalem is that it has to be solved through negotiations. We are not going to prejudge the outcome of those negotiations, including the final status of Jerusalem. …That’s all I have to say…” But the reporter in question was not satisfied, and pressed Nuland, stating, “That seems to suggest that you do not regard Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.” Nuland still was not budging, so the reporter tried to “give her an out” by asking, “Is it your position that all of Jerusalem is a final-status issue, or do you think — or is it just East Jerusalem?” Nuland still refused to acknowledge that even the western side of Jerusalem, which has been under Israeli sovereignty since 1948, is the legitimate seat of Israel’s government. The Weekly Standard transcribed the entire exchange at the press briefing. The United States continues to maintain its embassy in Tel Aviv, despite a 1995 act of Congress that stipulated the American mission was to be moved to Jerusalem no later than 1999. Successive American presidents have consistently invoked “national security” powers to avoid implementing the Jerusalem Embassy Act. Israel is unfazed by the fresh commotion over the status of its capital, said an official [cited by the Times of Israel] [3]. “Jerusalem is Israel’s capital by decision of the Knesset and nothing can change that,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor stated. “It’s our capital, no matter what anyone else is saying.” Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on March 30, 2012, 02:14:10 pm Israeli forces fire tear gas at Palestinians as Land Day turns violent Israeli security forces fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to break up groups of Palestinian stone-throwers on Friday as annual Land Day rallies turned violent. Palestinian activists have called for a "Global March to Jerusalem" to mark the day when Israeli Arabs protest against government policies that they say has stripped them of land. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arab news channel Al Jazeera reported in a live blog on its website that the Israeli army was "pushing protesters back towards Ramallah with the use of tear gas and water cannons". It also reported that there are close to 1,000 protestors gathered in Ramallah. Israeli forces were put on high alert at frontier crossings with Lebanon and Syria but there were no reports of any protesters nearing the border fences, unlike last year when several demonstrators were killed there in Land Day protests. REST: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/30/10937603-israeli-forces-fire-tear-gas-at-palestinians-as-land-day-turns-violent Quote They can march, shout, carry signs, then go home, and all would be fine, but it never seems to be that simple. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 31, 2012, 11:05:49 am IDF and Hamas battle Jihad Islami snipers trying to provoke Gaza warfare
3/31/12 The most violent event of Palestinian-backed Earth Day Friday, March 30, was a battle around the Gaza-Israeli Erez crossing between Israeli forces and marksmen of the Iran-backed Palestinian Jihad Islami, debkafile’s military sources report. The shooters were laying down fire to cover a mass Palestinian rush on the Israeli border and the crossing so as to force Israeli soldiers to shoot into the crowd. Multiple Palestinian casualties would have given Jihad the pretext for reviving its missile offensive against Israeli towns and villages which partly died down two weeks ago. Our sources report that IDF fire was not aimed at the demonstrators but the marksmen. All the same, in the subsequent melee, one Palestinian man was killed – Mahmoud Zachout, member of a prominent Gazan family, and 14 were injured. At an early stage, members of the Hamas internal security battalion intervened. They split up - one section to stop the Jihad fire, the other, to block the procession’s march on the Israeli border. Zachout may have been killed by bullets from either side. Their source is under investigation. debkafile has not established whether the rare collaboration between Israeli forces and Hamas was planned or that both sides happened at same point to appreciate their shared goal, which was to stop Jihad Islami violence and de-escalate the tension. The result was to save a demonstration from descending into a bloodbath. Israeli commanders commented at the end of the day that, although all the country’s borders remained intact and Palestinian mobs were prevented from breaking through to Israeli areas, as they had planned in Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, the turmoil may not be over. Only thousands turned up for pro-Palestinian street demonstrators in Israel and its Arab neighbors, a mere fraction of the March of a Million that was planned jointly by Iran, Hizballah, Syria and Jihad Islami, Tehran’s tool in Gaza. more http://debka.com/article/21879/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 22, 2012, 08:53:39 am http://news.yahoo.com/eu-condemns-palestinians-eviction-east-jerusalem-134353569.html
. EU condemns Palestinians' eviction in east Jerusalem AFP – Sat, Apr 21, 2012. .. The European Union missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah condemned on Saturday the recent eviction of a Palestinian family from its east Jerusalem home, ahead of its inhabitation by Jewish settlers. The EU missions "condemn the eviction of the Natshe family from their home in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina," a statement read. They were also "deeply concerned by the plans to build a new settlement in the midst of this traditional Palestinian neighbourhood," the statement continued, noting that "settlements are illegal under international law." On Wednesday, Israeli police evicted the family from their home in the annexed east Jerusalem neighbourhood after Jewish settlers won a court battle over ownership. The eviction of the 14-member Natshe family from two houses in Beit Hanina was the first successful attempt by settlers to secure a property in the well-heeled Arab district in the northern part of east Jerusalem. Israel captured east Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War, and considers all the city its "eternal, undivided" capital. It does not consider construction in the eastern sector settlement building. But the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their promised state, and furiously denounce any move by Israel to buy or build property there. The international community considers all Israeli settlement on occupied land to be illegal under international law. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 01, 2012, 12:06:55 pm http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-4222830,00.html
Israel begins buildings wall on Lebanon border Army says wall that will stretch from Metulla to Kila intended to 'prevent firing from Lebanese side' Maor Buchnik, Reuters Israel began building a wall on Monday along a 1-km (0.6 mile) -stretch of its border with Lebanon, saying the barrier was necessary to boost security for an Israeli frontier town across from a Lebanese village. An Israeli security fence already runs along the entire border but the military said defenses had to be bolstered with a 5-7 meter-(16-23 feet) high cement wall between the Israeli town of Metulla and the Lebanese village of Kila. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 07, 2012, 12:35:26 pm Troop movement renews Sinai reoccupation buzz
Oil, natural gas fields ripe for takeover that also would undermine terror attacks 5/4/12 WASHINGTON – The reported call-up by the Israeli Defense Forces of six battalions of reservists to be assigned mostly along the 150-mile border with Egypt facing the Sinai Peninsula has renewed buzz that Israel is planning to reoccupy the region, according to a report in Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin. The move underscores not only concern by Tel Aviv of heightened terrorist attacks launched from the deserts there, but also the possibility of a remedy, at least temporarily, to the growing energy crisis that has emerged following Egypt’s cancellation of the contract that brought natural gas into Israel. The gas, which met some 40 percent of Israel’s energy requirements, flowed through a pipeline that has been sabotaged some 14 times since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak last year. The interim governing Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, or SCAF, then decided to pull back Egyptian troops from that frontier, and Israelis say now it is showing increased al-Qaida and Bedouin tribe violence. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 07, 2012, 12:38:31 pm http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/155467
Jordanians Protest, Call to End Peace with Israel Thousands of Jordanians take to the streets, demand an end to the country‘s 18-year-old peace treaty with Israel. 5/5/12 Thousands of Jordanians took to the streets on Friday demanding an end to the country‘s 18-year-old peace treaty with Israel. According to a report by the dpa news agency, in a series of nationwide protests, demonstrators urged Amman to cut ties with the Jewish State. The protesters burned Israeli flags and chanted “death, death to Israel”, the report said. The protests took place in seven cities across the country, and the protesters urged authorities to expel the Israeli ambassador from Amman, chanting “no to a Zionist embassy on our land.” Protest organizers, including the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood and youth movements, told dpa the demonstrations came as a direct response to King Abdullah‘s recent nomination of Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh, who served as a key figure in the 1994 Jordan-Israel peace process. Various political and social groups have expressed outrage over comments recently made by Tarawneh indicating that, if given a second chance, he would still support the controversial peace treaty. “This is a person who obviously does not respect the people‘s will and his words are proof of how out of touch he is with average citizens,” Jamil Abu Baker, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, told dpa. Tarawneh was appointed prime minister last week, after the resignation of 62-year-old Awn Khasawneh, an International Court of Justice judge who formed his cabinet last October and resigned just six months later. On Wednesday, Tarawneh’s cabinet, which is tasked with pushing for reforms, was sworn in. Jordanians have been demonstrating since January of last year, demanding sweeping political and economic reforms as well as an end to corruption, as part of the Arab Spring protests. The dpa report noted that Friday’s protests marked a departure from activists‘ usual demands for democratic reforms. (Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 12, 2012, 07:44:48 pm http://news.yahoo.com/israel-palestinians-meet-strike-talks-ongoing-145000209.html
Israel Palestinians meet, strike talks ongoing 5/12/12 JERUSALEM (AP) — Israelis and Palestinians are negotiating through Egyptian mediators to end a mass Palestinian hunger strike, officials said Saturday. Later, an Israeli envoy is set to meet with the Palestinian president about stalled peace talks. Some 1,600 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails are on hunger strike to demand better conditions and to put an end to detention without trial. The Egyptian-brokered talks mark the first time that substantive negotiations have been reported to be under way to defuse the protest since it began weeks, and in some cases months, ago. Palestinian officials say Egyptian mediators are trying to hash out an agreement between the strikers and Israel. An Israeli official confirmed talks were taking place but would not elaborate. All requested anonymity, because of the matter's sensitivity. Egyptian officials weren't immediately available for comment. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 13, 2012, 01:35:30 pm http://news.yahoo.com/netanyahu-responds-palestinian-letter-215234971.html
5/12/12 Netanyahu responds to Palestinian letter By Ali Sawafta | Reuters – 20 hrs ago RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israel and the Palestinian Authority issued a rare joint statement on Saturday, saying they were committed to peace after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched an envoy to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The envoy carried a letter from Netanyahu replying to one he received last month from Abbas, in which the Palestinian leader stated his grievances over the collapse of peace talks in 2010 and laid out his parameters for a resumption of negotiations. Details of Netanyahu's letter were not released, but Israeli officials said last week that they did not expect him to accept a key Palestinian demand to halt all settlement building in the occupied territories before reopening any talks. Netanyahu's office issued a joint statement with the Palestinians after envoy Isaac Molcho met Abbas in Ramallah -- the Palestinian Authority's administrative capital. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 16, 2012, 09:32:16 am http://news.yahoo.com/eu-slams-israel-over-settlements-palestinians-151434976.html
5/14/12 EU castigates Israel over settlements, Palestinians EU foreign ministers on Monday issued a harsh critique of Israel, saying the gathering pace of settlement-building, settler extremism and ill-treatment of Palestinians threatens a two-state solution. "The EU expresses deep concern about developments on the ground which threaten to make a two-state solution impossible," the bloc's 27 ministers said in a statement issued during talks in Brussels. "The viability of a two-state solution must be maintained," the three-page European Union statement added. Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said on Monday that Israel was moving ahead with plans to build around 2,000 new homes in the settlement of Gilo, in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 10, 2012, 01:17:34 pm http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-palestinian-negotiators-quietly-meet-132820822.html
6/10/12 [size=18]Israeli, Palestinian negotiators quietly meet[/size] By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH | Associated Press – 2 hrs 30 mins ago. RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have been meeting quietly in recent weeks in hopes of ending a three-year standstill in peace efforts, both sides confirmed Sunday. Officials acknowledged the agenda of the recent talks has been modest, and stressed there is no breakthrough in sight. Nonetheless, the revelations gave a small sign of hope that a formula can be found to restart formal negotiations addressing core issues. Peace talks broke down in December 2008, and have remained frozen ever since. The Palestinians say they will not resume negotiations until Israel halts settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, occupied lands claimed by the Palestinians for a future state. The Palestinians also want Israel to accept its pre-1967 boundaries, before it captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem, as the basis of a final border. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says talks should restart without preconditions. Palestinian officials said their chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, and Netanyahu's envoy, Yitzhak Molcho, have been meeting on a regular basis in hopes of finding a formula for restarting talks. They said they have not eased their demands, but were open to scheduling a meeting between Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The two men have not met since a short-lived attempt to relaunch negotiations in late 2010. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 14, 2012, 10:42:57 am http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23254/language/en-US/Default.aspx
6/13/12 Jewish, Arab believers meet for true reconciliation in Jerusalem Muslim background followers of Jesus from various Middle Eastern countries met with their Messianic Jewish and Christian counterparts May 7 – 12 in the Old City of Jerusalem at Christ Church, the oldest Protestant Church in the Middle East. Although similar conferences have been held over the years in the Middle East, this is the first time such a gathering has been held in Israel. At the Crossroads convened in the context of Isaiah’s vision of a highway that will run from Egypt and Israel to Assyria – a model of worship and partnership for Christians across the region that will lead to the Middle East becoming a “blessing on the earth.” More than seventy delegates came from Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, Palestinian Authority, Cyprus, Armenia, Turkey, Europe and North America. Worshiping and praying together in Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish, Hebrew, and hearing testimonies about the blessings and challenges of following Jesus in our region were among the highlights of the conference. Due to security concerns the conference was a closed, invitation only gathering. However, two sessions were open to local guests featuring speakers Rev. Andrew White, the “Vicar of Baghdad”, and Pastor Ali Pektash, a Muslim who came to faith in Jesus through a dream while on hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca. Messianic Jewish and Palestinian leaders, including Taysir Abu Saada, author of Once an Arafat Man, also addressed the delegates, testifying to God’s power not only to reconcile enemies but to enable them to take risks by crossing ethnic, political and religious divides to work together to expand God’s kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in this troubled and unstable region. In the words of one of the organizers, “It is all too easy for Christians in the Middle East to become ghettoized due to their minority status and the many ethnic and political divisions. Consequently we often fail to see how God is working in our midst. Our focus must extend beyond these conflicts and only the survival of existing Christian communities. Without ignoring the suffering and injustice in so many parts of our region, we should focus on the call of Jesus to expand God’s sovereignty by making disciples, recognizing the crucial role Jewish believers in Israel have in the Great Commission to bless their neighbors with the Good News. And equally so, the followers of Jesus in the surrounding nations have a unique role in helping Israel become part of the blessing that God intends for this region.” Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 28, 2012, 10:40:11 pm I have questions about this in my next post here...
President Obama Signs US-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act(Video of signing and PC inside link) 7/27/12 http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2012/07/27/president-obama-signs-us-israel-enhanced-security-cooperation-act President Obama signs the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012, which strengthens Israel’s qualitative military edge and support for Administration initiatives that deepen U.S. defense and security cooperation with Israel. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr4133/text HR 4133 RFS 112th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 4133 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 10, 2012 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations AN ACT To express the sense of Congress regarding the United States-Israel strategic relationship, to direct the President to submit to Congress reports on United States actions to enhance this relationship and to assist in the defense of Israel, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ‘United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012’. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds the following: (1) Since 1948, United States Presidents and both houses of Congress, on a bipartisan basis and supported by the American people, have repeatedly reaffirmed the special bond between the United States and Israel, based on shared values and shared interests. (2) The Middle East is undergoing rapid change, bringing with it hope for an expansion of democracy but also great challenges to the national security of the United States and our allies in the region, particularly our most important ally in the region, Israel. Over the past year, the Middle East has witnessed the fall of some regimes long considered to be stabilizing forces and a rise in the influence of radical Islamists. (3) Iran, which has long sought to foment instability and promote extremism in the Middle East, is now seeking to exploit the dramatic political transition underway in the region to undermine governments traditionally aligned with the United States and support extremist political movements in these countries. (4) At the same time, Iran may soon attain a nuclear weapons capability, a development that would fundamentally threaten vital American interests, destabilize the region, encourage regional nuclear proliferation, further empower and embolden Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, and provide it the tools to threaten its neighbors, including Israel. (5) Over the past several years, with the assistance of Iran and Syria, Hizballah and Hamas have increased their stockpiles of rockets, with more than 60,000 rockets now ready to be fired at Israel. Iran continues to add to its arsenal of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, which threaten Iran’s neighbors, Israel, and United States military forces in the region. (6) As a result, the strategic environment that has kept Israel secure and safeguarded United States national interests for the past 35 years has eroded. SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. It is the policy of the United States: (1) To reaffirm the enduring commitment of the United States to the security of the State of Israel as a Jewish state. As President Obama stated on December 16, 2011, ‘America’s commitment and my commitment to Israel and Israel’s security is unshakeable.’. And as President Bush stated before the Knesset on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel on May 15, 2008, ‘The alliance between our governments is unbreakable, yet the source of our friendship runs deeper than any treaty.’. (2) To provide Israel the military capabilities necessary to deter and defend itself by itself against any threats. (3) To veto any one-sided anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations Security Council. (4) To support Israel’s inherent right to self-defense. (5) To pursue avenues to expand cooperation with Israel in both defense and across the spectrum of civilian sectors, including high technology, agriculture, medicine, health, pharmaceuticals, and energy. (6) To assist Israel with its on-going efforts to forge a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that results in two states living side by side in peace and security, and to encourage Israel’s neighbors to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. SEC. 4. UNITED STATES ACTIONS TO ASSIST IN THE DEFENSE OF ISRAEL AND PROTECT AMERICAN INTERESTS. (a) Sense of Congress- It is the sense of Congress that the United States should take the following actions to assist in the defense of Israel: (1) Provide Israel such support as may be necessary to increase development and production of joint missile defense systems, particularly such systems that defend the urgent threat posed to Israel and United States forces in the region. (2) Provide Israel assistance specifically for the production and procurement of the Iron Dome defense system for purposes of intercepting short-range missiles, rockets, and projectiles launched against Israel. (3) Provide Israel defense articles and defense services through such mechanisms as appropriate, to include air refueling tankers, missile defense capabilities, and specialized munitions. (4) Allocate additional weaponry and munitions for the forward-deployed United States stockpile in Israel. (5) Provide Israel additional surplus defense articles and defense services, as appropriate, in the wake of the withdrawal of United States forces from Iraq. (6) Strengthen efforts to prevent weapons smuggling into Gaza pursuant to the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access following the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and to protect against weapons smuggling and terrorist threats from the Sinai Peninsula. (7) Offer the Israeli Air Force additional training and exercise opportunities in the United States to compensate for Israel’s limited air space. (8) Expand Israel’s authority to make purchases under the Foreign Military Financing program on a commercial basis. (9) Seek to enhance the capabilities of the United States and Israel to address emerging common threats, increase security cooperation, and expand joint military exercises. (10) Encourage an expanded role for Israel within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including an enhanced presence at NATO headquarters and exercises. (11) Support extension of the long-standing loan guarantee program for Israel, recognizing Israel’s unbroken record of repaying its loans on time and in full. (12) Expand already-close intelligence cooperation, including satellite intelligence, with Israel. (b) Report on Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge- (1) STATEMENT OF POLICY- It is the policy of the United States-- (A) to help Israel preserve its qualitative military edge amid rapid and uncertain regional political transformation; and (B) to encourage further development of advanced technology programs between the United States and Israel given current trends and instability in the region. (2) REPORT- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report on the status of Israel’s qualitative military edge in light of current trends and instability in the region. (c) Reports on Other Matters- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on each of the following: (1) Taking into account Israel’s urgent requirement for F-35 aircraft, actions to improve the process relating to Israel’s purchase of F-35 aircraft to improve cost efficiency and timely delivery. (2) Efforts to expand cooperation between the United States and Israel in homeland security, counter-terrorism, maritime security, energy, cybersecurity, and other appropriate areas. (3) Actions to integrate Israel into the defense of the Eastern Mediterranean. (d) Definitions- In this section: (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES- The term ‘appropriate congressional committees’ means-- (A) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and (B) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate. (2) QUALITATIVE MILITARY EDGE- The term ‘qualitative military edge’ has the meaning given the term in section 36(h)(2) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776(h)(2)). SEC. 5. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE LOAN GUARANTEES TO ISRAEL. (a) In General- Chapter 5 of title I of the Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2003 (Public Law 108-11), as amended, is further amended in the item relating to ‘Loan Guarantees to Israel’-- (1) in the matter preceding the first proviso, by striking ‘September 30, 2011’ and inserting ‘September 30, 2015’; and (2) in the second proviso, by striking ‘September 30, 2011’ and inserting ‘September 30, 2015’. (b) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section take effect on the date of enactment of this Act. Passed the House of Representatives May 9, 2012. Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, Clerk. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 28, 2012, 10:45:00 pm OK, I'll admit I may be jumping the gun and reading too much into this, which is why I'm asking questions to help clear this up...
Do you guys think that maybe, MAYBE this is the blueprint for the Daniel 9:27 AC covenant? Or even a STRETCH here...did Obama just sign THE Daniel 9:27 covenant? Again, I'll admit I jumped out of my seat when I saw the bolded print, in particular, in the post above - but at the same time it would be very foolish of me to go around screaming this in everyone's ears like it's prophecy being fulfilled. Thank you! :) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 17, 2012, 10:22:13 am http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=287999
Rice: US does not accept legitimacy of settlements By JPOST.COM STAFF 16/10/2012 Ambassador Susan Rice tells UN council US opposes outposts, says Israel must step up efforts to deter violence, hate crimes. US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Susan E. Rice said on Monday that the US "does not accept the legitimacy of Israeli settlement activity, and will continue to oppose any efforts to legalize outposts." Speaking at the Security Council Open Debate on the Middle East, Rice emphasized: "The fate of existing settlements must be dealt with by the parties along with other permanent-status issues." Referring to anti-Palestinian violence and desecration of religious sites, Rice added: "Israel should step up its efforts to deter, confront, and prosecute anti-Palestinian violence and extremist hate crimes." She stated: "In the West Bank, the recent and repeated destruction of Palestinian olive groves, a critical source of income for the local population, is deplorable. We look to Israeli authorities to act decisively to protect these resources and investigate such acts." Turning to Middle East peace efforts, Rice commented: “We actively support the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution resulting from direct negotiations without preconditions between the Israelis and Palestinians.” The US ambassador added that unilateral actions, including initiatives to grant Palestinians non-member state observer status at the United Nations, would "only jeopardize the peace process and complicate efforts to return the parties to direct negotiations." She said such actions "will neither improve the daily lives of Palestinians nor foster the trust essential to make progress towards a two-state solution." Commenting on the Palestinian fiscal crisis, the US Permanent Representative thanked Israel for its support which served to "to provide financial resources to meet the basic needs of the Palestinian people." Blaming inaction as the reason for the severity of the economic situation in the Palestinian territories, Rice urged for continued international support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, to further its efforts to provide assistance for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, and elsewhere until a final negotiated solution is reached. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 22, 2012, 09:14:28 pm http://news.yahoo.com/jimmy-carter-says-mideast-peace-vanishing-155117602.html
Jimmy Carter says Mideast peace is 'vanishing' 10/21/12 JERUSALEM (AP) — Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Monday during a visit to Jerusalem that the prospect of an Israel-Palestinian peace accord is "vanishing," blaming Israeli settlement of the West Bank. Carter, a longtime critic of Israeli policies, called the current situation "catastrophic" and blamed Israel for the growing isolation of east Jerusalem from the West Bank. He said a Palestinian state has become "unviable." "We've reached a crisis stage," said Carter, 88. "The two-state solution is the only realistic path to peace and security for Israel and the Palestinians." Carter is currently on a two-day visit leading a delegation known as the "The Elders," which includes the former prime minister of Norway and the former president of Ireland. The group met with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. But they didn't meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Carter said that the delegation didn't request a meeting because they haven't been granted meetings on previous visits. Netanyahu has pledged support for a Palestinian state but peace talks with the Palestinians have been frozen for most of his tenure. Carter criticized him for not doing enough. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 24, 2012, 07:55:29 pm http://news.yahoo.com/israel-kills-one-second-day-gaza-strikes-062552365.html
. Israel says 79 rockets fired at it from Gaza By Jeffrey Heller | Reuters – 3 hrs ago. JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinians fired dozens of rockets into Israel from Gaza on Wednesday and an Israeli air strike killed a militant, a day after the Emir of Qatar made a rare visit to the enclave's Hamas leadership. Hamas claimed responsibility for some of the rocket and mortar bomb attacks, prompting some Israelis to wonder whether it had been emboldened by the Qatari visit on Tuesday that broke the Islamist group's diplomatic isolation. In recent months, Hamas has largely held its fire when other militant factions have launched cross-border rocket attacks, but the sudden upsurge in violence stoked fears that the hostilities could escalate further. Hamas accused Israel of stepping up air strikes in the Gaza Strip, a move it said was meant to convey Israeli anger over Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani's visit, and pledged to "continue to hold a gun ... until Palestine is liberated". more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 07, 2012, 11:58:21 am http://news.yahoo.com/obama-victory-spells-trouble-israels-netanyahu-124053396.html
11/7/12 Obama victory spells trouble for Israel's Netanyahu JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces an even more awkward time with Washington and re-energized critics at home who accused him on Wednesday of backing the loser in the U.S. presidential election. With Iran topping his conservative agenda, Netanyahu will have to contend with a strengthened second-term Democratic president after four years of frosty dealings with Barack Obama and a rift over how to curb Tehran's nuclear program. Facing his own re-election battle in January, polls give Netanyahu little chance of losing but perceptions that he has mishandled Israel's main ally have been seized on by opponents. "I will continue to work with President Obama to ensure the interests that are vital for the security of Israel's citizens," Netanyahu said in a short, congratulatory statement hailing what he called strong strategic relations with Washington. But in remarks underscoring a rift with the United States over possible Israeli military action against Iran, Netanyahu said in an interview broadcast on Israel's Channel 2 this week: "If there is no other way to stop Iran, Israel is ready to act." Relations between Netanyahu and Obama hit a new low two months ago after the Israeli leader said nations which failed to set "red lines" for Iran - which denies seeking atomic arms - did not have the "moral right" to stop Israel from attacking. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on November 07, 2012, 04:06:42 pm Think they are in a pickle now? What are they going to do if Barry announces a "conversion" to Islam?
What would people do if Obama did that? Not vote for him? And can you legally go after a person soley because of their religious beliefs? According to the government, no, in policy. In practice? That's another story. So then who could really make a stink if Obama did announce he was Muslim all the time, and he then proceeded to explain the Muslim mentality of lying when it forwards the cause of Islam as justification. He could easily argue if he had made it known his true religion, he would not have been able to be a "good president" with all the "distractions" it would have brought. Sounds plausible. That said, just think of the uproar over it. Eventually the American public would realize that they had been duped by, of all people, a Muslim in disguise, when considering 9/11. Now can we see how Obama wouldn't want his records made public? The pieces all fit. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on November 08, 2012, 03:06:42 pm http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/08/us-palestinians-un-statehood-idUSBRE8A71EF20121108 (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/08/us-palestinians-un-statehood-idUSBRE8A71EF20121108)
Quote Palestinians prepare U.N. upgrade despite U.S., Israel warnings (Reuters) - The Palestinian Authority circulated a draft resolution to U.N. member states on Wednesday that calls for upgrading its U.N. status to that of an "observer state" despite U.S. and Israeli suggestions that the Palestinians could face retaliatory moves. The draft resolution, which could be put to a vote in the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly later this month, also reiterates the Palestinian Authority's commitment to the "two-state solution" in which Israel and an independent Palestinian state would co-exist in peace. If approved, the resolution would "accord to Palestine Observer State status in the United Nations system, without prejudice to the acquired rights, privileges and role of the Palestine Liberation Organization as the representative of the Palestinian people," according to a draft obtained by Reuters. The Palestinians are currently considered an observer "entity" at the United Nations. Acceptance of the Palestinians as a non-member state, similar to the Vatican's U.N. status, would implicitly recognize Palestinian statehood. The upgrade could also grant the Palestinians access to bodies like the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where they could file complaints against Israel. (cont.) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 10, 2012, 11:08:11 am Israeli tank shells wound at least 16 Palestinians in Gaza Strip after apparent attack on Israeli patrol - @Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/10/us-palestinians-israel-violence-idUSBRE8A90BE20121110 At least 2 killed, 20 injured in clashes between Israeli army and Palestinian militants near Gaza City - @BBCBreaking http://twitter.com/BBCBreaking Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 13, 2012, 02:59:11 pm http://www.thegoldenreport.com/reports/414-you-can-believe-god-will-bring-the-jews-home
11/13/12 You Can Believe God Will Bring The Jews Home. Anti-Semitic hatred in Europe is not only increasing but in places like Norway has been successful in running all the Jews out of the country. With only a few hundred Jews left in Norway and all of them now reporting that they are leaving as well for fear of their lives. Read recent article HERE. The Neo-Nazis in Germany are forcing Jews in parts of Germany to live in fear, and Jewish men dare not wear their Kippots (head covering) many have been beaten and Synagogues have been brunt down much like the 1930's and 40's. France the largest concentration of European Jews has seen a several hundred percent increase in violence towards Jews and Jewish businesses over the past year. French Jew who can afford has bought homes and apartments in Israel as a last minute place to run to. Many American Jews have been doing the same thing. In London they have built a new Mosque that holds up to 40,000 Muslim worshippers and it is not uncommon to see streets down town closed because the Muslims have decided to pray by the thousands in the middle of the streets while the police standby and do nothing, they are afraid to do anything. If you live in the United States you might want to look at Detroit and Dearborn Michigan where there are Muslim neighborhoods the police will not go into for fear of their own life. Or for that matter you have noticed the Muslim women showing up with the traditional head scarf's in your town. This should be a sign to you that you're next. more Title: Palestinians to Renew UN Bid for Statehood Post by: Mark on November 19, 2012, 07:14:49 am Palestinians to Renew UN Bid for Statehood
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas will once again seek recognition for a Palestinian state at the United Nations. Though a similar bid last year before the U.N. Security Council failed, most believe it will succeed in the General Assembly where the P.A. can count on broad support from Arab and Islamic member nations. Last week, President Obama reportedly called Abbas to try to convince him not to go to the General Assembly, but the P.A. leader said he intends to pursue it, confident he'll succeed. Abbas will make his appeal later this month, on Nov. 29. Israel said if the United Nations does upgrade Palestinian status, that would threaten existing agreements. According to a document from Israel's Foreign Ministry, the Jewish state will "reconsider and nullify" its 1990 peace agreement with the Palestinians. It also warned of "grave consequences" and a "unilateral Israeli response." Israel and the United States maintain that the Palestinians can gain independence only through direct negotiations. http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2012/November/PA-to-Renew-UN-Bid-for-Palestinian-Statehood/ Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Mark on November 23, 2012, 05:55:38 pm France Hints it Will Support PA's UN Bid
French Foreign Minister reminds senate that President Hollande promised to promote recognition of a Palestinian state. France is considering voting in favor of the Palestinian Authority’s unilateral statehood bid at the United Nations, its foreign minister hinted on Thursday. Speaking at a hearing in the French senate, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius reminded that French President Francois Hollande promised during his election campaign to promote the issue of Palestinian statehood. "I would like to mention that in his election campaign, President Hollande said he would work toward international recognition of a Palestinian state," Fabius said. While he did not specifically say how France would vote when the PA submits its request, a French government official said Fabius’ remarks are a hint that France would support the PA’s request for recognition as a non-member observer state. Earlier this week, British Foreign Secretary William Hague called Abbas to back off from his plans to ask for UN recognition, saying, "While there is any chance of achieving a return to talks in the coming months, we continue to advise President Abbas against attempts to win Palestinian observer state status. "We judge that this would make it harder to secure a return to negotiations, and could have very serious consequences for the Palestinian Authority," Hague told the British parliament. Meanwhile, Channel 10 News reported on Thursday that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have asked Jerusalem not to punish Abbas as a result of his UN bid. Previous reports indicated that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has threatened that if the PA goes ahead with its unilateral statehood bid he “will work to ensure the PA will collapse.” Lieberman reportedly stressed that a unilateral statehood bid by the PA will "put an end to the chances to resume peace negotiations." Channel 10 reported that the international community is trying to come up with a compromise which would allow Abbas, on the one hand, to return from New York to Ramallah with UN recognition, but at the same time would prevent him to file lawsuits against Israel in the International Criminal Court. Abbas recently announced that the PA will present its bid for non-state UN membership on November 29. That date was chosen on purpose, as it is the anniversary of the day in 1947 in which the United Nations voted in favor of the partition plan. The resolution recommended the creation of two states, one Arab, one Jewish and granted a small portion of the area, under the British Mandate, to the new Jewish state. U.S. President Barack Obama has announced that he opposes the PA bid and asked Abbas not to go through with it. However, Abbas responded to Obama with a direct “no”. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has told its ambassadors to explain that the PA’s plan to ask for UN recognition is a violation of the Oslo Accords and may cause Israel to officially announce that it is “canceling them partially or completely.” The agreement commits the PA to negotiate with Israel for the establishment of an independent PA entity. Lieberman, meanwhile, insisted on Thursday that Israel would not back down and would sanction Abbas if he goes ahead with his bid. “We respect the American government," Lieberman told Channel 10 News, “but we act according to Israeli interests, and I do not think we should it let it slide if Abbas takes such a far-reaching unilateral step, and there must be a serious Israeli response.” http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162433#.ULAMzoYXElR Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 23, 2012, 06:49:54 pm Since Obama's re-election, things seem to be speeding up, kinda rather quickly.
These were the same agendas that tried to get rammed through last year, but came up short. Yeah, not surprised that any of this went away at all. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 26, 2012, 12:47:55 pm http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=293489
Hamas lends support to Abbas's UN statehood bid By REUTERS 11/26/2012 15:20 Mashaal calls PA president to back bid in unexpected change of heart; Hamas spokesman Abu Zuhri says group backs any political gain Abbas can achieve at UN "without causing harm to the national Palestinian rights." The Islamist group Hamas said on Monday it was backing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's attempt to win more clout for Palestinians at the United Nations, the latest sign of a rapprochement between the political rivals. The Palestinians are registered as an observer entity at the UN and Abbas wants to see them upgraded to a "non-member state" in a UN General Assembly vote on November 29, giving him access to other international organizations. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on November 27, 2012, 02:28:58 am Well, with Ehud Barak calling it quits from politics in January, some changes are definately coming with the coming Israeli elections, and his replacement may not be so conservative as Barak. I guess Hamas sees this as an opportunity to get what they can.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/26/ehud-barak-israel-defense_n_2190889.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/26/ehud-barak-israel-defense_n_2190889.html) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 27, 2012, 11:30:25 am http://news.yahoo.com/france-back-palestinian-u-n-status-142305239.html
France to back Palestinian U.N. status 11/27/12 PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Tuesday it would vote in favour of Palestinian non-member status at the United Nations, boosting Palestinian efforts to secure greater international recognition. Frustrated that their bid for full U.N. membership last year was thwarted by U.S. opposition in the U.N. Security Council, Palestinians have launched a watered-down bid for recognition as a non-member state, similar to the status the Vatican enjoys. The proposal, which is due to be put to the vote in the General Assembly at the end of the week, would implicitly recognize Palestinian statehood. It could also grant access to bodies such as the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where the Palestinians could file complaints against Israel. "This Thursday or Friday, when the question is asked, France will vote yes," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius announced in the French National Assembly, the lower house of parliament. Abbas' bid seems certain to win approval in any vote in the 193-nation assembly. The United States say Palestinian statehood must be achieved by negotiation and has called on Abbas to return to peace talks that collapsed in 2010 over Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank. "It is only with negotiations between the two sides that we demand immediately without any preconditions that a Palestinian state can become a reality," Fabius said. France, a member of the U.N. Security Council, had under former President Nicolas Sarkozy promised to support Abbas if he opted for the upgrade option and broke from its closest allies last year voting in favour of giving the Palestinians full membership of the U.N.'s cultural agency UNESCO. (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Angus MacSwan) Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Mark on November 27, 2012, 08:54:50 pm U.N. poised to offer Palestinians ‘non-member observer’ status The U.N. General Assembly is poised to recognize Palestine as a “non-member observer state” on Thursday, a move that will strengthen the Palestinians’ legal basis for pursuing possible war-crimes prosecutions against Israeli troops and set up a showdown with the United States and Israel. Supporters hope the vote will provide a desperately needed political boost to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah party has been eclipsed in recent weeks by rival Hamas, the militant movement whose fortunes have risen with those of its Islamist allies in Egypt and elsewhere. rest: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/un-poised-to-offer-palestinians-non-member-observer-status/2012/11/27/851f84f6-38e6-11e2-a263-f0ebffed2f15_story.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 28, 2012, 11:04:19 am http://news.yahoo.com/palestinians-un-bid-last-ditch-peace-effort-122127535.html
11/28/12 Palestinians say UN bid is last-ditch peace effort RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — A bid for U.N. recognition of a state of Palestine is a last-ditch attempt to rescue troubled Mideast peace efforts, a Palestinian spokeswoman said Wednesday, rejecting Israel's charge that it is an attempt to bypass negotiations. Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, urged the U.S. to drop its opposition to the bid, dismissing Washington's stance as "pathetic" and harmful to American interests in the region. The Palestinians have come under intense pressure from the U.S., Britain and others to modify the bid but "have not succumbed," she said. On Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas plans to ask the U.N. General Assembly to recognize Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but still controls most access. The Palestinians expect some two-thirds of the General Assembly's 193 members will accept Palestine as a non-member observer state. The U.S., Israel, Canada and a few others are opposed. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on November 28, 2012, 11:45:58 am They are no state! And "Palistine" is the region, not Israel, and definately not just Arab-decent peoples. Technically, anybody that is born in the region is a Palistinian, no matter their blood heritage. It's like saying only people that are natural born citizens can be called Americans. It's silly, but what do you expect from a people that believe it's okay to lie if it forwards Islam. ::)
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 28, 2012, 02:06:18 pm UN To Vote Thursday On Raising Palestinian Status
The Palestinians said the U.N. General Assembly will vote Thursday afternoon on a resolution raising their status at the United Nations from an observer to a nonmember observer state, a move they believe is an important step toward a two-state solution with Israel. Unlike the Security Council, there are no vetoes in the General Assembly and the resolution is virtually certain of approval. The world body is dominated by countries sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and the resolution only requires a majority vote for approval. To date, 132 countries - over two-thirds of the U.N. member states - have recognized the state of Palestine. MORE: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20121127/DA2Q1B880.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 28, 2012, 02:12:37 pm You have this on Thursday, and then on Friday the USSC will decide whether to hear the CA Prop 8 case.
The end of this week is going to be really interesting... Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Mark on November 29, 2012, 06:15:56 am UN To Vote Thursday On Raising Palestinian Status
The Palestinians said the U.N. General Assembly will vote Thursday afternoon on a resolution raising their status at the United Nations from an observer to a nonmember observer state, a move they believe is an important step toward a two-state solution with Israel. Unlike the Security Council, there are no vetoes in the General Assembly and the resolution is virtually certain of approval. The world body is dominated by countries sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and the resolution only requires a majority vote for approval. To date, 132 countries - over two-thirds of the U.N. member states - have recognized the state of Palestine. MORE: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20121127/DA2Q1B880.html Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Mark on November 29, 2012, 06:18:29 am Palestinian Statehood Push May Derail Peace Efforts
Palestinian leaders are hoping the United Nations will upgrade their status this week to statehood. It's a move many say will scuttle decades of U.S.-backed peace talks. Israel, the United States, Canada and a handful of countries are opposing the move by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for non-member state at the U.N. The PLO sent out a clip of a CNN interview saying Hamas and all Palestinians are united. "So we really have unanimous, total support for going to the U.N. General Assembly and getting the upgrade to state status," Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, a PLO Executive Committee member, said. She addd that the move will determine the boundaries of a Palestinian state and its claims to Jerusalem. MORE: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2012/November/Palestinian-Statehood-Push-May-Derail-Peace-Efforts/ Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Mark on November 29, 2012, 07:04:46 am Vatican Supports Palestinian Arab Intifada For “Zionist-Free Middle East”
Hizbullah's officials, the Shiite terrorist group based in Lebanon, were hosted in Rome by the Vatican during the recent ceremony for the election of six new cardinals. Among the new cardinals is the Lebanese Patriarch, Bechara Boutros Rai. As head of Lebanon’s Catholic Church, Rai recently sent his envoy, Father Abdo Abou Kassem, to Teheran to attend a conference in support of the Palestinian Arab Intifada and of a “Zionist-free middle east”. The conference was attended also by Hizbullah ideologue, Mohammad Raad, and by the Hamas’ leader Khaled Meshaal. Cardinal Rai recently said in Paris that he supports Hizbullah's war against Israel: "Only when the international community exerts pressure on Israel to vacate the occupied Lebanese territory and Israel allows Palestinians in Lebanon to return to their homes, can Hizbullah be asked to hand over its arms because they will no longer be needed". It is not clear from the Cardinal's remarks to which... more: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/12491#.ULKlboZfakI Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 29, 2012, 08:43:43 am Vatican Supports Palestinian Arab Intifada For “Zionist-Free Middle East” "Zionist-Free"? Now where have we heard this before? From the so-called "truth" movement? ::) Title: Re: Palestinians back off UN Security Council statehood bid Post by: Mark on November 29, 2012, 09:04:34 am "Zionist-Free"? Now where have we heard this before? From the so-called "truth" movement? ::) Norway is now officially "Judenrein" -- free of Jews. http://israelamerica.blogspot.co.il/2012/08/western-europe-will-soon-bejudenrein.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 29, 2012, 09:10:10 am U.N. set to implicitly recognize Palestinian state, despite U.S., Israel threats
The U.N. General Assembly is set to implicitly recognize a sovereign state of Palestine on Thursday despite threats by the United States and Israel to punish the Palestinian Authority by withholding much-needed funds for the West Bank government. A resolution that would change the Palestinian Authority's U.N. observer status from "entity" to "non-member state," like the Vatican, is expected to pass easily in the 193-nation General Assembly. Israel, the United States and a handful of other members are planning to vote against what they see as a largely symbolic and counterproductive move by the Palestinians, which takes place on the 65th anniversary of the assembly's adoption of resolution 181 on the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. rest: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/29/us-palestinians-statehood-idUSBRE8AR0EG20121129 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 29, 2012, 02:26:09 pm As Fatah fades, UN recognition of Palestine may eventually benefit Hamas
Thursday night, Nov. 29, the UN General Assembly grants Palestine non-member observer status within the 1967 borders by majority vote. But to which Palestinian rule does it apply? Abbas’s Fatah is fading, whereas the extremist Hamas in the Gaza Strip is a rising force. If it qualifies for a place in the Sunni Middle East grouping Egypt, Turkey and Qatar are building with US backing and Israeli approval, Hamas may become the beneficiary of the upgraded Palestinian status won by Abbas. Read more: http://www.debka.com/article/22570/As-Fatah-fades-UN-recognition-of-Palestine-may-eventually-benefit-Hamas Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 29, 2012, 02:29:09 pm Netanyahu: No Palestinian state without recognizing Israeli
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu repeated Thursday that the UN resolution [approving Palestinian nonmember status] changes nothing in practice. “No Palestinian state will come into being without recognizing Israel as the state of the Jewish people. No matter how many hands are raised [in the UN chamber] nothing in the world will make us compromise on Israel’s security.” http://www.debka.com/newsupdatepopup/3063/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 29, 2012, 06:50:14 pm http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/29/15546351-un-upgrades-palestinian-status-bolstering-statehood-claim?lite
11/29/12 UN upgrades Palestinian status, bolstering statehood claim The U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution on Thursday giving implicit recognition to Palestinian statehood despite threats by the United States and Israel to punish the Palestinian Authority by withholding funds for the West Bank government. The resolution, which lifts the Palestinian Authority's U.N. observer status from "entity" to "non-member state," like the Vatican possesses, easily passed the 193-nation General Assembly with 138 nations voting in favor, and nine opposed, including the United States. Forty-one countries abstained, including the United Kingdom. Israel, the United States and the other members who opposed the resolution see it as a largely symbolic and counterproductive move by the Palestinians. The vote took place on the 65th anniversary of the assembly's adoption of resolution 181 on the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 29, 2012, 07:53:54 pm UN General Assembly votes in favor of Palestinian statehood
The U.N. General Assembly voted Thursday in favor of Palestinian statehood, after the Palestinians asked it to recognize a non-member state of Palestine in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The resolution upgrading the Palestinians' status to a nonmember observer state at the United Nations was approved by a more than two-thirds majority of the 193-member world body -- a vote of 138 to 9, with the U.S. and Israel among those who opposed. There were 41 abstentions. Real independence, however, remains an elusive dream until the Palestinians negotiate a peace deal with the Israelis, who warned that the General Assembly action will only delay a lasting solution. Israel still controls the West Bank, east Jerusalem and access to Gaza, and it accused the Palestinians of bypassing negotiations with the campaign to upgrade their U.N. status. The United States immediately criticized the historic vote. "Today's unfortunate and counterproductive resolution places further obstacles in the path peace," U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice said. And U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the vote "unfortunate" and "counterproductive." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the speech by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the General Assembly shortly before the vote "defamatory and venomous," saying it was "full of mendacious propaganda" against Israel. Abbas had told the General Assembly that it was "being asked today to issue the birth certificate of Palestine." Abbas said the vote is the last chance to save the two-state solution. After the vote, Netanyahu said the UN move violated past agreements between Israel and the Palestinians and that Israel would act accordingly, without elaborating what steps it might take. Just before the vote, Israel's U.N. ambassador, Ron Prosor, warned the General Assembly that "the Palestinians are turning their backs on peace" and that the U.N. can't break the 4,000-year-old bond between the people of Israel and the land of Israel. The vote had been certain to succeed, with most of the member states sympathetic to the Palestinians. Several key countries, including France, this week announced they would support the move to elevate the Palestinians from the status of U.N. observer to nonmember observer state. Thursday's vote came on the same day, Nov. 29, that the U.N. General Assembly in 1947 voted to recognize a state in Palestine, with the jubilant revelers then Jews. The Palestinians rejected that partition plan, and decades of tension and violence have followed. The vote grants Abbas an overwhelming international endorsement for his key position: establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, the territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. With Netanyahu opposed to a pullback to the 1967 lines, this should strengthen Abbas' hand if peace talks resume. The overwhelming vote also could help Abbas restore some of his standing, which has been eroded by years of standstill in peace efforts. His rival, Hamas, deeply entrenched in Gaza, has seen its popularity rise after an Israeli offensive on targets linked to the Islamic militant group there earlier this month. Israel has stepped back from initial threats of harsh retaliation for the Palestinians seeking U.N. recognition, but government officials warned that Israel would respond to any Palestinian attempts to use the upgraded status to confront Israel in international bodies. The Palestinians now can gain access to U.N. agencies and international bodies, most significantly the International Criminal Court, which could become a springboard for going after Israel for alleged war crimes or its ongoing settlement building on war-won land. However, in the run-up to the U.N. vote, Abbas signaled that he wants recognition to give him leverage in future talks with Israel, and not as a tool for confronting or delegitimizing Israel, as Israeli leaders have alleged. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/29/israeli-official-downplays-palestinian-statehood-bid-ahead-un-vote Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 29, 2012, 07:55:41 pm I would assume, but doesn't that mean that Israel can now legally declare war on Palestine and put an end officially to this mess.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on November 30, 2012, 04:05:51 am Hmm, interesting point. One cannot declare war on occupiers that are no people. Well, now they are officially according to the UN, a state, so that means the Palistinian state is now responsible for terrorst attacks on the state of Israel. Which one can make the case those attacks are not just acts of terrorism, but acts of war.
But then, according to prophecy, it's all a moot point. Israel, then everybody else, will lose. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 30, 2012, 06:38:02 am UN Recognizes Palestinian Statehood
The U.N. General Assembly approved an implicit recognition of Palestinian statehood on Thursday despite threats by the United States and Israel to punish the Palestinian Authority by withholding funds for the West Bank government. A resolution that would lift the Palestinian Authority's U.N. observer status from "entity" to "non-member state," like the Vatican, passed easily in the 193-nation General Assembly. The vote was 138 in favor, 9 against, 41 abstentions. Israel, the United States and a handful of other members voted against the effort which they... MORE: http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/un-recognizes-palestinian-state/2012/11/29/id/465893 Palestinians Celebrate UN Statehood Vote Palestinians have erupted in wild cheers, hugging each other and honking car horns after the United Nations voted to grant them, at least formally, what they have long yearned for - a state of their own. MORE: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20121129/DA2RTVCO3.html Netanyahu: UN Can't Force Israel to Compromise on Security With Israel facing a stinging diplomatic defeat Thursday at the UN, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that regardless of how many vote against Israel, "no force in the world will get me to compromise on Israel's security." He also said no force in the world can sever the thousands-year-old tie between the Jewish people and the land of Israel. MORE: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=293919 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 30, 2012, 08:28:00 am http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=294089
Vatican hails UN Palestine vote, wants guarantees for J'lem By REUTERS LAST UPDATED: 11/30/2012 11:45 VATICAN CITY - The Vatican hailed the United Nations' implicit recognition of a Palestinian state on Thursday and called for an internationally guaranteed special status for Jerusalem, something bound to irritate Israel. The 193-nation UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution to upgrade the Palestinian Authority's observer status at the United Nations from "entity" to "non-member state," the same status as the Vatican. "The Holy See welcomes with favor the decision of the General Assembly by which Palestine has become a Non-member Observer State of the United Nations," a statement said. But it also said it was a "propitious occasion" to recall a "common position" on Jerusalem expressed by the Vatican and the Palestine Liberation Organization when the two sides signed a basic agreement on their bilateral relations in 2000. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on November 30, 2012, 11:47:59 am Well, we know the end results of this back and forth over Jerusalem, but it's interesting to watch take place.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 30, 2012, 08:11:44 pm Israel Pushes Housing After U.N. Vote
Israel announced plans Friday to advance a wave of construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in what appeared to be swift retaliation against a resolution the United Nations General Assembly passed overwhelmingly the previous day giving the Palestinian territories observer status. The government authorized the building of 3,000 new housing units, an Israeli official said. Israel also gave preliminary planning approval for thousands more units, including the highly sensitive corridor just east of Jerusalem known as the E-1 land tract. The area is watched closely by the international community amid concern that a robust Israeli presence there would virtually bisect the West Bank and render a Palestinian state unviable. The Israeli move shows how, after getting a badly needed boost in domestic and international standing by the U.N. vote, the paths ahead for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas—such as peace talks with Israel or reconciliation with Hamas—are likely to bring challenges. The mention of E-1 is a blunt challenge by Israel, as it highlights the gap between the Palestinians' resounding but symbolic international victory at the U.N., and the situation inside the West Bank, where Israel exercises exclusive control. "Israel is saying, 'You are taking unilateral steps? We are taking unilateral steps, too. And whereas your unilateral steps are empty, ours are tangible,' " said Nathan Thrall, an analyst for the International Crisis Group. Mr. Abbas argued at the U.N. that the statehood resolution will enable him to push for a resumption of peace talks with Israel. That is because the international recognition of the West Bank and Gaza as part of a future Palestinian state ostensibly gives Mr. Abbas support in negotiating territorial claims with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who refuses to declare the Green Line border of the West Bank as the basis for negotiations. rest: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324205404578151184058853890.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 02, 2012, 11:09:17 am Abbas 'Victory Speech': Jerusalem 'Eternal Capital of Palestine'
PA Chairman promises that someday the PA flag will fly over “Jerusalem, eternal capital of the state of Palestine.” PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas Sunday promised someday the PA flag would fly over “Jerusalem, eternal capital of the state of Palestine.” Thousands of people greeted Abbas rapturously upon his return from the United Nations, where the General Assembly granted the PLO, representing the PA, upgraded status as a nonmember observer state. "Raise your heads high, because you are Palestinians!” Abbas told the joyous crowd, waving PA flags in the PA capital of Ramallah, located in Samaria. "You have proof that you are stronger than the occupation, because you are Palestinians... stronger than the settlements, because you are Palestinians. "We were threatened with punishment and sanctions from various sides,” Abbas continued, in a reference to attempts by the United States and Israel to dissuade him from proceeding with the application. "And if we had listened to those threats we wouldn't have gone to the U.N. "One day, a young Palestinian will raise the Palestinian flag over Jerusalem,” he vowed, “the eternal capital of the state of Palestine!" http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162753#.ULuK7IYXElR Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 02, 2012, 11:16:54 am Abbas in Ramallah: We now have a state
PA president vows to pursue efforts to end the split between Gaza, West Bank, dedicates UN "victory" to late PA president Arafat. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Sunday vowed to pursue efforts to end the split between the West Bank and Gaza and thanked Hamas and all Palestinian groups for supporting his statehood bid at the UN. Abbas, who was speaking to thousands of supporters in Ramallah during a rally organized by the PA to celebrate the UN General Assembly's vote in favor of upgrading the status of the Palestinians to non-member observer state, said he would focus his efforts now on "restoring unity of the Palestinians and their lands and institutions." The crowd, which consisted mostly of PA civil servants and Fatah activists, responded by chanting, "We want national unity!" and "With blood and soul, we redeem Abu Mazen [Abbas]." In the coming days, Abbas said, "We will study accelerating moves to achieve reconciliation [with Hamas]." Abbas hailed the outcome of the UN vote as an "historic achievement," adding that November 29 has become a "decisive turning point in our national struggle." Noting that more than 75% of the UN members had voted in favor of the statehood bid, Abbas said that most of the countries that had abstained congratulated the Palestinians on their achievement. "The message to us is very clear," he said. "We are not alone. History is with us. The future belongs to us and God is with us." Abbas said he decided to go to the UN despite pressure and warnings from several parties. "They told us that if we go the world would explode," he added. "They asked us to postpone the move. Finally, they told us to change our policy and project. But we remained steadfast and triumphed because the world heard the voices of our people." Abbas said he was presenting the UN "victory" as a gift to the the "soul of the late leader Yasser Arafat." He said that the Palestinians would continue to march in the footsteps of Arafat. Abbas said the Palestinians would continue their struggle until the Palestinian flag is raised over the walls of Jerusalem's Old City and churches. He said that Jerusalem was the "eternal capital of the State of Palestine." Abbas said he was also presenting the UN "victory" to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails for their "legendary sacrifices and steadfastness." Abbas boasted that the UN vote has both provoked and isolated Israel in the international arena." Abbas concluded his speech by telling Palestinians to "raise your heads high because you are Palestinians and you have proven that you are stronger than occupation and settlements." Hamas responded to Abbas's call for unity by calling for "urgent meetings" between the two sides to solve their differences. Hamas representative Salah Bardaweel pointed out that Abbas did not set pre-conditions for ending the dispute during his speech in Ramallah. Bardaweel noted that Palestinians who greeted Abbas had chanted slogans in favor of ending the Hamas-Fatah rivalry. "This shows that there is a real desire for achieving reconciliation," the Hamas official said. http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=294294 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 02, 2012, 02:45:57 pm Pushback: Israel withholds Palestinian revenue, approves new settlements
The Israeli moves came in response to the Palestinians’ successful bid to be recognized at the United Nations as a state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government struck a $120 million blow to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority today and further undermined its territorial claims, announcing plans to move forward with a controversial settlement that would effectively divide the West Bank in two. The moves came in response to the Palestinians’ successful bid last week to be recognized at the United Nations as a state. After Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas received a standing ovation for a speech in which he repeatedly referred to Israel’s “racist, colonial occupation,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today characterized the Nov. 29 UN vote as an attack on Zionism and the state of Israel. The Israeli moves caught many off-guard, including some dismayed government officials, and caused some to sound a funeral toll for the peace process. rest: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2012/1202/Pushback-Israel-withholds-Palestinian-revenue-approves-new-settlements Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on December 03, 2012, 04:21:36 am One thing about their little statehood status upgrade, Israel now has every right to treat them as a state, and that includes protecting it's borders from a rogue state, but they must clearly define those borders. Sorry, but that would mean the areas of "Palistine", wherever they are, must be fenced off from it's neighboring state, Israel.
It means also protecting it's borders from foreign residents that might want to do harm to Israel, so that means borders and passports just like any other border between nation states. Now, the UN has made it so that "Palistinians" are now in Israel illegally, being foreigners without passports or visas. "Papers please!" Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on December 05, 2012, 07:10:16 pm http://news.yahoo.com/israel-palestinians-harden-positions-settlement-showdown-shows-no-213017587.html
12/5/12 Israel, Palestinians harden positions as settlement showdown shows no sign of easing JERUSALEM - Palestinians and Israelis hardened their positions Wednesday over a contentious new settlement push around Jerusalem, with Israel going full throttle on plans to develop the area and the Palestinians trying to block it through an appeal to the U.N. Security Council. The settlement push — Israel's retaliation for the Palestinians' success in winning U.N. recognition of a de facto state — has touched off an escalating international showdown. Palestinians claim the construction would deal a death blow to Mideast peace hopes. Even Israel's staunchest allies have been outraged by the move, feeding speculation they might squeeze Israel more than usual to back down on its construction plans. The U.N. move came last week, with the General Assembly recognizing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip — territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel, which rejects a return to its 1967 lines, says borders with a future Palestine should be resolved through negotiations. Although the Israelis say construction could be years away, the settlement plans have sent a message that within these U.N.-recognized borders, Israel remains in firm control. The plans include 3,000 new settler homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and intentions to press ahead with two other projects that would drive a wedge between east Jerusalem, the Palestinians' desired capital, and its West Bank hinterland. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on December 06, 2012, 10:30:13 pm http://news.yahoo.com/emboldened-hamas-leader-visit-gaza-first-time-45-000600776.html
12/6/12 Emboldened Hamas leader to visit Gaza for first time in 45 years GAZA (Reuters) - Hamas's exiled leader will step onto Palestinian land for the first time in 45 years on Friday for a "victory rally" in the Gaza Strip, displaying his newfound confidence after last month's conflict with Israel. The Islamist group's leader, Khaled Meshaal, who has not visited the Palestinian Territories since leaving the West Bank at age 11, emerged emboldened from the eight day conflict which ended in a truce he negotiated under Egypt's auspices. He has since spoken of reaching out to other Palestinian factions. "There is a new mood that allows us to achieve reconciliation," Meshaal told Reuters in an interview last Friday from Qatar, where he has set up home since leaving Syria earlier this year. He will stay for a little more than 48 hours in the coastal enclave, which Hamas has ruled since a 2007 war with Fatah that rules the West Bank. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Christian40 on December 11, 2012, 01:46:13 am Cool story, just the kind of news i need to read each day to tickle my ears. I'm surprised they didn't accuse it of eating dead Sudanese pigeons which was most likely its real mission :D
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on December 18, 2012, 05:21:11 pm http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=8164
New Fatah logo erases Israel Official logo celebrating Fatah's 48th anniversary includes map that shows all of Israel as "Palestine" by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik 12/12/12 (http://palwatch.org/STORAGE/Bulletins/2012/48%20logo%20map%20palestine%20101212%20clear.jpg) The official Palestinian Authority daily published a picture of the official logo chosen by Fatah for celebrations marking the movement's 48th anniversary. The logo features various symbols, including a map of "Palestine" that includes all of Israel, the number 48, the Palestinian flag, and the slogan for the 48th anniversary: "The state and the victory." Palestinian Media Watch has documented that official PA maps do not acknowledge Israel's existence and mark all of Israel as "Palestine." The maps appear in all official frameworks including schools, government offices, official PA media, logos, at events and in official documents. Other symbols central to Fatah ideology also appear in the logo, including a rifle and a key symbolizing the Palestinian claim of ownership to houses within Israel (see letters in yellow). The pattern in the map is reminiscent of the Palestinian keffiyeh-scarf. The dove breaking the chain symbolizes the freeing of all Palestinian prisoners. The golden dome represents both Islam and the Palestinian claim to Jerusalem. The following is the article announcing the new logo in the official PA daily: "Senior Fatah official in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Rabah, stressed that the movement this year will hold a big, central rally in the Gaza Strip on the day of the 48th anniversary of the beginning of the Palestinian revolution. Rabah explained to Ma'an that the event will be held considering the atmosphere of reconciliation and unity that has prevailed in the Palestinian arena in the last few weeks following the accomplishments in the battlefield (i.e., the Hamas-Israel military conflict in Gaza November 2012) and the accomplishments at the UN (i.e., UN vote granting "Palestine" observer status). The organizing committee for the 48th anniversary of the Fatah movement approved this year's main anniversary logo... [The rally] will take place in Gaza to mark the 48th anniversary of the modern Palestinian revolution under the slogan 'the state and the victory.'" Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 20, 2012, 05:05:46 am Human Rights Watch: Israel violated laws of war by targeting media in recent Gaza operation
Human Rights Watch says Israeli army attacks on journalists and media facilities in the Gaza Strip during last month's military operation violated the laws of war. Two Palestinian cameramen were killed and at least 10 media personnel were wounded in the offensive, which was launched after weeks of rocket attacks on Israel. The Israeli government says each of the targets was a legitimate military objective. A statement released Thursday by the New York-based rights group says it found no indications that these targets were valid military objectives. Sarah Leah Whitson, the Mideast director at HRW, says that "just because Israel says a journalist was a fighter or a TV station was a command center does not make it so." The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the report. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/12/20/human-rights-watch-israel-violated-laws-war-by-targeting-media-in-recent-gaza/#ixzz2FaZcCoKe Im pretty sure, in war, that enemy propaganda and intelligence sources are legit targets, actually in WAR, there are no rules. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 20, 2012, 07:21:07 am Israeli PM vows to build in Jerusalem despite criticism
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday his government would press ahead with expanding Jewish settlements around Jerusalem despite Western criticism of its plan to build 6,000 more homes in territory Palestinians seek for a state. In addition to several thousand housing units approved earlier this month, Israeli media reported that initial approval was granted on Wednesday for construction of another 3,400 units in Jerusalem and in the West Bank. more: http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-pm-vows-build-jerusalem-despite-criticism-160010139.html Israel moves to further seal off Jerusalem from West Bank Israeli officials approved plans for 2,612 homes on Givat HaMatos, a hill between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Critics say the move would so fragment Palestinian areas that drawing borders of a future state would be unworkable. more: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-moves-further-seal-off-jerusalem-west-bank-214304472.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on December 20, 2012, 02:21:36 pm Quote Im pretty sure, in war, that enemy propaganda and intelligence sources are legit targets, actually in WAR, there are no rules. Pretty much. And FOX of course fails to mention that a terrorist(s) was hiding in that media center, which has been admitted to by Palestinian leaders. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on December 21, 2012, 09:44:55 am http://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinians-aim-to-change-the-rules-of-the-game-harness-international-commuity-to-isolate-israel/
Palestinians aim to change the rules, harness international community to isolate Israel If Netanyahu is reelected, PA officials are set to advance war crimes charges and end security cooperation in the West Bank 12/20/12 AMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Weeks ahead of the Israeli elections, Palestinian officials are already plotting a series of tough steps against Israel to be taken if, as polls predict, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is re-elected and peace efforts remain stalled. Emboldened by their newly upgraded status at the United Nations, the Palestinians are talking of filing war crimes charges against Israel, staging mass demonstrations in the West Bank, encouraging the international community to impose sanctions, and ending the security cooperation that has helped preserve quiet in recent years. These plans, combined with growing international impatience with Israeli settlement construction on occupied land, could spell trouble and international isolation for the Israeli leader. In a series of interviews with The Associated Press, a number of Palestinian officials all voiced a similar theme: Following the UN General Assembly’s recognition of “Palestine” as a nonmember observer state in November, the status quo cannot continue. “2013 will see a new Palestinian political track. There will be new rules in our relationship with Israel and the world,” said Hussam Zumlot, an aide to President Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down shortly before Netanyahu’s election in early 2009 and have remained frozen throughout his term, mostly, the Palestinians say, due to the dispute over Israel’s construction of settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. The Palestinians claim the areas, along with the Gaza Strip, for a future state. Israel captured the areas in the 1967 Six Day War. The Palestinians have demanded that Israel halt settlement construction before negotiations can resume, saying the continued building is a show of bad faith. Netanyahu says talks should resume without preconditions, and notes that a 10-month partial freeze on construction he imposed two years ago failed to bring about substantive negotiations. Frustrated with the impasse, the Palestinians turned to the United Nations for recognition of an independent state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza. Israel, which withdrew from Gaza in 2005, rejects a return to its 1967 lines. Although the UN vote did not change the situation on the ground, it had deep implications. Opposed by just nine countries, it amounted to a strong international endorsement of the Palestinian position on future borders. It also cleared the way for them to join international agencies to press their grievances against Israel. Netanyahu has accused the Palestinians of bypassing direct negotiations. “One would hope we will in fact see in 2013 the re-emergence of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiating process,” said Netanyahu’s spokesman, Mark Regev. “There is no substitute for direct talks. You’re not going to make peace in resolutions at the United Nations or other international forums.” At the heart of the deadlock are the huge gaps between the two sides’ conditions. Netanyahu has embraced the idea of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Without action soon, the thinking goes, Israel will find itself in permanent control of millions of disenfranchised Palestinians, threatening its status as a democracy with a Jewish majority. Palestinian officials say they are hopeful that a formula for restarting talks can be found after Israel’s election on January 22, perhaps through a new initiative from President Barack Obama. The Palestinians have begun to speak of a trial, six-month negotiating period. Azzam al-Ahmed, a top aide to Abbas, said Arab diplomats will present the plan in Western capitals, Russia and China next month. But with the Palestinians insistent on a settlement freeze, and opinion polls forecasting a new hardline Israeli coalition headed by Netanyahu, expectations are low. The Palestinian officials said they will not rush toward any punitive measure, but they are determined not to stand pat. “We have to prepare ourselves for a long and tough battle,” added Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Palestinians’ top decision-making body. “We will use all the political tools available.” more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 23, 2012, 06:18:54 am http://www.thegoldenreport.com/reports/414-you-can-believe-god-will-bring-the-jews-home 11/13/12 You Can Believe God Will Bring The Jews Home. Anti-Semitic hatred in Europe is not only increasing but in places like Norway has been successful in running all the Jews out of the country. With only a few hundred Jews left in Norway and all of them now reporting that they are leaving as well for fear of their lives. Read recent article HERE. The Neo-n@zis in Germany are forcing Jews in parts of Germany to live in fear, and Jewish men dare not wear their Kippots (head covering) many have been beaten and Synagogues have been brunt down much like the 1930's and 40's. France the largest concentration of European Jews has seen a several hundred percent increase in violence towards Jews and Jewish businesses over the past year. French Jew who can afford has bought homes and apartments in Israel as a last minute place to run to. Many American Jews have been doing the same thing. In London they have built a new Mosque that holds up to 40,000 Muslim worshippers and it is not uncommon to see streets down town closed because the Muslims have decided to pray by the thousands in the middle of the streets while the police standby and do nothing, they are afraid to do anything. If you live in the United States you might want to look at Detroit and Dearborn Michigan where there are Muslim neighborhoods the police will not go into for fear of their own life. Or for that matter you have noticed the Muslim women showing up with the traditional head scarf's in your town. This should be a sign to you that you're next. more German official: Jews should go to Uganda Head of Buchenwald concentration camp memorial accused of anti-Semitism (Jerusalem Post) Israeli-born author Tuvia Tenenbom has called for the dismissal of Volkhard Knigge, the head of the Buchenwald concentration camp memorial in Weimar, Germany, after alleging that Knigge told him that Jews should have settled in Uganda instead of establishing the State of Israel. Tenenbom, the director of the Jewish Theater of New York, described Knigge’s anti-Israel remarks in an interview on Sunday with the regional daily paper Mitteldeutsche Zeitung. Tenenbom wrote a 2011 book on his observation of modern anti-Semitism in Germany. The book, I Sleep in Hitler’s Room: An American Jew Visits Germany, describes his experiences with diverse forms of anti-Semitism in Germany and includes an interview with Knigge and Daniel Gaede, an educator at Buchenwald. Read the full story › http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=296833 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 06, 2013, 04:44:29 pm http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/palestinian_authority_to_change_mUaCanJpXkrXskxTyrI5BJ?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=%0a%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20International
Palestinian Authority to change name to 'State of Palestine' 1/6/13 RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian president has ordered his government to officially change the name of the Palestinian Authority to "State of Palestine." The move follows the November decision by the United Nations to upgrade the Palestinians' status to that of a "non-member observer state." President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday that all official Palestinian stamps, stationery and documents will now bear the new name. A statement from his office said the move was aimed at enhancing Palestinian "sovereignty on the ground" and was a step on the way to "real independence." Israel still controls most of the West Bank. Israel objected to the Palestinian statehood bid at the U.N., calling it a unilateral step aimed at bypassing direct peace negotiations. Abbas denied that. Israel had no comment Sunday. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 15, 2013, 09:42:06 am http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23618/Default.aspx
1/14/13 Israeli deputy PM warns against Palestinian state Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon on Saturday stated that it was no longer seen as being in Israel's interest to allow the establishment of a sovereign and independent Palestinian Arab state. Speaking at a pre-election event in the Tel Aviv area, Ya'alon said all the evidence of the past decade of failed peace-making pointed to the fact that an independent Palestinian state would become a platform for further hostility against Israel, just as happened in Gaza. Ya'alon warned that those holding aloft Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as a genuine peace partner are making a mistake. "There are those who are trying to market Abbas as relatively moderate, but his goals are the same as those of Hamas. He does not believe in an agreement based on pre-1967 lines and he is refusing to come to the negotiating table," said the Likud candidate and former IDF chief. Israeli expert Dr. Guy Bachor issued a statement in the Israeli press largely echoing Ya'alon's warnings. Bachor explained that despite signing a peace agreement that would ostensibly bring a final conclusion to the conflict, a new Palestinian state would immediately open its doors to hundreds of thousands of Arabs claiming "Palestinian" descent and thereby create a demographic problem of epic proportions for Israel. "The amazing thing is that there are those who actually use the demographic argument to justify a Palestinian state, while if that happens, demographic realities will become unbearable for every Israeli," wrote Bachor. Ya'alon's boss, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has again stated publicly that his official policy is to work for a peace deal that culminates in the creation of a Palestinian Arab state, but many in his party now oppose that goal. Rather, many like Ya'alon are more receptive of the platform of Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett, who is advocating autonomy, but not sovereignty, for the Palestinian Arabs. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 16, 2013, 04:03:06 pm http://news.yahoo.com/saudis-100-million-palestinians-190024230.html
1/16/13 Saudis will give $100 million to Palestinians RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will give the Palestinian government in the Israeli-occupied West Bank $100 million to help alleviate a worsening budget crisis, the Palestinian president's office said on Wednesday. President Mahmoud Abbas has struggled to convince Arab countries to deliver a $100 million monthly "safety net" they promised when he secured de facto U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state in November, prompting Israeli sanctions. Abbas thanked Saudi Arabia, a longtime benefactor to his government, for the funds, which will be transferred imminently. "The state's budget is facing a large deficit as a result of the docking of Palestinian money by the Israeli government as a punitive step after the U.N. recognition of Palestine as an observer state," Abbas said in a statement. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 17, 2013, 06:53:21 am Israel advances settlement plans after alleged Obama rebuke
After report that Obama privately criticized Netayahu's settlement policies, tenders issued for some 200 new homes in Kiryat Arba, Efrat in W. Bank; Yacimovich, Livni slam PM for damaging relations with US. The Housing and Construction Ministry issued tenders for some 200 new housing units in the West Bank on Wednesday, a day after a US columnist released comments allegedly made by US President Barack Obama in which the American leader harshly criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanayahu's settlement policies. According to Channel 2, the tenders are for 84 new housing units in Kiryat Arba near Hebron, and for an additional 114 tenders in the West Bank settlement of Efrat. Bloomberg columnist Jeffrey Goldberg on Tuesday quoted Obama as saying “Israel doesn’t know what its own best interests are,” in regard to Israeli plans to advance new settlement construction, including that in the controversial E1 corridor. “With each new settlement announcement, in Obama’s view, Netanyahu is moving his country down a path toward near isolation,” Goldberg wrote. Sources close to Netanyahu responded carefully, saying that the prime minister would continue to protect the country’s vital national security interests in the coming government that he would lead. The sources noted that Obama had said Israeli-US defense and security cooperation were at unprecedented levels, which was evident in US support for Israeli missile defense systems and diplomatic backing during Operation Pillar of Defense. But Likud officials accused Obama of “gross interference” in the Israeli election and said the president was “taking revenge” against Netanyahu for his perceived intervention in the November US election on behalf of unsuccessful Republican challenger Mitt Romney. The officials said Obama had been swayed against Netanyahu by President Shimon Peres and former prime minister Ehud Olmert. The publishing of tenders for new settlement units on Wednesday drew condemnation from Netanyahu's political opponents. The Tzipi Livni Party blasted the plans, saying "Netanyahu is destroying Israel's international relations and is sacrificing national interests for political considerations right before an election." "The Netanyahu government's order of priorities is set by its 'natural partners,' the extreme Right and haredim, not the Zionist, sane majority in Israel," the party added. Livni's party stated that Netanyahu's policies lead to a double loss by isolating Israel and weakening settlement blocs by building outside of them. Similarly, Labor leader Shelly Yacimovich criticized Netanyahu for ignoring Obama's advice and isolating Israel. "Instead of listening to criticism, Netanyahu is behaving irresponsibly and provocatively a week before the election," she stated. "The battle against [Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali] Bennett is more important to Netanyahu than facing Obama. Netanyahu is desperately trying to distract from his failures, which were revealed again this week when we saw he has no control over Israel's economy, and is trying to work in the diplomatic field, where he is also a failure." According to Yesh Atid, Netanyahu is proving once again that he prefers settlers over the middle class. "Instead of investing in housing, education and lowering the cost of living, the prime minister chooses, a moment before the election, to invest in settlements and is further isolating Israel," the party stated. "In the competition between him and Bennett for votes, Netanyahu chose to wink at the extreme right instead of protecting national, social and economic interests." Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On said of the new settlement plans that Netanyahu had responded to the "American warning" on settlements "with Chutzpa that will end up costing us dearly." Strong Israel leaders Arieh Eldad and Michael Ben-Ari said that "it's too bad there aren't elections twice a week," "If Netanyahu would have built in his four years in the government the way he's promising before the election, there wouldn't be a housing crisis in Israel and the attempts to establish a Palestinian state would be considered science fiction." Eldad and Ben-Ari accused Netanyahu of trying to "steal" settler's votes, while saying he is committed to establishing a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria. The two expressed hope that those faithful to the Land of Israel know not to give their votes to someone who plans to uproot them from their homes. http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=299755 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 17, 2013, 07:26:33 am PM hits back at Obama: I know what's best for Israel
Netanyahu visits Gaza border, says over last four years Israel has stood up to strong pressure and will continue to do so. “I think everyone understands that only Israel’s citizens are those who will be the ones to determine who faithfully represents Israel’s vital interests,” the prime minister said in his first direct response to Obama’s reported criticism. Netanyahu said over the past four years he had withstood “enormous pressure,” including demands that Israel curb its pressure on Iran, withdraw to the pre- 1967 lines, divide Jerusalem and stop building in the eastern part of the capital. “We fended off all those pressures, and I will continue to stand firm on Israel’s vital interests for the security of the citizens of Israel,” he declared. Netanyahu, who was joined on his visit by Defense Minister Ehud Barak and IDF brass, said he was “very impressed” by the advanced technological measures being deployed in the area, “and even more so by our young soldiers operating them here.” The IDF, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and other security forces were doing “very important work,” he said. “They are maintaining the quiet that has been kept since Operation Pillar of Defense.” Netanyahu said that no one had any illusions, and that the quiet could be shattered at any time. But, he added, the IDF was prepared for any scenario. “We will do everything necessary to defend Israel’s citizens here and everywhere else,” he said. Barak attributed the calm in the area primarily to “the serious blow sustained by Hamas and the other terrorist organizations” in Gaza during November’s military operation. Barak said that a secondary factor was “the positive influence of Egypt,” adding, however, that the foremost reason for the cease-fire having held up was the “exceptional work being carried out here by IDF battalions, the observational post system, the division,” and the new Sinai security fence. The IDF “is prepared here with tools that are more and more advanced,” Barak said, adding that he had been shown “an amazing exhibition of field intelligence abilities.” At the same time, “at any given moment, it goes back to the old things, to sticking to the objective, to the speedy orientation of commanders, to the responses of soldiers and commanders,” the defense minister said. http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=299796 Title: Former GOP Arizona Congressman BLAMES ISRAEL for Sandy Hook shootings Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 19, 2013, 12:12:22 pm Well, this guy seems to forget that the current President in the White House putting out 23 EOs is an anti-Israel MUSLIM!
>:( >:( http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/middle-east-north-africa/273481-failed-gop-candidate-blames-israel-for-sandy-hook-shooting-on-iranian-television 12/18/12 Failed GOP gubernatorial candidate blames Israel for Sandy Hook shooting on Iranian television By Julian Pecquet - 12/18/12 01:02 PM ET A one-time Republican candidate for governor of Arizona blamed Israeli "death squads" for the Sandy Hook shooting during an appearance on Iran's state-run Press TV Tuesday. Michael Harris came in third place in the 2006 Republican primary, which Len Munsil won before falling to Democrat Janet Napolitano. He is now the Phoenix-based financial editor of Veterans Today, a conspiracy-minded “military and foreign affairs journal” whose editorial board includes former Pakistani and Russian spies. “I want to remind you of the Norway shooting of Mr. Breivik, which followed a week after Norway had agreed to support Palestine,” Harris told Press TV. “Now you look at Israel just lost their bid to thwart Palestine from being recognized by the United Nations and now here we go, here is a revenge killing in the U.S., sponsored by Israel, that killed all these innocent children and that is something that Israelis do very, very well. “They target the innocent, they target the children, they target women and they avoid the issue because they are angry. They did not get their way and now Palestine has standing at the U.N, and Israel is going to be subject to the international criminal courts and their leadership is going to be taken to task.” Press TV followed up by running a column written by Gordon Duff, the senior editor at Veterans Today, summarizing Harris's points and pointing to the Republican Jewish Coalition's opposition to former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) as secretary of Defense as further proof of an Israeli conspiracy. “Washington is terrified of Israel, their powerful lobby and its relationship with organized crime,” Duff wrote. “Now, a key former Senator, Chuck Hagel, who has helped expose this fact, is likely to be nominated as the secretary of Defense, despite vocal protests from Israel.” While some conservative Jewish groups have indeed criticized Hagel, liberal groups such as J Street called Hagel a “staunch friend of the state of Israel and a trusted ally in the Senate, speaking out on behalf of America’s commitment to Israel’s security.” The Israeli government has so far remained silent on the matter. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 28, 2013, 08:30:50 am Obama secretly pledges to divide Jerusalem
Will press Israel into new so-called land-for-peace talks Now that he has secured his second term, President Barack Obama has already secretly pledged to the Palestinians he will press Israel into a new round of so-called land-for-peace negotiations, a top Palestinian Authority negotiator told WND. The negotiator said top members of the Obama administration told the Palestinians the U.S. president will renew talks aimed at creating a Palestinian state in the so-called 1967 borders – meaning in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and, notably, eastern Jerusalem. Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/obama-secretly-pledges-to-divide-jerusalem/#uAwRsHBMFiTEpuR1.99 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on January 29, 2013, 03:57:04 am Quote A one-time Republican candidate for governor of Arizona blamed Israeli "death squads" for the Sandy Hook shooting during an appearance on Iran's state-run Press TV Tuesday. That's a "source" that keeps getting posted at PPF as a reliable source or something. Iran tosses out some propaganda about the US, and some "truthers" eat it up as fact. And of course anything anti-Israel. Press TV is not news, it's just propaganda. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 29, 2013, 11:15:56 am Evangelical leader: Israel is safest place on earth
http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=301342&utm Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on January 29, 2013, 03:28:04 pm That reads like a pr press release. Nowhere in that article did it say "why" he thinks it's safe. Which Matthew and Revelation have a different take on Israel's safety.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 29, 2013, 03:32:31 pm That reads like a pr press release. Nowhere in that article did it say "why" he thinks it's safe. Which Matthew and Revelation have a different take on Israel's safety. He also calls himself an "Apostle". I believe scripture says there's ONLY 12 of them... Rev 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. [Paul here] 1Cor 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 1Co 15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 1Co 15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 1Co 15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 1Co 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on January 29, 2013, 03:46:12 pm Uhm, it references "the 12", but they weren't the only apostles of the time. The verses you posted shows that. Notice that it mentions "the 12", then later a verse says "then all the apostles". That means the 12 were not the only apostles. Jesus even sent out 70 of them at one time.
"After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come." Luke 10:1 (KJB) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 29, 2013, 03:50:21 pm Uhm, it references "the 12", but they weren't the only apostles of the time. The verses you posted shows that. Notice that it mentions "the 12", then later a verse says "then all the apostles". That means the 12 were not the only apostles. Jesus even sent out 70 of them at one time. "After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come." Luke 10:1 (KJB) Oh OK, I think I understand the bigger picture now(with the 70 appointed also). With that being said, if someone in our present day calls themself an Apostle(like the guy in the article), wouldn't that raise a red flag nonetheless? B/c Apostles themselves in the bible were appointed by the Lord directly. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on January 29, 2013, 04:07:21 pm We are exhorted to not take titles, so I see a person that claims to be an apostle is not sound doctrine. We are all spiritually apostles as God moves us, but generally an apostle is one who was selected by Jesus. None of those apostles are alive today, they sleep.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 09, 2013, 10:45:01 am http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-4342746,00.html
Cyprus upgrades Palestinian diplomatic status 2/8/13 FM Kozakou-Marcoullis informs visiting Palestinian counterpart Malki of 'important decision' to upgrade status of Palestinian mission to that of 'Embassy of the State of Palestine'; says Israeli construction in E1 zone would 'seriously undermine' peace prospects Cyprus said on Friday it has upgraded its relations with the Palestinians to full diplomatic mission status, one of just eight European Union countries to do so. The decision was announced by Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis during an official visit by her Palestinian counterpart Riyad Malki. "I informed my Palestinian counterpart of the decision of the government to upgrade the status of the Palestinian diplomatic representation in Cyprus from that of a Diplomatic Mission to that of an Embassy of the State of Palestine," Marcoullis told reporters. She said this "important decision" was in line with the recognition of the "Palestinian state" in 1988 by Cyprus, and follows seven other EU members that have recognized a Palestinian State – Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. A Cyprus Representation Office opened in Ramallah in the West Bank in 2009. Malki said the decision sent a "very important message," adding: "We hope this courageous step taken by Cyprus will be taken by others in the European Union." Palestinian Ambassador to Nicosia Walid Al-Hassan told AFP: "Now we have diplomatic representation in Cyprus like any other country in the world. This applies to our legal situation and the immunity which accompanies diplomatic status." On November 29, Cyprus also voted in favor of the successful Palestinian bid for upgraded UN General Assembly status. "All official correspondence will now be done in the name of the State of Palestine. Cyprus is the first European state to upgrade Palestinian status since the UN vote," Hassan said. Marcoullis said Cyprus expressed "full support" for resolving concerns of Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty and those of Israel for security, through a comprehensive negotiated peace based on a two-state solution. Nicosia backs an enhanced EU role in efforts for renewed and substantial peace efforts in 2013. Cyprus has expressed "deep dismay and strong opposition" at controversial Israeli settlement plans for an area near east Jerusalem known as E1. "The E1 plan, if implemented, would seriously undermine the prospects of a negotiated resolution of the conflict," Marcoullis said. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 10, 2013, 04:20:46 pm http://news.yahoo.com/netanyahu-discuss-iran-syria-palestinians-obama-115835152.html
2/10/13 Netanyahu to discuss Iran, Syria, Palestinians with Obama JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Iran's nuclear ambitions, the civil war in Syria and stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts will top the agenda of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. "It is a very important visit that will emphasize the strong alliance between Israel and the United States," Netanyahu, who has had a testy relationship with Obama, told his cabinet. The White House announced on Tuesday that Obama plans to visit Israel, the West Bank and Jordan this spring, raising prospects of a new U.S. push to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts frozen for the past two years. The White House gave no exact dates for the trip, Obama's first to Israel since taking office. Israel's Channel 10 television station cited unnamed sources in Washington last week saying the visit to Israel would start on March 20. In public remarks at the cabinet session, Netanyahu put Iran at the top of his list of talking points with Obama and referred only in general terms to peace efforts with the Palestinians, stopping short of setting a revival of bilateral negotiations as a specific goal of the visit. "The president and I spoke about this visit and agreed that we would discuss three main issues ... Iran's attempt to arm itself with nuclear weapons, the unstable situation in Syria ... and the efforts to advance the diplomatic process of peace between the Palestinians and us," Netanyahu said. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on February 12, 2013, 07:38:00 am Israel gives final approval for 90 new settler homes
Israel gave final approval on Monday for 90 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank, driving another wedge into a rift with Washington ahead of a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama. The dwellings will be built in Beit El, a major Jewish settlement north of Jerusalem, and will house educational staff, the Defense Ministry said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged that 300 new homes will eventually be erected in Beit El, where 30 settler families were evicted last June after the Supreme Court ruled they were living illegally on private Palestinian land. Israel has come under international criticism, including from its main ally the United States, over its construction policy in the West Bank, territory it captured in the 1967 war and which the Palestinians want for their future state. Settlement expansion has been an irritant in a testy relationship between Netanyahu and Obama, who is due to visit Israel, the West Bank and Jordan this spring. Both Israel and the United States have played down speculation that the trip could result in the revival of U.S.-hosted peace talks with the Palestinians that collapsed over the settlement issue in 2010. "The Palestinian position is clear. There can be no negotiation while settlement continues," Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said in response to the new Beit El construction. Most countries consider Israel's settlements illegal. Israel disputes this, citing historical and Biblical links to the land. In Washington, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said she had not seen the announcement but repeated the Obama administration's opposition to such settlement building. "Our position on this has not changed. We don't think it's helpful," Nuland told reporters at her daily briefing. There are now more than 325,000 settlers in the West Bank, with a further 200,000 living in East Jerusalem, which was annexed by Israel after 1967 in a move not recognized internationally. It is claimed by the Palestinians as their capital city. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/11/us-palestinians-israel-settlements-idUSBRE91A12Z20130211 Joshua 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. just saying... as there is NO bias in the article,,, ::) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 12, 2013, 10:20:53 am 'Israel, Vatican near historic relationship upgrade'
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=301475 1/30/12 Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon: J'lem is on verge of signing agreement to formalize diplomatic relations with the Holy See. After 14 years of glacial negotiations, Israel and the Vatican are on the verge of signing a long-elusive agreement that would formalize diplomatic relations, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said on Tuesday. Ayalon’s comments to The Jerusalem Post came after a meeting in Jerusalem of a working commission that has been trying to iron out various issues between Israel and the Holy See since 1999. Israel and the Vatican established diplomatic ties in 1993. “In the last four years a lot of ground has been covered, and after long, intensive and serious negotiations we have overcome most if not all the outstanding issues that have prevented signing of this agreement for so long,” Ayalon said. He said the two sides were “on the verge of signing, subject to final approval by the government of Israel and the Holy See.” Ayalon explained that the final agreement was not signed on Tuesday, because it was not appropriate for a caretaker government to sign the agreement, and that the actual acceptance and signing should be left to the next government. “All the ground work is finished and I trust the new government will sign soon, which is nothing short of a milestone in the relationship,” he said. Ayalon, who has led the negotiations with the Vatican for the past four years, but will be leaving his post next week, said the conclusion of the agreement signifies a “real upgrade in relations between Israel and the Holy See, and between the Jewish people and one billion Catholics around the world, to the benefit of both sides.” Ayalon and his counterpart from the Vatican, Ettore Balestrero, the under-secretary of the Holy See for the relations with states, issued a joint communiqué saying the joint commission that met on Tuesday “took notice that significant progress was made and looks forward to a speedy conclusion of the agreement.” Jerusalem expects this agreement to improve relations not only with the Vatican, but also with other Catholic countries around the world for whom the Vatican’s position vis-a-vis Israel is important. Over the years the discussions have centered around three main issues: the status of the Catholic Church in Israel; the issue of sovereignty over some 21 sites in the country, including the Cenacle – the site of the Last Supper on Mount Zion; and taxation and expropriation issues. Ayalon said that agreements have been reached on each of the issues. The most contentious was the issue of sovereignty over the Last Supper Room, with the Catholic Church demanding ownership, and Israel not willing to relinquish it. The two sides have essentially agreed to disagree on the matter, but not let it stand in the way of the overall accord. While the Catholic Church does not pay taxes on its properties in Israel, under the agreement, religious institutions owned by the Holy See will be exempted from tax, just as synagogues and mosques are, but church-owned businesses will not. The agreement also works out the issue of expropriating Church property for infrastructure purposes, with a list of five sites – including the Mount of Beatitudes and Capernaum near Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) and the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth – where land expropriation would not be allowed except for public safety in situations of emergency, and then only after coordination with the Church. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 12, 2013, 10:43:46 am Luk_12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Eph_5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Col_3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/12814#.URFHNvXTmUn 2/1/13 Op-Ed: Exclusive: A Seat for the Pope at King David's Tomb Israel seems to have sold Jerusalem to the Vatican. An historic agreement has been drafted between Israel and the Vatican. The Israeli authorities have granted the Pope an official seat in the room where the Last Supper is believed to have taken place, on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and where David and Solomon, Jewish kings of Judea, are considered by some researchers, to also be buried. It is the culmination of a long campaign by the Catholic Church to regain religious stewardship over the place where Jesus is supposed to have broken bread and drunk wine with his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion. This is an enormous issue pushed through without any public debate. According to our sources, the agreement, which is expected to be ratified next June, gives the Pope a “special authority” over the second floor of the building, so that Christian pilgrims will be able to celebrate religious functions like Pope John Paul did in 2000. The agreement constitutes Israel’s capitulation to the Vatican’s efforts to “Christianize” the holy site, like when a Catholic convent was built in Auschwitz. The Catholic Church has long wanted control over part of the area on Mt. Zion so as to turn it into an international religious center for Catholics. The blueprint of the agreement reads as follows: “The Vatican hands over this use of the Cenacle to the Custody of the Holy Land which will keep the Cenacle open from 6 AM to 8 AM for the celebration of the Holy Mass”. In the long term, the gesture will increase tensions between Jews and the large assets of the Vatican. The Church has long been working to reduce Jewish rights in Jerusalem and in the Old City. Now, after the Muslim Waqf authority expelled the Christians from the Temple Mount and turned it into a mosque, it’s the turn of the Vatican to lay its hands on the Jewish Jerusalem. The Custody of the Holy Land, the Franciscan order who, with Vatican approval, is in charge of the holy sites, campaigns with the Arabs against Israel. As far back as May 2000, Yasser Arafat met Islamic and Christian clergymen at the presidential offices in Ramallah to back Palestinian Arab sovereignty over Jerusalem. Among the clergymen who attended the meeting, Diodoros I, patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church, Torkom II, patriarch of the Armenian Orthodox Church, Catholic Patriarch Michel Sabbah and officials from the Custody of the Holy Land. "An official meeting took place in Ramallah, Palestine, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine". This is the official note of the Vatican press office about the meeting between the Catholic officials and the PLO representatives which took place this week. The Vatican is also asking that Israel hand over to the Vatican’s control dozens of sites, 19 in Judea and Samaria and 28 in Jerusalem. The Catholic Church want to discuss some properties on Mount of Olives, Har Hazeitim, which is the very history of the Jewish people. If you want to keep Jerusalem united, you have to keep Har Hazeitim. The Vatican knows that. In 1989 charges were made by the Catholic authorities that Israel desecrated the Cenacle on Mount Zion. The charges, which appeared in the Italian bishops’ newspaper Avvenire, said that the Israelis put a memorial plaque on the roof of the Cenacle. The plaque was put in place after the 1948 War of Independence in memory of soldiers who fell in the Old City and whose burial place was unknown. Every year, the bereaved families cleaned the plaque. Why did the Catholic authorities complain? Last year a similar charge was made from the Catholic authorities that Israel wants to “Judaize” Mount Zion. Should the Vatican gain sovereignty over Mount of Zion, millions of Christian pilgrims will flock to the site, and this will threaten the Israeli presence in the Old City’s Jewish Quarter and Jewish access to the Western Wall. The Vatican wants the Jews out of the Old City and apparently Israel’s government is agreeing with them. Turning the Cenacle into an active church is also a way of desecrating the holiness of the site known as the Tomb of David. The Vatican and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation expressed a common position in the Basic Agreement of 15 February 2000, intended to support the recognition of a special statute for the City of Jerusalem. In the memorandum, signed by Vatican officials and the PLO, an organization dedicated to the mass deportation of Israel’s Jews, the Catholic Church wants Israel relinquishing sovereignty at the Western Wall and the Temple Mount. The Vatican-PLO agreement’s preamble on Jerusalem shows that the Vatican's attitude on Israel's capital is still stuck in the unforgivable anti-Semitic rhetoric of the 1940s. Until 1948, Christian access to the Cenacle was severely limited, because it was used as a mosque. Since then, the State of Israel is committed to protecting the holy places of all religions, and guaranteeing the right of worship for all faiths. But no Israeli government must tolerate any policy of division, “shared control” or “internationalization” that opens the door to a return to the Arab apartheid of Jordanian occupation between 1948 and 1967. Jerusalem is not for sale. For thousands of years, the Cenacle area was almost always totally closed off to Jews. Sovereignty over Mount Zion is politics, not only religion. The day after the Pope celebrated a mass on Mt. Zion in 2000, he went to Yasser Arafat headquarter to support the Palestinians’ right to return. A few months later, the Oslo war began. And Jews were sacrified again on the altar of “peace”. It was their last supper. This week, the Vatican in its official documents began referring to the "State of Palestine". Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on February 13, 2013, 01:49:00 am That's just crazy, Muslims and Catholics running off Jews from their own land. But, we knew it was coming.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 19, 2013, 05:38:09 pm http://news.yahoo.com/israels-netanyahu-names-ex-foreign-minister-tzipi-livni-181607780.html
2/19/13 Israel's Netanyahu names ex-Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to lead peace talks with Palestinians JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's Netanyahu names ex-Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to lead peace talks with Palestinians. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Phord on February 19, 2013, 05:54:02 pm i have been looking at mapss of the land "Israel" is supposed tto have and they have like only maybe 1 3rd the land or less they should. they should control some of syria i believee. one of the maps comes from a chick tract called "somebody angry?" and its sad, because they dont have much land to begin with compare to like 99% of all other nations on earth.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Phord on February 19, 2013, 06:01:29 pm another thing. Israel is supposed to have that land, and it was given them to God because as i have noticed in my studies that land has those four rivers or did have all four rivers flowing into it when it was still the garden of Eden, and it all goes back to Adam and Eve as the first humas, and so Eden or part of it was where Israel now is. explains why land should be theirs too.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 19, 2013, 08:34:23 pm Yeah, it amazes me how tiny the land of Israel is, but thus far(and never will for that matter) will the Palestineans nor any of their other enemies covet even a bit of it.(although the AC will divide the land just for a short bit in the tribulation)
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 22, 2013, 10:06:46 pm http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-forces-palestinians-clash-throughout-west-bank-135638177.html
2/22/13 Israeli forces, Palestinians clash throughout West Bank RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian protesters throughout the occupied West Bank on Friday, capping a week of violence amid a hunger strike by four Palestinians in Israeli jails. Tension and anticipation is rising in the West Bank a month before U.S. President Barack Obama is due to visit Jerusalem and Ramallah, though he has announced no concrete plans to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks stalled for three years. From the precincts of Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque, both one of Islam's holiest sites and revered by Jews as the site of their Biblical temple, youths threw stones at Israeli police after Friday prayers. Dozens of Israeli officers briefly entered the politically sensitive compound. Witnesses said officers fired tear gas and threw percussion grenades at the demonstrators as bystanders and elderly worshippers ran for cover. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 24, 2013, 04:56:29 pm http://news.yahoo.com/jewish-settlers-palestinians-clash-west-bank-132532723.html
2/23/13 Jewish settlers, Palestinians clash in West Bank JERUSALEM (AP) — Clashes erupted Saturday in the West Bank where Jewish settlers shot two Palestinian demonstrators in the northern village of Kusra, an Israeli military official and Palestinian residents said. The clashes reflected mounting friction in the West Bank, where Palestinians have faced off against Israeli troops in recent weeks in a series of large demonstrations protesting Israel's control of the territory in general and in solidarity of four hunger-striking prisoners in Israeli jails. Also Saturday, a Palestinian prisoner died in an Israeli jail, an event that is likely to intensify tension in the area. In the West Bank skirmish, Helmi Abdul-Aziz, 24, was shot in the stomach by Jewish settlers, Palestinian demonstrators said. They said Jewish settlers also shot 14-year-old Mustafa Hilal in the foot. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 26, 2013, 08:47:49 pm http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/26/us-palestinians-israel-gaza-idUSBRE91P04420130226
2/26/13 Rocket explodes in Israel, first attack from Gaza since November truce (Reuters) - A rocket fired from Gaza exploded in Israel on Tuesday, the first such attack since a November truce, and a militant group said it launched the strike to retaliate for the death of a Palestinian in an Israeli jail. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant group in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's West Bank-based Fatah movement, called the rocket a "first response" to inmate Arafat Jaradat's death in disputed circumstances on Saturday. "We must resist our enemy by all available means," the group said in a statement emailed to reporters. "We stress our commitment to armed struggle against the Zionist enemy." Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, said it was investigating the attack, which caused no casualties and followed a surge in West Bank protests since Jaradat's death and intermittent hunger strikes by four other prisoners. The rocket hit a road near the southern city of Ashkelon, police said. Israel responded by closing the Kerem Shalom border crossing through which produce and other goods are moved into the Gaza Strip, but it took no immediate military action. The rocket was the first to hit Israel since a November 21 truce brokered by Egypt that ended eight days of cross-border air strikes and missile attacks in which 175 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed. In addition to the fire from Gaza, a surge of unrest in the occupied West Bank has raised fears in Israel of a new Palestinian Intifada, or uprising. Abbas accused Israel of inciting the unrest but urged calm. "We did not want things to go as far as they have. We do not want tension or any escalation," Abbas said in the West Bank, in his second appeal in as many days to tamp down the violence. TORTURE ALLEGATIONS On Monday, thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank turned out for the funeral of Jaradat, 30, who died a week after his arrest for throwing stones at Israeli vehicles. Palestinian officials said he had died after being tortured in prison. But Israel said an autopsy carried out in the presence of a Palestinian coroner was inconclusive. In confrontations after the emotive funeral, Israeli police shot and wounded five Palestinian youths in Bethlehem and outside a West Bank prison, leaving a 15-year-old boy with a critical head injury, Israeli and Palestinian medics said. An Israeli military spokeswoman, commenting on the incident, said troops had opened fire at Palestinians who threw homemade hand grenades at a Jewish holy site called Rachel's Tomb. Before the rocket attack from Gaza, media reports said Israeli officials had hoped the Palestinian protests were winding down. Palestinian frustration has also been fuelled by Israel's expansion of Jewish settlements in territory captured in a 1967 war and deadlocked diplomacy for a peace agreement since 2010. The U.S. State Department said American diplomats have contacted Israeli and Palestinian leaders to appeal for calm. The United Nations coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Robert Serry, called Tuesday's rocket fire "totally unacceptable" and urged an investigation into Jaradat's death. (Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Writing by Allyn Fisher-Ilan; Editing by Jeffrey Heller) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 27, 2013, 10:53:58 am http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23695/Default.aspx?ref=newsletter-20130225
2/25/13 Palestinians warn Obama over Temple Mount visit Palestinian political and religious figures over the weekend warned US President Barack Obama that he should probably avoid ascending Jerusalem's Temple Mount during his upcoming visit to Israel, but provided a list of instructions should he go ahead with a stop at the contentious holy site. The White House has not said a word of Obama going to the Temple Mount during next month's visit, but Palestinian leaders are fairly certain the American leader will want to do so. If that is the case, Obama better follow the Muslims' rules, they said. First of all, Palestinian Authority (PA) official in charge of Jerusalem affairs, Hatem Abdel Qader, said Obama must not coordinate any Temple Mount visit with the Israeli authorities, but must rather approach either the PA or Jordan for permission. Further to that, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, head of the Waqf Islamic Trust that oversees the Temple Mount, insisted that Obama must enter the compound via the Lion's Gate, which has Muslim guards, rather than the Mughrabi Gate (near the Western Wall), which is guarded by Israeli police. In this way, Sabri said the "Muslim sovereignty" over the Temple Mount will be preserved. Sabri also cautioned Obama not to bring any Israeli officials with him to what is in reality Judaism's most holy site. At an event with Sabri, Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement in Israel, said that should Obama follow all these rules, he will be welcome at the Al Aqsa Mosque that currently occupies the Temple Mount. "The US president is likely to visit the Aqsa Mosque, but we should affirm that our position towards such situation will be in conformity with the constants of the Muslim and Arab nations, and the Palestinian people as well as with the issue of Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque," said Salah. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on February 27, 2013, 02:55:28 pm Yeah, that's the ultimate sticky situation politically.
If Obama were to abide by Islamic demands and visits that mosque on the Mount, that would be a huge recognition of the "Palestinian state", and a direct insult to Israel and Judaism all in one. I don't see how he can politically make such a visit without offending one side or the other. With the approval of Hagel, and others, it looks like he just might make that visit anyway. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on February 28, 2013, 12:06:00 pm Palestinians Advise Obama Temple Mount Visit
The Palestinian Authority and Muslim religious leaders want President Obama to coordinate any visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City with Palestinian or Jordanian officials and not through Israel, reports are saying. Though it's not clear Obama plans to visit the Temple Mount, they want Muslims and not Jews to be perceived as in charge of the site. The Temple Mount that now hosts the Dome of the Rock and al-Aksa Mosque is the site of the First and Second Jewish Temples, destroyed in 585 BC and 70 AD, respectively. Since Israel re-united Jerusalem under its sovereignty in 1967, the nation has maintained overall security control on the contested site while allowing the Islamic religious authorities to handle religious affairs there. Muslim Prayer Only Neither Jews nor Christians are allowed to pray on the Temple Mount. And many Arab and Muslim leaders deny any Jewish connection to it. In July 2008, then-Sen. Obama visited the Western Wall as a candidate for president, where he prayed at Judaism's holiest site. Political and religious leaders agreed it would be better for the president not to visit the Temple Mount, though they anticipate he may want to, Israel Today reported earlier this week. But Palestinian and Muslim religious leaders are offering suggestions to President Obama during his upcoming visit to Israel. According to the report, the P.A. minister of Jerusalem affairs, Hatem Abdel Qadar, advised Obama to confirm his visit with the Palestinian Authority or Jordan, not with Israeli officials, though Israel is responsible for security on the Temple Mount. Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, head of the Waqf, the Islamic trust overseeing the day-to-day administration of the area, suggested the president enter through the Lion's Gate used by Muslims rather than the Mughrabi Gate, the only entrance used by non-Muslim visitors, which is staffed by Israeli security personnel. Israel Police also enter the Temple Mount via the Mughrabi Gate when it's necessary to restore calm there. Sabri said using the Lion's Gate will help affirm Muslim control over the Temple Mount. He also advised Obama not to bring any Israelis with him. Welcome to Enter al-Aksa Mosque Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, said the president would be welcome to enter the al-Aksa mosque on the Temple Mount. Salah has served prison time in the past for incitement to violence against the State of Israel. "The U.S. president is likely to visit the Aksa mosque, but we should affirm our position… with the constants of the Muslim and Arab nations and the Palestinian people as well as with the issue of Jerusalem and the Aksa mosque," the report quoted Salah. A tentative itinerary for Obama's first visit to Israel as president did not include the Temple Mount, though it does include visits to Mount Herzl, Yad VaShem Holocaust Museum, the Israel Museum, and the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed. From 1948-1967 the area was under Jordanian rule. After destroying all the synagogues in the Old City's Jewish Quarter, the Jordanians forbad Jews to pray at the Western Wall, the only remaining vestige of the First and Second Temples, which served as a retaining wall during Temple times. The area was strewn with rubble and garbage. The 1967 Six Day War ended the Jordanian occupation of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and reunited Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty. Israel allowed the Waqf to continue religious administrative tasks on the Temple Mount, while retaining security control over the area. http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2013/February/Palestinians-Advise-Obama-Temple-Mount-Visit/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on February 28, 2013, 02:34:32 pm Wait, what?...
Quote Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, head of the Waqf, the Islamic trust overseeing the day-to-day administration of the area, suggested the president enter through the Lion's Gate used by Muslims rather than the Mughrabi Gate, the only entrance used by non-Muslim visitors, which is staffed by Israeli security personnel. Israel Police also enter the Temple Mount via the Mughrabi Gate when it's necessary to restore calm there. I totally missed that when I first read the article. I was focused on the political fallout of the visit, and didn't pay attention to the significance of this. Obama CLAIMS to be a Christian, right?... Quote Neither Jews nor Christians are allowed to pray on the Temple Mount. And many Arab and Muslim leaders deny any Jewish connection to it. And he's allowed to use the gate that is for Muslims only? But he's Christian isn't he? That's what he claims. So what's really going on here? Up front, no doubt this is as much propaganda by the "Palestinians" to get more recognition as a state, and as stated, it's politically a bad move, but what is revealing is the terms set by the head of the Waqf, who has a history of stirring up violence, and who also denies the Jews have any history on the temple mount. The going operative word apparently being used in the Arab media is "alleged" temple. Plenty of proof what some leaders in the PA and in the Islamic leadership are saying about the temple mount, etc. http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=489&all=1 (http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=489&all=1) For what it's worth, it's "Palestinian Media Watch", who reports on what the Arab world is saying about Israel and Jews. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 01, 2013, 09:03:10 pm http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4351218,00.html
03/01/13 Israel may lose $500 million in US aid After Washington fiscal talks fail, new budget crisis begins. If parties fail to reach compromise, cuts may affect foreign aid as well, including military aid for development of anti-missile batteries WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama emerged Friday from a unsuccessful, last-minute meeting with congressional leaders declaring there was no progress on blocking what he called "dumb and arbitrary" cuts that will begin carving $85 billion of government spending by day's end. The cuts will likely affect American citizens, but also Washington's military aid to Israel. If the crisis is not solved in a compromise reached during the 2013 fiscal year, the Jewish state stands to lose up to $760 million in security aid. As far as the American economy is concerned, the cuts will affect the level of services, layoffs and automatic salary cuts. But the cuts may also affect US foreign aid, and Israel could gradually lose $263.5 in the coming year out of the annual military aid which amounts to more than $3 billion. Yet while the annual military aid will continue to flow into Israel, with a 3% cut, the American aid for the development and manufacturing of the Iron Dome, Arrow and Magic Wand anti-missile batteries will be stuck as long as the US defense budget for 2013 is not approved. The expected budget for the Iron Dome rocket interception system, which is pending approval in the US Congress, stands at $210 million for 2013 as part of the four-year Iron Dome aid package of $680 million. Israeli envoy: Ready to carry our share of burden Apart from Iron Dome, the Congress has been working on a special aid package of $268 million for a joint Israeli-American development of Arrow and David's Sling missiles to defend Israel on different levels against ballistic missiles. Out of this sum, $100 million are guaranteed but $168 million are now in danger. Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren told Ynet in response, "As the United States' closest ally in the Middle East, Israel understands the difficult budget challenges the Americans are dealing with. "We are ready to carry our share of the burden, while trying to maintain the projects which are crucial for Israel's security, like Iron Dome." more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on March 02, 2013, 04:55:52 am Quote Israel may lose $500 million in US aid Is that all? That's pocket change. Tell Israel to go hit up Spielberg and his buddies for the cash if Israel is so short. ::) We got no business giving cash to other countries, not that way. All this is contractors crying they might lose some government contracts. Quote Yet while the annual military aid will continue to flow into Israel, with a 3% cut, the American aid for the development and manufacturing of the Iron Dome, Arrow and Magic Wand anti-missile batteries will be stuck as long as the US defense budget for 2013 is not approved. See that? "...with a 3% cut". They make it sound like the whole military budget to Israel is at risk! We are talking a measly 3 percent. That's a joke not even worth talking about. These kinds of games they play with the public's money turns my stomach. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 05, 2013, 10:51:57 am http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/165886
Netanyahu Reportedly Mulling Ceding Land to PA Maariv: defense establishment recommends transferring territory to PA control, as pre-Obama visit gesture. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is considering the possibility of approving a "meaningful package of gestures" toward the Palestinian Authority in advance of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Israel this month, reports Maariv. The newspaper said that the recommendations to cede land were handed to the Prime Minister by "the defense establishment," which also explained that the "gestures" would not endanger Netanyahu politically. The unnamed elements within the defense establishment also reportedly said that "the gestures are of a diplomatic nature, and will create an important effect for Israel on the consciousness level, at a low price, politically and coalition-wise." In the past, the "gestures" were discussed, in part, with Quartet Middle East Envoy Tony Blair – but Netanyahu rejected them then. One of the "gestures" is the transfer of some areas that are currently under full Israeli control (Area C) to full Arab control (Area A). These territories would include access roads to the new PA city of Rawabi and another road that leads to the Tul Karm industrial area. Yet another suggested "gesture," according to Maariv, is the approval of zoning plans for about 10 illegal Arab outposts in Area C. Yet another "gesture" is the release of "a meaningful number" of Fatah terrorist prisoners from Israeli jails, and the transfer of light ammunition to the PA forces. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on March 06, 2013, 04:08:48 am Senators Press Resolution To Expedite Bible Armageddon
A joint resolution set to be introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham (SC) and Robert Menendez (NJ), a Republican and Democrat, respectively, declares U.S. support for an Israeli military strike against Iran's nuclear program. The resolution, which expresses the sense of the Congress, will be supported by the thousands of delegates to the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee annual conference that will stream through the Capitol this weekend. With prominent liberal Democrats already signing on, AIPAC's lobbying heft will likely propel a bill that, in Congressional sentiment at least, commits the U.S. to active support of a potential Israeli attack that experts think could have consequences as grave as further destabilization in the region, adverse global economic consequences, and even a hardening of Iranian resolve to get a weapon. According to a copy obtained by Open Zion, the resolution, while affirming increasingly harsh sanctions, also "urges that, if the Government of Israel is compelled to take military action in self-defense, the United States Government should stand with Israel and provide diplomatic, military, and economic support to the Government of Israel in its defense of its territory, people, and existence." Tempering some fears about the bill, the authors added that the resolution shouldn't "be construed as an authorization for the use of force or a declaration of war" by the U.S. Though the caveat will surely... rest: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/28/senators-press-to-green-light-israeli-attack-on-iran.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on March 12, 2013, 10:59:17 am Hamas: ‘Declaration Of War’ If Obama Visits Temple Mount
Hamas is warning that if President Obama visits the Temple Mount it would be a “declaration of war” against the Islamic world. Israel National News reports the terror group made the threat during a protest march at the religious site following riots on Friday. Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas spokesman, called for a third intifada if Obama visits the contested religious site in Jerusalem’s Old City between Israelis and Muslims. Public Security Minister Yitzchak Aharonovich believes the warning will lead to violence flaring up in the region ahead of the president’s visit. “The Palestinians have not said the final word yet and we expect that there will be attempts to take advantage of the upcomingevents, like the visit by Barack Obama, in order to continue the violence,” Aharonovich told Israel National News. White House officials have said Obama doesn’t plan on visiting the Temple Mount during his trip. Both Israelis and Muslims have claimed sovereignty over the Temple Mount since Israel liberated the site during the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel left the Waqf in charge of the compound. Obama met with about 10 leaders of Arab American groups on Monday, encouraging the president to deliver a message of hope to the Palestinian people. “[T]here are opportunities for him to say things that get into the public discourse about America’s commitment to them, about America’s understanding of their situation,” Jim Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, told The Associated Press. Following the meeting, the White House said Obama told the group that his trip was not meant to resolve a specific policy issue, but that it was an opportunity for Obama to demonstrate U.S. commitment to the Palestinian people. Obama told them he intends to reiterate the U.S. commitment to Israel’s security and to discuss regional concerns – including Syria – with Jordan’s leadership, the White House said. http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/03/12/hamas-declaration-of-war-if-obama-visits-temple-mount/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 16, 2013, 10:34:43 am http://www.debka.com/article/22827/
Netanyahu signs deal for new coalition government DEBKAfile Special Report March 15, 2013, 6:50 PM (GMT+02:00) After weeks of tough haggling, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s third government was in the bag Friday, March 15, having finally signed deals with two political newcomers, Yair Lapid (centrist Yesh Atid – Future) and Naftali Bennett (pro-settlement Habayit Hayehudi – Jewish Home). Both insisted on the new lineup excluding the ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties from the government for the first time in a decade, stipulating an end to the draft exemptions and welfare subsidies traditionally extended to them. Shas and Torah Judaism now join Labor on the opposition benches. The new government will be presented to President Shimon Peres Saturday night and sworn in Monday, March 18, two days before President Barack Obama arrives for a visit. Although Netanyahu’s Likud-Israeli Beitenu came out of the Jan. 22 election as the largest faction, it only garnered a disappointing 31 seats (in the 120-member Knesset). For a 61 majority, the prime minister was forced to part with a larger slice of government than his own party liked in the lengthy negotiations with Lapid and Bennett. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 18, 2013, 05:47:28 pm http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-government-sends-mixed-signals-peace-201322527.html
3/18/13 Israeli government sends mixed signals on peace (http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/El2L5xEJ4__cRQuYKQNj6Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Y2g9MjgwMztjcj0xO2N3PTQyMDU7ZHg9MDtkeT0wO2ZpPXVsY3JvcDtoPTQyMDtxPTg1O3c9NjMw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/0316a8fd4e597e092c0f6a706700e4bf.jpg) JERUSALEM (AP) — Ahead of the arrival of President Barack Obama on a high-profile Mideast mission, Israel's new government on Monday sent mixed messages about pursuing peace with the Palestinians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech to parliament that his hand is outstretched in peace and that he is ready for a "historic compromise," but one of his closest allies called hopes for peace "delusional." The conflicting signals gave a glimpse of the infighting that is likely to hinder the government if Netanyahu, who has historically been reluctant to make serious concessions to the Palestinians, decides to launch any new diplomatic initiatives. "The rhetoric about peace is one thing and doing peace is something else. Doing peace requires deeds," Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said of the new Israeli government. Well aware of the large gaps between the sides, Obama has been careful to lower expectations for the 48-hour visit, which begins Wednesday. The White House has already said he will not bring any bold new initiatives. He will leave the details of diplomacy to his secretary of state, John Kerry, who is expected in the region in the coming weeks. Instead, Obama plans to meet separately with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in hopes of finding some common ground. Toward that goal, the White House confirmed Monday that the president has added a third, previously unscheduled meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday, immediately after returning from talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank. There are no plans for the three to meet together. Upon taking office in 2009, Obama vowed to make Mideast peace a top priority. But talks never got off the ground, and ultimately Obama turned his attention elsewhere. The Palestinians have refused to negotiate while Israel continues to build in settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories where they hope to establish a state. Israel captured both areas in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians say construction in the areas, now inhabited by more than 500,000 Israelis, is a sign of bad faith. The Palestinians say the pre-1967 lines should be the basis for a future border. Early in his term, Obama persuaded Israel to impose a partial freeze on settlement construction, allowing talks to resume briefly in late 2010, toward the end of the Israeli moratorium. Netanyahu refused to extend the freeze, and negotiations collapsed weeks later. A frustrated Obama later backed off his calls for a halt in settlement building, leaving the Palestinians disillusioned. Netanyahu says negotiations should resume without preconditions. Since winning re-election in January, Netanyahu has pledged to make a new push for peace. "We extend our hand in peace to the Palestinians," Netanyahu said in Monday's speech, delivered shortly before his new Cabinet was sworn into office. "With a Palestinian partner that is willing to hold negotiations in good will, Israel will be ready for a historic compromise that will end the conflict with the Palestinians once and for all." Netanyahu gave no details. The Palestinians have suggested he again halt settlement construction or release the longest-held Palestinian prisoners Israel is holding as a goodwill gesture. Making any significant concession would be a struggle for Netanyahu. The coalition, stitched together during nearly six weeks of negotiations following a Jan. 22 parliamentary election, is focused more on domestic issues than peacemaking. And on the Palestinian issue, his partners include moderates and hard-liners who share little common ground. On one hand, Netanyahu has appointed Tzipi Livni, a dovish former foreign minister who has good ties with the Palestinians, to be his chief negotiator. His largest coalition partner, Yair Lapid of the centrist Yesh Atid Party, has called for an aggressive attempt to reach peace. In contrast, the pro-settler Jewish Home Party rejects any concessions to the Palestinians, and Netanyahu's Likud-Yisrael Beitenu bloc itself is dominated by hard-liners. His new defense minister and housing minister, who each wield great influence over Israel's policies in the West Bank, are both sympathetic to the settlers. Ahead of Netanyahu's speech, Avigdor Lieberman, a powerful ally of the prime minister and himself a West Bank settler, said anyone who thinks peace can be reached with the Palestinians is "delusional." "This conflict cannot be solved. This conflict needs to be managed," he told his Yisrael Beitenu Party, an ultranationalist faction that has formed a joint parliamentary bloc with Netanyahu's Likud Party. Lieberman said he would fight any attempt to halt settlement construction. Considering this recipe for deadlock, the Palestinians have shown no optimism over the new Israeli government. "This is a government of political paralysis. It's also the government that has given the settlers enormous powers," said Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official. The Israeli election focused heavily on domestic issues, such as the high cost of living and calls to end a contentious system that has allowed ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students to be exempt from compulsory military service. Addressing his party Monday, Lapid made no mention of the Palestinians, appealing to the ultra-Orthodox to work with him on draft reform. Netanyahu said that while there is a "golden moment" to deal with domestic issues, his first concern was to protect Israel. He listed a number of security threats to Israel, including Iran's suspect nuclear program, instability in neighboring Egypt, the civil war to Israel's north in Syria and the threat of sophisticated weapons reaching the hands of violent anti-Israel groups. Zahava Gal-On, leader of the dovish opposition party Meretz, said Jewish settlers were the "big winners" of the election. "The next government will not make peace, will not narrow social gaps, will not concern itself with equality for all citizens of the state. The next government will continue to do much for the settlers and little for the rest of the Israeli public," she said. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 18, 2013, 05:52:43 pm http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-4356663,00.html
3/16/13 Obama to travel Jerusalem in 'The Beast' US president to ride around capital in moving fortress; 5,000 policemen to secure his every move Yitzhak Benhorin WASHINGTON - United States President Barack Obama 's security team is taking no chances: During the presidential visit in Israel which begins next Wednesday, the president will ride around Jerusalem in The Beast, the aptly named tank-turned-car, a rolling fortress. Obama's motorcade will include two such vehicles – each costing $300,000 – driving around between a huge entourage of uniformed and undercover security men. Though the American people have a historical affinity to seeing their presidents out in the open waving from horse drawn carriages and convertible limousines, these preferences were sadly laid aside following John Kennedy's assassination in 1963. The Beast, the latest and the most significant change in presidential security procedures, was revealed at Obama's first inauguration in 2008, when upon seeing it, the president remarked on its similarity to a Boeing airplane. The car is sealed and protected from chemical and biological weapons. The windows are bullet-proof, and its doors are an alloy of steel, aluminum, titanium and porcelain – proof against roadside-charges and rocket fire. In addition, the gas tank is armored; the bumpers are equipped with night-vision sensors, cameras and devices to launch tear-gas. The tires can still function if punctured, and, better safe than sorry, the trunk is filled with oxygen tanks, emergency blood units and fire-fighting equipment. But this only covers the president's car. On his visit to Israel, Obama will be secured by 5,000 police officers wherever he goes, and joint scenarios with the American Secret Service have been exercised simulating threats varying from an attempted assassination to general disruptions of order. “This is a 48 hour visit but the preparations have been going on for more than a month," Police Head of Operations Brigadier General Nissim Mor told Ynet. "There's no room for error," he added. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on March 19, 2013, 03:47:10 am The most significant place on earth, a place that is suppose to be our friends, and he's only spending 48 hours on the ground in 2 terms, 8 years, in office? I realize presidents are busy and all, but come on, 2 days? What could be accomplished by such an expensive, and short, visit?
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 19, 2013, 05:52:35 pm Barack Obama Israel itinerary
March 19, 2013 Wednesday, March 20 12:15 p.m.: Obama lands at Israel’s international airport and is received with an honor guard. President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lead the welcoming committee. Obama speaks briefly. He also visits an Iron Dome battery, specially deployed nearby. The president then helicopters to Jerusalem. 4:00 p.m.: President Shimon Peres hosts Obama — a ceremonial welcome, plenty of singing, and then a working session. 5:20 p.m.: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosts Obama for the trip’s most substantive talks, through the late afternoon into the evening. 8:10 p.m.: Netanyahu and Obama hold a joint press conference, then move to a working dinner and more talks, before Obama retires to his suite at the nearby King David Hotel. Thursday, March 21 9:00 a.m.: Obama visits the Israel Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, tour an exhibit showcasing Israeli innovations, and meet local high-tech entrepreneurs. 11:00 a.m.: Obama travels to Ramallah, holds meetings with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad, delivers an address to young Palestinians. 4:40 p.m.: Obama delivers the key public address of his visit, to a mainly young audience at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center. 5:40 p.m.: The president meets with US diplomatic staff at the American Consulate in Jerusalem. Obama then returns to the President’s Residence, where Netanyahu joins him and Peres. 8:00 p.m.: Peres hosts Obama for a state dinner, attended by politicians, military brass, judges, Nobel laureates, authors, Miss Israel, high-tech trailblazers and other notables, featuring more speeches and Peres’s awarding of Obama with the Presidential Medal of Distinction. Friday, March 22 8:40 a.m.: Obama visits Mount Herzl and lays wreaths on the graves of Theodor Herzl and Yitzhak Rabin. 9:30 a.m.: Obama tours the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum. 12:00 p.m.: Obama visits the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. 3 p.m: Obama says goodbye at an official sendoff at the airport, with Peres leading the farewells. During Obama’s visit the main highway from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv (Route 1) will be closed for lengthy periods of time. Also, the streets around the King David Hotel, where the president will be staying, will be closed for the duration of the visit. The Israeli smartphone WAZE navigation app will be synchronized with Israel police, aiming to update drivers in real-time about blocked roads and to redirect traffic to alternative routes. http://www.timesofisrael.com/president-obamas-timetable-in-israel Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 20, 2013, 08:17:24 pm Jerusalem Post Editor: 'We Can't Figure Out What He's Doing Here'
http://cdn.breitbart.com/mediaserver/Breitbart/Big-Journalism/2013/03/20/Obama%20Netanyahux-large.jpg 3/20/13 Caroline Glick, Senior Contributing Editor of the Jerusalem Post said the Israeli people consider President Obama "a hostile president overall," on "Mornings on the Mall" on WMAL-FM in Washington DC. Appearing with Brian Wilson and myself Wednesday morning, Glick said the Israeli people "can't figure out what he's doing here," when asked about the mood in Jerusalem as the President's plane touched down for the first time in his presidency. "Essentially his goal is to empower the un-electable, incredibly radical left in Israel to put pressure on the Israeli government for whatever concessions he wants it to make to the PLO," said Glick in evaluating the reasons why Obama will be meeting with university students and members of the Palestinian Government during his visit. When asked about how the installment of Chuck Hagel as the Secretary of Defense was received by the Israeli people, Glick said, "It's a hostile act." Video news clip inside link Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on March 21, 2013, 07:41:42 am US President Obama visits Ramallah, March 2013
Obama: 'We do not consider continued settlement activity to be appropriate or constructive' for peace - @pdanahar President Obama at press conference with Abbas: Palestinians deserve sovereign state, end to occupation and to daily indignities - @AP :o what do you expect... Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on March 21, 2013, 08:30:25 am ROCKETS RAIN ON ISRAEL
(http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/acPt5F6aoC.6fZb65Ulmtw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD0zNzY7cT04NTt3PTUxMg--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/0a64a91ca9fbc1092c0f6a7067007f1e.jpg) http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4359306,00.html ISRAELIS: We're 'Victims of Obama'... http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/166448#.UUsCwBzqmxU PREZ: 'Palestinians Deserve State Of Own'.... http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/03/21/obama-says-palestinians-deserve-independent-state/ 'Don't Want to Put Cart Before Horse'... http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-i-dont-want-put-cart-horse_708750.html Abbas: Palestine, US 'partners'... http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Abbas-Palestine-US-partners-in-pursuit-of-just-peace-307279 Protest: 'We want RPGs!' http://www.haaretz.com/news/obama-visits-israel/palestinians-protest-obama-visit-we-want-rpgs-not-cia-collaboration-1.511027 REUTERS: 'Occupied'... http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/21/us-israel-palestinians-obama-settlements-idUSBRE92K0H820130321 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on March 21, 2013, 08:48:07 am White House Map 'Erases' Jerusalem, Biblical Territories
The White House has released what it says is a map of Israel. The only problem is that Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights are missing. An Obama administration video highlighting the president’s plans for his Mideast trip depicts Jerusalem, the Golan and the West Bank – also known as Judea and Samaria – as non-Israeli territory. http://www.onenewsnow.com/latest-headlines-from-the-web/2013/03/20/white-house-map-erases-jerusalem (http://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Israel-WH1.png) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on March 21, 2013, 10:15:14 am Pic says it all!!!
(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02516/obama-arafat_2516395b.jpg) In a stark contrast to his smooth-running public appearances with Israeli leaders, the US president found himself on the back foot when forced to address the issue after a 90-minute meeting with Mr Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Mr Obama said he had told Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, that settlement expansion in east Jerusalem and the West Bank on land the Palestinians want for a future state was not "constructive" or "appropriate". But he did not repeat his previous call, issued in 2009, that building must cease, pleading instead for resumed talks on the "core issues" of establishing a sovereign Palestinian state and providing security for Israel. "That's not to say settlements aren't important. That's to say if we solve those two problems, the settlement issue will be resolved," Mr Obama told a press conference in a rambling answer in which his normal fluency seemed to desert him. Referring to Palestinian demands for a building freeze before re-starting talks, he admitted that settlements were "frustrating". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/9946213/Flustered-Barack-Obama-on-the-back-foot-over-Israeli-settlements.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on March 21, 2013, 10:25:28 am 'It is not fair that a Palestinian child cannot grow up in a state of their own,' Obama says - live video
Obama in Hebrew while speaking in Israel: 'As long as there is a US, you are not alone' - @haaretzcom Obama: I believe you have a "true partner" in President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. #Israel :o Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 21, 2013, 10:50:06 am Wow...when Obama initially came to Israel, didn't he act like a friend to Israel and Netenyahu?
Talk about doublespeak... Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on March 21, 2013, 11:01:42 am More: In Israel speech, Obama says there should be '2 states for 2 people' - @NBCNews
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/21/17396987-obama-appeals-to-israelis-give-justice-to-the-palestinians?lite Bet the land of Amerika gets divided also... Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on March 21, 2013, 02:14:55 pm Obama urges Israelis to compromise for peace...
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_OBAMA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-03-21-11-08-44 compromise on what? they compromised when they made TRANSJORDAN and gave part of their land to EGYPT. What do they need to compromise on? Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on March 21, 2013, 03:18:58 pm That whole debate won't be settled till Jesus returns. What the "Palestinians" really want is for Israel to the leave the region. Ain't going to happen either, no more than Islam will back down from their claim to the Temple Mount and Jerusalem. Jordan COULD play a big role in this though, as they are the state in charge of the Temple Mount area.
Whatever the details, we know from prophecy it will get ugly and not better. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 21, 2013, 09:05:16 pm http://news.yahoo.com/obama-israelis-put-yourself-palestinians-shoes-225809351.html
Obama to Israelis: 'Put yourself' in Palestinians' shoes President Obama took a fatherly approach in his speech to Israelis Thursday, both assuring them of America's commitment to their country and urging them to make the hard choices for peace. President Obama’s speech in Jerusalem Thursday was appropriately delivered to a largely youthful audience, because in many ways the president’s tone and message were those of a father expressing unconditional support – even as he prods with lessons of tradition, compassion, and justice. Mr. Obama went further than he ever had, perhaps further than any US president, in asserting America’s bonds with Israel. But having once established those unshakable links, he went on to admonish his listeners, as any father has his children: He urged them to have the strength and an ancestral sense of right to be even better human beings and correct the wrongs around them. Obama’s admonitions in large part focused on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and the limitations that occupation would, in the long run, place on Israel’s fulfillment as a democratic Jewish state. “Put yourself in their shoes – look at the world through their eyes,” Obama told his Israeli audience – again, with a line any father has used. He went on to list the ways that Israel’s occupation “is not right” and is as damaging to Israelis as it is to Palestinians. The speech set a tone that was appropriate, some analysts say, given Obama’s audience and his objectives. “It is a speech in a fatherly mode, but the Israelis, and I would say the Palestinians, do need to put themselves in the other’s shoes,” says Doron Ben-Atar, a history professor at Fordham University in New York. “So what he did was absolutely necessary.” more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on March 22, 2013, 02:35:45 am Quote Obama’s admonitions in large part focused on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and the limitations that occupation would, in the long run, place on Israel’s fulfillment as a democratic Jewish state. “Put yourself in their shoes – look at the world through their eyes,” Obama told his Israeli audience – again, with a line any father has used. He went on to list the ways that Israel’s occupation “is not right” and is as damaging to Israelis as it is to Palestinians. He actually said that, to an Israeli audience, in a "fatherly" tone? Wow. He might as well just slapped Israelis across the face and told them they don't know how to manage their own country. ::) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 22, 2013, 11:54:48 am http://news.yahoo.com/obama-arrives-jordan-last-stop-mideast-145120371--politics.html
3/22/13 Obama arrives in Jordan, last stop in Mideast AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — President Barack Obama arrived in Jordan on Friday for the final stop on his four-day visit to the Middle East and a day of meetings with King Abdullah II that are expected to focus on the influx of refugees from the civil war in neighboring Syria. More than 400,000 Syrians have crossed the border into Jordan to escape the violence, crowding refugee camps and overwhelming aid agencies run by this important U.S. ally in the Middle East. Abdullah has voiced fears that extremists and terrorists could create a regional base in his country. Obama will also seek to bolster Jordan's efforts to reform its government as it seeks to stave off an Arab Spring-style revolution. Before arriving in the Jordanian capital of Amman, Obama closed a three-day visit to Israel, another important U.S. ally in the region, by paying respects to the nation's heroes and to victims of the Holocaust. He also solemnly reaffirmed the Jewish state's right to exist. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 22, 2013, 04:20:27 pm http://www.timesofisrael.com/obama-applauds-call-between-israeli-turkish-prime-ministers/
3/22/13 Israel, Turkey to normalize ties, after PM apologizes for flotilla deaths In dramatic phone call, Erdogan accepts Netanyahu’s apology over loss of life in the Mavi Marmara raid; Obama brokers reconciliation minutes before leaving Israel In a dramatic reconciliation urged and brokered by President Barack Obama shortly before he left Israel on Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone and agreed to end three years of frozen relations. In the call, Netanyahu apologized to the Turkish people “for any errors that could have led to loss of life” in the May 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, “and agreed to complete the agreement on compensation,” his office later said in a statement. Erdogan reportedly said he accepted the Israeli apology. In the first conversation between the leaders since 2009, Netanyahu made it clear that the tragic consequences of the Mavi Marmara flotilla interception — in which nine Turkish citizens were killed by Israeli naval commandos who had come under attack as they sought to commandeer the Gaza-bound vessel — were unintentional. The leaders agreed to return their respective ambassadors and pledged to overcome differences. Erdogan also “withdrew” recent comments calling Zionism a crime against humanity, though he did not apologize for them, an informed source said. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke today with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two men agreed to restore normalization between Israel and Turkey, including the dispatch of ambassadors and the cancellation of legal steps against IDF soldiers,” Netanyahu’s office said in the statement. Netanyahu told Erdogan that he had “good talks” with Obama “on the issue of regional cooperation and the importance of Israeli-Turkish relations. The prime minister expressed regret over the deterioration in bilateral relations [with Turkey] and noted his commitment to working out the disagreements in order to advance peace and regional stability,” the statement added. “The prime minister made it clear that the tragic results regarding the Mavi Marmara were unintentional and that Israel expresses regret over injuries and loss of life. In light of the Israeli investigation into the incident, which pointed out several operational errors, Prime Minister Netanyahu apologized to the Turkish people for any errors that could have led to loss of life and agreed to complete the agreement on compensation,” the statement continued. Netanyahu “also noted that Israel has already lifted several restrictions on the movement of civilians and goods to all of the Palestinian territories, including Gaza, and added that this will continue as long as the quiet is maintained. The two leaders agreed to continue to work on improving the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories,” the statement concluded. Turkey and Israel were once close allies, but relations unraveled in recent years, exacerbated in 2010 by the Israeli interception of the Mavi Marmara as it sought to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip. Turkey had conditioned warmer ties on an Israeli apology and compensation. The reconciliation took place shortly before Obama completed his three-day visit to Israel, in a call from Ben-Gurion Airport. Initially Obama spoke to Erdogan, reports said, and then he handed the phone to Netanyahu. The US had indicated for some time that it saw an imperative for Israel and Turkey to heal the rift between them, especially given the regional challenges posed by Iran’s nuclear drive and the raging civil war in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry had laid the groundwork for the call earlier, and Netanyahu had told IDF Chief of the General Staff Benny Gantz and his Cabinet colleagues that the move was imminent. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 22, 2013, 04:24:03 pm http://www.timesofisrael.com/liberman-calls-turkey-apology-a-serious-error/
Liberman calls Turkey apology a ‘serious mistake’ Former FM says Netanyahu’s Obama-brokered reconciliation with Erdogan hurts Israel’s public image, bolsters radicals By Adiv Sterman March 22, 2013 Former foreign minister Avigdor Liberman slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday for his decision to apologize to his Turkish counterpart for the “operational errors” made by Israel during the 2010 raid that led to Turkish fatalities on the Turkish-registered, Gaza-bound ship Mavi Marmara. “Israel’s apology for the soldiers activity against a terrorist organization is a serious mistake,” said Liberman, who served as Israel’s top diplomat during the height of the crisis with Turkey, and who is also Netanyahu’s No. 2 in their joint Knesset Likud-Beytenu faction. “Anyone who watched the photos taken on the ship Mavi Marmara understands beyond any doubt that the IDF soldiers acted in self-defense against the activists of the IHH organization, recognized in European countries, including Germany and the Netherlands, as a terrorist organization,” stated Liberman. Nine Turkish citizens were killed by IDF naval commandos who had come under attack as they sought to commandeer the vessel that was attempting to bypass Israel’s blockade of Gaza. The May 2010 incident led to the freezing of ties between the two former allies, a relationship said to be on the path to normalization following a phone call between the countries’ prime ministers on Friday. The dramatic reconciliation was brokered by US President Barack Obama shortly before he left Israel on Friday. Netanyahu and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone and agreed to end three years of dire relations. In the call, Netanyahu apologized to the Turkish people “for any operational errors that could have led to loss of life” in the Mavi Marmara incident, “and agreed to complete the agreement on compensation,” his office later said in a statement. Erdogan reportedly said he accepted the Israeli apology and said his government would end legal prosecution of Israeli officers and officials involved in the incident. “Such an apology harms the motivation of soldiers and their willingness to go out on missions in the future and bolsters the radical elements in the region,” Liberman said. As foreign minister until resigning to battle a breach of trust charge in December, Liberman was publicly opposed to any talk of an Israeli apology. Erdogan has become an increasingly bitter critic of Israel in recent years, repeatedly denouncing its policies on the Palestinians, and expressing support for the Gaza-based terror organization Hamas. On Wednesday, Erdogan clarified a statement he made in February in which he called Zionism a “crime against humanity” on par with anti-Semitism and fascism,” saying he was misunderstood and signaling that a reconciliation might be near. Speaking to a Danish newspaper, Erdogan said that he knew his remarks caused “some debate” but that “no one should misunderstand what I said.” He said “everyone should know” that his comments were directed at “Israeli policies,” especially as regards to “Gaza and the settlements.” Liberman, unmoved by the phone call and by Obama’s apparent pressure for a headling of ties, said that “Erdogan’s tirades against Israel at every opportunity, from the attack on the President [Peres] in 2009 at [a public panel at the World Economic Forum's] Davos conference, up to his words few weeks ago — that Zionism is racism and crime against humanity — and his refusal to apologize for this statement explicitly while simultaneously accepting an apology from Israel, harms the dignity and status of Israel in the region and in the world.” Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, on the other hand, welcomed the attempt at mending ties. “Reconciliation is a very important step and correct at this time, especially with what is happening in Syria,” Livni said, adding that “Israel, Turkey and the United States have shared security interests.” The defense establishment also welcomed news of the agreement, though military sources likened Israel’s apology to a half-sincere one given to an aunt when apologizing for not attending the Passover Seder. IDF chief of General Staff Benny Gantz was reportedly fully briefed on Netanyahu’s plan to apologize to Erdogan. Channel 10 said Netanyahu had also informed his senior Cabinet ministers on his plan ahead of the phone call. Labor Party Chairman Yachimovich said that the prime minister made the right choice by reconciling with Erdogan. “Turkey is a regional power and relations with the country are very important to Israel,” Yachimovich said. “Even if the apology to the Turks was done with a heavy heart, it is good that it has been done.” The Labor party leader went on to explain that “it is better to forgive and do what is wise and beneficial for the state,” rather than focus on Israel’s honor. “We hope that reconciliation with the Turks after three years of disconnect is the first step towards a new political re-entrenchment that will strengthen our diplomatic and strategic position,” she said. The reconciliation took place shortly before Obama completed his three-day visit to Israel, in a call from Ben-Gurion Airport. Initially Obama spoke to Erdogan, reports said, and then he handed the phone to Netanyahu. The move was planned and coordinated by US Secretary of State John Kerry ahead of Obama’s visit, Channel 2 reported. The US had indicated for some time that it saw an imperative for Israel and Turkey to heal the rift between them, especially given the regional challenges posed by Iran’s nuclear drive and the raging civil war in Syria. “The timing was good for that conversation to take place,” Obama said later Friday in a speech in Jordan. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Christian40 on March 22, 2013, 11:08:07 pm "In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates." (Genesis 15:18)
(http://imageftw.com/uploads/20130322/600365_10151140183658365_1524942689_n.jpg) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 23, 2013, 01:33:10 am Very interesting - FWIW, I don't think Obama or anyone else will draw up some "peace treaty" for the AC to "confirm" b/c IMHO it may be a previous one like the Oslo Accord(sp). But at the same time, from what I've read, Obama quietly played both sides of the aisles and may have planted some seeds during his trip in Israel this week.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 23, 2013, 02:26:43 pm Weather plays havoc with final hours of Obama visit
3/22/13 http://www.timesofisrael.com/weather-plays-havoc-with-final-hours-of-obama-visit/ (http://cdn.timesofisrael.com/uploads/2013/03/beth-e1363952890443.jpg) Winds, dust clouds ground presidential choppers, lead to cancellation of formal airport farewell ceremony The arrival of inclement Middle East weather Friday disrupted the final hours of the visit to Israel and the West Bank by US President Barack Obama. The air was filled with dust Friday morning and early afternoon, blown by strong winds. Visibility was minimal in and around Jerusalem, in the nearby West Bank area, and at Ben-Gurion Airport. The president was supposed to be in Bethlehem at 12:30 p.m., for a visit to the Church of the Nativity, but only left Jerusalem shortly before 2 pm. This was partly because of the weather, reports indicated, but also partly because his one-on-one meeting at the King David Hotel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went on for longer than expected, focusing on security arrangements for Israel if and when it moves forward in negotiations with the Palestinians. Obama had planned to fly by helicopter from Bethlehem, his final stop, to the airport, but that proved impossible. The Bethlehem visit was the Christian component of his Holy Land trip, and an element he was reluctant to cancel but in the end had to keep short. The Prime Minister’s Office announced that the planned farewell ceremony at the airport would be canceled because of winds whipping the tarmac, and that a smaller ceremony would be held without the press. From the airport, Obama was flying to Amman. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on March 24, 2013, 04:51:20 am Quote The Bethlehem visit was the Christian component of his Holy Land trip, and an element he was reluctant to cancel but in the end had to keep short. I'm sure he was just tore up over having to leave early and miss the "Christian component" of his trip. Got his other business done, but failed on the Christian part, the part that involves what is suppose to be his religion. They think they were blinded by the dust, but it's their unbelief that has blinded them. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 24, 2013, 02:48:04 pm http://www.timesofisrael.com/obama-applauds-call-between-israeli-turkish-prime-ministers/ 3/22/13 Israel, Turkey to normalize ties, after PM apologizes for flotilla deaths http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Erdogan-confirms-intention-to-visit-Gaza-W-Bank-in-April-307492 3/23/13 Erdogan: Too soon to drop case against IDF officers Turkish PM says it is still too early to fully restore diplomatic ties with Israel, appoint new ambassadors. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that despite Israel's apology over the IDF raid of the 2010 Gaza-bound flotilla, it is still too early to drop the case against IDF generals accused by Ankara of being responsible for the death of nine Turkish activists aboard the Mavi Marmara, Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman reported. Erdogan said Netanyahu's apology satisfied Turkish expectations when he used the word "apology" instead of "regret," but that it was still too soon to fully restore diplomatic ties and appoint new ambassadors, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported. “We will see what will be put into practice during the process. If they [Israel] move forward in a promising way, we will make our contribution. Then, there would be an exchange of ambassadors,” he said. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Christian40 on March 24, 2013, 10:56:46 pm (http://watch.org/html/images/BG-Helicopter.jpg)
Obama's helicopter grounded (http://watch.org/html/images/BG-OliveTree.jpg) Ben Gurion olive tree uprooted by wind (http://watch.org/html/images/BG-Farewell.jpg) Obama farewell tent blown over I would be willing to make an educated guess here that God is not pleased with the message that Obama brought to Netanyhu, and He is not pleased with the message that Obama brought to the people of Israel. http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/march2013/carlw323.htm Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 26, 2013, 04:01:33 pm http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-turkey-begin-talks-on-compensating-raid-victims/
Israel, Turkey begin talks on compensation for Marmara victims Ankara’s Deputy PM calls start of negotiations ‘a big success of Turkish foreign policy’ 3/26/13 Israeli and Turkish officials met on Monday to discuss the terms of Israel’s compensation to victims of the 2010 raid on the Mavi Marmara. “Officials delegated by the two sides will work on the compensation issue. We gave the kickstart for it today,” Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting. Arinc called the talks “a big success of Turkish foreign policy.” The negotiations began three days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and apologized for “operational errors” made during the raid on the Marmara, a vessel seeking to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, in which nine Turkish activists were killed by naval commandos who were attacked when they boarded. The call came in the final minutes of US President Barack Obama’s visit to Israel last week, having been brokered by the Americans. Erdogan accepted Netanyahu’s apology and the two agreed to return their respective ambassadors and pledged to overcome differences. In an apparent backtrack, however, the Turkish premier said Sunday that normalized relations with Jerusalem would only happen if Israel implemented its side of an ostensible new bargain with Turkey that he said included Israel lifting its blockade on Gaza — something which Netanyahu did not agree to do in the phone conversation. On Sunday, President Shimon Peres urged Turkey to restore normalized relations with Israel, citing mutual interest and common history as two of several factors that require the mending of ties between the former allies. “I can think of a thousand reasons why Turkey and Israel should be friends,” Peres said in a special interview at the President’s Residence with CNN Turk. “I cannot find one reason why they shouldn’t be friends.” “Both countries wanted to put an end to this misunderstanding and return to the good relations that existed between Turkey and ourselves for many good years,” the president said, adding that he hoped to travel to Ankara and shake hands with the Turkish leader soon. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 27, 2013, 07:32:44 pm http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23756/Default.aspx?hp=readmore
10 misconceptions behind Obama's speech in Israel 3/25/13 US President Barack Obama's visit to Israel was widely seen as a success, given that the primary goal was to win over the hearts of an Israeli public that had been, at best, suspicious of the American leader. But behind all the praise and admiration Obama heaped upon Israel, there was a gentle chiding that showed he still views the lack of peace in the region as primarily the fault of the Jewish state. Zionism is great and is the unprecedented culmination of a millennia-old dream, but Israel must surrender part of the vision for the sake of peace and justice. That was the thrust of Obama's overall message to Israelis. Obama's approach revealed three important truths: 1. It demonstrated that despite being a "Christian" nation, the government of the US doesn't see the biblical significance of Israel's rebirth. 2. It showed a clear lack on Obama's part to take even recent history into account. The Jews have in fact surrendered part of the Zionist vision, numerous times. The Jews did not protest when in 1922 the British lopped off two-thirds of their promised homeland to create Jordan, or in 1947 when the UN partitioned what was left of that homeland. In 1993, the Jews agreed to again relinquish those lands, and in 2005, tired of waiting for an agreement to be signed, Israel unilaterally surrendered Gaza. 3. Lastly, Obama showed that 10 serious misconceptions continue to undergird the international community's approach to the peace process. But brighter minds have elaborated on these 10 misconceptions better than I could. The following video produced by the Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ) doesn't mention Obama by name, but it was no accident the clip was published while Obama was in the Land. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdtGOY8T5XE&feature=player_embedded#t=0s Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 02, 2013, 09:35:06 pm http://ca.news.yahoo.com/israel-launches-air-strike-gaza-first-since-truce-213212290.html
4/2/13 Israel launches air strikes on Gaza; first since truce GAZA (Reuters) - Israel launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the first such attacks since an eight-day war in November, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement that controls the territory, and Israel's military said. "Occupation planes bombarded an open area in northern Gaza, there were no wounded," a statement from the Hamas Interior Ministry said. The strikes threatened to end an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, a truce that has kept the frontier relatively quiet since November, when some 170 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed in a brief cross-border war. A statement from Israel's military said Israeli aircraft targeted "two extensive terror sites in the Northern Gaza Strip," in response to rockets fired from the Palestinian enclave at Israel. Earlier on Tuesday, the military said Palestinians launched three rockets at Israel. Two landed in Gaza and one hit an open area in southern Israel, causing no damage or injuries. An al Qaeda-linked group, called Magles Shoura al-Mujahedeen, claimed responsibility for the rocket salvo. Israel launched its November 2012 offensive with the declared aim of ending Palestinian rocket fire into its territory. Tuesday was the third time since the November truce that rockets from Gaza have hit Israel. There have been no casualties in the attacks. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 04, 2013, 11:23:14 am http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Israels-truce-with-Hamas-hangs-in-the-balance-308583
Israel's truce with Hamas hangs in the balance By YAAKOV LAPPIN, HERB KEINON 04/03/2013 Rocket fire from Gaza and subsequent IAF airstrikes threaten five-months of quiet; Hamas's determination and ability to keep small jihadi groups in check, will be what determines the extent of the IDF's response. The five-month truce between Israel and Hamas hung delicately in the balance on Wednesday, after a small global jihadi group in Gaza again targeted the town of Sderot with rocket fire, just as parents were bringing their children to schools and kindergartens. Two rockets exploded in open areas near Sderot on Wednesday, triggering alerts and sending frightened families fleeing for shelter, in scenes the IDF and senior defense officials vowed would not be tolerated. The IDF believes that Hamas does not seek a return to hostilities, and that it is still licking its wounds from November’s bruising eight day conflict with Israel. But Hamas’s determination and ability to keep small jihadi groups in Gaza, bent on firing at Israeli civilians, in check, will be what determines the extent of the IDF’s response. more http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Rocket-fire-from-Gaza-Code-Red-siren-wakes-South-308630 South wakes to rockets from Gaza, Code Red siren 4/4/13 Amid rising tensions following death of prisoner Abu Hamdiyeh, rocket hits open area in south; no injuries or damage reported. A rocket hit an open area in southern Israel on Thursday, marking a third straight day of projectile fire after several months of calm. No Gaza militant group claimed responsibility for the latest launch. IDF Spokesperson Avital Leibovich tweeted: "Not such a good morning to residents of southern Israel where another rocket was fired from Gaza." No casualties or damage were reported. Tensions have risen rapidly in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip following the death from cancer on Tuesday of Maissara Abu Hamdiyeh, 64, who was serving a life sentence in an Israeli jail. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on April 04, 2013, 04:53:31 pm See, typical eye for an eye mentality. Some prisoner dies, so instead of going through"normal channels" in dealing with a death investigation, they start lobbing rockets into Israel. Then no doubt now that Israel has retaliated under the "eye for an eye" of the law mentality, they'll most likely be blamed for it all, accused of unprovoked attacks on poor defenseless Palestinians, again, of killing babies or something. ::)
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 07, 2013, 08:42:05 pm http://news.yahoo.com/decade-old-mideast-peace-plan-emerges-192334734.html
Decade-old Mideast peace plan re-emerges 4/7/13 JERUSALEM (AP) — A dormant, decade-old Mideast peace plan has suddenly emerged as a possible key to breaking years of deadlock between Israel and the Palestinians. A top Palestinian official said Sunday that the visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed interest in reviving the so-called Arab Peace Initiative, a 2002 plan in which the Arab world offered comprehensive peace with Israel in exchange for a full pullout from all territories it captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Arab officials confirmed the Arab League was set to discuss the matter on Monday. The initiative was revolutionary when it was introduced by Saudi Arabia's then crown prince, King Abdullah, and later endorsed by the 22-member Arab League at a summit in Beirut. However, the plan was overshadowed by fierce Israeli-Palestinian fighting at the time and greeted with skepticism by Israel. The Arab League re-endorsed the plan in 2007, and technically, the offer remains in effect. Key obstacles remain. Israel has not softened its objections to the plan, and the Palestinians turned down a request from Kerry for changes in it. In the 1967 war, Israel took control of the West Bank, east Jerusalem, Gaza Strip, Sinai and Golan Heights. Israeli returned the Sinai to Egypt in 1982 in the framework of a peace treaty and pulled out of Gaza unilaterally in 2005. Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981, and peace talks with Syria over the territory have repeatedly failed. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been deadlocked since late 2008, in large part over the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians refuse to talk while Israel settles its population on the occupied territories where they want to establish their state. They have demanded that Israel accept the 1967 lines as the basis for a future Palestine. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects a return to the 1967 lines and calls for talks with no preconditions. The 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation has also endorsed the 2002 Arab peace initiative. The plan, if adopted, considers the Arab-Israeli conflict "ended," offers "normal relations" with Israel and calls for providing "security for all the states of the region." Israel has rejected a return to the 1967 lines for both security and spiritual reasons. Israeli leaders have long argued that the 1967 frontiers are indefensible. In addition, a return to those boundaries would mean a withdrawal from east Jerusalem, home to the city's holiest Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious sites. Israel has annexed east Jerusalem, and Netanyahu has vowed never to share control of the sensitive area. The Palestinians say there can be no peace without establishing their capital in east Jerusalem. These conflicting claims to east Jerusalem are perhaps the most emotional and explosive issue in the conflict. Kerry on Sunday kicked off what is expected to be several months of shuttle diplomacy between Israel and the Palestinians with a stop in the West Bank for talks with President Mahmoud Abbas. It was not immediately clear whether the Arab initiative came up in Sunday night's talks. A senior State Department official said the meeting "included a discussion on how to create a positive climate for negotiations," but that Kerry had asked all participants to keep the details confidential. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of Kerry's orders not to brief reporters. Abbas spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, said Abbas urged Israel to release Palestinian prisoners it is holding, called on Israel to halt settlement construction and urged Israel to commit to a solution based on the 1967 lines. He did not say whether the Arab peace initiative was discussed but confirmed Abbas was leaving Monday for talks on the plan at an Arab League meeting in Qatar. Mohammed Subeih, the Arab League's undersecretary for Palestinian affairs, confirmed a special committee on the peace initiative would hold "an urgent meeting" in Doha on Monday. He said the prime minister of Qatar would chair the meeting, and foreign ministers of key countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Palestinians, would attend. The Arab League's chief Nabil El-Araby is also expected, he said. Subeih said the committee would form a delegation, chaired by El-Araby and the Qatari prime minister, to travel to Washington in the coming weeks. In Washington, the delegation will try together with the American side draw a road map to "end Israeli occupation," he said. Earlier Sunday, the chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said Kerry has been floating the Arab initiative as a possible way out of the deadlock. Officials say Kerry has proposed two small changes to make it more palatable to Israel, saying the 1967 lines could be modified through mutual agreement and pressing for stronger security guarantees. Security-obsessed Israel has grown increasingly jittery during the upheaval that has swept through the Middle East over the past two years. Speaking to the Voice of Palestine radio station, Erekat said the plan could not be changed. "Kerry asked us to change few words in the Arab Peace Initiative but we refused," he said. Israeli officials refused to comment on the matter. An Israeli official said the Israelis were planning to offer "a wide spectrum of ideas" to Kerry when they meet with him in the current days. The official declined to elaborate. He spoke on condition of anonymity because nothing has been formally presented yet. In the past, Netanyahu has described the Arab peace initiative as a welcome sign of acceptance from the Arab world but refused to accept it in its current form. Netanyahu has said that presenting the plan as an ultimatum would undermine negotiations. But after years of deadlock, and growing international isolation over continued Israeli settlement construction, Netanyahu could find himself in a difficult position if the offer is again extended. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 12, 2013, 11:39:25 am http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/11/us-israel-syria-idUSBRE93A0MJ20130411
4/11/13 Israel on guard as Golan goes from bloom to bloodshed Reuters) - The slopes of the Golan Heights, with springtime wild flowers now in full bloom, are dotted with discarded rusty tanks that are remnants of a 1973 war. For decades, the Israel-Syria front has been quiet - but not anymore. Small Israeli military lookout posts abandoned for years have been put into action and regular military and special forces have replaced reservists at many points. Israel is worried that the Golan, which it captured from Syria in 1967, will become a springboard for attacks on Israelis by jihadi fighters, who are taking part in the armed struggle against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In recent months, battles between Assad loyalists and rebels have raged in some villages on the Syrian foothills of the Golan, with mortar shells and machinegun fire spilling across into Israeli-occupied territory. Israel, which returned fire in some of those incidents, believes that around one in 10 of the rebels are Sunni Muslim radicals. "Tension in the Golan Heights is the highest it has been since 1974," a senior Israeli military officer in the area told Reuters this week. "We simply do not know who will control the territory next to the border." While the fall of Assad, an ally of Israel's enemy Iran, could be in the Jewish state's interest, a descent into chaos on the Golan Heights would pose a new security challenge. Some 20,000 Israeli settlers live on the Golan and the strategic plateau overlooks Israeli towns and villages along the Sea of Galilee. On its southern borders, Israel has long faced rocket attacks from armed Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip and has watched with concern the rise of Islamist militancy in Egypt's Sinai desert. One Israeli general, the commander of forces in the north, raised the possibility in an Israeli newspaper interview last month of creating a buffer zone in Syria, in cooperation with local forces wary of jihadist fighters, should Assad be toppled. "Some very key decision-makers are opposed," an Israeli official said. "(Army chief) Benny Gantz, for example, was the Israeli commander who literally closed the door on south Lebanon when we withdrew from the security zone there in 2000, and he has shown little interest in seeing a repeat on the Golan." Alon Liel, a former diplomat who led secret peace talks with Damascus, said Israel had limited room for maneuver over Syria. "Israel is paralyzed from a diplomatic perspective," he said. "We may be strong militarily but any intervention in a neighboring country would draw deep objection from both sides in Syria because Israel is so weak in the region diplomatically." SYRIA STRATEGY World powers trying to craft a Syria strategy, and weighing whether to arm the rebels, have been struggling to distinguish between mainstream fighters who might stabilize the country should Assad fall, and jihadi insurgents. "There's no unified position on that yet," a senior Israeli official said. "No one really knows what post-Assad Syria would look like. No one really knows who the rebels are as a collective." Israel has been wary of being seen to take sides in the Syrian conflict and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has avoided echoing calls from Israel's main ally, the United States, for Assad to step down. One senior Western diplomat in Israel told Reuters Syria has been moving up a list of Israeli security concerns topped by Iran's nuclear program. "Syria is starting to edge ahead of Iran as far as the (Israeli) military is concerned, but also among politicians, partly because of U.S. reassurances over Iran but also because the situation in Syria is getting so alarming," he said. One Israeli official said the fluid situation in Syria meant that Israel had to assess events there almost daily. "That makes for a far more intensive examination (by Israeli decision-makers)," the official said. "Add to that the fact there is a new (Israeli) government, with new ministers who have little time to get up to speed on these things." One of Israel's main worries is the possibility of Syria's chemical weapons falling into the hands of Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, with which it fought a 2006 war, or ending up in the hands of jihadis. Israel has cautioned it will not allow that to happen. In an attack it has not formally confirmed, Israeli planes bombed an arms convoy in Syria in February, according to Western sources, destroying anti-aircraft weapons destined for Hezbollah. END OF UNDOF? The green expanses and snow-capped mountains of the Golan are a major attraction for Israeli tourists who flock to the plateau. On a sunny spring day, a group of hikers admired the view as an elderly farmer slowly drove through his apple orchard. A few miles away, Israeli troops on patrol stopped their armored vehicles near an old abandoned tank for a break. Asked if it was quiet that day, one soldier made a "so-so" hand gesture. "When it's quiet, that's when it's scariest," he said. In another sign Israel was keeping a close eye on the area, two drones, visible from the road, were parked in a fenced-in facility. Among those battling against Assad's forces are fighters from the Nusra Front, an Islamist militant group linked to al Qaeda and blacklisted by the United States as a "terrorist group". Nusra Front forces, which include foreign fighters, have come to prominence in the revolt and last month fought in battles near the Israel-Syria ceasefire line Last month, Assad's forces appeared to push back the rebels in the area. "There is a still a visible (Syrian army) troop presence there, though it is unclear whether they have significant control or even a unified central command," an Israeli official said. Brigadier-General Yoav Mordechai, Israel's chief military spokesman, told Army Radio last week that global jihad groups were fighting under the rebels, and "exploiting the anarchy", some of them have moved into the Golan Heights. "In the future we will have to deal with terrorism from the Golan Heights, after 40 years of impressive and exemplary quiet," Mordechai said. An Israeli military officer said new Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon had ordered "that no fire from Syria into Israel, be it deliberate or stray, is left without response." Israel is building a new, 5-metre tall fence on the Golan beside the older, partly rundown barrier that runs along the 70 km (45 mile) front. The ceasefire line has been monitored since 1974 by a 1,000-strong U.N. Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). Arming the Syrian rebels could have implications for the peacekeepers, posing another potential headache for Israel. Austria has cautioned that lifting the embargo to arm rebels would make the European Union a party to the conflict and make it difficult to keep the 375 Austrian peacekeepers on site. UNDOF has faced increasing difficulties in the Golan and U.N. diplomats have expressed concern over its future. Last month, rebels held 21 Filipino UNDOF observers for three days, prompting the force to scale back on patrols. Israeli military sources said they fear the peacekeeping force will not hold up under the insurgency in the Golan. In the past three months, Japan and Croatia said they were withdrawing their troops. Should the Austrians leave, it could spell the end for the UNDOF mission because they are the biggest contingent and it is unclear who would want to replace them. Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger met Netanyahu on Thursday and is due to visit U.N. peacekeepers on the Golan Heights Friday. "We have some of the world's most dangerous weapons and we cannot allow them to fall into the world's most dangerous hands: Hezbollah, al Qaeda and other terrorist groups," Netanyahu told reporters as he and Spindelegger met. "That is one of the great concerns for us and a great concern for you as well and I want to discuss with you how to prevent that from happening," the Israeli leader said. Spindelegger said Austria would try to stay as long as it could but that would not be possible without security guarantees from both rebel and government forces in Syria. (Additional reporting by Crispian Balmer and Dan Williams in Jerusalem and Michael Shields in Vienna; Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Giles Elgood) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on April 12, 2013, 03:52:03 pm It makes sense that Israel would watch that area closer. Kind of militarily obvious. There is a full blown war taking place across that border! ::)
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 13, 2013, 04:42:56 pm Abbas accepts Palestinian prime minister's resignation
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/13/17736080-abbas-accepts-palestinian-prime-ministers-resignation?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=3 4/13/13 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Saturday, a Palestinian official and the Palestinian news agency said. "Abbas agreed to accept Fayyad's resignation," the Palestinian official said. News agency Wafa said Abbas had asked Fayyad to stay on as caretaker until a new government was formed. Sources told Reuters on Fayyad had offered his resignation to Abbas on Wednesday following a rift between the two men over government policy. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 27, 2013, 01:02:17 pm http://www.timesofisrael.com/jordan-us-have-enormous-stake-in-mideast-peace-obama-says/
Jordan, US have ‘enormous stake’ in Mideast peace, Obama says US president praises visiting King Abdullah for pro-democratic reforms, says countries see eye to eye on Syrian crisis and Israeli-Palestinian peace US President Barack Obama welcomed King Abdullah II of Jordan to the White House Friday where the two leaders discussed “urgent matters,” namely the Middle East peace process and reports by Washington officials that Syria used chemical weapons against its own population. Obama called the Jordanian monarch “a great partner” and a “great friend” of the US, and praised him for enacting a series of pro-democratic, entrepreneurial reforms. “We think Jordan can be an extraordinary model for effective governance in the region,” Obama said to reporters before beginning his private meeting with Abdullah. Obama said the two would also discuss the Middle East peace process. He noted that the last time he met with Abdullah was after his trip to Israel and the West Bank in March, during which he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. “Jordan, like the US, has an enormous stake in this,” the president said, referring to the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. He said that the US and Jordan see eye to eye on there being a “window of opportunity” during which a peaceful settlement between Israelis and Palestinians can take place — an agreement that would make Israel secure and enable it to normalize its relations with its neighbors, and also establish a sovereign Palestinian state. The president then touched on recent reports and assessments by officials in Washington that the Syrian regime had used chemical weapons. He said the matter was of grave importance, and that he and the king would discuss the regional implications of the Syrian crisis as well as the influx of several hundred thousand Syrian refugees into Jordan during their meeting. Abdullah echoed Obama’s sentiments by stating that Jordan would continue to work closely with both the Israelis and Palestinians to try to secure a peace deal. He then said that the Syrian crisis has become a vexing crisis for Jordan and the entire region. ”One of our major concerns right now is the challenge of Syria,” he said. Jordan is tied to the Syrian humanitarian crisis, Abdullah explained, referencing the half a million refugees who fled across the border or were displaced to the Hashemite kingdom. He also said that a political solution to the Syrian crisis is paramount. “I think, sir, we are both working hard to find a political solution to the problem in Syria, one that is inclusive,” he said to Obama, adding that preventing the “surge of militant terrorist organizations in Syria” is a major goal. “But I’m confident that with your leadership… and through our meetings, that we will find a solution.” Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on April 27, 2013, 02:08:02 pm Quote King Abdullah II of Jordan Abdullah means "servant of allah" in Arabic. Go figure, seeing that Jordan manages the Temple Mount. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 02, 2013, 12:12:49 pm http://news.yahoo.com/israels-netanyahu-says-put-peace-deal-referendum-143455709.html
Israel's Netanyahu says would put peace deal to referendum 5/2/13 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he would put any peace deal with the Palestinians to a referendum, raising expectations that direct negotiations might soon resume following a two-year stalemate. It was the second time in just three days that Netanyahu has publicly mentioned the possibility of holding a nationwide vote on an eventual accord and came as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Israeli politicians in Washington to discuss talks. "If we get to a peace agreement with the Palestinians, I'd like to bring it to a referendum, and I'd like to talk to you about your experiences with that," Netanyahu said as he met Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter. Switzerland regularly holds referendum on a broad range of issues. Israel, by contrast, has never held a referendum in its 65-year history, and previous peace treaties with Arab neighbors Egypt and Jordan were approved by parliament. Netanyahu leads a center-right coalition that includes supporters of the settlement movement, many of whom are fiercely opposed to the idea of allowing the Palestinians an independent state on land seized by Israel in the 1967 war. By pledging to put any deal to a referendum, Netanyahu could be hoping to avert any immediate far-right backlash to a decision to talk land-for-peace with the Palestinians, promising that the Israeli people would have the final word. "There is a very serious effort under way to get talks to resume," said a senior Israeli official who declined to be named. "People are devoting a lot of time and effort to this. It is possible and it is doable." OBSTACLES U.S. President Barack Obama came to Jerusalem in March and his secretary of state has visited the region three times in little over six weeks. Kerry was due to see Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni later on Thursday in Washington. Livni has been designated by Netanyahu to be his chief peace negotiator. She was traveling with one of the prime minister's top officials and confidants, Yitzhak Molcho. Direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2010 over the issue of continued Jewish settlement building on 1967 land. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he will not return to the table until there is a construction freeze. Israel says there should be no pre-conditions. Unexpectedly highlighting the issue of referendum has fueled hopes that the impasse might soon be overcome. However, there was little sign that the core questions dividing the two sides, including the status of Jerusalem, were any nearer resolution. "No one thinks we are near a historic agreement. But any historic agreement will need national legitimacy," the Israeli official said. The Palestinians have also said that they would hold a referendum on an eventual accord, with no guarantees that their diverse electorate, including the far-flung refugee population, would accept the likely compromises needed to seal a deal. Israel passed a law in 2010 for a referendum to approve any handover of East Jerusalem or the Golan Heights, territory captured in the 1967 war and which it has annexed. Moves are under way in parliament to expand that law to include the West Bank, which has not been annexed and is under Israeli military occupation. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 03, 2013, 07:45:32 pm Church of Scotland Denies Jewish Claim to Land of Israel
Report Attacks Scriptural and Political Claims 5/2/13 A report by the Church of Scotland, published this week, denies any special privilege for the Jewish people in the land of Israel. The church, which in recent years has jettisoned its once philosemitic character, opened a wide rift with the Scottish Jewish community with the report. Among other controversial statements, the report argues that, “Christians should not be supporting any claims by Jews, or any other people, to an exclusive or even privileged divine right to possess particular territory.” The report, titled “The inheritance of Abraham? A report on the ‘promised land’”, was prepared for the general assembly of the Church of Scotland, to be held in two weeks. It is the latest in a series of documents published over the last decade criticizing Zionism and the Christians that support it. The report acknowledges the fact that the Church of Scotland was once a believer in the right of the Jews to the ancient land of Israel and a Scottish minister, Alexander Keith, may even have coined the famous phrase: “A land without a people, for a people without a land.” However, the latest report makes clear such affection is a thing of the past. It analyzes the various scriptural and theological claims of Jews to the land and rejects those verses in which the land is promised to the children of Abraham. Furthermore, it dismisses the “belief among some Jewish people that they have a right to the land of Israel as a compensation for the suffering of the Holocaust.” Read more: http://forward.com/articles/175926/church-of-scotland-denies-jewish-claim-to-land-of/#ixzz2SHRB6iQm Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 03, 2013, 08:44:36 pm Google recognises Palestine on homepage
Google has recognised the Palestinians' upgraded UN status, placing the name "Palestine" on its search engine instead of "Palestinian Territories". The domain name www.google.ps, Google's search engine for the territories, now brings up a homepage with "Palestine" written underneath the Google logo. The change took effect on Wednesday, Google spokesman Nathan Tyler said in a statement. "We're changing the name 'Palestinian Territories' to 'Palestine' across our products. We consult a number of sources and authorities when naming countries. In this case, we are following the lead of the UN ... and other international organisations," he said. The UN General Assembly in November upgraded Palestine to the status of non-member observer state by a vote of 138 votes in favour, nine against and 41 abstentions. Palestinian authorities have since begun to use the "State of Palestine" in diplomatic correspondence and issued official stamps for the purpose. Israel questioned Google's decision. "This change raises questions about the reasons behind this surprising involvement of what is basically a private internet company in international politics - and on the controversial side," said foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/google-recognises-palestine-on-homepage-20130504-2iza7.html#ixzz2SHgEjDWh Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 06, 2013, 11:04:38 am Israel says Google's "Palestine" page harms peace hopes
http://news.yahoo.com/israel-says-googles-palestine-page-110627268.html 5/6/13 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A senior Israeli official accused Google (GOOG.O) on Monday of setting back Middle East peace hopes by putting the name "Palestine" under the banner of its search page for the Palestinian territories. (www.google.ps) Palestinians hailed Google's move as a virtual victory on the long path to the state they seek in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, which Israel seized in the 1967 war. With bilateral negotiations stalled for 2-1/2 years over Jewish settlement building, the Palestinians have campaigned for foreign recognition of statehood, and were upgraded to "non-member state" at the United Nations in November. Following the U.N. lead, Google's Palestinian homepage and other products previously labelled "Palestinian Territories" were changed on May 1 to read "Palestine". "I think that the Google decision from the last few days is very, very problematic," said Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "When a company like Google comes along and supports this line, it actually pushes peace further away, pushes away negotiations, and creates among the Palestinian leadership the illusion that in this manner they can achieve the result," he told Israel's Army Radio. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 06, 2013, 02:09:26 pm Xi calls for Middle East talks
President Xi Jinping called for talks between Palestine and Israel on Monday amid an unusual diplomatic situation in which leaders of both countries made separate, overlapping visits to China. Analysts said the simultaneous visits of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu show that China is in a unique position to help solve the Palestinian issue because it maintains good relations with both sides. Xi made the call for talks when meeting Abbas at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry, Xi said "negotiation should be taken as the only way to peace between Palestine and Israel. The two sides should follow the trend of the times, pursue peace talks, show mutual understanding and accommodation, and meet each other halfway". Talks between Israel and Palestine have been deadlocked for four years and there was no indication that a meeting would take place. The president also said that the right direction should be an independent Palestinian state and the peaceful co-existence of Palestine and Israel. "At the same time, Israel's right to exist and its legitimate security concerns should also be fully respected," Xi said. The immediate priority is to stop settlement activities, end violence against innocent civilians, lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip and properly handle the issue of Palestinian prisoners to create the necessary conditions for the resumption of peace talks, Xi said. Objective stance Abbas said his country highly appreciates China's objective stance on the Palestine issue and expects Beijing to continue playing an important role. They later witnessed the signing of agreements on economic technical cooperation and cultural exchanges. Abbas also met Premier Li Keqiang on Monday. Li said China will use "its own way and its own impact" to promote the peace talks. Also on Monday, Netanyahu began a visit to the financial hub of Shanghai. He is due in Beijing on Wednesday following Abbas' departure on Tuesday. This is the first trip by a top Israeli leader to China since former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert visited in 2007. It is reported Netanyahu is due to sign a number of deals and discuss the issue of Iran. China has maintained close relations with the Palestinians for decades. In recent years, it has also developed good ties with Israel. Speaking to Xinhua News Agency ahead of the visit, Abbas said "it is very good that Netanyahu will visit China too because it is a good opportunity that the Chinese listen to both of us". The Foreign Ministry said last week it would be willing to help set up a meeting between Abbas and Netanyahu if they want to, but the two leaders were not expected to be in the same city at the same time. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-05/07/content_16480677.htm Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on May 06, 2013, 04:15:56 pm "And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham [is] the father of Canaan." Genesis 9:18 (KJB)
Looks to me like that place is called Canaan, not Palestine, being settled after the flood by, dare I say, the forefathers of Israel. Not sure Islam wants to talk about that part! Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 12, 2013, 11:26:27 pm Jordan wants to boot Israeli ambassador
5/9/13 http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23838/Default.aspx?hp=article_title Jordan's parliament on Wednesday voted unanimously to eject Israeli Ambassador Daniel Nevo over this week's arrest of Jerusalem Mufti Sheikh Muhammed Hussein. Jordan technically exercises religious control over the Temple Mount, though Palestinian Authority-appointed officials have been effectively been running the show for over a decade. Jordanian Interior Minister Hussein Mahalia summoned Nevo to express his country's severe condemnation of the mufti's detention. Israel arrested the mufti on Tuesday for his role in inciting violence against Israeli police stationed at the holy site. The police officers were attacked because they had tried to quiet a Muslim youth who was loudly hurling insults at Jewish visitors. Israeli President Shimon Peres sent a message to Jordan stressing Israel's commitment to the peace treaty between the two nations and to freedom of religion in Jerusalem. The Jordanian outburst over what amounted to Israel slapping the mufti on the wrist is par for the course. At the same time, these self-declared defenders of religious freedom think it perfectly acceptable to deny Jews and Christians the right to pray at the Temple Mount, the most holy site in the world for Jews and many Christians. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 15, 2013, 01:05:38 pm Partition plan for Jerusalem
News of construction freeze in Jerusalem received with apathy by even the most hardline Likudniks The prime minister gave Jerusalem an odd gift on its holiday: A construction freeze. On the 46th anniversary of the city's liberation by a Labor government, a Likud government is freezing it. Levi Eshkol liberated, Benjamin Netanyahu is freezing. He hardly built any homes in Jerusalem during his previous term, and now he is not building any at all. The new housing minister revealed this week that he is not being authorized to add even one apartment to the capital. The prime minister summoned him a few days ago and handed him a freezing order for all construction beyond the Green Line. To his credit, Netanyahu did not attend the Jerusalem Day ceremonies this year, so we were spared the traditional dissonance between his tough talk and lack of action. Praising a united Jerusalem while dividing it is extremely hypocritical. Netanyahu is forbidding Jews from building in Pisgat Ze'ev but does nothing to prevent Arabs from building in Shufat, Beit Hanina and the Temple Mount. Israel's capital can expand only to the east or the north, as the City has run out of land reserves in its western part long ago. It is no coincidence that the most talked about building project in Jerusalem over the past decade has been the Holyland apartment complex. Despite its immense size, the project did not solve the housing shortage in the city or thwart the threats of withdrawal it faces. When Netanyahu froze Jerusalem during his last term, on the occasion of Biden's visit, it caused an uproar in the Right. This week, even the most hardline Likud members did not say a word. News of the construction freeze was received with shrugs or lip biting. The former Likud rebels have become deputy ministers, and the Likudniks have yet to realize that Netanyahu version 2013 is cruising toward the 1967 lines. Today, Netanyahu is closer to Zahava Gal-On than to his old self. His diplomatic rhetoric is Tzipi Livni's rhetoric. On Independence Day he delivered a leftist speech to foreign diplomats in which he lauded the tenets of the 1947 Partition Plan (he said something along the lines of 'we said yes to it then, and we say yes to it now'). People still suspect, mistakenly, that he is not serious when he makes such statements, but he means what he says. If his party continues to devote itself to denial rather than protest, he may implement his plans as well. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4378765,00.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 15, 2013, 02:05:17 pm Israel Cozies Up to China
Will China Become the New Mideast Mediator? 5/7/13 http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/05/07/isreal-cozies-up-to-china/ I suspect this relates to China recently surpassing Australia as our most important trade partner. It looks like World War III is about to break out any day now in Syria. Thus what I like most about CCTV-English is that they have a correspondent in Damascus (unlike US networks, the BBC or even Al Jazeera) with sources among rebel groups and the Syrian military. . Two nights ago, I was really intrigued to learn that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in China at the time of the Israeli air strikes on Syria. So was Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. This was no accident, as China’s new president Xi Jinping was very hopeful the two leaders would take up his offer to mediate a meeting between them. Israel’s Export Imperative Netanyahu was in China hoping to increase exports to the world’s second largest economy. Given that 40% of Israel’s GDP is based on exports, Bibi is keen for trade with China(Israel’s number 3 trading partner) to reach $10 billion over the next three years. While also interested in increasing exports, Abbas is more interested in economic aid China has offered, as well the likelihood their intervention could shift the stalemated peace process. China’s new president Xi Jinping has issued a four point proposal for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. According to a statement issued by Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying: “The immediate priority is to take credible steps to stop settlement activities, end violence against innocent civilians and lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip in order to create the necessary conditions for the resumption of peace talks,” She added that China is firmly opposed to Israel’s settlement construction in Palestinian territory occupied by Israel and that this places the primary obligation on Israel to remove the barriers for peace talks. Bibi Gets the Message Netanyahu seems to have got the message. Scarcely twelve hours later, Reuters was citing an Israeli Army Radio report that Netanyahu had frozen tenders for settlements in the West Bank. Given Netanyahu’s prior aggressive pro-settlement position, this is a historic concession. Reuter minimizes (in fact they omit it entirely) the role China played in prompting it. Typically the corporate media has buried the story with belligerent allegations about Chinese involvement in cyber espionage to steal US military and industrial secrets. Abbas left China without agreeing to meet with Netanyahu. The Palestinian president stipulates Israel must accept 1967 Palestinian borders before he agrees to resume peace talks. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on May 15, 2013, 03:39:04 pm China, the only country on the planet that can amass, and some say currently have, a 200 million man army.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 25, 2013, 08:44:14 pm Jordan to host 18-nation drill
15,000 soldiers from Arab and ‘friendly’ countries to take part in two-week military exercise 5/26/13 http://www.timesofisrael.com/jordan-to-host-18-nation-drill/ Soldiers from 18 countries are set to participate in a large military exercise hosted by Jordan in the coming weeks, a source at the Jordan Armed Forces said Saturday. According to the source, roughly 15,000 troops from Arab and other “friendly countries,” will take part in the drill, named Eager Lion 2013. Other countries participating in the drill include: Britain, Bahrain, Canada, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Iraq, Italy, Lebanon, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. According to the US Central Command, the exercise promotes cooperation among participating forces, builds functional capacity, practices crisis management and enhances readiness. Similar, though smaller, exercises took place in Jordan in 2011 and 2012. Reports of the drill surfaced at a time of tension in Israeli-Jordanian relations, though security coordination between the two countries is good, Israeli military sources say. Two weeks ago, the Jordanian Parliament voted unanimously in favor of petitioning the government to expel Israel’s ambassador in Amman and recall Jordan’s ambassador in Tel Aviv in protest of alleged Israeli desecration of holy sites in Jerusalem. And last month, a majority of Jordan’s parliament petitioned the government to pardon the Jordanian soldier who murdered seven Israeli schoolgirls during a school trip at the border in 1997. A source in the Jordanian parliament said King Abdullah did not intend to grant the request to free Ahmad Musa Mustafa Daqamseh, who is serving life imprisonment with hard labor for the murders. Over the weekend, the king hosted a meeting of the World Economic Forum on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea, attended by world and regional leaders, including a sizable Israeli delegation. President Shimon Peres was set to travel to Jordan on Sunday to participate in a panel at the conference, and may meet with the king, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, other Arab leaders, and US Secretary of State John Kerry. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 27, 2013, 08:01:57 am Erekat: Israelis want peace, Netanyahu must be convinced
PA official: Gov't not consistent in support of 2-state solution. (http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=219006) John Kerry, pure Evil US Secretary of State John Kerry (R) shakes hands with Saeb Erekat, April 2013. Photo: REUTERS Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said Monday that he believes the majority of Israelis want a peace agreement and accept a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 lines, but Israel's government has not been consistent in voicing support for such a solution. Speaking in an interview with Army Radio, Erekat welcomed President Shimon Peres's call for an immediate resumption of peace talks in his speech to the World Economic Forum in Jordan on Sunday, however, he stated that the reactions of several ministers to Peres's speech was troubling. Erekat said that after hearing Peres's speech, he woke up Monday morning and saw in the Israeli newspapers Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz saying Peres was not a government spokesman and Tourism Minister Uzi Landau referring to the pre-1967 lines as "Auschwitz borders." "I know you are a democracy, but usually a coalition has a program," Erekat said in response to the different opinions being voiced by Israeli politicians. The PA negotiator said that "everyone on Earth is convinced that a state on the 67 borders is the answer, but the one person we must convince is [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu. Erekat stated that the PA's insistence that talks not resume until Netanyahu accepts a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 lines does not constitute a pre-condition, but rather is an Israeli obligation to conform to UN resolutions as set out in the Oslo Accords. Home Front Defense Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) accused Erekat of "chutzpa," pointing out differing opinions among Israeli politicians while the PA holds reconciliation talks with Hamas, which rejects a two-state solution. Erdan said that Netanyahu has made clear that he supports a two-state solution. In addition to Peres, PA President Mahmoud Abbas and US Secretary of State John Kerry also addressed the World Economic Forum in Jordan on Sunday. Kerry unveiled a $4 billion economic plan to revitalize the Palestinian economy, but added that the plan was not a substitute for a diplomatic process. http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Erekat-Israelis-want-peace-Netanyahu-must-be-convinced-314481 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on May 27, 2013, 12:55:14 pm Israeli, Palestinian business leaders call for two-state solution
The Breaking the Impasse initiative contains both secular and religious businesspeople and academics. About 300 Israeli and Palestinian business leaders called on their governments Monday to move swiftly toward a two-state solution and end the conflict between the two peoples. http://www.haaretz.com/business/israeli-palestinian-business-leaders-call-for-two-state-solution.premium-1.526282 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on June 02, 2013, 06:55:11 am :o :o :o :o
Kerry wants major Israeli concessions for Palestinians, including sovereign northern Dead Sea coast US Secretary of State John Kerry put a package of proposals for reviving the moribund Israel-Palestinian peace process before Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and peace negotiator Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and then returned to Amman Monday, May 27. He keeps the package's contents firmly under his hat. However, according to some of the details revealed here for the first time by DEBKAfile’s sources, Kerry’s top-secret plan places on Israel the onus of major concessions including strategic and national assets, for the sake of buying the Palestinian leader’s consent to sit down and talk. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) is not required to pay anything real in return - although it was who stalled the peace negotiations in the first place. As the first of these concessions, Kerry wants Israel to permit the Palestinians to build in Jericho for their prospective state an international airport for direct civilian flights to and from America and Europe. Those flights would cross Israeli air space and be coordinated with Israeli flight control authorities. Our exclusive sources further disclose that, while Palestinian authorities would be in charge of security at the future Jericho airport, Israel would maintain control of passengers and freight traffic by means of computer and surveillance camera networks. In 2006, a similar remote system was installed at the Gaza Strip’s Rafah border post under European controllers after Israel’s withdrawal from the territory. It soon broke down when the foreign controllers were scared away by Palestinian threats. Kerry envisages the transformation of the entire Jericho region north of the Dead Sea and near the Jordanian border into a busy hub for galvanizing the economy of the future Palestinian state. He wants Israel to hand over to the Palestinians the Kalia region on the northern shore of the Dead Sea. Kibbutz Kalia, albeit part of sovereign Israel from its inception in 1948, is nonetheless one of the assets Kerry wants Israel to cede to the Palestinians. The fate of the veteran Israeli kibbutz is left up in the air. Israeli concessions would not end at the northern Dead Sea coast, according to the secret Kerry plan; it would be just the first in a series of land and sovereignty handovers granted the Palestinians in trilateral negotiations among Israel, the Palestinians and the United States. The Palestinians would also be awarded by the process a three-year economic reconstruction program for boosting their Gross National Product by 50 percent and slashing unemployment from 21 to 8 percent. The Middle East Quartet’s Special Envoy Tony Blair will head the program, Secretary Kerry reported to the world economic forum meeting in Jordan Sunday, May 26. His goal is to raise $4 billion for investing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. “This is the biggest, boldest and most ambitious program ever granted the Palestinians since Oslo, 20 years ago,” Kerry told the forum. Prime Minister Netanyahu has not divulged his views on the Kerry proposals - merely for winning Palestinian consent to talk peace. Since the payment of sovereign Israeli territory would be no more than the down- payment for pulling the Palestinians to the table, how many more high-value security and national assets will Israel will be required to part with along the road toward meeting the Palestinians’ ever-rising price tag? Abu Mazen has gone on record as rejecting any economic proposals unaccompanied by political concessions. However, Kerry is still hard at his shuttle diplomacy and his talks with the Palestinian leader continue. http://www.debka.com/article/22999/Kerry-wants-major-Israeli-concessions-for-Palestinians-including-sovereign-northern-Dead-Sea-coast- Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on June 03, 2013, 04:37:51 am ALL that land that Arab countries have, and they want what Israel has to form a "Palestinian state". And they will keeping taking till Israel no longer exists as a state.
We can see why it will require Jesus to put an end to that mess. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 03, 2013, 11:05:26 am ALL that land that Arab countries have, and they want what Israel has to form a "Palestinian state". And they will keeping taking till Israel no longer exists as a state. We can see why it will require Jesus to put an end to that mess. And the West is doing all they can to help them now - and to boot, the "truth movement" is being conned into throwing their hat into the ring as well. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on June 04, 2013, 09:23:26 am Kerry: Collapse of Palestinian Authority Would be Worse for Israel and US
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is asking American Jewish leaders to help break a deadlock in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process that he says helps fuel extremism and terrorism across the world. Kerry says he is considering another trip to the region to push talks forward. Kerry is trying to revive a sense of urgency in the Middle East peace process, saying the relative stability of today is not guaranteed tomorrow. "And the people who think somehow because there is a fence and because there has been greater security and fewer people hurt are lulling themselves into a delusion that that somehow can be sustained. It can not be," said Kerry. He told a Washington meeting of the American Jewish Committee that the Palestinian Authority's commitment to non-violence is Israel's best chance for a two-state solution. "If that experiment is allowed to fail, ask yourselves: What will replace it? What will happen if the Palestinian economy implodes? If the Palestinian security forces dissolve? If the Palestinian Authority fails? Surely something much worse for Israel's interests and for America's and for the region," he said. Kerry says the failure of the current Palestinian leadership could bring about the same kind of extremism in the West Bank that Israelis are facing from Hamas in Gaza and from Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. "So before anybody gives up on this hope, we have to ask whether we are prepared to live with permanent conflict, with the possibility of widespread civil disobedience, with the possibility of a civil rights movement that grows in the West Bank, with the possibility of another Intifada always looming around the corner," he said. If there is no return to peace talks, Palestinian leaders already have said they will seek to join more United Nations organizations and will seek to bring Israel before the International Criminal Court. Kerry told the Jewish group the United States will always have Israel's back and will always stand up for Israel's security. "But wouldn't we both be stronger," he asked, "if we had some company?" Kerry has met repeatedly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas since taking over as secretary of state in February. He says "both sides are weighing the choices that they have in front of them very, very seriously" and he will decide "at some point" whether he needs to return to the region "to go push a little bit or help that process." http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-collapse-of-palestinian-authority-would-be-worse-for-israel-and-us/1674571.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on June 04, 2013, 01:27:13 pm Quote "If that experiment is allowed to fail, ask yourselves: What will replace it? What will happen if the Palestinian economy implodes? If the Palestinian security forces dissolve? If the Palestinian Authority fails? Surely something much worse for Israel's interests and for America's and for the region," he said. That is such hogwash! ::) What would replace it? Nothing. You can't lose what didn't exist in the first place. Don't like Israel? Move. There is a nice Arab community right next door. It's called the Middle East! Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 05, 2013, 10:00:06 pm Video: Obama UN Appointee in Highly Inflammatory Interview
Obama’s choice of US ambassador to UN calls for "mammoth protection force", re-allocation of aid to "new state of Palestine". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O5XxXm8wPE President Barack Obama’s nominee for United States ambassador to the United Nations gave a highly anti-Israel interview in April 2002 in which she said that "external intervention" may be necessary to prevent "genocide" and "major human rights abuses" in the "Palestine/Israeli situation". Responding to a hypothetical question, Samantha Power, who was named to replace ambassador Susan Rice, said if given the opportunity she would advise the president to sacrifice billions of dollars of aid to the Jewish state, allocating the funds instead to “the new state of Palestine.” “In the Palestine-Israeli situation, there’s an abundance of information and what we don’t need is some kind of early warning mechanism there,” she said, in response to a question regarding how the United States should monitor a situation in the Middle east which may be “moving toward genocide.” “What we need is a willingness to actually put something on the line in service of helping the situation, and putting something on the line might mean alienating a domestic constituency of tremendous political and financial import. It may more crucially mean sacrificing or investing literally billions of dollars not in servicing Israel’s military but actually investing in the new state of Palestine, investing billions of dollars it would probably take also to support what I think will have to be a mammoth protection force,” she said. “You have to go in as if you are serious. You have to put something on the line and unfortunately the imposition of a solution on unwilling parties is dreadful,” she continued. Power, a longtime adviser for President Obama, left the administration in February, but was considered the favorite to replace Rice at the U.N. She worked on his 2008 presidential campaign and was senior director for multilateral affairs and human rights during the president’s first term in office. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on June 09, 2013, 06:43:26 am Israel official: No Palestinian state in '67 lines
A senior member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party said in an interview broadcast Sunday that the Israeli government will not accept a Palestinian state with the borders favored by the Palestinians and the international community, a new hurdle to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's effort to restart peace talks in his latest visit to the region. Netanyahu's office rushed to distance itself from the comments by Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon, a rising star in the Likud. Danon said in comments broadcast on Israel Radio that the government would not agree to a Palestinian state based on Israel's borders before the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek an independent state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, areas captured by Israel from Jordan in 1967. The Palestinians say final borders between Israel and a future Palestine must be based on the 1967 lines. Israeli hardliners oppose a broad withdrawal from the West Bank on both security and religious grounds. "We are a nationalist government and not a government that will establish a Palestinian government in 1967 lines," Danon said. Danon went even further in comments to the Times of Israel news site last week, saying that hawks inside the governing coalition will never allow a Palestinian state to be formed. The international community, including the U.S., has endorsed the 1967 lines as the basis for border talks. While Netanyahu says he supports Palestinian independence, he has refused to commit to any borders, saying only that all issues of disagreement should be resolved in negotiations. Officials in Netanyahu's office said that Danon had stated a personal opinion, and his comments did not reflect government opinion. Speaking to his Cabinet Sunday, Netanyahu said the government must speak in unison if he is to achieve his goal of restarting peace negotiations. Kerry has been shuttling between the sides in recent months in hopes of finding a formula to restart negotiations. He is expected in the region this week on what would be his fifth visit since becoming Secretary of State early this year. Netanyahu told the Cabinet that he will discuss the impasse with Kerry. "Together we will try and advance a way to find an opening for negotiations with the Palestinians in order to reach an agreement," he said. "That agreement will be based on a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state and solid security arrangements." Talks have been stalled since late 2008. The Palestinians have refused to return to the negotiations until Israel ends construction in territory it wants for a future state. Israel says that settlements along with other core issues like security should be resolved through talks and have frequently called for negotiations to resume immediately without preconditions. Kerry has been searching for a formula that would curtail most settlement construction, provide security guarantees to Israel and economic incentives to the Palestinians. But so far, there have been no signs of progress. Israel's chief negotiator with the Palestinians, Tzipi Livni, said Sunday that she is working hard together with the U.S to restart talks, despite those within the government that oppose it. "It is true that within the Likud there are radical elements and within the government there are those that oppose an agreement," Livni told Israel Radio. "The prime minister is the one who will have to decide whether he surrenders to radical elements or will promote his policy that he declared," she said. Livni said Danon's comments "look bad." But the top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said Danon's remarks outline Israel's policy. "I believe that a government who continues to tender settlements and refuses the two state solution will not go for peace," he said. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/06/09/israel-palestinian-state-danon/2404829/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 09, 2013, 09:46:17 am Before the AC makes his appearance, I believe a lot of what they're doing now is nothing more than lip service. IOW, before the AC makes his appearance, it's as if there's going to be tons of confusion b/w everyone until a "referee" steps in to straighten things out.
JMHO. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 20, 2013, 11:40:41 am http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Controls/SendFriend.ashx?print=1&type=1&item=13456
Israel is Selling Out the Land Why doesn't the Israeli government stand up for the rights of Jews to holy sites? 6/19/13 Mention any biblical and historic site of the Jewish people. You won't find one preserved and protected by the Israeli establishment. Not only is the Temple Mount no longer "in our hands", but its easier substitute, the Western Wall, has also been conceded by Israel’s government to a group of femminists and cultural extremists. Judaism's holiest place on earth today is the site of the most severe religious persecution of the Jews. Israeli governments have failed to stand up to wanton Palestinian acts of desecration. It’s the greatest crime of all – a religious and cultural crime of historic proportions. Under pressure from Europe's multiculturalists, United States, political Islam and Unesco, which are all trying to “de-Judaize” and “Islamicize” the most holy Jewish sites, the State of Israel seems top be giving up its sovereignity on sacred sites. These Israeli "leaders", leftist or rightist, seem proud that Dizengoff has replaced the Western Wall, that Herzliya is surrendering the Cave of the Patriarchs and that Holon is giving up the tomb of Rachel. Israel is giving legitimacy to a fake Arabized geography which opens the Jüdenrein post-1967 areas, a de-Judaized “holy land”. When last January Benjamin Netanyahu visited the isolated "settlement" of Rechelim, it was called a "historic" visit. Why? Has Israel already forsaken these holy hilltops to the Sunni terrorists? The Cave of the Patriarchs in Hevron and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem— the second most important Jewish holy sites — have been omitted from the list of Israel’s national heritage sites. If it’s “West Bank” or “Palestine”, as most of Israeli establishment believes, those are justifications for saying that “Jews stole it”. The problem in fact is that Israeli mainstream has been persuaded to think that the Palestinian Arabs, whose members came to the holy land from the Arabian desert in the 7th century, are the descendants of the non-extant, disappeared “indigenous Canaanites” of the Bible. Beit HaShalom in Hevron was purchased for a million dollars, but 16 holy Jewish families were evicted by a rightist Israeli government from the premises for no reason at all – as a court ruling issued later determined. Joseph’s Tomb near Nablus, which is mentioned in the Book of Genesis, is an abandoned site which can be reached by Jewish worshippers only like thieves in the night, escorted by the IDF and only once in a month. It was Ehud Barak, not Hamas, that abandoned the site to the terrorists. No Jew is permitted to set foot without military escort in the Shalom al Yisrael synagogue of the “city of palms”, Jericho. What is the difference between today's segregation and that existing between 1948 and 1967, when Jews were denied access to it? Who knows that the Tomb of Joshua bin Nun is in Kefel Hares? A few days ago, Israel finalized the deal with the Vatican for the sovereignity over David’s tomb on Mount Zion, where some believe Jewish kings of Judea are buried. Tzipi Livni and Ehud Olmert wanted to turn over to the Arabs not only the Old City of Jerusalem, but also the Mount of Olives and the ancient excavated City of David. Having accepted that east Jerusalem, where the real Jewish history took place, is “the Palestinian capital”, Israel gave the final ammunition to its enemies, including the liberal left, the Jewish self haters, large segments of Christianity and Islamism, which already justified the eradication of the Jewish people. Israel's materialism, self anti-Semitism, consumerism and relativism have turned Beit El (the site of the Holy Ark and Prophet Samuel's court), Bethlehem (the birth place of King David), Shilo (the site of Joshua's tabernacle and the Holy Ark) and Tekoa (hometown of the Prophet Amos) into symbols of "apartheid" and "colonialism". It is Israel's fault, it is the greatest Jewish betrayal. In the eyes of Israel's decision-makers, these holy sites, once sources of national pride, have become a "security problem". That land can't be called “Zion” without Jerusalem's real city, Bethlehem, Hevron, Jericho, Beit El, Shilo and Shechem. These are Israel's genetic code. If Israel loses the sovereignty over these sacred dots on the map, the Jewish State becomes the Nazis' Luftmenschen – the human beings of the air. And that state will go down like a castle of sand. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on June 20, 2013, 02:54:53 pm Quote Israeli governments have failed to stand up to wanton Palestinian acts of desecration. Why would they, the Israeli government is secular. There may be some practicing Jews within their government, but it's not a Jewish state. It's an Israeli state. Just like the US is not a Christian state, it's secular, and for now, with socialistic tendencies. All the world's governments in the end are a-religious, if they want to play ball with the UN. Even the so-called "Islamic states" are secular in practice, though they present a religious front to appease the majority. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 26, 2013, 11:50:35 am http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-vatican-deal-on-land-use-said-imminent/
6/6/13 Israel-Vatican deal on land use said imminent Deputy FM, in Rome, says agreement could be signed this year; Holy See to receive permission for two new churches Deputy Foreign Minister Ze’ev Elkin was in Rome for high-level negotiations with Vatican officials over several outstanding land and building issues revolving around properties owned by the Holy See in Israel. Elkin visited the Holy See to continue decades-long talks on a comprehensive land deal between Israel and the Vatican, Maariv reported Thursday. Elkin told the Hebrew daily that, after meeting with the Vatican negotiating team and then separately with Pope Francis I, he thought an agreement would be signed by the end of the year, which would pave the way for the new pope’s promised visit to the Holy Land. Elkin’s meetings Wednesday were the first such negotiations in two years. The two main points of discussion revolved around Vatican requests to build two new centers in Israel. The Church has long lobbied to build a new church in a section of the Caesaria National Park where a church dedicated to St. Paul once stood. The area is now an archaeological and tourist site. Israel had previously refused the request, but now it seems Jerusalem will approve the construction of a center in the area, as long as the new complex does not have outward Christian religious symbols or resemble in its design a traditional church. The other main issue is a plot of Vatican-owned land on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, currently used as a parking lot, but desired by the Holy See for a church. Israel won’t allow the land to be used for construction, but has reportedly offered use of an alternative swath of land in the capital. A structure on Mt. Zion known as the Cenacle, where the Last Supper is believed to have taken place, will become open to Catholic worship once again, Italian newspaper La Stampa reported. The site will be administered by the Franciscan order but ownership will remain with Israel. The structure, also known as the “Upper Room,” rests above what’s believed to be King David’s Tomb, although many archaeologists differ on whether the Jewish king was actually buried there. La Stampa reported in late May that under the terms of a possible agreement, commercial activities run on church properties such as restaurants or souvenir shops will become subject to Israeli sales tax. The extensive properties owed by the church will continue to be exempt from paying property tax. Israel and the Vatican signed an agreement in 1993 dealing with property and tax rights for Roman Catholic Church properties in Israel, which paved the way for the opening of full diplomatic relations between the two states in 1994, but several outstanding issues remained, leading to on-again off-again negotiations over the years. “The negotiations took place in a thoughtful and constructive atmosphere… significant progress was made and the parties committed themselves to accelerate negotiations on the remaining issues, and look forward to an expedited conclusion in the near term,” a press release jointly issued by Israel and the Vatican said. During his time in Rome, Elkin is to meet with Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta and Foreign Minister Emma Bonino to discuss issues of concern to both countries. Elkin is scheduled to continue on to Russia next week. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on June 26, 2013, 01:47:06 pm Quote commercial activities run on church properties such as restaurants or souvenir shops will become subject to Israeli sales tax Ah, there it is, the love of money. You know the world wants it's cut before any deal gets done. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 27, 2013, 11:30:55 pm http://news.yahoo.com/israel-greets-kerry-settlement-declaration-could-signal-progress-220338080.html
6/27/13 Israel greets Kerry with settlement declaration. Could that signal progress? Instead of a red carpet, Secretary of State John Kerry got what might have looked like a knee-capping – in the form of an announcement of new settlement construction – for his arrival in Jerusalem Thursday. But what under other conditions might have looked like a deliberate sabotaging of Secretary Kerry’s laser-like – and some say, quixotic – efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks is being viewed by some regional experts as a sure sign that Kerry may be on the verge of succeeding. “Kerry has a good chance of announcing the resumption of talks, if not on this trip then on the next, and the tell-tale sign for me is this announcement” of a new 69-unit settlement in a sensitive neighborhood of East Jerusalem, says Aaron David Miller, a former US diplomat for both Republican and Democratic administrations who is now vice president for new initiatives at the Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington. How? “Bibi [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] always takes a step backward before he takes a step forward,” says Dr. Miller, who, with his long experience in peace-process diplomacy, is not given to overly optimistic assessments. “So an announcement of a project like this practically on the day the secretary of state is arriving, that tells me something is coming.” Secretary Kerry was scheduled to have a private dinner Thursday evening with Mr. Netanyahu, the opening of two days of discussions with Israeli and Palestinian officials. It is Kerry’s fifth trip in as many months to try to jump start the moribund peace talks – a quest Kerry has counted as one of his top priorities since he left the Senate to lead the State Department in early February. If Kerry succeeds in getting the two sides back to the table it would be a feat in itself, regional analysts say, although it would only be the first and perhaps easiest step on a path toward reaching what many consider to be the fleeting goal, a two-state solution to the conflict. But a resumption of talks would be a victory for Kerry’s approach to the peace-process conundrum, which Miller says has been to focus on building trust with Netanyahu. “Kerry has invested a lot in this relationship, he’s acutely aware that without this relationship he has nothing – full stop,” he says. The secretary of state also has to “invest” in his relationship with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, Miller says. But he adds that the “asymmetry” of Kerry’s attention to developing a relationship with each leader suggests he understands what it will take to break through with talks. “Kerry gets it,” Miller says, “and in a way that Obama doesn’t get it.” With his preferential treatment of the Israeli leader, Kerry has “stacked the deck, in a way,” to clear the way to a resumption of talks, Miller says. The strongest evidence of this is how the issue of settlement construction has virtually disappeared from the US agenda for getting the peace process back on track. A settlement freeze was a cornerstone of Obama’s initial first-term Mideast peace initiative, but for many analysts the demand poisoned Obama-Netanyahu relations and made any meaningful peace process impossible. But under Kerry the words “settlement freeze” aren’t spoken – even though the Palestinians hold to that condition for resuming talks – and State Department officials avoid detailed condemnations of any settlement announcements, as happened this week with the East Jerusalem case. At the State Department Wednesday, acting deputy spokesman Patrick Ventrell sidestepped a journalist’s question about the new construction, saying only that "the secretary is very focused on getting both sides back to the table.” “You don’t even hear about settlements anymore,” says Miller. “The president has essentially taken this off the table to allow Kerry to move this forward.” This new approach also explains the very different US response to this week’s settlement construction announcement compared with how the administration responded to a similar plan – with eerily similar timing -- in 2010. Vice President Joe Biden was in Jerusalem as the Israelis announced approval of a settlement project, also in East Jerusalem – the part of the city the Palestinians claim as their capital. Then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the announcement and its timing “insulting,” and an infuriated Obama turned a cold shoulder to Netanyahu. The president’s first-term initiative to deliver an accord on a two-state solution never recovered. To be sure, this week’s announcement of new settlement construction in East Jerusalem was criticized by Palestinian officials and even some Israelis as a “message” to Kerry that Israel has no interest in returning to negotiations. One Jerusalem City Council member, Meir Margalit of the left-leaning Meretz party, described the announcement as the very kind of “provocation” the US has asked both sides to avoid, and said it was proof that the Netanyahu government “has no serious intentions to restart the peace process.” Kerry sidestepped the latest controversy, focusing instead on the “urgency” of restarting Israeli-Palestinian talks soon. Speaking at a press conference in Kuwait Wednesday, Kerry said he was not seeking to impose any “deadlines” for starting talks on the two sides. But at the same time he described it as “urgent” to get something going over the next couple of months – before the next United Nations General Assembly in September, he said – because “time is the enemy of the peace process. “The passage of time,” he added, “allows a vacuum to be filled by people who don’t want things to happen.” Kerry will be able to gauge at his dinner with Netanyahu whether the time and effort he has invested in the relationship has paid off – and just how much Netanyahu wants “things to happen.” Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on June 28, 2013, 03:58:32 am Not only is the US government doing everything it can to undermine immigration laws, but that isn't enough, so they are going after Israeli immigrations as well basically. It's Israel's country, they can build stuff if they want to, yet the world is accusing them of discrimination and mistreatment?
That whole deal is one of the most frustrating things today. If it weren't for bible prophecy, none of this would make any sense. It's some of the most backward, double-talk, outright convoluted issues in the world. The world and it's minions claim discrimination is wrong. Sounds right doesn't it? Well, God is not a respecter of persons, so they might as well tell God He's discriminating against unbelievers then. I suspect somebody from the ACLU will file suit against God, claiming discrimination against sodomites and heathen. ::) One thing is for sure; there will be no illegal immigrants in heaven! The ONLY people that will be there is those who meet ALL legal requirements of the law. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 28, 2013, 10:00:25 am discrimination - not saying this is a bad word or anything, but the PC world has over-used it to their advantage. Even the modern-day churches are doing the same - there was an article in the paper a few years ago written by a pastor who said we should allow this Christian Rock/CCM in the churches so that we wouldn't discriminate against the youth.
Uhm...he forgot how churches are opened to the public for FREE, AND the gospel is preached unto everyone that walks in for FREE. ::) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 28, 2013, 02:51:41 pm http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/169410#.Uc3nvWwo5jp
Kerry and Netanyahu Hold Second Meeting U.S. Secretary of State and PM Netanyahu met in Jerusalem, their second meeting in 24 hours. 6/28/13 U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met in Jerusalem on Friday afternoon, their second meeting in 24 hours. The contents of the meeting were not disclosed, but the two agreed to meet for a third time on Saturday night. Kerry is currently on his fifth trip to the region since taking office, and is trying to get Israel and the Palestinian Authority back to the negotiating table. On Thursday evening, Kerry and Netanyahu met for more than four hours, soon after Kerry arrived in Israel. The content of that meeting was not made public either, but Channel 10 News quoted members of Kerry’s entourage as saying that the Secretary hopes to convince Israel and the PA to hold a meeting next week attended by representatives from both sides. It is not yet clear whether the meeting will be between Israeli negotiators Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and attorney Yitzhak Molcho and their PA counterpart, Saeb Erekat, or between Netanyahu and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas themselves. Kerry was in Jordan on Friday where he met with Abbas. Kerry is expected to hold a press conference on Saturday night in which he will summarize his latest visit to the Middle East. Netanyahu has clearly indicated on more than one occasion that he is willing to return to the negotiating table without preconditions. Abbas, however, has refused to talk and has continued to impose preconditions on talks with Israel, including a demand that Israel release terrorists who were jailed before 1993, freeze construction in Judea and Samaria and even present a map of the future Palestinian state before any negotiations take place. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on June 30, 2013, 06:16:41 am Kerry Extends Israel Trip Amid Speculation on Talks
In a hectic day of shuttle diplomacy with senior Israeli and Palestinian leaders in two capitals, Secretary of State John Kerry struggled on Saturday to close a deal to revive dormant Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. By the end of the day, however, it remained unclear to what extent Mr. Kerry had been able to narrow the gap between the two sides during three days of high-level meetings in Jordan and Israel. Even as a dinner meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel dragged into the early hours of Sunday, the Americans signaled that Mr. Kerry would be traveling to Ramallah, West Bank, later in the day to meet again with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, whom Mr. Kerry has already met with twice in Amman, Jordan, in recent days. Mr. Kerry had been scheduled to fly on Sunday to a long-planned meeting of foreign ministers in Brunei, and as Sunday arrived there was no announcement that his departure would be extended yet again. From the start, Mr. Kerry acknowledged that getting Israeli-Palestinian talks started would be a formidable undertaking. But he has resolutely insisted that it is doable — so much so that he has traveled between Jordan and Israel by motorcade, Jordanian helicopter and his own American government plane pursuing a formula that could lead to the first formal negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders since 2010. Mr. Kerry’s trip had appeared to take a dramatic turn on Saturday when he ripped up his itinerary and canceled a news conference and a trip that day to the United Arab Emirates so he could continue his meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders for another day. That spurred speculation in the Israeli news media that a summit meeting among Israeli, Palestinian and American officials might be hosted by Jordan. At the start of Mr. Kerry’s dinner meeting here on Saturday with Mr. Netanyahu, there were indications that the principals thought speculation of a game-changing breakthrough had gotten out of hand. “They’re saying a four-way summit?" Mr. Netanyahu was heard to say to Mr. Kerry at the start of the dinner. “Did you hear that?” “I did,” Mr. Kerry replied. The dinner — Mr. Kerry’s third meeting with Mr. Netanyahu in three days — was all business. On the Israeli side, it also included Tzipi Livni, Israel’s minister of justice and the government’s chief negotiator on the Palestinian issue; Isaac Molho, Mr. Netanyahu’s special envoy; Yaakov Amidror, Mr. Netanyahu’s national security adviser; and Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Mr. Netanyahu’s military secretary. On the American side, Mr. Kerry was joined by Frank Lowenstein, his Middle East adviser; Jonathan Schwartz, a State Department legal expert; and John Bass, a senior aide to Mr. Kerry at the State Department. But skeptics were insisting there was little reason to anticipate a breakthrough. Gilad Erdan, an Israeli government minister and member of the Likud party, asserted on Israeli television just before Mr. Kerry’s meeting with Mr. Netanyahu that the two sides were not close to resuming negotiations. Mr. Abbas, Mr. Erdan said, "is still demanding the same preconditions that we have no intention of complying with." Mr. Kerry said early during his travels that significant headway toward resuming the peace talks needed to be made long before September, when the General Assembly resumes its debate on the Middle East. Mr. Kerry has frequently said that time is the enemy, arguing that attitudes could harden and that unexpected developments could complicate painstaking efforts to lay the basis for progress at the negotiating table. Even before Mr. Kerry left on this trip to the Middle East, his fifth, American officials were signaling that he was prepared to make a sixth if needed. On Saturday, Mr. Kerry had little to say as he went from meeting to meeting. Asked if he was making any progress as his Amman meeting with Mr. Abbas got under way, Mr. Kerry replied, “Working hard.” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/world/middleeast/kerry-extends-israel-trip-amid-speculation-on-peace-talks.html?_r=0 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 16, 2013, 03:22:17 pm Israel set to approve another 1,000 W.Bank homes: NGO
Israeli authorities are expected on Wednesday to give the green light for the construction of 1,071 new homes in six West Bank settlements, watchdog Peace Now said in a statement on Tuesday. The news came as US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Jordan at the start of a sixth round of intense diplomacy to revive stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, with Israel's settlement building a key sticky point. It also came as the European Union was due to publish on Friday guidelines barring member states from funding projects in Jewish settlements. Peace Now said that a government committee was expected to grant initial approval for plans to build 339 homes at Galgal and Almog settlements in the Jordan valley, Kfar Adumim northeast of Jerusalem and at Kochav Yaacov and Shilo near the West Bank city of Ramallah. Another 732 units were to be given a more advanced level of approval, one stage before the start of construction, at the West Bank's biggest settlement, Modiin Ilit, a community of 58,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews west of Ramallah, it said. "These approvals are part of an unprecedented wave of advancing settlement plans," Peace Now said. "This is yet another message by Israel to the US and the Palestinians that this government is not ready for peace." Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/16/israel-set-to-approve-another-1000-wbank-homes-ngo/#ixzz2ZF45266t Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 16, 2013, 07:47:44 pm http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/169966#.UeW2aEBy3fJ
EU Redraws Israel Borders to 1949 Lines For the first time, the EU formally forbids trade with bodies located beyond 1949 Armistice lines, including Golan. By Gil Ronen First Publish: 7/16/2013, 11:05 AM The European Union has issued orders forbidding its member states from cooperating, transferring funds, giving scholarships or research grants to bodies in Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem , and even the Golan Heights, Haaretz wrote Tuesday. The new instruction, promulgated by the European Commission, which is the operative arm of the EU, sets parameters for cooperation between the EU and its members states, on the one hand, and Israeli governmental and private elements on the other. The instructions are for the years 2014 – 2020 and will go into force on Friday, July 18. The decision also states that any future agreement signed with Israel must include a section that says the “settlements” are not part of sovereign Israel and therefore not included in the agreement. A senior source in the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the new EU decision is dramatic, and can be called “a true earthquake.” "This is the first time in which a explicit and formal instruction like this is issued. Until now, there were silent understandings and agreements that the EU does not work beyond the Green Line” – as the 1949 Armistice Line is known – “but this is an official and binding prohibition.” Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin said that the EU decision is “very worrisome” and will make it difficult for the state of Israel to conduct contacts with the EU regarding cooperation agreements. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 17, 2013, 09:16:35 am EU Redraws Israel Borders to 1949 Lines
For the first time, the EU formally forbids trade with bodies located beyond 1949 Armistice lines, including Golan. this is BIG news!!! The European Union has issued orders forbidding its member states from cooperating, transferring funds, giving scholarships or research grants to bodies in Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem , and even the Golan Heights, Haaretz wrote Tuesday. The new instruction, promulgated by the European Commission, which is the operative arm of the EU, sets parameters for cooperation between the EU and its members states, on the one hand, and Israeli governmental and private elements on the other. The instructions are for the years 2014 – 2020 and will go into force on Friday, July 18. The decision also states that any future agreement signed with Israel must include a section that says the “settlements” are not part of sovereign Israel and therefore not included in the agreement. A senior source in the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the new EU decision is dramatic, and can be called “a true earthquake.” "This is the first time in which a explicit and formal instruction like this is issued. Until now, there were silent understandings and agreements that the EU does not work beyond the Green Line” – as the 1949 Armistice Line is known – “but this is an official and binding prohibition.” Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin said that the EU decision is “very worrisome” and will make it difficult for the state of Israel to conduct contacts with the EU regarding cooperation agreements. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/169966#.Ueamg20piRM Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on July 17, 2013, 04:03:02 pm 1949 Armistice Line... (notice how much is under Jordan's control, and that Gaza is under Egypt's control, which nobody is in control in Egypt. ::))
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/furniture/in_depth/world/2001/israel_and_palestinians/key_maps/armistice_map.gif) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 18, 2013, 05:31:22 am Israeli PM rejects EU 'dictate' on borders
Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has said outsiders cannot tell him where his country begins or ends in reaction to new EU guidelines on settlements. Speaking in a 40-second-long TV clip in Hebrew on Tuesday (16 July), he noted: "I will not let anybody harm Israelis living in Judea and Samaria, the Golan and Jerusalem … We will not accept any external dictates regarding borders." He added the EU should focus on Iran's alleged nuclear weapons programme and Syria's civil war instead of the Arab-Israeli conflict. "I expect those who want peace in the region to deal with settlements after they solve the Syria crisis and the Iranian threat," he said. His remarks come after revelations in Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the European Commission on 28 June quietly adopted new guidelines on EU funding in the region. According to the rules, EU institutions will from 2014 onward refuse to co-fund projects unless Israel gives legal guarantees that none of the money will go to entities whose official seat is beyond the 1967 green line. "The purpose of these guidelines is to make a distinction between the state of Israel and the occupied territories when it comes to EU support," the EU delegation in Tel Aviv said in a statement also on Tuesday. The EU and the UN say the Palestinian territories of East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank, as well as Syria's Golan Heights, were illegally occupied by Israel after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. But Israel, which refers to the West Bank as Judea and Samaria and which claims Jerusalem as its "indivisible" capital, says they are not under occupation because there is no such thing as a Palestinian state. It says it needs to keep the Golan Heights as a buffer against a potential Syrian attack. It also says its final borders can only be agreed in bilateral talks with Palestinians. Meanwhile, it has built over 100 settlements, which house more than half a million Jewish people, in the regions over the past five decades. The settlements dispute is nothing new. But the EU code is significant because it would force Israel's own government to sign up to the EU position on borders if it wants any more EU money for Israeli firms in the Palestinian zone. The code also comes just as the US is trying to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Netanyahu's reaction was among the more mild ones in a series of broadsides against Brussels on Tuesday. "This is a miserable decision, which was made in very bad timing," Israel's finance minister Yair Lapid said. "Once again, Europe has demonstrated just how detached it is, how it can't really be a full partner to the [peace] negotiations," regional development minister Silvan Shalom noted. "This is more fuel for Palestinian rejectionism," deputy foreign minister Ze'ev Elkin added. The EU commission and foreign service are currently working on a second code. They plan to publish, later this year or in early 2014, guidelines on retail labels for settlement-made products to make it easier for EU consumers to boycott them if they want to. http://euobserver.com/foreign/120886 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 18, 2013, 12:17:42 pm Sources: EU's Yesha Sanctions Could Boomerang
The European Union is not the only one that can impose sanctions, Israeli officials said. Israel may have to pull out of a major EU project The European Union is not the only one that can impose sanctions and boycotts, Israeli officials said Thursday. A report in Maariv said that if the EU insists on boycotting Israelis and Jews living and doing business in the lands liberated in the 1967 Six Day War, Israel could boycott some major European Union projects that feature Israel as a central partner. Among them is an 80 billion euro project to clean up the Mediterranean by 2020. Horizon 2020 aims "to de-pollute the Mediterranean by the year 2020 by tackling the sources of pollution that account for around 80% of the overall pollution of the Mediterranean Sea: municipal waste, urban waste water and industrial pollution,” the EU said when the project was announced in 2011. Israeli green technology is a centerpiece of the project, with Israeli researchers providing numerous systems to remove pollution from the shores of Greece, Turkey, Italy, France, and northern African countries. Perhaps even more important is the fact that Israel is a major funder of the project, allocating 600 million euros to the project over the next seven years. Sources in the Foreign Ministry said that the EU's new policy may put the whole project in jeopardy, since at least some of the technologies Israel is contributing to the project were developed by companies and academic institutions located in Judea and Samaria and in areas of Jerusalem liberated in the Six Day War. Considering the financial crisis in many Mediterranean countries, Israel's funding for the project may be a major issue for the continuity of the project. According to the new EU rules, Israel will have to pledge not to supply any of that technology to the project – removing a good chunk of the technology contributions Israel was slated to make. Speaking Wednesday, Economics Minister Naftali Bennett said that he would personally ensure that Israeli businesses affected by the policy were not hurt. “We, too, can impose our own rules on the EU. For example we have something to say about EU projects in the Palestinian Authority,” Bennett told reporters. “Sanctions like this could mean the end of such projects,” as Israel must approve such projects. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/170042#.UeghA432YrU Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 19, 2013, 08:22:27 am Palestinians: Israel must agree on borders
A stormy, high-level meeting of senior Palestinian leaders called to discuss U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's latest peace proposal ended with a decision early Friday to demand guarantees that Israel agree on the general border of a future Palestinian state, officials said. The demand casts a cloud of uncertainty over months of U.S. mediation efforts because Israel is weary of agreeing to preconditions, arguing it has not led to successful peace talks in the past. Palestinian officials said they wanted guarantees to ensure peace talks would lead to fruition. Hoping to push Israelis and Palestinians toward talks, U.S. President Barack Obama asked Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to work with Kerry "to resume negotiations with Palestinians as soon as possible," according to a statement released by the White House late Thursday. After two separate meetings, Palestinian officials said they decided to send top negotiator Saeb Erekat to meet with Kerry "and inform him that Palestinians want guarantees regarding the general border," said Wasel Abu Yussef, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee, who was in the meeting. A U.S. official said Kerry will meet on Friday with Erekat in Amman, Jordan. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss Kerry's schedule publicly, said there are no immediate plans for Kerry to meet an Israeli negotiator. Abu Yussef was referring to Israel's de facto border that separates the Jewish state from the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories that Israel conquered in the 1967 Mideast war, alongside the Gaza Strip. Palestinians claim those territories for their future state, with modifications reached through agreed "land swaps" that would see major Jewish settlement blocks built in the West Bank becoming part of Israel proper, in exchange for territories elsewhere. Abu Yussef said Erekat would also ask for more clarifications from Kerry on what Israel expects from negotiations. He said Palestinians did not want to reject Kerry's efforts to restart negotiations outright. Another official in the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity, said they felt pressure from Palestinians to not restart negotiations if they could not be seen producing substantive outcomes. Suggesting Palestinian officials would be open to talks, they deliberately did not bring up their often-repeated demand that Israel stop building in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem before talks could resume. The anonymous Palestinian official said they had decided, so far, not to make the demand this time. He said if Israel agreed on a general border route before negotiations began, it would delegitimize Jewish settlement building in areas expected to be part of a Palestinian state. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas convened the two meetings beginning Thursday with his advisors after a lengthy meeting with Kerry earlier in the week. While Kerry has not publicized details of his plan, the Arab League's decision Wednesday to endorse his proposal raised speculation that the Palestinians would agree. Abbas traditionally has sought the blessing of his Arab brethren before making any major diplomatic initiative. U.S. officials played down hopes that negotiations would begin soon. "There are currently no plans for an announcement on the resumption of negotiations," Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for Kerry, told reporters in neighboring Jordan. An Israeli Cabinet minister said no deal was imminent. A U.S. official said Kerry would consult with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Friday before ending his visit to the Middle East and returning to the United States but made no mention of an announcement of new negotiations. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss Kerry's plans publicly. Kerry has been shuttling for months in search of a formula to allow resumption of talks after a nearly five-year break. Talks have been stalled since late 2008, with the status of Israeli settlements at the heart of the deadlock. Netanyahu has rejected the Palestinian demands, saying talks should begin without preconditions. Ahmed Majdalani, another executive committee member, said Kerry has proposed holding talks for six to nine months focusing on the key issues of borders and security arrangements. He said Kerry would endorse the 1967 lines as the starting point of negotiations and assured the Palestinians that Israel would free some 350 prisoners gradually in the coming months. The prisoners would include some 100 men that Israel convicted of crimes committed before interim peace accords were signed in 1993. Israel has balked at freeing these prisoners in the past because many were convicted in deadly attacks. Although the plan does not include a settlement freeze, it was not clear whether Israel would accept any reference to the 1967 lines. Israeli Cabinet minister Yair Lapid said it was "too early to say" whether Kerry had found a formula for talks. "Secretary Kerry has done a tremendous job in trying to put both sides together," he told The Associated Press. "Of course Israel is more than willing and has expressed its agreement to go back to the negotiation table, but apparently it's going to take a little more time." While Israel has balked at Palestinian demands, the international community has largely rallied behind the Palestinian position on borders and Jewish settlements. In a show of displeasure over the settlements, the European Union announced this week it would stop providing research and cooperation grants to Israeli entities that operate in the occupied territories. Israeli leaders condemned the decision. On Thursday, Israeli President Shimon Peres urged the EU to reconsider the ban, saying it could undermine Kerry's efforts. Peres urged the EU to "give priority to peace" and warned the ban "could cause another crisis." http://news.yahoo.com/palestinians-israel-must-agree-borders-001629417.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 19, 2013, 08:23:07 am Obama Urges Netanyahu to Resume Peace Talks
Obama calls Netanyahu, asks him to continue to work with John Kerry in order to resume talks with the PA. U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday urged Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to resume negotiations with the Palestinian Authority "as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement quoted by AFP. The two leaders spoke by telephone as Secretary of State John Kerry made his latest trip to the region as part of marathon efforts to re-launch the stalled peace talks. "The president encouraged Prime Minister Netanyahu to continue to work with Secretary Kerry to resume negotiations with the Palestinians as soon as possible," the White House said in the statement. The White House added that the two leaders also discussed "recent developments in Egypt, Iran and Syria," without providing further details. "The leaders affirmed the importance of continued close coordination between the United States and Israel on a range of security issues," it said. Earlier on Thursday, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party effectively torpedoed Kerry's plan for restarting negotiations. Fatah officials demanded that changes be made to Kerry's Middle East peace plan, following a meeting in Ramallah. The move means it is likely the PA will also reject the plan. Abbas has insisted that Israel recognize the 1949 Armistice Line as a designated border for any future PA state. Israel refuses, as the pre-1967 borders are indefensible and withdrawing back to these borders would guarantee its destruction. He has also demanded that Israel release terrorists jailed before the 1993 Oslo Accords and that it freeze all Jewish construction in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem. PA officials said that Kerry's plan was rejected because it did not guarantee that Israel would freeze construction, nor did it guarantee that the talks would be based on the 1949 Armistice Line. Netanyahu's office denied on Thursday that Israel had agreed to accept the 1949 armistice lines as the basis for renewed negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Israeli officials had been quoted in earlier press reports as confirming the claim made by a top PA official. While denying the part about the 1949 armistice lines, Netanyahu's office did not issue a denial of the building freeze claim. Officials in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria said that even if Netanyahu's office did issue a denial, it would be meaningless, as the government could in any case impose a “soft” building freeze, in which it just drags its feet on approving building plans and the like, as opposed to an official freeze. Meanwhile, Bayit Yehudi Chairman and Economy Minister, Naftali Bennett, made clear that his party will not be a partner in a government that holds diplomatic negotiations based on the idea of returning to Israel's pre-1967 borders. "The Bayit Yehudi party, which I head, will not be a partner, even for one second, in a government that agrees to negotiate based on [pre-]'67 lines,” he stated. “Our capital, Jerusalem, is not up for negotiations and will never be up for negotiations.” http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Controls/SendFriend.ashx?print=1&type=0&item=170066 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 19, 2013, 02:48:01 pm Kerry Announces ‘Basis’ for Resumption of Mideast Peace Talks
Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that Israel and the Palestinian Authority had "established a basis" for resuming formal peace talks for the first time since 2010 and hoped to convene a meeting in Washington within a week or “very soon thereafter.” rest: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/20/world/middleeast/kerry-extends-stay-in-mideast-to-push-for-talks.html?_r=0 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 20, 2013, 05:19:43 am http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/19/19559453-kerry-says-israel-palestinians-laid-groundwork-for-new-peace-talks?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=2
7/19/13 Kerry says Israel, Palestinians laid groundwork for new peace talks AMMAN, Jordan -- Secretary of State John Kerry announced Friday that Israel and the Palestinians have laid the groundwork to resume stalled peace talks. Addressing reporters before he flew back from the Jordanian capital of Amman, Kerry announced "an agreement that establishes a basis for resuming direct final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis." Peace talks broke down in 2010. He said his negotiating counterparts will join him in Washington, D.C. next week or "shortly thereafter," but that he will be the one making public comments on behalf of the whole group. "The representatives of two proud people today have decided that the difficult road ahead is worth traveling," he added. On his visit, Kerry had marathon talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas - including a stop Friday in Ramallah. Kerry also met Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in Amman and had been consulting Israeli officials by telephone, a U.S. official said. The Palestinian leadership on Thursday did not accept Kerry's latest plan, but signaled that it was leaving the door open for him to continue pushing for talks. "This is a significant and welcome step forward," Kerry said Friday upon making his announcement. Negotiations, which have ebbed and flowed over two decades, collapsed in late 2010 in a dispute over Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories it captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 20, 2013, 10:17:40 am Gulf states: EU directive on Israeli settlements wise
Gulf States on Saturday hailed the European Union's decision to ban its 28 members from engaging with Israeli organizations and businesses operating beyond the pre-1967 lines, AFP reported. The six-state Gulf Cooperation Council ( GCC) “welcome the European Union’s decision which they hope will back international efforts to revive peace talks between Palestinians and Israel, and press Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories," AFP quoted GCC head Abdul Latif al-Zayani as saying. The EU on Friday published the directives limiting its members from interaction with Israeli entities in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Golan Heights, which al-Zayani referred to as “wise and reflects the EU’s solid stance in rejecting Israel’s colony policy and its confiscating of Palestinian territories in a clear violation of all agreements, international law, and UN resolutions”. http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Gulf-states-EU-directive-on-Israeli-settlements-wise-320451 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 20, 2013, 11:34:50 am http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/20/19578342-israel-to-release-heavyweight-palestinian-prisoners-amid-peace-talks-drive?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=6
7/20/13 Israel to release 'heavyweight' Palestinian prisoners amid peace talks drive JERUSALEM -- Israel has agreed to a long-standing Palestinian demand to release Palestinian prisoners in order to resume peace talks, but will not yield on other central issues, Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Saturday. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that Israel and the Palestinians had laid the groundwork to resume peace talks after an almost three-year stalemate, but he warned that the deal was not final and required more diplomacy. "There will be some release of prisoners," Steinitz told Israel Radio. "I don't want to give numbers but there will be heavyweight prisoners who have been in jail for tens of years," he said. The release would be carried out in phases, he added. But when it came to other sticking points, Steinitz said Israel would not give way. Palestinians have long demanded that Israel free prisoners who have been held in Israeli jails since before 1993, the year the two sides signed the Oslo Accords - an interim deal that was intended to lead to an independent state the Palestinians seek in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians have said their future state must have borders approximating the boundaries of those territories before Israel captured them in a 1967 Middle East War. Israel has balked at this demand, saying such borders would be indefensible for the Jewish state. Steinitz said there had been no Israeli concession on that point and on the Palestinian demand that Israel halt all construction in its West Bank and East Jerusalem settlements. "There is no chance that we will agree to enter any negotiations that begins with defining territorial borders or concessions by Israel, nor a construction freeze,” he said. Wasel Abu Youssef, a senior member of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization, told Reuters on Friday after Kerry's announcement that "efforts will continue to secure the achievement of Palestinian demands ... Israel must recognize the 1967 borders." Kerry said on Friday that the deal between Israel and the Palestinians was still being "formalized" and he would therefore not discuss it in detail, but that negotiators for both sides could begin talks in Washington "within the next week or so." Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 20, 2013, 11:46:26 am Quote Israel to release 'heavyweight' Palestinian prisoners amid peace talks drive these are the people that as soon as they get out they will go back and try to kill as many people as they can. And when that happens its going to start more attacks, and thus stopping the peace process. I mean neither side want peace. The Isaraelis, know these people will attack so they agrre to let them go each time peace talks start. The Muslims want them released on condition of peace talks, again knowing that they will attack stopping the peace process. am i the only one that sees this? every time? ::) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 20, 2013, 11:53:42 am these are the people that as soon as they get out they will go back and try to kill as many people as they can. And when that happens its going to start more attacks, and thus stopping the peace process. I mean neither side want peace. The Isaraelis, know these people will attack so they agrre to let them go each time peace talks start. The Muslims want them released on condition of peace talks, again knowing that they will attack stopping the peace process. am i the only one that sees this? every time? ::) Yep - which is why I don't think some "peace treaty" put out by Obama/Kerry(assuming the Daniel 9:27 prophecy is nigh around the corner) will be the 7 year covenant prophecized by Daniel. Before the AC shows up on the scene, it's going to be utter chaos around the world. Maybe not violent world war, but more along the lines of CONFUSION chaos. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 20, 2013, 01:15:14 pm Palestinians: US says 1967 lines basis for talks
A Palestinian official says President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to restart peace talks with Israel only after receiving a letter from the U.S. secretary of state guaranteeing that the basis of the negotiations will be Israel's pre-1967 borders. The official said Saturday that the letter from Secretary of State John Kerry to Abbas also stipulated that both the Israelis and Palestinians must refrain from taking any steps that would jeopardize the outcome of the talks. The official says Israel is not to issue new tenders for West Bank settlements, while the Palestinians are to refrain from pursuing diplomatic actions against Israel at international organizations. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to brief the press. There was no immediate comment from the State Department. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/israel-palestinian-prisoners-be-freed-talks Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on July 20, 2013, 01:37:00 pm these are the people that as soon as they get out they will go back and try to kill as many people as they can. And when that happens its going to start more attacks, and thus stopping the peace process. I mean neither side want peace. The Isaraelis, know these people will attack so they agrre to let them go each time peace talks start. The Muslims want them released on condition of peace talks, again knowing that they will attack stopping the peace process. am i the only one that sees this? every time? ::) No, you know your not the only one. But I see it as not being a peace issue at all among those people of the area. I don't think it has ever been about trying to make peace, as far as the general residents are concerned. It's been about one side not wanting certain people living there. It's always been about who controls the area, and they in turn want to get rid of those they don't agree with. Culturally speaking, they have zero interest in making peace with their enemies. None. They just want them out. We know from prophecy that only Jesus will bring peace to Jerusalem, so the "peace talks" angle is a moot point. It's all show put on by the world powers for an ignorant and unbelieving public to consume to their own demise. Lets' face it, the world wants to direct people in a way that will send their soul straight to hell. HELLO! ::) "The thing that hath been, it [is that] which shall be; and that which is done [is] that which shall be done: and [there is] no new [thing] under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9 (KJB) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 21, 2013, 05:55:45 am Well some one is lying, and im betting that persons name is JOHN KERRY, as that has been his modus operandi his entire life. Someone should really call him on his lying, oh, wait they did.
Israel: PA dropped preconditions; Palestinians say talks based on pre-67 lines Negotiations are in Israel’s interest, Netanyahu says; ministers confirm pre-Oslo prisoners with blood on their hands to go free Amid conflicting accounts of the basis on which Israel and the Palestinians are set to renew negotiations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night hailed the resumption of the talks, announced Friday by Secretary of State John Kerry, as fulfilling Israel’s “vital strategic interests.” Israeli ministers said the government had held firm to its insistence on there being no preconditions for resuming the negotiations, while Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had given ground. According to the ministers, the talks would resume without Israel agreeing to a settlement freeze, without Israel agreeing to negotiations for a Palestinian state on the basis of the pre-1967 lines, and without there first being a release of longtime Palestinian prisoners. Still, Israel would release Palestinian prisoners, with Israeli blood on their hands — up to 350, according to some sources — in phases as the talks continued, they said. However, a Palestinian official said Abbas agreed to restart talks only after receiving a letter from Kerry guaranteeing that the basis of the negotiations will indeed be Israel’s pre-1967 borders. The official, quoted by AP, said Kerry’s letter also stipulated that both the Israelis and the Palestinians must refrain from taking any steps that would jeopardize the outcome of the talks. Thus, the unnamed official said, Israel is not to issue new tenders for West Bank settlements, while the Palestinians are to refrain from pursuing action against Israel at international organizations. In his statement Saturday night, Netanyahu said the negotiations were vital in order “to seek to bring to an end the conflict between us and the Palestinians” and important, too, “given the challenges we face, primarily from Iran and Syria.” Israel, he added, had two goals in the talks: “Preventing the creation of a single binational state between the [Mediterranean] Sea and the Jordan [River], which would endanger the future of the Jewish state, and preventing the establishment of an additional Iranian-sponsored terrorist state on Israel’s borders, which could endanger us no less.” He thanked Kerry for his “great efforts” to get the sides back to the negotiating table and vowed that he would “insist upon Israel’s security need and its vital strategic interests.” Israeli sources said the talks were set to last from 9-12 months. Israel would be represented by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Netanyahu envoy Yitzhak Molcho and the Palestinians by veteran negotiator Saeb Erekat. Kerry said Friday he expected the talks to resume in Washington next week, but Israeli officials said logistics might require a further week of preparation. Israeli sources added that Erekat would raise demands for talks on the basis of the pre-1967 lines and for a settlement freeze — but these would be issues to negotiate at the table, not preconditions. Also, they said, while Israel would release most or all of the more than 100 Palestinian security prisoners held since before the Oslo accords were signed 20 years ago, they would go free in phases, depending on the progress of the talks. A first group of 82 such prisoners, many of whom have Israeli blood on their hands, could be released within four to six weeks, they said. No veteran Israeli Arab prisoners would be freed, Channel 2 reported on Saturday night. Channel 2 also said Kerry had threatened to halt US aid to the Palestinians if Abbas did not come back to the table. “It’s been proven that when we stand firm in our demands, we can enter talks without preconditions, without construction freezes, and certainly without the crazy demand that we base negotiations on the ’67 lines,” Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) said Saturday. “As negotiations get underway, we will insist on continuing construction in Jerusalem and the West Bank. History has taught us that building produces life, while dismantling settlements produces terror.” Bennett added that, in light of recent developments, Israel would not allow the European Union to be part on the negotiations. The EU last week issued a directive forbidding joint projects with institutions that are located over the Green Line or that are active in the settlements. Former foreign minister and senior coalition partner Avigdor Liberman expressed deep skepticism regarding the chances of reaching a final-status agreement with the Palestinians. Liberman said in a statement Saturday that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could not be solved, only managed, at least for the next few years. “Holding negotiations is important, but holding them based on reality and not illusions is more important,” said Liberman. “The best we can strive for is a long-term interim agreement based on security and economic cooperation.” Earlier, Livni, Israel’s senior negotiator with the Palestinians, said there was no risk for Israel in restarting negotiations but real opportunity. “Our agreement with the Palestinians and the Americans was that we would let Kerry be the spokesman of the agreement [on returning to the talks]. I believe trust is an essential part of talks and I don’t want to risk that by patting ourselves on the back,” a cagey Livni told Channel 2′s Meet the Press Saturday evening. “That said, it must be stated that Israel is entering the negotiations, which I hope will start soon, while maintaining its vital diplomatic and security interests.” Livni stressed the fragility of the agreement to enter peace talks, but stated that there was nothing in the initial basis for the negotiations that should prevent anybody, including the right-wing members of the Israeli government, from going ahead with them. “I have no doubt that as people hear more about the details of the agreement [under which the talks are resuming], there will be more support for the process itself,” said Livni. As if to confirm her statement, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon (Likud) said Saturday that, “We had insisted on entering talks without preconditions, including the Palestinians’ demands that we return to the ’67 lines, freeze settlements and release prisoners.” “We are entering the talks with clean hands and with an honest desire to reach an agreement on ending the conflict. I only hope the Palestinians are coming to the table with the same attitude,” said Ya’alon. “Everything is on the table,” said Livni, the Hatnua party leader and a former foreign minister. “But there is a difference between Israel’s position before entering the room for talks and the positions we will present when seated around the table. Along with my great satisfaction over the understandings we reached yesterday, I realize it is a great responsibility. Things will be on the table and we will have to act responsibly to protect Israel’s interests. I have done it before and I think that it is now understood that I maintained those interests last time around.” Livni stressed that entering the negotiations doesn’t just pose a risk of future concessions, it also produces real opportunities for favorable developments for Israel. Asked whether the current Israeli coalition can survive peace talks in which everything, including final borders, settlement evictions and the fate of Jerusalem is on the table, Livni said the government “has to go ahead with the talks because of their vital importance to Israeli interests.” “When Netanyahu decided to enter the talks, he didn’t become a member of the Hatnua party. He made the decision based on his own principles. I believe the entire government, even the right, can accept those principles,” said Livni. Livni made sure to temper expectations and stress the gradual nature of the process, but concluded on a positive note. “We have proven that there is hope,” she said. Addressing the topic of the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of a peace agreement, Livni said she preferred that those released be terrorists who operated before there were any understandings between Israel and the Palestinians and have been serving their sentences for 25 or more years, over those who carried out their attacks in order to harm the process. Livni was speaking in response to an earlier statement by Minister of Intelligence and International Relations Yuval Steinitz, who said Israel would release an undisclosed number of Palestinian prisoners in order to get talks off the ground. He added that a number of the Palestinian prisoners to be released were “serious” cases, but that a large portion of them had already served many years. During an interview with Israel Radio, Steinitz said that the decision was in line with the government’s approach all along, meaning that it intends to free Palestinian prisoners in phases and would only do so as talks are resumed, not before. He also said Israel was not bound to a settlement freeze as a precondition for the resumption of negotiations. On Friday, Kerry assured the Palestinians that Israel would free some 350 prisoners gradually in the coming months. The prisoners would include some 100 men convicted of terrorist crimes committed before the Oslo interim peace accords were signed in 1993. Israel had balked at freeing these prisoners in the past because many were convicted in deadly attacks. In contrast to the Likud and Jewish Home, which were expected to have issues with the government’s intended concessions to the Palestinians, other parties in Netanyahu’s coalition and in the opposition came out in staunch support of Kerry’s announcement Friday that talks were resuming. Opposition leader Shelly Yachimovich said she was hopeful about the relaunching of direct talks. She called on Netanyahu to clearly announce his approval of Kerry’s initiative and express his willingness to achieve an agreement with the Palestinians. But Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon (Likud) told reporters Saturday that Israel “must learn from past mistakes and not release terrorists with blood on their hands as a goodwill gesture or a prize.” “I trust the prime minister, who knows that talking about a return to the ’67 lines is out of the question. Ripping thousands of Israelis from their homes, like we did in the disengagement from Gaza, is a wrong that must not be repeated,” said Danon, who is associated with the hawkish flank of the Likud. At a stormy late-night meeting of their leadership Thursday, Palestinians had balked at dropping a main condition for talks with the Israelis. They demanded a guarantee that negotiations on borders between a Palestinian state and Israel would be based on the ceasefire line that held from 1949 until the 1967 war, when Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and east Jerusalem. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. Israel rejected preconditions for talks, and the split cast a pall of uncertainty over months of US mediation efforts. Hoping to push Israelis and Palestinians toward talks, President Barack Obama asked Netanyahu to work with Kerry “to resume negotiations with Palestinians as soon as possible,” according to a statement released by the White House late Thursday. Previous Israeli governments twice negotiated on the basis of the 1967 lines, but no peace accord was reached. Besides disagreeing over how much land to trade and where, the two sides hit logjams on other key issues, including dividing Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees. http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-says-pa-dropped-preconditions-but-palestinians-claim-kerry-promised-talks-on-basis-of-pre-67-lines/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 21, 2013, 06:59:13 am Well some one is lying, and im betting that persons name is JOHN KERRY, as that has been his modus operandi his entire life. Someone should really call him on his lying, oh, wait they did. Went from playing the role of loser in 2004 by giving the re-election to his Skull and Bones buddy George W. Bush with all of his campaign "blunders", to being rewarded the role of Secretary of State this year and playing a big role in this "peace process". Guess nothing's a coincidence in this world... Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 22, 2013, 03:47:46 pm http://news.yahoo.com/israel-premier-fast-tracking-peace-referendum-bill-155141189.html
Israel premier fast-tracking peace referendum bill 7/22/13 JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's premier announced Monday he is fast-tracking legislation that would allow him to put any peace deal with the Palestinians to a national referendum — an apparent attempt to silence hard-liners in his party and coalition government. Benjamin Netanyahu spoke three days after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said progress has been made toward a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, stalled for five years. Kerry has invited Israeli and Palestinian negotiators to Washington for preliminary talks, though wide gaps remain on the framework of the actual negotiations. Netanyahu said Monday that a referendum is necessary to prevent a rift in Israeli society. Polls have suggested a majority of Israelis support the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, but many groups are vehemently opposed, including hard-liners among Israel's West Bank settlers. Some issues to be settled in a peace deal are particularly explosive, including a partition of Jerusalem, home to major religious shrines and claimed by both sides as a capital. Peace talks would also determine Israel's borders with a future Palestine and the fate of Palestinian refugees and their millions of descendants. Netanyahu said he would present legislation on a referendum to his Cabinet and parliament soon. "Any agreement that is not approved by the people is not worthy of being signed," Netanyahu said in an announcement from Israel's parliament. On an issue as fateful as a peace deal, "it is desirable that it be presented to every single citizen to decide," he said. Earlier Monday, one of Netanyahu's main coalition partners, Economics Minister Naftali Bennett of the pro-settler Jewish Home Party, linked crucial support in an upcoming vote on the government budget to progress on a referendum bill. "The Jewish Home will support the state budget, but in order for that happen we demand the referendum law is being promoted by then," Bennett said. Netanyahu's second main coalition partner, the centrist Yesh Atid party, has said it is studying the idea. Israel's chief negotiator with the Palestinians, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, has said she opposes a referendum, insisting that important decisions should be left to democratically elected leaders. Israeli media said Netanyahu will convene his Cabinet later this week to seek formal backing for a resumption of talks and for a possible release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners in several stages during the negotiations — a proposal bound to trigger vehement opposition from hawks in the coalition, including in his own Likud. Government spokesman Mark Regev said he was not aware of plans for a Cabinet meeting on the peace talks. Israeli analyst Yossi Alpher said pushing the referendum bill is an attempt by Netanyahu "to neutralize internal opposition from the right as early as possible." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also said in comments published Monday he would put any peace deal to a referendum, reiterating a long-standing position. He did not say whether the vote would include millions of Palestinians scattered across the globe or only those in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem — the lands captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and sought for a Palestinian state. Speaking to the Jordanian daily Al Rai, Abbas warned that "all options are open" if Kerry's efforts fail — an apparent attempt to pressure Israel to accept the Palestinian terms for a resumption of talks. Abbas did not list other options but suggested a renewed Palestinian push for U.N. recognition, a tactic Israel fears could increase its international isolation. In announcing progress Friday, Kerry said a broad agreement has been reached on the framework for restarting talks, but that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators still need to work out some details once they get to Washington. Palestinian officials say key issues still need to be resolved before actual peace talks can begin. They insist on a freeze in construction in Israeli settlements, and they want Netanyahu to accept Israel's pre-1967 war lines as a starting point and release dozens of veteran Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu has refused to start border talks from the 1967 lines. He has also rejected a settlement freeze, though Palestinian officials have said he is willing to slow construction in some areas without a public announcement. The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said the Netanyahu government has advanced plans for more than 5,000 new apartments in settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the past four months. Without new restrictions, "construction in settlements will continue and it will continue at a relatively fast speed," said Hagit Ofran of Peace Now, calling for a halt in construction. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 23, 2013, 04:23:19 pm http://www.france24.com/en/20130723-kerry-finalizing-mideast-peace-talks-team
7/23/13 Kerry finalizing MidEast peace talks team AFP - Secretary of State John Kerry is finalizing his team to help shepherd Middle East peace talks and take on the heavy lifting on a day to day basis, a US official said. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki would neither confirm nor deny reports that a former US ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, has been chosen to head up the American negotiating team. In Amman on Friday -- at the end of his sixth trip to the region -- Kerry announced that Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed in principle to return to talks that have been frozen for three years. Israeli chief negotiator Tzipi Livni and her Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erakat are due to travel to Washington in the coming days to start the talks. "This is the first time in years the official negotiators for both sides have publicly agreed to meet at this level," Psaki told reporters. But she could not give a precise date for the resumption of talks, saying US officials had been "in touch with both parties over the course of the last couple of days, but I don't have an update on the logistics of the date yet." "Right now we are pursuing the way forward. There has been a great deal of work, compromise and sacrifice leading to this point," Psaki said. But she stressed she was going to respect Kerry's commitment to keep the details of the negotiations secret in order to give them the best chance of succeeding. The top US diplomat was now "focused on putting together the right combination of players to work with the parties," she said, adding no decision on a negotiator or envoy had been made. Psaki said the talks are "going to be a challenging process. (Kerry) can't carry it all on his own shoulders day in and day out. And that's why he's looking to put together a senior team." The State Department spokeswoman also stressed that the Israelis and Palestinians "have made clear they want to have substantive discussions as early as possible." It is likely, however, that the agenda and process will be discussed first before the two sides try to get down to the thorny details on which they remain deeply divided. Former US president Jimmy Carter, who helped negotiate the 1979 peace deal between Israel and Egypt in what became known as the Camp David accords, said he was "more hopeful than I was a month ago, or five years ago," about progress. "It seems to us that this is a certainly propitious time, because it's been almost a five year absence of any real effort to bring the two parties together," he said, addressing a conference at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "No-one knows what's going to happen, they might meet the first time and adjourn. But I think there's been a pressure from the Palestinian people and from the Israeli people to have a resolution on this issue." White House spokesman Jay Carney meanwhile said the US administration felt "very cautious optimism" about the upcoming talks, stressing that the only way "to resolve these issues is if the two parties sit down in direct face-to-face negotiations." Indyk, currently the head of foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, is a veteran of Middle East diplomacy and was named by several US media outlets as Kerry's choice to head the American team. Indyk was assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs under then president Bill Clinton and served as ambassador to Israel from 1995 to 1997. He then again served as ambassador to Israel from 2000 to 2001. Indyk was born in London, but emigrated to Australia as a child. He became a US citizen in 1993. "Obviously he's a very well-respected professional with a great deal of experience and background," Psaki said when asked about Indyk's qualifications. "But I don't have any other updates on the personnel process," she added. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 24, 2013, 08:04:38 am For third time in a week, rockets fired from Gaza land in Israel
Despite rising tension, Hamas is more concerned over a potential conflict with Egypt than the renewal of peace talks between Israel and the PA. Two rockets were fired on Wednesday morning from the Gaza Strip, landing in open spaces in the Eshkol Regional Council, near the border fence. There were no casualties and no damage reported. Rockets were also fired toward Israel last Friday, after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, as well as on Sunday evening. There were no casualties or damage in both cases. According to security sources in Israel, extreme Islamist factions in Gaza are behind the attacks, likely carried out without consulting Hamas. After the first incident on Friday, Hamas arrested some of those involved. rest: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.537712 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 24, 2013, 10:19:33 am The EU declares Israel as occupier
For more than thirty years the European Union (EU) has issued statements critical of Israel, and has been supportive of the Palestinian cause. The EU Venice Declaration of 1980, the first statement it issued on foreign policy, supported the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination; asserted the unacceptability of any unilateral initiative to alter the status of Jerusalem; proclaimed the need for Israel to end its territorial occupation since 1967; and declared that Israeli settlements were an obstacle to peace. Since the 1990s the EU has been a major aid contributor to Palestinians, though its monetary assistance did not substantially improve the Palestinian economy. This economy suffered from corruption, lack of a satisfactory legal framework and competent administration, absence of democratic practices, and the incompetence of Yasser Arafat, the PLO and the Palestinian Authority leader who instigated the disastrous second Intifada in 2000. The EU has been critical of many of the activities of Israel, including the alleged treatment of the Arab minority and of the Bedouins, but particularly and unrelentingly about Israeli settlements. On December 10, 2012 the EU issued a statement, “all agreements between the State of Israel and the European Union must unequivocally and explicitly indicate their inapplicability to the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, namely the Golan Heights, the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. The EU discouraged companies from trading with and investing in settlements and suggested banning imports of settlement products. At the same time Catherine Ashton, the head of EU foreign policy, pressed Israel to cancel the building of 3,000 new settler homes that, in accordance with EU policy, she considered “an obstacle to peace.” That EU policy had been made clear even before the European Commission poll taken in 2003 that the “country posing the greatest threat to world peace was Israel.” It was unclear whether the particular homes to which Ashton was referring are an obstacle to peace in Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, or Iraq, issues with which she seems somewhat unconcerned. Whatever the answer, this did not prevent the EU decision to implement the December 10 statement by issuing a directive approved on June 28, 2013 and made known on July 16, 2013. This was a decision by the EU to ban all funding, collaboration, scholarships, research grants, and awards to “Israeli entities” in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. All future EU agreements with Israel must have a clause stating that the settlements are not part of the State of Israel. By its declaration the EU was unilaterally deciding that the borders of Israel did not embrace East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, or the Golan Heights. It was making a distinction between the State of Israel and the “occupied territories” to which the ban on relations on factors such as economics, science, culture, sports, and academia will apply. This is an extraordinary unwise and unhelpful decision at a time when Secretary of State John Kerry is making his sixth visit in four months to the region in his hope to revive peace talks between Israel and Palestinians. He must be troubled that the EU decision on the borders of the State of Israel may make the Palestinians unwilling to enter into direct negotiations. That unwillingness has been rewarded by the constant EU argument, one that was repeated on the very day that the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and constitute an obstacle to peace. The EU argument is belied by the reality that facts and the history of the area prove the opposite; Israeli settlement has never constituted an obstacle to peace. Nevertheless, Ashton persists in saying that “settlement activity is detrimental to current peace efforts.” The EU position makes it more likely that the Palestinian will reject negotiations. If they do agree to enter into direct negotiations, they will certainly continue to insist on a number of pre-conditions, including freezing all settlement construction and acceptance of the ceasefire lines of 1949 as the borders of a Palestinian state. There are two issues involved in this. One is the bypassing of all international and bilateral agreements on the need for negotiations to decide on the final status of the disputed territories. The Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement of September 28, 1995 is clear on this point. Article XXXI states, “Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank or the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent status negotiations.” Legally, the demarcation lines between the parties of 1949 are not permanent boundaries; they do not purport to establish definitive boundaries between the parties. All issues are to be negotiated between the parties. The other is the misapplication of EU activity that should more properly be focused on the development of the Palestinian economy and the introduction of human freedoms, rather on than the disputed settlements. The EU, after all, could be a major player in the Middle East with its own economy accounting for almost 20 percent of world trade and including a considerable number of real democracies among its 27 members. It could be playing a role in helping deal with current problems: Iran’s nuclear proliferation; Islamist extremism in general; the development of terrorist networks; the recognition of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization; equality for women in the Middle East; and encouragement of human rights and democracy in the Arab countries. It serves no useful purpose to insist that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the main security problem in the Middle East. It is one thing to propose two states as the only feasible solution to the conflict, even if there is disagreement on the issue. It is another to attempt to resolve the conflict by putting direct economic and political pressure on Israel. The EU has done a great disservice to the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, and indeed has been counterproductive by making it less likely to come into effect. http://balfourpost.com/the-eu-declares-israel-has-occupier/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 24, 2013, 10:20:30 am Obama 'pushed boycott of Jerusalem,
biblical territories' Israeli diplomats warn of crisis over controversial EU move A European Union boycott of financial dealings with Jews in the biblical West Bank, Golan Heights and eastern Jerusalem was fully coordinated with the Obama administration, a senior Palestinian negotiator told WND. “Without the U.S. support, the EU wouldn’t have taken such measures,” the negotiator said. On Friday, the EU published guidelines forbidding its 28 members from having any financial dealings with what it calls Jewish settlements or territories that have been “occupied” by Israel since 1967. The preface to the guidelines states “the EU does not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over … the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including east Jerusalem … and does not consider them to be part of Israel’s territory, irrespective of their legal status under domestic law.” “Only Israeli entities having their place of establishment within Israel’s pre-1967 borders will be considered eligible as final recipients” of funding such as “grants, prizes and financial instruments.” A high-ranking Israeli foreign ministry official told Agence France-Presse on Friday that Israel met the ambassadors of Britain and France, and Germany’s deputy ambassador to convey a message that the boycott will cause a serious crisis in diplomatic relations. On Sunday, the popular Israel Today newspaper reported that hundreds of legal experts are drafting a document to reply to the EU boycott. The legal response will reportedly state that the so-called Jewish settlements are not illegal and that the term “occupied” does not apply to those territories. A translation of the current version of the appeal reads the EU boycott is “based on misguided and legally flawed assumptions about the status of the Israeli settlements and the validity of the 1967 lines as Israel’s borders.” Continues the document: “The EU’s definition of Judea and Samaria as ‘Palestinian territories’ or ‘occupied territories’ is devoid of any legal or factual merit. The area was never defined as such [under international law] and therefore the EU’s continuous use of this terminology undermines the negotiations for a permanent [peace] deal. … The EU’s perception of the Israeli settlements’ illegality stems from various different interpretations of international law.” Biblical land Judea and Samaria, commonly referred to as the West Bank, is dotted with biblical, historically Jewish cities, including Hebron, the oldest Jewish community in the world, where Jews have lived for more than 2,500 years. Hebron is home to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, believed to be the resting place of biblical patriarchs and matriarchs. There are accounts of the trials of the city’s Jewish community throughout the Byzantine, Arab, Mameluke and Ottoman periods. In 1929, as a result of an Arab pogrom in which 67 Jews were murdered, the entire Jewish community fled the city, with Hebron – including the market – becoming temporarily devoid of Jews until Israel recaptured the land in 1967. The West Bank is also home to Shechem, or Nablus. The book of Genesis says Abraham entered Israel at the West Bank city of Shechem and received God’s promise of land for his offspring. The nearby West Bank town of Beit El – in anciently times called Bethel, meaning “house of God” – is where Scripture says the patriarch Jacob slept on a stone pillow and dreamed of angels ascending and descending a stairway to heaven. In that dream, God spoke directly to Jacob and reaffirmed the promise of land. Earlier, God had promised the land of Israel to Abraham at Beit El. In Exodus, the holy tabernacle rested just north of Beit El in Shiloh, believed to be the first area the ancient Israelites settled after fleeing Egypt. Jewish Golan News accounts routinely billed the Golan as “undisputed Syrian territory” until Israel “captured the region” in 1967. In actuality, the Golan has been out of Damascus’ control for far longer than the 19 years it was within its rule, from 1948 to 1967. Even when Syria shortly held the Golan, some of it was stolen from Jews. Tens of thousands of acres of farmland on the Golan were purchased by Jews as far back as the late 19th century. The Turks of the Ottoman Empire kicked out some Jews around the turn of the century. But some of the Golan was still farmed by Jews until 1947, when Syria first became an independent state. Just before that, the territory was transferred back and forth between France, Britain and even Turkey, before it became a part of the French Mandate of Syria. When the French Mandate ended in 1944, the Golan Heights became part of the newly independent state of Syria, which quickly seized land that was being worked by the Palestine Colonization Association and the Jewish Colonization Association. A year later, in 1948, Syria, along with other Arab countries, used the Golan to attack Israel in a war to destroy the newly formed Jewish state. The Golan, steeped in Jewish history, is connected to the Torah and to the periods of the First and Second Jewish Temples. The Golan Heights was referred to in the Torah as “Bashan”; the word “Golan” apparently derived from the biblical city of “Golan in Bashan.” The book of Joshua relates how the Golan was assigned to the tribe of Manasseh. Later, during the time of the First Temple, King Solomon appointed three ministers in the region, and the area became contested between the northern Jewish kingdom of Israel and the Aramean kingdom based in Damascus. The book of Kings tells how King Ahab of Israel defeated Ben-Hadad I of Damascus near the present-day site of Kibbutz Afik in the southern Golan; and the prophet Elisha foretold that King Jehoash of Israel would defeat Ben-Hadad III of Damascus, also near Kibbutz Afik. The online Jewish Virtual Library has an account of how in the late 6th and 5th centuries B.C., the Golan was settled by Jewish exiles returning from Babylonia, or modern day Iraq. In the mid-2nd century B.C., Judah Maccabee’s grandnephew, the Hasmonean King Alexander Jannai, added the Golan Heights to his kingdom. The Golan hosted some of the most important houses of Torah study in the years following the Second Temple’s destruction and subsequent Jewish exile; some of Judaism’s most revered ancient rabbis are buried in the territory. The remains of some 25 synagogues from the period between the Jewish revolt and the Islamic conquest in 636 have been excavated. The Golan is also dotted with ancient Jewish villages. ‘Secret Obama plan’ forfeits Temple Mount The EU boycott came as Secretary of State John Kerry announced that both Israel and PA President Mahmoud Abbas have agreed to open negotiations to create a Palestinian state. WND reported yesterday the Obama administration has quietly presented a plan in which the PA and Jordan would receive sovereignty over the Temple Mount while Israel would retain the land below the Western Wall, according to a senior PA negotiator. The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. Israel has not agreed to the U.S. plan regarding the Temple Mount, with details still open for discussion, stated the PA negotiator. The negotiator, who is one of the main Palestinian figures leading the Arab side of the talks, further divulged Kerry’s proposed outline for a Palestinian state as presented orally to Israel and the PA. He said Jordan has been invited to play a key role in the discussions surrounding both the Temple Mount and Jerusalem while it will be the PA, with some Jordanian assistance, that would ultimately receive control of some of those areas. WND was first to report in 2007 that Jordan had been quietly purchasing real estate surrounding the Temple Mount in Jerusalem hoping to gain more control over the area accessing the holy site, according to Palestinian and Israeli officials. Meanwhile, regarding the rest of Jerusalem, Kerry’s plan is to rehash what is known as the Clinton parameters. That formula, pushed by President Bill Clinton during the Camp David talks in 2000, called for Jewish areas of Jerusalem to remain Israeli while the Palestinians would get sovereignty over neighborhoods that are largely Arab. Most Arab sections are located in eastern Jerusalem. WND previously reported the Palestinians are building illegally in Jewish-owned areas of Jerusalem, resulting in Arab majorities in some neighborhoods. For the strategic Jordan Valley, Obama’s proposal calls for international forces to maintain security control along with unarmed Palestinian police forces, the PA negotiator said. Israel will retain security posts in some strategic areas of the Jordan Valley, according to the leaked plan. When it comes to the West Bank, which borders Jerusalem and is within rocket range of Israel’s main population centers, Israel is expected to evacuate about 90 percent of its Jewish communities currently located in the territory, as outlined in Kerry’s plan. Israel would retain strategic security posts along with the West Bank’s main blocs, Maale Adumin, Ariel and Gush Etzion. In return, Obama is calling for an exchange of territory with the Palestinians in other locations inside Israel, with discussion being open for the Palestinians to possibly receive land in the Israeli Negev in the country’s south. The PA negotiator further said Israel rejected a Palestinian request that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree not to place the final peace plan up for referendum in the Knesset. Indeed, Netanyahu announced that any plan must receive final approval in a national poll. “I am committed to two objectives that must guide the result … if there will be a result. And if there will be a result, it will be put to a national referendum,” he said at the start of the cabinet meeting. “Negotiations with the Palestinians will not be easy, but we are entering them with integrity, honesty and hope,” Netanyahu added. The PA negotiator, meanwhile, said Netanyahu agreed that as a gesture to restart talks, Israel will enact a temporary freeze on all Jewish construction in the West Bank outside the main settlement blocs. According to Israeli sources, such a freeze has largely already been in place for several months now anyway. The negotiator warned that one of the toughest issues centers on control of water, with Kerry already reaching out to Turkey about the prospect of selling water at a cheaper rate to a future Palestinian state. Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/07/obama-pushed-boycott-of-jerusalem-biblical-territories/#MDbxHD3j9l6Y3ikE.99 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 24, 2013, 10:21:15 am 'Secret Obama plan' forfeits Temple Mount to Palestinians
Formula for Israel-Arab talks leaked to WND The Obama administration has quietly presented a plan in which the Palestinian Authority and Jordan will receive sovereignty over the Temple Mount while Israel will retain the land below the Western Wall, according to a senior PA negotiator speaking to WND. The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. The proposed plan is part of the basis for U.S.-brokered talks that are set to resume in Washington next week after Secretary of State John Kerry announced that both Israel and PA President Mahmoud Abbas have agreed to open negotiations aimed at creating a Palestinian state. Israel has not agreed to the U.S. plan over the Temple Mount, with details still open for discussion, stated the PA negotiator. The negotiator, who is one of the main Palestinian figures leading the Arab side of the talks, further divulged Kerry’s proposed outline for a Palestinian state as presented orally to Israel and the PA. He said Jordan has been invited to play a key role in the discussions surrounding both the Temple Mount and Jerusalem while it will be the PA, with some Jordanian assistance, that would ultimately receive control of some of those areas. WND was first to report in 2007 that Jordan had been quietly purchasing real estate surrounding the Temple Mount in Jerusalem hoping to gain more control over the area accessing the holy site, according to Palestinian and Israeli officials. Meanwhile, regarding the rest of Jerusalem, Kerry’s plan is to rehash what is known as the Clinton parameters. That formula, pushed by President Bill Clinton during the Camp David talks in 2000, called for Jewish areas of Jerusalem to remain Israeli while the Palestinians would get sovereignty over neighborhoods that are largely Arab. Most Arab sections are located in eastern Jerusalem. WND previously reported the Palestinians are building illegally in Jewish-owned areas of Jerusalem, resulting in Arab majorities in some neighborhoods. For the strategic Jordan Valley, Obama’s proposal calls for international forces to maintain security control along with unarmed Palestinian police forces, the PA negotiator said. Israel will retain security posts in some strategic areas of the Jordan Valley, according to the leaked plan. When it comes to the West Bank, which borders Jerusalem and is within rocket range of Israel’s main population centers, Israel is expected to evacuate about 90 percent of its Jewish communities currently located in the territory, as outlined in Kerry’s plan. Israel would retain strategic security posts along with the West Bank’s main blocs, Maale Adumin, Ariel and Gush Etzion. In return, Obama is calling for an exchange of territory with the Palestinians in other locations inside Israel, with discussion being open for the Palestinians to possibly receive land in the Israeli Negev in the country’s south. The PA negotiator further said Israel rejected a Palestinian request that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree not to place the final peace plan up for referendum in the Knesset. Indeed, Netanyahu announced today any plan must receive final approval in a national poll. “I am committed to two objectives that must guide the result … if there will be a result. And if there will be a result, it will be put to a national referendum,” he said at the start of the cabinet meeting. “Negotiations with the Palestinians will not be easy, but we are entering them with integrity, honesty and hope,” Netanyahu added. The PA negotiator, meanwhile, said Netanyahu agreed that as a gesture to restart talks, Israel will enact a temporary freeze on all Jewish construction in the West Bank outside the main settlement blocs. According to Israeli sources, such a freeze has largely already been in place for several months now anyway. The negotiator warned that one of the toughest issues centers on control of water, with Kerry already reaching out to Turkey about the prospect of selling water at a cheaper rate to a future Palestinian state. Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/07/secret-obama-plan-forfeits-temple-mount-to-palestinians/#p0cyB4XvSbrhig8E.99 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on July 24, 2013, 04:30:24 pm Quote The Obama administration has quietly presented a plan in which the Palestinian Authority and Jordan will receive sovereignty over the Temple Mount while Israel will retain the land below the Western Wall, according to a senior PA negotiator speaking to WND. What leak? That's no plan. That's how it is right now! Jordon controls the Temple Mount under the Waqf, and has for years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waqf (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waqf) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_Islamic_Waqf (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_Islamic_Waqf) http://images.jordan.gov.jo/wps/wcm/connect/gov/egov/government+ministries+_+entities/ministry+of+awqaf+islamic+affairs+and+holy+places/general+information/ministry+of+awqaf+islamic+affairs+and+holy+places+general+information (http://images.jordan.gov.jo/wps/wcm/connect/gov/egov/government+ministries+_+entities/ministry+of+awqaf+islamic+affairs+and+holy+places/general+information/ministry+of+awqaf+islamic+affairs+and+holy+places+general+information) Quote When the Palestinian National Authority assumed its responsibilities and requested to be entrusted with Awqaf affairs and the religious courts, the government in Jordan agreed to administrative and legal disengagement with religious courts and Islamic Awqaf in the West Bank. By this, the courts came under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian authority according to the laws and provisions in force at the time and before the agreement. Nevertheless, Jordan excluded eastern courts and Awqaf in Jerusalem from the disengagement agreement as the issue of Jerusalem was postponed until the time of the final negotiations. Up to this date, Jordanian laws regarding Islamic Awqaf in the holy city are still applied. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 25, 2013, 05:48:32 am Thanks! Good catch on this!
WND has some decent news stuff to glean upon, but nonetheless they are playing their part in this false left/right paradigm(where they're playing the role of the "right"), which is why they end up putting out propaganda as well. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on July 25, 2013, 09:49:07 am An American General Warns the Israeli Right
Last weekend, Marine Corps General James Mattis, the recently retired leader of U.S. Central Command and a man known inside the White House for his sharp opinions (which is one reason he’s no longer leading Central Command) issued a very sharp opinion about Israel’s future. Speaking at a security conference in Aspen, Colorado, Mattis warned Israel that time was running out for it to reverse its West Bank settlement project. “We have got to find a way to make the two-state solution that Democrat and Republican administrations have supported, we’ve got to get there,” he said. “And the chances for it, as the king of Jordan has pointed out, are starting to ebb because of the settlements and where they’re at, are going to make it impossible to maintain the two-state option.” After blaming the lack of peace squarely on the settlements, he went a step further, and raised the incendiary question of apartheid: “If I’m Jerusalem and I put 500 Jewish settlers out here to the east and there’s 10,000 Arab settlers in here, if we draw the border to include them, either it ceases to be a Jewish state or you say the Arabs don’t get to vote -- apartheid. That didn’t work too well the last time I saw that practiced in a country.” Mattis has homed in on the precise issue that alienates liberal-minded Americans and Israelis: the West Bank double standard. Although Israel, within its 1967 borders, is a democracy in which Arabs have legal and voting rights, the West Bank is a two-tiered political entity: Jewish settlers in Hebron have the rights of Israeli citizens, but their Arab neighbors -- people who sometimes live mere yards away -- are under military occupation, without the same rights. This is a politically and morally untenable arrangement, and Mattis was right to call it out. He was wrong to blame the lack of peace solely on Israel -- the Palestinians have rejected one compromise offer after another, and the Gaza Strip, which would make up about half the future Palestinian state, is under the control of Hamas, which seeks Israel’s elimination -- but he isn't wrong to identify the settlements as an enormous impediment to compromise. Mattis is also conveying conventional Pentagon wisdom, and this is why the settlers, and their advocates in the cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ought to be paying close attention, because they can't forever stand against the opinions of men like Mattis (who, by the way, couldn't be considered “anti-Israel” by any stretch of the imagination). Mattis went on to make another assertion that Netanyahu’s cabinet ought to heed: “I paid a military security price every day as the commander of Centcom because the Americans were seen as biased in support of Israel and that moderates all the moderate Arabs who want to be with us, because they can’t come out publicly in support of people who don’t show respect for the Arab Palestinians." He went on to say that John Kerry, the U.S. secretary of state who's trying to restart peace talks, "is right on target with what he’s doing. And I just hope the protagonists want peace and a two-state solution as much as he does.” Arab rulers who complain about U.S. support for Israel to generals like Mattis are playing their American counterparts a bit: It’s very hard to imagine the Saudis and the Emiratis and the Kuwaitis and the Jordanians not taking American help -- or not providing bases to the U.S. -- because they’re upset by settlements. The Arabs uniformly fear and loathe Iran more than they fear and loathe Israel. Still, it's true that American military commanders wouldn’t have to sit through quite so many lectures about Palestinian rights if there was movement on the peace process. It's also true that men like Mattis make their own weather -- that is, whether he’s right or wrong, this is what he believes, and it would be foolish for the Israelis, a dependent power, to ignore the feelings of powerful American generals. What Israeli army generals know -- and what many of their political leaders don’t seem to recognize -- is that Mattis's views are commonplace in the American defense establishment. The Israeli right can only ignore this reality for so long without doing its country permanent damage. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-25/an-american-general-warns-the-israeli-right-.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 28, 2013, 06:46:19 am http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-cabinet-weigh-prisoner-release-palestinian-talks-181552730.html
Israel to approve prisoner deal in push to revive Palestinian talks 7/27/13 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel was expected on Sunday to approve releasing more than 100 Arab prisoners as a step to renew stalled peace talks with the Palestinians ahead of plans to convene negotiators in Washington later this week. Ministers will vote on the move at the cabinet's weekly session, as well as proposed legislation to require a public referendum or vote on any peace agreement reached involving a withdrawal from land Israel captured in a 1967 war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to win support even from pro-settler hardliners for the prisoner release, seen as critical to relaunching negotiations stalled since 2010, by sidestepping a thornier issue for his political allies of Palestinian demands to halt settlement expansion. In a dramatic appeal for public support posted on his Facebook page on Saturday night, Netanyahu urged Israelis to back his "very painful decision" to free prisoners jailed more than 20 years for deadly attacks. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had demanded the release of these prisoners jailed from before a 1993 interim peace accord took effect. Israel has jailed thousands more Palestinians since that time, citing security offences. Netanyahu said Israel must seize what he saw as the opportunity presented by "monumental changes" in the Arab world and give Israel a boost in what he called a "complex global reality" to try to resolve decades of conflict with the Palestinians. He said the negotiations, which a senior Palestinian official has said may convene in Washington on Tuesday, "will last at least nine months with the aim of examining whether it is possible in this period to achieve an agreement with the Palestinians." "I did agree to release 104 Palestinians in defined groups after the start of negotiations, and in accordance with the circumstances of its progress," he said, adding that he had rejected other Palestinian demands for a settlement freeze. "With all the importance I attach to the diplomatic process I wasn't ready to accept the Palestinians' demands for (military) withdrawals and (settlement) freezes as preconditions for entering in negotiations," the Israeli leader wrote. The U.S.-brokered talks broke down three years ago in a dispute over settlement construction Palestinians say denies them the land needed for a state they seek to establish in territory Israel captured in a 1967 war. Officials said Netanyahu's plan calls for freeing inmates in at least four stages stretched over a nine-month period, with the first group being released over the next few weeks. Netanyahu said prisoners would be freed only after talks began. The latest diplomatic push follows months of intense shuttle diplomacy by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry who said a week ago the groundwork had been laid for a breakthrough, while setting no specific date for talks to reconvene. The two sides still differ widely over core elements of a deal to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel on land Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Abbas had pressed for explicit guarantees that Israel would negotiate a withdrawal based on borders from before the 1967 conflict. Israel has resisted, insisting it would keep several settlement blocs and East Jerusalem, a city it annexed as part of its capital in a move never recognized internationally. (Writing by Allyn Fisher-Ilan; Editing by David Evans) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 28, 2013, 04:43:26 pm Israel OK's prisoner release, step to peace talks
7/28/13 http://news.yahoo.com/israel-oks-prisoner-release-step-peace-talks-191102552.html JERUSALEM (AP) — A divided Israeli Cabinet agreed Sunday to release 104 long-term Palestinian prisoners convicted of deadly attacks, clearing a hurdle toward resuming Mideast peace talks and giving U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry his first concrete achievement after months of shuttle diplomacy. The U.S. said preliminary talks would begin Monday. Release of the prisoners is linked to progress in the talks, meaning many could well remain behind bars. Neither side appeared upbeat, despite the possibility of renewed talks. Each has blamed the other for the lack of success in 20 years of negotiations, and Kerry's success so far has been only to get the parties back to the table. The prisoner release, approved 13-7 with two abstentions, is a key part of the Kerry-brokered deal. Next, Israeli and Palestinian teams meet in Washington on Monday, the State Department spokeswoman said, to prepare for six to nine months of negotiations on setting up a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The State Department said Kerry called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and invited them to send teams to Washington. State Department spokeswoman Jan Psaki said in a statement that talks would begin Monday evening and continue Tuesday. It said the talks would "serve as an opportunity to develop a procedural work plan for how the parties can proceed with the negotiations in the coming months." Officials said chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and Abbas aide Mohammed Shtayyeh would represent the Palestinians, and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and adviser Yitzhak Molcho would attend for Israel. Netanyahu, seeking to overcome stiff opposition from ultra-nationalists, told his Cabinet that "resuming the political process at this time is important for Israel," noting that any deal would be submitted to a national referendum. Erekat welcomed the vote on the prisoners as a "step toward peace," one he said is long overdue. Negotiators made progress in previous rounds, and the outlines of a deal have emerged — a Palestinian state in most of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, lands captured by Israel in 1967, with border adjustments to enable Israel to annex land with a majority of nearly 600,000 settlers. Those negotiations broke down before the sides could tackle the most explosive issues, a partition of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, now several million people. Abbas remains leery of negotiating with Netanyahu, fearing any offer made by the hard-liner would fall far short of Palestinian demands, so he has insisted on a clear framework for negotiations. Abbas said over the weekend that Kerry assured him the invitation to the negotiators will say border talks are based on the 1967 line — though Netanyahu has not said whether he has dropped his long-standing opposition to that demand. In Washington, the Israeli and Palestinian teams are supposed to close the remaining gaps on the framework for talks, and they could well falter at that early point. Israel's release of veteran prisoners could help Abbas persuade a skeptical Palestinian public that it's worthwhile returning to negotiations. Netanyahu has repeatedly called for a resumption of negotiations that broke down in 2008, but he has not sketched the outlines of a deal he would be willing to strike, except to say he opposes a partition of Jerusalem. In Sunday's Cabinet meeting, he pushed through the prisoner release despite opposition by two ministers in his Likud Party and by those from a main coalition partner, the pro-settler Jewish Home Party. Outside the government complex, hundreds protested against a release. Among them were families of Israelis killed in attacks by Palestinian militants. Some held up pictures of their loved ones. Naftali Bennett, the head of Jewish Home, briefly joined the protesters before attending the Cabinet meeting. "It's a hard day, the decision was made and I hope we won't pay a horrible price for this in the future," he said after the vote. In the West Bank and Gaza, some relatives of prisoners anxiously awaited word. "Now there is a big relief," said Walid Abu Muhsen, 45, whose brother Jamal has been in prison for the past 22 years for killing an Israeli farmer. The first disagreements emerged just hours after the Cabinet vote, reflecting the hostility and deep mistrust between the two sides. Under the deal brokered by Kerry, Israel is supposed to free 104 prisoners who carried out attacks before the first interim peace agreements of the early 1990s. Palestinian negotiators handed Kerry a list of 104 prisoners, arrested between 1983 and 1994. They said Kerry assured them Israel would release the prisoners in four stages over several months, with each release linked to progress in negotiations. Among the 104 prisoners on the Palestinian list are two dozen who either have Israeli citizenship or come from Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. In the past, Israeli media have said Israel would not free them. On Sunday evening, an official in Netanyahu's office said that no Israeli Arabs are among the 104 whose release was authorized by the Cabinet. Asked to explain the discrepancy, he said Israel holds more than 104 "pre-Oslo" prisoners, suggesting the two sides apply different definitions. Issa Qarakeh, the Palestinian minister of prisoner affairs, responded angrily. "The agreement with Kerry was that all the pre-Oslo prisoners, including Israeli Arabs and east Jerusalem residents, will be released," he said. "If they (Israelis) exclude any of them, there will be a problem that might hinder the talks." Israeli analyst Yossi Alpher said that a prisoner release in stages gives Netanyahu additional leverage during negotiations. "Netanyahu has given himself a carrot that he can hold out to the Palestinians," he said. "Netanyahu can refuse to release the later batches if there's no progress." Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 29, 2013, 08:49:31 am http://nycdailymail.com/2013/07/27/obama-signs-executive-order-sends-500-million-to-terrorists/
7/27/13 Obama Signs Executive Order, Sends $500 million to Terrorists Citing “national security interests,” President Obama effectively sidestepped Congress by signing an executive order which enables him to send $500 million to fund Muslim terrorists in the West Bank. The executive order, addressed to Secretary of State John Kerry, was quietly signed Friday afternoon, as the media’s full attention was focused upon a royal birth. In the order, President Obama writes, “I hereby certify that it is important to the national security interests of the United States to waive the provisions of section 7040(a) of the Act as carried forward by the CR, in order to provide funds appropriated to carry out chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act, as amended, to the Palestinian Authority.” The move comes on the heels of a 2012 executive order in which Obama waived a congressional ban on funding the Palestinian Authority and sent the Hamas terror led organization $147 million American taxpayer dollars. He also removed all spending restrictions on that money, restrictions which dictate what the funds can and cannot be used for, ie. humanitarian assistance, education, betterment of society, etc. Thus enabling the money to be used for military equipment. Ed Brown, a DC watchdog writes, “When the next Palestinian/Israeli conflict erupts because Hamas led Palestine is lobbing rockets over the fence into Israel —– don’t forget who paid for those rockets: you did, Mr. & Mrs. American taxpayer.” Brown’s assertion is backed by those made by political commentator Dean Garrison. Garrison says, “I am not sure why we even have a legislative branch in 2013, because it’s obvious that Obama and company are going to do what they want anyway.” “Whether this money eventually finds its way into the hands of terrorists, or not, is not entirely the point. Americans are sick of hearing how we need to make cuts, tighten our belts and sacrifice while our government keeps sending money elsewhere.” Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on July 29, 2013, 03:49:46 pm Quote “Whether this money eventually finds its way into the hands of terrorists, or not, is not entirely the point. Americans are sick of hearing how we need to make cuts, tighten our belts and sacrifice while our government keeps sending money elsewhere.” See, even that ends up being a misdirection from the real problem; a president thumbing his nose at law, and send money to foreign interests solely on his decision. Spending money we don't have outside of Congress is a whole separate legal issue. So in 2 years, he's sent the "Palestinian Authority", $647 million, just by his own executive orders? And he's not in handcuffs why? Talk about misappropriation of funds! ::) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 30, 2013, 07:23:41 am http://www.timesofisrael.com/rocket-strikes-western-negev/
Rocket strikes western Negev No injuries or damage reported 7/30/13 A Kassam rocket struck the western Negev region Tuesday morning, Army Radio reported. The rocket was launched from the northern Gaza Strip and landed in an open area. No one was injured and there were no reports of damage. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 01, 2013, 05:35:47 pm http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/01/19820902-senate-confirms-power-as-next-un-ambassador?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=4
8/1/13 Senate confirms Power as next UN ambassador By Carrie Dann, NBC News The Senate has confirmed Samantha Power to be the next ambassador to the United Nations. The vote was 87-10. Power, who has served as a foreign policy adviser to President Barack Obama, replaces Susan Rice, now the president’s national security adviser. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for her book “A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide.” Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 05, 2013, 09:21:37 am http://www.timesofisrael.com/first-26-pre-oslo-prisoners-to-go-free-on-august-13-pa-says/
8/3/13 First 26 pre-Oslo prisoners to go free on August 13, PA says Livni: Talks to resume in Jerusalem, Palestinians are ‘serious’ about the process Israel is set to release a fist group of 26 long-serving Palestinian prisoners on August 13, the Palestinian Authority’s chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told the Palestinians news agency Ma’an on Saturday. Erekat also confirmed that Israel has agreed to release 104 Palestinian prisoners who have been serving sentences since before the 1993 Oslo Accords in four phases as the new peace talks progress. Justice Minister and chief negotiator Tzipi Livni (Hatnua) had told Channel 10 Friday that the next round of talks between Israel and the Palestinians would be held in Israel in the second week of August, and that some Palestinian prisoners would be freed by then. Israel Radio reported Saturday morning that the talks are due to recommence on August 14. The Israeli government on Sunday established a ministerial committee to handle the prisoner releases. The releases will be individually scrutinized, and leave given for opponents to appeal the releases to the Israeli Supreme Court, which is deemed unlikely to intervene. Former foreign minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu), for his part, told Channel 10 on Saturday that “there is no chance” of the new talks achieving an accord, “and anybody with a brain knows it.” Livni said she believed the Palestinians were serious about the process, and that both sides ought to have a good sense already of “roughly how the talks should end.” She said the sides had agreed on alternating venues for the talks — which resumed in Washington on Monday-Tuesday after a three-year hiatus — as they progress over coming months. “We and the Palestinians both determined that the first meetings would be held once in Israel and once in the Palestinian Authority … we want to do it directly (and close to home). The next meeting will be in the second week of August in Israel,” she said. “The release [of the first group of Palestinian prisoners] will take place between now and the second week of August,” she added. Livni also addressed the 9-month timetable for talks announced last week during the first round of negotiations in the US, telling the channel that the timeline was of less importance. “All the relevant sides have a vested interest in an agreement. If [the talks] are serious and we’re at the eighth month and we find that we need more time, then of course we will carry on talking. If after a month, we see it’s not serious, then why carry on talking for the next eight? “It is my impression that the Palestinians are serious — this is a test for them… Anybody who enters the [negotiating] room knows roughly how the talks should end.” said Livni. Last week, Israel approved the phased release of the 104 Palestinian prisoners in order to facilitate the resumption of peace talks, a move that drew criticism from those on the right of the political spectrum, many of whom see the freeing of convicted murderers and terrorists as a price too high to pay for a return to the talks. Others regard it as a necessary evil, meeting a Palestinian demand to enable the resumption of negotiations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that approving the releases was a deeply painful decision, but one that served the wider interests of the state. The parties held their first talks in three years in Washington last week, brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry who traveled to the region no fewer than six times in recent months to get the sides to agree to a renewal of talks. On Thursday, President Barack Obama called Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to praise both leaders for their roles in the resumption of talks. He also reportedly urged them to “move fast” and make “speedy progress” toward a permanent accord. The US has indicated that it intends to remain involved and follow developments very closely. Last week, Kerry announced the appointment of former ambassador Martin Indyk to serve as US envoy for Mideast peace and the top American negotiator for the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on August 07, 2013, 01:57:16 pm EU, Israel headed for showdown over settlement rules
Brussels insists it won’t back down on West Bank ban, as Jerusalem considers balking at research cooperation program Despite heavy criticism from Israel, the European Union will not cancel, modify or delay the implementation of recently published guidelines that block EU funding from Israeli institutions either located or maintaining any links beyond the Green Line, a top EU official said this week. “The guidelines will take effect as they are. This is how they were published [in the EU’s Official Journal], as a legal act, and that’s how it will be,” Ambassador Andreas Reinicke, the EU’s special representative to the Middle East peace process, told The Times of Israel last week. In certain areas where the guidelines are still unclear, “a closer look” at the details might be have to be taken, he allowed. But their main points will not be changed and will take effect by January 2014 as planned. The EU’s directive, published last month, mandates a denial of European funding to, and cooperation with, Israeli institutions based or operating over the Green Line, and a requirement that all future agreements between Israel and the EU include a clause in which Israel accepts the position that all territory over the Green Line does not belong to Israel. The exact formulation of this so-called territorial clause has yet to be determined and will likely be the subject of heated discussions between Israeli and European officials. Brussels is also determined to introduce a labeling regime for settlement products by the end of 2013. rest: http://www.timesofisrael.com/eu-israel-headed-for-showdown-over-settlement-rules/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on August 12, 2013, 09:15:28 am Israel approves new housing for settlers days before peace talks Israel has issued tenders for the construction of nearly 1,200 housing units in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, defying US and Palestinian opposition to expansion of Jewish settlements three days before the scheduled start of peace talks. more: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7f05fbe0-0280-11e3-a9e2-00144feab7de.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on August 13, 2013, 08:19:53 am Netanyahu: EU directives undermine efforts to achieve peace
In a meeting with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu attacked the new EU directives restricting interaction with Israeli entities beyond the pre-1967 lines, saying they "undermine efforts to achieve peace." At his residence in Jerusalem, the prime minister clarified: "We both want the same thing: peace. We are committed to peace and work towards achieving it. Unfortunately, the new EU guidelines undermine the efforts to achieve peace." "These guidelines stand in the way of a solution, which will only be achieved by negotiations between the two sides, and not by a third-party dictation," Netanyahu added. For his part, Westerwelle said Germany would support the peace process. http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Netanyahu-EU-directives-undermine-efforts-to-achieve-peace-322813 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on August 14, 2013, 12:53:16 pm ‘Camp Jihad’: U.N.-Sponsored Camps Encourage Palestinian Kids to Destroy Israel
Summer at United Nations-funded camps in Gaza and the northern West Bank include playing with parachutes, jumping on trampolines, and racing down inflatable slides. In between those kid-friendly activities, counselors convey belligerent, anti-Semitic lessons to the children who are repeatedly taught to take back “their land” Palestine by means of war, martyrdom and jihad, as seen in a new video. All this is being sponsored by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) which is funded predominantly by the United States and the European Union, according to a video called “Camp Jihad” released this summer by the Nahum Bedein Center for Near East Policy Research, which documents some of the activities at the camps. “Peace starts here” is the camps’ motto, according to the video excerpts of which were aired on Israel’s Channel 2 Tuesday night. The campers are third- or fourth-generation descendants of Arabs who either fled or were forced out of their homes during the 1948 war when Arab armies attacked Israel after it declared independence. None of them has ever visited their ancestral “homes,” yet their schools and camps promote the notion that they will one day violently uproot “the Jews” whom their teachers compare to wolves. Ahmad Souje, a counselor at the Balata camp near Nablus, told the film crew, “The only alternative to implement the ‘right of return’ is blood for blood, an eye for an eye. In the same way they expelled us, we will expel them.” Shahed Arja, a girl attending the UNRWA camp in Gaza said, “This summer camp teaches us that we have to liberate Palestine.” VIDEO: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/14/camp-jihad-u-n-sponsored-camps-encourage-palestinian-kids-to-destroy-israel/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on August 14, 2013, 01:22:39 pm Israeli official: Mideast peace talks between Israel, Palestinians have begun in Jerusalem - @AP
:D Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on August 14, 2013, 03:33:32 pm "For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when [there is] no peace." Jeremiah 8:11 (KJB)
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 20, 2013, 05:20:58 pm http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/20/20086358-20-years-after-historic-oslo-peace-deal-few-signs-of-hope-for-new-mideast-generation?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=2
8/20/13 20 years after historic Oslo peace deal, few signs of hope for new Mideast generation TEL AVIV – It was a historic handshake that heralded a moment of genuine hope that the decades of violence in the Middle East might finally come to an end. The Oslo peace accord – agreed in secret 20 years ago on Tuesday – triggered the White House photo-op a month later between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat as a smiling Bill Clinton patted both men on the back. The Oslo generation should have lived in a very different world from their parents. But despite peace talks recently revived with help from Secretary of State John Kerry, there is little sign of optimism for today's 20-somethings, while their parents have seen it all before. For Nihad Ilian, 50, mother of five daughters and two sons, Gaza has become “a closed cemetery, a big prison” with movement outside restricted by the Israelis. But in 1993 she was optimistic that her newborn daughter Alaa, now an "ambitious and talented" 20-year-old, would have a “good future.” “The situation before Oslo was bad and we hoped to have a better life, and that Alaa … will not hear of wars,” Ilian said. “Following Oslo, we lived for a brief period in stability, expecting Gaza to become like Singapore.” As the years passed by, hope faded. “Alaa grew up and nothing changed," Ilian said. “This is the fate of the new generation that came after Oslo. We feel overpowered and subdued. We wish to live like other people.” Ilian, who lives in in Jabalyah refugee camp in Gaza City, added, “You keep promising your children that this will be the last war … but five years later there is another war. Wars became the routine after Oslo.” Alaa Ilian, who studied English at Al-Azhar University, has never left Gaza. “Since I was young, I can remember wars and intifadas,” she said. “Oslo solved the conflict for only a limited period.” “I’m a girl who wants to study, travel abroad and live my life,” she added. “I have studied but cannot find a job. I feel estranged while living in my homeland … The situation is bad." Alaa had little hope for the new peace talks. “Negotiations should be for the good of both sides, but all the rights will go for the stronger side,” she said. In the Oslo accord, Israeli and Palestinian representatives agreed “it is time to put an end to decades of confrontation and conflict … and strive to live in peaceful coexistence and mutual dignity and security and achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace settlement and historic reconciliation.” It laid out a plan for Palestinian democracy and a future state based on borders from before the 1967 Six-Day War. Clinton declared “the peace of the brave is within our reach;” Rabin, Arafat and Shimon Peres, then Israeli’s foreign minister and now president, received Nobel Peace Prizes. Two years later, Rabin was assassinated by Israeli extremist Yigal Amir; then came the second Palestinian “intifada” uprising in 2000 that shattered Israeli relations with Arafat; the Second Lebanon War in 2006; and a major Israeli military operation prompted by rocket attacks in Gaza in 2008. Palestinian democracy took a blow in 2007 with the Battle of Gaza between the Fatah and Hamas movements. While Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah retain power in the West Bank, outright control of Gaza was taken by Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States. more Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on August 26, 2013, 02:31:26 pm Palestinians call off peace talks after clash
A Palestinian official said planned peace talks with the Israelis scheduled for Monday have been called off following a deadly clash in the West ... http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/08/26/palestinians-call-off-peace-talks-after-clash/2698763/ Well that was fast Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 26, 2013, 02:39:34 pm Palestinians call off peace talks after clash A Palestinian official said planned peace talks with the Israelis scheduled for Monday have been called off following a deadly clash in the West ... http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/08/26/palestinians-call-off-peace-talks-after-clash/2698763/ Well that was fast Only the AC will pull this off. Also, compare the Daniel 9:27 verse in the KJV to the NIV... KJV Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. NIV Daniel 9:27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” Notice the NIV uses "a", and NOT "the" - if you're reading the wrong version, you might have the misperception that it HAS to be some (recently)existing "peace treaty" some world leader signed(and this is from my experience fellowshipping with larger, mainstream places in the past). Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on August 26, 2013, 03:27:53 pm They are just mad part of their silly mosque nearly caved in! ::)
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on August 26, 2013, 03:39:09 pm They are just mad part of their silly mosque nearly caved in! ::) sign to build the third temple Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on October 11, 2013, 03:09:27 pm Obama Pushing Israel to Vacate Jordan Valley
The Obama administration is pressing hard for Israel to give up the strategic Jordan Valley in a deal with the Palestinians, a senior Palestinian negotiator told KleinOnline. The current round of U.S.-brokered talks is attempting to hash out the specifics of a plan for the valley. Obama’s proposal calls for international forces to maintain security control along with unarmed Palestinian police forces, the PA negotiator said. Israel will retain security posts in some strategic areas of the Jordan Valley, according to the U.S. plan. Previous talks incorporated an element of Jordanian authority in the Jordan Valley, but the Kingdom of Jordan is suddenly weary of participating in a future Palestinian state, the negotiator said. The Palestinian negotiator pointed to the insurgency in Syria and changes of leadership in Egypt for Jordanian reluctance over assuming any security control over Palestinian areas. The Jordan Valley cuts through the heart of Israel. It runs from the Tiberias River in the north to the Dead Sea in the center to the city of Aqaba at the south of the country, stretching through the biblical Arabah desert. The negotiator, meanwhile, said Secretary of State John Kerry is urging an all-encompassing final status deal on the Jordan Valley, West Bank and sections of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount. Israel, on the other hand, would rather have an interim deal to ensure the Palestinians keep their side of the bargain, according to informed Israeli diplomatic sources. Temple Mount KleinOnline first reported in July the terms of the Obama administration plan in which the Palestinian Authority and Jordan will receive sovereignty over the Temple Mount while Israel will retain the land below the Western Wall, according to a senior PA negotiator. That plan remains in effect as the basis for negotiations. The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. Israel has not agreed to the U.S. plan over the Temple Mount, with details still open for discussion, stated the PA negotiator. The negotiator, who is one of the main Palestinian figures leading the Arab side of the talks, further divulged Kerry's proposed outline for a Palestinian state as presented orally to Israel and the PA. He said Jordan has been invited to play a key role in the discussions surrounding both the Temple Mount and Jerusalem while it will be the PA, with some Jordanian assistance, that would ultimately receive control of some of those areas. KleinOnline was first to report in 2007 that Jordan had been quietly purchasing real estate surrounding the Temple Mount in Jerusalem hoping to gain more control over the area accessing the holy site, according to Palestinian and Israeli officials. Meanwhile, regarding the rest of Jerusalem, Kerry's plan is to rehash what is known as the Clinton parameters. That formula, pushed by President Bill Clinton during the Camp David talks in 2000, called for Jewish areas of Jerusalem to remain Israeli while the Palestinians would get sovereignty over neighborhoods that are largely Arab. Most Arab sections are located in eastern Jerusalem. KleinOnline previously reported the Palestinians are building illegally in Jewish-owned areas of Jerusalem, resulting in Arab majorities in some neighborhoods. When it comes to the West Bank, which borders Jerusalem and is within rocket range of Israel's main population centers, Israel is expected to evacuate about 90 percent of its Jewish communities currently located in the territory, as outlined in Kerry's plan. Israel would retain strategic security posts along with the West Bank’s main blocs, Maale Adumin, Ariel and Gush Etzion. In return, Obama is calling for an exchange of territory with the Palestinians in other locations inside Israel, with discussion being open for the Palestinians to possibly receive land in the Israeli Negev in the country’s south. The PA negotiator further said Israel rejected a Palestinian request that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree not to place the final peace plan up for referendum in the Knesset. The negotiator warned that one of the toughest issues centers on control of water, with Kerry already reaching out to Turkey about the prospect of selling water at a cheaper rate to a future Palestinian state. Read more: http://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/2013/10/obama-pushing-israel-to-vacate-jordan.html#ixzz2hRiUbma7 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on October 22, 2013, 04:39:11 pm Hamas Prime Minister Calls for End to "Peace Process," New Jihad Violence Against Israel
The first and second intifadas featured "Palestinian" jihadis murdering Israeli civilians and then celebrating their murders. The third will bring more of this. The sham "peace process" will only wring more concessions from Israel; it will not stop these bloodthirsty murderers. Hamas Prime Minister Calls for Violence against Israel (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dJHDEap4YD4/UmViiaihnXI/AAAAAAAAS_w/p9ifSCWMnH0/s200/a.jpg) Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called for an end to the peace process, urging Arabs and Muslims to prepare for the next intifada against Israel. In a speech last Saturday, October 19, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh called for an end to peace negotiations with Israel, warning that "the heroes of the resistance are silently preparing themselves to liberate Palestine." Speaking from the Gaza Strip, Haniyeh called on Arabs and Muslims worldwide to prepare for the "big al-Aqsa Intifada" and warned of the "fire and rage" that Israel will soon endure. Addressing Israel's ongoing peace process with the Palestinians, Haniyeh stressed that Hamas would accept nothing less than the "restoration of all of Jerusalem and the establishment of a Palestinian state on the entirety of Palestinian soil, including the return of the refugees to their homeland."... Read more: http://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/2013/10/hamas-prime-minister-calls-for-end-to.html#ixzz2iUOqISDE Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on October 30, 2013, 09:30:31 am Israel announces East Jerusalem building project
Israel on Wednesday announced new construction in East Jerusalem — an area the Palestinians demand for their future state — just hours after it freed a group of Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal to set in motion peace talks. The building is seen as an attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make up for the prisoner release, for which he has been sharply criticized at home. The prisoners were jailed for deadly attacks on Israelis. Interior Ministry spokeswoman Lital Apter said on Wednesday that four projects are being promoted, including 1,500 housing units in Ramat Shlomo in East Jerusalem. The release of 26 Palestinians after midnight Tuesday was the second of four prisoner releases meant to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks in an effort to reach a final agreement between the two sides. The Palestinians had long refused to resume peace negotiations with Israel unless it ends construction in territories that Palestinians seek for their state. Israel refused, insisting that settlements and other core issues, including security, should be resolved through negotiations. The prisoner release was part of an agreement brokered by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, which brought Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table after a five-year hiatus. The talks had been paralyzed since 2008. Earlier this year, Kerry managed to persuade Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to drop the settlement issue as a condition for restarting negotiations. In exchange, Israel agreed to the prisoner release. In all, 104 Palestinian convicts are to be released in four rounds over the coming months. The East Jerusalem construction move will likely anger the Palestinians but it was not immediately clear if it would directly impact the talks, which are taking place behind closed doors and away from the public eye, which both sides had agreed to. Thousands of Palestinians have been held in Israeli prisons since Israel's capture of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, many jailed on charges ranging from throwing rocks to killing civilians in bombings, shootings and other attacks. The Palestinians want those territories for their future state. The prisoners released in the latest batch were all held by Israel for murder. The fate of the prisoners is a deeply emotional issue in Palestinian society. After decades of fighting Israel, many families have had a member imprisoned and the release of prisoners has been a longstanding demand. Israelis mostly view them as terrorists because of the Palestinians grisly attacks on Israelis including civilians. Among those freed Wednesday were prisoners jailed for the killings of Israelis, including a reservist and a Nazi death camp survivor, according to a list provided by Israel's prison service. Many of the killings occurred before the beginning of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in 1993. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/10/30/israel-palestine-settlements-future-state/3311995/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on October 31, 2013, 08:23:32 am Abbas vows there will be no peace agreement unless all prisoners go free
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that there would be no agreement with Israel as long as even one Palestinian remained in Israeli prison. Abbas was speaking during a reception at the Mukata presidential compound in Ramallah for Palestinians released from Israeli prison. http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Palestinian-Authority-Netanyahus-West-Bank-settlement-construction-announcement-destroys-peace-process-330175 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 04, 2013, 07:51:30 am US 'Will Force' Israel-PA Deal
The United States intends to try and force a peace agreement on Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), IDF Radio reported Monday. The radio station says the US has informed Israel and the Palestinian Authority that if negotiations between them do not advance, Washington will propose its own solution, that will include a US position on every point that is in contention. In effect, according to the report, this will be an attempt to force the sides to agree on a solution formulated by the US. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/173582#.Unelw1NUjlc Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 04, 2013, 11:48:33 am US 'Will Force' Israel-PA Deal The United States intends to try and force a peace agreement on Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), IDF Radio reported Monday. The radio station says the US has informed Israel and the Palestinian Authority that if negotiations between them do not advance, Washington will propose its own solution, that will include a US position on every point that is in contention. In effect, according to the report, this will be an attempt to force the sides to agree on a solution formulated by the US. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/173582#.Unelw1NUjlc I don't recall any President doing this - but then again, this is Obama we're talking about. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 05, 2013, 06:47:13 am Abbas: Israel's claim it wants Jordan Valley for security is a lie
Israel’s claims that it wants to retain control over the Jordan Valley for security reasons is a lie, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday. He reiterated his refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Abbas’s statements were made during a meeting with Fatah leaders in Ramallah. http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Abbas-Israels-claim-it-wants-Jordan-Valley-for-security-is-a-lie-330600 Israeli negotiators reportedly at odds over Jerusalem Israel’s negotiating team in peace talks with the Palestinians is reportedly facing an internal disagreement on the issue of Jerusalem, with chief negotiator MK Tzipi Livni demonstrating a more flexible approach than that of lawyer Yitzhak Molcho, the special envoy appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-negotiators-reportedly-at-odds-over-jerusalem/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 06, 2013, 05:05:53 pm http://dcclothesline.com/2013/11/06/obama-plans-force-israel-accept-palestinian-state-jerusalem-capital/
11/6/13 Obama Plans To Force Israel To Accept A Palestinian State With Jerusalem As The Capital If Israel and the Palestinians do not agree on a “two state solution” by the end of this year, the Obama administration plans to propose its own solution and force it on the two sides in early 2014. For Obama, the goal is to have this agreement in place in time to influence the November 2014 mid-term elections. Unfortunately for Israel, the Palestinians have absolutely no incentive to move off of their current demands because Obama has been promising them a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital since very early in his presidency. So the Palestinians have no motivation to negotiate in good faith since they already know that they are going to get what they want in the end anyway. Ultimately, Obama plans to force Israel to give up the West Bank, East Jerusalem and control over the Temple Mount in exchange for a “promise of peace” that is not even worth the paper that it will be printed on. When it comes to Israel, the arrogance that Obama is displaying is absolutely appalling. For example, Obama made the following statement about Israel earlier this year… “Israel doesn’t know what its own best interests are.” Oh, but Obama does? Not only does Obama believe that he knows what is best for Israel, he also plans to force them to do it. According to IDF Radio, the U.S. government plans to submit “its own solution” and force the two sides to agree to it if negotiations do not produce an agreement by the end of this year… The United States intends to try and force a peace agreement on Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), IDF Radio reported Monday. The radio station says the US has informed Israel and the Palestinian Authority that if negotiations between them do not advance, Washington will propose its own solution, that will include a US position on every point that is in contention. In effect, according to the report, this will be an attempt to force the sides to agree on a solution formulated by the US. It is important to note that IDF radio is actually run by the Israeli military. This would not have been broadcast if the Israeli government had not approved the story. And the source for the story is actually the head of the left-wing Meretz party… MK Zehava Galon (Meretz) was quoted as saying Monday that senior US officials told her the US offer would be presented in January of 2014. PA sources also cited January as the month in which the US intends to propose, or impose, its plan. The US moves comes after three months of talks between the sides which have reportedly made very little headway. The US plan reportedly is similar to the Clinton outline, offered by President Bill Clinton in late 2000, which is based on an Israeli retreat to 1949 Armistice lines, and some swaps of territory. This report by IDF radio was also echoed by a report in the Jerusalem Post… The head of the left-wing Meretz party, Zahava Gal-On, said Monday that the Obama administration is determined to achieve a major diplomatic breakthrough next year in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, including arrangements for a final status agreement. “There will be a new diplomatic program, based on the pre-1967 lines with agreed land swaps,” Gal-On said in a statement after meeting with Palestinian and American officials on Monday morning. So why should the Palestinians negotiate? All they have to do is wait until early next year and they are going to get what they want anyway. Of course U.S. officials are issuing their typical denials. According to Reuters, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says that the U.S. does not plan to implement this kind of a plan “at this point in time”… At a news conference in Riyadh on Monday, Kerry said there was no such plan “at this point in time”. He has spoken publicly of possible U.S. bridging proposals if no major progress is made. But of course Kerry’s statement does not rule out that such a plan will be implemented early next year. And at this point it seems very clear that the current negotiations are going nowhere fast. The following is also from the Reuters report mentioned above… Israeli and Palestinian officials said on Tuesday the three-month-old peace talks pressed on them by Washington are going nowhere, painting a grim picture for a visit this week by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. For a long time, the Palestinians have been relying on the fact that the U.S. government has promised them that they will get a state based on pre-1967 borders. In fact, according to a Yahoo news article posted in July, a letter from Kerry guaranteeing this was what got the Palestinians back to the negotiating table in the first place… Israel’s pre-1967 borders will be the basis of renewed peace talks between Palestine and Israel, according to a letter U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gave to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas which guaranteed the stipulation. After Abbas received the Kerry letter, he agreed to resume peace talks with Israel, two senior Palestinian officials said Saturday. And the biggest stumbling block in the negotiations is the status of Jerusalem. The Palestinians are absolutely determined not to agree to any solution that does not give them control over East Jerusalem. Unfortunately, the Israelis are not nearly as united in their determination not to give it up. In fact, according to the Times of Israel, there is a tremendous amount of discord inside the Israeli negotiating team over what to do about Jerusalem… Israel’s negotiating team in peace talks with the Palestinians is reportedly facing an internal disagreement on the issue of Jerusalem, with chief negotiator MK Tzipi Livni demonstrating a more flexible approach than that of lawyer Yitzhak Molcho, the special envoy appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the end, Obama plans to give control over East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount to the Palestinians. The following is from a WND article from earlier this year… The Obama administration has quietly presented a plan in which the Palestinian Authority and Jordan will receive sovereignty over the Temple Mount while Israel will retain the land below the Western Wall, according to a senior PA negotiator speaking to WND. And this is not something that Obama came up with recently. The truth is that Obama has been planning this since early on in his presidency. The following is from a WND article all the way back in 2009… President Obama and his administration told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting last week the U.S. foresees the creation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, according to a top PA official speaking to WND. “The American administration was very friendly to the position of the PA,” said Nimer Hamad, Abbas’ senior political adviser. “Abu Mazen (Abbas) heard from Obama and his administration in a very categorical way that a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital is in the American national and security interest,” Hamad said. What Obama is trying to do is crystal clear, and Israel should immediately walk away from the negotiating table. Ultimately, nothing good is going to come out of these negotiations anyway. Any “peace guarantee” that Israel receives will only be temporary. Palestinian Authority Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash made that abundantly clear during a recent sermon… At the Friday Ramadan services, which were attended by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and broadcast on Palestinian television, Habbash explained to Muslim worshipers that Palestinian Authority officials “only through the wisdom of the leadership, conscious action, consideration, and walking the right path” are headed toward “achievement, exactly like the Prophet [Mohammad] did in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, even though some opposed it.” Palestinian Media Watch – an Israeli research institution that translates anti-Israel broadcasts in the Palestinian media – explains that the Hudaybiyyah peace treaty of 628 A.D. refers to “a 10-year truce that Mohammad, Islam’s Prophet, made with the Quraish Tribe of Mecca. However, two years into the truce, Mohammad attacked and conquered Mecca.” Are you starting to get the picture? The Palestinians don’t plan to establish a real, lasting peace with Israel. In fact, according to one survey two-thirds of all Palestinians believe that the eventual goal of the Palestinians must be “to get back all the land for a Palestinian state.” There is not going to be any solution to the “Jerusalem issue” any time soon even if a peace agreement is forced on Israel and the Palestinians. And this is precisely what the Bible said would happen in the last days. In Zechariah 12:3, we are warned that the city of Jerusalem will one day become a huge stumbling stone for the nations… “And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.“ Is that not exactly what has happened? The entire world is trying to figure out what to do with Jerusalem. It truly is a “burdensome stone”. And the U.S. government should be very careful. That passage of Scripture also says that “all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces”. If the United States ends up forcing Israel to divide her land, will the U.S. also find itself divided and “cut in pieces”? That is a very sobering question. And it is also interesting to note that all of this is happening just as we are entering the blood red moon tetrad of 2014-2015. Other blood red moon tetrads throughout history have signaled times of great distress for the Jewish people. Will it be the same this time around? http://thetruthwins.com/archives/obama-plans-to-force-israel-to-accept-a-palestinian-state-with-jerusalem-as-the-capital Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on November 07, 2013, 03:50:35 am Quote Palestinian Media Watch – an Israeli research institution that translates anti-Israel broadcasts in the Palestinian media – explains that the Hudaybiyyah peace treaty of 628 A.D. refers to “a 10-year truce that Mohammad, Islam’s Prophet, made with the Quraish Tribe of Mecca. However, two years into the truce, Mohammad attacked and conquered Mecca.” Because he was a liar and never intended to keep any truce. Sound familiar? Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 08, 2013, 09:58:45 am Kerry warns of third intifada, Israel's isolation, if peace talks break down
US Secretary of State John Kerry painted a very bleak picture of what would be the result of a break-down in the current Israeli-Palestinian talks, warning on Thursday of a third intifada and international isolation of Israel Kerry's warnings came in an unusual joint interview with Channel 2's Udi Segal and Maher Shalabi of Palestine TV. http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Kerry-extends-his-stay-in-Mideast-says-significant-progress-made-in-some-areas-of-peace-talks-330912 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on November 08, 2013, 03:14:26 pm Quote warning on Thursday of a third intifada and international isolation of Israel Sounds like something Hamas or Hezbollah would claim. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 09, 2013, 01:28:53 pm http://news.yahoo.com/crisis-brewing-israeli-us-relations-173012571.html
11/9/13 Crisis brewing in Israeli-US relations JERUSALEM (AP) — A pair of testy public exchanges this week appear to have undone whatever good will was created between the Israeli and U.S. governments during a high-profile visit by President Barack Obama early this year. Tensions burst into the open during a swing through the region by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. In an interview broadcast on both Israeli and Palestinian TV, Kerry questioned Israel's seriousness about peace with the Palestinians. Hours later Netanyahu fired back, vowing not to cave into concessions to the Palestinians — and also saying he "utterly rejects" an emerging nuclear deal between world powers and Iran. The rancor signals a tough road ahead for the twin American goals of finding a diplomatic solution for Iran's nuclear program and forging peace between Israel and the Palestinians. And it raises the specter of a return to the uncomfortable relationship that has often characterized dealings between Obama and Netanyahu. Israeli news reports describe Netanyahu as being in "shock" over the possible Iranian compromise. Netanyahu, who sees Iran as an arch-enemy, has vowed to do anything, including a military strike, to prevent Iran from reaching weapons capability. "If there were a synoptic map for diplomatic storms, the National Weather Service would be putting out a hurricane warning right now," diplomatic correspondent Chemi Shalev wrote on the website of the newspaper Haaretz. "And given that the turbulence is being caused by an issue long deemed to be critical to Israel's very existence, we may actually be facing a rare Category 5 flare up, a 'superstorm' of U.S.-Israeli relations." Obama and Netanyahu took office just months apart in 2009, but seemed to share little in common. At joint appearances they appeared uncomfortable and even occasionally sparred. In one famous instance, Netanyahu lectured Obama on the pitfalls of Mideast peacemaking in front of the TV cameras at a White House meeting. The lack of chemistry seems rooted in vastly different world views. Obama is a proponent of diplomacy and consensus, while Netanyahu believes Israel can trust no one and must protect itself. Netanyahu also enjoys strong ties with U.S. Republicans. In 2012, he was widely perceived to have backed challenger Mitt Romney. And there has been constant friction over Netanyahu's insistence on continuing to settle Jews on occupied land even as he negotiates with the Palestinians. Last March, Obama traveled to Israel for a visit widely seen as an attempt to reboot relations. The two leaders appeared together at a series of events, smiling and sharing jokes. But even then there were signs of trouble. Obama urged an audience of university students to pressure Israeli leaders to change their ways and take bold new steps to reach peace with the Palestinians. Since then, officials on both sides have stressed the countries are close allies regardless of politics. But the atmosphere gradually soured again as Obama pressed forward with his two major diplomatic initiatives. Over the summer, Kerry persuaded Israel and the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table for the first time in nearly five years. The sides agreed to talk for nine months, with an April target date for reaching a peace deal. To get talks going, Palestinians dropped a longstanding demand for an Israeli freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, captured territories that the Palestinians claim for a future state. To get Palestinians back to talks, Israel committed to releasing 104 long-serving Palestinian prisoners. The U.S. also apparently gave vague assurances settlement construction would be restrained. With negotiations making no visible progress, Israel's release of a second round of Palestinian prisoners two weeks ago — all jailed for killing Israelis — set off an uproar. Netanyahu followed the release by announcing plans to build thousands of settler homes, infuriating the Palestinians, the Americans and also the moderate camp in Israel itself. In surprisingly blunt comments, Kerry told Israel's Channel 2 TV on Thursday that Israel faced the possibility of international isolation and renewed violence with the Palestinians if peace efforts failed. He also said the continued settlement construction raised questions about Israel's commitment to peace. "How can you say, 'We're planning to build in the place that will eventually be Palestine?'" Kerry said. "It sends a message that somehow perhaps you're not really serious." Netanyahu responded the next morning ahead of a meeting with Kerry. "No amount of pressure will make me or the government of Israel compromise on the basic security and national interests of the State of Israel," the visibly agitated premier said. Netanyahu also slammed the emerging agreement with Iran. "Iran got the deal of the century, and the international community got a bad deal," he said. "This is a very bad deal and Israel utterly rejects it." He warned that Israel is "not obliged" to honor the agreement and would do "everything it needs to do to defend itself." Following a tense meeting stretching more than two hours, a planned joint appearance with Kerry and Netanyahu to the media was canceled. While negotiators in Geneva hammered out details Saturday, the discussed deal appeared to include some relief from painful economic sanctions in exchange for limits on Iranian nuclear activity. However, chances of a deal being struck looked slim late Saturday. Netanyahu has said international pressure should be increased, not eased, until Iran dismantles all suspicious nuclear activities. White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said Saturday the Obama administration was in "full agreement" with Israel — though that didn't seem to be the case. For now, Netanyahu's options appear limited. Despite longstanding threats to carry out a military attack on Iran if necessary, it would be all but impossible to do so in the current diplomatic environment. On the Palestinian front, Netanyahu holds most of the leverage and is showing little inclination to change. Nicholas Burns, a former senior State Department official, said that Netanyahu made an error by airing his grievances publicly. "Prime Minister Netanyahu's public outburst was unfortunate and ill-advised," Burns, who now teaches at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, wrote in an email. "It has gone down very badly in the U.S." Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on November 10, 2013, 04:32:59 am At every turn now, the US has been opposing Israel, and trying to point the finger at Israel, while supporting the Arab world.
Quote Obama urged an audience of university students to pressure Israeli leaders to change their ways and take bold new steps to reach peace with the Palestinians. That's the very kind of thing socialists do, they try to win the minds of youth and then turn the youth against their elders. Regardless, that is not the actions of a supporter of Israel. That's the veiled threat of an enemy. While Obama may not be a true Muslim, he sure is showing himself as supporting Islam. Of course it may be that he's just being a UN minion, pushing the global UN agenda, which he's required to do if he wants to keep his globalist membership card. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 11, 2013, 04:40:52 pm John Kerry’s ‘third intifada’
John Kerry is a man who likes to talk, but at times doesn’t seem to appreciate the fact that words have consequences. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, our current secretary of state spent most of his career as a U.S. senator. One of the dirty little secrets of American politics is that most senators don’t do much else. They talk to each other, to the media and to their constituents. They can and do say whatever will get them the attention they crave because very little they say is remembered from one news cycle to another. Some years ago, a Democratic friend of mine and I were trying to round up Senate support for an amendment to a bill that was working its way through a subcommittee chaired by Mr. Kerry, then the junior senator from Massachusetts. My friend knew Mr. Kerry fairly well and before long, we found ourselves having dinner with him and making the case for the amendment. Mr. Kerry listened and enthusiastically agreed with us. He offered to put out a statement praising what we wanted to do. He did not, however, offer that this good idea on which we all agreed would be acted upon by his own subcommittee. As we said our goodbyes, I asked my friend why Mr. Kerry didn’t actually seem anxious to help us. “A statement?” I said. “He has the power to make it happen, and all we get is a statement?” My friend was surprised by my reaction. “In his world, ‘a statement’ is doing something. Don’t you realize by now that all senators like John do is talk?” A senator can talk without worrying much about precision, but secretaries of state live in a very different world. Everything the secretary says is studied by reporters and analysts for friendly and unfriendly governments for clues as to what the government he represents is doing or expects to do. A secretary of state has to speak clearly and precisely, lest other nations misunderstand him and act on that misunderstanding. Mr. Kerry’s penchant for loose talk is on constant display these days as he careens around the Middle East. In Saudi Arabia, he was asked what he thinks about the controversy in that country about whether women should be allowed to drive. There, women are denied driver’s licenses and even non-Saudi women caught behind the wheel are jailed. When asked, Mr. Kerry quite correctly responded that the controversy was to be solved by the Saudis themselves, but gave the distinct impression that neither he nor his boss really cares a whit about the rights of women in the Persian Gulf kingdom. That did little real harm, but when Mr. Kerry landed in Israel, the potential consequences of the dangerous imprecision of his words became clear. He appeared on Israeli television to condemn the continued settlement of the West Bank that he and President Obama want turned over to the Palestinians as part of an agreement to establish an independent Palestinian state on Israel’s border. Mr. Kerry threatened the Israeli government and predicted that if the Israelis don’t buckle under, there would be “chaos” and perhaps a “third intifada” that would leave the Jewish state isolated and alone. His words were meant to pressure the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, but the Palestinians may well have heard them as a sign that the United States will accept a renewal of terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians. What is now known as the second intifada, or uprising, began in 2000 and went on for five long years, during which time civilian men, women and children in Israel were targeted by Palestinian terrorists. Fully 70 percent of the Israelis killed during that five-year period were civilians. Mr. Kerry will, of course, be shocked if his words lead to such violence, but the words of one in his position have real world consequences. Decades ago, a man who occupied the office he now occupies made an offhand comment during an interview that precipitated a war in Asia that no one wanted and cost tens of thousands of American lives. It happened in the summer of 1950, when President Truman’s secretary of state, Dean Acheson, suggested that the Korean Peninsula didn’t fall within what he called the United States’ “defense perimeter.” North Korea took this to mean America didn’t much care what happened in Korea and, as a result, communist troops marched south, precipitating a war that no one, including Mr. Acheson, wanted. Maybe Mr. Kerry will be luckier than Mr. Acheson. Maybe the Palestinians will realize that as a former senator, his statements should be heavily discounted. But if the chaos he predicted and appeared to threaten in that interview comes to pass, history won’t be kind to him or to the Americans who allow it. Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/10/keene-john-kerrys-third-intifada/#ixzz2kNb9sgMe Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 11, 2013, 04:44:27 pm Mr. Kerry is also a Skull and Bones alum, nuff said.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 12, 2013, 02:34:12 pm http://news.yahoo.com/israel-plans-20-000-settler-homes-west-bank-154439976.html
11/12/13 Abbas says talks over unless Israel halts settlement moves Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas warned Tuesday that he would declare the peace process over unless Israel cancelled tenders for nearly 20,000 new settler homes. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP Abbas had tasked him with passing on his ultimatum to the Arab League and the Quartet of Middle East peacemakers -- the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States. "If Israel does not go back on its latest construction plans for the settlements, that will spell a formal declaration of the end of the peace process," Erakat quoted Abbas as saying in his warning. Israel is to build a "record" 20,000 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank, settlement watchdog Peace Now said earlier Tuesday, despite US and Palestinian warnings that such moves threaten peace talks. The negotiations were already in deep trouble after just three months of meetings in the face of previous Israeli settlement expansion moves. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 17, 2013, 09:44:59 am The disproportionate targeting of Israel at the UN i
A United Nations interpreter translating the proceedings of the General Assembly on Thursday was caught – not realizing her microphone was still piping her voice into the chamber – expressing her dismay that the world body is so focused on condemning Israel while ignoring every other country in the world. Following votes at the General Assembly’s Fourth Committee which includes all 193 UN member states, nine resolutions were adopted condemning Israel. Not one resolution was adopted targeting any other country, not even Syria where more than 100,000 have been killed in just two-and-a-half years. The unnamed interpreter, unaware she was still being heard both by delegates and online via a live webcast, said, “I mean, I think when you have five statements, not five, like a total of ten resolutions on Israel and Palestine, there’s gotta be something, c’est un peu trop, non? [It’s a bit much, no?] I mean I know… There’s other really bad sh** happening, but no one says anything, about the other stuff.” – Scroll down for video – http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/11/17/bad-sh-epic-hot-mic-moment-catches-translator-saying-what-some-including-theblaze-have-noticed/ After the translator spoke, the delegate chairing the meeting could be seen trying to suppress his laughter. This as other delegates laughed audibly after hearing the interpreter’s candid opinion about their work, including her use of an expletive. Once she realized what was happening, the translator said, “apologies” after which the Secretary of the meeting commented, “I understand there was a problem with interpretation?” The translator could then be heard saying “The interpeter apologizes.” UN Watch, a non-governmental organization which monitors events at the United Nations, first caught the gaffe and posted a recording of it on YouTube. The disproportionate targeting of Israel at the UN is a phenomenon about which TheBlaze has reported (for example, here and here). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday played the clip of the interpreter’s candid assessment at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. Should her job be threatened, Netanyahu said she would have a place to work in Israel, Ynet reported. “I would like to tell this translator that she has a job waiting for her in the State of Israel. There are moments that tear the hypocrisy off the unending attacks against us and this brave translator did so,” he said according to a translation of the text posted by the Prime Minister’s Office website. According to UN Watch, the nine resolutions that were overwhelmingly adopted Thursday were those: “Expressing grave concern” at Palestinian refugees “especially difficult situation.” Reaffirming the “right” of Palestinians who left their homes during the 1967 war to return to their former residences. Expressing grave concern about the “extremely difficult” conditions of Palestinians including those in Jerusalem. Reaffirming that Palestinian refugees are “entitled to their property.” A resolution that “deplores” Israel for its alleged practices that “that violate the human rights of the Palestinian people.” Demanding Israel accept “Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967.” Reaffirming that “Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan are illegal and an obstacle to peace and economic and social development.” “Expressing grave concern about the continuing systematic violation of the human rights of the Palestinian people by Israel, the occupying Power.” “The Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan was null and void and without international legal effect and demanded that Israel, the occupying Power, rescind forthwith its decision,” read another resolution. It’s noteworthy that the UN chose to condemn Israel over its decision to extend Israeli law to the Golan Heights in light of the activity of Al Qaeda-linked jihadi rebels over the border in Syria. “That’s right: the UN adopted a resolution today that mentions the word ‘Syria’ no less than 10 times—yet said nothing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s massacre of more than 100,000 of his own people,” wrote Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch. In an op-ed in the Times of Israel, Neuer pointed out that by next month which marks the end of its annual legislative session, 22 resolutions will have been adopted targeting Israel and only four discussing other countries. “The hypocrisy, selectivity, and politicization are staggering,” Neuer wrote. It also follows a pattern. Last year’s legislative session was closed “in a blaze of glory” as former Reagan administration official Elliot Abrams noted with the passing of nine resolutions against Israel in just one day, December 18. Israel has been singled out by the UN General Assembly more times than any other country for alleged human rights violations. According to Eye on the UN, another non-governmental group, in more than 50 years, 82% of all UN General Assembly emergency session meetings have been about condemning Israel. The group noted in 2011 that of the UN Human Right’s Council’s resolutions, 47% critical of specific countries condemned Israel. “I sincerely hope she [the interpreter] won’t get fired. Because the one who should really apologize today is the UN. Founded on noble ideals, the world body is turning the dream of liberal internationalists into a nightmare,” Neuer wrote. “It is the UN who should apologize for using Israel as a scapegoat, for demonizing and delegitimizing the Jewish state as a meta-criminal to be blamed for all of the world’s ills. And, above all, it is the UN who should apologize for ignoring the cries of the world’s millions of genuine human rights victims—and for mocking them,” Neuer added. Watch the moment at which the exchange was caught on the hot mic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=V7W5tsnd0BE http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/11/17/bad-sh-epic-hot-mic-moment-catches-translator-saying-what-some-including-theblaze-have-noticed/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on November 27, 2013, 06:42:37 am UN Declares 2014 as ‘Year of Solidarity With the Palestinian People’
The United Nations has adopted a resolution naming 2014 as the “Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.” To mark the occasion, the UN said it will work in the coming year to organize special activities along with governments and non-governmental organizations. A rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Cairo, Egypt, May 13, 2011(Photo: AP/Amr Nabil The resolution was passed on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which was held four days early to accommodate Thanksgiving weekend. The day is usually marked at the world body on November 29th, the anniversary of the voting for the “Partition Plan” which in 1947 divided territories held in British Mandatory Palestine between the Jews and Arabs. While the Jews accepted the vote, five Arab states declared war. According to UN Watch, a non-profit that monitors activity at the UN, the “Year of Solidarity” resolution was one of 21 resolutions that singled out Israel during this year’s General Assembly session. In 2012, the UN passed 22 resolutions condemning Israel. This is compared with only four resolutions this year that singled out any other country in the world, which were Syria, Iran, North Korea and Myanmar. “There were will be zero UNGA resolutions on gross and systematic abuses committed by China, Cuba, Egypt, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Zimbabwe, nor on many other major perpetrators of grave violations of human rights,” reported UN Watch. “Broadway may be down the street, but the real theater is here at the United Nations,” said Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor. “The worst human rights abusers receive a fraction of the condemnation that Israel – the only democracy in the Middle East – receives,” Prosor said in a speech on Monday. “These irresponsible actions have irreversible consequences. The states that rubberstamp the anti-Israel resolutions every year, have given the Palestinians a false sense of reality and fed their culture of victimhood.” Prosor also addressed the irony of the UN condemning Israel for allegedly ill-treating Syrians even though Syrians have massacred more than 100,000 of their own people and Israeli hospitals have been treating Syrian civil war victims. “If that weren’t enough, the GA will soon vote on another resolution calling on Israel to hand over the Golan Heights and its residents to Syria. It is nothing short of absurd for the UN to demand that even more civilians be subject to Assad’s brutality,” Prosor said. Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch wrote, “There are also resolutions recognizing the self-determination of the Palestinians, even though the UN already recognized Palestine as a state; yet there is no resolution on the right to self-determination of the Tibetans, who really could use such a text.” Neuer characterized the Palestinian solidarity year declaration an opportunity for “massive politicization” in 2014 at the UN. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Monday called for Jerusalem to be divided between Israel and a future Palestinian state. “Jerusalem is to emerge from negotiations as the capital of two States, with arrangements for the holy sites acceptable to all. An agreed solution must be found for millions of Palestinian refugees around the region,” he said. A year ago, the UN General Assembly voted to grant Palestine observer state status. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/11/27/un-declares-2014-as-year-of-solidarity-with-the-palestinian-people/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 02, 2013, 11:36:09 am Protests rage over Bedouin resettlement plans in Israel
Bedouin Arabs in Isreal's southern Negev desert protest against bill that would see them moved in to government-recognised villages, with injuries and arrests in clashes Large protests over a plan to resettle nomadic Bedouin Arabs in Israel's southern Negev desert caused injuries Saturday and led to some arrests as well as condemnation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Protests focused on a bill that would move thousands of Bedouins into government-recognised villages. Opponents charge the plan would confiscate Bedouin land and affect their nomadic way of life, but Israel says the moves are necessary to provide basic services that many Bedouins lack and would benefit their community while preserving their traditions. Over a thousand people protested in a Negev village in southern Israel Saturday. The demonstration turned violent when some protesters threw rocks and fire bombs at police and burned tires. Police, some on horseback, responded with water cannon, tear gas and stun grenades, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Hundreds more took to the streets at protests held in Jerusalem, Haifa and elsewhere. Police made more than 40 arrests and 15 officers were injured, Rosenfeld said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement condemning the violence. "We will treat offenders to the fullest extent of the law and will not tolerate such disturbances. We have – and will have – no tolerance for those who break the law, Netanyahu said. "Attempts by a loud and violent minority to deny a better future to a large and broad population are grave. We will continue to advance the law for a better future for all residents of the Negev," he said. rest: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/10486571/Protests-rage-over-Bedouin-resettlement-plans-in-Israel.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on December 02, 2013, 03:13:59 pm Quote but Israel says the moves are necessary to provide basic services that many Bedouins lack and would benefit their community while preserving their traditions. Now that is standard **** socialist babble! And an effort by NWO thugs to shuffle the populations around for better control. You ask the Bedouins and they will likely be confused about those benefits, not realizing they lacked anything, being content living like they have for thousands of years. Preserve their traditions by putting them into housing? HELLO! THEY ARE BEDOUINS! They don't have houses. ::) Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 04, 2013, 02:02:27 pm EU mulls steps if Mideast peace fails
Israel and the Palestinian Authority could suffer if peace negotiations fail to yield an agreement, a European Union official warned. If peace talks fail, the EU will take action against West Bank settlement products and halt financial assistance to the Palestinians, the Jerusalem Post and Ynetnews.com quoted a senior European official as telling Israeli reporters in Brussels Tuesday. Since the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords that were to have paved the way for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, the EU has contributed annually 300 million euros ($407.3 million) to the Palestinian Authority. If the EU decides to halt the funds, it could cause the government to collapse, Haaretz said. "Some people suggested giving the money to other countries like Syria, Mali and other places around the world. ... What is the money for if a Palestinian state is not established?" Haaretz quoted the official as saying. The official noted if Israel and the Palestinians fail to reach a peace agreement within the allotted nine months, "14 out of 28 [countries] support labeling West Bank settlement products," the Post said. This could lead to a widespread boycott of Israeli products manufactured in West Bank settlements. The European official's comments came on the eve of yet another visit by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to move the peace talks forward. Kerry was to arrive in Israel Wednesday and meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Thursday, Haaretz said. Kerry intends to discuss with Netanyahu a proposed plan for security arrangements in the West Bank following the establishment of a Palestinian state, Haaretz said. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators continue to meet twice a week, but no progress has been reported, with the sides instead hurling accusations, Haaretz said. Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/12/04/EU-mulls-steps-if-Mideast-peace-fails/UPI-19291386158675/#ixzz2mXRABnjj Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on December 04, 2013, 02:12:10 pm Quote Since the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords that were to have paved the way for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, the EU has contributed annually 300 million euros ($407.3 million) to the Palestinian Authority. If the EU decides to halt the funds, it could cause the government to collapse, Haaretz said. Exactly. The only reason the "Palestinian Authority" even exists is because of funds given to them by other countries, and much of it through the UN, as well as the EU. The PA is literally being propped up by Europe, and Europe's efforts are only serving to split and destabilize the region. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 06, 2013, 05:24:35 am Palestinians: We Want a Geneva Accord against Israel
The Geneva accord and Washington's failed policies in Egypt and other Muslim countries have taught the Palestinians that it would be better to wait until the U.S. completely loses its influence so that other players such as Russia, China and the EU will step in and impose a solution on Israel. The way the Palestinian Authority sees it, "If it worked with Iran, why shouldn't it work also with Israel?" The Geneva agreement between Iran and the six big powers appears to have had a negative impact on the current US-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. The Palestinians see the agreement as an opportunity to achieve their demands through international pressure, and not direct negotiations with Israel. They are also very happy to see growing tensions between the U.S. Administration and the Israeli government over a series of issues, including the Geneva deal. Palestinian spokeswomen Hanan Ashrawi was quick to demand that the U.S. and the rest of the international community treat Israel the same way they treated Iran. She called on the international community to "impose sanctions on Israel and hold it accountable with the same will that led to an end to Iran's nuclear plan." The Palestinian Authority, which has welcomed the accord, is now hoping that the international community will force Israel to comply with all its demands, above all, a full withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines. As Nabil Abu Rudaineh, spokesman for Palestinian Authority [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas, explained, "The international efforts that succeeded in Geneva provide an opportunity for reviving the role of the Quartet [US, EU, UN and Russia] in ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict." Abu Rudaineh and other PA officials say they are encouraged by the deal with Iran because it would isolate Israel in the international arena and force it to make concessions to the Palestinians. Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said that the agreement with Iran should serve as a model for forcing Israel to accept international law and resolutions. According to Erekat, the international community should treat Israel the same way it dealt with Iran. "The first step should be to stop dealing with Israel as a state above the law and to find ways to hold it accountable," he added. What the PA is actually saying is that there is no need to continue with "futile" peace talks when there is a chance that the U.S. and other big powers could impose a solution on Israel. The way the PA sees it, "If it worked with Iran, why shouldn't it work also with Israel?" This thinking was reflected in an editorial of the semi-official Palestinian daily, Al-Quds, which wrote: "The time has come for the US and the international community to seriously move and use all available mechanisms to impose a just solution for the Palestinian cause and end half a century of unprecedented Palestinian suffering." Some Palestinians see the Iran agreement as a sign of the "regression" of the U.S. Administration's influence in the Middle East. They believe that now, as the U.S. role in the region has been weakened as a result of the accord, the time has come to pave the way for other powers to intervene in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "With the regression of the American role, there is a need for Russia, China and European permanent members of the UN Security Council to restore the reins from the American hand, which has had a monopoly over the peace process for the past two decades," wrote Palestinian commentator Adel Abdel Rahman, who is affiliated with the Palestinian Authority. Abdel Rahman urged the PA leadership to take advantage of the Geneva accord between the six big powers and Iran to call for an international conference to discuss ways of imposing a solution on Israel. The Palestinians are now convinced that that under President Barack Obama, the U.S. role in the region is continually receding. That is why they do not believe that the U.S.-sponsored peace talks with Israel will produce any results. The Geneva accord and Washington's failed policies in Egypt and other Muslim countries have taught the Palestinians that it would be better to wait until the U.S. completely loses its influence so that other players such as Russia, China and the EU will step in to impose a solution on Israel. rest: http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4070/palestinians-geneva-accord-israel We are literally whitnessing the rise of the EU as a dominate player, and the fall of the US. This is setting the stage for the Antichrist to start his rise to power. He will come on in Europe just as Obama did inthe US. Just wait, heck just look at Pope Franks rise and sudden stardom... Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 17, 2013, 06:25:02 am If this is true, this is huge!!!
U.S. plan gives Jerusalem holy sites to Vatican International mandate to control sections of Israel's capital Secretary of State John Kerry quietly presented a U.S. plan for eastern Jerusalem that calls for an international administrative mandate to control holy sites in the area, according to informed Palestinian and Israeli diplomatic sources. The exact composition of the international mandate is up for discussion, the sources said, but Kerry’s plan recommended a coalition that includes the Vatican, together with a group of Muslim countries such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The international arrangement is being proposed as a temporary solution for about two to three years while security arrangements in Jerusalem between Israelis and Palestinians are finalized, said the sources. Israel, the sources said, was not receptive to the particulars of Kerry’s plan, especially the concept of Turkish participation in Jerusalem. Kerry told the Israelis he would hold talks with the Kingdom of Jordan about its playing a leading role in the proposal in the place of Turkey, the sources added. Kerry was in Jerusalem on Friday as part of an Obama administration effort to reach a deal for a Palestinian state by April, a timeline that is still on track, Kerry told reporters. “We are working on an approach that both guarantees Israel’s security and fully respects Palestinian sovereignty,” Kerry added. According to the Israeli and Palestinian diplomatic sources speaking to WND, Kerry’s trip this time around focused specifically on the particulars of security arrangements for the strategic Jordan Valley following a deal. In October, WND exclusively reported Kerry was strongly urging Israel to give up the Jordan Valley in closed-door talks with the Palestinian Authority. The current round of U.S.-brokered talks is attempting to hash out the details of a plan for the valley. The Jordan Valley cuts through the heart of Israel. It runs from the Tiberias River in the north to the Dead Sea in the center to the city of Aqaba at the south of the country, stretching through the biblical Arabah desert. The U.S. proposal calls for international forces to maintain security control along with unarmed Palestinian police forces, a senior Palestinian Authority negotiator told WND in October. Israel will retain security posts in some strategic areas of the Jordan Valley, according to the U.S. plan. Previous talks incorporated an element of Jordanian authority in the Jordan Valley, but the Kingdom of Jordan is wary of participating in a future Palestinian state, the negotiator said. The Palestinian negotiator pointed to the insurgency in Syria and changes of leadership in Egypt as reasons for Jordanian reluctance to assume any security control over Palestinian areas. Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/12/u-s-plan-gives-jerusalem-holy-sites-to-vatican/#LL2WRqhMsabTQixb.99 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 17, 2013, 06:59:04 am This is the rise of the Antichrist, the EU is becoming a bigger partner in the peace process of Israel, and the US is losing its status. Soon we will see the rise of 1 person who will become more internationally known who is involved in this.
EU warns Israel not to let peace talks fail European diplomats warned Israel against new West Bank settlement construction, promising "unprecedented" incentives if peace talks succeed, officials said. The foreign ministers of the 28 European Union member states passed a resolution Monday promising Israel and the Palestinians an "unprecedented package" of economic, political and security aid if a peace treaty is achieved, Haaretz reported Tuesday. The European diplomats also guaranteed both sides would be upgraded to "special privilege partnership" the top status for non-member European states, the newspaper said. After the resolution was passed, the EU conveyed a message to Israel's Foreign Ministry, warning Jerusalem not to underestimate the European offer. The European diplomats also expressed concern that Israel would announce a new round of West Bank settlement construction following the release of a third group of Palestinian prisoners later this month. "New announcements of settlement activity after the third round of prisoner releases at the end of the month might be a fatal blow for the peace process," the Israeli paper quoted the European diplomats saying. The diplomats warned such a move could lead to the collapse of peace talks with the Palestinians. If this occurs, Israel will be held responsible, the diplomats said. European diplomats are expected to convey a severe message to Palestinian negotiators when they meet with them Tuesday, Haaretz said. Under the nine-month framework allocated by the United States to Israel and the Palestinians, a time frame in which to reach a peace agreement, Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israel before the 1993 Oslo Accords. Israel is scheduled to free the third batch of Palestinian prisoners on Dec. 29. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians resumed July 29. Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/12/17/EU-warns-Israel-not-to-let-peace-talks-fail/UPI-43011387280198/#ixzz2njjSlJha Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 19, 2013, 07:09:55 am It’s About the Settlements, Stupid
Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, the misnamed occupied territories, are not the obstacle to peace between Israelis and Palestinians. They are the acid test of peace. To argue that peace is conceivable unless the bulk of the settlements remain in place constitutes stupidity or hypocrisy. Leave aside the issue of whether Jews have the right to live in the historic homeland of the Jewish people. Ignore the fact that the settlers live overwhelmingly on what was waste land and turned into gardens, vineyards, and industries which have uplifted the lives of Palestinian Arabs more than all the aid that has passed through (or rather stuck to) the fingers of the kleptocrats of the PA. Leave aside also Israel’s requirement for defensible borders: that is a critical issue but not identical to the continued presence of settlements. Accepting the settlements is the sine qua non of any viable peace agreement. It does Israel no good to defend Israel’s right to exist but to condemn the settlers, as does Alan Dershowitz, not to mention the leaders of liberal Jewish denominations. I believe in land for peace. That is a tautology: In territorial disputes the two main variables always are land and peace. But that implies more land for more peace and less land for less peace. The Palestinian Arabs had an opportunity to accept an Israeli state on just 5,500 square miles of land in 1947, and refused to do so. The armistice lines of 1948 left Israel with 8,550 square miles, and the Arab side refused to accept that. In 1967 Israel took an additional 5,628 square miles of land in dispute under international law; Jordan does not claim it, and no legal Arab authority exists to claim it. It is not “illegally occupied.” It has never been adjudicated by a competent authority. To demand the 1948 armistice lines (the so-called 1967 borders) is to refuse any penalty for refusing to make peace in the past. That is the same as refusing any peace at all. Wars end when one side accepts defeat, and abandons the hope of restoring the status quo ante by force of arms. 1947 was a catastrophe (“Nakba”) for the Palestinian Arabs, to be sure, but it was a catastrophe of their own making; until they accept at least some degree of responsibility for the catastrophe, they will not be reconciled to any peace agreement. That is precisely what Palestine’s negotiator Saeb Erekat meant when he eschewed any recognition of Israel as a Jewish nation-state because “I cannot change my narrative.” The “narrative” is that the Jews are an alien intrusion into the Muslim Middle East and eventually must be eliminated by one means or another. The Palestinian Arabs are a people in decline, and the vehemence of their leaders reflects the dimness of their future. It is noteworthy that Secretary of State John Kerry continues to talk of a “demographic time bomb” threatening Israel, even though the data show that the Jewish population between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea is increasing faster than the Arab population, as former Israeli diplomat Yoram Ettinger observes. That’s based on undisputed data; in fact, Palestinian population data are inflated by an enormous margin, as a 2006 study by the Begin-Sadat Center at Bar-Ilan University demonstrated: [The Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics] projected that the number of births in the Territories would total almost 908,000 for the seven-year period from 1997 to 2003. Yet, the actual number of births documented by the PA Ministry of Health for the same period was significantly lower at 699,000, or 238,000 fewer births than had been forecast by the PCBS. … The size of the discrepancy accelerated over time. Whereas the PCBS predicted there would be over 143,000 births in 2003, the PA Ministry of Health reported only 102,000 births, which pointed to a PCBS forecast 40% beyond actual results. The hold of traditional Muslim society on young Palestinian Arabs, especially young women, is deteriorating: as they gain access to secondary and tertiary education, young Arabs have fewer children and more careers. And the most effective agency for the emancipation of young Arab women is the settler movement. Ariel University across the so-called Green Line is full of young Muslim women in headscarves studying computer science, and the leaders of the Ariel community–Haredi Jews–work with local Arab leaders to recruit talented students. There is a parallel to what I called the “peace of the aging” in Ireland. The Irish got older. The drunken IRA killers I met in Belfast in 1970 as a student journalist had no intention of making peace. They were having too much fun at war. By 1996, when former Sen. George Mitchell presided over the Good Friday Agreement that formally ended the low-intensity civil war in Northern Ireland, those who were left had families and mortgages. (http://i2.wp.com/balfourpost.com/bpost/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/chart060611a.gif?resize=300%2C256) By 2040 the Palestinian Arab population will have far fewer young people and far more middle-aged people (http://i0.wp.com/balfourpost.com/bpost/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/chart060611c.gif?resize=300%2C215) The Irish no longer care. They are neither Catholic nor nationalistic. The IRA thugs of 1970 came from four-child families. Today the Irish have fewer than two children on average. Let the matter simmer for another twenty years, and the Palestinian Arabs will look more like the Irish of 1996 than the Irish of 1970. At that point, the “narrative” will change, because no one will care about the old “narrative.” In the meantime the Israeli settlers have built a garden and a workshop where before there were bare rocks, and thriving communities that are integral parts of Israeli society. It takes longer to get crosstown in Manhattan in traffic than it does to drive from the center of Tel Aviv to Ariel, the largest town in Samaria. This is yet another accomplishment of Jewish ingenuity and industriousness, and it is (or should be) an inspiring example to all who hope for a better life for the peoples of the Middle East. We will know that the Palestinians want peace when they admire rather than abhor this effort. The utopian delusions of the Obama administration, the hypocrisy of the world, and the betrayal–yes, I think that is the right word–of Israeli interests by the liberal American Jewish denominations have put Israel in a painful situation. The threat of economic sanctions from Europe or reduced American military support if Israel refuses to swallow the poisoned bait are not a trivial threat. As Caroline Glick writes: With Kerry poised to shove his lethal parameters down our throats, parameters that will require Israel to irrevocably accept terms of peace that will destroy the country, it is obvious that Netanyahu needs to adopt a longer-term strategy. Our goal cannot be limited to waiting out Obama. Our goal must be to extricate Israel from the two-state trap. Yes, Israel will pay a huge price for jumping ship. For 20 years, non-leftist Israeli leaders have been trying to go along to get along with the Left, and the Americans and their ever-escalating demands. But Kerry’s obsessive harping, and his insistence on pushing forward with his disastrous framework deal forces our hand. Either we pay a huge price now, or accept our destruction within five to 15 years. Ms. Glick is Israeli, and has a right to urge a particular course of action for her country. I am American, and direct my comments instead to my liberal Jewish co-religionists: Your support for the Obama administration and your betrayal of Jews on our front line in Judea and Samaria is a wicked and disgraceful thing. We must summon all of our strength to prevent this administration from punishing Israel for refusing to commit suicide. As a religious Jew, I believe that Jews are obligated to settle our historic homeland, but I also believe that the preservation of Jewish life takes precedence. If it were possible to achieve a durable and robust peace by abandoning the settlements I would support it. But that is a delusion: we will make ourselves immeasurably less secure by abandoning the settlements than by holding fast to them. http://balfourpost.com/its-about-the-settlements-stupid/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 19, 2013, 07:17:31 am this story makes you laugh as its so true...
‘The Floodgates of Bullcrap’: Palestinians Blame Israel for Flooding Gaza…by Opening Dams that Don’t Really Exist Palestinian media and officials are facing ridicule in the Israeli press for blaming the Israeli government for flooding the Gaza Strip by opening dams. But there’s one problem: Israel says those alleged dams don’t exist. “Even the weather is fair game in Hamas’s war of words against Israel,” wrote the Times of Israel, while the blog Israelly Cool had this headline: “Palestinians and Supporters Open the Floodgates of Bullcrap.” “
The claim of Israel intentionally flooding Gaza has made headlines in the pro-Palestinian media over the past week in which a freak winter storm hit the Middle East with a deluge of rain and snow, including a once-in-a-century snowfall in neighboring Egypt. The pro-Palestinian publication Middle East Monitor wrote on December 16th, “Israel has opened the Wadi Sofa Dam east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, flooding dozens of houses and leaving hundreds of people homeless.” That claim appears to have originated with an announcement on Friday by the Hamas government’s Disaster Response Committee, saying that Israel had opened dams just east of Gaza, “flooding numerous residential areas in nearby villages within the coastal territory,” reported Ma’an, an independent Palestinian news agency. Mayor of Rafah Issa Nashar echoed the claim, saying on Sunday, “Israel has indeed opened the dam which led to drowning the neighboring areas with accumulated rain water up to 1 meter deep.” But Israeli officials contend no dams exist in the area. Uri Schor, a spokesman for Israel’s Water Authority, told the Times of Israel, “The allegation of [Israel] opening dams and flooding the Gaza Strip is baseless and false.” Schor said that water reservoirs have overflowed across the entire area which caused flooding. Not only did Israel not cause the flooding, Israel sent aid to the Palestinians. “Israel responded to a special appeal conveyed through the UN, transferring four high-power pumps to the Gaza Strip intended to help residents remove water from flooded areas,” he said. Indeed the huge rainfall did cause extensive flooding in Gaza, as described thus in the Times of Israel: The Gaza Strip was one of the areas most affected by the storm Alexa. Torrential rain caused widespread flooding, forcing some 40,000 residents to evacuate their homes as rescuers used rowboats to assist stranded civilians. UNRWA, a UN agency tasked with assisting Palestinian refugees, described parts of northern Gaza Strip as a disaster zone. Rainfall of 260 millimeters (10.23 inches) was documented in the Gaza area between December 11 and 13, comprising a staggering 60 percent of the annual average for the region. Another Palestinian official, Civil Defense spokesman Muhammad Al-Maidana, accused Israel of opening sewage canals near Gaza, “exacerbating the crisis and raising the water level, causing homes to be submerged.” The Times of Israel found another report on the Palestinian website Al-Majd that even claimed Israel had opened the dams in an effort to expose Hamas smuggling tunnels between Egypt and Gaza. “For Gaza to drown is an old Zionist dream,” the site wrote. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/12/19/the-floodgates-of-bullcrap-palestinians-blame-israel-for-flooding-gaza-by-opening-dams-that-dont-really-exist/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on December 19, 2013, 03:21:43 pm :D Yeah, sometimes it's SO silly, you have to laugh.
While for centuries, rulers would duped their public through various means, but commonly through their chosen religious sects and cults, because the ignorant public didn't know any better, and feared that they might "anger the gods", they would bow to the religious leaders, who would feed the public the main government line. Well, it seems the Palestinian leadership is still trying to dupe the public with lies, and the fanatical ignorant public just eats it up. But then I wonder how long they will manage to pull it off due to the growing use of smart phones. I'd imagine somebody checked out what dam they were talking about and found no dam on Google Earth. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 20, 2013, 05:46:28 am Israel and the Myth of Occupation
By Salomon Benzimra The political right wing in Israel has finally recovered its voice. In an open letter to PM Netanyahu, published in Haaretz (Hebrew Edition) on September 20, 2013, a group of 19 Knesset members urged Netanyahu to uphold the sovereign rights on the whole Land of Israel. With the looming failure of the ongoing round of "peace negotiations," most right-wing politicians, academics, and media pundits are more than ever convinced of the sheer disaster that the Oslo peace process has produced. And they are openly advocating a new course of action. But the right-wing camp run the risk of been divided -- and their message discredited -- if they choose to play the game of their political opponents from the left, who incessantly demand that they produce a detailed plan on how to fully solve the "Palestinian question." Probably unaware of this trap, many capable right-wing thinkers are sketching out a variety of peace plans based on their own knowledge and expertise. Each one of these plans may have its merits. But all of them will be virulently attacked by the traditional left-wing pundits and politicians, who have been symbiotically tied to the ill-fated concepts of "land for peace" and "two-state solution" for the past twenty years. Old habits die hard and often blur rational thought. The Israeli right wing should avoid falling into the same defeatist trap. The right-wing camp should remember that the main reason for the failure of the Oslo process was the reckless attempt to cover all the areas of concern from its inception. The so-called Declaration of Principles (Oslo I, 1993) was long on minutiae (procedures for Palestinian elections, size and capability of their police force, Israeli withdrawal schedules, transfer of powers, economic development, social programmes, etc.) and short on principles, to the extent that the very compatibility of the objectives pursued by the two parties was never broached, let alone ascertained. The Interim Agreement (Oslo II, 1995) further obscured the essentials in an intricate web of details. In 1948, George Orwell observed: "At any given moment, there is a sort of all-prevailing orthodoxy, a general tacit agreement not to discuss some large and uncomfortable fact." Today, the all-prevailing orthodoxy rests on the false notion of "occupied Palestinian territories." The Israeli right wing should challenge the "myth of occupation" and stay away from elaborating detailed peace plans at this stage. Sadly, the myth of occupation was given birth by the Levi Eshkol government in the wake of the Six-Day War, in breach of Israel's Basic Law. It was later amplified and propagated by the PLO and their Marxist enablers in the early 1970s with innumerable U.N. General Assembly resolutions, culminating in UNGA Resolution 3236. Today, the myth of occupation is the cornerstone of the Palestinian narrative, and every anti-Zionist group in the world strives to keep this myth alive. How to demolish the myth of occupation? This Orwellian "all-prevailing orthodoxy" should be confronted by recognizing -- once again -- the historical connection of the Jewish people to Palestine and the necessity of reconstituting the Jewish state in the whole region west of the Jordan River, as it was initially established under international law at the San Remo Conference in 1920 and spelled out in the Mandate for Palestine. These acquired rights of the Jewish people have never been abrogated; they are preserved to this day in Article 80 of the U.N. Charter and in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, and they are confirmed in the Levy Report, still pending official approval by the Israeli government. The importance of demolishing this myth cannot be overstated. Once the "uncomfortable facts" pertaining to recent history and the provisions of international law are restored, Judea and Samaria will inevitably be once again recognized as Jewish land. The "prevailing orthodoxy" will not survive the shock. The Palestinian Arabs will be hard-pressed to justify their untenable rejection of Israel as a Jewish State. The acknowledgement of Jewish sovereignty over Judea and Samaria will, for the first time, make any further Israeli concession meaningful, rather than being viewed by the Palestinian Arabs as an obligation from an occupying power. The legality of the "settlements" will cease to be questioned. The baseless European "guidelines" to selectively boycott Jewish settlements will be fatally punctured, and nothing will be more exhilarating than to observe the EU's arrogance crumble. To the question that will predictably be asked -- "But what is the actual solution to the Palestinian question?" -- we should respond with confident modesty: at this stage, we don't know, but surely the solution cannot be based on historical and legal falsehoods. So let us first restore the basic facts pertaining to history and law, and observe the tremors created by this unexpected surge of truth among the myth-peddlers and in the turbulent Arab world. When all the pieces fall in their place, then and only then we will be able to propose a cogent plan for the betterment of all the populations concerned on the basis of a new and meaningful Declaration of Principles. Not defining a detailed peace plan denotes no lack of courage or vision. It is simply a question of giving precedence to factual evidence and justice over "peace at any cost." The left conceived and supported the successive peace plans -- Oslo, Roadmap, Geneva Initiative, Annapolis, etc. They strove to implement them and witnessed the bloody trail these plans left behind, and the damaging of Israel's image worldwide. Now, not to feel alone in their failure, they demand that the right follow their same insane ideas and produce a competing peace plan while, of course, ignoring the fundamental territorial rights of the Jewish people. Surely this tack should be rejected, as it is not only premature and futile, but counterproductive to a lasting peace in the region. http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/../2013/12/israel_and_the_myth_of_occupation.html Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 27, 2013, 10:08:58 am 'Framework peace deal could be reached by end of month'
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reports that Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are on verge of breakthrough • Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby: Not a single Israeli soldier can remain in the territory of a future Palestinian state. The Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations are on the verge of a breakthrough and an American-drafted framework agreement could be signed by the end of the month, the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Sunday. The report cited Arab League officials who said that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas presented them with the details of the U.S. plan at an emergency meeting of the Arab League foreign ministers that was held in Cairo this weekend at the request of the Palestinians. Arab diplomats quoted in the report said that Abbas expressed disappointment in the American plan, which he claimed favored Israeli security interests over other core issues that must be resolved in a final status agreement. "The Americans are determined to present an agreement by the end of December and have already chosen a location for the signing ceremony for the framework agreement," Abbas reportedly told Arab diplomats. Palestinian officials in Ramallah confirmed the report and said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to present the final outline for the framework agreement during his upcoming visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories at the end of the week. Meanwhile, the Arab League rejected on Saturday a reported U.S. proposal that would allow for a continued Israeli military presence on the eastern border of a future Palestinian state. Palestinian officials have said Kerry's proposal that was made earlier this month included letting Israel maintain control of a Palestinian state's border with Jordan for at least 10 years to address Israel's concerns about a potential influx of terrorists and weapons. At the Arab League meeting in Cairo on Saturday, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said that not a single Israeli soldier could remain in the territory of a Palestinian state. An Arab League report on the issue called Kerry's proposal "dangerous to the Palestinians," saying it "achieved Israeli security expansionist demands, and guaranteed [Israel's] continued control of [the Jordan Valley] on the security pretext." The report also characterized the proposal as "an American retreat." Aides to Abbas have criticized the proposal. One aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the negotiations, told Reuters on Saturday that the Palestinians are trying to shorten the time span of any Israeli withdrawal. http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=14199&r=1 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on December 27, 2013, 10:23:16 am Likud pushing bill to annex Jordan Valley
If legislature becomes law, PM would be unable to accept US offer to place Jordan Valley, border crossing under Palestinian control. Likud ministers and lawmakers are trying to limit Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s freedom in peace talks, with MK Miri Regev submitting a bill on Thursday to annex the Jordan Valley. If Regev’s bill becomes law, Netanyahu would be unable to accept the American offer to put the Jordan Valley and border crossings into Jordan under Palestinian control, with IDF soldiers posted at the border and the US providing additional security. According to Regev’s office, all Likud ministers other than Netanyahu support the bill and it has enough votes to be authorized by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation. However, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who is leading negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, is the chairwoman of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation. She is likely to try to block the bill, either by not bringing it to a vote or submitting an appeal if it is approved. Still, Likud ministers could push the legislation forward and demand that it be brought to a general ministerial vote. http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Likud-pushing-bill-to-annex-Jordan-Valley-336285 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 01, 2014, 06:31:42 am Cameron, Merkel headed to Israel next month
Diplomatic official denies report British and German leaders’ visits are tied to peace talks British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will both visit Israel next month, Foreign Ministry officials said Wednesday. The leaders will make the trips within days of each other in mid-February, though they won’t won’t overlap. While the trips will come amid peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, an Israeli diplomatic official denied an Israeli TV report that the purpose of the visits was to push along peace talks. The official told the Times of Israel that while the leaders will likely comment on the peace process, it will not be the focus of the visits. The visit will be the first to Israel for Cameron since he was elected prime minister in 2010. Cameron told Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein in early December that he would visit Israel sometime in 2014. He also said he would “happily” deliver a speech to the Knesset. The two spoke at the Nelson Mandela memorial in Johannesburg. For Merkel, the trip will be made with a number of Cabinet ministers in order to reciprocate a visit made by Netanyahu last year, in the framework of the “government to government” program. Diplomatic offices in both countries, closed for the New Years holiday, were unavailable for comment. News of the visits came as US Secretary of State John Kerry was expected in Israel Thursday for his 10th visit to the region as part of ongoing peace talks. Kerry is expected to present the sides with a US-drafted framework agreement that will set the outlines for a permanent deal, allowing Jerusalem and Ramallah to keep negotiating beyond an April deadline. Merkel last visited Israel in January 2011. Her newly installed foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, is expected to make a trip to the region next week. Berlin in particular, because of its history in the Holocaust, has been vocal about its commitment to Israel’s security, recently selling Jerusalem a series of advanced submarines at a subsidized price. “We’ll never be neutral and … Israel can be sure of our support when it comes to ensuring its security,” Merkel told a Jewish magazine in Germany in August. “That’s why I also said that Germany’s support for Israel’s security is part of our national ethos, our raison d’être.” Britain and Germany have both been critical of Israel’s settlement policies and have pushed for the sides to reach an agreement based on a two-state solution, though much of their involvement in the peace process has been outsourced to the European Union, which is a member of the Quartet for Mideast Peace. The two countries were also recently party to an agreement between Iran and the P5+1 which calls for eased sanctions of Tehran in exchange for curbs on nuclear activity and more robust oversight. Israel has been critical of the deal, which has yet to be implemented. On Tuesday, German newspaper Der Speigel reported that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani may visit Munich for a security conference at the end of January. http://www.timesofisrael.com/cameron-merkel-said-to-be-headed-to-israel-in-peace-push/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 03, 2014, 06:43:18 am US Deal Will Trade Off ‘Jewish’ Israel for 1967 Lines — Report
John Kerry will offer Israeli and Palestinian negotiators a political trade-off: Israeli recognition of the 1967 lines as a basis for the future Palestinian state, in return for Palestinian recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, Palestinian sources told the Saudi daily Al-Watan on Sunday. According to the sources, the mutual recognition will constitute the core of a framework agreement to be signed by the end of January, and negotiated in greater detail during the following months. “The coming weeks will be difficult for the Palestinian and Israeli sides, since they will need to make tough decisions,” a source a source told Al-Watan...Kerry is to visit the region... MORE: http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-deal-will-trade-off-jewish-israel-for-1967-lines-report/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on January 03, 2014, 02:29:01 pm Quote in return for Palestinian recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, Palestinian sources told the Saudi daily Al-Watan on Sunday. For starters, it's suspect that a "Palestinian source" tells a Saudi news outlet. But the real issue is how they refer to Israel as "the state of the Jewish people". Israel is not Jewish! The state of Israel is secular, that happens to have some citizens that are Jewish, just like their are secular Arabs among "Palestinians". Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 08, 2014, 01:12:22 pm http://debka.com/article/23579/
Netanyahu plans a national referendum on US peace framework to extend negotiations for another year DEBKAfile Exclusive Report January 7, 2014, 9:57 PM (IDT) Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is planning to conduct the first popular referendum in Israel’s history to ratify the amended peace framework proposal which US Secretary of State John Kerry is drafting for presentation in the coming weeks, debkafile reveals. The prime minister has been quoted as saying that he needs the referendum to push back “domestic pressures from the right”, but in any case he believes it will be politically advantageous. He has confided to his closest circle that for the first time that he is in favor of the Kerry proposals and, although they don’t see eye to eye on many of the issues, he thinks the gaps between them can be bridged. Netanyahu is counting on the the framework accord gaining an overwhelming popular majority in referendum. Although it is not yet a final-status agreement, the document will lay out principles for solutions of the core issues at dispute between Israel and the Palestinians. After Netanyahu and Abu Mazen affirm this paper, it will be possible to extend the negotiating time frame for a final accord by at least another year and so get past the original nine-month deadline which expires at the end of April. Our sources add that the prime minister regards the Obama administration’s acceptance of Israel as the Jewish national state to be an historic achievement of unparalleled importance. He believes he can find common ground with Secretary Kerry on Jerusalem as well. He was encouraged to learn that Kerry is working on a formula that avoids citing E. Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, only as a goal for their national aspirations. Intense exchanges are gong back and forth on the security arrangements for the Jordan Valley which runs along Israel’s eastern border, and the number and area of the Jewish settlements remaining under Israeli sovereignty. A number of settlements outside the main blocs are due for removal, despite reports to the contrary, but the argument among the Americans, Israelis and Palestinians is over a timetable for their staged evacuation which is counted in years. US Ambassador Dan Shapiro precisely defined the current state of the negotiating process when he said in an interview to Kol Israel Radio Tuesday, Jan. 7, that the proposed US framework in which new elements have been introduced is not designed to generate an interim accord but “a final agreement on all the issues at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.” Further exclusive details on the new elements and their import will appear in the coming issue of DEBKA Weekly out next Friday. If you are not already a subscriber, click here to sign on. Netanyahu does not expect the right-of-center Jewish Home to actually quit the government coalition over the US initiative, even though its leader, the Economy Minister Naftali Bennet, declared Tuesday that his party would not stay in a government that withdraws to the pre-1967 borders or repartitions Jerusalem. Circles close to the prime minister said that he hopes Kerry won’t have a sudden change of heart and go back on his plans and their points of agreement, because then the huge effort invested in the current peace process will turn to dust. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 13, 2014, 04:16:45 pm Abbas: Without East Jerusalem there will be no peace with Israel
Published yesterday (updated) 12/01/2014 11:54 http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=664411 RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas told a delegation on Saturday that without East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state, there will be "no peace between us and Israel." Speaking to a popular delegation from Jerusalem Saturday in his office in Ramallah, Abbas highlighted that the Arab Follow-up Committee would reiterate this stance during a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday. "He will be told that occupied East Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Palestine, and without this there will be no peace between us and Israel." The current round of negotiations has been limited to nine months after which "we are free to do whatever we want," he said, highlighting that, "the time frame is limited and not open, and our unanimous position isn't secret." He added that he heard that they (the Israelis) had refused to mention Jerusalem in any talks or negotiations. "Let them say whatever they say. Unless it is mentioned clearly and marked in big fonts that it is the capital of the state of Palestine, there will be no peace with them and I want them to hear this." "Our language is understandable. We have been hearing lots of talks about the capital here and there. The (Palestinian) capital is Jerusalem and its surroundings in Jerusalem which were occupied in 1967." Jerusalem doesn't mean Abu Dis, but Abu Dis is part of Jerusalem, he added, referring to a neighborhood of Jerusalem cut off by the separation wall from the rest of the city. Abbas highlighted that he is adhering to a stance that has long been official policy. "We have a right even though we are weak in the world. We will continue to demand our rights and we will realize them." Abbas added that the whole world had started to "know and understand our grievances and pains" and that European countries have started to support the Palestinian cause by boycotting products from Israeli settlements. Countries in North America, Latin America and Africa are doing the same, he added. The Palestinian president denied Israeli claims that an agreement had been reached between the two sides to allow Israel to build more settlements when a group of Palestinian prisoners is released from Israeli jails. "The Israelis link between prisoners and settlements. When a group is released, they build settlement units and claim this has been agreed on." "These are lies as there is definitely no relation between releasing prisoners and settlements. Settlements are illegal from the beginning to the end." Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians were relaunched in July under the auspices of the United States after nearly three years of impasse. Israel's government has announced the construction of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements since peace talks began. The Palestinian negotiating team resigned in protest against continued Israeli settlement construction in mid-November, dealing a major blow to negotiations between Israel and the PLO that had already been stalled. Negotiator Mohammed Shtayyeh told AFP at the time that they resigned in response to "increasing settlement building (by Israel) and the absence of any hope of achieving results," following Netanyahu's announcement that Israel would build 20,000 new settlement homes in the West Bank. The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967. http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=62844 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 13, 2014, 04:28:38 pm The Vatican has been coveting East Jerusalem too for quite a while now.
Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 14, 2014, 06:25:46 am How Can Israel Negotiate Peace With People That Are Absolutely Obsessed With Exterminating It?
The Obama administration would have us believe that there will be “lasting peace” in the Middle East if Israel will just agree to a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders. Once there is a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as the capital, Obama insists that the threat of war will be over. But is that actually true? Of course not. As you will see below, the people that Israel is “negotiating” with are taught from a very early age to hate the Jewish people and that every Muslim is called by Allah to work toward the total elimination of the nation of Israel. If a temporary “peace agreement” will allow them to partially reach that goal, then that is acceptable. In Islam, there is a long history of using temporary treaties to advance the cause of jihad that goes all the way back to Muhammed himself. And there is a doctrine in Islam known as “Tawriya” that allows a Muslim to lie to others as long as he is able “to articulate his deceit in a way that is true to him“. As far as Hamas, Hezbollah and the leadership of the Palestinian Authority are concerned, their ultimate goal has never changed. In fact, a senior Palestinian Authority official recently stated during a Syrian television program that a treaty with Israel will just be one step toward destroying Israel in stages… In response to concern expressed by the interviewer that any US-imposed deal would be “deficient”, insofar as it would “only” require Israel to cede Judea and Samaria, a smiling Zaki urges calm. “You can relax. We find ourselves united for the first time. Even the most extreme among us, Hamas, or the fighting forces, want a state within the ’67 borders [sic]. Afterward, we [will] have something to say, because the inspiring idea cannot be achieved all at once. [Rather] in stages,” he responded. You can watch video of those comments being made right here… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1Qmr3_IrVE&feature=player_embedded One of the parties that Israel must come to agreement with for any “peace treaty” to work is Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip. The founding document of Hamas is exceedingly clear about what the purpose of that organization is. The following are just a few quotes from the Hamas Charter… -”Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.” -”The land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf [Holy Possession] consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgment Day. No one can renounce it or any part, or abandon it or any part of it.” -”The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews [and kill them]; until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: Oh Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!” Is Hamas going to change their Charter before they agree to a treaty with Israel? Of course not, because the ultimate goals of Hamas have not changed. When Ariel Sharon recently died, the true feelings of the Palestinian people came out once again just like they did during the aftermath of 9/11. According to one recent news report, even Palestinian children were greatly celebrating the death of Sharon… “Palestinian children hold weapons, celebrate, and chant slogans against Israel after hearing of the death of Ariel Sharon, the hard-charging Israeli general and prime minister.” Of course this should be no surprise to those of us that are aware of how those children are educated. They are taught to hate Jewish people from birth, and their school textbooks are full of anti-Jewish propaganda. For example, according to the Daily Mail one textbook for 9th grade Palestinian students actually contains the following statement… “The hour (of judgment) will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them. There is a Jew behind me come and kill him.” And of course there are many more quotes like that in Palestinian textbooks. The following is an excerpt from a report entitled “From Nationalist Battle to Religious Conflict: New 12th Grade Palestinian Textbooks Present a World Without Israel“… The teachings repeatedly reject Israel’s right to exist, present the conflict as a religious battle for Islam, teach Israel’s founding as imperialism, and actively portray a picture of the Middle East, both verbally and visually, in which Israel does not exist at all. The following description of Israel’s founding represents the dominant dogma about Israel in Palestinian schoolbooks: Defining Israel’s founding as a “catastrophe unprecedented in history,” “a theft perpetrated by “Zionist gangs,” together with numerous other hateful descriptions of Israel as “colonial imperialist” and “racist”, compounded by the presentation of the conflict as a religious war, leaves no latitude for students to have positive or even neutral attitudes towards Israel. This negative imagery and religious packaging are compounded by hateful presentations of Israeli policy. The young students are imbued with a Palestinian identity as “victims” just by virtue of Israel’s existence. The well-meaning student is left with no logical justification or religious option to accept Israel as a neighbor or to seek coexistence. Given the total rejection of Israel’s right to exist, on nationalistic and religious grounds, Palestinian terror against Israel since Israel’s founding in 1948 is defined as: “resistance … acts of most glorious heroism.” PA educators teach that fighting Israel is not merely a territorial conflict, but also a religious battle for Islam. The schoolbooks define the conflict with Israel as “Ribat for Allah” – “one of the actions related to Jihad for Allah, and it means: Being found in areas where there is a struggle between Muslims and their enemies”. In much of the Islamic world, Islam is not just a religion. It is a political, economic, social and religious system which is all-encompassing. And for Palestinians, being anti-Israel is at the very core of that system. Just check out what kindergarten children at one particular Palestinian school are being taught… Children attending a kindergarten in Gaza that is run by Islamic Jihad celebrated their graduation by dressing up in army attire, waving toy rifles and chanting anti-Israel slogans. “It is our obligation to educate the children to love the resistance, Palestine and Jerusalem, so they will recognize the importance of Palestine and who its enemy is,” the kindergarten’s director said. The children were dressed up in uniforms of Jihad’s armed-wing, the al-Quds Brigades, and each of them received a toy rifle. Some of them held up photos of Islamic Jihad founder Fathi Shaqaqi. You can see some extremely disturbing photographs of this kindergarten graduation event right here. The truth is that you are never going to have lasting peace until both sides truly want peace. And it should be abundantly clear that the Palestinians do not want peace. Just check out some of the results from one survey in which Palestinians were asked about their beliefs about Israel and the peace process… -60 percent were in favor of direct negotiations with Israel that would result in a “two state” solution. -Approximately two-thirds of the respondents agreed that “over time, Palestinians must work to get back all the land for a Palestinian state.” -Only 23 percent of the respondents believed that “Israel has a permanent right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people.” -58 percent of those surveyed preferred “armed struggle” over “engagement with Israel.” -Just 12 percent of the respondents said that official maps, documents and school textbooks should show the name “Israel”. So you can see, most Palestinians are actually in favor of a “two state solution”. But an even larger percentage of Palestinians believe that the ultimate goal must be to take all of the land for themselves, and an absolutely overwhelming percentage of Palestinians are against recognizing Israel’s right to exist. How in the world can you ever have “lasting peace” in that type of an environment? This type of thinking is regularly demonstrated in other areas of the Middle East as well. For instance, a top Iranian official recently stated that a nuclear bomb “is necessary to put down Israel”… Iranian lawmaker, cleric, and Majilis (council) member Mohammed Nabavian declared Monday that Iran does need a nuclear bomb – to destroy Israel. Iran would be able to build a nuclear bomb in “two weeks” if it gets “access to 270 kilograms of 20 percent [enriched uranium], 10 tons of 5 percent, and 20 thousand centrifuges,” Nabavian stated, according to Iranian media reports. “We are not looking for a nuclear bomb, but having a nuclear bomb is necessary to put down Israel.” And if you want to see something incredibly chilling, watch the video that I have posted below. It is of a massive public rally for Muhammed Mursi when he was running for president of Egypt. Most Americans never get to see videos like this one. The obsession that these jihadists have for exterminating the state of Israel is very apparent in this video… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI3wG3loKlA&feature=player_embedded Right now, Israel is the most hated nation on the entire planet. Hundreds of millions of Muslims are absolutely convinced that the nation of Israel will eventually be eradicated. When Israel signs a treaty that exchanges land for peace, it will be hailed as a great diplomatic achievement in the western world. But the truth is that all that it will really do is set the stage for the next great war in the Middle East. Sadly, most of those living in the western world do not understand this. They simply do not understand that the ultimate goal of jihad is to bring the entire planet into submission. Muslims are taught this from a very early age. They want “world peace”, but their definition of world peace is when everyone in the world will finally be brought into the House of Islam. In Islam, Dar al-Islam is the “House of Peace”. Dar al-Harb is the “House of War”. To Muslims, you are either in one house or the other. And once everyone has been brought into Dar al-Islam, then there will finally be “peace”. And yes, “everyone” includes you too. So if you are wishing for “peace” in the Middle East, perhaps you need to carefully define what you are talking about. Yes, a “major treaty” will probably be agreed to in the Middle East later this year. But it will solve absolutely nothing. Instead, it will just create even more problems. http://thetruthwins.com/archives/how-can-israel-negotiate-peace-with-people-that-are-absolutely-obsessed-with-exterminating-them Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 14, 2014, 10:32:31 am Israeli minister brands John Kerry 'messianic'; US calls remark 'offensive'
TEL AVIV, Israel -- The state department shot back Tuesday after Israel's defense minister branded Secretary of State John Kerry "messianic" just days before he is due to visit the country. "The remarks of the Defense Minister if accurate are offensive and inappropriate especially given all that the United States is doing to support Israel's security needs," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement. Moshe Yaalon, Israel's defense minister, was quoted by the Yediot Aharonot newspaper on Tuesday as saying that the only thing that could "save" Israel was for Kerry to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and "leave us alone." "Secretary of State John Kerry came here very determined and operates based upon an unfathomable obsession and a messianic feeling," Yaalon was quoted as saying. "Throughout the recent months, there is no negotiation between us and the Palestinians, but rather, between us and the Americans. The only thing that can 'save' us is that John Kerry will get a Nobel Peace Prize and leave us alone." The state department's stinging response added that questioning Kerry's motives and distorting his proposals were "not something we would expect from the Defense Minister of a close ally." The United States is seeking to broker an agreement on a "two-state solution" in which Israel would exist peacefully alongside a new Palestinian state. Kerry wants the sides to agree to a framework for an interim accord ahead of a deal in April, which would launch another year of talks aimed at a full-blown peace treaty. A framework would touch on all the main issues, including security, the future of Jerusalem and the fate of refugees. The Palestinians see the Jewish settlements as an obstacle to achieving a viable state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Most countries consider Israel's settlements there illegal. Yaalon also told Yediot Aharonot that the latest U.S. peace plan for the region was "not worth the paper it was written on" because it contained "neither security nor peace." "I live and breathe the conflict with the Palestinians," he said. "I know what they think, what they want and what they really mean." Kerry is expected to return to Israel within days as part of his peace push. Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz told Israel Army Radio that he agreed with the contents of Yaalon's interview, but added that despite disagreements there was no need to resort to personal insults. http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/14/22298718-israeli-minister-brands-john-kerry-messianic-us-calls-remark-offensive?lite?ocid=twitter Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 16, 2014, 11:04:29 am http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Report-Netanyahu-in-Jordan-for-talks-with-King-Abdullah-338385
Netanyahu visits Jordan for talks with King Abdullah By HERB KEINON/REUTERS 01/16/2014 11:57 Leaders discuss peace talks; Army Radio reports PM told Kerry Israel intends on keeping Beit El settlement bloc in peace deal. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held an unannounced meeting in Amman with Jordan's King Abdullah II on Thursday. The meeting focused on the current Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. In a statement released upon Netanyahu's return to Israel, he stressed the important role played by Jordan, under King Abdullah's leadership, in the efforts to bring about an agreement. He also emphasized that Israel places a premium on security arrangements, including Jordan's interests, in any future agreement that will take into consideration the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel, signed 20 years ago. Additionally, the two leaders discussed an array of economic cooperation between both countries in a number of fields as well as other regional matters. Netanyahu has on a number of occasions paid unannounced visits to Jordan to meet with Abdullah since becoming prime minister again in 2009. The newest diplomatic mission comes amid an Army Radio report Thursday that Netanyahu is insisting on keeping the Beit El settlement bloc as a part of ongoing peace negotiations with the Palestinians. Army Radio quoted a source familiar with the negotiations as saying Netanyahu, in his talks with Kerry, cited a biblical connection to the Beit El area, noting its depiction in the Book of Genesis as the place where Jacob dreamt about a ladder to heaven. Netanyahu's spokesman declined to comment on the report . That would leave 13 percent of the West Bank in Israeli hands, according to Army Radio. There was no immediate comment from Abbas. Netanyahu has also offered to buy some of the settlement land from the Palestinians, according to the report, but they rejected such a deal. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 17, 2014, 07:12:02 am Israel PM slams EU 'hypocrisy' on settlements
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the European Union Thursday for calling in ambassadors over plans for some 1,800 new homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu's angry remarks come hot on the heels of a public spat between his defence minister and US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is energetically pushing Israel and the Palestinians toward a framework for a peace agreement. http://news.yahoo.com/israel-pm-slams-eu-39-hypocrisy-39-settlements-191621937.html Report: Netanyahu Supports Liberman Land Swap Plan Binyamin Netanyahu supports Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman's land swap plan, according to a Maariv report Friday. The swap, which Israel reportedly offered the US in talks in December, refers to the area known as the Triangle in east-central Israel. The area includes the cities of Tayibe and Tira, in which about 300,000 Arabs live. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/176416#.Utkmb_tUjlc Defense minister rises as U.S.-Israel relations plunge Moshe Ya’alon spoke insultingly off the record about Secretary of State John Kerry, and Prime Minister Netanyahu was in no hurry to come to the aid of his defense minister. http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/.premium-1.569080 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 17, 2014, 07:15:42 am 13,000 teens complete Hamas training camps to emulate ‘suicide martyrs’
The Hamas government in Gaza celebrated the graduation on Monday of paramilitary camps geared at training high-school children “to follow in the footsteps of the suicide martyrs.” The camps, titled “the pioneers of liberation,” are run by Hamas’s ministries of education and interior. Some 13,000 students in grades 10-12 participated in the one-week training camps this year... http://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-paramilitary-camps-prepare-teens-for-martyrdom/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 19, 2014, 11:04:33 am Hamas: Israel To Disappear From World
Israel will be gone in eight years, according to one Hamas official. Fathi Hamad, Hamas's Interior Minister, claimed in a speech honoring the anniversary of Operation Cast Lead that "Palestine" would replace the Jewish State by 2022. Hamad noted in his speech that the Palestinian Arabs, according to Islamic prophecies, will enter the Al Aqsa Mosque "in jubilation and victory like they entered it the first time". He said that Israel has failed in previous wars waged against the Palestinians, while the Palestinians are progressing nationally towards the stage where they are capable of conquering Jerusalem. After the "liberation" of Al-Aqsa Mosque, said Hamad, the "Hittin" system will prevail. That statement refers to he means by which Saladin conquered the Land of Israel against the Crusaders, in particular during the Battle of Hittin/Hattin... http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/176244#.UtqWARDnaUn Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 26, 2014, 02:54:49 pm US Threatens Israel At World Economic Forum: Says Accept Negotiated End-Times Peace Deal Or Cease To Be A Democratic Jewish State
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday that if Israeli-Palestinian negotiations fail, Israel's future as a democratic Jewish state is at stake. "If talks fail, for Israel, the demographic dynamic will make it impossible to preserve its future as a democratic Jewish state," Kerry said during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Kerry said that today's status quo cannot last forever, and that a failure to make peace will lead to a deteriorating security environment and growing isolation that can put economic prosperity at risk. Kerry added: "We don’t want an interim agreement – but … a final status agreement where... http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.570411 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on January 27, 2014, 02:53:28 am Quote If talks fail, for Israel, the demographic dynamic will make it impossible to preserve its future as a democratic Jewish state...will lead to a deteriorating security environment and growing isolation that can put economic prosperity at risk... Yep, that sounds like a threat to me. (keeping in mind that Kerry is married to an "old money" globalist, Teresa Heinz. But the Kerry family has some major wealth too through the Forbes/Winthrop family) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerry) Quote John Forbes Kerry was born on December 11, 1943 in Aurora, Colorado, at Fitzsimons Army Hospital to Foreign Service Officer/attorney Richard John Kerry (1915–2000) and World War II nurse Rosemary Isabel Forbes (1913–2002) of the Forbes family and Dudley–Winthrop family. Rosemary was born in Paris, France, to American parents. Kerry has two sisters, Diana (born in 1947) and Margaret (aka Peggy; born in 1941), and a brother, Cameron (born in 1950). Cameron Kerry is the General Counsel of the US Department of Commerce.[1] His father was a member of the Army Air Corps at the time.[2]... ...One of Kerry's maternal great-great-grandfathers was Robert Charles Winthrop, the 22nd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony John Winthrop is a direct Kerry forebear.[56] Kerry is also a descendant of other prominent American colonial ancestors, including Thomas Cornell (settler) and Joris/George Woolsey.[57] He is also a descendant of Thomas Dudley through his maternal grandmother Margaret Winthrop. Kerry was raised as a Roman Catholic by his Catholic father and Episcopalian mother.[58] As a child, Kerry served as an altar boy. Although the extended family enjoyed a great fortune, Kerry's parents themselves were upper-middle class; a wealthy great aunt paid for Kerry to attend elite schools in Europe and New England. Kerry spent his summers at the Forbes family estate in Brittany, and there, he enjoyed a more opulent lifestyle than he had previously known in Massachusetts.[citation needed] It was discovered in 2003 by Felix Gundacker, a genealogist[59] working with The Boston Globe, that Kerry's paternal grandparents, who had been born Jewish, as "Fritz Kohn" and "Ida Lowe", in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, changed their names to "Frederick and Ida Kerry" from "Kohn" in 1900 and converted from Judaism to Roman Catholicism in 1901[60][61] or 1902.[62] Fritz' elder brother Otto had earlier, in 1887[61] or 1896,[59] also embraced Catholicism. The "Kerry" name, widely misinterpreted as indicative of Irish heritage, was reputedly selected arbitrarily: "According to family legend, Fritz and another family member opened an atlas at random and dropped a pencil on a map. It fell on County Kerry in Ireland, and thus a name was chosen."[60][62] Leaving their hometown Mödling, a suburb of Vienna where they had lived since 1896, Fred and Ida, together with their son Eric, emigrated to the United States in 1905, living at first in Chicago and eventually moving to Brookline, Massachusetts, by 1915... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary_Forbes_Kerry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary_Forbes_Kerry) Quote Rosemary was also the mother of another son, Cameron, who is General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and was formerly a Boston lawyer, an adjunct law professor at Suffolk Law School and a convert to Judaism; and two daughters, Diana and Margaret Peggy So John's brother is a convert to Judaism, eh? Bet that makes things a bit testy these days in the Kerry household. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 27, 2014, 10:28:53 am Ultimately, the wealthy "elite" seem to be closely connected to each other. Even worse, the modern-day "churches" think yoking up with them is some good idea.
James 2:1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. Jas 2:2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; Jas 2:3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Jas 2:4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Jas 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? Jas 2:6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Jas 2:7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 27, 2014, 03:34:36 pm http://news.yahoo.com/netanyahu-settlement-stand-draws-fire-sides-152752102.html
Netanyahu settlement stand draws fire from all sides 1/27/14 Jerusalem (AFP) - Comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the World Economic Forum make it clear he is against the establishment of a Palestinian state, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat has said. "Anyone who says they want the settlers to remain is actually saying they don't want the establishment of a Palestinian state," Erakat said in remarks published Monday in Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam. Erakat was reacting to comments by Netanyahu at last week's WEF gathering in Davos, where the premier insisted Israel would not evacuate Jewish settlements built on occupied land the Palestinians want for their future state. Netanyahu has publicly supported the two-state solution during US-sponsored talks which envisage the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a final peace agreement. But at Davos, the premier told Israeli journalists at a briefing, "I have said before and I say again; I do not intend to dismantle any settlement, I don't intend to uproot any Israeli." His comments were broadcast on public radio. Israel's settlements, which are illegal under international law, are a key sticking point that is preventing peace talks from making any visible progress. Some Israeli media said that Netanyahu was speaking in response to a question specifically about the Jordan Valley, the part of the occupied West Bank bordering Jordan. Israel insists on maintaining a long-term military presence in the Jordan Valley as a buffer against attacks on the Jewish state, while the Palestinians want an international security force deployed there for their own security. But angry Israeli hardliners on Monday linked Netanyahu's Davos comments to a report by an international news agency that the premier is floating the idea of existing settlements being leased from the Palestinians in a future Palestinian state. "We do not leave settlers behind enemy lines," deputy defence minister Danny Danon, a hawkish member of Netanyahu's own Likud party, told army radio. "It's an idea of leaving Jews, abandoning Jews to the control of the Palestinians," deputy foreign minister Zeev Elkin, also of Likud, told the station. "It's a red line, contrary to the beliefs of the national camp, the beliefs of the Likud," he said. Settler leader Dani Danon told AFP that the concept of settlements no longer being under Israeli sovereignty was a "political, security and Zionist aberration." Veteran political analyst Shimon Shiffer said that the news agency report, which Netanyahu's office neither confirms nor denies, was a deliberate attempt to draw a hostile response from the Palestinians, painting them as rejecting peace. "Netanyahu... is trying to push the settlers into a corner and challenge the Palestinian side, knowing that the latter will reply with a resounding negative," he wrote in the top-selling Yediot Aharonot newspaper. Maariv's Shalom Yerushalmi suggested that the premier was playing for time. "The settlements will certainly be removed, but the prime minister will not be the one to remove them," he wrote. "This will be a gradual process in any case, and by the time we reach the removal of the settlements Netanyahu will no longer be there." Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 29, 2014, 11:01:58 am http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/The-Kerry-Plan-Palestinian-capital-in-east-J-lem-recognition-of-Jewish-state-339704
Bennett: Jews in ‘Palestine’ would be killed Despite rebuke from PM’s office, senior minister rails against proposal to leave Israelis under PA rule, floats annexation plan 1/28/14 Palestinians would kill Jewish Israelis left under their rule, Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday, continuing a campaign against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ostensible willingness to leave Israeli settlers under Palestinian rule under a future peace agreement. Bennett also outlined his own plan for the West Bank — which he has largely been mum about since joining Netanyahu’s government — under which Israel would annex most of the territories. “Do you know why? Why Jews cannot live under Palestinian rule? Do you know why? Why Palestinians can’t rule over Jews?” Bennett said in an address at the Institute for National Security Studies Conference, reiterating a point he’d made on Facebook earlier in the day. “Because they will kill them. And do you know how I know this? Because it has already happened.” Bennett went on to recount in gory detail some of the events of the 1929 massacre in Hebron, in which 67 Jews were killed during Arab riots, and of the year 2000 lynching in Ramallah of two off-duty IDF soldiers who had sought refuge in a Palestinian police station. He warned ominously that, “Our forefathers and our descendants will not forgive an Israeli leader who gives up our country and divides our capital,” and spoke out against giving up any of the settlements in a peace agreement, before going on to present the central aspects of his own proposal, under which Israel would annex most of the West Bank. “We would extend our sovereignty over the Jewish parts of [West Bank], where 400,000 Israelis live and just 70,000 Palestinians,” said Bennett, who heads the Orthodox-nationalist Jewish Home party. “We would offer the Palestinians [in those areas] citizenship. I am not afraid of this because we are not Palestinian slaughterers. This will not harm our demographics in the rest of [Israel].” Israel should not care if the world did not officially recognize that annexed territory, he went on; the world didn’t recognize israeli sovereignty at the Western Wall, he noted. I the end, what the world respects is power, and “if we are strong the world will respect us; if we are weak, then we’ve seen what happens,” he said, referring to the situation near the Gaza border, where Israeli towns take frequent rocket fire after 2005′s unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the Strip. Bennett also cited figures to bolster a claim that demographics were working in Israel’s favor, and argued that to cite the demographic challenge was a fallacious excuse for giving up the settlements as part of a peace deal with the Palestinians. As of today, he said, the Jewish population is growing faster than the Palestinian population – 3.04 children per Jewish family compared to 2.91 per Palestinian family. He did not cite the source of those statistics. “The demographic clock is working in Israel’s favor,” he said. “[But] the establishment of a Palestinian state will flood Israel with refugees,” he said, presumably creating an actual demographic challenge. An official in the Prime Minister’s Office, elaborating on a statement Netanyahu made in Switzerland Friday, told The Times of Israel on Sunday that the prime minister does not intend to uproot Jewish settlements anywhere in the West Bank as part of a permanent peace deal with the Palestinians, and wants to allow settlers the choice of remaining under Palestinian rule. The comment elicited a flurry of criticism from right-wing politicians, including Bennett and many members of the prime minister’s own Likud party. In his INSS speech, Bennett urged that the idea of settlers-in-Palestine be dropped. Bennett had similarly issued a call on Sunday night to Netanyahu to abandon the idea, and said the prime minister’s position suggested “ethical insanity.” “Never,” Bennett posted on his Facebook page. “We did not return to the land of Israel after 2,000 years of longing in order to live under the government of [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud Abbas. Whoever advocates for the idea of Jewish life in Israel under Palestinian rule is undermining our ability to sit in Tel Aviv.” An unnamed PMO official told Israel Radio on Monday that Likud MKs who spoke out against Netanyahu’s proposal were welcome to relinquish their posts. Another official took Bennett to task for behaving in a “nationally irresponsible” manner for the sake of making headlines, and hindering the prime minister’s effort “to reveal the true face of the Palestinian Authority” as an unwilling peace partner. The proposal was roundly dismissed by the Palestinian Authority, prompting a sharp condemnation from the PMO. “Nothing shows the Palestinian Authority’s unwillingness to reach an accord with Israel more than their extreme and reckless reaction to an unofficial report,” Netanyahu’s office said late Sunday. “An accord will only be reached when the Palestinians recognize the Jewish state and when the essential interests to the security of Israeli citizens are guaranteed.” In the wake of that exchange, Israel’s chief negotiator, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, implied that, rather than pursue a peace agreement in earnest, some Israeli officials have been baiting the Palestinians so as to elicit responses that could be construed as rejectionist. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 29, 2014, 11:06:57 am The 'Kerry Plan': Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem, recognition of Jewish state
By JPOST.COM STAFF 01/29/2014 10:13 Thomas Friedman reveals "Kerry Plan," says Israel to compensate Palestinians for settlements kept, deal could cause Netanyahu to lose coalition. The "Kerry Plan" is likely to be unveiled soon, Thomas Friedman of The New York Times wrote on Tuesday in a column titled "Why Kerry is Scary." The “Kerry Plan,” writes Friedman, is expected to "call for an end to the conflict and all claims, following a phased Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank (based on the 1967 lines)." Friedman also said that there will be "unprecedented security arrangements in the strategic Jordan Valley." According to Friedman, some settlements will remain under Israeli control and Israel will "compensate" Palestinians for the land. The plan will set east Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital. It will also demand that Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state. The plan, Friedman continues, will not include any right of return for Palestinian refugees into Israel. Friedman also claims that if Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is to agree to the terms of the "Kerry Plan," his coalition will collapse and Netanyahu will face many challenges. Last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Kerry said during a speech that the US remained committed to the Israeli Palestinian peace process but that at end of the day it is up to the Israelis and the Palestinians to reach an agreement on how to end the conflict. The US Secretary of State met with Netanyahu at the conference in a closed-door meeting. Kerry said in his speech that if the peace talks fail, the Palestinians risk losing their last chance for an independent state. He said for Israel, failure would mean that demographics would not allow Israel to remain a democratic and Jewish state. Kerry stressed that the continuation of the status quo between the Israelis and Palestinians was not possible and that failure of the talks would empower extremists. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on January 30, 2014, 07:36:17 am Knesset member implies Kerry guided by anti-Semitism
Moti Yogev says top US diplomat has ‘anti-Israel foundations,’ pressure on Israel has undertones of Jew-hatred A Jewish Home party MK insinuated on Thursday morning that US Secretary of State John Kerry was at least partially motivated by anti-Semitism in his efforts to forge a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. “The prime minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) is maneuvering under the obsessive and unprofessional pressures that might also bear an undertone of anti-Semitism on Kerry’s part,” MK Moti Yogev told Israel Radio. “He has an anti-Israel foundation in that he does not come to compromise, but instead comes with unequivocal answers about shrinking the Land of Israel and establishing a Palestinian state,” Yogev added. “The members of my faction also think that he is not a fair broker and he is not fit to mediate here because his positions are predetermined.” Yogev also lambasted Netanyahu in the interview, saying that “there is no circus performer like the prime minister in his maneuverings.” Earlier in January, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon was quoted as making scathing statements about Kerry’s involvement in the peace negotiations, calling him “obsessive” and “messianic,” and describing his West Bank security proposals as worthless. The comments elicited outrage from Washington that led to an apology from the defense minister. Yogev’s comments on Thursday came amid a public spat between Netanyahu and Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett, revolving around Bennett’s reaction to a statement by an official close to Netanyahu – first reported by The Times of Israel – to the effect that the prime minister was insisting that West Bank settlers be given the choice to remain in their homes under Palestinian rule. Read more: Knesset member implies Kerry guided by anti-Semitism | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-home-mk-implies-kerry-guided-by-anti-semitism/#ixzz2rtA23WoT Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on February 02, 2014, 05:53:57 pm John Kerry Faces New Criticism in Israel After Invoking Boycott Threats to Jewish State
Secretary of State John Kerry is facing new criticism in Israel for invoking threatened boycotts of Israel as a key reason the Israeli government should agree to a framework peace agreement with the Palestinians. One government minister called Kerry’s statement “offensive.” At the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Kerry said, “[Y]ou see for Israel there’s an increasing de-legitimization campaign that has been building up. People are very sensitive to it. There are talk of boycotts and other kinds of things. Are we all going to be better with all of that?” Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz on Sunday morning said Israel cannot be pressured to negotiate with “a gun against its head” and that Kerry’s remarks were “offensive and unacceptable.” Economy Minister Naftali Bennett of the right-wing Jewish Home party had a message for “all of the advice givers.” “Never has a nation abandoned their land because of economic threats. We are no different,” Bennett wrote on Facebook in response to Kerry’s comments. “Only security will ensure economic stability. Not a terrorist state next to Ben Gurion Airport.” “We expect our friends around the world to stand beside us, against anti-Semitic boycott efforts targeting Israel, and not for them to be their amplifier,” Bennett added. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu weighed in on the boycott threats, primarily from Europe, during his weekly cabinet meeting, though he did not directly criticize Kerry. According to a transcript of his remarks posted on the prime minister’s website, Netanyahu called attempts to boycott Israel “immoral and unjust.” “They will not achieve their goal,” Netanyahu said. “First, they cause the Palestinians to adhere to their intransigent positions and thus push peace further away. Second, no pressure will cause me to concede the vital interests of the State of Israel, especially the security of Israel’s citizens.” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki released a statement on Sunday in response to the Israeli criticism, insisting that Kerry does not support an economic boycott of Israel. “Secretary Kerry has a proud record of over three decades of steadfast support for Israel’s security and well-being, including staunch opposition to boycotts,” she said. “Just last year while briefing Foreign Ministers at an EU conference in Vilnius on peacemaking efforts, he urged them to refrain from these measures.” “Secretary Kerry has always expected opposition and difficult moments in the process, but he also expects all parties to accurately portray his record and statements,” Psaki added. At the conference, Kerry also said of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, “…today’s status quo absolutely, to a certainty, I promise you 100 percent, cannot be maintained. It’s not sustainable. It’s illusionary. There’s a momentary prosperity, there’s a momentary peace.” While members of Likud and other right-wing parties reacted bitterly to Kerry’s remarks, the secretary of state received support from left-wing Israeli lawmakers. Member of Knesset Nachman Shai of the Labor party said, “Israel is facing an economic tsunami …. The boycotts against us have crossed the point of no return. This nightmare is coming true as we speak and this dense government refuses to see it.” Zehava Gal-On who heads the left-wing party Meretz warned that Israel “might soon find itself isolated and ostracized, like Cuba and South Africa.” The latest criticism of the secretary of state follows Israeli Defense Minister Moshe (Bogie) Ya’alon earlier this month being quoted by an Israeli newspaper calling Kerry “obsessed” and “messianic” in his quest to secure a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. Kerry appeared to address that as well on Saturday. “I don’t think we’re being quixotic and un – I’m a little surprised by some of the articles that tend to write about an obsession or a fanatical effort to try to achieve this, et cetera,” Kerry said according to a State Department transcript. “We’re just working hard. We’re working hard because the consequences of failure are unacceptable.” http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/02/02/john-kerry-faces-new-criticism-in-israel-after-invoking-boycott-threats-to-jewish-state/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on February 05, 2014, 06:52:49 am seems others are hoping on Kerry's message
EU: Israel will Face ‘Increasing Isolation’ if Talks Fail EU Ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen threatened Israel Monday over the outcome of peace talks. “There is a risk that you will face increasing isolation [if talks fail],” Faaborg- Andersen said, in a statement to Channel 2. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/177055#.UvBtQPldXUU Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 05, 2014, 10:25:32 am Quote seems others are hoping on Kerry's message They don't call America the 'great satan' for nothing. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on February 06, 2014, 05:17:11 am Rabbis to Kerry: Cease mediation or face divine retribution
Rabbis calling themselves Committee to Save the Land and People of Israel write secretary of state warning that his actions were 'a declaration of war against the Creator and Ruler of the universe.' A group of rabbis warned U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to cease his pursuit of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians or face divine retribution in a letter sent by them Sunday. The group, calling itself "The Committee to Save the Land and People of Israel," wrote that Kerry's "incessant efforts to expropriate integral parts of our Holy Land and hand them over to Abbas’s terrorist gang, amount to a declaration of war against the Creator and Ruler of the universe!" The group claimed that the plan, by placing them in the line of missile fire, would imperil six million Jews, adding in brackets "remember that number from somewhere?" The letter went on to warn that if Kerry went through with his plans he would win himself "everlasting disgrace in Jewish history for bringing calamity upon the Jewish people," joining the likes of Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II and Roman emperor Titus. The rabbis warned Kerry that like these monarchs and Haman, the villain of the Book of Esther, he will suffer divine retribution for his affront to God's chosen people. The letter ends with a quote from Isaiah 9:5 "Conspire a plan and it will be frustrated; talk the talk and it will not be fulfilled, for God is with us." The signatories of the letter, emeritus head of Haifa Rabbinic Court Gedalya Axelrod, Temple Institute chairman Yisrael Ariel, Migdal Haemek rabbi Ben Tziyon Grossman, Institute for Complete Code of Maimonides dean Shalom Dov Wolpo and Yeshiva of Kiryat Shmuel dean Yigal Pizam, claim they represent other rabbis who are also members of the Committee to Save the Land and People of Israel and "hundreds of other Rabbis in Israel and around the world." http://www.haaretz.com/mobile/.premium-1.572521?v=87631FF23C0D7E328C4D3F8ED0B43A73 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on February 06, 2014, 09:19:33 am Kerry to Israeli critics: I’ve been ‘attacked before by people using real bullets’
:o This moron needs to go John Kerry invoked his Vietnam War service to push back against an Israeli cabinet member who criticized his recent comments on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. During a security conference in Munich last weekend, Kerry suggested that if his Israeli-Palestinian peace effort fails, there could be serious consequences for Israel. “For Israel there is an increasing delegitimizing campaign that has been building up,” Kerry said, without condemning the effort. “People are very sensitive to it. There are talks of boycotts and other kinds of things.” In response, Israel’s economy minister Naftali Bennett harshly criticized Kerry’s failure to speak out against the delegitimization campaign at the conference. “We expect our friends around the world to stand beside us, against anti-Semitic boycott efforts targeting Israel, and not for them to be their trumpet,” he said in a statement. CNN’s Jake Tapper presented Kerry with an opportunity to respond to Bennett and other Israeli critics during an interview Wednesday. “My comments need to be properly represented, not distorted. I did not do anything except cite what other people are talking about as a problem,” Kerry said. ”But I also have always opposed boycotts. I have 100 percent voting record in support of Israel for 29 years in the United States Senate. Unfortunately, there are some people in Israel and in Palestine and in the Arab World and around the world that don’t support the peace process.” “Israel needs to understand we will always stand by its security needs,” he continued. “But no one should distort what we’re doing or saying because they’re opposed to the peace process or don’t like two states or whatever. And, you know, words — I have to tell you, my friend, I’ve been, quote, attacked before by people using real bullets, not words, and I am not going to be intimidated. I am not going to stand down with respect to President Obama’s commitment to trying to find peace in the Middle East.” Kerry famously served in the Vietnam War. As for Bennett, he served in Israel’s elite special forces unit, Sayeret Matkal. Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2014/02/05/kerry-to-israeli-critics-ive-been-attacked-before-by-people-using-real-bullets/#ixzz2sYVkV26V Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on February 06, 2014, 01:19:29 pm Quote “For Israel there is an increasing delegitimizing campaign that has been building up,” Kerry said, without condemning the effort. “People are very sensitive to it. There are talks of boycotts and other kinds of things.” That reads as a not so subtle threat. Quote During a security conference in Munich last weekend, Kerry suggested that if his Israeli-Palestinian peace effort fails, there could be serious consequences for Israel. And that is not just a threat, but consider where he made it! Munich, Germany. Two events should come to mind for the older people; WW2 and the Munich Olympics. Seems to me this guy is no friend of Israel. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Kilika on February 06, 2014, 04:06:41 pm Didn't see this in previous articles about his comments from Germany...WOW!
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/02/06/israeli-widow-blasts-insensitive-kerry-claim-no-israeli-murders/?intcmp=latestnews (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/02/06/israeli-widow-blasts-insensitive-kerry-claim-no-israeli-murders/?intcmp=latestnews) Quote Israeli widow blasts ‘insensitive’ Kerry claim of no murders By Adam Kredo Published February 06, 2014 Washington Free Beacon Israeli victims of terrorism lashed out at Secretary of State John Kerry for his "insensitivity" after he inaccurately claimed "not one Israeli was killed by a Palestinian from the West Bank" in a recent speech. During a controversial speech over the weekend in Germany, Kerry threatened Israel with economic boycotts and claimed that the Jewish state is enjoying a respite from Palestinian terrorism. "There's a momentary prosperity, there's a momentary peace," Kerry said. "Last year, not one Israeli was killed by a Palestinian from the West Bank." However, this is untrue. At least five Israelis were murdered by West Bank Palestinians in 2013. Evyatar Borovsky is one of those victims. He was stabbed to death 10 months ago while hitchhiking in the West Bank. He left behind his wife, Tsofia, and five children. "It's a feeling of carelessness and neglecting actual Israeli needs," Tsofia Borovsky told the Free Beacon on Tuesday when asked about Kerry's remarks. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 06, 2014, 04:11:07 pm Quote "There's a momentary prosperity, there's a momentary peace," Kerry said. "Last year, not one Israeli was killed by a Palestinian from the West Bank." However, this is untrue. At least five Israelis were murdered by West Bank Palestinians in 2013. At least 5? Would think it would be even more than that! But yeah...WOW! I doubt this was a "mistake" on his part(for whatever excuse he chooses to come up with, that is). Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on February 10, 2014, 06:33:05 am New York Times Says Third Intifada To Delegitimize Israel Is Now Underway
Israel is facing a third intifada, influential New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman says. "Being here, it’s obvious that a Third Intifada is underway. It’s the one that Israel always feared most — not an intifada with stones or suicide bombers, but one propelled by nonviolent resistance and economic boycott." Friedman contends that the leaders of this uprising are not even Palestinians, saying that this intifada is led "by the European Union in Brussels and other opponents of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank across the globe. Regardless of origin, though, it’s becoming a real source of leverage for the Palestinians in their negotiations with Israel." The Times columnist points out that US Secretary of State John Kerry already made this threat when he recently warned that a campaign to boycott and delegitimize Israel will gain momentum if peace talks fail. http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/NYTs-Thomas-Friedman-Third-intifada-is-already-underway-340402 Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 10, 2014, 11:42:37 am Quote but one propelled by nonviolent resistance and economic boycott Yes, the same thing they've been doing to churches in America since the 50's - threatening to take their bowl of pottage away(and then end up bribing them with more bowls of pottage) - which is why 99% of churches in America has been so corrupt. We'll see how this turns out, but wouldn't surprise me that this could be an effective scheme to get Israel to compromise, and ultimately usher in the Daniel 9:27 prophecy. Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Mark on February 11, 2014, 05:56:17 am ‘Kerry fails to get Obama backing to confront Israel on peace terms’
John Kerry sought but failed to get backing from President Barack Obama to confront Israel over its objections to his peace proposals, and therefore his bid to try impose terms for peace on Israel and the Palestinians has “pretty much collapsed,” an Israeli TV report claimed on Sunday night. http://www.timesofisrael.com/kerry-fails-to-get-obama-backing-to-confront-israel-on-peace-terms/ Title: Re: UN chief: End occupation, divide Jerusalem Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 11, 2014, 11:58:26 am http://debka.com/article/23668/ Netanyahu accepts Kerry’s “framework” in principle, seeks publication delayed to Knesset recess DEBKAfile Exclusive Report February 11, 2014, 9:23 AM (IST) Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has informed the White House in Washington and US Secretary of State John Kerry of his acceptance in principle of the US framework document - subject to the reservations he has raised with US Special Envoy Martin Indyk, debkafile’s exclusive Washington sources report. This step was followed by news that the prime minister would call on President Barack Obama in the first week of March during his next visit to Washington. It was also the background to Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer’s defense of the US Secretary in an interview published in TIME Magazine Tuesday, Feb. 11. Kerry’s comment about boycott and international isolation hanging over Israel if his peace mission failed was denounced in Jerusalem as attempted intimidation. However, Dermer let him off the hook by saying: “I think he was making a descriptive statement. I don’t think he was doing it in order to pressure Israel.” By overstating the ambassador’s role as “Bibi’s brain,” TIME was hinting that Dermer’s comment represented the prime minister’s current thinking on the incident. In the exchanges leading up to the Obama-Netanyahu meeting, the prime minister’s office and Israel embassy have asked the White House and State Department to delay publication of the Kerry document to mid-April during the Knesset’s Passover recess. This will help Netanyahu to stay clear of the rowdy debates and heated special sessions he expects to erupt over his acceptance of the paper. The Secretary of State may therefore add a few weeks to the three-way negotiating time table and release his framework accord at the end of April or early May. A high-ranking US official told debkafile: “We all know that the die is cast in Jerusalem and that Netanyahu has accepted Kerry’s guidelines. They are now working on the reservations he needs to submit for his government coalition to survive the expected storm of protest and resistance and for the talks with the Palestinians to carry on. Netanyahu will also try presenting the Kerry paper to the public as an American proposal which is not binding either on Israel or the Palestinians, except for the attached reservations. US officials au fait with such processes predict that those reservations will eventually find their way to the dustbin. In 2004, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon appended 16 reservations to President George W. Bush’s letter defining the American position on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. In that letter, Bush omitted recognition of the “right of return” for the 1948 Palestinian refugees, and tangentially acknowledge |