Freedom Or Provocation In Umm Al-Fahm?

Wednesday morning in Umm Al-Fahm, which is the second largest Arab city in the country and the center of the Islamic Movement, the extremist right-wing party, Baruch Marzel, held a protest march.

To set the stage...

Baruch Marzel to march in Umm al-Fahm

Our Land of Israel group to hold protest rally in northern city against police 'servility' towards Islamic Movement. Clashes expected as last year

...About three months ago the High Court approved the demonstration despite police claims, based on past experience and intelligence information, that the demonstration would likely end in public disorder. [...]

The demonstration is to be held after the holidays, and organizers have chosen the day after the memorial day for Rabbi Meir Kahane...

“Nothing is more symbolic than the fact that one day after the twentieth anniversary of his murder, Rabbi Kahane’s followers will arrive to continue his struggle against the Arab enemy in the Islamic Movement,” said Marzel. “It is our right to march and demand that the obsequiousness towards this terror movement be stopped. We demand that (leader of the Islamic Movement’s northern branch, Sheikh) Raed Salah and his partners be made illegal. They made Kach illegal, so the Islamic Movement should be even more so."

The Guardian has a great photo montage of the event...

Israeli Arab and Jewish protesters clash in Umm Al-Fahm

Clashes broke out after extreme right-wing Jewish protesters marched through the outskirts of Umm Al-Fahm in Israel. The march commemorated the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane in New York. Hundreds of Israeli Arabs began throwing stones and police, who had been supervising the march, responded with tear gas, stun grenades and arrests

As the Jpost had reported...

Police use stun grenades to disperse Umm el-Fahm protest

...Police released stun grenades and tear gas into the street in order to scatter Arab residents demonstrating in the area where the right-wing activists are supposed to march. [...]


National Union MK and Kahane disciple Michael Ben Ari announced on the way to the march that there are terrorists in Umm al Fahm.

"I warned, and no one listened to me!" Ben Ari said. "I turn to the prime minister and say: There is no reason that the Islamic Movement should be allowed to exist in Israel. In Egypt, it's illegal. In Jordan, they're not allowed to have any influence."

Ben Ari continued: "There is no reason we should be a stupid democracy and let people who want to destroy us have a voice."

After nearly half an hour of rock-throwing and tire-burning, police ran and rode horses into the streets of Umm al Fahm, continuing to shoot stun grenades and tear gas, and dragged away the offenders, as the right-wing activists approached the town.

Police arrested several suspects, and reported no injuries. MK Hanin Zoabi said she was injured by tear gas, and accused the police of using extensive force, Israel Radio reported.

"There is a large police presence in and around for this morning's gathering by right-wing activists," Israel Police spokesman Chief Inspector Micky Rosenfeld told The Jerusalem Post earlier Wednesday. "We are hoping things will be quiet and without any disturbances."

As Al Jazeera had reported...

...Violent clashes have broken out between Palestinian-Israelis and Israeli police in response to a demonstration by members of a right-wing Jewish group in the town of Umm al-Fahm in northern Israel.

Israeli police fired tear gas at a crowd of Palestinian-Israelis who had gathered to protest against the march by about 70 Our Land of Israel supporters through the mainly Arab town.


The Jewish protesters were calling for the Islamic Movement of Israel, led by Sheikh Raed Salah, to be made illegal. [...]


The police responded with tear gas and baton charges, Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros reported.

"Certainly police were expecting this kind of violence and it has manifested itself," she said.

Fifteen of the Palestinian demonstrators were injured, two of them members of the Knesset.

No Our Land of Israel protesters were arrested, but ten from the Palestinian side were.

Plainclothes Israeli police officers were seen amongst the Palestinian protesters with handguns firing shots.

Protesters have said that they believe live ammunition was used, a charge which Israeli police deny.

Micky Rosenfeld, a spokesperson for the Israeli police, told Al Jazeera their level of response "did not involve live fire or rubber bullets".

"Soft balls were used, which in fact only cause minimum amount of damage and no one was injured seriously, in terms of those causing the riots," he said.
"

Now, the PIC reports on this interesting development...

Israeli policemen fired stun and tear gas grenades at the angry Palestinians who tried to confront the settlers, and physically attacked them which led to injuries and suffocation cases among the protesters including Arab Knesset member Hanin Zoabi.

The clashes erupted after more than 30 right-wing settlers traveled in buses from occupied Jerusalem to Umm al-Fahm this morning, led by far-right activists Baruch Marzel and Itamar Ben-Gvir, in order to hold a protest march calling for outlawing the Islamic Movement.

Eyewitness said that undercover agents who were throwing stones along with Umm Al-Fahm young men fired shots into the air to signal to the Israeli policemen to start their attack on the Palestinians. Those agents helped the policemen to arrest seven of the Palestinian protesters. [...]

Earlier before the arrival of the settler's buses, eyewitness reported that more than 1,500 Israeli policemen were deployed in Umm Al-Fahm and its environs to protect them after an Israeli court allowed them to march in the city.

Now, the head of the Israeli Police, MK Aharonovitch, backs the police's use of force in Umm al-Fahm...

Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch told the Knesset that the rightist march in Umm al-Fahm had been approved by the Supreme Court and coordinated with the police.

"Gunpowder was already laid out on the city's grounds and police officers did their utmost to maintain order. Sometimes the price of preserving democracy is use of force – these are rules applicable to every protest. I support the officers," he said.

You be the judge...

*gah*

Latest Israeli Fear: 'Anti-Israel Bishops Have Hijacked The Vatican'

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

Saturday's Haaretz carried this explosive report...

Vatican meeting demands Israel end occupation

Bishops also condemn all forms of terrorism and anti-Semitism in statement.

Bishops from the Middle East who were summoned by the pope to Rome have demanded that Israel accept U.N. resolutions calling for an end to its occupation of Arab lands.

In a final statement Saturday, the bishops also told Israel it shouldn't use the Bible to justify injustices against the Palestinians.

The bishops issued the statement at the close of their two-week meeting, called by Pope Benedict XVI to discuss the plight of Christians in the Middle East amid a major exodus of the faithful from the birthplace of Christianity.

On Sunday, Danny Ayalon, former Israeli ambassador to the US during Shrub's administration, unleashed this tirade...

Deputy FM: Anti-Israel bishops have hijacked the Vatican

Pope Benedict XVI and Middle East bishops demand that Israel accept U.N. resolutions calling for an end to its occupation of Arab lands.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Sunday that a meeting of Middle East bishops was hijacked by enemies of Israel, after the gathering at the Vatican largely blamed the state for conflict in the region.

In a communiqué at the end of their two-week meeting, the bishops demanded that Israel accept United Nations resolutions calling for an end to its occupation of Arab lands...

"We express our disappointment that this important synod has become a forum for political attacks on Israel in the best history of Arab propaganda," Ayalon said in a statement Sunday.

"The synod was hijacked by an anti-Israel majority," he said.

Damn it, Danny...! Why didn't you call the whole lot of 'em anti-semites already and be done with it...? Danny must be slacking...! He must know in his charcoal heart that the Pope is an anti-semite... After all, the Pope is a German, and, his hands are not exactly clean, in regards to the holocaust. *gah*

But I digress...

As the AP reported...

...The Mideast meeting at the Vatican involved about 185 participants, including nine patriarchs of the Mideast's ancient Christian churches and representatives from 13 other Christian communities. A rabbi and two Muslim clerics were invited to the meeting as well. [...]

"Peace is possible. Peace is urgent," Benedict said in his homily. "Peace is also the best remedy to avoid the emigration from the Middle East."

The pope also called freedom of religion "one of the fundamental human rights, which each state should always respect" and said the issue should be the subject of dialogue with Muslims. [...]

The Palestinians welcomed the synod's conclusions in a statement released by Saeb Erekat, a senior aide to the Palestinian leadership. "The international community must uphold its moral and legal responsibility to put a speedy end to the illegal Israel occupation," Erekat said.

Another smear recently floated by the Israelis...

Jimmy Carter "refused to meet" soldier's family

Radio Israel has reported that former US President Jimmy Carter rejected a request for a meeting with the family of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held by Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza. [...]

Sergeant Shalit's father, Noam, told Radio Israel that the ex-President said "he does not have time for this". His son's situation, he added, is "still the same - there's nothing new". Mr. Shalit is pessimistic, with Israeli and international efforts to free his son carrying on "but to no avail".

Hmmm... Why then did Haaretz recently report this...

Carter: Hamas eager to renew talks for Shalit's release

The Elders hold meetings with Hamas officials, discuss stalled negotiations for Shalit's release and Middle East peace talks.


Former American President Jimmy Carter said Thursday that Hamas was interested in renewing negotiations for a prisoner swap deal in exchange for captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit.

"They let us know... they are very eager to proceed," Carter told reporters in East Jerusalem several days after meeting Hamas officials in Syria.

Sounds like Carter wanted nothing to do with the Shalits', to me...!

One would think the paranoia needs to stop at some point...

Foreign Ministry drawing up options for Iran bomb threat

Policy options considered for "day after" Iran gains nukes; official: Teheran with bomb would be disaster, but we must be prepared for it.

...Revelations on Sunday of a Foreign Ministry team working on these contingency plans was the first admission that the government is giving serious thought to adjusting to a reality where Israel is no longer, according to foreign sources, the sole nuclear power in the region. [...]

In Israel, the government official said, the feeling is very much that Iran with a bomb would indeed be a disaster, with no positive side to it.

Nonetheless it is a disaster which Israel, even while trying to avert, must prepare for, the official said.

The Foreign and Defense ministries regularly draw up contingency plans for any number of unwanted scenarios.

The Foreign Ministry, for example, also has a team also preparing options to present to the septet, security cabinet and government if the Palestinian Authority carries out its threats to ask the UN General Assembly to recognize a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 lines.

*gah*

Debunking The 'Bomb, Bomb, Iran' Crew... Again!

That RT Youtube above is dated from August 10, 2010, Ray McGovern and VIPS had just released a Memorandum, in which they had raised the alarm about this Repugnant bill, HR 1553 (6 pg. PDF!), that was sent around to House members...

Expressing support for the State of Israel’s right to defend Israeli sovereignty, to protect the lives and safety of the Israeli people, and to use all means necessary to confront and eliminate nuclear threats posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the use of military force if no other peaceful solution can be found within reasonable time to protect against such an immediate and existential threat to the State of Israel.

Earlier this month, another member of VIPS, Philip Giraldi, wrote; "The Iran Report"

...The last NIE on Iran, released in late 2007(PDF!), was controversial in that it concluded that Iran had abandoned its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and had not resumed it. The document was immediately attacked by neoconservatives and the media, who responded that the Iranians might have a secret program and were intending to revive their efforts. Israel and its supporters have since been insisting that there is, in fact, a hidden program and have been constantly sending out alarms suggesting that a nuclear weapon is only six months or a year away. They keep revising forward the date whenever six months or a year passes without a weapon actually making an appearance.

The new Iran NIE has been delayed a number of times because of conflicting demands from the CIA analysts involved and from the White House. The analysts, badly burned by the heavily politicized 2002 NIE on Iraq, which led to a war, and also nervous about the barrage of criticism of the 2007 NIE on Iran, want the estimate to be completely credible and very tightly analyzed and reviewed. The Obama Administration wants, instead, a document that will give it whatever option it seeks to pursue vis-à-vis the Mullahs...

Yeppers... Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old...! Can you say 'Stovepipe' and 'Cherry Pick'...! *gah*

Anyways, I chose to write about this all-important topic because there's currently a long lull in the Peace Farce talks, and, even in the unity talks between Fatah and Hamas. Also, while partaking in my usual perusal of Haaretz and the other Israeli dailies, I came across this interview with ex-IAEA henchman, Olli Heinonen...

Behind the scenes of UN nuclear inspection of Iran

It's only been two months since Olli Heinonen left the IAEA, where he worked for 27 years. In a first interview with an Israeli media outlet, he cautiously explains what is known about Iran's nuclear program

..."The challenge faced by the international community in coping with Iran's nuclear effort is huge," he states in the interview. "We have about a year, until the end of 2011, or perhaps the start of 2012, to solve the problem." [...]

"The centrifuges are not operating well, and some of them are failing," Heinonen said. "They are losing materials because of this; and so, with this defective equipment, they will have a hard time enriching the material to a level high enough to enable the production of nuclear weapons. They have a lot of problems, and they are not there yet."

So, which is it Olli...? *gah*

Now, fortunately there's a few individuals that are wise to Olli's wily ways. For instance, Iran Affairs' Cyrus Safdari has been chronicling his mischief for some time. Here's Cyrus shortly after Olli announced his resignation...

Spinning Olli Heinonen's resignation from IAEA

IAEA Deputy Director Olli Heinonen has apparently announced his plans to resign from the IAEA. It is interesting to read how the media are trying to spin this news.

For example, the BBC claims:

Mr Heinonen's department's five-year investigation drew on Western intelligence to help to build the IAEA's case that Iran was working to develop a nuclear-armed missile.

Actually the IAEA has never made any such claim about "nuclear armed missiles." These are part of the so-called "Alleged Studies" claims that the US has made against Iran based on the "Laptop of Death" computer it claims was obtained from a secret source in Iran. Quite the contrary to what the BBC claims, there is reportedly a lot of controversy within the IAEA about the authenticity of these "alleged studies" claims, and the IAEA has consistently stated that it has no actual evidence to back up the claims. This is what former IAEA head Elbaradei had to say about the documents:

And I have been making it very clear that with regard to these alleged studies, we have not seen any use of nuclear material, we have not received any information that Iran has manufactured any part of a nuclear weapon or component. That’s why I say, to present the Iran threat as imminent is hype.

But spinning Heinonen's resignation continues. The Jerusalem Post says:

Heinonen, a 63-year-old Finnish radiochemist, caused great international worry in February 2008 with a power-point presentation to diplomats showing links between Teheran's efforts to process uranium and Iranian tests of high explosives and modifications to missiles to deliver a nuclear payload.

Well, again, during that presentation Heinonen was simply presenting the content of the "alleged studies", and not vouching for them nor presenting independently-obtained evidence by the IAEA. The US gave (some) of alleged studies claims to the IAEA, Heinonen presented the information in a powerpoint to the diplomats, one of whom then (conveniently-enough) leaked it to the press -- thereby allowing the press to misrepresent the matter as if the alleged studies claimed originated with the IAEA rather than with the US. They basically recylcled the allegations to hide their true source.

Antiwar's Muhammad Sahimi details some of the hijinks and more on the 'Nuke Laptop'...

A New Judith Miller for
Iran Hawks?

[David] Albright's contact at the IAEA, with whom he is "extremely tight" (in the words of several sources), is Olli Heinonen, the IAEA's deputy director for safeguards, who is in charge of the current inspections in Iran. Heinonen, whose Finnish nationality may lead people to believe that he is impartial, is leading a crusade against Iran. He constantly acts outside the IAEA's protocol by leaking sensitive information to the press and spreading unproven allegations about Iran's nuclear program. A February 2008 report by ElBaradei to the Board of Governors of the IAEA declared that Iran's six minor breaches of its Safeguards Agreement had been addressed to the IAEA's satisfaction and that the IAEA had a better understanding of the history of Iran's nuclear program. Heinonen immediately made a presentation to the Board of Governors that was entirely based on the laptop, four years after the IAEA had obtained it, calling its contents "alarming." He expects the Iranian government to explain a document it has never seen. The solution is straightforward: present copies of the documents to Iran and analyze the laptop's digital chain of custody.

Now, wouldn't you be a little skeptical about an Iranian Scientist's laptop that is all in English with no Farsi...

...Tehran rejected the material as forged, and there are still reservations within the IAEA about its authenticity, according to officials with knowledge of the internal debate in the agency.

"First of all, if you have a clandestine programme, you don't put it on laptops which can walk away," one official said. "The data is all in English which may be reasonable for some of the technical matters, but at some point you'd have thought there would be at least some notes in Farsi. So there is some doubt over the provenance of the computer."

IAEA officials do not comment on intelligence passed to the watchdog agency by foreign governments, saying all such assistance is confidential.

It is insane how determined they are to 'Bomb, Bomb, Iran'...!

*gah*

One other noteworthy I/P article I saw today...

Israel army chief says forces fired 308 bullets on flotilla

Israeli commandos fired 308 live bullets aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship in May, Israel's army chief said on Sunday as he testified again before the Tirkel panel investigating the incident.

Gabi Ashkenazi said the navy's killing of nine Turkish nationals on the Mavi Marmara had been unavoidable, British news wire Reuters reported.

God help us all...!

'Crazy Horse 18'

Just to refresh one's memory I've re-posted that gruesome video originally released back in April, 2010 by Wikileaks. In the latest Wikileaks dump it's abundantly clear that wasn't the only 'incident' Crazy Horse 18 was involved in that made the headlines...!

As Al Jazeera's Gregg Carlstrom reports...

'Crazy Horse' and collateral damage

Helicopter squadron that killed two Reuters journalists in 2007 was involved in other attacks that hurt civilians.

...For reasons that are unclear, the leaked documents do not include any account of that raid. But "Crazy Horse 18" - either the same pilot, or a pilot from the same squadron - is involved in several other incidents that result in collateral damage or show an excessive use of force.

In perhaps the most egregious, the helicopter pursues and kills two militants riding in a truck who were allegedly carrying a tripod and tube used to launch mortars. The helicopter opened fire on the truck with its 30mm cannon, at which point the men got out and tried to surrender.

Crazyhorse 18 reports AIF got into a dump truck headed north, engaged and then they came out wanting to surrender. Crazyhorse 18 reports they got back into truck and are heading north. Crazyhorse 18 cleared to engage dumptruck. 1/227 lawyer states they can not surrender to aircraft and are still valid targets. Crazyhorse 18 reports they missed with Hellfire and individuals have ran into another shack. IH6 approves Crazyhorse 18 to engage shack. Crazyhorse 18 reports engaged and destroyed shack with 2X AIF. BDA is shack/dump truck destroyed.

The helicopter, in other words, pursued a group of men who attempted to surrender, firing missiles at them not once but twice.

It is impossible to say, based on the limited evidence in the report, whether the unit's lawyer was correct that the men driving the truck "can not surrender to aircraft".

Now, to expand on Gregg's excellent reporting, I'd like to point out that 'call signs' like Crazy Horse 18 designate specific individuals, not specific equipment, per se...

In other words, Crazy Horse 18 is the same Apache helicopter pilot that was involved in those specific 2007 'incident' reports. There is a remote chance it's not the same pilot, but, it would be only a slim possibility...

Why is that you might ask...?

Call signs are standardized, they have remained the same throughout my twenty years of service and I've seen no proof of them having changed it since I retired 5 yrs ago...!

I should temper my statement, instead of it being a specific individual, rather, it's a specific position held within the Combatant unit...

Here's a basic primer on unit call signs, in numerical order...

-02 Generally, the TOC's (Tactical Operation Center)call sign, be it at a Division, Brigade, Bn, and/or Co level...

-05 The Executive Office'rs(XO) nomenclature at all levels...

-06 The Commander's(CO) call sign at all levels

Now, when you get to the higher numbers you're looking at the individual maneuver unit's call signs...

-10(19) First platoon call signs...

-20(29) Second plt, etc...

-30(39) Third plt, etc...

Some utilize the 40's for a 4th plt, etc...

The 50's are reserved for the Combat Support functions at all levels...

Rarely, have I heard any call sign above the 50's...!

The point I'm trying to make is that a call sign is readily identifiable, and doesn't change unless the individual has been promoted/demoted, and/or transferred...

Truly, 'Crazy Horse 18' should be prosecuted for 'war crimes'...


*gah*

Jimmy Carter Says Palestinians Live In A ‘Cage’

Yesterday, from Damascus, Syria Jimmy Carter said in no uncertain terms...

Jimmy Carter says Palestinians live in a 'cage'

Former President Jimmy Carter said on Tuesday that Palestinians are "living in a cage" in Gaza and that the militant group Hamas must be included in all major efforts for peace.

Carter was in Syria with an international group of veteran statesmen known as the Elders, which includes Ireland's former President Mary Robinson.

"We believe that Hamas should be included in all the major efforts to peace ... It is part of the Palestinian people," Carter said. He added that "1.5 million Palestinians are held in a cage or prison while their human rights are taken away. [...]

Carter's remarks came as reconciliation talks between the two Palestinian factions(Fatah and Hamas) were postponed on Tuesday."

The indefatigable and incessant Carter is on another Middle East Peace blitzkrieg, with the Elders...

She (Mary Robinson) will be joined by her fellow Elders Lakhdar Brahimi, Ela Bhatt and Jimmy Carter.

From 16-22 October 2010, the group will travel together to Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories to meet with ordinary Israelis and Palestinians, civil society, and political leaders.

Today, the Elders met with Abbas in Ramallah...

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday met with the International Elders Group and discussed with them the stalled peace process and achieving the inter-Palestinian reconciliation.

Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath told a joint news conference after the meeting, which was held in the West Bank city of Ramallah, that Abbas briefed the elders' delegation on the latest developments related to the stalled peace process with Israel. [...]

Shaath said that the delegation backed the Palestinian stance that called for halting the Jewish settlement and ending Gaza blockade.

Meanwhile, Carter told reporters that the question of reconciliation between Abbas's Fatah party and its rival Islamic Hamas movement "was also discussed with Abbas and was discussed earlier with the Egyptians."

Now, something that truly flew under the radar of our Western MSM was the fact that Hamas and Fatah were to meet in Damascus, to further a reconciliation pact...

Fatah declines Hamas invitation to hold reconciliation talks in Gaza

Senior Hamas official Dr. Salah Al Bardawil said Fatah refused Hamas’s proposal to hold a meeting aimed at achieving Palestinian reconciliation in the Gaza Strip.

The meeting was initially scheduled to be held in the Syrian capital of Damascus at the recommendation of the Fatah movement.

Bardawil said in a press release Wednesday that Hamas made several contacts with Fatah to bypass disputes over the meeting’s venue, noting that Fatah’s request to change the venue of the conference from Damascus may have been “a kind of extortion”.

He added that Fatah’s request could be an attempt to hamper significantly progressing efforts towards reconciliation realized in recent talks. The movement has put forth no reasonable grounds for its position.

I suppose that is why Carter insisted that Hamas be included at the table. Despite the Abu Mazen rebuffing on the Damascus meet-up, Hamas is still willing...

Mashaal: Hamas willing to accept peace deal with Israel


Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Mashaal says his group is willing to accept any peace agreement achieved between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, as long as it enjoys a Palestinian consensus, Ynet learned Wednesday.

In an interview with Newsweek Magazine, Mashaal predicted that the inception of a Palestinian state was not something that could happen in the foreseeable future, and urged Washington to "hear from us directly.” Hamas, he said, already talks to Washington via unofficial channels, including former president Jimmy Carter.

Neither Israel nor the PA want to see Hamas become an active participant in the peace talks, but according to Mashaal trying to circumvent Hamas completely always proves to be a mistake, since "Hamas is a key player."

Hmmm... Do you suppose that is why Fatah called off the meet up in Damascus at the last possible minute, and. why Jimmy Carter stressed the need for Hamas' participation...?

What a shame...! But the intransigence towards reconciliation wasn't confined to just Fatah...

South Africa mission comes to Ramallah to aid Palestinian reconciliation

South Africa's representative to the Palestinian Authority had planned to meet with Hamas leaders but Israel would not let him enter Gaza strip.

South Africa's diplomatic mission in Ramallah is trying to assist the reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah, on the assumption that internal Palestinian unity is necessary to successfully fight the Israeli occupation. [...]

Boraine had been scheduled to travel to Gaza yesterday for meetings with Hamas figures there, but said he learned Tuesday night that Israel would not let him enter the Strip.

Even Madame Secretary Clinton frankly admitted today...

Clinton: No Magic Solution to Impasse in Talks

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who spoke on Wednesday with a group of PA Arabs who support the direct negotiations with Israel, said that talks are the only way to promote peace, and that although they are currently at an impasse, they are necessary.

"We have no illusions about solving the issues and it is not a secret that we are in a difficult period," said Clinton, adding: "There is no magic solution to the impasse in the talks, but we work every day to create the conditions for their success."

*gah*

Bibi's Chutzpah Parte Deux...

I swear Bibi knows no bounds whatsoever...

Netanyahu wants loyalty oath bill to include Jews as well

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Justice Minister Ya'akov Ne'eman on Monday to prepare a new bill extending the loyalty oath, which is currently aimed at non-Jews, to include Jewish immigrants as well.

"We expect that every person wishing to become an Israeli citizen recognize Israel as a Jewish and democratic state," Netanyahu said on Monday evening.

"There is broad approval among the Israeli public regarding the Jewish and democratic identity of Israel, and that is not incidental. The state of Israel was founded as the sovereign state of the Jewish people and as a democratic state in which all its citizens – Jews and non-Jews alike – enjoy equal rights. Any person wishing to become an Israeli citizen must recognize these two key principals."

And if that wasn't galling enough...

PM: New building permits will not affect peace process

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's preoccupation with the settlement building was "superficial" and that the additional permits will not affect the the peace process. [...]

"If the Palestinians want to find problems then we won't proceed. If they want to solve the problems, I think that there are other ways to get over the gaps and move forward," Netanyahu told the Likud members.

*Aargh* Wtf, over...?

It's not just Bibi, but, a full court press...

Israeli envoy says only peace can halt settlements

Israel will only stop its disputed settlement building when the Palestinians make a peace agreement, its UN ambassador said ahead of new Security Council talks Monday on the Middle East conflict. [...]

"People understand," Reuben declared. "I don't think they agree with the way we are going, but they definitely understand the fact that settlements are not a burden on the peace process and not something that will stop the peace process." [...]

"The other side is only looking for pretexts to put obstacles in the road, because they were never an obstacle in the road" in the past, Reuben said.

That's not even the worst of it...

Israeli ambassador: we're a "long way from discussing settlements"

On why Israel doesn't want to discuss settlements now:

Settlements -- from our perspective -- is a final status issue. It is way down the list of final status issues because settlements from our perspective are a subcategory of borders which are a subcategory of security. And so we are a long way from discussing settlements. By putting them up front, it creates a difficultly -- a political difficulty. And it further augments the skepticism that many Israelis feel about the seriousness of a Palestinian interlocutor if they're making the issue of settlements -- something that the government cannot do right now.

Interestingly, even Abbas said so; “Netanyahu Told Me He Cannot Extend Settlement Freeze."

Please read that whole Cable article on Oren's viewpoints...!

Now, to it's credit, the Haaretz editorial staff blasted Bibi in no uncertain terms...

Building to destroy the peace process

The only explanation for the government's approval of 240 new housing units in East Jerusalem is that it was an attempt to sabotage the efforts to renew direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.


...On the issue of whether the Palestinians view Jerusalem as a settlement, they are not the only ones who hold this position. The United States also regards the territories that have been annexed and incorporated into Jerusalem as settlements, whose final status must be agreed upon in talks between the two sides.

Expanding construction beyond the Green Line puts Jerusalem at the center of international discussion. It also contradicts the government's goal of postponing any talks on the future of the city to as great an extent as possible. This construction is an inseparable part of our disagreement with both the Palestinians and the United States, and it would behoove Israel to recognize this. The government must stop pulling the wool over our eyes and cease taking such unilateral steps, which not only lessen our chances of reaching a deal with the Palestinians, but also cause considerable diplomatic damage.

Even Opposition leader MK Tzipi Livni spoke out, half-heartedly tho...

Addressing the current Israeli government and the peace process, she said: "I do not believe in leadership that is built out of fear, and I do not think it reflects Israel's security interests. Time is working against Israel and in the absence of a decision we may find ourselves with Hamas and unable to even sign a piece of paper. The threats exist and part of the leadership only looks at reality from this angle. Israel is in a situation where it is talking about strong but is actually weakened."

About that fear factor...

Lieberman: Palestinians may try to form autonomous Arab regions within Israel

Foreign minister says there is a possibility the Palestinians may try to delegitimize Israel as a Jewish state.

And even Bibi had to fear-monger...

Netanyahu: Hamas has obtained anti-aircraft missiles

Israel's aerial freedom has been compromised by new weaponry in Gaza, presumably smuggled through tunnels connected to Egypt, PM tells Likud members for the first time.

*gah*

Now, since Bibi has flatly rejected the Makovsky wet dream err... offer, for a mere two month extension even! Does that mean the US offer to veto all I/P related UN resolutions is still on...?

Palestinians plan UN resolution calling for settlement evacuation

The Palestinian leadership, in conjunction with Arab states, plans to submit a resolution to the UN Security Council stating that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal and must be evacuated, Haaretz has learned. This initiative comes in place of an earlier idea of seeking Security Council recognition for a Palestinian state within pre-1967 lines.

The Palestinians believe the United States would veto any resolution recognizing a Palestinian state that was not the fruit of an agreement with Israel. But Washington would have trouble opposing a resolution that declared the settlements illegal under international law.

The prime minister's envoy for talks with the Palestinians, attorney Isaac Molho, has refused to take receipt of a document detailing the Palestinian leadership's positions on all the core issues of the conflict.

A diplomatic source said yesterday that chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat tried to hand the document to Molho during their meeting in Washington a few weeks ago. Several American officials, including special envoy for the peace process George Mitchell, were also present.

The document detailed the Palestinian positions that had earlier been presented to Mitchell during the months of proximity talks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bureau responded that it cannot comment on what happened at a diplomatic meeting, because all parties to the talks agreed to maintain secrecy.

What a crock of crap...! It certainly has been enlightening watching the dribs and drabs that has leaked out from behind that illusory wall of secrecy...!

The US had best abstain, at least, and not veto that meager UN resolution...!

We shall see...!

*gah*

Thousands March Against Loyalty Oath Bill

Finally the Israeli Left is making some noise...

Thousands march in Tel Aviv against loyalty oath bill

Hadash MK Dov Khenin warns concept of a population transfer of Israel's Arab citizens has turned from a nightmare into an operational plan.

Thousands marched in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening in a joint Jewish-Arab protest against the cabinet's approval of a controversial amendment to the citizenship bill, requiring non-Jews seeking citizenship to pledge allegiance to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.

The demonstrators marched carrying signs reading "Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies" and "Together we will protect the democratic space". Among the organizers of the protests were Hadash, Meretz, The Green Movement, and Gush Shalom parties and many social and human rights organizations.

Top political figures delivered speeches during the demonstration, among them Hadash MK Dov Khenin, Meretz MK Haim Oron, Hadash MK Mohammed Barakeh, and journalist Merav Michaeli.

Khenin warned that the idea of a population transfer of Israel's Arab citizens to a Palestinian state started as a nightmare, but has since transformed into a practical plan.

Jonathan Cook elaborated on that nightmare scenario...

Israeli forces test ethnic cleansing scenario

Israel has secretly staged a training exercise to test its ability to quell any civil unrest that might result from a peace deal with the Palestinian Authority requiring the forcible transfer of many Arab citizens, the Israeli media has reported.

The drill was intended to evaluate the readiness of the civil defence units, police, army and prison service to contain large-scale riots by Israel's Arab minority in response to such a deal. [...]

Dov Chenin, a member of the Israeli parliament representing the joint Jewish-Arab Communist Party, on 12 October called for more details of the exercise from the government during a speech in the chamber, although officials offered no immediate response.

Chenin said the drill was a sign Israel was heading in an “extremely dangerous direction”.

“A few years ago, only the extreme right-wing parties talked about transferring Arab citizens, but now we see that even the security forces are preparing concrete plans for carrying out such a scenario.”

The same alarm was raised by all the Palestinians...

Palestinian factions meet in Gaza City

Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah, met in Gaza City on Saturday to discuss the rise in extremist Israeli policies, Palestinian People's Party member Walid Al-Awad said.

Al-Awad said the meeting was held in the offices of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, where delegations from various parties discussed the escalation in Israeli violations of Palestinian rights. The Israeli Cabinet's recent approval of a bill requiring non-Jews applying for citizenship to swear loyalty to Israel as a Jewish state was discussed, he said.

The factions talked about the impact of the bill on Palestinians living inside Israel, and the threats it carried for Palestinian national identity. The crisis in negotiations with Israel, and Israeli settlement activity, were also on the agenda, the PPP official said.

Now, lets look at the latest maneuvers in the Peace Farce...

First, the Arab League handed Obama a one month reprieve...

Waiting on America

The Arab "alternative" to negotiations is to wait for the United States to come up with a new policy...

Less than a month after it was revived the Israel-Palestinian peace process is dead. The challenge now is how to defer the burial until after the mid-term US Congressional elections on 2 November.

This, in effect, was the meaning of the Arab League meeting in Libya on 8 October. Foreign ministers from 13 Arab states endorsed the Palestinian position of not continuing direct negotiations with Israel without an end to new settlement building in the West Bank. But they also bowed to American pressure to allow another month of diplomacy to try to resolve the issue.

The PLO is standing firm...

PLO: No talks while settlements continue

The PLO's Executive Committee reiterated Saturday its refusal to resume negotiations with Israeli leaders while settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories continues.

Committee member Salih Rafaat told Ma'an that the PLO met in Ramallah to discuss the political situation, as well as the outcome of the Arab League summit's extraordinary session in Sirtre, Libya.

"The Palestinian decision is there will be no negotiations as long as settlement expansion continues, even if it is only one house," Rafaat said, insisting on a complete halt.

Subsequently, the next planned meeting was postponed...

Paris peace summit postponed over settlement construction
Sarkozy's invitation to Netanyahu and Abbas to hold direct talks in France will not be taken up in late October as originally planned due to Israeli-Palestinian disagreement over settlement construction.

..."Following joint consultations it has been agreed to set a new date for the preparatory meeting," a statement from Netanyahu's office said, adding there was no chance of holding it on October 21, which was previously thought to be possible.

"We are looking for a new date that works for everybody, although there is nothing firm scheduled yet," an Israeli government official told Reuters.

However, it would seem that is not exactly true...

Israel preparing for Abbas-Netanyahu meeting

Israeli official sources disclosed that a meeting between de facto Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu was possible on the sidelines of the Mediterranean countries forum scheduled to be held in Barcelona, Spain.

Sources in Netanyahu's office told the press on Sunday that efforts to bring the two together were underway especially after a summit in Paris on 21/10 grouping them with French president Nicolas Sarkozy and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was cancelled.

Hamas spokesman Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri said that the summit in Paris revealed the true position of Abbas's authority, which claims rejection of negotiations but covertly rushes for such talks.

So which is it, Abu Mazen, are you going to talk and continue the farce, or aren't you...?

Now, in an interesting twist of fate, our Election Day happens to fall on the infamous Balfour Day. In 1917, the Earl of Balfour handed Baron Rothschild a single piece of paper...

Foreign Office,
November 2nd, 1917.

Dear Lord Rothschild,
I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet:
"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country".
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.

Yours sincerely
Arthur James Balfour

It would seem that the Israelis have ignored that emphasized part, along the way...!

*gah*