podesta_email_00897.txt

podesta-emails 2,881 words email

P17 V11 V16 D6 D4

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http://www.centerpeace.org ** Israel and the Middle East News Update ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Thursday, September 17 ------------------------------------------------------------ Click here for a printer-friendly version. (http://centerpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/September-17.pdf) Headlines: * A-G Approves Use of Snipers Against Jerusalem Rock Throwers * Netanyahu and Obama to Meet on November 9 * Iron Dome Battery Deployed in Ashdod * Netanyahu to Tell Putin Weapons Transfers to Syria Threaten Israel * Soleimani, Senior Iranian General, Makes Second Trip to Moscow * Temple Mount Violence Escalates * Released Hunger-Striker Mohammed Allaan Re-Arrested * Abbas: Will Deliver "Surprise" During Speech to United Nations Commentary: * Ma'ariv: “Sides Busy Maintaining the Conflict" - By Yossi Melman * The New York Times: “Iran Deal Players' Report Cards” - By Thomas Friedman ** Arutz Sheva ------------------------------------------------------------ ** A-G Approves Use of Snipers Against Jerusalem Rock Throwers (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/200752#.Vfq08yDBzGc) ------------------------------------------------------------ Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has approved the use of sniper rifles against violent rioters in Jerusalem, Channel 10 reports on Thursday morning. As part of his declared "war" on rock-throwing terrorists in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sought permission on Wednesday from the Attorney General to deploy snipers to target the attackers. ** Yedioth Ahronoth ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Netanyahu and Obama to Meet on November 9 ------------------------------------------------------------ The White House announced last night that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu would be meeting with US President Barack Obama on November 9 in Washington. The statement noted that the two leaders would discuss the agreement with Iran and the need to advance the two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. A statement issued by the White House noted that the prime minister’s visit to the White House was a “demonstration of the deep and enduring bonds between the United States and Israel as well as the unprecedented security cooperation, including our close consultations to further enhance Israel's security.” ** Ha'aretz ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Iron Dome Battery Deployed in Ashdod (http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.676327) ------------------------------------------------------------ An Iron Dome battery was deployed in Ashdod on Thursday, following a defense assessment carried out by the Israel Defense Forces' Southern command. A battery was deployed in the same area last month, after Palestinian prisoner Mohammed Allaan's health seriously deteriorated after 65 days on hunger strike. Security officials feared that if he were to die, violence would escalate from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. ** Jerusalem Post ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Netanyahu to Tell Putin Weapons to Syrian Threaten Israel (http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Netanyahu-to-visit-Russia-next-week-for-talks-with-Putin-on-Syria-416286) ------------------------------------------------------------ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Moscow next week to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss Russia’s recent troop deployments in Syria, the Prime Minister’s Office announced Wednesday. This will be the first visit by Netanyahu to Moscow since November 2013. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu will speak to Putin about the threats Israel is facing from the transfer of lethal, state-of-the-art weaponry to Syria, and the danger that some of this weaponry will find its way into the hands of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations. ** Times of Israel ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Soleimani, Senior Iranian General, Makes Second Moscow Trip (http://www.timesofisrael.com/senior-iranian-general-said-to-make-second-moscow-trip/?utm_content=buffer0cdee&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer) ------------------------------------------------------------ For the second time in as many months, Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Qassem Soleimani reportedly met with Russian officials in Moscow this week. Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the elite Quds Force in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, visited Moscow as part of the increased cooperation between Moscow and Tehran to help bolster mutual ally President Bashar Assad in Syria, according to a report in the Lebanese al-Safir newspaper. ** Al-Monitor ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Temple Mount Violence Escalates (http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/09/temple-mount-jewish-new-year-stone-throwing-east-jerusalem.html) ------------------------------------------------------------ There’s been a lively debate in Israel over the past year as to whether the country is on the verge of a third intifada. There are great arguments for and against. The debate intensifies whenever violence erupts, and dies down when things return to a state of relative normalcy. And while this argument is underway, circumstances dictate the reaction. Each intifada was different (the first was one of rocks and knives, while the second involved suicide bombers), and there can be no doubt about the current reality. These are not normal times. ** Ynet News ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Released Hunger-Striker Mohammed Allaan Re-Arrested (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4700886,00.html) ------------------------------------------------------------ Mohammed Allaan, the Palestinian administrative detainee who embarked on a 65 day hunger strike was arrested soon after his release from Ashkelon’s Barzilai hospital Wednesday morning. he state prosecutor had sought a new warrant for his arrest, and Allan was transferred to the Israel prison authority. Allaan was originally under administrative detention, which was only revoked when doctors had warned of irreversible damage to his organs. Allan was initially treated in Beer Sheva’s Soroka hospital; however the hospital staffs’ refusal to force feed him led to his transfer to Ashkelon. ** Ma'ariv ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Abbas: Will Deliver “Surprise” During Speech to United Nations ------------------------------------------------------------ Mahmoud Abbas said that he would deliver a “surprise” in his speech to the United Nations in two weeks. Speaking to the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Mahmoud Abbas said he would speak about Israeli violations of Oslo, backed by Supreme Court decisions. He said that he would leave the explosion for the end of the speech, but declined to say what the explosion would be. Abbas said that there was an internal movement inside the ranks of Fatah that was trying to oust him. See also, “Abbas Bombshell UN Speech” (Ynet News) (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4701292,00.html) ** Ma’ariv – September 16, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Sides Busy Maintaining the Conflict ------------------------------------------------------------ By Yossi Melman “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint,” says Proverbs [29, 18]. The events on the Temple Mount in the last three days and the many incidents of stone-throwing in Jerusalem, which caused the death of an Israeli man over the course of the holiday, are the result of a lack of vision and of Israeli government policy. They are the most outstanding expression of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s and Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon’s policy, who do not believe in promoting the peace process and who are making permanent the approach of “maintaining” the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and managing it. And indeed, the two sides are busy with maintenance, each in their own way. The Palestinians want to increase the tension and that’s why they throw stones, they disturb the peace and they clash with the security forces. On the Palestinian side, there is no unity of thought or of action. The Wakf leaders (the Muslim trust), which has close ties to the PA and to the Jordanian kingdom and which administers the mosques on the Temple Mount, don’t want riots, but they have little influence on the young people at the forefront of the clashes. The Palestinian Authority, under Abu Mazen’s leadership, wants the clashes to be “on a low flame” so that they resound in the global media and in the Arab states, as a reminder that the Palestinian problem and the Israeli occupation—which are being pushed from the headlines—are alive and kicking. Hamas wants more than that. It wants to inflame passions, to stir the street, to set fire to the ground and to cause the situation to deteriorate to the point of a new Intifada. The Israeli government, by means of the police, tries to disperse the demonstrators with tear gas, by storming [the attackers], and by arrests—time and again. The government has a problem: it feels a sense of duty to respond to the demonstrators and the rioters, so as to maintain the sense of deterrence and to appease the right wing and public opinion, lest it be seen as soft and submissive. But neither does the government want the incidents to spin out of control. The key word is “containment” —to prevent an escalation and a deterioration and to restore quiet. The security forces have to act aggressively, but also wisely and cautiously. Any minor incident is liable to turn into an incident with strategic significance. Already now, after dozens of Palestinians (and police) were injured on the Temple Mount, and dozens arrested, the voices of concern are increasing, as is condemnation of Israel. The UN secretary general made his opinion known, as did the spokespersons of various governments. Israel’s greatest concern is of the reactions in the divided Arab world that is undergoing bloody civil wars. Riots on the Temple Mount, one of the places holy to Islam, is liable to generate a chain reaction. Israel is particularly worried about the effect of the events in Jerusalem in general and on the Temple Mount in particular, on Jordan, its strategic ally. King Abdullah has already expressed concern, and not for the first time, over what is described in Jordan (and in the other moderate Arab states that have ties with Israel, like Egypt) over Israel’s harsh reaction. That’s all the Netanyahu government needs, which has never been as isolated as it is now in the international community (because of Iran, because of the matter of marking goods from the settlements, because of the absence of a peace process, and more)—for there to be a deep and serious crisis with the Hashemite kingdom. For 16 months now, even before the latest war in Gaza, a mini-Intifada has been taking place in Jerusalem, whose focus is the Temple Mount. It is expressed in stone-throwing, in vehicular terror attacks, in knifings. Jerusalem is burning. Sometimes on a small flame, and sometimes the flames get higher. As of now, the incidents in Jerusalem have not spun out of control and have not spread to the West Bank. But the question is, for how long will the PA and the Israeli government be able to control the flames. True, it takes two to tango. Not all the responsibility for the impasse in the peace process is on Netanyahu’s shoulders. Abu Mazen and the Palestinian leadership also have a share in this. But the risk from this status quo is greater for Israel than for the Palestinians. They are the ones living under Israeli occupation and oppression, coupled with abuse from some of the settlers. Almost anyone who observes the situation soberly, including ministers and MKs, understands this. But in the absence of desire, ability, vision and leadership—nothing is being done. Or to be more precise, more of the same is being done: security forces are dispatched, attempts are made to disperse demonstrators, attempts are made to hold a dialogue behind the scenes quietly with the Wakf and the PA’s security organizations, there is lofty talk (to appease the right wing) about stricter punishment against stone-throwers. As said: maintaining the conflict until the next time. The danger is that the next time is liable to be worse—from stone-throwing, there could be a shift to firebombs—and from there, to live weapons. Yossi Melman is an Israeli journalist and writer who specializes in security and intelligence affairs. ** The New York Times – September 16, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Iran Deal Players’ Report Cards (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/16/opinion/thomas-friedman-iran-deal-players-report-card.html?smid=tw-tomfriedman&smtyp=cur&_r=1) ------------------------------------------------------------ By Thomas Friedman The Iran nuclear deal is now sealed — from Washington’s end. But since this has been one of America’s most important foreign policy shifts in the last four decades, it’s worth looking back and grading the performance of the key players. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Grade: A. His prediction last week that Israel won’t be around in “25 years” was perfectly timed to complicate President Obama’s effort to get the deal through Congress. Khamenei is a bad guy. When I asked a Middle East expert friend to explain Khamenei’s behavior, he invoked a Yiddish curse on the Iranian: “May all his teeth fall out, except the ones that hurt.” But he’s also a clever guy. Through this deal Khamenei gets Iran out from under crippling sanctions, which his people want, by pushing the breakout time for Iran to make a nuclear bomb from two months to a year — for 15 years — but getting the world to bless Iran’s “peaceful” nuclear enrichment program, even though it cheated its way there. And he’s done it all while giving his hard-line base the feeling that he’s still actually against this deal and his negotiators the feeling that he’s for it. So all his options are open, depending on how the deal goes. Hat’s off, Ali, you’re good. When I sell my house, could I give you a call? But here’s a note to his parents: “Ali got an A, but he has a tendency to get cocky. He is confident that he can pull off this deal without any transformation in Iran’s domestic politics. I suggest you buy him a good biography of Mikhail Gorbachev.” Dick Cheney. Grade: F. I cite Cheney because his opposition to the deal, which he’s been peddling along with a new book, was utterly dishonest, but in a way that summed up much of the knee-jerk Republican opposition: This is a bad deal because Obama was a wimp. No, this deal is what it is because it reflects the balance of power, and the key factor in that balance is that the Iranians came to believe America would never use force to eliminate their nuclear program. But that’s not all on Obama. Republicans, and Cheney personally, played a big role in the loss of U.S. credibility to threaten Iran with force. After briefing Congress on Sept. 10, 2007, Gen. David Petraeus told Fox News that Iran was supporting and directing Iraqi Shiite insurgents who have “carried out violent acts against our forces, Iraqi forces and innocent civilians.” Iran was cited for making specially shaped roadside bombs responsible for killing hundreds of U.S. troops. Yet, even though our commanders said that publicly, their bosses — George W. Bush and Dick Cheney — refused to ever order retaliation against Iranian targets. Iran noticed. Ditto on nukes. As Peter Beinart wrote for The Atlantic last week, Cheney stopped by “Fox News Sunday” to bash Obama’s nuclear deal, “but moderator Chris Wallace, to his credit, wanted to ask Cheney about his own failings on Iran. On the Bush administration’s watch, Wallace noted, Iran’s centrifuges for enriching uranium ‘went from zero to 5,000.’ Cheney protested, declaring that, ‘That happened on Obama’s watch and not on our watch.’ But Wallace held his ground. ‘No, no, no,’ he insisted. ‘By 2009, they were at 5,000.’ Cheney paused for an instant, muttered, ‘right,’ and went back to his talking points.” Note to his parents: “Dick has a problem telling the truth, and he’s not alone. Some G.O.P. critiques of this deal should be looked at, but they’ll never be taken seriously if the party isn’t straight about its own role in our loss of deterrence vis-à-vis Iran.” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Grade C. No one had more impact in getting the world to impose sanctions and take Iran’s nuclear threat seriously than Netanyahu. But his reckless spat with Obama, which went beyond substance to openly endorsing Obama’s G.O.P. rivals and colluding with G.O.P. House leaders to address Congress — without the president’s support — hurt him, Israel and the deal. Had Bibi hugged Obama, he could have made Israel effectively the sixth party in the P-5 side of negotiations with Iran and stiffened every spine. Instead, Netanyahu marginalized Israel. And by calling elections in the middle of it all, and forming a far-right cabinet with extremist Jewish settlers, Netanyahu is playing right into Iran’s hands: Iran wants a one-state solution, where Israel never leaves the West Bank and is in permanent conflict with Palestinians and Muslims, so Iran can better delegitimize and isolate Israel. Note to Netanyahu’s parents: “Bibi won’t be punished for any of his mistakes; domestic U.S. politics will ensure that. But beware: That will only increase the odds that he’ll lead Israel into a permanent, corrosive occupation of the West Bank, make support for Israel an increasingly Republican cause and lose the next generation of American Jews.” President Obama. Grade: I (Incomplete). Note to Obama’s parents: “This deal makes sense; it can keep Iran away from a bomb. But Barack should go to bed every night for the next 15 years worrying whether Iran is living up to it. That’s the best way to ensure that he, his party and his successors will stay vigilant and put in place an effective deterrence to Iran ever building a bomb. I hope he gets an A, but only history can give it to him.” Thomas L. Friedman is a foreign affairs and globalization and technology Op-Ed Columnist for The New York Times. ============================================================ S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 ** www.centerpeace.org (http://www.centerpeace.org) 2015 S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, All rights reserved. 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