podesta_email_01667.txt

podesta-emails 3,206 words email

D6 P17 V11 P19 V16

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http://www.centerpeace.org ** Israel and the Middle East News Update ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Wednesday, December 23 ------------------------------------------------------------ Click here for a printer-friendly version. (http://centerpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/December-23.pdf) Headlines: * 3 Israelis Critically Wounded in Stabbing Attack in Jerusalem * Hamas Terror Cell Planning Suicide Bombings Busted * No Justice for Duma Terrorists Risks "Setting Region on Fire" * Hamas Leader Expelled from Turkey, Israel Reconciliation Still in Balance * Israeli Embassy Trolls White House, Exclusively Gifts Settlement Goods * Three Days After Kuntar’s Death, Putin and Bibi Speak on Syria * State Department Rejects Lawmakers’ Call to Close PLO’s DC Office * UN Condemns Fighting by Syria and Rebels in Golan Commentary: * Yedioth Ahronoth: “The Address: Beirut” - By Giora Eiland, Former Head of the Israeli National Security Council * Al-Monitor: “How to Revive the Arab Peace Initiative” - By Akiva Eldar, Israel Pulse Columnist, Al-Monitor ** Algemeiner ------------------------------------------------------------ ** 3 Israelis Critically Wounded in Stabbing Attack in Jerusalem (http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/12/23/3-israelis-critically-wounded-in-palestinian-stabbing-attack-in-jerusalem/) ------------------------------------------------------------ Three Israelis were wounded, two seriously and one critically, in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem on Wednesday afternoon, Hebrew media outlets reported. According to initial reports, two Palestinian men went on a rampage, attempting to murder as many passersby as possible near the Jaffa Gate of the Old City. One of the victims purportedly tackled his assailant and struggled with him for some minutes, as he was being stabbed. A Border Policewoman opened fire on the terrorists, killing one of them and wounding the other. An investigation is underway to determine whether one of the Israeli victims was actually wounded by bullets aimed at the terrorists. ** Arutz Sheva ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Hamas Terror Cell Planning Suicide Bombings Busted (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/205361) ------------------------------------------------------------ The Israeli Security Agency (ISA) cleared for publication on Wednesday that it has nabbed a Hamas terror cell located in Abu Dis, just adjacent to Jerusalem to the East, that was planning to launch suicide and car bombing attacks. The arrests took place in recent weeks, and saw a wide terror infrastructure that was directed by Hamas terrorists in Gaza exposed. Up to now a full 25 Hamas activists in the terror cell have been arrested, most of them students of Abu Dis University. From the investigation it has been learned the leader of the cell was 24-year-old Ahmed Gamal Mussa Azzam, a resident of Kalkilya in northern Jerusalem. ** Jerusalem Post ------------------------------------------------------------ ** No Justice for Duma Terrorists Risks “Setting (http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Failure-to-bring-Duma-attackers-justice-could-risk-setting-region-on-fire-438063) Region on Fire” ------------------------------------------------------------ Failure to bring Jewish extremists behind the Duma arson attack to justice would risk “setting the region on fire,” Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon warned Tuesday. “They could carry out additional terrorist acts and murder innocents, setting the region on fire,” he said. “We are obligated to fight these terrorist activities. They violate our values and they are dangerous to us all.” The defense minister vehemently rejected allegations of abuse and torture leveled against the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) in its investigation and attempts to track down those responsible for the July murder of Palestinian parents and their toddler son. See also, ”18 Arrested at Protests Over Alleged Torture of Duma Suspects” (Times of Israel) (http://www.timesofisrael.com/18-arrested-at-protests-over-alleged-treatment-of-duma-suspects/) ** BICOM ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Turkey Expels Hamas Leader, Ties w/ Israel Still in Balance (http://www.bicom.org.uk/news-article/28002/) ------------------------------------------------------------ Turkey has expelled senior Hamas official Saleh al-Aruri, as a step towards an agreement to normalize relations with Israel, but the deal reportedly remains some way from being finalized. A meeting took place last week between Turkish official Feridun Sinirlioglu and Israeli envoy Joseph Ciechanover alongside National Security Advisor Yossi Cohen. They agreed an outline of measures to restore diplomatic relations after a five-year hiatus. These include Israel’s payment of £13.3 million to compensate families of Turkish citizens hurt during Mavi Marmara. Meanwhile, Turkey will pass legislation to drop cases against IDF personnel, which precipitated the end of diplomatic ties. ** Huffington Post ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Israeli Embassy Trolls White House with Settlement-Only Gifts (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/israel-gifts-settlement-products_56798d78e4b06fa6887edc5c) ------------------------------------------------------------ This year’s holiday gifts from the Israeli embassy come with a politically charged message: the occupied Palestinian territories are part of Israel. Israel's ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, tweeted on Monday that all of the presents he is sending this holiday season will be products produced in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights. The gifts will include wine, olive oil, body cream, and halva, the Israeli embassy told The Huffington Post. In a letter to gift recipients, Dermer described his decision as an effort to “combat the latest effort by Israel’s enemies to destroy the one and only Jewish state,” specifically referencing the EU decision (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/eu-labeling-guidelines-israel-palestinian-territories_5643709ae4b045bf3ded3d9b) to label goods originating in the occupied Palestinian territories to distinguish them from products made within Israel’s 1967 borders. See also, “Israeli Ambassador's Gifts Carry a Message” (The New York Times) (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/23/world/middleeast/israeli-ambassadors-gifts-carry-a-message.html?_r=0) ** Ha'aretz ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Three Days After Kuntar’s Death, Putin and Bibi Speak on Syria (http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.693296) ------------------------------------------------------------ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Syria on the phone on Tuesday. The phone call by Putin to Netanyahu took place three days after Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar was killed in Syria in an aerial strike, which was attributed to Israel. The Kremlin and the Prime Minister's Office released almost identical statements after the conversation. The two leaders agreed the continue dialogue at various levels, including coordination in the war against terrorism between the two countries, as well as in other regional matters. ** Ynet News ------------------------------------------------------------ ** State Dept. Rejects Lawmakers’ Call to Close PLO’s DC Office (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4743094,00.html) ------------------------------------------------------------ The US State Department on Tuesday rejected calls by 32 congressional lawmakers, including Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, to close the Washington office of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). In a letter, lawmakers called on Secretary of State John Kerry to revoke a waiver that allowing PLO office in DC to remain open. They argued that Palestinian leaders encouraged violence against Israelis, including a wave of knife-wielding attacks in recent months. See also, “State Department Dismisses Cruz Demand to Close PLO Office” (The Hill) (http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/264053-state-dept-dismisses-cruz-demand-to-close-plo-office) ** Algemeiner ------------------------------------------------------------ ** UN Condemns Fighting by Syria and Rebels in Golan (https://www.algemeiner.com/2015/12/21/israel-to-establish-first-arab-college/) ------------------------------------------------------------ The UN Security Council has strongly condemned the fighting and use of heavy weapons by Syrian government troops and armed groups on the Golan Heights. The UN Security Council has strongly condemned the fighting and use of heavy weapons by Syrian government troops and armed groups on the Golan Heights. A resolution co-sponsored by Russia and the United States and adopted unanimously by the council on Tuesday calls on parties to the Syrian conflict to halt military activity there. The resolution extends the mandate of the nearly 800-strong UN peacekeeping force on the Golan Heights until June 30, 2016. See also, “UN Chief Condemns Rocket Fire from Lebanon on Northern Israel” (Algemeiner) (http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/12/22/un-chief-condemns-rocket-fire-from-lebanon-on-northern-israel/) ** Yedioth Ahronoth – December 23, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------ ** The Address: Beirut ------------------------------------------------------------ By Giora Eiland The assassination of Samir Kuntar, the rocket fire from Lebanon the following day, and Nasrallah’s threatening speech, all increased the fear of a new clash in the north. Beyond analyzing the probability of a such a clash, it is also important to relate to our policy vis-à-vis Lebanon, Syria, and indirectly, Turkey and Russia, which are part of the conflict because of the situation in Syria. It can cautiously be said that Kuntar’s assassination will not trigger a clash in the north. He was not important enough to Hizbullah, and in general, it is not in Hizbullah’s interest to open another front since it is increasingly involved in Syria. This situation is liable to change in the event of an incident that prompts a response or counter responses or in wake of a change in the situation and a change in Hizbullah priorities or those of its patron (Iran). As far as Israel is concerned, it is important to stick to one principle: if and when acts of hostility begin from Lebanese territory, they must lead to a war between the State of Israel and the State of Lebanon. In the Second Lebanon War, we tried to only defeat Hizbullah, leaving the State of Lebanon, its government, its army and its infrastructure outside the game. If we prosecute the third Lebanon War in the same way, the outcome will be much more dismal compared to the last war. Why is that? After all, ostensibly, we have greatly improved since 2006. The problem is that on the tactical level, and mainly in regard to the number of rockets, their size, their range and their accuracy, Hizbullah has improved, relatively, a lot more than us. That is why, if there is a clash, and if it lasts 34 days (like the Second Lebanon War), the damage, the casualties and the destruction in the State of Israel will be unacceptable. The conclusion is simple: we must prosecute the next war against the State of Lebanon. In addition to Hizbullah targets, we must also attack the Lebanese army, the infrastructure in Lebanon, the airports and seaports and every other strategic asset. Since no country in the world (Syria and Iran on the one hand, and Saudi Arabia, Europe and the US on the other hand) want a Lebanon in ruins, and since that would be the inevitable result of an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon, there will be enormous global pressure on all sides to reach a cease-fire after three days, and not 34, and that is exactly what Israel wants. Ostensibly, the correct strategy can be decided only when the clash starts, but that was precisely the big mistake that was made in 2006. It is vital that the explanations for the policy that you intend to pursue be given to the world, mainly to the US, ahead of time, and clearly. The benefit will be twofold: first, it will be possible to prevent the war this way, since most of the world is indifferent to any blow to Hizbullah (and to Israel) but it will not be indifferent to the possibility of Lebanon’s destruction: second, when war breaks out, it is too late to persuade the world of the justice of the path you’ve chosen to fight. Israel’s policy toward Syria is more complex. As of now, we can be passive and only intervene when a pinpoint assassination is necessary. Our influence on events in Syria is very limited, and even so, it should be said plainly: it is better for Israel to support the Russian approach, which talks about reaching an arrangement in Syria, with or without Bashar Assad, rather than support the disintegration of the existing regime. True, the fall of the regime in Syria would hurt Iran and Hizbullah, but not everything that is bad for the enemy is necessarily good for us. The fall of the regime in Syria will put ISIS on our border. That may not be so terrible, but ISIS control over Syria will very quickly led to its takeover of Jordan, and that is a development that would dramatically worsen our situation. Giora Eiland is former head of the Israeli National Security Council, a post he held from 2004 to 2006. Previously, he served in the Israel Defense Forces for thirty-three years, heading the Strategic Planning Branch at the end of his career. ** Al-Monitor – December 22, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------ ** How to Revive Arab Peace Initiative (http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/12/israel-palestine-peace-activists-gathering-antalya-reviving.html) ------------------------------------------------------------ By Akiva Eldar The few Russian tourists who visited the Grand Park Hotel in Antalya, Turkey, on Dec. 17-19, despite the tensions between Moscow and Ankara, could not have known that the women and men conversing easily at adjacent tables represent an occupier and the occupied. Anyone following the deterioration in the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue would have found it hard to believe that these men and women came to Antalya to look together for ways to save the two-state solution, using the Arab Peace Initiative (http://www.al-bab.com/arab/docs/league/peace02.htm) . After breakfast they took their places around a long rectangular table in one of the meeting rooms. Next to them at the table were also two Knesset members from the Zionist Camp and one from the Meretz Party. Present, too, was a former member of the Palestinian Cabinet, clerics from the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, a senior Arab League diplomat and three other diplomats — an American, a European and a Turk. For participants to express their views freely, the hosts from the AJEEC-NISPED (http://en.ajeec-nisped.org.il/) organization asked everyone to avoid publicizing each other's names and quoting them directly. Therefore, the insights from the conference will not be attributed to specific participants. The first insight: The 2002 Arab Peace Initiative is in force. It is likely to be ratified at the upcoming 2016 Arab League conference in Morocco in March. Despite Israel’s refusal to adopt the initiative and to even discuss it, important Arab states — led by Egypt and Saudi Arabia — are still on board and are unwilling to amend its principles. Nonetheless, in light of the instability in Syria and uncertainty regarding its future, implementation of the article about normalizing relations with Israel in return for its withdrawal to the 1967 border lines is not conditional on its withdrawal from the Golan Heights. Suffice it for Israel to adopt the principles of the initiative — along with its willingness for land swaps in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — to launch steps for the normalization of ties with states such as Saudi Arabia. The Arabs find it hard to understand why such a generous peace initiative is unable to capture the hearts (http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/en/originals/2014/06/poll-herzliya-conference-alex-mintz-arab-peace-initiative.html) of the Jewish-Israeli public. Among the centrist and left-wing Zionist parties there is a broad consensus in immediate recognition of the establishment of a Palestinian state, based on the June 4, 1967, lines. There is agreement that Israel must accept its responsibility for the refugee problem, including that of the 1948 refugees uprooted from their villages and lives in Israel, and toward efforts to resolve it — without full implementation of the right of return. According to the views of the Zionist Camp and Meretz representatives, dramatic gestures the likes of the Jerusalem visit by late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1977 will make it easier for them to sell the initiative as part of a made-in-Israel diplomatic plan. Nonetheless, in their view, the road to regional peace goes through the ballot boxes. For a leader to implement a policy toward a comprehensive arrangement and an end to the conflict, the leader must convince the public that handing the West Bank over to the Palestinians will not turn it into a second Gaza. Therefore, it is essential to establish a regional-international security mechanism (http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/en/originals/2015/11/israel-palestine-security-policy-strategy-john-allen-kerry.html) that will reduce the threat of a hostile takeover of Palestine by Hamas or other external forces. Second insight: A US diplomatic initiative is unlikely (http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/en/originals/2015/12/saban-forum-obama-kerry-hillary-clinton-netanyahu-yaalon.html) in the short time left to President Barack Obama in office, including the transition period between the elections and the new president taking office. At best, as far as the peace camp is concerned, Obama will abstain from a US veto on a UN Security Council vote granting full recognition to an independent Palestinian state. Washington has already indicated to the Palestinians that US aid to the Palestinian Authority would be suspended if they appeal to the United Nations. The American representatives believe that in 2017 — the new president’s first year in office — he (or she) is not expected to focus on defrosting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Third insight: Europe is increasingly frustrated with Israel’s promotion of the settlement enterprise at the expense of the basic rights of the Palestinians. The sharp, almost rude language of the Israeli reaction to the EU decision (http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-suspends-eu-peace-role-over-settlement-labeling/) to label settlement products increased the fury in European capitals. Even Germany, considered the protective shield of the right-wing Israeli government vis-a-vis the European Union, decided to implement the decision. Two new initiatives are being formulated these days in the EU, regarding the settlements. One, to avoid meetings with Israeli politicians who live in the occupied territories, such as minister Ze’ev Elkin and Knesset member Avigdor Liberman. The other, to ban the entry of settlers to EU member states, by a law requiring Israelis to ask for a visa ahead of the journey. This way, EU authorities could verify exactly where the applicant lives. Several European states are trying to fill the vacuum left by the United States in the Israeli-Palestinian arena. The French Foreign Ministry is trying to line up support for a European diplomatic initiative to promote recognition of a Palestinian state along with a formula expressing the Jewish identity of the State of Israel. At the same time, Spain is seeking support for an international conference next year, marking the 25th anniversary of the Madrid Conference (http://www.jmcc.org/fastfactspag.aspx?tname=91) (1991). That conference brought together representatives from Arab states, Israel, the United States, Russia, Europe, China, Japan and the UN, and launched talks (that proved fruitless) between the government of Yitzhak Shamir and the Palestinians, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. At the same time, plans are afoot to renew the activity of the five multilateral committees created as a result of the conference on the issues of arms control, economic cooperation, refugees, water and the environment. Fourth insight: The Arab Peace Initiative serves as a common denominator for discourse among Muslim clerics and Jews. Serious peace talks, based on the Arab initiative, will help religious Muslim and Jewish elements to deal with radical religious organization taking advantage of the hostility toward the occupation and turning the political conflict into a religious war. And a final insight: Now of all times, when the diplomatic process between Israelis and Palestinians is at a deadlock, and when no solution can be seen on the horizon, such ongoing encounters between the parties involved in the conflict together with religious figures and central international elements, are of outmost importance. The Arab initiative is the most important peace plan to be born ever since the start of the Jewish-Arab conflict. And so, it must be at the center of these meetings. It must not be allowed to die. Akiva Eldar is a columnist for Al-Monitor’s Israel Pulse. He was formerly a senior columnist and editorial writer for Ha’aretz and also served as the Hebrew daily’s US diplomatic correspondent. ============================================================ S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 For comments, please contact us at ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) . ** www.centerpeace.org (http://www.centerpeace.org) 2015 S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, All rights reserved. YOU ARE RECEIVING THIS EMAIL BECAUSE YOU SIGNED UP FOR OUR NEWS UPDATES. ** unsubscribe from this list (http://centerpeace.us7.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=232a4a45176fccacab865e520&id=929d521884&e=a7f9100a75&c=e27f85c235) ** update subscription preferences (http://centerpeace.us7.list-manage1.com/profile?u=232a4a45176fccacab865e520&id=929d521884&e=a7f9100a75)