podesta_email_00948.txt

podesta-emails 3,217 words email

P17 V11 V15 D4 V16

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Israel and the Middle East News Update ------------------------------------------------------------ ** August 11, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------ Headlines: * New Cease-Fire Begins Between Israelis and Palestinians * Rocket Barrage on Israel Shortly Before Start of Truce * Lieberman: We Should Have Aimed to Defeat Hamas * Jordan’s King Slams Israel for Gaza Assault, Ignores Hamas * Third London Mass Protest for Gaza in One Month * Gaza Periphery Residents: Why Did They Tell Us to Return Home? * Sisi, King of Saudi Arabia Meet to Discuss Islamist Threat * Experts Warn of Terrorism Blowback From Iraq Air Strikes Commentary: * Yedioth Ahronoth: “Cairo Circus" - By Alex Fishman * Washington Post: “Peace in the Mideast Will Only Come With International Help" - By Daniel Kurtzer ** New York Times ------------------------------------------------------------ ** New Cease-Fire Begins Between Israelis and Palestinians (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/11/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-strip-conflict.html?ref=middleeast&_r=0) ------------------------------------------------------------ A new 72-hour cease-fire in the Gaza fighting, which Israeli and Palestinian negotiators had agreed to on Sunday, began at one minute after midnight Monday. The negotiators had accepted Egypt’s call for the three-day truce and for a resumption of Egyptian-mediated negotiations toward a more durable solution for Gaza. The Israeli government said in a statement that it had accepted the Egyptian cease-fire request. On Sunday evening, Azzam al-Ahmed, the lead Palestinian negotiator in Cairo, said the delegation, which includes Hamas, had notified the Egyptians “that we agreed on the cease-fire based on the Egyptian statement.” See also, “How Hamas Beat Israel in Gaza” (by Ronen Bergman, New York Times) (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/11/opinion/how-hamas-beat-israel-in-gaza.html?_r=0) ** Jerusalem Post ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Rocket Barrage on Israel Shortly Before Start of Truce (http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/Rockets-fired-on-Israel-shortly-before-start-of-72-hour-truce-with-Hamas-370698) ------------------------------------------------------------ Israel will send its team of negotiators back to Cairo on Monday if Hamas honors the 72-hour cease-fire that went into effect at midnight, diplomatic officials said Sunday evening. Rocket sirens were sounded in Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Kiryat Malachi at around 11:45 p.m. An additional rocket fired at the Tel Aviv area fell in an open area. See also, "Hillary Clinton: ‘Hamas responsible for civilian casualties’" (Ynet News) ** Ma''ariv ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Lieberman: We Should Have Aimed to Defeat Hamas ------------------------------------------------------------ After a few days of media silence, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman gave a statement to the media in which he leveled sharp criticism at the prime minister’s conduct vis-a-vis Hamas and the policy decisions made in Operation Protective Edge. “I believed from the outset that we should have aimed to defeat Hamas,” Lieberman said, “that was my proposal before the start of the operation, and had it been accepted—we would already have been after this stage. It is clear at the moment that Hamas’s minimum demands are far beyond the maximum to which Israel can agree. What remains is to defeat Hamas, to clean up the area and to leave Gaza as quickly as possible.” See also, “Israeli ministers complain of being left in the dark over truce talks” (Ha’aretz) (http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-gaza-conflict-2014/.premium-1.609901) ** Times of Israel ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Jordan’s King Slams Israel for Gaza Assault, Ignores Hamas (#ixzz3A4qJ1Zdl) ------------------------------------------------------------ Jordan’s King Abdullah II castigated Israel for waging what he called an unjustified war in Gaza, Sunday. In an interview in which he made no mention of Hamas, the king urged the world to hold Israel accountable for what he termed a bloody, devastating “wide-scale assault. Abdullah said he backed Egyptian efforts to end “the Israeli offensive” and that Jordan would use its international presence “to bring the aggression to a complete halt and prevent any recurrence, guarantee the success of efforts to reach a lasting truce, mobilize international efforts to rebuild Gaza and provide a conducive environment to re-launch final-status negotiations to reach a peace that is based on the two-state solution.” ** Times of Israel ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Third London Mass Protest for Gaza in One Month ------------------------------------------------------------ Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London on Saturday, demanding Britain take a tougher line against Israel over its military assault on Hamas in Gaza The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign said 150,000 people attended the march, the third major demonstration for Gaza in London in the past four weeks. Protesters packed the main shopping artery of Oxford Street, marching to the US embassy and on to Hyde Park, many of them chanting “Free, Free Palestine” and holding up banners saying “UK — Stop Arming Israel.” ** Yedioth Ahronoth ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Gaza Periphery Residents: Why did they tell us to Return Home? ------------------------------------------------------------ The anger voiced by the residents of the Gaza periphery communities has continued to mount. After the residents of Kibbutz Nahal Oz announced that they would not be returning to the kibbutz, and after the residents of Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha returned only to decide to leave again—now the residents of Kibbutz Kfar Azza have decided not to be silent anymore. Residents of the kibbutz, who acceded to the call to return home after a cease-fire was reached—but who have since only come under incessant fire—lashed out at Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich, who visited the kibbutz yesterday, saying: “We feel forsaken. It’s impossible to raise kids here.” “I haven’t got the words to describe the mental anguish, the fear, the anxiety, the lack of trust, the crisis and the frustration,” said Orit Oron, the community administrator in Kibbutz Kfar Azza. “You knew that this was a process and that things hadn’t yet been sewn up, so why did you tell us to return? Why rush?” See also, “In a kibbutz down south, where the kids can tell a Hamas ‘boom’ from an Israeli one” (Times of Israel) (http://www.timesofisrael.com/in-a-kibbutz-down-south-where-the-kids-can-tell-a-hamas-boom-from-an-israeli-one/#ixzz3A4tDOSpd) ** Reuters ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Sisi, King of Saudi Arabia Meet to Discuss Islamist Threat (http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Sisi-King-of-Saudi-Arabia-meet-to-discuss-threat-posed-by-Islamic-extremists-and-the-Gaza-crisis-370724) ------------------------------------------------------------ The leaders of the Arab world's most populous state and its richest state met on Sunday to talk over joint efforts to counter Islamist militancy across the Middle East, including the turmoil now shaking Iraq. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah are sworn enemies of the Muslim Brotherhood. They see the recent success of militants in Iraq as a threat to their stability and undermining security in the region. Sisi's spokesman, Ehab Badawi, said the two leaders agreed to work together promote the "true and moderate values of Islam that reject extremism and terrorism." ** TIME ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Experts Warn of Terrorism Blowback From Iraq Air Strikes (https://time.com/3096348/isis-iraq-barack-obama-blowback/) ------------------------------------------------------------ The American air strikes against a militant group in Iraq could motivate the fighters to retaliate with terrorist attacks against U.S. civilians, experts warn. President Barack Obama’s air strikes against militants from the group Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) “could increase the likelihood that ISIS or somebody inspired by ISIS, would strike against the homeland,” says Seth Jones, a terrorism expert with Rand Corp. ISIS has long threatened America openly. In June the group’s leader warned Americans that “soon enough, you will be in direct confrontation [with us].” Last week a spokesman for the group vowed (http://dailycaller.com/2014/08/08/isis-threatens-america-we-will-raise-the-flag-of-allah-in-the-white-house/#ixzz39vUdXRwt) that “we will raise the flag of Allah in the White House.” ** Yedioth Ahronoth – August 11, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Cairo Circus ------------------------------------------------------------ By Alex Fishman The chances of this cease-fire lasting are not high. Everyone wants quiet, including Hamas, but everyone is still stuck way up in the air on the flying trapeze, afraid to do the final somersault before landing on the ground in fear of crashing. As long as that is the situation, the shooting is going to be renewed and will continue. The talks in Cairo are a three-ring circus. Yesterday the Arab League entered the central ring, offering Hamas, which is standing precariously on a tightrope and is liable to fall, a ladder to use to climb down. That happened after Hamas announced yesterday morning that if Israel refused to accept its demands, it was going to quit the talks. While it is the Egyptians who have been torturing Hamas in Cairo and have flatly rejected all of its demands, Hamas would not dare insult the circus ring leader, Sisi. That is why Hamas has continued to fire on Israel, so that Israel might pressure Egypt into treating it a bit better. While the actors in the Egyptian-Israeli-Hamas ring have been racing around to almost no end, the Arab League entered the second ring in order to allow Hamas to do a back flip: Hamas will supposedly “accede” to the Arab League’s request for a 72-hour cease-fire so that Israel might be able to come back with better offers than before. But that’s all ‘as if,’ It’s as if Hamas is doing the Arab countries a favor and does not really want a cease-fire. Hamas would very much like to stay in Cairo to continue the talks. It’s the humiliation that’s killing it. One shouldn’t rule out the possibility that Israel does have a number of creative ideas for Hamas. For example, Israel might examine the possibility of having the public workers in Gaza receive their salaries, which will be paid out of Qatar’s pocket, and that no distinction would be made between the civil servants and the members of Hamas’s military wing. Israel is also prepared to be generous and to expand the fishing zone off the Gaza coast. There is even talk of granting a limited number of 5,000 permits to Gazans to work in Israel—and to open another border crossing (apparently Erez) so as to increase the volume of goods that enter the Gaza Strip. Officials with the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories have drawn up a list of products that might be exported from the Gaza Strip. Israel has a number of new formulas about its military presence in the security zone on the Palestinian side of the border. Israel is prepared to show the generosity of victors in ways that pertain to the welfare of the population in Gaza, but the Egyptians are currently busy taming the Hamas tiger. Director of Egyptian Intelligence Mohamed al-Tuhami won’t even speak directly with the Hamas representatives; he talks only with Azzam al-Ahmed, the Palestinian Authority’s representative on the delegation. Tuhami has discussed the possibility of opening the Rafah border crossing only with Ahmed as well. The third ring in the circus is the European ring. The Europeans have, to a certain extent, taken the place of the Americans, who are frustrated and have gone off to sit in the stands. The countries of Europe have offered long-term plans that include opening a seaport (under strict European supervision), among other things. Three European Union ambassadors presented to Netanyahu this weekend a plan that has benefits for both sides: it promises Hamas, inter alia, mechanisms that will allow it to have access to the world, such as a supervised terminal in Cyprus, from where goods will be delivered directly to Gaza. It offers Israel a commitment that all of the international crossings in and out of Gaza by land and sea, will be under tight supervision. Meanwhile, the big prize is already waiting for the Gazans: a billion dollars to rehabilitate the Gaza Strip. The Saudis have already undertaken to supply half a billion dollars’ worth of raw materials. Representatives of the United States and various European countries are to meet in September to decide on providing the other half a billion dollars. Incidentally, the Palestinian Authority, which is supposed to coordinate the reconstruction activities in the Gaza Strip—demanded between five and six billion dollars. Someone in Ramallah tried to clip a coupon for the West Bank—and possibly for himself personally as well. Until the PA officials were told that even Gaza, with all the destruction, wouldn’t be able to absorb such a large sum of money. While those three rings—the Israeli-Egyptian-Hamas ring, the Arab League ring and the European ring—continued to turn (mainly on their own axes), the IDF utilized the last 24 hours to test the original Israeli development called Hupot Esh [literally, “canopies of fire”], which allows the troops to identify the members of a terror cell on their way to firing rockets or a terror attack, verify their identity and take them out. Eleven such terror cells were stopped that way yesterday. This is what a war in its twilight looks like, when the chief of staff tries to persuade the residents of southern Israel to let him give his strategy a bit more time before he reverts to using military tactics that no one believes are the ultimate solution. So, there’s a bit of shooting, a bit of killing, a bit of hunkering down, while slowly but surely a dynamic of negotiations is created that might—from one cease-fire to the next—lead to an arrangement. That is the pace of things, and with that being the pace of things a strong leadership with nerves of steel is needed. The leadership’s real test is now: translating the military operation into broad political gains: not only vis-a-vis Hamas, but also vis-a-vis the Europeans, the moderate Arab world and, yes, the Americans too. ** Washington Post – August 10, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Peace in the Mideast Will Come Only with International Help (http://wapo.st/1r1g58O) ------------------------------------------------------------ By Daniel Kurtzer Negotiations to end the fighting in Gaza are at an impasse. In the talks under way in Cairo, Israel made a reasonable demand for the demilitarization of Gaza, but no country has raised its hand to aid in the process. Israel has developed technological fixes for the offensive weaponry Hamas has developed, but this is simply a reaction, not a permanent fix, to potential violence. Hamas’s demand for the release of prisoners and the reopening of Gaza’s passages also will not win unconditional acceptance; Israel will not hand over prisoners to Hamas. Even if the passages are opened, Hamas will not be involved in their operation. Despite trying to build a political coalition against Israel, Hamas will emerge from this war with only Qatar and Turkey in its corner, and an array of Arab and international actors opposed to what it stands for. Unless Israel and the Palestinians develop a pathway forward, these violent encounters will recur every few years, with military capability simply buying time between wars. If nothing else, this war has made abundantly clear that the status quo in the Israeli-Palestinian arena is not sustainable. Amazingly, however, rather than see this and realize the need for continued diplomacy, the leaders have hardened their positions even further: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said (http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-gaza-conflict-proves-israel-cant-relinquish-control-of-west-bank/) that Israel would never relinquish security control of the West Bank, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/05/palestinian-leaders-icc-israel-war-crimes) Palestine will seek to join the International Criminal Court. The current Israeli and Palestinian leadership may not see a way out, but I refuse to see endless conflict as a fait accompli. There is a pathway forward that could translate the fighting in Gaza into something meaningful and positive. Lasting peace demands a creative, multipronged approach. First, the international community must play a far more prominent role in peacemaking. Since 2002, an Arab Peace Initiative (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1844214.stm) has been on the table, and there is increasing interest in developing a regional approach to peace. At the same time, the immediate issue at hand is how to govern Gaza and create conditions conducive to peace. One way would be to temporarily internationalize the governance of Gaza. The international Quartet (the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia) and key Arab states (Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and others) could structure a transitional governance arrangement over Gaza as a means of addressing the immediate needs of the population while paving the way for the ultimate assumption of responsibility by the Palestinian Authority. Such an arrangement would also facilitate the protection of Palestinian civilians, an issue surely to occupy the attention of diplomats in the period ahead. To give this idea legal and political weight, the U.N. Security Council could ask key Arab states to form a temporary governing body that would coordinate closely with the May 2014-created Palestinian Authority cabinet (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/29/fatah-hamas-agree-new-palestinian-prime-minister) . This temporary body would start disarming all militias and facilitating the deployment of Palestinian Authority security forces to maintain order (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/plan-for-palestinian-authority-to-police-gaza-strip/story-fnay3ubk-1227017182575?nk=66dad848538347e78b5a0113be286012) . At the same time, an internationally supported security mechanism would be set up to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza. This would be an impetus for the reopening of Gaza’s passages to Israel and Egypt and provide a secure context for an international effort for the reconstruction of Gaza infrastructure and the development of the Palestinian economy. The E.U. is well-positioned to take the lead on this and has already developed serious proposals for reconstructing Gaza. Second, as this transitional government comes into being, the Quartet would convene a regional conference designed to launch serious and practical peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-06/gaza-ceasefire-holding-on-second-day/5653372) to devise a vision and process for resolving the underlying Palestinian-Israeli conflict. To ensure the success of the conference and succeeding negotiations, the Quartet would lay out ambitious terms of reference, and there would be active participation by regional Arab states. Furthermore, when the conference is convened, the Palestinian Authority would agree to freeze its activities in the U.N. system, and Israel would release the remaining prisoners to the authority under the agreement reached in July 2013 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/israel-to-free-104-palestinian-prisoners/2013/07/28/390ad8d2-f7a3-11e2-a954-358d90d5d72d_story.html) . During negotiations, Israel would freeze settlement activity in all the areas occupied in June 1967 (https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/arab-israeli-war-1967) , and the authority would intensify steps to curb incitement in media and education. Some will question the viability of a plan that requires such a level of activity, commitment and direct involvement of outside parties. Others will question why it is assumed that Hamas would accept being sidelined. And there is the large question of whether the current leadership in Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization are ready to take the hard decisions even to get to a conference, let alone sustain negotiations and reach a positive outcome. Surely, if there were easier options, they would be advisable and more manageable. But there are no easy options for what ails Israelis and Palestinians. Another de facto cease-fire will solve nothing, and another lull in hostilities will yield nothing more than a brief respite between wars. Further delay is not an option. If we are to emerge from the current hostilities with even a small prospect of a durable solution — and not a temporary fix that will unravel again in a few years — then a package of this sort, and the leadership to make it happen, is required. ============================================================ S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 ** www.centerpeace.org (http://www.centerpeace.org) 2014 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=ccce1cde02) ** update subscription preferences (http://centerpeace.us7.list-manage.com/profile?u=232a4a45176fccacab865e520&id=929d521884&e=a7f9100a75)