podesta_email_01905.txt

podesta-emails 2,842 words email

P17 D6 V11 V16 V13

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http://www.centerpeace.org ** Israel and the Middle East News Update ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Tuesday, October 27 ------------------------------------------------------------ Click here for a printer-friendly version. (http://centerpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/October-27.pdf) Headlines: * Netanyahu Reprimands Hotovely’s Vision to Alter Status Quo * UK Academics Boycott Israel to Fight for Palestinians’ Rights * US Warns Against Bibi’s Idea to Revoke Jerusalem Arabs’ Residency * Dispute Erupts Over Al-Aqsa Mosque Security Cameras * Palestinian Leader Seeks EU Help to Ease Crisis with Israel * Senior IDF Official to ‘Jerusalem Post’: Terrorism Won’t End Soon * Netanyahu Announced Development of Terror Wave App * Israel Strikes Hamas Targets in Response to Gaza Rocket Fire Commentary: * Ha’aretz: “Israel Mustn’t Accept Anti-Democratic, Jewish Jerusalem” - By Editorial Board * Al-Monitor: “Why Kerry's Prioritizing Syria Over Israeli-Palestinian Peace” - By Laura Rozen, Foreign Policy Reporter, Al-Monitor ** Ma'ariv ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Netanyahu Reprimands Hotovely’s Vision to Alter Status Quo ------------------------------------------------------------ Netanyahu’s bureau reprimanded Deputy Foreign Minister Tzippi Hotovely for saying that her dream was to see the Israeli flag flying over the Temple Mount and that Jews should be allowed to pray there. The bureau clarified last night that government policy vis-à-vis the Temple Mount had been expressed in the statement made by the prime minister on Saturday night and that there had been no change. Prime Minister Netanyahu asked Tzippi Hotovely to issue a clarification and she said that her statements reflected her personal opinion and not government policy. See also, “Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister: I Dream of an Israeli Flag Over Temple Mount” (Ha’aretz) (http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.682462) ** The Guardian ------------------------------------------------------------ ** UK Academics Boycott Israel to Fight for Palestinians’ Rights (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/27/uk-academics-boycott-universities-in-israel-to-fight-for-palestinians-rights) ------------------------------------------------------------ More than 300 academics from dozens of British universities have pledged to boycott Israeli academic institutions in protest at what they call intolerable human rights violations against the Palestinians. The declaration, by 343 professors and lecturers, is printed in a full-page advertisement carried in Tuesday’s Guardian: “A Commitment by UK Scholars to the Rights of Palestinians.” The pledge says the signatories, from a variety of universities in England and Wales, will not accept invitations to visit Israeli academic institutions, act as referees for them, or take part in events organized or funded by them. They will, however, still work with individual Israeli academics, it adds. See also, “Over 300 British Academics Pledge Boycott of Israel” (Times of Israel) (http://www.timesofisrael.com/over-300-british-academics-pledge-boycott-of-israel/) ** Times of Israel ------------------------------------------------------------ ** US Warns Against Bibi's Idea to Revoke Jerusalem Arabs (http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-warns-against-pms-idea-of-revoking-residency-for-some-jerusalem-arabs/) ’ Residency ------------------------------------------------------------ The Obama administration on Monday hurried to express its opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s tentative talk of revoking the permanent residency status of tens of thousands of Arabs living in East Jerusalem. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that, as far as the US government knows, Israel is not actively considering such a move. But if it were, he said, “it would obviously be of some concern to us.” The US, Earnest went on, reiterates the “importance of all sides avoiding provocative actions and rhetoric.” See also, “US Opposes Netanyahu's Idea of Revoking Residency of East Jerusalem Palestinians” (i24 News) (http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy-defense/90317-151026-netanyahu-considers-cancelling-residency-of-east-jerusalem-palestinians) ** Al Jazeera ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Dispute Erupts Over Al-Aqsa Mosque Security Cameras (http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/10/israel-stops-aqsa-administrator-installing-cameras-151026140713886.html) ------------------------------------------------------------ Muslim religious officials in occupied East Jerusalem say Israeli police have blocked them from installing security cameras at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, despite a new agreement to place the surveillance equipment there. US Secretary of State John Kerry announced over the weekend a deal between Israel and Jordan, which administers the site, to install security cameras at the hilltop compound that has been at the center of weeks of unrest. See also, “Jordan’s King Welcomes Netanyahu’s Status Quo Pledge ‘As Long As It’s Implemented” (Ha’aretz) (http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.682227) See also, “Israeli Police Remove Cameras Installed by Muslim Officials at Temple Mount” (Ha'aretz) (http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.682417) ** U.S. News ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Palestinian Leader Seeks EU Help to Ease Crisis with Israel (http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/10/26/palestinian-leader-seeks-eu-help-to-ease-crisis-with-israel) ------------------------------------------------------------ Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas came to European Union headquarters Monday to seek the bloc's help to de-escalate the crisis with Israel, which he blamed on policies and actions of the Israeli government. Before opening the talks with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in Brussels, Abbas told reporters the situation was "extremely serious and grave," adding that "it may even deteriorate, and that is my fear." There have been almost daily Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces. In the past five weeks, 10 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, mostly stabbings, while 51 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, including 30 attackers and the rest in clashes. ** Jerusalem Post ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Senior IDF Official to ‘Jerusalem Post’: Terrorism Won’t End Soon (http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Senior-IDF-source-to-Post-Terrorism-wont-end-soon-430149) ------------------------------------------------------------ Palestinian attacks are set to continue for a “lengthy period,” and the IDF is preparing itself accordingly, a senior army source told The Jerusalem Post on Monday. “We are preparing for this to continue. It won’t pass in two days. This can escalate and decrease in strength. We have to be prepared. It can go in any number of directions. We have to be ready for all scenarios.” Three of the Home Front Command’s four standing battalions are deployed in the West Bank, and the fourth in the Arava region of southern Israel, securing the Jordanian border. Recently, the Home Front Command sent a third battalion to the West Bank as part of the IDF’s move to inject four back-up battalions. See also, “Multiple Terrorist Attacks Thwarted in Hevron, Jerusalem” (Arutz Sheva) (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/202507#.Vi9u3xCrTfY) See also, “Jerusalem Bus Attack Claims Third Life: Richard Lakin” (Ha’aretz) (http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.682521) ** Ynet News ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Netanyahu Announced Development of Terror Wave App (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4716725,00.html) ------------------------------------------------------------ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday with one of his answers to the continuing wave of terrorism - an application that alerts security forces. "We are currently working on the development of an application that will allow every citizen, with a push of a button, to alert security forces, so that they get to the scene faster and are able to neutralize the terrorist," Netanyahu said. He stressed that action will be taken against those who abuse the app. At the moment the app is in the initial stages of development. The announcement is a part of a series of actions taken to calm the public's fear in the wake of the current wave of attacks. ** Ha'aretz ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Israel Strikes Hamas Targets in Response to Gaza Rocket Fire (http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.682424) ------------------------------------------------------------ The Israeli Air Force struck Hamas targets in Gaza Monday night in response to the day's earlier rocket fire. A rocket fired from Gaza exploded in an open area in southern Israel Monday evening after sirens sounded in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. There were no injuries, and Israeli forces are searching the area for damages. Meanwhile, Palestinians report that a 19-year-old Palestinian was killed during clashes with Israelis in the West Bank and a Palestinian was shot during clashes near the Gaza border. Dozens of Palestinians are currently throwing stones and burning tires near Gaza's Bureij refugee camp. See also, “Israel Strikes Gaza Sites After Rocket Attacks” (Washington Post) (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/the-latest-army-says-israeli-stabbed-attacker-killed/2015/10/26/a7187d64-7bba-11e5-837b-2c3f2478487e_story.html) ** Ha’aretz – October 26, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Israel Mustn’t Accept Anti-Democratic, Purely Jewish Jerusalem (http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.682465) ------------------------------------------------------------ Netanyahu has made clear again and again that he has no intention of adding any substance to his declared readiness for a two-state solution. By Editorial Board The prime minister’s latest idea is to set up a separation wall in the heart of Jerusalem. Benjamin Netanyahu’s aspiration, as reported Monday, is to rescind the residency rights of tens of thousands of Palestinians living in neighborhoods beyond the separation wall yet within the area annexed to Jerusalem. At first glance, Netanyahu would seem to deserve praise for recognizing the fact that Jerusalem can no longer pretend to be a unified city, and that it must be divided. This was meant to be a historic decision, full of far-reaching repercussions for the political process. However, Netanyahu has made clear again and again that he has no intention of adding any substance to his declared readiness for a two-state solution. The tactic of revoking Palestinian residency, if it happens at all as opposed to being just media spin, is meant to forge a reality that the right dreams about: a unified Jerusalem without Palestinian residents; annexed territory without an Arab population. The argument for the idea is that while residents of these neighborhoods enjoy all the rights of a resident, they do not fulfill their obligations. By “rights” it is probably meant the lack of municipal services, an unsupervised education system and frightful neglect of infrastructure in exchange for the right to receive payments from the National Insurance Institute, which have become the essence of Israeli generosity toward the state’s residents. By unfulfilled “obligations” Netanyahu means that many of the knife-wielding assailants have come from these neighborhoods, necessitating retaliatory action, lacking any legal basis, against a civilian population. But even if Netanyahu finds, or invents, the legal lacuna permitting him to revoke the collective residency rights of Palestinians in Jerusalem, the city will continue to be “stuck with” tens of thousands of Palestinians without rights. These residents won’t go anywhere. They will stay in their homes, or they will need work permits like residents of the territories. In the first years of the occupation and the annexation, Israel made an effort to convince East Jerusalem’s Palestinian residents to accept Israeli citizenship, and not just residency. The state understood back then that anyone seeking to annex East Jerusalem cannot give up on trying to win legitimacy from the world as well as the Palestinians. Legitimization would bring along with it, so the leadership hoped, international recognition of the city’s unification. Now, Netanyahu makes it clear, there is no such need. Jerusalem will not be a unified city, rather a purely Jewish city. Indeed, there will be Arabs in it, but they will lack basic human and civil rights. We must not agree to this dangerous and anti-democratic vision. ** Al-Monitor – October 26, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Why Kerry Is Prioritizing Syria Over Israeli-Palestinian Peace (http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/10/kerry-syria-netanyahu-abbas-lavrov-zarif-peace-diplomacy.html) ------------------------------------------------------------ By Laura Rozen US Secretary of State John Kerry returned Oct. 25 from a five-day trip to Europe and the Middle East focused on advancing a diplomatic process for Syria that is seen as an increasingly urgent priority for some of the United States' closest allies in Europe and the region. While Kerry also met with Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders on the trip and proposed measures to try to restore calm, diplomats and current and former officials saw little chance of the United States embarking on a new Israel-Palestine peace (http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/09/israel-palestine-negotiations-unity-government-zionist-camp.html) push because chances for progress are seen to be so limited and because the urgency of ending the 4½-year-old Syrian war, countering the threat posed by the Islamic State and stemming the Syrian refugee influx have become top national security priorities, especially for Europe. “Syria, for the US, for Europe … is the next priority,” Ghaith al-Omari, an expert on Palestinian issues at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Al-Monitor on Oct. 26. “Syria has become such a central point [especially] for the Europeans, I don’t see any oxygen for dealing with anything else.” “On the Israel-Palestinian front, I don’t see any potential for any progress between [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu on the one hand and [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas on the other,” Omari said. “There is no sense if you start anything that these two leaders will play ball.” On Syria, “We feel a sense of urgency,” Kerry told reporters after a meeting with the Russian, Saudi and Turkish foreign ministers in Vienna on Oct. 23. He said there will likely be a bigger follow-up meeting as early as Oct. 30 in Paris, which will include more parties. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed that Egypt and Iran, among others, be included in follow-up talks. “Our position first of all is to get the Syrians to sit down at the negotiating table and, second, to establish a reliable and representative support group in which many more countries would take part than have done so today,” Lavrov told reporters (http://en.mid.ru/en/web/guest/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/1891407#sel=1:1,24:45) after the Vienna meeting Oct. 23. “We have singled out Iran and Egypt as they can have an impact on the situation. Their absence does not promote this process.” Iranian officials did not yet respond to queries whether they expected to attend the Paris meeting. Lavrov spoke with Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (http://en.mid.ru/en/web/guest/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/1899934) about the Syria consultations on Oct. 24 and Oct. 26, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Oman’s foreign minister also held a rare meeting (http://www.trust.org/item/20151026151515-qlzzz) with Sryia’s Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Oct. 26 on how to advance a political process for ending the conflict. A likely consideration would be if Saudi Arabia accepts being in multilateral talks on Syria that would include Iran, or if there are alternative ideas for working around the impasse — for instance, holding talks with some of the parties in different rooms. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, speaking in Cairo on Oct. 25, said there had been some progress in narrowing positions between the parties on their visions for a Syria process. “I believe that there has been some progress, and positions have moved closer on finding a solution to the Syrian crisis, but I cannot say that we have reached an agreement,” Jubeir said (http://saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/saudi-egypt-have-similar-stance-on-syria/) at a press conference with the Egyptian foreign minister in Cairo on Oct. 25. “We still need more consultations … to reach this point.” While there seems to be growing momentum for a Syria political track, the Israeli-Palestinian issue has largely been relegated to the back burner. Kerry, speaking in Jordan on Oct. 24, announced that Israel had accepted Jordanian King Abdullah’s proposal to install cameras on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount (http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/09/israel-temple-mount-jewish-far-right-extremism-provocation.html) as one measure to try to reduce tensions. Netanyahu, in a statement that evening, reiterated that Israel was not seeking to change the status quo at the site, under which Muslims could pray there but non-Muslims could visit. Whether such measures will be sufficient to reduce the violence remains to be seen. Ilan Goldenberg, a former aide to former State Department Middle East peace envoy Martin Indyk, said the US administration does not see opportunities for a major Israel-Palestine peace push, but would need to take steps even for the more limited goal of trying to prevent a new major outbreak of violence. There is “not a grand plan right now for a big move to a new [Israel-Palestine peace] process,” Goldenberg, now with the Center for New American Security, told Al-Monitor on Oct. 26. There is a sense “on all sides … right now, there is no opening for serious [Israeli-Palestinian] negotiations, but American policy should be to try to take effective steps to preserve [a two-state] solution for later on,” he said. Even that more limited policy goal would likely require “a series of steps to deter and prevent the worst outcomes and another major cycle of violence, the collapse of the Palestinian Authority and the types of settlement activity that would make it impossible later on to pursue a two-state solution.” Regarding some reports (http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/09/israel-diplomatic-process-netanyahu-abbas-kerry-herzog.html) alleging that Kerry may have discouraged a meeting between Netanyahu and Abbas, Goldenberg said he wasn’t aware if that was the case, but noted the two men don’t like or trust each other, and nothing good was likely to come out of such a meeting. “They have only met a few times, and they don’t like each other,” he said. “From past experience … the US has been hesitant about putting them together.” “I doubt there is such a thing,” Omari said, referring to a proposed Netanyahu-Abbas meeting. While “Netanyahu always talks [about how] he is willing to meet Abbas ‘anytime, anywhere,’ [Abbas] is not too keen on a meeting [that would be] used by Netanyahu to say things are fine, when they are not. It would be politically costly, if there are no deliverables. Lose, lose.” Laura Rozen reports on foreign policy from Washington, DC, for Al-Monitor's Back Channel. She has written for Yahoo! News, Politico, and Foreign Policy. ============================================================ 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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