podesta_email_01646.txt

podesta-emails 3,200 words email

D6 P17 V11 V16 V12

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http://www.centerpeace.org ** Israel and the Middle East News Update ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Wednesday, December 30 ------------------------------------------------------------ Click here for a printer-friendly version. (http://centerpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/News-INU.pdf) Headlines: * Wall Street Journal: US Spied on Bibi During Iran Deal Talks * Ramallah Urges Talks to Stem Unrest; Israel Says Not Until Attacks Stop * Arab Likud MK Helped Crack Down on Israeli Arabs Joining ISIS * Joint List Planning Diplomatic Blitz on Ban of Islamic Movement * Jewish Israeli Arrested for Stabbing Arab Employee * Israeli Government Denies Construction Plans for the E1 District * Aliyah to Israel Increased in 2015 * Palestinian Authority Rejects Possibility of Turkish Rule in Gaza Commentary: * Al-Monitor: “Bibi’s Five-Pronged Strategy to Delay a Two-State Solution” - By Uri Savir, Honorary President, Peres Center for Peace * Yedioth Ahronoth: “Honored Judges” - By Nahum Barnea, Leading Israeli Journalist, Yedioth Ahronoth ** Ha'aretz ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Wall Street Journal: US Spied on Bibi During Iran Deal Talks (http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.694471) ------------------------------------------------------------ The U.S. maintained National Security Agency surveillance on Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during nuclear negotiations with Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday in an exclusive that exposes the extent of cooperation and mistrust between the two allies. According to the report, despite vowing to freeze surveillance on allies in 2013 following the Edward Snowden leaks, the U.S. continued to eavesdrop on Netanyahu and his aides, citing what U.S. President Obama reportedly called a “compelling national security purpose.” See also, “White House Authorized NSA to Snoop on Netanyahu, U.S. Lawmakers Report” (i24 News) (http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy-defense/97322-151230-white-house-authorized-nsa-to-snoop-on-netanyahu-us-lawmakers-report) ** Times of Israel ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Ramallah Urges Peace Talks; Israel Says Not Until Attacks Stop (http://www.timesofisrael.com/ramallah-urges-talks-to-stem-unrest-israel-says-not-until-attacks-end/) ------------------------------------------------------------ Israel is refusing to consider steps toward restarting stagnant peace talks with the Palestinians until the ongoing wave of violence comes to a close, Palestinian officials said Tuesday. There have been a number of high-level meetings between Israeli and Palestinian officials in recent weeks, during which Ramallah proposed restarting talks as an effort to stanch nearly three months of violence, which has seen near daily Palestinian terror attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank, with more than 20 Israelis killed, and over a hundred Palestinians killed — most in the act of attacking Israelis, and others in clashes with Israeli troops. ** Ynet News ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Arab Likud MK Helped Crack Down on Israeli Arabs Joining ISIS (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4746352,00.html) ------------------------------------------------------------ Likud MK Ayoob Kara, Deputy Minister of Regional Cooperation, used to double as an unofficial intermediary with the few of his fellow Arab citizens who have left to join the Islamic State in Syria or Iraq. Negotiating discreetly through relatives and go-betweens, he offered them reduced jail terms if they returned to Israel, cooperated with security services, and helped deter other would-be Islamic State recruits by publicly disavowing the group. A half-dozen volunteers took the deal, Kara says. See also, ”Israel Concerned ISIS Making Inroads Among Bedouins” (Times of Israel) (http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-concerned-is-making-inroads-among-bedouins/) ** Jerusalem Post ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Joint List Planning Diplomatic Blitz on Ban of Islamic Movement (http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Joint-List-launching-diplomatic-blitz-to-counter-Israels-ban-on-Islamic-Movement-438774) ------------------------------------------------------------ The Joint List is planning a diplomatic offensive after the holidays to try to increase pressure on the Israeli government to reverse the ban it imposed on the Islamic Movement (http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israeli-Arabs-protest-ban-on-Islamic-Movement-434875) , a Joint List MK involved in the effort told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. The Joint List will also raise other issues, such as its complaint about the lack of an adequate budget increase for the Arab sector. “After the holidays, we plan to meet with all EU ambassadors to discuss these issues,” Joint List MK Yousef Jabareen (Hadash) said. Jabareen, who heads the Joint List international team, said that “this is part of our international advocacy endeavors, which are becoming one of the main advocacy tools of the Joint List…We believe that the human rights of our community are not just a local issue and that the international community has a role to play,” he said. ** Times of Israel ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Jewish Israeli Arrested for Stabbing Arab Employee (http://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-israeli-said-arrested-for-stabbing-arab-employee/) ------------------------------------------------------------ Jewish Israeli man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly stabbing his Arab employee at a Beit Shemesh supermarket in a suspected racist assault. The suspect used a box-cutter in his attack on his worker, according to the Walla news website. A video clip featured in the report also appeared to show suspect Yosef Ben-Chaim punching the Arab worker, who has not been named. Ben-Chaim’s remand was extended on Wednesday, and an indictment was expected in the coming days. ** Ma'ariv ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Israeli Government Denies Construction Plans for the E1 District ------------------------------------------------------------ Prime Minister’s Bureau officials said that the construction plans for the area of E1, which connects Maale Adumim and Jerusalem, were issued without authorization and were invalid. A statement issued by the bureau claimed that previous construction and housing minister Uri Ariel had initiated the plan but that he had no authority to do so because the Construction and Housing Ministry does not have the authority to plan and build beyond the Green Line. See also, ”Netanyahu Distances Himself from E1 Plans” (Arutz Sheva) (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/205684) ** Ynet News ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Aliyah to Israel Increased in 2015 (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4746027,00.html) ------------------------------------------------------------ Over 30,000 people made Aliyah to Israel in 2015, the highest number in over a decade. Statistics published by the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption and the Jewish Agency on Tuesday showed an increase in Aliyah of around 10 percent from 2014 and the highest number of arrivals since the 2003 peak in immigration. The biggest proportion of Olim came from France, with around 7,900 French immigrants arriving in Israel in 2015. This is the second time that France has topped the list of countries of origin for Olim, a fact attributed in part to a string of terror attacks that have recently hit the country. See also, ”Israel Receives 30,000 New Immigrants in 2015” (Algemeiner) (http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/12/29/israel-receives-30000-new-immigrants-in-2015/) ** Jerusalem Post ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Palestinian Authority Rejects Possibility of Turkish Rule in Gaza (http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Palestinian-Authority-rejects-possibility-of-Turkish-rule-in-Gaza-438752) ------------------------------------------------------------ The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday rejected a report that Turkey might subjugate the Gaza Strip to its rule. Hamas has also denied the report, which was first published (http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Turkey-to-Israel-No-renewal-of-ties-without-unlimited-access-to-Gaza-438463) in the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News. The report claimed that Turkey wants free shipping access to the Gaza Strip (http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Hamas-fears-Gaza-blockade-wont-be-lifted-in-Israel-Turkey-rapprochement-438250) in order to provide aid to the Palestinians as a condition for restoring normal ties with Israel. A government source in Ankara told the newspaper that Turkey would not back down from the demand, even at the cost of the collapse of rapprochement with Israel. See also, “Turkey Demands End of Gaza Blockade to Reconcile Relations with Israel” (Middle East Monitor) (https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/23102-turkey-demands-end-of-gaza-blockade-to-reconcile-relations-with-israel) ** Al-Monitor – December 27, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Netanyahu’s Five-Pronged Strategy to Delay Two-State Solution (http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/12/benjamin-netanyahu-strategy-two-state-solution-us-abbas.html) ------------------------------------------------------------ By Uri Savir A two-state Israeli-Palestinian solution seems further away today than ever. Yet, the Israeli prime minister’s office doesn't take this for granted and has developed a multipronged strategy as insurance. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to place roadblocks in the path of any political process designed to bring about a two-state solution, according to a senior European Union official in Brussels who visits the region on a regular basis and spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “There are two facets to Netanyahu’s anti-two-state strategy," the official said. "Netanyahu attempts to ensure the non-viability of a Palestinian state, mainly through the expansion of settlements, and at the same time he recites a long list of reasons why Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is sabotaging possible negotiations. In every meeting with Netanyahu, we discover another obstacle and hear another argument. In the corridors of the EU headquarters there are those defining Netanyahu as a 'serial alibi-ist,' always finding a reason not to place himself at the scene of a two-state solution negotiation.” At EU headquarters, there is a sense of hopelessness regarding Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution, given Netanyahu’s rejection of any initiative, Abbas’ weakness and the US abstention from attempts to revive a peace process or to accept a UN Security Council resolution on the issue. The EU source warns of a possible collapse of the Palestinian Authority and an outbreak of a violent intifada. Netanyahu has a different analysis of the situation. A close confidant of the prime minister, talking to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu is interested in a two-state solution with a demilitarized Palestinian state, conditioned on the recognition of the Jewish State of Israel and with stringent security measures throughout the West Bank. Yet the source said, Netanyahu believes that now is the wrong time to move in that direction, when the entire region faces the threat of fundamentalist terror groups such as the Islamic State (IS), al-Qaeda, Hezbollah and Hamas. Terror, according to Netanyahu, must first be quelled — only then can political negotiations take place. The Jerusalem source admitted the prime minister's office clearly has a plan to delay the two-state solution. The strategy consists of several elements. First, the right-wing HaBayit HaYehudi (Jewish Home) party of Naftali Bennett needs to be kept within the coalition. Netanyahu has made this clear to Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog in back-channel talks on a possible national unity government. The prime minister considers Israeli settlers his main political base for his next election campaign. This constituency must be convinced that Netanyahu is their best guarantee against a Palestinian state, as he knows how to outmaneuver the international community. Second, settlements need to be expanded, which would render establishing a Palestinian state impossible. This is especially true in the case of the Jerusalem-area settlements and those outside the settlement blocs that disrupt the contiguity of a future Palestinian state. Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel said in a Dec. 18 interview with the daily Israel Hayom that by 2019, the government plans to increase the number of settlers by 50% — to 600,000 — in the West Bank (not counting East Jerusalem). Then there is the element of resisting US pressure. Netanyahu responded with a resounding "No" to US Secretary of State John Kerry during Kerry's last visit on Nov. 24 regarding any meaningful confidence-building measures, such as the release of Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu excels in resisting US pressure and pointing the finger at Abbas. During the Kerry peace initiative of 2013-14, the prime minister agreed to certain concessions on a border based on 1967 lines, but conditioned them on Palestinians recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, something he knew the Americans would accept but Abbas would reject. A fourth strategic component of Netanyahu's plan is cooperation with neighboring countries. Part of his well-orchestrated, anti-two-state strategy is to use Israel's close security cooperation with Egypt and Jordan to defuse their pressure on the Palestinian issue. The same is true for Israel potentially exporting natural gas to Turkey. In addition, Netanyahu's office views IS as a major propaganda asset in making the case against a Palestinian state. The prime minister and his representatives equate random Palestinian terror attacks by individuals to IS terror, and warn that the West Bank risks turning into an IS base should Israel withdraw. This approach works well with most Israelis and with some in the international community who are mesmerized by the IS threat. This strategy also shapes the content of Netanyahu’s policy dialogue with both the United States and the EU. This indicates that those who claim that Netanyahu has no foreign policy or does not achieve his strategic goals are wrong. The strategies, the diplomacy and the rhetoric all serve one central purpose: to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israel is shaping a new reality, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River — a binational apartheid state in the making. Uri Savir has spent his professional life working on the strategies of peacemaking in Israel. In 1996, he established the Peres Center for Peace and is currently the center's honorary president. In 2011, Savir founded the YaLa Young Leaders online peace movement. ** Yedioth Ahronoth – December 30, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Honored Judges ------------------------------------------------------------ By Nahum Barnea Eighteen months in prison are a very long time for a person who admits his guilt; they are an eternity for a person who is convinced he is not guilty. The sentence imposed yesterday by the Supreme Court judges on Ehud Olmert is very heavy. The prison time is only part of it. It is compounded by the knowledge that this spells an end to Olmert’s hope to return to the public arena. A political career of about 50 years has ended. Beyond this, it is the understanding that this is it: The door has closed. There are no more appeals, no more requests, no more proceedings. For an optimistic person like Olmert, who was always certain of his ability to get out of any trouble, this is an unbearably harsh blow. And he still faces the final decision in the Talansky case, and the threat of the State Attorney’s Office to indict him in additional affairs. It is over, but not done with. The ruling written by the five Supreme Court judges is an edifying document. Firstly, it is impressive in its clarity and transparency. It discusses the Holyland affair in a businesslike, measured, levelheaded manner. After reading it, I reread the ruling written by David Rozen, the Tel Aviv District Court judge. Rozen wrote a superficial, scathing, overly clever document. In terms of evidentiary law, it is an embarrassing document. Former minister Roni Baron gave me his own commentary last night on the Supreme Court judges’ decision to overturn Olmert’s conviction in the affair of the money sent by the wheeler-and-dealer Dechner to his brother Yossi. “The judges didn’t acquit Olmert,” he said. “They saved the justice system. Had they adopted Rozen’s ruling, evidentiary law would have become meaningless.” Indeed, the ruling clearly shows an effort by the Supreme Court judges to restore the affair to its correct dimensions. It was not pity for the defendants (save one) that caused them to shift from conviction to partial acquittal, but rather an understanding of the written material. “There are judges in Jerusalem,” Menahem Begin once said. It seems that there are not always judges in Tel Aviv. The most dramatic change was in the sentence of Uri Lupoliansky, the former mayor of Jerusalem. Judge Rozen imposed a sentence of six years’ imprisonment upon him; the Supreme Court only sentenced him to six months of community service. The Supreme Court judges took into account two mitigating facts: The fact that Lupoliansky did not take a penny into his own pocket—the money went directly to the Yad Sarah NPO that he founded; and the severe cancer from which he suffers. Lupoliansky is an amicable, positive person, and it is easy to identify with him. Judge Rozen was unduly cruel to him. However, Lupoliansky was the most senior public official who pushed to give benefits to the Holyland project. He was the leader of the bribe-takers. The Supreme Court reaffirmed his conviction for bribe-taking. Against this backdrop, the public celebration he organized for himself yesterday was discomfiting. His freedom was given to him, but the blemish remains. Incidentally, he has the wrong address: It is not the Holy One Blessed Be He who granted him his freedom, but rather human judges. They are the ones he should thank. When one reads the ruling, including the various commentaries of the judges on the material they had before them, it seems that the judges underwent a process. On the one hand, they became convinced that the construction of the Holyland project was corrupt from the foundation; the people involved in such an affair must not get away without punishment. On the other hand, they had serious doubts about some of the evidence. The challenge was to resolve the certainty with the doubt. Olmert’s case is a good example. The judges acquitted him of the bribe-taking charge in the affair of the money sent by the criminal wheeler-and-dealer Dechner to Yossi, Olmert’s escaped brother. The prosecution did not prove that Ehud knew about the money received by Yossi. This was enough for four judges to acquit. The second charge pertained to NIS 60,000 that Shula Zaken asserted, in one of her versions, that she had transferred to cover Olmert’s election debts. Here too there was grave doubt: Zaken deposited the money in her sister’s bank account, withdrew it in cash, took a family vacation and then, as she argues, she gave it to Olmert. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court decided to convict. Olmert was only a bench player in the Holyland affair. The decisions were not promoted by him; they were not made during his term of office. But Olmert is Olmert. In the backdrop of the trial were the Talansky cases, which were heard by other panels, and the Shula Zaken recordings. No one could remain indifferent to such embarrassing, severe materials, mainly when it is a prime minister in question. In the Supreme Court ruling the judges repeatedly mention Olmert’s senior standing. They demand more of him. And when it comes to him, they also demand more of themselves. When they decided to reduce his sentence they knew that they were facing a series of people, some with public status, who were driven mad by the thirst for Olmert’s blood. Judge Amit replied well to this argument: “It may be that the public or part of it will be surprised or disappointed by Olmert’s acquittal from the main charge,” he wrote. “But the public’s confidence in the court derives from the knowledge that it rules as required by the law and the evidence and not based on fear of the public’s reaction… the court does not rule according to image, according to rumors or according to ‘but everyone knows that…,’ not for fear that the public will be disappointed and not according to interviews to the media. We do our best to isolate ourselves from external noise. This is what we have done and that is what we will do in the future.” The media attack, preach and sometimes fulminate, and the judges judge: That is how it should be. Indeed, there are judges in Jerusalem. Nahum Barnea is a leading Israeli journalist for Yedioth Ahronoth. In 2007, he was awarded the Israel Prize. ============================================================ S. 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