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1. 'US Demands Israel Cancel Ramat Shlomo Construction Plans'
by Gil Ronen and Yoni Kempinski
The United States administration has presented Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu with a set of demands, including cancellation of the construction of 1,600 housing units in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, Channel 2 reported Sunday night.
According to the report, which is quoted by Maariv/NRG, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Netanyahu to cancel the housing project that passed a bureaucratic hurdle just as Vice President Joe Biden visited Israel, causing an emotional response from the United States.
She also demanded that Israel carry out a “meaningful gesture” toward the Palestinian Authority chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, before the Special US Envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, visits the region on Friday. Reporters said the gesture Clinton was referring to was probably a release of terrorist prisoners.
A third demand made by Clinton was that Israel declare that the negotiations with the PA will include all of the “core issues” that are in dispute between Israel and the PA.
A video tour of Ramat Shlomo
Meanwhile, the residents of Ramat Shlomo seem unperturbed by the brouhaha around their neighborhood, and would like to see the prime minister “show some spine” on the matter. Yeshiva students who spoke to Israel National TV's Yoni Kempinski sounded quietly confident about their right to live in Ramat Shlomo.
Shimon, a student in one of the many yeshivas in the neighborhood explained, "The truth is that Jerusalem is ours – we feel here the same as in Geula, and Me'ah She'arim, other neighborhoods in Jerusalem."
"I don't think we need to respond to any nonsense spoken by a person from the United States, who doesn't understand the complexity of life in the state of Israel" added Daniel, another yeshiva student, "Our right to the land is undisputed."
"This is one of the most beautiful haredi-religious neighborhoods in Jerusalem, if not the most beautiful," determined yeshiva student Shmuel. "Today there is a serious housing shortage in Jerusalem and the new housing units are very necessary. I think units are very necessary. I think that there must be a clear statement: Jerusalem is ours and no one else's!"
2. Knesset Members Back Netanyahu on Jerusalem
by Maayana Miskin
Coalition chairman MK Ze'ev Elkin (Likud) of the Land of Israel lobby is responding to American pressure by showing the world that Jerusalem is not up for discussion. In an interview with Arutz Sheva's Hebrew-language news service, Elkin said he was gathering signatures in order to show that support for Jerusalem as the united capital of Israel crosses political lines.
America is pressuring Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu over construction in the capital city because its leaders mistakenly think that there is no Israeli consensus when it comes to Jerusalem, Elkin said. “We have to act within the Knesset to show them that the reality is different,” he said.
Elkin is planning to gather signatures from members of opposition parties as well as members of the coalition.
While Netanyahu has apologized to the United States for the timing of new construction in Ramat Shlomo in Jerusalem, he does not intend to halt the building project, Elkin noted. “The essential thing is that the prime minister is clearly saying – we are not changing our decision regarding Jerusalem,” he said.
The current criticism Israel faces over housing plans in Jerusalem is a result of the policy taken by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Elkin said. Olmert gave the Palestinian Authority the idea that with pressure, Israel would be willing to split Jerusalem, he explained. In time, the PA will come to understand that the new government is different, he said.
3. Sites of Violent Anti-Barrier Protests Closed
by Maayana Miskin
Fields adjacent to two Palestinian Authority towns near Israel's Judea and Samaria barrier have been declared a “closed military zone.” The towns, Bilin and Naalin, have been the site of weekly violent protests against the barrier.
IDF soldiers entered the two towns late on Sunday night to put up posters alerting residents to the order. The order will be in effect for five months, until August 17.
The territory declared off-limits consists of empty fields between the barrier and the built-up areas of Bilin and Naalin. Locals will not be allowed to enter the territory between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Friday, and Israelis and foreign nationals will not be allowed to stay in either town during those hours.
Violent weekly protests in the two towns began five years ago, often involving the targeting of IDF soldiers and Border Guard policemen by rioters with heavy rocks. The protests were spurred on by Israeli anarchists and foreign activists.
The violence has sometimes escalated to the point of death or serious injury. An IDF soldier lost an eye during a riot in Bilin in 2005, and an Arab protester died in 2009 when he was hit in the chest by a tear gas canister.
The closure was announced one day after a PA Arab man responsible for organizing protests in Bilin, Iyad Burnat, sent out an email announcing, “The third Intifada is knocking on the door.” Burnat was subsequently summoned by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) for questioning.
4. PA Spurs on Riots, 3 Roadway Attacks
by Maayana Miskin
The Palestinian Authority called Sunday for PA Muslims to flock to the Al Aksa mosque on the Temple Mount. Senior Fatah member Hatem Khader, head of the PA's Jerusalem portfolio, suggested that the mosque was at risk from “Jewish extremists,” and said Muslims should barricade themselves in the structure.
Police have battled to contain Muslim riots at the Temple Mount in recent days. The riots led to the unusual decision to put a temporary closure on PA areas in Judea and Samaria, prohibiting PA Arabs from entering regions under Israeli control – including Jerusalem – for three days.
Several attacks were reported Sunday by Israeli drivers traveling through Judea and Samaria. An Israeli woman was lightly wounded in a firebomb attack on a bus near the PA village of Huwarra on Sunday afternoon.
A short time earlier, PA Arabs had thrown rocks at Israeli motorists passing the town of Halhoul, north of Hevron. Several cars were damaged, but no injuries were reported.
On Sunday evening, PA attackers stoned an Israeli bus southwest of Bethlehem. There were no injuries, but the bus sustained damage.
5. Brazilian President in Israel, Stirs Controversy
by Maayana Miskin
Brazilian President Luis Inacio “Lula” Da Silvia landed in Israel on Sunday for a historic visit. Lula's visit is the first by a currently serving Brazilian president in Israel's history.
Lula's visit to Israel comes on the backdrop of his recent invitation to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to visit his country. Lula has expressed opposition to sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as a serious threat, and is promoting harsh sanctions.
Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin plans to tackle the issue during Lula's visit to the Knesset on Monday. The Knesset speaker has prepared a speech warning the visitor of the dangers of radical Islamic terrorism, and the danger that Iranian nuclear weapons would pose to the entire free world.
Refuses to Lay Wreath at Herzl's Grave
Lula also stirred controversy by refusing to visit the tomb of Zionist philosopher Theodor Herzl, who is credited with the founding of the modern state of Israel. A ministerial committee recently decided, in honor of the 150th year since Herzl's birth, that visiting heads of state would be taken to see Herzl's tomb and to place flowers at the site prior to visiting Yad Vashem.
World Zionist Organization head Hagai Marom, who escorts visiting heads of state at Herzl's tomb, said Lula's decision not to visit Herzl's grave was offensive. “The decision is insulting to citizens of Israel and to Zionist communities worldwide, including the Jewish community of Brazil,” he said.
Israel and Brazil have grown closer in recent years despite Brazil's generally pro-Arab political stance. Trade between the two countries has increased in recent years, particularly in the field of science and technology.
During his visit, Lula will join Peres in addressing Israeli and Brazilian businessmen, will address a special Knesset session, and will visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial project. He will also meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Speaker Rivlin, and Opposition Head Tzipi Livni.
Lula agreed to come to Israel after President Shimon Peres extended an invitation during his own trip to Brazil in November. At the time, Lula told Peres that the Middle East needs new players, and stated his willingness to work to advance peace between Israel and her Arab neighbors.
6. Security Fears: Police Cancel Upcoming Temple Mount Activities
by Hillel Fendel
In light of security assessments in Jerusalem and the rioting of the past few days there, police have canceled the monthly Temple Mount Gates march, scheduled for this Monday night. Last month’s event, called Sivuv She’arim (Circling the Gates), was held with the participation of 4,000 people who wished to show their solidarity with the Holy Temple in this manner.
Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute bemoaned the cancellation and what it signifies. His remarks are brought below.
Police are concerned that the dedication events of this week for the newly-rebuilt Hurva Synagogue in the Old City will spark Arab violence. The centuries-old Hurva was bombed and destroyed by the Jordanians in the 1948 War of Independence; refurbishing work has been ongoing for several years, and was completed this month.
The Circling the Gates event has been held every month for nine years, except for the times when the police do not allow it, which occurs about once or twice a year. The dancers and singers, separate groups for men and women, make their way through the Old City of Jerusalem, stopping to pray at each of the Temple Mount gates.
“This event gives expression to the Nation of Israel’s deep bonds with the Temple Mount,” the organizers say, “and to our anticipation and longing for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple.”
One would-be participant told Arutz-7, “I feel sorrow and shame that on Rosh Chodesh Nissan [the beginning of the month of Nissan], the day on which the Tabernacle was built and New Year’s Day for the Temple, we won’t be able to walk around the Mount.”
MK Uri Ariel (National Union) said, “The job of the police is to protect the citizens, not to cave in to Arab rioters’ threats.”
“The Temple Mount is the rock of our national existence,” MK Ariel continued, “and the longing to return to it is shared by every Jew. The Gates Circling event directs this longing to practical channels, and therefore I regret that instead of doing everything possible to enable this important event, the police prefer to cancel it.”
Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem bemoaned the national weakness indicated by the canceling of the event. He wrote that this Tuesday, March 16, is what Temple Mount supporters have dubbed the first annual International Temple Mount Awareness Day. The reason? “Because the situation vis a vis the rights of all non-Moslems at the Temple Mount has deteriorated beyond what any healthy society can tolerate—especially one that prides itself in guaranteeing the religious freedoms of all its citizens. There are indications that a total disengagement of Jews from the Temple Mount, psychologically and physically, is in preparation.”
“This day was intended as an opportunity to educate and remind the Jewish people as to why the Temple Mount is important,” Rabbi Richman writes. “Thus, one aspect of activities planned for this day was a visit in accordance with Jewish law to the permitted areas of the Temple Mount… For the majority of Jews, the road to the Temple Mount ends at the Western Wall. And spiritual-seeking Gentiles as well, arriving at the Temple Mount, are shocked, offended and incredulous to learn that before ascending the Mount, they are searched not just for weapons, but for a Bible. They are even more outraged to be told that no non-Moslem prayer may be uttered at the very site which is synonymous for them with G-d’s promised blessings for all mankind…"
"However, it has now been announced that Jerusalem District Police have closed the Temple Mount to visitors for the next three days due to fears of Moslem riots… How ironic that in the very place which the prophets of Israel tell us is the secret of world peace, the very place which is to be the ‘house of prayer for all nations,’ care must be taken to ensure that there be no religious freedoms - lest Muslim sensitivities are offended…”
7. Warnings Sounded Against Importing Chinese Vegetables
by Hillel Fendel
The Chairman of the Knesset Agriculture Lobby, MK Shai Hermesh (Kadima), has called for a boycott of supermarket chains selling frozen vegetables from China.
The Yesh chain, offering bargain prices mainly in hareidi-religious centers, has been selling frozen corn, peas, and string beans imported from China for the past three months. Other smaller stores have been selling them as well.
Israeli farmers demand that the tariffs on imported vegetables be raised, claiming that the Chinese are able to sell their produce at prices lower than what they cost to raise here in Israel.
Tzvi Alon, Director of the Plants Production and Marketing Board, said, “It would be a catastrophe for Israeli agriculture if we are forced to stop growing vegetables. Large tracts of land will stand empty, we will be dependent on other countries for food, and hundreds of workers in farming and industry will be endangered.”
MK Hermesh spoke in the Knesset about the problem, noting that it was another symptom of a larger problem. “The Israel Prison Service recently decided to buy 60,000 sets of prison uniforms from China, leaving workers from the northern and southern periphery without work. Maybe they should bring prison wardens from China as well, and not just the uniforms…”
“I don’t want to call this anti-Zionism,” Hermesh said, “but it is more than wanton [negligence]. Agriculture is not just a business; it is a shlichut, a mission. When we import agriculture, we are hurting the farmers of the Aravah and around Gaza. I propose a consumer boycott of stores and chains that sell imported produce, as well as protests outside their doors.”
“Try to sell the United States Army a beret made abroad. Or try to sneak in a grain of wheat under the noses of the American farmer, and see if they let you. Every country knows that it has to protect its farmers.”
“There is no Zionism without agriculture!” concluded Hermesh.
