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1. Indirect Talks ‘Begin” with Loud Silence
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The American-mediated “indirect talks” between the Palestinian Authority and Israel began Sunday with a loud silence as both sides wait for U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell to return to the region, probably in the next 10 days. He is to leave Israel Sunday night.
The Palestinian Authority officially approved the American initiative to resume what once were described as “negotiations” in the ”peace process.” Following years of bargaining the terms of what now is usually called the “diplomatic process,” the PA has won wide international support for all of its demands. It has the support of the Obama administration, which opposes Jewish ”settlements’ -- decades-old neighborhoods, some of which are populated by nearly 30,000 Jews -- in a large part of Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said there must be direct talks before an agreement can be reached, while PA negotiator Saeb Erekat stated in Ramallah, "The proximity talks have started.” In fact, they took a recess as Mitchell prepares to return to the United States Sunday night, presumably to map out further tactics.
With virtually all analysts and observers saying his chances for success are low, the PA is working from the advantage that if Israel does not agree to its demands, it will wait for the right time to turn to the United Nations to pass a resolution recognizing it as an independent country.
PA concessions continue to be on the tactical front, agreeing to “proximity talks” despite Israel’s refusal to formally accept U.S. President Barack Obama’s demand for a building freeze for Jews in areas of Jerusalem that the PA claims as part of its would-be capital. Under a cloud of confusion, a general de facto building freeze on new Jewish homes is in effect in Judea and Samaria as well as parts of eastern, southern and northern Jerusalem.
Mitchell has four months in which to work, which is the time limit the Arab world has set for the talks to fail or succeed. It also coincides with the approximate end of Israel’s 10-month temporary building freeze on new Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria.
President Obama is expected to continue to move aggressively to force both sides to accept an agreement, which from the PA side would include sovereignty over all of the land restored to Israel in the 1967 Six Day War.
There also are growing suspicions that Defense Minister Ehud Barak, chairman of the Labor party that is in the Netanyahu government, has forged a close political friendship with President Obama, who would prefer a new coalition government that includes the Kadima party, headed by Tzipi Livni.
2. Retrieving the Jewish Land and Keeping it in Jewish Hands
by Hillel Fendel
The Israel Land Fund has embarked upon a campaign to once again implement the original goals of the Jewish National Fund.
“Take part in the restoration of the Land of Israel now!” calls out the new website of the Israel Land Fund. The group was founded by Jerusalem land activist Aryeh King and others in 2007, with the stated goal of “continuing the original efforts by the Jewish forefathers, and in more recent history, over a century ago, by pioneers of the State.”
Specifically, the Fund (ILF) has set out to “acquire all the land of Israel for the Jewish people,” by inviting Jews around the world to help retrieve properties currently under Arab ownership, or that are in danger of becoming so.
The ILF’s website states that it strives to “enable all Jewish non-Israeli citizens to own a part of Israel [and] to ensure that Jewish land is once again reclaimed and in Jewish hands.”
The organization offers a combination of business prospects and ideology. “Invest in Israel and yield high returns,” it states, offering various properties around the country that are currently available – and recommended for Jewish purchase.
“With hundreds of properties all over Israel being offered for sale,” ILF states, “the Israel Land Fund offers every Jew, regardless of location, the opportunity to obtain a portion of the land. House by house, lot by lot, the Israel Land Fund is ensuring the land of Israel stays in the hands of the Jewish people forever. You, too, can take part in this great endeavor.”
The site has sections on the various areas of Israel, proposing sale of properties in Jerusalem, where Arabs have made it their goal to purchase widely, as well as the Galilee, the Negev, Acco (Acre), Jaffa, and elsewhere.
Information Treasures and Proposals
It is also a veritable treasure house of information on the different parts of the Land of Israel. It tells us, for instance, that Acco, in northwestern Israel, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities, dating back to 1504 BCE, and was once a leading port in the Middle East, in the same league as Alexandria and Constantinople. Web-site visitors are offered a three-story house in Acco, with arches and a sea-view balcony, next door to Jewish neighbors and in need of some renovation.
Group investments are encouraged as well, such as in the following proposal in Jaffa: a 300-square-meter plot with three large apartments offered, with an option to add another penthouse apartment. Information on the religious-Zionist Jaffa core-group, currently numbering 28 families, is provided.
Rising Values, Jewish Law, Politics
The website also emphasizes and details the increasing land values in Israel in general, the importance in Jewish Law of buying plots in the Land of Israel, and the need to counter-act the trend of hostile and enemy elements to purchase properties.
3. Charge: Obama Systematically Ignores PA Hate-Mongering
by Hillel Fendel
Ever since U.S. President Barack Obama’s famous Cairo speech, and up until these very days, incitement against Israel in and by the Palestinian Authority is being whitewashed by the Obama-Clinton administration. This is the unambiguous conclusion reached by the Director of the Center for Middle East Policy (CMEP) and the President of the Zionist Organization of America.
A list of incidents documented by the ZOA’s Morton Klein and Daniel Mandel of the CMEP includes the following:
1. June 4,2009 – Obama’s Cairo address criticized Holocaust denial and hatred of Jews in the Muslim world, without mentioning the PA or the word incitement.
Klein and Mandel write that Obama was “criticized for ignoring this issue,” and that he and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton later mentioned the word incitement, but gave no indication that the PA was responsible for incitement. In no way was it implied that the PA might face penalties for such incitement.
“On the contrary,” Klein and Mandel write. "When Obama referred to the problem of Palestinian incitement in his speech at Buchenwald on June 5, 2009, he even praised [PA chairman] Abbas for having made some “progress” in dealing with it – implying that Abbas and the PA were part of the solution rather than the problem.”
2. August 2009: No reaction from Obama to a Fatah conference that “reaffirmed Fatah’s refusal to accept Israel’s existence as a Jewish state, glorified terrorists living and dead by name, praised the ‘armed struggle,’ [and in which] Abbas himself declared ‘We maintain the right to launch an armed resistance.’”
Clinton’s response: The conference showed “a broad consensus supporting … negotiations with Israel, and the two-state solution” and that contrary statements by unnamed “individuals” there “did not represent Fatah’s official positions.” The ZOA/CMEP report noted that in the past, as a US Senator from New York, Clinton had been outspoken about the need to end PA incitement.
3. January 2010: The Obama administration was silent when leading PA figures, including Abbas and prime minister Salam Fayyad, publicly praised and lauded three Fatah terrorists killed by Israel who had murdered an Israeli civilian, Rabbi Meir Chai.
4. January 2010: No response from Obama or Clinton when PA TV broadcast a mosque sermon in which Jews were declared “the enemies of Allah and of His Messenger … Enemies of humanity in general” and Muslims were exhorted to murder them with the words “The Prophet says: ‘You shall fight the Jews and kill Them.”
5. March 2010: Obama and company took unprecedented umbrage at an Israeli announcement of progress towards building Jewish homes in Ramat Shlomo, Jerusalem, during Vice-President Biden’s visit – but failed to respond when a public square in Ramallah was named, the same week, after the terrorist who had led the worst terror attack against Israel in history.
6. Ultimately, when Secretary Clinton criticized the square-naming, “it was only to whitewash and protect Abbas, Fayyad and the PA by incorrectly suggesting that it was ‘a Hamas-controlled municipality’ that had initiated the event. Adding insult to injury, Clinton actually praised Abbas and Fayyad for their strengthening of ‘law and order.’”
7. “At the time of these remarks,” the report notes, “the PA was actively instigating violence in and around Jerusalem. Here, too, Clinton avoided any mention of the PA in referring to the disorders, speaking only of unidentified ‘instigators.’”“The conclusion is inevitable,” the report sums up. “The Obama Administration is not interested in Palestinian incitement and sees it as its brief to protect the PA from exposure as sponsors of violence and purveyors of hate.”
4. Israeli Arab Incitement over Temple Mount
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Israeli Arabs, along with the entire Arab world, have escalated a propaganda campaign to stir up agitation as great or greater than that of the PA, while Israel complains to the United States that the Palestinian Authority is guilty of incitement against Israel. The Israeli government has raised the issue of the PA with U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell, but the other provocations are far beyond his reach.
The Islamic Movement, headed by Arabs holding Israeli citizenship and living in the north, recently posted an announcement charging that “Israel Occupation Forces” attacked Muslim worshippers at the Al Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount. There were no reports from the police or from Israel about it and foreign media mentioned no such attack.
The Movement’s website posted an announcement, translated by Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), stating, "We strictly denounce the vicious and criminal attack perpetrated today after Friday prayer. Al-Aqsa is our mosque.”
The Saudi Arabia-based Arab News website, while describing King Abdullah as the “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,” noted that he” initiated the setting up of an Al-Quds uprising fund” in addition to proposing the 2002 plan that Israel surrender all of the land restored to the Jewish State in the Six-Day War in 1967. Saudi Arabia suggested that if Israel were to agree to its plan, the Arab League would normalize diplomatic relations with Israel.
The British-based Muslim News website reported that nine Arabs were wounded in a clash with during an arrest by police, who allegedly “attempted to kidnap a number of residents,” with the term ”kidnap” becoming more common in Arab media when Israeli security forces arrest suspected terrorists.
On Friday, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Tayssir Tamimi, warned that Israeli development plans in Jerusalem are aimed at excluding Muslims and Christians.
“Jerusalem is Arab land,” he said in a report by Eurasia Review, which added, “The Mufti also warned that by 2014 Israel is planning an ‘exclusively Jewish district’ in Jerusalem where any signs of a Christian or Muslim presence would be forbidden.”
The same report repeated previous Palestinian Authority allegations that excavation work in the Old City has damaged the structure of the Al Aqsa mosque.
The facts are different. During the period from 1949-1967, when Jordan occupied Judea and Samaria and parts of Jerusalem, it prohibited Jews from visiting the Western Wall and also banned Christians, except for high-profile dignitaries, from all holy sites. Since Israel regained sovereignty in the areas in the 1967 Six-Day War, it opened all of the holy sites to members of all religions and has acted to preserve them.
5. Jewish Astronaut Carries Jewish Heritage Proclamation to Space
by Hana Levi Julian
Jewish American astronaut Garrett Reisman will take the presidential proclamation of Jewish Heritage Month into space with him when he launches aboard the Atlantis shuttle later this month.
The 12-day mission, set for May 16, is likely to be the shuttle's final space flight, according to NASA. The proclamation, an annual event, was initiated by former President George W. Bush in 2006 to “celebrate the rich history of the Jewish people in America and honor the great contributions they have made to our country.”
Reisman, who said that he himself is one of a “long line of Jewish Americans who have been deeply involved in the space program,” added that he will turn the proclamation over to the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia upon his return.
Reisman is the first Jewish astronaut to have worked on the International Space Station. He spent three months there in 2008, during which time he sent a video greeting to the people of Israel as the nation celebrated the rebirth of the state on its 60th Independence Day.
The 42-year-old mission specialist told reporters during a NASA conference call late last week that he will also be carrying a photo of IAF Captain Assaf Ramon, son of Ilan Ramon, the Israeli astronaut who died in the 2003 Columbia space shuttle explosion.
The young Ramon, who three months earlier had graduated a flight course at the top of his class, died tragically last September when his F-16 jet crashed in the southern Hevron Hills as he and a second F-16 pilot were practicing dogfight maneuvers.
Reisman said he would bring the photo to honor both father and son, as part of his “life-long commitment” to the family of his former colleague.
Only two more space shuttle launches are planned after Atlantis makes this trip, according to NASA; a 9-day Discovery mission, slated for September 2010, and the Endeavor mission, originally scheduled for this July, but now pushed off until November.
This month's Atlantis mission will deliver the Russian-built Mini-Research Module-1 to add storage space and a new docking port for Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, NASA said. A Russian multipurpose laboratory module is expected to be sent up on a Russian rocket in December 2011.
6. Egypt Bars Israeli Doctor from Int'l Conference in Cairo
by Hana Levi Julian
Egypt has barred an Israeli hematology expert from attending an international conference set to take place this month in Cairo despite the longstanding peace treaty between the two nations.
Dr. Uri Seligsohn, Professor of Hematology at Tel HaShomer's Sheba Medical Center, has been unable to obtain a visa from the Egyptian government in order to attend the conference, scheduled for May 22-25. It was Seligsohn who had supported a decision to approve Cairo as the location for the meeting site, two years ago.
He is chairman of the Education Committee of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), the organization that is sponsoring its 56th Scientific and Standardization Committee (SSC) meeting, which he intended to attend.
The professor told the Hebrew-language Ma'ariv newspaper over the weekend that at the time, he “thought that there were ties of peace and friendship between Israel and Egypt,” and that “with the help of the conference we would be able to develop the Egyptian medical system – but unfortunately I was wrong.
“Apparently the Egyptians are uncomfortable that a Jew and an Israeli doctor should come to their conferences.
“Since it became known that the Egyptians refuse to approve my entry there has been a tremendous commotion among researchers and doctors around the world,” he said, according to IMRA (Independent Media Review and Analysis), which translated the report. “I know of many researchers who have canceled their attendance at the conference. The management of the organization has announced that this move will have serious ramifications for scientists in Egypt.”
7. Britain's Rebbetzin Amelie Jakobovits, 81, Passes Away
by Hana Levi Julian
Rebbetzin Amelie Jakobovits, the wife of the former Chief Rabbi of England, Lord Immanuel Jakobovits, has died at the age of 81.
'Lady J,' as she was known to British Jewry, had been listed in critical condition at the Royal Free Hospital in North West London, suffering from pneumonia which finally led to kidney failure and other complications.
Burial was set to take place Sunday in Israel after a funeral service in London outside her home – named Immalie, combining the first names of its two owners, Amelie and Immanuel -- at 5:30 p.m. local time (12;30 p.m. EDT) in Shirehall Park, Hendon.
Born in Ansbach, Germany, she met her husband-to-be at the age of 19 shortly before he became the Chief Rabbi of Ireland, after she had fled the Nazi war machine by escaping to Switzerland. The eldest child of Rabbi Eliyahu Munk, author of “The Call of the Torah” and “The World of Prayer,” Rebbetzin Jakobovits was also a learned woman, and she was renowned throughout the world for her charity work.
'Lady J' remained active in numerous outreach activities until very recently. Just three years ago, Lady J was named to 30th place on The Jewish Chronicle's list of the 100 most influential Jews of Great Britain – testimony to the fact that although she deeply mourned her husband's passing in 1999, it did little to slow down her work on behalf of the Jewish world.
'A Message from our 'President Lady Jakobovits'
'Lady J''s presence is still very much a life force in the Jewish community and includes an active appeal on behalf of the Jewish Marriage Council, accompanied by an elegant photo of Rebbetzin Jakobovits. The message makes it clear that here was a powerful woman determined to ensure the continuation of the Jewish family.
The project, she explains, “is particularly close to my heart, if only because it was the brainchild of the late Lord Jakobovits even before our own marriage.” The appeal continues with a description of services, the explanation that the project receives no government funding, and an acknowledgment that it is impossible to guarantee 100 percent success in any project – but that the organization has significant achievements to its credit.
Her signature at the bottom of the brief letter is strong, legible and clear.
Dedicated to Helping Israel's Jews
'Lady J' was a Life President of the Emunah organization, a position which brought her into contact with Israel National News Editor Rochel Sylvetsky, with whom she worked during Sylvetsky's own tenure as head of Emunah Israel. “Even had her husband not been a Lord, she would have merited being called a Lady in her own right,” Sylvetsky said.
“She was deeply religious and G-d-fearing, and it came out in every meeting with her,” she added. “She was very cultured and hospitable, and a real lady, which is why she was called 'Lady J' – although she was of course also officially a Lady, as the wife of Lord Jakobovits.”
'Lady J' also served as Vice President of the Federation of Women's Zionist Organizations of Great Britain; Founder Member of Chai Cancer Care/Cancerkin, Vice President of “Youth Aliyah”, a lecturer at the Spiro Institute, and a founder and Life President of the Association of United Synagogue Women. In addition, she was involved in WIZO and the Royal Free Hospital, where there is a “Lady J” Clinic.
Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan presented Rebbetzin Jakobovits with an honorary doctorate at a ceremony in London in 2002. Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was among the 500 invited guests.
“She comes from a remarkable generation of women who never let the vicissitudes of life stop her ability to pursue her Avodas Hashem (G-dly works),” commented INN reader Sarah Manning. “May we share good news and happy memories.”
