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1. Report: US Ensuring Construction Freeze in Jerusalem
by Avi Yellin
A recent Makor Rishon-Hatzofeh inquiry has uncovered that United States officials in Israel have been enforcing a de facto ban on Jewish construction in Jerusalem. In what is being seen by many Israelis as a clear violation of the Jewish state’s national sovereignty, American officials have been consistently “showing interest” in Israel’s construction plans in her capital.
Last November, at the commencement of the 10 month ban for Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria, several reports circulated that American inspectors answering directly to U.S. Middle East Envoy George Mitchell were visiting Jewish towns and villages in the region, asking questions and taking photographs. Today officials suspect that the same is taking place in many parts of Jerusalem.
While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and senior cabinet ministers vehemently deny all reports of an agreement to freeze construction in most of Jerusalem, the reality on the ground appears to tell a different story. No Jewish construction is currently being seen in any neighborhoods of the capital liberated by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War, and no such construction seems to be planned for the foreseeable future.
The reason for the de facto construction freeze in Jerusalem is said in political circles to be the result of fear of a negative American reaction to Jewish building. The United States ambassador, the Jerusalem consul and other American officials have been meeting frequently with the relevant ministers over the last weeks and have been extracting from them detailed information on Jerusalem construction plans.
“This interest is not very pleasant,” said an anonymous source close to the matter. “Each minister understands the significance when an American official asks him about the nature of the next project, how many housing units it will include, when it will occur and so forth. Some ministers are also calculating their next step… They understand that a refusal on their part to meet American expectations could prove detrimental later on, especially if they are seeking major appointments. It would not be clever for a minister to get branded as the guy who said 'no' to the United States.”
Just prior to the Passover holiday, tenders for some 1,000 housing units in Ramot were expected to be released, but these were reportedly halted by a directive from the political echelon. A similar situation occurred with 130 housing units in Har Homa. Both projects were ready for immediate advancement but lacked the political approval to progress.
Housing Minister Ariel Attias (Shas) confirmed to the Knesset last week that there is indeed a construction freeze in Jerusalem. In response to a question from Member of Knesset Uri Ariel (National Union) concerning the report that the government was refraining from releasing 1,000 housing units which had already been approved in the neighborhoods of Gilo, Har Homa, Pisgat Z'ev and Neve Yaakov, Attias confirmed that such information was correct.
“The last time apartments were put on the market was in December 2009,” the housing minister admitted, “and since then no housing units have been put on the market.”
MK Ariel, chairman of the parliamentary lobbying group for Jerusalem, sent a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu in which he demanded that the premier allow construction in the capital despite intrusive American demands.
A freeze for any significant length of time would cause imbalance in the Jewish/Arab demographics in the city. There is no ban on Arab construction which is proceeding as usual.
Knesset Committee Rejects Inspector Budget
Meanwhile,this week the Knesset Finance Committee rejected the Defense Ministry's fifth request to authorize the funding necessary for inspectors to enforce the West Bank building moratorium. Coalition and opposition MK's, led by National Union's Uri Ariel, demanded that Defense Minister Barak appear before the committee before the funding is brought to a vote.
Maj.-Gen. Eitan Dangot, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, attended the meeting to explain the need for the NIS 18 million in additional funds and claimed they were not exclusively for freeze inspectors.
2. 46 Yesha Structures Threatened with Demolition
by Hillel Fendel
The Civil Administration is reportedly planning to destroy 46 Jewish buildings and building-starts throughout Judea and Samaria – in addition to the full-fledged yeshiva building in Yitzhar, east of Kedumim.
Representatives of the Judea and Samaria (Yesha) Jewish settlement enterprise say in response that the nationalist government of Binyamin Netanyahu, and its Cabinet ministers, are allowing Defense Minister Ehud Barak to "go wild with destruction."
Continuing its destruction of housing starts in violation of the 10-month "freeze" on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria, the Civil Administration is planning to send its personnel to destroy 46 structures, Haaretz reports. Six of them are in Yitzhar.
The Residents Committee of Binyamin, which is equivalent to southern Samaria, issued this statement: "The entire Government of Israel bears the responsibility for the destruction of the Land of Israel, 21st-century style. On the eve of Jerusalem Day 5770, instead of celebrating the building-up of the land, Ministers Yaalon, Begin [both of the Likud], Hershkovitz [Jewish Home] and Yishai [Shas] are letting Barak go wild and destroy wherever he feels like it.
"Not one of the ministers will be able to shake off his responsibility for Barak's lust for destruction," the Committee continued. "We call upon them to stop the harassment of Jews immediately, and upon those who love the Land of Israel to reiterate this to the ministers at every opportunity."
Government to Destroy Entire Yeshiva?!
As reported earlier, the Civil Administration issued a demolition order against the yeshiva building of Yeshivat Od Yosef Chai in Yitzhar on Sunday. The Administration claims that the 11-year-old building skipped a step in its approval process – but the residents are certain that the explanation is a "simple desire to get back at Yitzhar," town spokesman Avraham Binyamin told IsraelNationalNews.com. "There were a couple of incidents here recently, and Barak and the army simply want to take revenge by knocking down a beautiful – and legal – building."
The 1,300-square-meter (14,000 square feet) building contains a large Beit Medrash (study hall), 12 classrooms, and a dining hall. It was built with the approval of the Prime Minister's Bureau, the Housing Ministry, and other government bodies – "and we have all the documentation. We are working now on our legal response to the demolition orders."
Sources in the Defense Ministry said, not for attribution in this context, that students in the yeshiva are involved in the Price Tag operations, in which Arab property is targeted in response to Arab attacks on Jews and the like. In addition, some residents of Yitzhar reacted with rocks when soldiers did not let them hike near their town on Independence Day.
Towns that have seen structures demolished in recent days include Ganei Modiin, Shavei Shomron, and Maoz Esther in Kokhav HaShachar.
3. Iran Upset over Yaalon’s Remarks that Israel Can Strike
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon’s remarks that Israel can strike Iran, and that “offense is the best defense” prompted reactions in Iranian media that an Israeli attack is more theoretical than practical.
The Arab world widely covered the remarks of Yaalon, now Minister for Strategic Affairs. “We are already in a military confrontation against Iran,” he told a conference of military experts. "There is no doubt that the technological capabilities, which improved in recent years, have improved range and aerial refueling capabilities, and have brought about a massive improvement in the accuracy of ordnance and intelligence."
Most analysts have questioned whether Israel can do any more than slightly delay the Iranian nuclear program’s apparent aim to build a nuclear warhead that can hit Israel. Most attention has been focused on Iran’s having scattered several nuclear sites throughout the country, buried in deep and reinforced concrete bunkers in mountainous regions.
However, the failed efforts of U.S. President Barack Obama to engage Iran in diplomatic talks or to convince the United Nations Security Council to pass harsh sanctions have left “the military” option as the only alternative to a nuclear Iran.
Yaalon told the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies that Israel is in a proxy war with Iran because of its military and financial aid to the Hizbullah and Hamas terrorist organizations.
"There is no doubt, looking at the overall situation, that we are already in a military confrontation with Iran," he said. "Iran is the main motivator of those attacking us."
Beirut-based policy expert Oussama Safa told the Iranian government-monitored Press TV that Yaalon’s remarks are “diversionary tactics by the Israelis who fear, under a lot of pressure, their military options are shrinking, particularly in Lebanon and in Gaza.”
He added that Yaalon’s remarks were “more of a provocation that I do not think will materialize or has any potential to materialize anytime soon” because an attack is more theoretical than practical, politically and militarily.
American journalist Danny Schechter, who specializes in the areas of human rights and the media, told Press TV, “This is part of a war of words not only directed at Iran but at the United States. Basically, they are trying to pressure the United States first to stop pressuring them on settlements but secondly, to take stronger action to impose stronger sanctions by threatening, you know, kind of a military option…. This is all sort of psychological warfare staged that was going on now with statements of this type. I think we are going to see more of it.”
Schechter also charged that if Iran did not exist, Israel “would need to invent Iran” to divert attention from the Palestinian Authority-Israeli struggle.
Israel is “escalating the rhetoric,” he said, but added, ‘this is, you know as far as I can tell, a road to nowhere. But it is a road that is convenient for Israeli politicians and to some degree for Iranian politicians. Iran likes Israel as an enemy too. You know the more noise that Israel makes, the more the government in Tehran can also respond in kind and needs to prepare defensively and all the rest of it. So in a sense, this war of the words is functional for both sides right now.”
4. Turk Student at Hebrew U Arrested for Aiding Banned Arab Group
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Israel intelligence and security agents have released for publication the arrest two weeks ago of a Turkish student at Hebrew University who is accused of helping an outlawed pro-Hamas group. Izzet Sahin began living in Judea and Samaria last November and was arrested while trying to travel from the Judean city of Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem, to Samaria.
"He is suspected of activity on behalf of IHH in Judea and Samaria (West Bank). This is a group that Israel banned in 2008," an Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) spokeswoman told Reuters. "In the context of these activities, he helped various outlawed organizations in Judea and Samaria, and he was arrested on suspicion of endangering public security."
Activists in Turkey plan to take to the streets to protest the arrest of Izzet, a founder of the IHH “Humanitarian Relief Foundation” which also is co-sponsoring a huge flotilla that began sailing for Gaza Wednesday morning. Israeli officials said the arrest is not connected with the flotilla, which is aimed at breaking Israel’s sovereignty over the Gaza coastal waters, as defined in the Oslo Accords.
A demonstration in Istanbul on Saturday included signs proclaiming that “Zionist Oppressors Cannot Stop Us From Helping Gaza.” Ridvan Kaya, president of the Turkish NGO Ozgurder, said the arrest and ensuing gag order for 12 days are "an insult to Turkey [and] means that Israel can accuse our citizens of anything she wishes.”
Part of the eight-ship flotilla left Ireland for Gaza on Wednesday morning. The combined effort by pro-Hamas groups includes the Free Gaza Movement, which last summer began efforts to challenge the Israeli Navy. The rest of the boats are to leave from Greece and Turkey within the next 10 days.
The Foreign Ministry initially ignored the boats, loaded with aid, in order to prevent a publicity stunt, but it changed its policy after a continuation of sailings that were not checked by security officials. Until now, the Navy has stopped most of the boats, often diverting them to Ashdod or Ashkelon to unload food and medical donations.
The IDF has denied accusations by ship passengers that it fired at them, but the latest flotilla presents a serious diplomatic and military challenge.
Five ships are to be loaded with 5,000 tons of building material, food, medical supplies and merchandise, despite almost daily shipments through the Gaza crossings of humanitarian aid. Israel has severely restricted building materials because they often are used to build Kassam rockets, weapons factories and storehouses.
Three other boats will carry approximately 600 activists, including legislators and journalists. As in the past, the Free Gaza movement has carried on a huge publicity campaign to emphasize its donations of medical supplies, such as wheelchairs.
The de facto Hamas government previously has confiscated several ambulances that were donated for citizens.
One of the publicity stunts has been to name the ship from Ireland in memory of Rachel Corrie, the American citizen who was accidentally killed when she laid down in front of an IDF bulldozer that was demolishing homes of Gaza terrorists in 2003.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has backed the flotilla. John Ging, spokesman for UNRWA's Gaza activities, told a Norwegian newspaper last week, "We believe that Israel will not intercept these vessels because the sea is open, and human rights organizations have been successful in similar previous operations proving that breaking the siege of Gaza is possible."
5. PM Urged to Place Temple Mount on Heritage List
by Hillel Fendel
As Jerusalem Day approaches, redoubled efforts are underway to increase Jewish awareness of the Temple Mount and to have the site included on the National Heritage Sites list.
Highlights of the campaign include a visit by 43 rabbis to Judaism’s holiest site on Monday and a petition to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to include the location on his recently-formulated list of National Heritage sites.
The list was originally publicized this past February, including such sites as Independence Hall in Tel Aviv, the Aharonson Farm and Signaling Station in Atlit, the Jerusalem and Tzemach train stations, sites in Ashkelon and Gedera, Ein Gedi, the Mikveh Yisrael school, and over 100 more. In response to a query by IsraelNationalNews, the Prime Minister’s Bureau was unable to provide the exact list, and the Cabinet Secretariat staff was on a tour.
No sites in Judea and Samaria were included on the list – until wide-scale protests and politicking by coalition whip MK Ze’ev Elkin and others led to the inclusion of the Machpelah Cave (Tomb of the Patriarchs) in Hevron and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem. These are the only two sites on the National Heritage Sites list that are located in areas liberated by Israel during the Six Day War of 1967.
A petition to Netanyahu urging him to include the Temple Mount, site of both Holy Temples, has garnered nearly 3,100 signatures at http://www.gopetition.com/online/35455.html.
“The Temple Mount is the holiest site in the world for the Jewish people,” the petition states, “yet the Muslim authorities, aided by Israel Police, systematically deny the right of religious expression on the Mount to all non-Muslims. On numerous occasions the High Court of Justice has upheld the Jewish people’s right to pray at the site, yet the police continue to prevent this. Furthermore, Jewish visitors are harassed and degraded… Israeli law is not recognized by the Wakf authorities; illegal digging has destroyed priceless historical remnants of Jerusalem’s Jewish history. Please, end this travesty and… include the Temple Mount in your ‘Heritage Plan’of sites significant to the Jewish people.”
The Temple Institute in Jerusalem notes that though the Temple Mount is the holiest place in the world, “Jews and all non-Moslems are denied the right to pray in groups, and even as individuals; this refusal is accompanied by their constant degradation, and they are granted no opportunity for any religious expression whatsoever on the Temple Mount.”
The Temple Institute further states: “Only Jews are forced to wait an extended period of time before being allowed through security. Only Jews are forced to present their ID’s to the police. Only Jews are followed and harassed by Israeli police and Muslim Wakf guards throughout the entire visit on the Mount. Only Jews are arrested for crimes such as prayer, closing eyes, bowing down or singing.”
The campaign now underway is seeking to publicize these facts at every opportunity and in every forum – especially in honor of Jerusalem Day, this Tuesday night and Wednesday. It marks the 43rd anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem and the liberation of the Temple Mount, placing it under Jewish sovereignty for the first time (except for a three-year period during the period of Bar-Kokhba around 135 C.E.) in 1,900 years.
6. Former FBI Agent Echoes Obama's 'Blood and Treasure' Remark
by Avi Yellin
United States President Barack Obama’s recent remark implying that Israel's policies endanger American soldiers is once again being heard in American media. An edition of CBS’s "60 Minutes" this week featured a piece by Steve Kroft on homegrown terrorism in America.
Following the recent events in New York City’s Times Square, the program included an interview with Phillip Mudd, who until recently served as the domestic terrorism expert in the FBI's intelligence leadership.
Mudd began by explaining that Muslim terrorists in the United States view themselves as part of a global movement and that this reality is being facilitated by the Internet. "The Internet often is not the initial spark, but it helps them go down a path," he explained.
But when asked what people are seeing on the web that prompts them to commit acts of terror on American soil, Mudd also blamed Israel, saying, "They're seeing images, for example, of children and women in places like Palestine [sic] and Iraq, they're seeing sermons of people who explain in simple, compelling, and some cases magnetic terms why it's important that they join the jihad. They're seeing images, and messages that confirm a path that they're already thinking of taking."
Last month, President Obama accused Israeli policies – specifically Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s resistance to Obama’s demands to halt Jewish construction in parts of Jerusalem liberated in 1967 – of costing the United States “blood and treasure.” This implied that Israel bears partial responsibility for the deaths of American soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, rather than placing the blame with America's own failed policies vis-a-vis the Arab world.
Responding to the American statements, activist Benny Katz of the L'Herut Tzion organization had another way of looking at the issue. He told Israel National News that "... the American occupation of foreign lands is what endangers the lives of American soldiers. Israel has every legal and historic rights to exert full Jewish sovereignty in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem. Obama cannot say the same for Iraq or Afghanistan. A Middle East free from Western pressure and occupation will be much safer and calmer for everyone concerned."
7. Suspected Spy for Hizbullah Heads Anti-Israeli NGO
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Amir Makhoul, one of the Israeli Arabs suspected of spying for Hizbullah, heads a group that has rejected an anti-terror funding clause and promotes boycotts of Israel, according to NGO Monitor.
Makhoul, of Haifa, and Omar Radwan Said of Kfar Kana were arrested by Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) agents for allegedly spying on behalf of the Hizbullah terrorist organization. A gag order on the arrests was lifted Monday. Both suspects deny the accusations.
Makhoul is the brother of a former Arab Knesset Member of the Hadash party and heads the Israel-based Arab organization Ittijah.
NGO Monitor, headed by American-born Prof. Gerald Steinberg (pictured below), reported that Ittijah is involved in anti-Israel "demonization."
Established in 1985 and based in Haifa, Ittijah describes itself as “the network for Palestinian non-governmental organizations in Israel Ittijah. NGO Monitor noted, “Updated funding information is not available due to lack of transparency,” and added, “Ittijah joined a number of Palestinian NGOs in rejecting anti-terror clauses in funding agreements.
During Israel’s Operation Cast Lead war against Hamas terror last year, Ittijah claimed that “the IDF is turning Gaza to kind of an extermination camp, in the full sense of the word and with the full historical relativity.”
INN interviewed Makhoul then and reposted the interview earlier today.
It also was prominent in the anti-Israel Durban Conference against Racism in 2001, where the United States and other leading Western nations walked out biased resolutions aimed only at the Jewish State and which ignored the denial of human rights in the Muslim world.
The group’s website claimed that it “gathered, facilitated and directed the vision and position of the Palestinian NGOs inside Israel on racism, particularly Israeli-state racism towards Palestinian citizens, and the apartheid the State practices” in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
Ittijah also backs the Saudi Arabia 2002 plan that calls for the immigration of several million foreign Arabs into Israel, in what the Arab world refers to as “the right of return.” Ittijah organized a 2004 conference entitled “Right of Return and Just Peace,” according to NGO Monitor.
The same group, besides backing boycotts of Israel divesting of companies having a presence in Judea and Samaria, also signed a petition against the L’Oreal company for operating in pre-1967 Israel.
It claimed the firm’s factory in the Lower Galilee city of Migdal HaEmek is located in a “settlement [that] was established in 1952 on lands belonging to the ethnically-cleansed Palestinian village of al-Mujaydil...”
Makhoul and Said, who is a member of the Balad political party, are suspected of a number of serious offenses, including contact with a foreign agent. Police arrested Said at his house, provoking a string of protests.
His arrest last Thursday sparked angry protests in the Haifa Arab community, although the gag order had prevented reports in the media. The Arab rights group Abdullah charged that the arrests were political motivated because the suspects are not members of mainstream Israel parties.
Their arrests are the latest in an increasing phenomenon of Israeli Arabs being involved with Hizbullah. Former Knesset Member Azmi Bishara remains outside the country after being indicted on charges of selling classified information to Hizbullah durng the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
Earlier this year, an Israel Arab was arrested on charges of working out in the health club as IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and passing on to Hizbullah information on his approach route to the facility.
