 | ||
 |         |  |
 | ||
| MP3 Radio | Website News Briefs: | |||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
 |  |
1. Ambassador Oren Contradicts Official Israeli Policy on Pollard
by Hillel Fendel
Esther Pollard was shocked and saddened to learn Tuesday morning that Israel's ambassador to the United States had said that her husband, Jonathan Pollard, was working for a rogue intelligence agency – implying that it was not an official Israeli intelligence operation.
The official Israeli government position has been, for over 12 years, that Pollard was an official intelligence agent of Israel.Oren’s words are thus a direct contradiction of official Israeli policy.
Ambassador Michael Oren told a Washington radio station, in response to a query as to whether Israel spies on the U.S., that "Jonathan Pollard occurred in the mid-1980s. Now, we're talking about an event that was run by a rogue organization in the Israeli intelligence community. That was, what, 25 years ago?"
On May 11, 1998, the government, then headed by Binyamin Netanyahu in his first term as Prime Minister, issued this statement: "Jonathan Pollard was an Israeli agent who was handled by high-ranking Israeli officials in an Israeli-authorized bureau - LAKAM. In light of this fact, the State of Israel acknowledges its obligation to Mr. Pollard and is ready to accept full responsibility accordingly."
Oren’s words are thus a direct contradiction of official Israeli policy.
Mrs. Pollard said this morning, “I don’t know from where to draw strength to tell my husband that the country he so loves and for which he worked with such self-sacrifice is once again knifing him in the back.”
Danny Naveh, a former Health Minister and the man who served as Cabinet Secretary when the above declaration was made, responded today to Oren’s words. “Pollard was handled as an official agent of the State of Israel,” said Naveh, who visited Pollard in prison the week the declaration was made to present him with the official decision. “It is hard to believe that after 25 years, he is still rotting in prison. The Prime Minister received, during his previous term in office, a promise from then-President Bill Clinton that Pollard would be freed; this was not a private promise made by a private individual, but a promise from the United States to Israel.”
MK Uri Ariel (National Union), who has been outspoken on behalf of obtaining Pollard’s release, said, “The remarks by Ambassador Oren regarding Pollard are grave, and he must be taken to task for them. It is especially serious in light of the fact that he refuses to recognize his error and apologize.”
Another Oren Gaffe
Oren also added that Israel would “welcome Pollard's release,” implying that the government was not actively seeking it.
Pollard received Israeli citizenship more than two years before the “official agent” declaration, in January 1996.
In October 1998, during the Wye Plantation talks, Clinton promised Netanyahu that he would free Pollard as part of the Wye agreement – but later reneged on his promise.
The Committee to Bring Jonathan Pollard Home called on Netanyahu Tuesday to quickly clarify that Pollard is, in fact, an Israeli agent, and not as Oren mis-stated. “Netanyahu should also clarify that the State of Israel backs the words of American officials and civil rights organizations that have said that Pollard’s punishment is totally disproportionate to the punishments served by others, and that the time has come for his release.”
2. Barak Echoes US, Throws Cold Water on Jerusalem Park Plan
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Coalition partner Defense Minister Ehud Barak, head of the Labor party and who is on another visit to the United States, has sided with the American government to oppose Jerusalem’s proposed park archaeological.
He released a statement Tuesday that the proposed park and tourist center, which would require wreckng 22 illegally built Arab homes while making legal 66 others, lacks “common sense” and "a sense of timing."
He added, “The plan to make room for an Israeli tourist center could raise tensions in the divided city and deepen a conflict with the Americans. The Obama administration has already condemned the plan.”
The U.S. State Department told reporters Monday afternoon that the proposal “undermines” American efforts to mediate talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel for a new Arab state within Israel’s borders. The proposed park is located in the Silwan Valley, part of the area that the PA demands as being under its control for its desired new Arab state where it wants to divide Jerusalem and place its capital.
Barak’s statement that the plan could easily be postponed ignored the Israeli government’s statement Monday that the proposal needs to mount a long bureaucratic process that precludes any work beginning in the near future.
This is a preliminary planning procedure and it still gives time, more than enough time, for dialogue to continue between the municipal authorities and residents of the neighborhood in the hope that an agreed solution can be found,” said Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev.
Tuesday morning’s statement by Labor party chairman Barak is the second time in three months he has opposed the Netanyahu government while winning points with a cooperative U.S. President Barack Obama.
During his visit to the White House in April, President Obama warmly received Barak, in direct contrast to the chilly reception given Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who was denied the traditional lunch or dinner with the President and an opportunity for media photos.
Barak, whose divided Labor party holds only 13 seats in the Knesset, immediately called for a wide coalition after returning from Washington, meaning that the center-left Kadima party should be included.
The Obama administration’s feeling of comfort with Barak was indicated in a report Monday by Laura Rozen, writing for Politico.com, where she wrote that, “officials suggested that the Obama administration might try to use the quiet visit of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to Washington this week as an opportunity ‘to try to patch things up, if possible, between Israel and Turkey, which have had strong defense ties."
3. Barak: Embargo on Gaza is the Same as on Ramallah and Jenin
by Hana Levi Julian
In announcing relaxed restrictions on humanitarian aid imports to Gaza, Defense Minister Ehud Barak emphasized that Israel’s partial embargo policy applies across the board. Restrictions on imports to Gaza are no different than those on items brought in to the Palestinian Authority areas of Judea and Samaria, he said.
Speaking to reporters at the United Nations Monday after meeting in New York with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Barak reiterated that humanitarian aid is shipped daily into the region. It is only contraband that is prevented from entry, he said, such as weapons and ammunition used in the continuing attacks against Israel by Gaza’s rulers, the Hamas terrorist organization.
Barak added there is an emphasis on allowing “dual use materials” such as cement and iron, which are aimed at projects led by the U.N., the Quartet or other international bodies – “as long as it comes through Ashdod Port.”
Such materials have in the past been confiscated by Hamas once they entered the region in order to be used for construction of bunkers, terrorist smuggling tunnels and rockets. Bringing such materials through the port allows Israel to first inspect the items to ensure no contraband has been secreted away within the containers or packaging.
“I’d like to remind all of you that the same applies to Ramallah, Jenin and Nablus (Shechem), namely the West Bank, when [a] product has to enter… it goes [first] through Ashdod,” Barak said.
Meanwhile, the international peacekeeping Quartet of nations, comprised of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, issued a strong statement Monday praising Israel’s relaxation of restrictions on shipments into Gaza and reiterating its contention that the current situation is “unsustainable.”
The Quartet said it “recognizes that Israel has legitimate security concerns that must continue to be safeguarded, and believes efforts to maintain security while enabling movement and access for Palestinian people and goods are critical.”
In its statement, the group said it would work to “prevent the illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition into Gaza,” although it did not say how. But in a clear reference to the recent clash on the Turkish-sponsored flotilla attempt to break Israel’s sovereignty over Gaza waters, the Quartet urged “all those wishing to deliver goods to do so through established channels so that their cargo can be inspected and transferred via land crossings into Gaza.
“The Quartet emphasizes that there is no need for unnecessary confrontations and calls on all parties to act responsibly in meeting the needs of the people of Gaza.”
4. Report: Hizbullah Called Off Plot to Kill Israeli Official
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Hizbullah called off a plot to assassinate a senior Israeli official because it did not want to distract from the flotilla crisis, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai reported Tuesday morning.
The newspaper did not state where the assassination was to take place but reported that the official was told by Israel to return home immediately to deal with the international condemnation of Israel following the flotilla incident.
The Hizbullah terrorist organization, headed by Hassan Nasrallah, reportedly called off the plot at the last minute to take advantage of the initial pro-Arab sentiment following the May 31 clash between Turkish terror activists and Navy commandos.
However, Israel has been attractting more support after several videos taken on board the Mavi Marmara ship clearly revealed that the Turkish passengers organized a pre-mediated assault on the Navy commandos.
Al Rai also reported that Hizbullah has prepared a war plan to be executed in the event that Israel tries to assassinate Nasrallah or his senior terrorist leaders. “Any such attempt [by Israel] will be considered a declaration of war and will result in hundreds of missiles falling on Gush Dan,” the Hebrew term for metropolitan Tel Aviv, according to a terrorist spokesman quoted by the newspaper.
Nasrallah’s senior terrorist mastermind Imad Mughniyeh was assassinated more than two years in a Damascus parking lot. Israel has been accused of carrying out the operation but has not acknowledged responsibility.
5. New US-Israel Crisis Looms over Jerusalem Park
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Another crisis between the Netanyahu and Obama administrations looms over housing in Jerusalem, this time because of Jerusalem’s plan to wreck 22 illegally built Arab homes to make way for an archaeological park. The Jerusalem municipality proposal also calls for making legal 66 other Arab buildings built without permits.
The U.S. State Department said Monday afternoon it is “concerned” over the plan that “we think undermines the trust that is fundamental in making progress to the proximity talks and ultimately in direct negotiations.”
Chief Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat called on foreign countries to “halt these dangerous steps [that] prove that Israel has decided to destroy the indirect talks" with the Palestinian Authority.
The American and Israeli governments are rebounding from the crisis that broke out in March when the Israeli Interior Ministry approved an additional step in a lengthy bureaucratic process for 1,600 new housing units in the Jewish neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo. The announcement coincided with the arrival of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
The apartment project and the proposed park both are located in areas of Jerusalem that the Palestinian Authority demands to be under its sovereignty in its proposed new Arab state, with Jerusalem as a divided capital.
Another similarity between Ramat Shlomo and the park project is that both of them are a long time away from final approval. "This is a preliminary planning procedure and it still gives time, more than enough time, for dialogue to continue between the municipal authorities and residents of the neighborhood in the hope an agreed solution can be found,” said Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev.
6. US Bans Government Workers from Israeli Highway 443 at Night
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The U.S. government has banned its workers from traveling on Highway 443 at night, adding fuel to complaints from Jewish drivers that the High Court decision to open the road to Palestinian Authority motorists endangers their lives. The American government also prohibits its workers from using roads in Judea and Samaria.
The American government’s instruction was posted on its consular affairs website one day after it was reported that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s security team does not allow him to travel the road at all, whether day or night.
“U.S. Government personnel and family members are permitted both official and personal travel on Route 443 between Modi'in and Jerusalem without prior notification, during daylight hours only,” the website states. “All other personal travel in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria], unless specifically authorized for mission-approved purposes, is prohibited.”
Highway 443 is a major artery connecting Jerusalem with the area of Ben Gurion airport and metropolitan Tel Aviv. It was closed in 2002 following several murderous Arab terrorist attacks. Answering a High Court petition filed by Peace Now, the High Court ruled the blanket closure was unfair to the general Arab population.
It ordered the IDF to install new security arrangements to protect Jewish drivers while allowing PA Arabs to drive on the road. Several rock throwing incidents have been reported on the highway since it was reopened several weeks ago.
The blanket order against travel in Judea and Samaria, without prior permission, previously has been posted despite dozens of “goodwill” measures that Israel, under pressure from the American government, has carried out to easy travel for PA Arabs. These measures generally involve checkpoints and roadblocks that were removed – and quickly followed by shootings.
Last week, Arab terrorists, apparently from the Hevron area, killed an Israeli policeman and wounded two others after they opened fire at their vehicle near a former roadblock.
Although the American government has pressed for the goodwill measures aimed at propping up the rule of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and has trained PA police to fight terror, the State Department advises its citizens to stay off the highways there.
“Demonstrations and violent incidents can occur without warning,” citizens are told. “Vehicles have also been the target of rocks, Molotov cocktails and gunfire on West Bank roads. The IDF continues to carry out security operations in the West Bank.”
The advisory also singles out the Israeli security forces as the source of possible danger, while not referring to terrorists. “U.S. citizens have been killed, seriously injured, or detained and deported as a result of encounters with IDF operations in Gaza and the West Bank,” the advisory continues.
"Travel restrictions may be imposed by Israel with little or no warning. Strict measures have frequently been imposed following terrorist actions, and the movement of Palestinian Americans, both those with residency status in the West Bank or Gaza as well as foreign passport holders, has been severely impeded.”
The State Department continues to forbid government employees from visiting the Old City at night and between 11 a.m.and 2 p.m. on Fridays, the Muslim Sabbath.
7. Righteous Gentiles of Minsk Receive Israel's Highest Honor
by Hana Levi Julian
President Shimon Peres presented the thanks of the People of Israel to nine Righteous Gentiles from the Belarus city of Minsk on Monday. The award of the Righteous Among the Nations is the highest award that Israel can bestow on gentiles who demonstrated courage in the face of the Nazi Holocaust in order to save the lives of Jews.
Monday's meeting was an opportunity for the activists to see the human wealth they had created in terms of the spirit in the nation of Israel. The delegation, accompanied by the Ambassador of Belarus and his staff, also met with those who had survived the war as a result of their selfless acts – and their descendants.
The President was especially moved by the story of Holocaust survivor Rachel Shmailovic, who related her experience and that of her family, the Davidsons, while their savior, Anna Trofimova -- born Kanapatskaya -- sat beside her.
Shmailovic’s parents, were sheltered by Trofimova. Yisroel Davidson, head of the family, hid himself in a deep outdoor pit – so deep that the bloodhounds never detected his presence.
Kanapatskaya hosted the various members of the family in her own home for an entire year, supplying them with food and used clothing from the village.
In 1943, Shmailovic said the Nazis murdered 5,000 people in a mass slaughter in the heart of the ghetto. It was time to go, and the family fled, joining the partisans in the forest to fight the Nazis.
Peres warmly embraced Tropimova, and said that in the name of the Jewish People he would like to thank the Righteous Person who had saved so many Jewish lives
The President added that he had good memories of Belarus as a child – but that his beloved grandfather and other relatives, as well as nearly everyone from the village he led, were brutally murdered by the Nazis.
“You are proof that no matter what the circumstances, even under the fingernails of the Nazi monster, human decency can prevail,” Peres said.
More Website News:
 | Found: Ancient Egyptian City from Biblical Times  |
| Yahoo! Weather Reunites Jerusalem |
| Agriprocessors Manager to Appeal 27-Year Jail Sentence |
| Iran Backs Down again, ‘Indefinite’ Postponement of Ship to Gaza |
| Gaza Officials Accuse PA of Energy Blockade |
