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1. Three More Months of Freeze, in Exchange for Pollard?
by Hillel Fendel
Despite repeated announcements by Binyamin Netanyahu that the freeze will end in six days as planned, a new scenario has arisen: the release of Jonathan Pollard in exchange for an extension of the construction freeze.
According to the deal being talked about in Jerusalem, the freeze would be extended for three months, while Pollard would be freed just a few weeks shy of his 25th anniversary in prison.
The idea was not initiated in Washington, but rather by staffers in Netanyahu’s office. Army Radio reported Monday morning that Netanyahu asked an unnamed person who specializes in the Middle East conflict to find out if the Obama Administration would be interested in the idea. The person in fact made queries, but it is not known what, if any, response he received.
The Prime Minister’s Bureau has denied the report, issuing this statement: “We know of no query to the Americans on this matter. The Prime Minister has not changed his mind, and the freeze will end on Sept. 26.”
Pollard’s wife Esther has not commented on the report. It is known that the Pollards objected to the Pollard-Barghouti exchange that was floated several years ago, though the deal could be carried out without their consent.
Danny Dayan, head of the Yesha Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria, said, “The very idea is an ugly form of blackmail. Should we also agree to give up the Golan Heights in exchange for Gilad Shalit?”
The last time Netanyahu reached an understanding regarding Pollard with an American president was with Bill Clinton – a Democrat, like Obama – in late 1998 during the Wye Plantation talks. Netanyahu agreed to release 500 PA terrorists from prison in exchange for Pollard’s release, in the framework of the Wye agreement in which Israel agreed to withdraw from over 13% of Judea and Samaria. However, at the last minute, Clinton reneged regarding Pollard – though Israel still released the terrorists.
2. PA: Give us a State or It's War
by Maayana Miskin
Senior Palestinian Authority negotiator Nabil Shaath has announced that the PA will never accept Israel as a Jewish state. In addition, he threatened war if the PA fails to obtain its demands through negotiations, saying, “A Palestinian state will arise, either through negotiations or through armed resistance.”
The Arab League voted last week to support PA Chairman Abbas' refusal to recognize Israel as Jewish.
Shaath said that recognizing Israel as Jewish state would undermine the PA's demand for the “right of return,” which would grant Israeli citizenship to the millions of descendants of Arab who fled Israel during its War of Independence.
He also claimed that accepting a Jewish state “will directly threaten the Muslim and Christian Palestinians in Israel.”
The PA has demanded that no Jewish residents remain in the territory it claims as the location of a future Arab state, including any Israelis in Judea and Samaria who would be willing to become PA citizens. Arab leaders in the PA and elsewhere have insisted that Israel cease all construction for Judea and Samaria Jews in order for negotiations to proceed.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak backed the PA view in an interview with Channel 1 broadcast Saturday night. “I say to Israeli citizens, including Jews, Muslims and others, that there is no such thing as a state in which all the citizens are Jews,” he said.
While the Arab League and Mubarak argued against labeling a state “Jewish,” many Arab League nations – among them Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Libya – are officially Muslim countries. In Syria the president is required by law to be a Muslim, and the same is true for the Prime Minister of Lebanon.
3. Terrorists Sought to Abduct Victims' Bodies
by Hillel Fendel
Two important facts about last month’s terrorist murder of four Israelis, including a husband and his pregnant wife, have come to light: The mastermind was recently released from Israeli prison, and the killers sought to kidnap the bodies.
Just three weeks ago, near Beit Haggai south of Hevron, Palestinian terrorists drove past an Israeli car carrying four Jews – and shot all of them to death. Yitzchak and Tali Imas were the parents of six children, and Tali was about to give birth; Kochi Even-Chaim, mother of one; and Avishai Shindler, married barely a year.
It has now been learned that the mastermind of the attack was Nasat Karmi of Hamas. Karmi was in prison for other terrorist crimes, and was recently released when his term was up. However, he soon afterwards became involved in terrorism once again – and was listed as the IDF’s number one wanted terrorist in the Hevron region.
In addition, the Egyptian Al-Ahram newspaper reported today that the murderers of the four planned to abduct the bodies, use them to demand the release of imprisoned terrorists, sabotage the peace talks, and bring about the resignation of Mahmoud Abbas and the collapse of the Palestinian Authority.
A car that happened to pass by just after the quadruple murder thwarted the grandiose Hamas plans.
Al-Ahram reported that this information originated from the terrorists themselves, during their interrogation by PA security forces. The murderers said they expected that the abduction would lead Israel to withdraw from the talks and the IDF to enter local Arab villages en-masse and search for the kidnappers. This would then cause Abbas (Abu Mazen) to resign.
Bereaved Father: Prison for Terrorists is Like a Country Club
In light of the news that the mastermind had been freed from Israeli prison, Arutz-7’s Shimon Cohen spoke to Tzion Swiri, who lost his son, daughter and son-in-law in a drive-by terror attack nine years ago. It is known that the mastermind of that attack, Marwan Barghouti, is high on the list of candidates for release in a deal for captive soldier Gilad Shalit.
“I can only hope that Marwan Barghouti and the other six who were involved in murdering my children will remain in prison until they die,” Swiri said. “My feeling at present, given the news regarding the recent attack, that ‘we told you so.’ We’ve been railing about this for years: Terrorists must not be released as goodwill gestures or in exchange deals; they must remain in jail.”
Cohen reminded him that in the case of Nasat Karmi of Hamas, “his term in jail came to an end; there was nothing to do but release him.” Swiri said, “That brings me to our other complaint. If jail was really jail for these terrorists, they would not want to return. But we give them everything they want, including a university education – so why should they not want to commit more terrorism? At worst, they know they’ll return to the country club we call jail…”
It has even reached the point, Swiri said, “where the mother of a terrorist who was about to be released from prison pleaded to let her son remain in jail a little longer so that he could complete his education without paying. What have we come to?!”
There are various options by which to pressure the terrorists, Swiri said, “and not just a closure on Gaza. Prison conditions should be worsened for them… We should kidnap some of the top terrorists or their children, and then exchange a child for a child.”
Swiri blames the media for exerting pressure for a prisoner release “without thinking of what will happen the day after. They have not been the targets of terrorism, and that’s why they allow themselves to take that position. I asked some of them how would they respond if their own son would be murdered in the next attack; they had nothing to say, except that that I shouldn’t speak that way…”
4. CAIR Honoring 'Jews-Should-Go-to-Germany' Helen Thomas
by Gil Ronen
Helen Thomas, the veteran White House correspondent who resigned from Hearst newspapers in June after a row over her anti-Jewish comments, will receive a lifetime achievement award from the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
CAIR will honor Thomas, 90, who is of Lebanese descent, at its Leadership Conference and 16th Annual Fundraising Banquet on October 9 in Arlington, Va.
The interview which forced Thomas's resignation took place on May 27, on the White House lawn. Thomas was interviewed by Rabbi David Nesenoff. The short interview, which quickly became an Internet hit, went thus:
Nesenoff: Any comments on Israel? We're asking everybody today, any comments on Israel?
Thomas: Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.
Nesenoff: Oooh. Any better comments on Israel?
Thomas: Remember, these people [the Arabs - ed.] are occupied and it's their land. It's not German, it's not Poland...
Nesenoff: So where should they go, what should they do?
Thomas: They - go home.
Nesenoff: Where's the home?
Thomas: Poland. Germany.
Nesenoff: So you're saying the Jews go back to Poland and Germany?
Thomas: And America and everywhere else. Why push people out of there who have lived there for centuries? See?
The White House Correspondents Association and the White House itself rebuked Thomas, and President Barack Obama said she had made “the right call” in resigning.
Thomas later apologized, saying: “I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heartfelt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon.”
Nesenoff said he received tens of thousands of hate e-mails after the video became public, and said last week that he has “never been closer” to making Aliyah to Israel, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Nesenoff said he had “always considered making Aliyah,” and that he had been deeply moved by the outpouring of support he received from Israelis after the Thomas affair.
5. PA Court: Death Penalty for Selling Land to Jews
by Gil Ronen
Selling land to Israel or Israelis is a capital offense, a Palestinian Authority court in the Jerusalem area ruled Thursday. The verdict overturned a lower court's ruling that such a sale was a "minor crime."
According to the Ma'an news agency based in Bethlehem, Judge Ta'et At-Twil ruled that the act of selling or attempting to sell land to a foreign country was a criminal offense which could warrant the death penalty.
A Prosecution statement said that the court issued the ruling as a consolidation of a previous legal principle, as per instructions it received from PA Attorney General Ahmad Al-Mughni. The Prosecution added that the ruling was made in order to “protect the Palestinian national project to establish an independent Palestinian state.”
In April 2009, a three-member PA military court sentenced a Hevron Arab to death by hanging for the crime of selling land to Jews in Judea and Samaria, Ma'an reported at the time.
Dozens of PA Arabs have been executed without trial in the past for collaborating with Israel by selling land to Jews, but the court’s ruling last April was the first time the PA officially handed down a verdict of treason for the deed.
Seven Arabs were executed in 1996 year for “collaborating,” and the PA later admitted that it was responsible for the murders. More executions took place in the following years, and one Arab, Mohammed Abu al-Hawa, was tortured and murdered in 2006 for allegedly selling an apartment building in Jerusalem to Jews.
While Jews are forbidden from buying land in the PA, PA leaders refuse to accept Israel's status as the state of the Jews. Israel does not forbid the buying of land by Arabs, and there have been persistent reports of oil-rich sheikhs who have been buying land in Israel for nationalistic reasons in the past few years.
6. US Jews Prepare for Arrests at Anti- Ahmadenijad Vigils
by Fern Sidman, INN NY Correspondent
The New York Board of Rabbis announced that it is organizing a human link chain "Across First Avenue in Protest of President of Iran at UN" on Tuesday at 9:45 a.m. at the southwest corner of First Avenue and 40th Street in New York City.
"The New York Board of Rabbis (NYBR), the largest interdenominational rabbinic body in the world representing over 700 Rabbis from the New York metropolitan area will protest and voice their condemnation of the madman of Tehran, Mahmud Ahmadinejad being granted a platform at the United Nations. Members of the Interfaith community will be participating as well."
The message continues:
"VERY IMPORTANT: Please meet us at 9:45 AM this Tuesday at the southwest corner of 1st Avenue and 40th Street. Please bring with you your lulavim, tallisim, tehillim and protest signs.
It is also extremely important that you bring Identification. After linking arms and forming a chain, we will then block 1st Avenue in protest.
Police will be present and ask that we leave at a given point. Those who choose to remain will be subject to arrest.
It would be extremely helpful for the NYBR to know if :
a) if you are participating in the rally and b) your intentions regarding arrest.
Please contact Karen Dubrow at kdubrow@nybr.org with this information."
Spotlighting the egregious human rights abuses that take place on a daily basis in Iran, the pro-Israel student advocacy organization "Stand With Us" staged a silent demonstration in Manhattan on Sunday afternoon, September 19th at the entrance to Central Park on 59th Street and Columbus Circle. This graphic display of the terror that Iranian citizens face came in response to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to New York, where he will be addressing the United Nations general assembly on September 23rd.
The silent protest featured "street theater" including participants with blue duct tape over their mouths, signifying the lack of free speech or dissension in Iran, while others held signs that depicted the horrific human rights abuses that take place in that country. While there were no speakers or organized crowd chanting, the powerful message of those suffering under the draconian rule of the Iranian regime came across loud and clear.
Among those in attendance were long time Jewish activist Helen Freedman, the New York City coordinator of Americans For a Safe Israel along with a contingent of AFSI members. "We came here today to stand in solidarity with those Iranian citizens who are being beheaded, stoned and buried alive for speaking out against the tyrannical rule of the Iranian ayatollahs. It is the pinnacle of hypocrisy for Iranian President Ahmadinejad to come to New York and speak at the United Nations while his own citizens are not granted the basic rights of free speech that we take for granted in this country. We also hold the UN responsible for extending an invitation to Ahmadinejad", she declared.
Holding aloft photos of those who have been tortured and murdered by the Iranian government for speaking out against the totalitarian rule of the government, the demonstrators also held signs saying, "Down With Dictators", "In Iran, You are KILLED for Opposing the Government", "Iran is the World Sponsor of Terrorism - Imagine Them With Nukes!" and "Impediment to Peace - Iran". Most of the signs carried a photo of the face of Ahmadinejad. Many of those who participated in the demonstration were Iranian dissidents, now living in the United States and the United Kingdom, and those who personally felt the lash of Ahmadinejad's government.
One such woman is Shahla Ebrahimi who came along with her husband, Alireza Yaghoubi and their teenage children Amir and Kosar. Mrs. Ebrahimi and her family now live in the UK where they regularly attend demonstrations on behalf of human rights in Iran. "Twenty years ago, I was arrested, blindfolded, and taken to a purported court where I was not allowed to speak. I was imprisoned for three years for protesting against the Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Khomeni regimes of oppression, intimidation, arrest, and death", she said. She added that her husband, Alireza was arrested 14 years ago and imprisoned for 5 years in the Evin torture prison in Teheran. While being transferred from one place to another his back was broken by his Iranian tormentors and as a result of the tortures inflicted on him he lost most of his hearing.
During this tumultuous period, Mrs. Ebrahimi said that their so-called "friends" in Iran exploited their grievous situation and stole all of their money. Subsequent to their release they traveled to Germany for a brief time and then back to Iran where her husband's parents were dying. Alireza was immediately detained by Iranian police, she said. "My husband, Alireza, had to run away to the border with Turkey, where a smuggler found him after 20 days and for $10,000 was able to get him into England" she emotionally recalled. Mrs. Ebrahimi counts herself and her children as among the lucky few who were able to get out of Iran and into England where they now reside along with her husband. Her children attend school in the UK while Mrs. Ebrahimi is studying to be a dental hygenist.
"Thankfully, we were able to get visas and use our British passports to come to the US to attend this week's series of demonstrations against Ahmadinejad" said Mrs. Ebrahimi. "Our story and others just like it, need to be told. The world must wake up to the madness of this Iranian miscreant (Ahmadinejad) and take him seriously. Under his leadership and that of the powerful imams, Iran represents an existential danger to the free world. An nuclear armed Iran spells death and destruction to all peoples. We must raise our voices in outrage and indignation before it is too late".
7. Elie Wiesel on 'Ground Zero' Mosque: Make it Interfaith Center
by Israel news staff
Holocaust survivor and human rights advocate Elie Wiesel spoke last week to the Charlotte Observer about current events. Among other things, Wiesel spoke of the “Ground Zero mosque" planned for downtown Manhattan.
Wiesel suggested that the mosque and Muslim community center, which is to be built a short distance from the site of the World Trade Center terrorist attack, be made into an interfaith project.
“I would speak to the imam and tell him, 'Look, I don't doubt that your intentions are good. Nevertheless, you've divided the community. Why not unite it?'” Wiesel said. He added that someone from his foundation had been sent to speak to the imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, and get his opinion.
Rauf spoke to ABC last week and said that if he had realized how controversial the Islamic center project would become, he would not have proposed it. However, he said, moving to a different site at this point would cause anger in the Muslim world and strengthen radicals.
Wiesel said that he had not previously spoken about the Islamic center controversy due to his own ambivalence. “On the one hand, there's the Constitution. I consider the Constitution a sacred document we cannot touch. On the other hand, there are the feelings of the families. How can I not think of that?” he asked.
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